HP to produce more TouchPad and Android 2.3 Port

Following the success of the HP TouchPad at 99 USD, Hewlett Packard will make a final production run for the TouchPad Tablet. HP announced the new production in “The Next Bench Blog” in a post entitled “More TouchPads on the Way” on the 30th of August 2011: Despite announcing an end to manufacturing webOS hardware, we have decided to produce one last run of TouchPads to meet unfulfilled demand. We don’t know exactly when these units will be available or how many we’ll get, and we can’t promise we’ll have enough for everyone. We do know that it will be at least a few weeks before you can purchase. I can only imagine they are planning a new production run to get rid of components inventory as if it is sold for 99 USD, and the real cost is 318 USD they would make a large loss. Android 2.3 for […]

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 Android Tablet

On September 1, at the IFA 2011 in Berlin, Samsung unveiled the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 tablet powered by a 1.4GHz dual-core processor, probably Samsung Exynos Cortex-A9 processor used in Samsung Galaxy S2. Nobody could have guessed but the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 actually features a 7.7″ touchscreen display using Super AMOLED Plus technology (as in Samsung Galaxy S2 smartphone), at first for a screen of this size. The resolution is 1280×800 (WXGA). It is almost as thin as Toshiba AT200 tablet with a thickness of 7.89 mm (vs 7.7 mm) and weights only 335 grams. Here are the specifications of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7: Display: 7.7″ 1280×800 (WXGA) Super AMOLED Plus Processor: 1.4 Ghz Dual Core application processor Network: LTE & HSPA + 21Mbps | Wifi 802.11 a/b/g/n Memory: 16/32/64 GB movi NAND + microSD 9up to 32 GB) Cameras: 3MP AF LED (Main) + 2 MB FF […]

Toshiba AT200: OMAP4430 Honeycomb Tablet.

Toshiba also announced the Toshiba AT200, a 10″ Android 3.2 Tablet powered by a Texas Instruments OMAP4430 @ 1.2 GHz at IFA 2011.  At 7.7mm thick, it is said to be the thinnest tablet in the world. It feature an IPS (In-plane switching) screen for better viewing angle and color reproduction and  7 to 11 hours battery life is expected for normal usage. Here are Toshiba AT200 specifications: Processor:  Texas Instruments OMAP4430 @ 1.2GHz. Memory: 1GB of RAM and up to 64GB of flash storage. Display: 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen with 1280 x 800 pixel resolution. Cameras: 5 MP (rear) and 2 MP (front). Expansion: microSD slot. Networking: WiFi (802.11b/g/n) Bluetooth Other I/O: micro-USB micro-HDMI docking connector Battery: 7 to 11 hours of operation. Dimensions : 256 x 176 x 7.7 mm Weight: 558g They only have prototypes of the device for now, and will only sell it in Q4 2011 […]

Freescale i.MX6 in Tablet PC by First International Computer (FIC)

Back in January 2011, Freescale announced the availability of its new i.MX 6 Processor series based on Cortex A9 with sample delivery at the end of 2011. Freescale has now revealed that First International Computer (FIC) – 大眾電腦 – a Taiwanese company –  has adopted Freescale Semiconductor’s i.MX 6 series microprocessors for use in tablet PCs at the 2011 Freescale Technology Forum China on August 30. FIC will use Freescale’s i.MX 6 MPUs in its new line of tablet PCs with a price target sub-200 USD in order to differentiate itself from major competitors. The Freescale i.MX 6 is based on the ARM Cortex-A9 architecture running at up to 1.2 GHz and come in single core (i.MX6 Solo), dual core (i.MX6 Dual) and quad Core I.MX6 Quad). Currently there are no further information on the FIC tablet specifications.   Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time […]

NFC (Near Field Communication) Infographic

NFC rumors has designed a massive NFC Infographic to show (some of) the many different usages of NFC and the impacts NFC may have such as: NFC Services in hotels, taxis, ticket offices… NFC gadgets: routers, wireless speakers, headphones… NFC Marketing: tags, business cards, smart posters… 1/5 of smartphones will be NFC-enabled by 2014 NFC may have a positive environmental impact as it decreases the number of paper receipts. NFC Business Case: Exponential growth expected in the next few years NFC in tablets NFC and social network NFC would allow unbanked consumers in developing countries to use electronic payment more easily. etc.. See the infographic below. Click for a larger image. Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011. www.cnx-software.com

X10 AirPad: 200 USD Android 2.3 Tablet powered by Rockchip RK2918

X10 has started to sell its own android tablet for 199.99 USD. The X10 AirPad is powered by Rockchip RK2918, a 1.2GHz, Cortex-A8-based processor, 512 MB RAM and 4GB of flash storage, and runs Android 2.3 (gingerbread). It features a seven-inch, 800 x 480 pixel capacitive display, a 2 MP camera and an HMDI output supporting 1080p. Its specifications are similar to Arnova 7 G2 also powered by RK 2918 @ 1 Ghz, the second version of Arnova 7 that runs Android 2.3 and features a 7″ capacitive display and is said to be sold in Hong Kong for around 215 USD. Here are the X10 AirPad 7″ Android Tablet Specifications: CPU: 1.2 Ghz Rockchip 2918 Cortex A8 processor + 600 Mhz DSP Display: 7″ 800×480 resolution TFT LCD screen Touch-screen: Capacitive multi-touch, 5 point touch OS: Android 2.3, with Flash 10.1 Camera: 2 Megapixel camera with video recording and […]

HTC Releases OpenSense SDK

HTC recently released OpenSense SDK, a framework encompassing all available HTC SDKs as well as features that will be offered in the future for HTC Sense user interface. Supported features include: Common Controls API: UI widgets and components that will provide developers with the ability to provide the Sense UI look and feel to their applications. Stereoscopic 3D (S3D) API: API documentation and sample code that illustrates how to programmatically enable the 3D display mode of the parallel barrier based screen for various types of applications. This API is provided as part of the phone add-on extension to the Android SDK. Tablet Pen API: API documentation and sample code for providing a framework for fully fledged drawing and painting applications as well as full access to the pen events at a low level. This API is provided as part of the tablet add-on extension to the Android SDK. API documentation […]

OMAP3 / OMAP4 Based Android Reference Designs for Smartphones and Tablets

Elektrobit (EB) announced their Specialized Device Platform (SDP), a reference design based on the Android operating system, targeted to Public Safety, Security and Defense, sectors with stringent compliance and regulatory requirements. The platform consists of form factor hardware that can be tailored to customer requirements. The current SDP has a TI OMAP 3 application processor, a high resolution touch-screen enabled display, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, 2G and 3G modems – LTE for Band 14 being an option and runs Android 2.2 (Froyo).  A version with TI OMAP 4 processor running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) will be available in H1 2012. Linux Angstrom will also be provided for the platforms. Here are the details specifications of both reference platforms: OMAP3xxx ARM Cortex-A8 core up to 1 GHz ARM TrustZone compatible security engine NEON™ SIMD coprocessor POWERVR™ SGX graphics accelerator TMS320C64x+™ DSP up to 600 MHz OMAP4xxx Dual ARM Cortex-A9 cores up to 1.5 […]