Tablet Thread (Apple iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Dell Streak etc)

[revs]

 

Surface Pro is unstoppable.

 

Just put the iPad back 5 years. 

 

Billy Gates >

 

 

 

 

r />

 

128GB Surface Pro ships with 83GB free, 64GB has only 23GB

 

 

That 64GB, $900 Microsoft Surface Pro you plan on buying next week? Maybe you should temper your storage expectations a bit, as the base model actually only allots 23GB of that space for use. The larger 128GB version offers a bit more space at 83GB, but is still losing a massive 45GB of space to the full Windows 8 operating system and various included applications. Microsoft confirmed as much this afternoon, and issued the following the statement:

"The 128 GB version of Surface Pro has 83 GB of free storage out of the box. The 64GB version of Surface Pro has 23GB of free storage out of the box. Of course, Surface Pro has a USB 3.0 port for connectivity with almost limitless storage options, including external hard drives and USB flash drives. Surface also comes pre-loaded with SkyDrive, allowing you to store up to 7GB of content in the cloud for free. The device also includes a microSDXC card slot that lets you store up to 64GB of additional content to your device. Customers can also free up additional storage space by creating a backup bootable USB and deleting the recovery partition."

The Surface RT suffered the same issue when it launched late last year -- the 32GB base version only included 16GB of storage, while the 64GB version had 46GB available. The situation is what we'd call less than ideal, though you can always expand the on-board storage via the solutions Microsoft proposes. Of course, that means doling our more cash on an already expensive tablet -- not the best thing to find out after you've shelled out $900.

 

 

http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/29/surface-pro-hdd-space/

 

 

 

Test finds Surface Pro's storage space comparable to MacBook Air

By Mikey Campbell

After wide-ranging media reports bashed Microsoft over questionable claims regarding the new Surface Pro's built-in flash storage, a side-by-side comparison between the tablet and Apple's 11.6-inch MacBook Air reveal the two devices share the same amount of disk space.

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/02/07/test-finds-surface-pros-storage-space-comparable-to-macbook-air

[Kurtis]

 

 

Ubuntu Touch Preview coming to Nexus tablets this Thursday with Windows 8-like multitasking

 

 

 

 

After unveiling its phone OS last month, Canonical is today launching its new tablet-ready Ubuntu interface. Like the phone experience, Ubuntu for tablets is optimized for touch, relying on edge gestures for navigation — there are no physical buttons required. If you've seen our hands-on with Ubuntu for phones, everything will look fairly familiar: the main interface itself is similar to the phones OS, with the same focus on a universal hub for search, apps, and content, while the notification center utilizes sideways swipes to give you quick access to things like settings, mail, and tweets.

The tablet UI is based on the same OS and code — albeit optimized for ARM and x86 Atom chips — as the regular and phone versions of Ubuntu, which Canonical says enables "true device convergence." That means if you plug your phone or tablet into a TV, you’ll have access to either the PC or TV Ubuntu interface and apps. Canonical teases that a PadFone-like device could essentially be all you'll ever need — phone, tablet, media streamer, and PC.

 

Although it shares most of its code with the desktop Ubuntu, Canonical has added a new multitasking mode for tablets that seems heavily influenced by Windows 8. "Side Stage" lets users run apps in phone mode in a side window, just like Windows’ Snap View feature. Tablets will also have voice control through Ubuntu’s HUD interface, which itintroduced last year. Being Ubuntu, the OS will support multiple users and guest mode, letting you share your tablet with others.

 

Just as with its phone interface, Canonical isn’t ready to announce any hardware partners or devices just yet — it's only saying that the tablet experience will be fully integrated with Ubuntu 14.04 next year. The company says its tablet interface will be available on devices ranging from 6 to 20 inches, and has a list of minimum specs on its website. Those include an A15 processor, 2GB of RAM, and a minimum of 8GB of storage. Although the new UI isn't ready for public consumption, Canonical is releasing the Ubuntu Touch Developer Preview for Google’s Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 tablets. That's in addition to the Nexus 4 and Galaxy Nexus smartphones that are already confirmed developer devices. You'll be able to download it from February 21st on theUbuntu Developer site.

 

and that concludes my nightly trawl to tech goodies

[FinalBawse]

Dave you know anything of a new Samsung tab hitting soon? I wanna buy the note 10.1 but dunno if there are plans to release a next one soon.

Or is there another 10 inch tab I must have instead?

[Kurtis]

The 8" note will be revealed next week

The Nexus 10 is sweet. It has a 2560 x 1600 display and got good reviews. Made by samsung

[Kurtis]

 

[Kurtis]

came out of NOWHERE

 

 

 

 

HP Slate 7 hands-on (now with video)

 

 

Well, this might just be the biggest news to come out of Mobile World Congress. Long after discontinuing the TouchPad (and the rest of its mobile devices, for that matter) HP is back with a new tablet. This time, though, it runs not webOS, but an old safety: Android. Interestingly, though, HP is returning to the tablet space not with a high-end flagship, but a lower-end device priced to sell. The Slate 7 is priced at $169, with modest specs that include a dual-core A9 processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of built-in storage, a 7-inch, 1,024 x 600 display and dual 3MP / VGA cameras. All that said, it could worth a second look when it goes on sale in April. Meet us past the break to see what we mean.

 

 

For a tablet priced at $169, the Slate 7 feels surprisingly well-made, and pleasant to hold. A stainless steel frame lends the whole thing some much-needed rigidity, while the matte, soft-touch finish on the back gives the fingers a comfortable resting place. It'll be sold in silver and red, though we're partial to the Beats Red (that obvious Beats Audio branding aside). And yep, this does have Beats in tow, like almost every HP laptop and Ultrabook already on the market. We didn't get to sample that here at Mobile World Congress, but you know how we feel about Beats anyway. In any case, we like the design. We think we like the Nexus 7 a little more -- it feels more substantial, and the screen is sharper -- but it's close.

To answer a question most of you probably have about the display, it's not an IPS panel. Instead, it makes use of FFS technology, which HP claims will create a good viewing experience in low-light conditions as well as harshly lit ones. Alas, it's really, really bright on the show floor here, but we can say that the screen holds up well underneath these fluorescent lights. We'd say if you were to put the tablet on a table with the screen face up, you'd still be able to follow along with a movie. All that said, the screen looks a tad washed-out. That's not to say the colors lose their pungency when you view the display at off angles; it's just that the tones aren't that vibrant to begin with.

Finishing our tour around the device, you'll find a micro-USB port at the bottom for charging, along with those twin speakers. On the right side is your all-important volume rocker, while the top edge is home to a headphone jack, power / lock button and a microSD slot -- something the Nexus 7 is missing. The buttons are made of chrome and seem easy to press, so kudos to HP for using premium materials where it can. As for performance, Android lags slightly on that dual-core CPU, but we wouldn't say it's any worse than what you'll experience on other budget tablets. We'd have to live with this thing for a few days to really say for sure. In the meantime, we'd like to say thank you to HP for using stock Android -- the world really doesn't need another custom skin, don'tcha think? We'll obviously be reviewing this when it comes out in April but for now, we'd say the Slate 7 has a shot at this low price, though it's going to have some handsome company down in the bargain-basement price range.

 

 

http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/24/hp-slate-7-hands-on/

 

bar the bezel, its actually beautiful

 

for that price its copped

[dub]

Its slightly cheaper than a Nexus 7... dunno what the appeal is.

[Yoshie]

Its slightly cheaper than a Nexus 7... dunno what the appeal is.

[Kurtis]

its quite pretty (no oestrogen)

[Kurtis]

Tegra 4 benchmark

 

http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/24/nvidia-tegra-4-benchmarked/

[Lenny]

Note 8 is ugly.

Picked up a tab 2 10.1 to have a play with, love it.

What's the best tab out right now with expandable storage? Note 10.1 right?

[Kurtis]

Tablet Z id say

 

Note 10.1 is great though

[Lenny]

Lol forget the tablet z. Or any other Sony device.

They are so locked down.I was looking at the tablet s (tegra 3 version) went on xda and just saw pure complaints about how buggy the firmware is, the boot loader being locked, no os upgrades from Sony etc etc.

I'm considering the Asus transformer infinity or prime.

[Kurtis]

hmmm thought theyd changed

 

they release the xperia z code or unlocked the bootloader or something before it was released

 

thought it was happening with all devices

[dub]

what's the best value ~10inch tablet?

[Kurtis]

nexus 10?

 

best value good one

 

but theres bare no name ones flying about

[Lenny]

Deffo the nexus 10 if you don't mind having 16gb only

[Kurtis]

theres a 32gb version for 389

 

https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_10_32gb

[Lenny]

Dave what tab have you got?

[Kurtis]

got the HP Envy X2 right now

 

gonna switch it up soon

[Yoshie]

You lot go through tech like I go through socks.

I jump in the game, buy some stuff, then leave for two years until my shit's dated.

[Kurtis]

its beautiful

 

man i swear i love tech

 

i just get so happy

[Lenny]

Lol trust me. tech >

I'm trying to calm down though

[Tee]

Lool

If I cud I'd change as much as u man

[YFSD]

Getting the Latitude 10 for work around early June

 

Saw it today it looks smooth