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Perytons launches ZigBee protocol analyzer for Tablet PCs
Perytons Ltd. announced the release of its new Tablet PC analyzer models for analyzing 802.15.4, ZigBee and 6LoWPAN networks. The PeryTAB combines the Perytons Protocol Analyzer suite features with an optimized Tablet PC touch interface for a superior user experience. During the market introduction phase the PeryTAB will be provided together with a Tablet PC such as ACER Iconia W500 or Skytex Skytab S-series, running the Microsoft Windows 7 OS. -- Posted Wednesday, May 16, 2012 by chb

Free Motion Computing webinar: Empowering the Mobile Worker with the Right Tablet PC
On Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. CDT, Motion Computing and VDC Research will hold a free webinar that will outline the advantages of mobile field computing and discuss things to consider when deciding on the best purchase decision. [Free registration] -- Posted Tuesday, May 15, 2012 by chb

Foxconn scores US$34 billion sales in Q1 2012
It's stunning how big electronics contract manufacturing companies have gotten. Hardly anyone knows their name, but in terms of sales they pass and dwarf some of the world's most recognizable brands. Foxconn, for example, makes a lot of the electronics products sold by Apple, Sony, Microsoft and Amazon. The company just announced Q1 2012 revenues of US$34 billion, up almost 40% from Q1 2011. In annuals sales, Foxconn is bigger then IBM, Sony, Toshiba, Microsoft, Hyundai or BMW. -- Posted Tuesday, May 15, 2012 by chb

Thailand buys 400,000 educational tablets
According to Digital Trends, Thailand has signed the world's largest educational tablet purchase to-date. The US$33 million deal covers the first 400,000 tablets, with a second deal for over half a million more anticipated. The ScoPad SP0712 tablets are made by Shenzhen Scope Scientific Development Co. in China, and run Android 4.0 on a 1.5GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor. The 7-inch display features 1024 x 600 pixel resolution and capacitive multi-touch. While specs are modest, they'll certainly help speed Thailand's 6-8 year olds towards becoming Post PC-savvy. -- Posted Monday, May 14, 2012 by chb

NY Times blog on rugged Android tablets
"Companies May Accept Sturdier Android Tablets" is the title of an article in the New York Times Bits blog. In it, author Brian X. Chen argues that while the market for rugged handhelds is relatively small (about two million devices in 2011 according to IDC, expected to rise to 2.7 million by 2014), it's a valuable one, and one that Micrsoft could lose to Android. [See "Companies May Accept Sturdier Android Tablets"] -- Posted Thursday, May 10, 2012 by chb

Moprise announces new version of Coaxion
Moprise, a provider of mobile software for accessing and organizing enterprise documents from mobile devices, announced its newest version of Coaxion with a re-designed user interface is available for download from iTunes for iPads and iPhones. Coaxion, allows seamless navigation between enterprise-hosted and personal document storage, and organizes documents related to specific meetings. Mobile users can view and share Office documents in their original form on iPads - including embedded charts, graphics, annotations, and security watermarks - features that consumer document reader applications are unable to support. -- Posted Tuesday, May 8, 2012 by chb

Evernote buys Penultimate
Evernote, the company whose very popular software lets you take and archive notes, has bought the Penultimate digital handwriting app for the iPad. The Evernote blog describes the transaction and how everyone feels about it. Evernote, which has just raised another US$70 million, is clearly thinking big. Now if they could only come up with a stylus that really works on projected capacitive screens, and apps that include palm rejection smarts. -- Posted Monday, May 7, 2012 by chb

Rugged Computing Industry Discussion -- Part 2
Rugged Tablet PC company executives answer RuggedPCReview's questions about opportunities in the rugged and semi-rugged tablet market as a result of the iPad's popularity. In Part 2, the Handheld Group and Motion Computing answer the questions. [Read Rugged Computing Industry Discussion - Part 2] -- Posted Monday, May 7, 2012 by chb

Who makes the most tablets?
Well, Apple, of course, and then Amazon and Samsung. But the picture looks quite different in terms of who actually builds those tablets. iPads are made by Foxconn, and the Taiwan Economic News just reported that Quanta will be the leader among non-iPad tablets in 2012. That's because Quanta scored a number of new contracts to build Android tablets, over six million this year. [See CENS.com article] -- Posted Monday, May 7, 2012 by chb

IDC on Q1/2012 tablet sales: Apple shines, Android struggles
According to IDC, a steep drop in Android-based tablet shipments offset a strong quarter by Apple. A total of 17.4 million media tablets were sold worldwide in Q1 2012, 1.2 million below IDC's estimates. Of those 17.4 million, Apple shipped 11.8 million, for a 68% marketshare, up from 54.7% in Q4, 2011. Amazon, which had sold 4.8 million tablets in Q4, 2011, fell sharply and is now in 3rd place behind Samsung. Our take: Given Android's stellar performance in smartphones, the platform's struggle in tablets clearly represents a missed opportunity. Android's platform fragmentation seems a much bigger issue in tablets than in smartphones. And soon there will be further fragmentation when Windows 8/RT arrives. [See IDC release] -- Posted Friday, May 4, 2012 by chb

Diversity to add to growth in tablet market
Shipments of tablet PCs are expected to grow from 81.6 million units in 2011 to 424.9 million units by 2017, according to the latest NPD DisplaySearch Tablet Quarterly report. The forecast for 2013 shipments has increased from 168.9 million to 184.2 million. This forecast estimates that in 2016 more tablet PCs will be shipped than notebook PCs. A growing diversity of operating systems is driving the increase in demand for tablets, as well as rapidly evolving features. At the same time, the capacity of component manufacturing is being increased to meet new market demand. [See NPD DisplaySearch release] -- Posted Thursday, May 3, 2012 by chb

MobileDemand on rugged Tablet PC systems used in aerospace and defense
MobileDemand posted a brief description and analysis of rugged Tablet PCs used in aerospace and defense applications in its Ruggedized Computing Blog. The entry lists the capabilities those two fields require from device manufacturers. [See Rugged Tablet PC Systems Used in Aerospace and Defense] -- Posted Wednesday, May 2, 2012 by chb

United Flower Growers increases accuracy by 90% with Motion Tablet PCs
British Columbia-based United Flower Growers is a Dutch-style auction that sells over 50 million stems of flowers and more than a million potted plants per year. Each morning, truckloads of flowers and plants arrive at UFG's 26 loading bays where they are visually inspected for quality. Sales data is scanned into custom software using Motion Computing F5v Tablet PCs, dramatically reducing manual input errors by 90%, which translates to a considerable cost savings. Motion Tablet PCs are also starting to be used in other areas of the operation, where UFG expects to increase efficiency by up to 40%. [See Motion Computing press release] -- Posted Wednesday, May 2, 2012 by chb

Samsung introduces 1.4GHz quad-core 32nm Exynos 4 Quad ARM processor
Samsung introduced a new quad-core application processor built on 32nm High-k Metal Gate low-power process technology. The 1.4GHz ARM CORTEX A9 based Exynos 4 Quad is expected to double processing power in smartphones and tablets, yet use about 20% less power than the 45nm predecessor Exynos 4 dual-core chip. The Exynos 4 Quad can drive up to 1366 x 768 (WXGA) displays and incorporates a full 1080p video recording and play-back, an embedded image signal processor, and an HDMI 1.4 interface. [See Samsung press release] -- Posted Friday, April 27, 2012 by chb

Intel formally introduces high end "Ivy Bridge" quad-core 3rd Generation Core processors
After much discussion of the "Ivy Bridge" platform of next-gen Intel Core processors, Intel officially introduced a number of higher end quad-core versions of the platform. Called "3rd generation Intel Core processors," the new chips are based on 22 nanometer manufacturing process, have much more powerful integrated graphics with DirectX 11, OpenGL 3.1 and OpenCL 1.1 support, and also come with the new "Panther Point" chipset family with native USB 3.0 and PCIe 3.0 support, as well as new Centrino wireless modules. As usual, there is a dizzying variety of desktop and mobile versions that all promise to be about 20% faster and twice as powerful in graphics than corresponding 2nd generation chips. The new 22nm process, for the first time, employs 3D tri-gate transistor design, perpetuating Moore's Law (doubling transistor count every 18 months) for years to come. The new processors, which do not yet include low and ultra low voltage versions of special interest to tablets, also benefit from a variety of security and power conservation enhancements. [See Intel press release and 3rd Gen Core Processor presentation] -- Posted Tuesday, April 24, 2012 by chb

Rugged tablets in agriculture
Rugged tablets are increasingly used in farming where the concept of precision agriculture has introduced advanced GPS, GIS and management systems to prepare, optimize and run farming operations. SOYL Precision Farming and the Samwell Group demonstrated how small, rugged tablet computers mounted on All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) can get the job done. [See Rugged tablets in agriculture] -- Posted Monday, April 23, 2012 by chb

Neonode reports 17 design wins for Q1 of 2012
Optical touch technology provider Neonode reported that, all in all, they accumulated a total of 17 new design wins in the first quarter of 2012 where the company integrates its hardware-independent touch technology into existing or new product categories for their customers. -- Posted Friday, April 20, 2012 by chb

Media tablet era medical tablet: Cybernet CyberMed T10
Cybernet Manufacturing has developed the CyberMed T10 tablet designed for use in clinical environments. The Intel Atom N2600-based tablet, which has about the same footprint and display as the original iPad, runs Windows 7 or the upcoming Windows 8. The aluminum and glass enclosure is easy to clean, has antimicrobial coating, and sports a fanless design. The 2-pound device, which starts at US$999, has dual cameras, WiFi/Bluetooth, USB and HDMI, and also optional RFID and barcode scanner. [See description and specs of the Cybernet CyberMed T10 medical tablet] -- Posted Thursday, April 19, 2012 by chb

The nature and potential of Windows 8 for ARM devices
By announcing the upcoming versions of Windows 8 and what role the separate ARM version will play, Microsoft has clarified the situation a bit. And a thorough prior Microsoft blog post on building Windows for ARM had already added a lot more detail. So what IS the nature of Windows 8 for ARM devices, and what do we consider its outlook and potential? [Read The nature and outlook for Windows 8 for ARM devices] -- Posted Wednesday, April 18, 2012 by chb

Microsoft announces Windows 8 editions
In a post on the Windows Blog, Microsoft announced that there will be three versions of the upcoming Windows 8. For PCs and tablets based on x86 processors, there will be plain Windows 8 and and the more business-oriented Windows 8 Pro that adds features for encryption, virtualization, PC management and domain connectivity. Windows Media Center will be available as a "media pack" add-on to Windows 8 Pro. A third version, Windows RT, will be available pre-installed on ARM-based PCs and tablets. Windows RT will include touch-optimized desktop versions of a new Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. [See Announcing the Windows 8 Editions. Also interesting: Building Windows for the ARM processor architecture] -- Posted Wednesday, April 18, 2012 by chb

Brazilian hospital uses Motion Computing tablets to improve safety and work conditions
Motion Computing reports that in 2011, the Samaritano Hospital of Sao Paulo, Brazil, implemented a mix of mobile computingsolutions, including Motion C5v Tablet PCs, notebooks and carts on wheels, for real-time access to electronic medical records throughout the hospital. The mobile devices are an integral part of the hospital's effort to increase patient safety and improve work conditions for clinicians, effectively modernizing the care process. The devices were chosen because they were configured specifically for the hospital environment and in line with infection control protocols. [See Motion Computing press release] -- Posted Tuesday, April 17, 2012 by chb

New accessories for the Motion CL900 Tablet PC boost field productivity
Motion Computing announced the availability of a number of accessories for the CL900 Tablet PC. The CL-Series ReadyDock can store/charge/sync/secure 5, 10 or 15 CL900s; the CL-Series Keyboard Portfolio is a stand and Bluetooth keyboard combined; the CL-Series X-Strap is a simple but effective one-handed carrying solution; and there's also a Micro-HDMI to VGA adapter for connection to projectors. -- Posted Friday, April 13, 2012 by chb

Top medical apps
The folks at iMedicalApps.com present a terrific resource with their attractively designed "Top Apps" section where healthcare professionals can find lineups and reviews of medical apps. [See iMedcialApps.com's Top Apps} -- Posted Friday, April 13, 2012 by chb

Toshiba unveils three new Excite tablets
Toshiba's Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., announced the expansion of its Excite family of Android 4.0/Tegra 3-powered tablets with three new display sizes – 13.3-inch, 10.1-inch and 7.7-inch. The Excite 7.7 (starting at US$499) is just 0.3 inches thick and has a AMOLED display. The Excite 10 (starting at US$449) is also very thin (0.35 inches) and has a 1280 x 800 display. The 0.4 inch-thick Excite 13 (starting at US$649) breaks through the tablet display size barrier with a 1600 x 900 pixel 13.3-inch screen. All models have a durable aluminum housing, use Gorilla Glass, have 5mp document cameras and 2mp front cameras, and will be available around June. -- Posted Wednesday, April 11, 2012 by chb

Wacom to release Bamboo Stylus duo iPad pen
Wacom is launching the Bamboo Stylus duo, a dual-purpose stylus for the iPad and Android tablets that combines a capacitive pen tip for on-screen input at one end of the Stylus, with a ball-point ink pen on the other end for use on paper. With the Bamboo Stylus duo, which costs US$39.95 and will be available April 24, Wacom attempts to address one of the weak points of capacitive multi-touch displays, the inability to write on them. [See Bamboo Stylus duo page] -- Posted Tuesday, April 10, 2012 by chb

Intel reveals studybook Learning Series tablet reference design
Intel introduced another interesting reference design, the Intel studbook. Part of the Intel Learning Series, the studybook concentrates on classroom features and educational software. The reference tablet measures 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.65 inches, weighs 1.15 pounds, has a 7-inch capacitive multi-touch screen with 1024 x 600 (i.e. early netbook class) resolution, is powered by a single-core 1.2GHz Intel Atom Z650 processor, can have up to 32GB of SSD storage, and optional 0.3mp front and 2mp rear cameras. There's 802.11b/g/n WiFi, optional Bluetooth and 3G WWAN, a micro-SD card slot, USB, mini-HDMI, and battery life up to 5.5 hours. The device is said to be able to run either Windows 7 or Android Honeycomb. While the Intel press release refers to "ultra rugged design," we're really only talking a 2.5 foot drop and IP41 sealing, enough perhaps for a classroom. Intel expects pricing of US$200-300, depending on installed options. Intel claims that over 7 millions of its earlier Classmate PC are in use, and that the hardware and software elements of an Intel studybook have been piloted in more than 2,000 classrooms in 36 countries. 9See ] -- Posted Tuesday, April 10, 2012 by chb

Allscripts introduces iPad app for EHRs
Allscripts announced the release of Allscripts Wand, which provides users of Allscripts Electronic Health Records a unique, native iPad application that extends the most commonly used functions of Allscripts Professional and Enterprise solutions. -- Posted Thursday, April 5, 2012 by chb

Blasting Solutions Inc. realizes 75% time savings with Motion Tablet PCs
Motion Computing published a new case study that shows how Blasting Solutions Inc uses the rugged Motion F5v Tablet PC to reduce the amount of time spent filling out job books by 75 percent. For each job, BSI audits the entire job book from front to back, and what previously took three to four days to complete now takes approximately 15 minutes. [See full case study] -- Posted Tuesday, April 3, 2012 by chb

Blast from the past: Scriptel
Scriptel, a global provider of electronic pen and sensor technology, announced the launch of the ST1501 LCD Electronic Signature Pad for Web Environments. The name Scriptel also brought back memories of the ScripTel WriteTouch digitizer of the mid-1990s that was briefly used in Xplore GeneSys rugged tablets. In the meantime, Scriptel apparently has an installed base of almost 3 million units. -- Posted Saturday, March 31, 2012 by chb

IDC: Android to pass Windows platform
According to IDC, the Windows/X86 platform will slip from a leading 35.9% share in 2011 down to 25.1% in 2016, losing the OS lead to Android-based devices running on ARM CPUs. IF, that is, you count smartphones and media tablets as computers. Looking at it that way, of the almost one billion of "smart connected devices" (i.e. PCs, tablets and smartphones) sold in 2011, about half were smartphones. By 2016, IDC expects almost 1.9 billion smart connected devices, and over 60% will be smartphones. Interestingly, IDC's graphs show tablets remaining well behind conventional PCs. [See IDC press release] -- Posted Friday, March 30, 2012 by chb

Garmin launches iOS/Android Garmin Pilot aviation app
Garmin announced Garmin Pilot, a new aviation app for iOS and Android-based mobile devices. The app brings Garmin's aviation features to tablets and smart phones, offering pilots complete navigation, trip planning, DUAT(S) filing, weather and electronic flight bag capabilities. It's free for 30 days, then pilots can pay $9.99/month or an annual subscription of $99.99. Geo-referenced FliteCharts are available for an additional $49.99 annually. Geo-referenced SafeTaxi diagrams are available for an additional $29.99 annually.[See Garmin Pilot product page] -- Posted Thursday, March 29, 2012 by chb

Solar-powered rugged case for the iPad
Solawerks announced that the company is developing a version of its Solapad iPad cover with space age "hard rubber" type material so that the fragile iPad can be used in rugged environments. -- Posted Thursday, March 29, 2012 by chb

Mobile processor market to reach almost 2 billion by 2016
According to a new research report by NPD In-Stat, for 2011 ARM is the dominant processor architecture with over 73% of all units shipped and is growing. Thanks to the iPhone and iPad, Apple is second place for the entire mobile processor market just behind industry leader Intel, and in 2012, Apple will likely capture the top spot in terms of unit shipments. In-Stat also says that the release of Windows 8 later this year will be a pivotal point in the competition between the ARM and x86 processor architectures. -- Posted Wednesday, March 28, 2012 by chb

Fujitsu offers faster Stylistic Q550
Fujitsu is now offering a top-of-the-line model of the Stylistic Q550 Slate PC with a 1.7GHz Intel Atom Z690 instead of the original 1.5GHz Z670. This model, which starts at US$999, also comes standard with a Gobi3000 technology and carrier-independent WWAN module (available as an option in lesser versions). [See latest Fujitsu Q550 specs] -- Posted Monday, March 26, 2012 by chb

Hillcrest Labs unveils next "movement" for smartphones and tablets
Hillcrest Labs announced that its natural motion control technology, Freespace, is now available for manufacturers and component suppliers of smartphones and tablets. Hillcrest's new Freespace MotionEngine for Mobile is an embedded software solution that manages and enhances the performance of motion sensors found in smartphones and tablets -- accelerometers, magnetometers, and gyroscopes -- to enable today's motion-based applications and provide the foundation for next-generation user experiences. -- Posted Monday, March 26, 2012 by chb

Apple sells 3 million new iPads in 3 days!
Apple announced it has sold three million new iPads in the first three days of its official release on March 16, 2012. That's roughly ten times as many as Apple sold of the original iPad during its first few days. [See Apple press release] -- Posted Tuesday, March 20, 2012 by chb

Poundland boosts warehouse productivity with Motion Tablet PCs
Motion Computing reports that Europe's biggest single price discount retailer, Poundland, has gone live with a deployment of Motion F5 Tablet PCs in two warehouse hubs in the Midlands. The tablets replace legacy data collection equipment and improve the productivity of Poundland QA teams in both locations and ensure Poundland's supply chain keeps pace with demand. -- Posted Monday, March 19, 2012 by chb

The new iPad -- First impressions
On Friday, March 16, 2012, at 9:30AM, Fedex delivered our two new iPads. The Fedex guy actually gave us three packages by mistake. We get a lot of stuff via Fedex, but since all three looked the same, I checked and saw that this was probably a third iPad. I called after the departing Fedex guy. "You saved me life," he told me as I handed him the third package back. [read more] -- Posted Sunday, March 18, 2012 by chb

Socket Mobile launches Apple-certified 1D barcode scanner
Socket Mobile announced that the Socket Bluetooth Cordless Hand Scanner (CHS) 7Ci barcode scanner has been certified by Apple for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The pocket-size, lightweight CHS 7Ci uses long-range Bluetooth to connect to the Apple devices, creating a general purpose data collection solution for the mobile workforce. [See 7Ci scanner product page] -- Posted Sunday, March 18, 2012 by chb

Video: Motion Tablet PCs for Mobile Audio Mixing
Western-swing, boogie and roots-music band Asleep at the Wheel has been around for nearly 40 years, turning out 25+ albums while playing a tough, relentless schedule. The band prides itself on continuous reinvention, and exploring new avenues and sounds. One thing they never have to worry about is ensuring optimal sound quality for everyone in the audience thanks to road manager Jim Finney and his Motion Computing J3500 Tablet PC that he uses for mobile audio mixing. Motion put up a great video on YouTube where Finney explains the project and use of the tablet. [See Motion Tablet PCs for Mobile Audio Mixing] -- Posted Thursday, March 15, 2012 by chb

When our new iPads shipped
We ordered two new iPads (one black, one white, both 64k and AT&T) on March 7, 2012, the day the new iPad was announced. The black one shipped March 10 and the white one on March 12, both marked for delivery on March 16. -- Posted Wednesday, March 14, 2012 by chb

Edelman PR refuses review
Edelman PR refuses to let us review Adobe Lightroom. Talk about alienating the media. -- Posted Monday, March 12, 2012 by chb

Getac Europe announces Android-based rugged Z710 tablet
Getac's European operations have issued press releases inviting Getac customers to try out their new rugged and Android-based Getac Z710 tablet. The ruggedized Z710 has a 7-inch capacitive touch screen, measures 8.8 x 5.75 inches, runs up to 10 hours on a charge, has dual cameras and 16GB of onboard storage (expandable via microSD), and can be equipped with RFID, scanners and WWLAN. A 10-inch Android model will also be available. [See description and specs of the Getac Z710 tablet] -- Posted Thursday, March 8, 2012 by chb

Motion hosts free webinar on optimizing clinical workflows with tablet computers
Healthcare organizations are looking to gain the mobility benefits of tablets but still have questions about what kind of device to choose. On Wednesday, March 14, 2012 11:00 am PST Motion Computing hosts a free webinar to explore the key questions to ask when considering a mobility initiative built on tablet PCs. [See Event Information: Tablet PCs: Optimizing Clinical Workflows] -- Posted Thursday, March 8, 2012 by chb

New Apple iPad: dual/quad-core, retina display, 4G, 1080p video, iSight cameras, voice dictation
Apple announced the new iPad with a 2048 x 1536 pixel "retina" display, a A5X quad-core processor, iSight camera technology similar to the iPhone 4s, 1080p video, voice dictation, Bluetooth 4.0, and 4G LTE. The new iPad looks very much like current models, but weighs a bit more than the iPad 2 (1.4 lbs). Battery life will remain at 10 hours for general use and, amazingly, 9 hours on 4G. Pricing remains at the same level (i.e. US$499 ($629 with 4G) for 16GB models; US$599 ($729 with 4G) for 16GB models; and US$699 ($829 with 4G) for 64GB models). The iPad 2 remans available with lowered prices. Apple also introduced iPhoto for iPad and a new 1080p-capable Apple TV (US$99). -- Posted Wednesday, March 7, 2012 by chb

Over 1,000 GameStop stores now sell refurbished iPods, iPhones and iPads
GameStop reports that it sells refurbished iPods, iPhones or iPads in more than 1,000 U.S. stores and online at www.GameStop.com. In 2011, GameStop began providing immediate in-store credit and cash for trade-ins of the popular Apple products. [See GameStop's refurbished iPod, iPhone and iPad page] -- Posted Monday, March 5, 2012 by chb

Toshiba to deliver Excite 10 LE tablet
Toshiba Digital Products Division announced that heir Excite 10 LE tablet is now available in the US. Previously introduced as the Excite X10, the Excite 10 LE Toshiba describes the Excite 10 LE as the world's thinnest (0.3 inches) and lightest (1.18 pounds) 10-inch tablet. The Excite tablet has micro-USB, HDMI, a micro-SD card slot, WiFi, Bluetooth, dual speakers, dual cameras for video chat (2,p) and 1080p HD video recording (5mp), and 1280 x 800 pixel resolution on its Gorilla Glass protected screen. The Excite is powered by a 1.2GHz TI OMAP 4430 processor, comes with either 16GB (US$529) or 32GB (US$599), and runs Android 3.2. No mention of WWAN, though. [See Toshiba Excite 10 LE YouTube video] -- Posted Saturday, March 3, 2012 by chb

Wacom introduces multi-touch Intuos5 tablets
Wacom announced Intuos5, the next generation of pen tablets for professional photographers, designers and artists. New features include multi-touch gesture support, Express View to quickly see settings, a multi-function touch ring, programmable keys, a more ergonomic design, the possibility to connect the tablet wirelessly, and an even better pressure-sensitive (2,048 levels) pen. The Intuos5 comes in small (active area 6.2 x 3.9 inches, US$229), medium (8.8 x 5.5, US$349), and large (12.8 x 8, US$469). [See Wacom Intuos5 tablets overview]
-- Posted Thursday, March 1, 2012 by chb

Huawei 10-inch quad-core 1920 x 1200 tablet
Also interesting in Barcelona: the very elegant Android 4.0 based Huawei MediaPad 10 that the company calls the world's first 10-inch quad-core tablet. The speedy proprietary Huawei K3 1.5GHz chip is complemented by 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution (current iPad 2 1024 x 768), 4G support, dual cameras (8mp and 1.3mp) and svelte design (0.35 inches thick, 1.3 lbs.). Huawei promises global availability in Q2, 2012. [See Huawei press release] -- Posted Wednesday, February 29, 2012 by chb

Motion Computing appoints UK Country Manager
Motion Computing announced the appointment of Ian Davies, who previously served as country manager for ruggedized computer manufacturer LXE, as country manager for the United Kingdom. Davies will be responsible for the development of the UK market as Motion continues to expand its presence throughout key verticals such as healthcare, retail, field service and construction.
-- Posted Tuesday, February 28, 2012 by chb

Slashgear demo of Neonode's 3D touch technology
SlashGear ran interesting coverage of the Neonode 3D touch technology, including a video that demonstrates some of the potential and anticipated 3D uses. [See Slashgear's Neonode 3D touch headed to tablets and phones: Hands-on] -- Posted Tuesday, February 28, 2012 by chb

Harris introduces rugged 7-inch Android-based tablet for mission-critical defense and public safety deployments
Harris Corporation introduced the Harris RF-3590 Ruggedized Tablet, an Android-based 2-pound tablet with a 7-inch 1024 x 600 pixel sunlight-readable multi-touch display. According to Harris, the tablet was designed to provide a "smartphone-like experience to military personnel and first responders who require secure real-time information at their fingertips to execute their missions." Designed with numerous sensors, extensive wired and wireless communications technologies (including BT 4.0, GPS and 4G LTE), the RF-3590 certainly looks like a very interesting attempt to meet mission-critical information needs out there in the field. [See description and specs of the Harris RF-3590 rugged tablet] -- Posted Saturday, February 25, 2012 by chb

Synaptics to show its latest capacitive touch technologies in Barcelone
Synaptics announced it will show its latest capacitive touch solutions at the 2012 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. This include these ClearPad Series 2, ClearPad Series 3 sensor-on-lens, in-cell and on-cell solutions, as well as the ClearPad Series 4 integrated Touch and Display Driver IC solution. In addition, the Design Studio 4 ClearPad development tool will be on display along with the ClearPad 7300, the industry's first high-performance, single-ASIC solution for the tablet market. -- Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2012 by chb

Motion Computing announcements
Motion Computing announced that a) East Jefferson General Hospital is utilizing Motion C5v Tablet PCs to help eradicate hospital-acquired pressure ulcers (see full case study), b) Motion and PatientWorks are fully automating the check-in process, helping increase efficiency, accuracy of information and overall patient satisfaction, and c) that Graphium Health selected Motion tablets for the development of AnesthesiaEMR.com, a web-based application that digitizes the existing intraoperative anesthesia form, allowing users to document via a tablet PC, effectively connecting the anesthesiologist to the cloud.
-- Posted Monday, February 20, 2012 by chb

Global tablet shipments reach 15 million Q1 2012
According to Digitimes, vendors will ship 15 million tablets in Q1 of 2012, dropping 30.6% from Q4 2011, but rising 77.6% from Q1 2011. Shipments will consist of 11 million iPads as well as 4 million non-iPad tablets which will decrease by 50.8% on quarter and include 1.5 million Kindle Fires and 300,000 Nook tablets. Digitimes also pointed out that Taiwan-based ODMs will ship 13.51 million tablets for a global share of 90.25% in Q1 of 2012. -- Posted Monday, February 20, 2012 by chb

Benefits of cloud computing and Tablet PCs in food logistics
The ever-proactive folks at MobileDemand posted a new blog article entitled "Benefits of cloud computing and Tablet PCs in food logistics." [Read more] -- Posted Friday, February 17, 2012 by chb

New video: Motion tablets in utilities : Horizon Utilities
Motion Computing released a new video on YouTube documenting Horizon Utilities' (one of the largest municipally-owned electricity distribution companies in Ontario) implementation of Motion Computing tablets to reduce service order processing time, eliminate paper footprint and expedite information exchange - saving time and money. [See YouTube video]
-- Posted Friday, February 17, 2012 by chb

MobileDemand announces partnership with Elecdata
MobileDemand announced a reseller partnership agreement with Electronic Data Solutions, a provider of ruggedized equipment used in field data collection. The main use of the MobileDemand xTablet rugged tablet PC by Elecdata will be for recording and managing data critical for controlling mosquitoes, and Elecdata will also utilize MobileDemand xTablets for forestry, water resources and GPS functions. [See full press release] -- Posted Monday, February 13, 2012 by chb

Xplore turns profitable
When the folks at Xplore Technologies excitedly discussed their plans of creating the ultimate rugged tablet computer with us back in 1996, good thing they didn't know they'd have to wait a full 15 years for their first profitable quarter. But it's finally happened: Xplore announced record revenues of US$8.9 million for Q4 of 2011 (up from US$4.3 million for Q4 of 2010) based on the momentum of their iX104 C5 family of rugged tablets (see our full review), and income of US$284,000. [See press release] -- Posted Monday, February 13, 2012 by chb

Are keyboards dead?
With all the emphasis on tablets, are keyboards dead? The folks at rugged computer maker AMREL just posted a very interesting essay entitled "The Death of Keyboards & the Japanese Experience" -- Posted Thursday, February 2, 2012 by chb

Review: Advantech UTC-515 ubiquitous touch terminal
Businesses the world over are seeking new and innovative ways to automate and improve service, and the application potential for smart touch terminals seems endless. RuggedPCReview.com took a detailed look at the Advantech UTC-515 15.6-inch Intel Atom-D510/525 based "ubiquitous touch computer" that runs Windows Embedded Standard. It's an elegant, very solid and very expandable design that is also small enough (also looks good enough) to fit anywhere. [See review of the Advantech UTC-515 touch terminal] -- Posted Thursday, January 26, 2012 by chb

Apple posts record results
Apple's Q4 2011 financials may well go down in history. Apple's stock is at US$450 (as of January 25, 2012), Apple's market value is US$420 billion, highest in the world. Q4 2011 revenue was at US$46.3 billion, with a record profit of US$13.06 billion. Apple sold 37 million iPhones, up 128% from a year ago. Apple also sold 15.4 million iPads, up 111%, and Mac sales also rose 26% to 5.2 million units. On top, Apple has no debts and almost US$98 billion in cash. -- Posted Wednesday, January 25, 2012 by chb

Full review: Winmate G570Z 5.7-inch rugged handheld device
The Winmate G570Z may look like a large PDA, but it's actually a small Windows tablet. With a very bright 5.7-inch resistive touch screen and running embedded Windows XP on an Intel Atom Z510 processor, the 8 x 4.7 inch G570 weighs around two pounds, considerably less than larger rugged tablets. The device is highly configurable (1D/2D scanner, RFID, 3.5G WWAN), runs a full shift on dual batteries, and with a 4-foot drop spec and IP65 sealing can be deployed almost anywhere. [See review of the Winmate G570Z rugged tablet] -- Posted Tuesday, January 24, 2012 by chb

NDP DisplaySearch: Wide viewing angle LCDs on the move
We've been preaching the virtues of wide viewing angle displays for many years and marveled at the fantastic viewing experiences on Hydis and other IPS (in-plane switching) and FFS (fringe-field switching) displays (HP used Hydis displays already in their 2003/2004 TC1100 Tablet PC). Well, according to NDP DisplaySearch, with the increasing use of tablet PCs and smart phones to view and share video, wide viewing angle performance is finally becoming a requirement in TFT LCDs. In our opinion, wide viewing angle displays are so much better as to make them virtually mandatory on most mobile computing devices. [See NDP DisplaySearch release on wide viewing angle LCD technologies] -- Posted Thursday, January 19, 2012 by chb

Fujitsu releases advanced POS touch terminal
While we haven't heard much from Fujitsu in terms of mobile tablets as of late, the company is very active in the point-of-sale area where its TeamPoS all-in-one touch terminals represent the state of the art. The latest addition is the TeamPoS 7000, which Brian Yates, Director of Retail Product Marketing at Fujitsu America, described as follows: "The TeamPoS 7000 AIO terminal is a key building block for creating the retailing environment of the future. This vision starts with multiple in-store touch-points sitting atop an open architecture with remote system management. We then integrate CRM, multimedia and social media, and leverage cloud integration and mobile commerce solutions to provide customers with a holistic and interactive retail experience that will increase loyalty and drive powerful new marketing programs." [See Fujitsu press release] -- Posted Tuesday, January 17, 2012 by chb

Review: Acer Iconia Tab A500
Contributing editor Dan Rasmus felt it was a little strange to be writing a review of a shipping tablet just as CES 2012 is over. But unlike much of the gear touted in blogs, endless television coverage and various radio shows, the Acer Iconia Tab A500 is shipping, and at a reasonable price. [See Dan Rasmus' review of the Acer Iconia Tab A500] -- Posted Friday, January 13, 2012 by chb

Staples media tablet stats
Staples, from a variety of statistical sources, compiled the following tablet statistics: The average tablet user spends 90 minutes per day on their tablet. 88% use their tablet on the road. 54% of tablet users are 34 or older. The most common tablet display size is 10 inches. The average tablet user spends US$34 on apps. 80% of tablet users say tablets have improved their work/life balance. [See Staples tablet stats summary] -- Posted Thursday, January 12, 2012 by chb

Synaptics announces single ASIC large touchscreen ClearPad solution for tablets
Synaptics announced the latest addition to its single ASIC ClearPad Series 7 touchscreen family, the single ASIC ClearPad 7300 solution. Supporting up to 12-inch touchscreens with tracking of 10 or more fingers, the ClearPad 7300 is designed for the tablet market. [See ClearPad Series 7 Product Brief (PDF)] -- Posted Tuesday, January 10, 2012 by chb

RIM previews BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 at CES
RIM is previewing the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 at CES in Las Vegas. The software upgrade, which will be available for free download to all BlackBerry Playbook users in February, includes a large number of enhancements to make the OS more integrated and connected. [See RIM press release] -- Posted Tuesday, January 10, 2012 by chb

Atmel announces next-gen maXTouch S Series
Touch technology specialist Atmel Corporation announced the availability of its new maXTouch S Series family of touchscreen controllers, the next gen of their unlimited touch plus stylus technology with systems supporting touch screens from 3.5 inches all the way to 17 inches. The S Series facilitates thinner and lighter devices without sacrificing responsiveness, touch fidelity or battery life. [See maXTouch S Series YouTube video and white paper] -- Posted Monday, January 9, 2012 by chb

TI to demo Windows 8 on OMAP 4 platform at C ES
Texas Instruments will be showing an OMAP4470 processor-based tablet running on a pre-release version of Windows 8 at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, demonstrating how the latest OMAP 4 platform supports Microsoft's upcoming next version of its operating system. [See TI press release] -- Posted Monday, January 9, 2012 by chb

Growing influence of tablets
According to NPD DisplaySearch, the tablet category expanded its role in the mobile PC market, with shipments of 72.7 million units, accounting for 25.5% of mobile PC shipments in 2011. By 2017, notebook PC shipments are forecast to reach 432 million units, and tablet shipments are projected to reach 383.3 million units. DisplaySearch also projects that of the 432 million notebooks, ultrabooks, with their sleek design and convenience like instant-on and long battery life, will contribute about 40%. -- Posted Thursday, January 5, 2012 by chb

Neonode announces single chip optical touch controller
Neonode is the company that offered touch and swipe-controlled smartphones years before Apple, but simply was ahead of its time (see our review of the Neonode N2) and the phones are long gone. Neonode, however, marched on as a provider and licensor of its innovative optical touch technology that uses an infrared grid to detect the position of the finger or pen. Now they announced what they claim is the world's first ultra-low power single-chip optical touch controller, developed in conjunction with Texas Instruments. Suitable for handheld and small to midsize devices, Neonode's touch technology combines elements of resistive and capacitive digitizers, and the new single chip solution makes for a lower chip count and lower cost. The technology has some issues, but is attractive and usable enough to score a number of high-profile licensees. -- Posted Wednesday, January 4, 2012 by chb

Rugged tablets used by motorcycle riders in Taiwan
There are a lot of motor scooters in Taiwan. In fact, every second citizen has one. However, due to the nature of Taiwanese traffic laws, there are hardly any larger bikes. Well, the laws have changed now and big bikes are suddenly quite popular. Given Taiwan's expertise in mobile electronics, it's not surprising to see rugged mobile computers integrated into big bikes, where they serve as big-screen GPS, information centers, and for weather forecasts, traffic reports, and more. The image shows a Samwell RUGGEDBOOK SR820 tabled mounted on a Honda. The Intel Atom-powered, 2.9 pound SR820 with its magnesium alloy chassis and housing and a 8.9-inch WSVGA touch display (see our review) seems well suited for the task. [See Rugged tablets used by motorcycle riders in Taiwan] -- Posted Monday, January 2, 2012 by chb

Tablet PC redux at Acer?
Mobile computing historians will recall that Acer was one of the early adopters of the Tablet PC back in 2001/2002 when Bill Gates/Microsoft made another push to establish the platform. The Acer TM100 (see our 2002 report), in fact, almost singlehandedly established the convertible notebook concept that remains quite popular in vertical markets (Panasonic, Getac, Twinhead, etc. all offer them) and was the early Tablet PC leader, but Acer never seemed to fully mature the concept, and quickly dropped it. Now history seems to repeat itself with Acer on another rollercoaster ride in media tablets with aggressive claims and predictions of leadership alternating with dismissals of the tablet market. The latest news, as reported by the Taiwan Economic News, now is that Acer is likely to withdraw from the tablet market entirely. [See article] -- Posted Wednesday, December 28, 2011 by chb

iPad continues to dominate in Q3 of 2011
It's almost two years after the iPad's introduction, and Apple's blockbuster tablet continues to rule. According to IDC, Apple sold 11.1 million iPads in Q3 of 2011 for a 61% market share. That's compared to a combined total of just six million for all Android tablets combined, for a 32.4% share, down from 33.2% in Q3 of 2010. Android, though, seems poised to benefit from the new generation of hybrid tablet/book readers such as the Kindle Fire and Barnes and Noble Nook that may boost Android market share over 40%. -- Posted Tuesday, December 27, 2011 by chb

Winmate unveils ruggedized, Intel Atom/Windows Embedded Standard 7 powered 9.7-inch tablet with projected capactive touch
Winmate announced the attractively styled R09ID9M-RTL1, also known as the Winmate 9.7-inch Compact Rugged Tablet PC. Running Windows Embedded Standard 7 on an 1.6GHz Intel Atom N2600, the semi-rugged device brings the elegance and ease of use of projected capacitive touch to embedded systems custom applications. There's also USB and LAN/HDMI connectivity, WiFi, Bluetooth, optional 3.5G WWAN, and despite the extra ruggedness, the tablet still only weighs two pounds. [See description and specs of the Winmate 9.7-inch Compact Rugged Tablet PC] -- Posted Sunday, December 25, 2011 by chb

Review: Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet
The original IBM ThinkPad of the early 1990s was a tablet and ran PenPoint, so it's only fitting that the new Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet should explore Android for business. Dan Rasmus analyzes the new Lenovo Tablet and finds much to like (superior keyboard and case), but it comes at the cost of extra weight. And Android still seeks to find an identity, in business at least. [See Dan Rasmus' review of the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet] -- Posted Sunday, December 18, 2011 by chb

Tablet survey says connection speed is everything
European network solutions provider Brocade research suggests that while 85% of consumers in their survey use their smartphones or tablets to do their holiday shopping, almost 70% were only prepared to wait a maximum of 20 seconds for a web page to load before going to another retailer. And 13% said they'd only wait a maximum of five seconds for a retailer's web page to load before giving up and trying another site. [See Brocade press release] -- Posted Sunday, December 18, 2011 by chb

Getac UK announces rugged 7-inch Android tablet
Getac UK has announced a 7-inch fully rugged Android-based tablet computer. The Getac Z710 tablet is designed to withstand 5-foot drops, carries IP65 sealing (i.e, it's dust-proof and can handle water jets from all directions), can handle operating temperatures from -22 to 140° Fahrenheit, and passes numerous MIL-STD-810G tests. The Z710 runs Android 2.3, comes with 16GB of memory, has a microSD Card slot, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, USB, dual cameras (HD front, 5mp rear). Note that the new Getac tablet has not yet been announced in the US where John Lamb, Director of Marketing, Getac Inc. stated "We have numerous rugged notebooks, convertibles, handheld and tablet products in development and we are excited about the pipeline." [See Getac UK press release] -- Posted Thursday, December 1, 2011 by chb

HCI introduces Android-powered TVs for healthcare
HCI has released the next generation of their RoomMate TVs designed specifically for use in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. The new connected TVs run the Android OS and use Android apps to entertain and educate patients, visitors, and staff. [See HCI Android TV platform] -- Posted Thursday, December 1, 2011 by chb

Jon Peddie Research sees big boost in stereo cameras in smartphones
Jon Peddie Research released a new study on mobile devices. Among the findings: 80% of smartphones will have stereo 3D cameras by 2015, not just for 3D viewing, but also for gesture based controls, advanced augmented reality applications, and visualization with depth. Peddie also forecasts shipment of over 750 million smartphones in 2016, as well as almost 300 million tablets. -- Posted Thursday, December 1, 2011 by chb

Apple's efficiency hurts chip vendors
Bloomberg reports that the iPad's low chip count (about 75% fewer than in a standard notebook) is hurting chipmakers, especially those specializing in memory chips. [See Bloomberg article] -- Posted Thursday, December 1, 2011 by chb

MobileIron 4.5 to offer comprehensive Android security platform
MobileIron announced global availability of MobileIron 4.5, which provides a deep set of security features to Android devices. With support for Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), MobileIron 4.5 includes encryption enforcement, secure SSL VPN, Exchange account configuration with certificates, a single MobileIron client for all Android devices, hardware lockdown and more. -- Posted Thursday, December 1, 2011 by chb

DisplaySearch forecasts much higher resolution in tablets
The NPD DisplaySearch shipment forecast indicates that the average resolution of tablet PC displays will grow to more than 200 pixels per inch (ppi) in Q2'12. Expect the launch of higher resolution displays in tablets, such as 10.1' 1920 × 1200 and 9.7' 2048 × 1536. -- Posted Tuesday, November 29, 2011 by chb

Burns & McDonnell implements mobility solutions for increased productivity and efficiency at the Point-of-Service
Motion Computing announced that Kansas City-based Burns & McDonnell, a full-service engineering, architecture, construction, environmental and consulting services firm, is utilizing Motion F5v Tablet PCs for increased time savings, productivity and efficiency at the point of service. "When factoring in price, performance, features and usability, the F5 was the complete package," said Bryan Claxton, associate project manager, Burns & McDonnell. [See Motion case study on Burns & McDonnell deployment] -- Posted Tuesday, November 29, 2011 by chb

Grapevine Push-to-Talk now on Panasonic Toughbook U1 tablet
DecisionPoint Systems, which provides field-based workforce automation solutions, announced that its Grapevine cloud-based Push-to-Talk software is now certified on the Panasonic Toughbook U1 ultra mobile rugged PC. Grapevine Push-to-Talk is a worldwide communication system that is "always on," enabling instant voice communication over a range of mobile devices and PCs. -- Posted Tuesday, November 22, 2011 by chb

Autodesk ForceEffect app for iPad
Autodesk announced the Autodesk ForceEffect iPad app. ForceEffect allows engineers to quickly simulate design options during the conceptual phase by tapping objects to select, move, rotate and scale for immediate feedback on the performance of a design. ForceEffect, which is free, is one of Autodesk's growing collection of very inexpensive or even free tablet apps. Our take: ForceEffect is also an example of software companies using the large media tablet market to cleverly and inexpensively promote their brands with limited but very useful products that can lead to sales of their primary products. [See ForceEffect on iTunes] -- Posted Tuesday, November 22, 2011 by chb

Next gen of Microsoft Surface available for pre-order
Samsung and Microsoft announced that the next generation of Microsoft Surface is now available for pre-order through Samsung resellers via the Samsung Electronics website. Initially unveiled earlier in 2011, the Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface features PixelSense technology that allows LCD panels to see without the use of cameras. The SUR40 looks like a 40-inch HDTV with four legs to make it a table and, in conjunction with Microsoft Surface, is intended to allow users to manipulate screen content with hands and gestures. -- Posted Saturday, November 19, 2011 by chb

iData Partners with Audatex to supply Motion Tablet PCs
iData Distribution, a distributor of automated ID and mobile technologies for the reseller market in southern Africa, reports it has supplied Audatex (the world's leading supplier of vehicle repair data) with 160 Motion Computing Tablet PCs. The Motion "Audapad" tablets are loaded with the Abuntex motor vehicle assessing software and deployed for accurate customer information gathering on the road, simplified results tracking and reporting, while eliminating duplicate efforts, such as re-keying data. [See iData press release] -- Posted Saturday, November 19, 2011 by chb

Qualcomm unveils next-gen Snapdragon S4 processors
Qualcomm announced the expansion of its Snapdragon S4 class of next-generation mobile processors (and enhancements to its Snapdragon S1 for entry-level smartphones). The new S4s, using Qualcomm's Krait CPU micro architecture, seek to lower design, engineering and inventory costs while bringing leading-edge 3G/4G connection speeds to next-gen mobile devices from smartphones to tablets. Qualcomm announced several new S4 chipsets, including the MSM8660A, MSM8260A, MSM8630, MSM8230, MSM8627, MSM8227, APQ8060A and APQ8030. These are in addition to the previously announced MSM8960, MSM8930 and APQ8064. [See Snapdragon S4 Processors white paper (PDF)] -- Posted Thursday, November 17, 2011 by chb

Fujitsu UK & Becrypt launch ultra-secure tablet for public sector
Fujitsu UK and Ireland reports that it has joined forces with data protection expert Becrypt to offer the first comprehensively secure tablet PC for UK government deployment. Becrypt's DISK Protect Baseline full disk encryption software has been developed and modified for use on the Fujitsu Stylistic Q550, delivering peace of mind for customers handling sensitive data. The Becrypt software will be CESG(1)-accredited to protect information and files saved locally up to Impact Level 3 (restricted access). [See Fujitsu press release] -- Posted Wednesday, November 16, 2011 by chb

Entertaining Intel site helps with picking the right Core processor
While Intel kind of designates its Core i3/i5/i7 processors as "good," "better," "best," it's notoriously difficult to make the case for one processor line over the other, unless there are very specific requirements (such as the use of some specific Intel technology that may be available in one line but not the others). Apparently Intel is aware of this confusion and predicament and has created a special multimedia website where users can figure out which Core processor is right for them. It's not very scientific, but quite entertaining. [See the visibly smart Intel Core processor family site] -- Posted Tuesday, November 15, 2011 by chb

Panasonic launches the Toughpad at Dallas Cowboy Stadium
With the stated goal of providing the first tablet designed for business, Panasonic introduced their new Toughpad in grand style at Dallas Cowboy Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Available early 2012, the 10.1-inch Marvell/Android-based Toughpad A1 offers IP65 sealing, a 4-foot drop spec, dual cameras, 10 hour battery life, daylight viewability, and enterprise level security. A smaller 7-inch B1 version will be available later in 2012. [See full coverage of the Panasonic Toughpad launch event] -- Posted Friday, November 11, 2011 by chb

Xplore gets US$14+ million rugged tablet order
Xplore Technologies announced it has received purchase orders from one of the world’s largest utility companies for more than 4,000 of its newly launched iX104C5 rugged tablet PCs, representing over $14 million in aggregate sales orders. These C5 tablets are expected to be delivered during the first half of calendar 2012 and will be used to improve the productivity of the customer’s field service operations. [See Xplore press release] -- Posted Thursday, November 10, 2011 by chb

Amazon orders 5 million Kindle Fire tablets
According to Digitimes, Amazon has increased its Kindle Fire tablet order to a cool five million, based on strong pre-orders of the 7-inch US$199 device that comes with 8GB of storage, WiFi, measures 7.5 x 4.7 x 0.45 inches, and weighs less than a pound. -- Posted Thursday, November 10, 2011 by chb

Windows 8: a bit of fear, uncertainty and doubt
In mid-September 2011, Microsoft showcased a preview of the next release of Windows at the BUILD developer conference. After reading up on it, I wrote down my impressions in the days following the preview, but held off putting it in the RuggedPCReview blog until I had a bit more time to let it sink in and contemplate the likely impact on rugged mobile computing manufacturers and users. My thinking hasn't changed, so below is pretty much what were my first impressions about Windows 8 and what it will mean for mobile computing... [Read more] -- Posted Thursday, November 10, 2011 by chb

Analysis: Fujitsu Lifebook T731 and Styistic Q550
What should you get if you want business-class tablet functionality? A pure tablet? Or a notebook that can be converted into a tablet? Dan Rasmus analyzes two Windows 7-based devices from Fujitsu, the Intel Core i5 or i7 powered Lifebook T731 and the light and sleek Stylistic Q550. [See analysis of the Fujitsu Lifebook T731 and Stylistic Q550] -- Posted Friday, November 4, 2011 by chb

GameStop now selling several media tablets with games pre-installed
GameStop is now selling media tablets as well, and they all come with six free games already installed. Initial tablets sold are the Acer Iconia (US$325), the Asus Eee Pad Transformer (US$399) and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (US$499). GameStop now also issues store credit to customers who trade in their iPod, iPhone or iPad. GameStop's move doesn't necessarily signal the end of dedicated consoles, but many gamers may start balking at expensive console games (usually US$60) in favor of less expensive downloadable games. [See GameStop tablet offers] -- Posted Friday, November 4, 2011 by chb

HP announces Windows 7-based Slate 2
HP introduced the HP Slate 2, which is very much like the unloved HP Slate 500 except for a switch from an 1.86GHz Intel Atom Z540 to a 1.5GHz Atom Z670 processor and a few minor changes. Microsoft's preview of Windows 8, however, makes the HP Slate 2 a more attractive proposition, but for now it's Windows 7 on a 8.9-inch multitouch/pen display with first-gen netbook resolution (1024 x 600). Pricing is US$699 for a WiFi-enabled 32GB version and US$799 for a 64GB version. [See HP Slate 2 on HP website] -- Posted Thursday, November 3, 2011 by chb

New Norton Tablet Security protects Android tablets against loss, theft and online threats
Symantec released Norton Tablet Security and new updates for Norton Mobile Security, including a new "Scream" feature that helps users find a lost or stolen phone quickly. Both offerings for the Android platform further support the Norton Everywhere initiative, which extends Norton's security expertise and technologies to protect consumers everywhere they go, regardless of device or platform. -- Posted Wednesday, November 2, 2011 by chb

Atmel maXStylus/maXTouch demo video
Atmel uploaded an interesting video demonstrating and explaining its maXStylus technology that combines a very precise stylus with a 1mm stylus tip with the company's maXTouch multi-touch touchscreen technology. [See Atmel maXTylus demo video] -- Posted Monday, October 31, 2011 by chb

Handheld teams up with PUMA for Volvo Ocean Race
Handheld Group, a supplier of innovative and advanced rugged PDAs and devices, has teamed up with PUMA Ocean Racing for the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-2012. As part of the sponsorship, the PUMA crew onboard PUMA’s Mar Mostro (Monster of the Sea) will use Handheld's ultra-rugged Algiz 7 tablet on deck for everything from navigation to calculations and communication. Handheld Marketing Director Sofia Löfblad said, "This is the kind of tough environment the Algiz 7 was built for, and I'm especially interested in hearing the crew’s response to our new MaxView screen technology." -- Posted Monday, October 31, 2011 by chb

Dell Latitude ST Windows 7 tablet
Dell's upcoming Windows 7-based and Intel Atom Z670-powered Latitude ST tablet offers both capacitive multi-touch and an active pen (using N-Trig technology). The 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 pixel display has Gorilla Glass protection, and there are rubberized bumpers to help survive use in the field. There are USB and HDMI ports, WiFi/BT4, dual cameras (720p front, 5mp rear), up to 128GB SSD, and up to 6 hours of battery life. Measuring 10.6 x 7.3 x 0.6 inches and weighing just under two pounds, the Latitude ST reminds a lot of the Fujitsu Q550. The Latitude ST will cost around US$1,000 and become available early November, 2011. [See Dell Latitude ST product page] -- Posted Friday, October 28, 2011 by chb

One Xoom sold for every 130 iPads
Motorola Mobility revealed it had shipped just 100,000 Motorola XOOM Android tablets in Q3 2011. That compares to 13 million iPads. Honestly, this has us baffled. Media tablets are super-hot, the XOOM is a very good product, so what's the problem? Perhaps Motorola Mobility, which concentrates on consumer phones, should pass the Xoom on to the vertical market oriented Motorola Solutions. [See Motorola Mobility Q3 Financials] -- Posted Friday, October 28, 2011 by chb

Samsung adds Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus
Samsung announced the upcoming availability of the US$399 Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus that runs Google Android "Honeycomb" on a 1.2GHz dual core CPU. The device has an IR interface to control home theater setups via its Peel Smart Remote TV application.
-- Posted Saturday, October 22, 2011 by chb

Motion introduces SlateMate add-on modules for its CL900 tablet
Motion Computing introduced the Motion CL900 SlateMate snap-on module technology that extends the functionality of the ruggedized CL900 Tablet PC. Securely attached to the tablet's internal frame, the first CL900 SlateMate module provides a 1, 2 and 3 track magnetic stripe reader and a 1D/2D barcode scanner for mobile data acquisition and transaction processing. [See Motion CL900 SlateMate page] -- Posted Wednesday, October 19, 2011 by chb

Global tablet shipments 18.7 million in Q3 of 2011
According to Digitimes Research, gobal tablet PC shipments reached 18.7 million units in the third quarter, with Apple iPad shipments accounting for 13 million units of that. Non-iPad tablet PCs suffered from high inventory issues in the third quarter and many new tablet PC product launches have been delayed. In terms of components, for tablet PC CPUs, Nvidia has become the second-largest supplier in terms of shipments with Texas Instruments dropping to fourth. As for ODMs, Inventec is currently the second-largest with Quanta Computer dropping to fifth. -- Posted Wednesday, October 19, 2011 by chb

Xplore closes additional financing
Xplore Technologies Corp. announced that it received $2.32 million in gross proceeds from the issuance of 2.32 million shares of Series D Participating Convertible Preferred Stock in a private placement. According to the company, the placement will enable Xplore to fulfill the expected increase in demand for its new product line and maximize its chances of success in a market with growing awareness and traction. -- Posted Monday, October 17, 2011 by chb

Australian ski resort uses Motion F5v tablets
At Australian ski resort Perisher this winter season, it's not only the skiers and boarders who are on the move. The resort is reporting excellent results after equipping its lift crews and IT department with Intel Core i7-powered Motion Computing F5v Tablet PCs. On the first day of the 2011 ski season, the tablet PCs and RFID gates were launched to process lift passes and immediately changed the way the resort services its guests. [See press release] -- Posted Monday, October 17, 2011 by chb

Motion celebrates 10th anniversary with CL900 tablet give-away
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Motion Computing is giving away a CL900 Tablet PC to a lucky winner. How do you enter? By becoming a Motion Computing fan on Facebook and posting, before November 1st, a photo of yourself using your current Motion tablet and a brief description of why you love it, or a photo of where you would use a new Motion CL900 tablet and a brief description of how you would use it. [See Motion Computing Facebook page] -- Posted Monday, October 17, 2011 by chb

Motorola Solutions introduces enterprise-class 7-inch capacitive multi-touch Android tablet
Seeking to provide the familiarity and popularity of a consumer-class user experience to a true enterprise-class device, Motorola Solutions introduced the Android-based ET1 ruggedized 7-inch tablet. The TI OMAP 4-powered capacitive multi-touch ET1 brings enhanced durability (4-foot drop, IP54, etc.), an optional barcode scanner and magnetic stripe reader, hot-swappable battery packs, and secure system software. [See description and specs of the Motorola Solutions ET1 tablet] -- Posted Monday, October 10, 2011 by chb

Display resolution in mobile devices expected to rise
According to DisplaySearch, increasing demand for high information content and multimedia capability in mobile devices continues to drive flat panel display resolution to higher levels of pixel density. With panel makers developing ultra-high resolutions, such as 2048 x 1536 pixels QXGA and higher for tablet PCs and 1280 x 800 pixels for smartphones, the average pixel density of flat panel displays is expected to grow over the next few years. -- Posted Wednesday, October 5, 2011 by chb

GD-Itronix introduces fully-rugged GD3080 tablet
General Dynamics Itronix introduced the GD3080 fully-rugged tablet computer as a next-gen version of its Duo-Touch II tablet. The 4.0 pound fanless tablet now features higher XGA resolution on its 8.4-inch DynaVue display that has an auto-switching resistive touchscreen/active digitizer combo. The GD3080 runs Windows 7 and offers more memory as well as higher capacity hard disk and SSD options. Up to three RF modems and GPS can be integrated in a unit at one time. Sealing is at the IP54 level and the machine, which starts at US$3,250, can handle significant abuse. [See description and specs of the General Dynamics Itronix GD3080] -- Posted Wednesday, October 5, 2011 by chb

Hot Hardware preview: Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet
Hot Hardware ran a nice hands-on preview of the business-class Android-based Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet [See Hot Hardware preview of the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet] -- Posted Monday, September 26, 2011 by chb

Apotheker out, Whitman in at Hewlett Packard
After shutting down WebOS and plans to jettison its entire world-leading PC business in favor of becoming a software and service company didn't go over well with analysts and Wall Street, HP's board did another knee-jerk reaction by replacing beleaguered CEO Leo Apotheker with former eBay CEO and recent unsuccessful candidate for California's governorship, Meg Whitman. Let's hope things will settle down at HP so the company can return to be the rock-solid technology powerhouse it once was. -- Posted Thursday, September 22, 2011 by chb

EMEA tablet shipments robust
According to IDC, media tablets did well in the EMEA market during the second quarter of 2011. The Apple iPad maintained and enforced its leading position with a 67% market share, followed by Samsung with 7% and Acer with 6.1%. Q2 tablet shipments were up 82% on the previous quarter and grew to over 4.4 million units. -- Posted Tuesday, September 20, 2011 by chb

Archos to release two new Android 3.2 G9 Series tablets
Archos is introducing its G9 series of Android 3.2-based tablets, consisting of the 80 G9 (8-inch 1024 x 768 display) and the 101 G9 (10.1-inch 1280 x 800 display). Specs for both models are very similar (1-1.5GHz TI OMAP chip, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, mini HDMI, micro USB, microSD card, 720p front camera) and the units will be available with either 8 or 16GB of Flash, or a 250GB hard drive. Pricing will be US$299 to 369 for the 8-inch model and US$399 to 469 for the 10.1-inch model. -- Posted Monday, September 19, 2011 by chb

Media Tablets 2011 table: updated
It took well over a year for the industry to come up with serious competitors to Apple's iPad, but now customers increasingly have vendor/platform/features options when it comes to selecting media tablets. We've compiled a spec table of the major media tablets, almost 40 in all, and will keep adding to the list, so check back frequently. [View updated 2011 Media Tablet Spec Table] -- Posted Sunday, September 18, 2011 by chb

Seton Hall University adds 400 Android-based Lenovo ThinkPad tablets
Seton Hall University announced it is the first higher education institution in the U.S. to use Lenovo's ThinkPad Tablet PC, with more than 400 tablets now circulating amongst students and faculty in the Sciences, Honors and School of Business Leadership Programs. The University is making the 1280 x 800 pixel 10.1-inch, Android 3.1 tablets a central part of its Mobile Computing Program as well as an essential teaching device. [See press release] -- Posted Thursday, September 15, 2011 by chb

Singletouch Mobile now available on tablets
Singletouch Corporation, whose software toolset gives industrial contractors control of their business, introduced a tablet-based deployment of its Singletouch Mobile that extends the functionality of the platform into remote worksites that lack internet connection. [Read Singletouch press release] -- Posted Tuesday, September 13, 2011 by chb

Microsoft previews Windows 8 at BUILD conference
At its developer-focused BUILD conference in LA, Microsoft did a preview of the next major release of Windows, code-named Windows 8. Windows 8 is supposed to have "the best of Windows 7, only better," support ARM chips, and will be compatible with "the devices and programs you use today on Windows 7, without compromise." Microsoft says Windows 8 will enable new ultrathin PCs and tablets that "turn on instantly, run all day on a single charge and stay connected to the Internet." Windows 8 will have a "Metro" interface that is built for touch, but works just as well with mouse and keyboard. Metro-style apps will be full-screen and communicate with one another. There will be a Windows Store for apps. -- Posted Tuesday, September 13, 2011 by chb

Atmel's maXTouch/mXT1386 touch system used in the Samsung Windows Developer Preview PC.
Atmel announced that its Atmel maXTouch mXT1386 is the first touch controller to enable touch performance with Microsoft's touch-centric Metro interface in the previewed Windows 8. The mXT1386 controller is used in the Samsung Windows Developer Preview PC. Leveraging Atmel's proven maXTouch technology, the mXT1386 is the first device in Atmel's maXTouch family that will support Windows 8 for touchscreens in a variety of sizes. [See press release and Atmel mXT1386 product page] -- Posted Tuesday, September 13, 2011 by chb

Qualcomm Gobi and Snapdragon to power upcoming Win 8 hardware
Qualcomm announced that it is collaborating with Microsoft to enable Qualcomm's Snapdragon family of mobile processors to power the first generation of Windows 8-based PCs. In addition, Qualcomm's Gobi mobile Internet connectivity solutions will provide Windows 8-based PCs with wireless 3G/4G connectivity to deliver an always-connected experience. [See Qualcomm powers Windows 8] -- Posted Tuesday, September 13, 2011 by chb

Current Analysis launches Tablet Tracker
Current Analysis announced the launch of its new Tablet Tracker designed to provide vendors, carriers, and retailers with detailed insight into the competitive landscape for consumer tablets on a monthly basis. -- Posted Monday, September 12, 2011 by chb

Microsoft signs Android patent deals with two more companies
Acer and Viewsonic have also signed Android patent agreements with Microsoft in deals that cannot be viewed as anything but Acer and Viewsonic joining the group of companies that have already been pressured into paying protection money to Microsoft in order not to get sued by Microsoft, which has nothing to do with Android at all. It is shameful and regrettable that this sort of thing is legal. -- Posted Monday, September 12, 2011 by chb

Sony reveals specs, release date of 9.4-inch Tablet S
A while ago, Sony announced two tablets, the Sony Tablet S and the Sony Tablet P, without revealing specs other than the somewhat unique concept of each device. Sony has now finally revealed specs for the Nvidia Tegra 2-powered Tablet S, a folded-book 9.4-inch design with a thicker booklike spine, 1280 x 800 resolution, Android 3.2, SD Card, dual cameras, 16 or 32GB of storage, and a weight of just 1.22 pounds. Both Sony Tablet devices come complete with access to a full suite of Sony's network entertainment services. The Sony Tablet S will cost US$499/599 and will be available in the US starting around September 16. [See Sony Tablet S in Sony store] -- Posted Friday, September 2, 2011 by chb

United Airlines launches paperless flight deck with 11,000 iPads
United Continental Holding announced that it is converting to paperless flight decks and deploying 11,000 iPads to all United and Continental pilots. The electronic flight bags (EFB) replace paper flight manuals, and as a first for major network carriers, provide pilots with paperless aeronautical navigational charts through an iPad app. Distribution of iPads began earlier this month, and all pilots will have them by year end. -- Posted Wednesday, August 24, 2011 by chb

Lessons learned from the HP TouchPad
I was supposed to write a review of the HP TouchPad, but like so many others this morning, I am writing its epitaph. HP's decision on August 18, 2011 to cease production of the TouchPad as well as other WebOS devices leaves WebOS in limbo, though HP may try to recoup some of its investment by selling WebOS to another company. Regardless of if WebOS continues to exist to not, the HP TouchPad offered some lessons that Microsoft and Android developers, including Google, should heed. Failure is always a teaching moment, but rather than focus on what HP did wrong, I will share my thoughts on what they did right that others can learn from. [... more] -- Posted Friday, August 19, 2011 by chb

HP kills webOS devices, including TouchPad
HP will discontinue operations for webOS devices, specifically the TouchPad and webOS phones. HP said "the devices have not met internal milestones and financial targets. HP will continue to explore options to optimize the value of webOS software going forward." So sorry, Palm. You deserved better. [See HP report] -- Posted Thursday, August 18, 2011 by chb

Received: Motion Computing's August 2011 newsletter
We received Motion Computing's August 2011 newsletter. Info on new CL900 accessories, webinars, events, and reviews (including ours, both web and video). See an online version here. -- Posted Thursday, August 18, 2011 by chb

Google to acquire Motorola Mobility
Google and Motorola Mobility announced that Google will acquire Motorola Mobility in a US$12.5 billion cash transaction. According to the press release, "The acquisition of Motorola Mobility, a dedicated Android partner, will enable Google to supercharge the Android ecosystem and will enhance competition in mobile computing. Motorola Mobility will remain a licensee of Android and Android will remain open. Google will run Motorola Mobility as a separate business." Note that this will not include Motorola Solutions, the spun-off part of Motorola that provides rugged mobile computing products and solutions. [See press release] -- Posted Monday, August 15, 2011 by chb

Sprint cancels WiMax PlayBook, RIM to concentrate on LTE
Sprint announced that the WiMax version of the RIM BlackBerry PlayBook has been cancelled. RIM says the company is working on an LTE version of the PlayBook. -- Posted Sunday, August 14, 2011 by chb

Acer releases Iconia Tab A100 on US market
Acer announced that the Iconia Tab A100 media tablet is now available in the US. The A100 runs Android 3.1 on a 1GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 250, has 1GB of RAM, a 1024 x 600 pixel 7-inch capacitive touch screen, microUSB, microHDMI, microSD, 1 and 5MP cameras, measures 7.7 x 4.6 x .5 inches, weighs 0.92 pounds, and costs US$329 for an 8GB version and US$349 for a 16GB version. No WWAN, the non-replaceable battery lasts just 5 hours, and the plastic design is reminiscent of Acer netbooks. [See Acer press release] -- Posted Sunday, August 14, 2011 by chb

N-trig: DuoSense in Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet
N-trig announced that its DuoSense pen and projected capacitive multi-touch solution enabled over a single digitizer is integrated into the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet. The advantage of DuoSense is that it provides the ease-of-use of projected capacitive touch while still supporting applications and systems that work better with a pen (theirs has a AAAA battery). -- Posted Tuesday, August 9, 2011 by chb

Acer: Tablets and ultrabooks are fads
According to Digitimes, Acer founder Stan Shih has commented that the fads for ultrabooks and tablet PCs are both short-term phenomena and urged companies in the notebook supply chain to come out with more value-added products through innovation. This in sharp contrast to former Acer CEO Lanci's statement last November that Acer plans to become the leading supplier of tablets. -- Posted Sunday, August 7, 2011 by chb

Genius upgrades US$99 pressure-sensitive tablet
Taiwanese peripheral maker Genius launched an upgraded version of its G-Pen F610 Writing Graphic Tablet for Windows 7. As an ultra-slim, 6 x 10 inch wireless text graphic-design tablet, the Genius G-Pen F610 has 1024-level pressure sensitivity and 29 programmable Hot-Key areas to set up shortcuts for word processing, Internet and operating system tasks. Suggested retail price is US$99.90. [See G-Pen F610 product page] -- Posted Thursday, August 4, 2011 by chb

Full review: What to expect from Motion Computing's rugged CL900 Windows 7-based tablet
Tens of millions of iPads have been sold and everyone wants tablets, but integrating them into Microsoft Windows-based corporate IT is not so easy. So why not run Windows on a tablet? That's not so easy either. Motion Computing analyzed the situation and decided to bring, in a ruggedized form, much of what makes the iPad unique to those who need to run Windows. In a detailed report, RuggedPCReview discusses the US$899 Motion CL900 Windows 7-based tablet, its opportunities and challenges, how well it works, and where it fits in. [See full review of the Motion Computing CL900 tablet and a video demonstration of how it works] -- Posted Tuesday, August 2, 2011 by chb

Rugged tablets in aerial mapping: Applanix POSTrack and Ruggedbook SR820
Global enterprise increasingly relies on complex commercial land-based mapping, aerial and marine surveys, and remote sensing applications that use vehicle and sensor position and orientation to capture and mine data in ways never possible before. And they often work in conjunction with rugged, lightweight tablet computers with touch screens and displays that are both sunlight viewable and capable of being dimmed for nighttime applications. For an example, see Samwell's Ruggedbook SR820 tablet used with the Applanix POSTRack GNSS-Aided Inertial Direct Georeferencing and advanced Flight Management System. [See Ruggedbook/Applanix POSTrack page]
-- Posted Monday, August 1, 2011 by chb

Lenovo adds two similar, but different Android tablets
Added two new Lenovo tablets to our comprehensive Media Tablet Table. Both the Lenovo IdeaPadK1 and the ThinkPad Tablet have 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 pixel screens, run Android 3.1 on Nvidia Tegra 2 processors, have 2mp front and 5mp rear cameras, and weigh about 1.65 pounds. The difference is that the IdeaPad K1 is a playful consumer tablet available in different colors whereas the ThinkPad Tablet is entirely more businesslike with a pen in addition to multi-touch, a multi card reader, both USB and microUSB, and an optional keyboard that pretty much turns the tablet into a versatile notebook. [See updated Media Tablets table] -- Posted Monday, July 25, 2011 by chb

ARBOR launches 2.2 pound rugged POS tablet
ARBOR Technology of Taiwan has introduced the Gladius G1050, a slender but rugged 2.2-pound Atom Z530-powered tablet with a 10.4-inch touchscreen. Designed for point-of-sale and a warehousing and similar applications, the G1050 has strong data capture functionality (RFID, 1D/2D scanner, AF camera, keypad) as well as optional Gobi3000 WWAN. The device can also handle 4-foot drops, extreme temperatures and carries IP54 sealing. [See description and specs of the ARBOR Gladius G1050 POS tablet] -- Posted Monday, July 25, 2011 by chb

Full review: DRS ARMOR X7 rugged tablet
We analyzed and tested the DRS ARMOR X7, the latest addition to a line of rugged industrial computers offered by DRS Tactical Systems. The X7 is a very light and compact tablet computer that is tough and rugged enough for use in the harshest environments. Its 7-inch display is small, but just large enough for Windows 7, and it offers very good outdoor viewability. The easily expandable X7 offers IP65 sealing and can also handle steep drops (up to six feet), and a very wide operating temperature range. [See full review of the DRS ARMOR X7] -- Posted Monday, July 25, 2011 by chb

TouchType launches SwiftKey X for Android smartphones and tablets
TouchType announced SwiftKey X for smartphones and SwiftKey Tablet X. The launch builds on the company's original Android keyboard app SwiftKey that came out a year ago and has had more than 1.5 million downloads. SwiftKey X predicts and corrects by observing how a user composes text and then predicts what they will likely type next. It also uses cloud-based personalization that learns from a user's message history to offer a custom-fit prediction and correction experience unique on mobile or tablet. Finally, it conducts real-time analysis of the user's touchscreen typing precision to improve word accuracy and predictions. [See SwiftKy X page] -- Posted Friday, July 15, 2011 by chb

Detailed review: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
Samsung was widely credited with offering the first serious competition to the iPad with their original 7-inch Galaxy Tab. Now they're upping the ante with the sleek 10-inch Galaxy Tab 10.1. Dan Rasmus took a detailed look at the elegant new Samsung tablet and found it to be a great value. But there are still some stability issues and he'd like to see more features. [See detailed review and specs of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1] -- Posted Tuesday, July 12, 2011 by chb

Projected-capacitive now dominant touch technology
DisplaySearch reports that projected capacitive became the leading touch screen technology in terms of revenue in 2010. Growth has been explosive since being popularized by Apple in 2007, and many tablet PCs manufacturers have adopted it. In 2011, projected capacitive shipments are expected to grow by more than 100% Y/Y, and will account for 70% of all touch screen revenues. Over 60 companies are supplying projected capacitive in 2011. -- Posted Tuesday, July 12, 2011 by chb

Toughbook H2: Panasonic drops a Core-i5 into its (formerly) Atom-based tablet
Panasonic announced the Toughbook H2, a rugged handheld tablet computer that appears to be the successor of the H1 Health and H1 Field tablets. The new H2 uses a 1.7GHz Intel Core i5-2557M processor for a major performance boost, though battery life remains at 6+ hours and there is still no fan. The rugged tablet (6-foot drop, IP67) receives Panasonic's "TransflectivePlus" 10.1-inch display that pioneered in the Toughbook 19, more memory and larger disks, and also external ports (USB, serial, LAN). [See description and specs of the Panasonic Toughbook H2] -- Posted Tuesday, July 12, 2011 by chb

TechRepublic cracks open the HP Touch Pad
Our friends at TechRepublic have cracked open another tech gizmo, and this time it's the about-to-be-released HP Touch Pad. Their verdict? Easier to take apart then the iPad 2, but more difficult than the Moto Xoom. The Touch Pad is built more like a PC, which is good for repairs, but it's also what makes it a bit thicker and heavier. [See TechRepublic crack open the HP TouchPad] -- Posted Friday, July 1, 2011 by chb

Detailed review: HTC Flyer
HTC was the company that practically put the Pocket PC on the map. And HTC has continued to make among the best and innovative smartphones. Now they are getting into tablets. Dan Rasmus took a detailed look at the handy 7-inch HTC Flyer, found some interesting innovation, but not a home run. [See detailed review and specs of the HTC Flyer] -- Posted Friday, July 1, 2011 by chb

Motion CL900 verified as Citrix Ready
Motion Computing announced that the Motion CL900 is the latest Motion Tablet PC that has been verified as Citrix Ready. Citrix Ready is a product verification program that allows customers and users to quickly and easily find partner products and solutions that are trusted to enhance Citrix offerings. The CL900 joins Motion’s C5v, F5v and J3500Tablet PCs, making Motion’s complete line of rugged tablet PCs Citrix Ready verified. [See Motion press release] -- Posted Wednesday, June 29, 2011 by chb

Algiz 7 tablet from Handheld now certified by Verizon Wireless
Handheld US, a North American supplier of rugged PDAs and devices, announced that its Algiz 7 rugged tablet computer is now certified for connectivity on the Verizon Wireless network. The Algiz 7 (see our review) is an ultra-rugged, 7-inch widescreen tablet that runs Windows 7 and offers users wireless communication across the globe via optional Gobi 2000 technology that supports both GSM and CDMA high-speed data networks, giving users their choice of wireless frequency anywhere in the world. [See press release] -- Posted Tuesday, June 28, 2011 by chb

CENS.com: Inventec receives orders for tablets from HP
According to an article in the Taiwan Economic News, Inventec Corp. has received a large order for tablets from HP. HP supposedly has ordered 400,000 to 450,000 TouchPad tablets per month. [See CENS.com article] -- Posted Friday, June 24, 2011 by chb

Motion C5v tablets used in New Zealand health organization
Motion Computing reports that the Tairawhiti District Health Board in New Zealand upgraded its mobile technology solutions to the Motion C5v Mobile Clinical Assistant (MCA). “We left the decision up to our clinicians who, immediately after testing a demo tablet, requested we implement the tablet PCs as soon as possible,” said Max Ponomarev, the Board's team leader for IT Infrastructure. “I can’t remember them ever being this enthusiastic about a new technology.” [See Motion press release] -- Posted Friday, June 24, 2011 by chb

HP announces webOS Pivot
HP announced HP webOS Pivot, providing users an entertaining and informative editorial resource for discovering webOS 3.0 applications for the HP TouchPad, which launches July 1. Designed to complement the HP webOS App Catalog, Pivot will showcase a broad range of applications – and the developers who create them – by providing customers the freedom to explore based on their interests and lifestyles. -- Posted Friday, June 24, 2011 by chb

Added: LXE Marathon tablet
Introduced late last year, the LXE Marathon field computer picks up the "open book" design that combines a display and a keyboard in a very compact tablet. The Marathon weighs just over two pounds, has a 7-inch 800 x 480 pixel outdoor-viewable touchscreen, runs Windows 7 on an Intel Atom Z530 processor, and includes a camera, a fingerprint reader that doubles as a mouse, and also offers a wealth of bolt-on accessories such as a mag stripe reader, 2D imager and extended battery for up to 6 and 9-hour operation. The device, which measures about 8 x 7.6 inches, includes 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth, and is sealed to IP 65 spec. [See description and specs of the LXE Marathon] -- Posted Thursday, June 23, 2011 by chb

PeopleNet chooses MobileDemand rugged Tablet PC for its portable onboard computing system
MobileDemand, the nation's leading provider of Rugged Tablet PCs to the transportation industry announced that PeopleNet has chosen the MobileDemand xTablet T7000 for the PeopleNet TABLET integrated onboard computing and mobile communications system for next generation fleet management. PeopleNet, a provider of innovative and integrated onboard fleet management systems, holds an exclusive agreement with MobileDemand and has begun taking delivery of thousands of MobileDemand xTablet T7000 Rugged Tablet PCs to offer its own customer base a way to improve driver efficiency and speed the accounting cycle. [See MobileDemand press release] -- Posted Wednesday, June 22, 2011 by chb

Panasonic Toughbook 19 gets performance, display, and storage updates
Panasonic has given its venerable Toughbook 19 rugged convertible notebook computer another substantial update. There's a major performance boost via a switch to a 2.5GHz standard voltage Intel Core i5-2520M processor, amazingly still without the need of a fan. The display is now a slightly smaller 10.1-inch transflective design with a special reflective layer that provides great sunlight viewability without a superbright backlight. The 19 can now have up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a high-speed 320GB disk or up to 256GB of SSD, as well as upgraded wireless, including 4G LTE. [See description and specs of the Panasonic CF-19 Mark 5] -- Posted Friday, June 17, 2011 by chb

American Airlines to use Samsung Galaxy Tab in planes
American Airline announced it has ordered 6,000 Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 media tablets and will use them to replace the their current seat-back entertainment devices on many transcontinental and international flights. -- Posted Thursday, June 16, 2011 by chb

Toshiba taking pre-oders for Android-based 10.1-inch Thrive tablet
Toshiba started taking pre-orders for its 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 pixel Android 3.1-based media tablet initially just called the "Toshiba Tablet," but now named the Toshiba Thrive. Pricing is set at US$429/479/579 for 8/16/32GB units. The 10.7 x 6.9 x 0.6 inch unit weighs 1.7 pounds, has a 2mp webcam and 5mp rear camera, offers USB and HDMI, and adds to the number of Android-based brand name contenders in the media tablet market. [See the Toshiba Thrive page and our updated media tablet table] -- Posted Monday, June 13, 2011 by chb

Ricoh introduces the eWriter solution
Ricoh introduced its new eWrite Solution: a business-class tablet and back-end services designed to improve business efficiencies by moving paper processes online. The company also announced that the device and services will be offered through its new business unit, Ricoh eWriter Solutions (EWS). The eWriter Solution is comprised of the Ricoh eQuill, a one-pound 9.7-inch tablet with stylus, camera, and 20 hour battery life that functions as a digital clipboard, and the eWriter Workflow Services. -- Posted Friday, June 3, 2011 by chb

Toshiba unveils WT310 media tablet in Japan
Toshiba Japan announced the WT310, an Intel Atom Z670 powered and Windows 7-based media tablet with a large 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 pixel display. Measuring 11.7 x 7.7 x 0.63 inches and weighing just 2 pounds, the WT310 has a 64GB SSD, 2GB of DDR2-800 RAM, USB, HDMI, an SDXC card slot, and is clearly geared towards the enterprise and business markets that rely on Windows. (See Toshiba Japan WT310 product page] -- Posted Thursday, June 2, 2011 by chb

Samwell displaying new rugged multi-touch Windows 7/Android Honeycomb 7-inch tablet at Computex
Samwell is showing a new rugged Intel "Oak Trail" Atom Z670 based media tablet with a high-res (1280 x 800 pixel) capacitive multi-touch screen at Computex, Taipei (May 31 - June 4, 2011). Weighing well under two pounds, the RUGGEDBOOK SR810 carries IP65 sealing, can handle 4-foot drops and extreme temperatures, has dual cameras, onboard USB/serial/HDMI, and optional GPS, WWAN, barcode reader and RFID. Most intriguing: the SR810 is designed to run either Windows 7 or Android Honeycomb. Samwell will show the SR810 at TWTC Exhibition Hall 1 C0625. [See SR810 at Computex, and our initial SR810 description and specs] -- Posted Sunday, May 29, 2011 by chb

Over 5 million tablet panels shipped in April
Displaybank reported that tablet display panel shipments exceeded 5 million units for the first time ever in April 2011. Broken down by size, 4.3 million were 9.7-inch panels, 0.7 million 10.1-inc panels, and a negligible 0.04 million were 7-inch panels. In terms of overall shipments, tablet panels passed mini-note/netbook panels (down to 2.5 million), and gained ground to standard notebooks (15 million). [See release] -- Posted Tuesday, May 24, 2011 by chb

Full review: Winmate 10.4-inch Patient Service Tablet PC
Winmate's 10.4" Patient Service Tablet PC is really a product closely fashioned after the Mobile Clinical Assistant, or MCA, hardware reference concept Intel introduced a few years ago. Winmate's interpretation concentrates on good functionality, local connectivity, extension customization options, and simplicity of design with an embedded OS running on minimal hardware. [See review of the Winmate 10.4-inch Patient Service Tablet PC] -- Posted Tuesday, May 24, 2011 by chb

iSuppli: iPad-style media tablets to outship PC tablets by 10:1 through 2015
IHS iSuppli has bad news for traditional PC-type tablet PCs: Shipments of traditional PC-type tablet PCs will be dwarfed by the newer media-type tablets like the iPad, with the media category outshipping the PC variety by a factor of 10 during the period from 2010 to 2015. "While there's clearly a need for tablet PCs with full PC functionality, the media-type tablet pioneered by the Apple with the iPad will reign supreme during for at least the next five years," said Rhoda Alexander, director of monitor research at IHS. "Because the tablet form factor will favor media consumption - rather than content creation - media tablets will massively outsell their PC-type tablet alternatives." [See iSuppli release] -- Posted Monday, May 23, 2011 by chb

Tablets to have highest 3G/4G attach rate
InStat projects that by 2015, tablets will have the highest 3G/4G attach rate among all cellular-enabled portable and computing devices with 78% of tablets shipping with a 3G/4G modem. InStat also predicts that over 50% of all 3G/4G tablets in 2015 will have LTE WAN connectivity. -- Posted Monday, May 23, 2011 by chb

N-trig presents advantages of DuoSense multi-touch + pen for tablets
N-trig addressed attendees at the recent SID display Week Conference (LA, May 17-19, 2011) in two sessions entitled "Making Tablets Work for Consumers and Enterprise" and “Bringing Pen Into the Conversation.” N-trig is emphasizing its DuoSense multi-touch plus pen technology as a solution to making tablets more functional in numerous business applications. [See N-trig video] -- Posted Monday, May 23, 2011 by chb

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