Showing posts with label Tablet pc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tablet pc. Show all posts
The Kno tablet has been one of the tablets that has teased for over a year now. The tablet has already seen a couple ship dates announced and then missed so we are all a bit skeptical at this point on the Kno. This is the tablet with two screens that is being marketed to students as a textbook replacement.
The dual screen Kno has a pair of big 14.1-inch screens and has a MSRP of $899. That seems high, but if the books the student needs are available digitally, the price may be better than buying printed textbooks. Back in January at CES we spent some quality hands-on time with the Kno.
The Kno has now been fingered with a new launch date and that launch day is claimed to be mid-April. The word comes from notifications set to pre-order customers. The real question is if these things do ship, will there be textbooks for it.
More recently, ViewSonic took a plunge head first into the world of tablets with their Android powered ViewPad 7 tablet, but now they're branching out to the smartphone market. Way back before the smartphone revolution exploded onto the scene, ViewSonic was happily manufacturing a handful of Pocket PCs during the early portion of the last decade. However, they're now staging a move into the smartphone realm with their ViewSonic ViewPad 4 that's going to attempt to compete in an already aggressive live or die market.
Obviously, it's safe to say that at this point that the development of the ViewSonic ViewPad 4 is still at the early stages – which is evident by the fact that a non-functioning unit was on hand at their CES booth. Regardless of that, the mock unit provides us a quick glimpse of what its design is shaping to become. And with that knowledge, we're rather awkwardly perplexed at the handset's uninspiring and downright repulsive looks. First and foremost, there is nothing original with the handset since it literally exudes a boxy design that makes you cringe at its less than appealing tastes. Furthermore, the design of the ViewSonic ViewPad 4 throws out any acceptance of ergonomics with its straight lines and 90 degree angles. Lastly, it'll be interesting to see whether or not ViewSonic will throw their own customized experience on top of Android 2.2 Froyo.
Obviously, it's safe to say that at this point that the development of the ViewSonic ViewPad 4 is still at the early stages – which is evident by the fact that a non-functioning unit was on hand at their CES booth. Regardless of that, the mock unit provides us a quick glimpse of what its design is shaping to become. And with that knowledge, we're rather awkwardly perplexed at the handset's uninspiring and downright repulsive looks. First and foremost, there is nothing original with the handset since it literally exudes a boxy design that makes you cringe at its less than appealing tastes. Furthermore, the design of the ViewSonic ViewPad 4 throws out any acceptance of ergonomics with its straight lines and 90 degree angles. Lastly, it'll be interesting to see whether or not ViewSonic will throw their own customized experience on top of Android 2.2 Froyo.
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Specs-wise, there are some things to get excited about, but it's pretty much the cookie cutter recipe to becoming like any of the other contemporary offerings out there. Aside from its 4” display, some of the other highlights include a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 processor, 512MB RAM, 5-megapixel rear camera, 0.3-megapixel front facing camera, GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and 720p video recording.
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All in all, it's a vessel for some high-end specs, but combine that with its sour looking design, it's going to be difficult in attracting consumers who base some things first by their visual appeal. Long before it reaches the final production stage, ViewSonic will probably want to look at the competition if they truly intend on entering this already fierce category.
If there is one commonality that all high-end smartphones embody, it has to be none other than the fact that they're all simple pieces of slabs at their core – and nothing more than that! However, every now and then, we are greeted with a kind of device that manages to stray from the tried and true design of today's contemporary smartphones. Even before the first official day of CES kicked off, we were able to check out Samsung's booth during Pepcom's event and witnessed something truly imaginary that makes you wonder about the endless possibilities that can grace future smartphone designs.
On hand at their booth were a variety of flexible OLED displays that indeed captured the attention of our gaze since it's not too often you come across something so far fetched. Now even though it's rather difficult to see ourselves using a curved touchscreen of some sort, and we mean curvy, there are some areas where we can see this technology becoming extremely useful. However, we were impressed when they demonstrated their flexible OLED panel which wasn't encased by something – which made it look more impressive since it's able to function even when it's twisted or bent.
On hand at their booth were a variety of flexible OLED displays that indeed captured the attention of our gaze since it's not too often you come across something so far fetched. Now even though it's rather difficult to see ourselves using a curved touchscreen of some sort, and we mean curvy, there are some areas where we can see this technology becoming extremely useful. However, we were impressed when they demonstrated their flexible OLED panel which wasn't encased by something – which made it look more impressive since it's able to function even when it's twisted or bent.
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Not only did it radiate almost perfect viewing angles, but its overall luminance and sheer vivid colors managed to enthrall us to its galvanizing beauty. Moreover, the Samsung rep even mentioned that theflexible OLED display is unbreakable since there is no glass used whatsoever and is constructed out of plastic. Finally, it's stated that battery life offered by these flexible OLED displays are more advanced than what's currently offered by some of their existing display technologies.
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Granted that the units we checked out were still prototypes, it does provide a footprint on what to expect down the road when so many devices still resort to the usual tried and true form factors. It's not to say that we'll see flexible OLED displays replace the traditional set we're accustomed to using, but its can greatly add to it – such as using one for an extension for a regular panel. In any event, they're naturally impressive at the surface, but it'll be more interesting to see how engineers and designers can implement this technology into future devices.
After reviewing the Dell Venue Pro, we're still at a gaze by the handset's stunning looks which can be argued as the best looking Windows Phone 7 smartphone released to date. However, some might be put off my its girth which can prove to be a bit unwieldy for some out there – thus preferring to opt with something a bit more streamlined and easier on the pockets. That's where the Dell Venue comes to mind as it retains the lovely industrial design of its Windows Phone 7 counterpart that we fell in love with – but rather, it's going to be running the Android platform.
As for the handset itself, it was far away from the smudging fingers of attendees at CES and was placed alongside the Dell Venue Pro in a glass case. From what we saw, it literally looks like the Dell Venue Pro; but without its portrait style sliding keyboard. Naturally, the Dell Venue can be seen as more tolerable on the pockets since it shaves away a few inches off its case because of the lack of the keyboard. Moreover, it appears as though it's retaining the same unique looking curved glass that provides a distinctive difference over other devices out there on the market. Looking back at previous Dell smartphones, like the long forgotten Dell Aero for AT&T, the Dell Venue comes out of the gates showing off a stellar looking industrial design that's undoubtedly going to attract Android users all around.
As for the handset itself, it was far away from the smudging fingers of attendees at CES and was placed alongside the Dell Venue Pro in a glass case. From what we saw, it literally looks like the Dell Venue Pro; but without its portrait style sliding keyboard. Naturally, the Dell Venue can be seen as more tolerable on the pockets since it shaves away a few inches off its case because of the lack of the keyboard. Moreover, it appears as though it's retaining the same unique looking curved glass that provides a distinctive difference over other devices out there on the market. Looking back at previous Dell smartphones, like the long forgotten Dell Aero for AT&T, the Dell Venue comes out of the gates showing off a stellar looking industrial design that's undoubtedly going to attract Android users all around.
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And when there is so much competition in the Android space right now, the Dell Venue still packs enoughworthwhile specs to keep it in line with the barrage of other upcoming Android smartphones. In fact, it features a 4.1” AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, and an 8-megapixel auto-focus camera.
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Since the handset was locked away in its glass prison, we couldn't see the handset running Dell's customized interface running on top of Android 2.2 Froyo. So far, Dell's Stage UI looks pretty impressive after checking it out on the Dell Streak 7 – meaning that the translation to the Dell Venue is going to be just about the same. Granted that Dell will be selling the handset unlocked, let's just hope that they're able to strike some good relationships with the carriers, or even retailers, to bring the smartphone to physical locations as opposed to buying it directly from them.
Tablet, tablets, and even more tablets. That seems to be the common theme resonating throughout CES, but when there were so many that were there just to make it to the show, only one seemed to truly stand out as it came to life in usable form. For a good majority of the tablets showcased at CES, they were merely shells that didn't quite have a polished platform experience to undoubtedly release their full potential. However, RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook managed to enthralled us right on the showroom floor with its overall better looks and fully functioning platform experience to usher in a new era for them.
Visually, the BlackBerry PlayBook's design is neither overly impressive or dismal, but instead, it plops right in the middle with its sleek looks and quality construction. For something packing a 7” display, it looked slightly more compact than other comparable tablets at the same time. However, we are more intrigued by how RIM managed to pack plenty of hardware into its shells – especially more when it measures up at 0.39” thick. The all black plastic construction would naturally aid it in becoming extremely mobile due to its under 1 pound weight, but it doesn't necessarily compromise on durability and construction. It's not to say that the PlayBook is the sexiest looking tablet out there, however, we can agree that it's placed somewhere in the upper echelon of things.
Visually, the BlackBerry PlayBook's design is neither overly impressive or dismal, but instead, it plops right in the middle with its sleek looks and quality construction. For something packing a 7” display, it looked slightly more compact than other comparable tablets at the same time. However, we are more intrigued by how RIM managed to pack plenty of hardware into its shells – especially more when it measures up at 0.39” thick. The all black plastic construction would naturally aid it in becoming extremely mobile due to its under 1 pound weight, but it doesn't necessarily compromise on durability and construction. It's not to say that the PlayBook is the sexiest looking tablet out there, however, we can agree that it's placed somewhere in the upper echelon of things.
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Visually, the BlackBerry PlayBook is neither overly impressive or dismal | |||
Quickly gazing at the PlayBook, we were mesmerized by its beautiful and sharp looking 7” capacitive touchscreen which manages to provide a high resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. From browsing the web to watching high definition videos in full fidelity, its display is more than equipped in handling the normal set of tasks by offering exceptional viewing angles and glaring luminance. Moreover, it's quite responsive to the touch and we didn't have any problems in navigating around its platform.
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Aside from checking out all the visual stuff on the surface, the BlackBerry PlayBook doesn't skimp out on specs – which is impressive since RIM managed to throw in plenty of goodies under the hood. In addition to its dual-core 1GHz processor being the heart and soul of the PlayBook, we find a multitude of other respectable features to make us ride in anticipation for its eventual arrival – such as a 5-megapixel rear camera, 3-megapixel front facing camera for video chat, 1GB of RAM, and Wi-Fi.
Of all the things that impressed us, nothing did it more, or even better, than the totally new tablet platform from QNX. Compared to most of the other tablets we checked out, the BlackBerry PlayBook was live and in usable form – unlike some of the other tablets on hand, namely Android ones, that were merely in prototype form. Naturally, the first thing that popped into our mind as we navigated around the platform was its close similarity to Palm's webOS platform – which is evident by its heavy implementation of gestures. However, it literally feels like webOS on steroids because it offers true multi-tasking. After loading a couple of movies, our web site with Flash content, and even a demo of a game, the windows for each open application continued to run in their current state. Impressive? Most definitely! Practical in moving between your applications? Oh yeah! Everything seems to move at a blistering pace to make it an ideal candidate for those who breath productivity to the max.
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If we can sum up our initial look at the BlackBerry PlayBook, we have to admit that it was undeniably one of the more satisfying devices we checked out at CES thus far. Design is top notch, while its live form was more than appreciated since many others weren't quite as ready. However, the only concern that comes into play is the kind of battery life it'll provide users. None of the Blackberry reps wanted to comment on potential battery level; except for the mere notion that the units on hand weren't quite optimized for battery consumption. Nevertheless, there's plenty to be excited as the PlayBook definitely sticks out highly on our list from CES
