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All posts tagged "tablets"


Thursday, September 22, 2011

Windows 8: Right or Wrong?

Posted by Lee Yuan Sheng in "Digital Home Software" @ 10:30 AM

http://www.zdnet.com/debate/great-d...rection/6297893

"Summary: Ed Bott and Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols debate whether Microsoft's next operating system is headed in the right direction."

Phew, that's quite a long list of arguments for and against Windows 8. Me? I'm not sure. I still am a bit ambivalent about the whole thing. Metro looks awesome, but the whole point of Windows is to run all those programs we are used to running. In a way I see this as a compromise solution for the tablet problem, by not breaking away from the legacy Windows base totally. Sure you can run all those programs, but most likely you will want a program with the Metro UI, coded with the latest framework/APIs.


Tuesday, September 7, 2010

A Slate For Every Taste

Posted by Hooch Tan in "Laptop Thoughts News" @ 10:30 AM

http://gizmodo.com/5630935/five-of-...revealed-so-far

"Last week alone saw ViewSonic, Toshiba and Samsung all officially unveil new models of keyboard-less computer, with a mish-mash of operating systems and screen sizes hoping to somehow build themselves a market in the wake of Apple's market-leading device. So here's a summary of five of the best tablets out there and on the way this year. Or, to put it another way, the iPad +4."

Is the slate tablet market really that hot, or is this simply a whole bunch of hype intended to get everyone to open their wallets? Tablets might be the next step in casual computing and thankfully, it seems like it draws a large part of its inspiration from smartphones. The only one that stands out for me, and not in a good way, is the ViewPad 100. Dual-booting just seems like such a hassle and it is not like dual-booting slate tablets have not been tried before. Just ask HTC. Most likely, the iPad will continue to dominate the space though there will be a large amount of Android devices to pick from.


Friday, June 4, 2010

Computex Windows 7 Tablet Roundup

Posted by Jon Childs in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 09:00 AM

http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/03/...x-nay-tabletex/

"If you've been reading our coverage for the past few days, you know that Intel and Microsoft didn't show up in Taipei empty handed -- both of their booths are incredibly well stocked with new slates. Most of them, which range from early prototypes to quite functional, have 10-inch displays, run Windows 7 Premium and pack Intel Atom Z or N series processors -- in essence they're very much netbooks sans the keyboard panel. There are way too many of them to count, but don't you worry, we've rounded up some details and shots of the most appealing ones on display here at the show."

Engadget has a nice roundup of a bunch of Windows 7 tablets they saw at Computex. They summed it up nicely by saying that they were all pretty much netbooks without a keyboard. Nothing I see here makes me want to give up my keyboard, but I guess we will have to wait and see how finger friendly these companies can make their devices. Slow processors with limited memory and non standard GUIs do not seem like a recipe for taking market share away from the iPad.


Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Tablets Will Not Solve All Problems

Posted by Hooch Tan in "Digital Home News" @ 02:00 PM

http://jkontherun.com/2010/03/22/wh...pc-is-overkill/

"I explained that this ThinkPad wasn’t the only one that could do this. The new HP 2740p has a touch option too. He had no idea that such technology existed, and sadly this is not an unusual case. One of the obstacles to adoption of the Tablet PC has always been lack of knowledge about them, especially with so-called consultants like this doctor used when he set up his practice. He’s spent the past three years lamenting the big bucks spent on Tablets he didn’t need."

With the slate tablet being the hot item right now, it is refreshing to see someone provide another take on what has been done with the industry. The case examples used by James Kendrick are interesting, and I agree that tablets may not have been the ideal choices for them, but I really want to drive home one major point is that with new form factors or procedures, there needs to be enforcement, or at least encouragement of these new features. People resist change and every new concept or set of procedures needs to fight tooth and nail to show that they can be superior. I am ashamed to admit that it took me months to get used to tabbed browsing, but in my defense it was mostly because of muscle memory using alt-tab to switch between browser windows. I am trying hard to make use of more slate and tablet oriented tools such as OneNote, but it is proving to be challenging to say the least. Slates may face the same problem, though the leap will not be anywhere near as great. The most difficult challenge will be on the development side, to make sure that what people see on slates, either through the web, or through custom applications, properly takes advantage of the new interface.


Thursday, March 18, 2010

Slate Tablets Just Keep Getting Cheaper

Posted by Hooch Tan in "Digital Home News" @ 04:30 PM

http://www.linuxfordevices.com/c/a/...s/Marvell-Moby/

"If priced at just $100, the Moby will presumably feature conventional LCD technology, not an E Ink display. However, Marvell says downloadable textbooks for the Moby could sell for a fraction of bound versions, adding that the device should also help children from being injured by toting overweight backpacks. "

A teardown of the venerable iPad estimates the hardware costs at around $275. By comparison, Marvell seems intent on being able to sell a tablet for $100. The question will be just how well the Moby will perform in comparison to other tablets. It will offer Android and Windows CE support and claims support for a wealth of other components we expect in this increasingly mobile world. While I think the iPad will offer a lot, this kind of slate tablet interests me much more as the price definitely makes it an impulse buy, and makes computing even more accessible.


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