The Galaxy Tab has a seven-inch display and weighs .84 pounds. It comes with 16GB or 32GB of internal storage and a 32GB microSD expansion slot. The iPad competitor also features a touchscreen, Wi-Fi, GPS, 802.11 and Bluetooth.
What the Galaxy Tab has that the first iPad doesn't is back- and front-facing cameras. The front-facing camera allows face-to-face video telephony over 3G. The rear-facing camera captures still images and video that consumers can edit, upload and share.
The Galaxy Tab also acts as a mobile phone. Samsung is billing the device as fit to use as a speakerphone on the desk, or as a mobile phone on the move via a Bluetooth headset.
"The fact that the device makes calls is a definite differentiator, and it also has a front-facing camera, which means you can do video conferencing," said Michael Disabato, managing vice president of network and telecom at Gartner. "I'm expecting to see that in iPad version two next year because Apple was roundly struck in the butt about not having that capability."
Samsung Bets on Growth
The tablet uses Samsung's popular Swype software that promises faster text input. The Tab offers HD movie playback, navigation, augmented reality, e-reading capabilities, and a PC-like browsing experience. The device also runs Adobe Flash, unlike Apple's iPad.
Samsung developed the Reader's Hub, an e-reading application that gives consumers access to a digital library of books. Meanwhile, the Media Hub offers a gateway to films and videos, and the Music Hub gives access to music. The company is using the DivX format, which means no file conversions are...
Dell's initial cash offer for the storage technology provider, submitted Aug. 16, was $1.15 billion, or $18 per share. However, HP submitted a $1.6 billion counter offer on Aug. 23, which Dell then matched. Though Dell bumped its 3PAR bid to $1.8 million on Aug. 27, HP immediately responded by boosting its offer to $2 billion.
"We took a measured approach throughout the process and have decided to end these discussions," said Dell Senior Vice President Dave Johnson. "We believe our strategy of creating open, affordable and capable solutions resonates well with customers and will enable us to continue to outgrow the industry."
A High-end Scale-Out Architecture
HP said last month that the acquisition of 3PAR's next-generation storage architecture would help the computer giant accelerate its converged-infrastructure strategy, which provides clients with access to a sizable portfolio of intellectual property across storage, server and networking solutions. IDC Vice President Benjamin Woo noted that HP is due for a full refresh for its mid- to high-end storage portfolio.
"3PAR will ultimately have some overlap between the HP EVA and XP product lines," Woo said Thursday. "However, it brings to HP an opportunity to deliver to its clients a high-end scale-out architecture that neither the EVA or XP offers."
The 3PAR acquisition also helps HP with its positioning toward a converged data center, Woo observed. "3PAR's client list is a valuable one for HP," Woo said. "It offers a route for service providers."
Several analysts had expressed concern that Dell's acquisition of 3PAR would...
The tablet could capture as much as 15 to 20 percent of that market in Europe by the end of next year, according to Gianluca Dianese, Toshiba's head of marketing for digital products in that region. He made the prediction at the IFA 2010 consumer electronics show now taking place in Berlin, Germany.
Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth
The Folio, expected to sell for about $500, will come with Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity, Bluetooth and 16GB of storage. Toshiba told news media that it will also release a model that plays 3-D video, which is beginning to emerge on portable computing devices. On Wednesday, Sony showed prototypes of VAIO laptops with 3-D.
The Folio can boot up in 30 seconds, runs on a Nvidia Tegra 2 CPU, and features a 1.3-megapixel camera, a display resolution of 1024x600, and battery life up to seven hours. Ports include mini-HDMI, USB and a SD/MMC card reader. As with other new Android devices, it will support Flash 10.1, a competitive advantage against Apple's iPad. Apple is not allowing Flash to run on the iPad, preferring instead the emerging, standards-based HTML5.
The iPad, whose popularity has jump-started the tablet category, is beginning to acquire rivals, although no major competitor has yet emerged. A variety of companies, including Hewlett-Packard, Research In Motion and Google, are expected to release tablets in the next few months. Dell, ASUS and Samsung have already done so.
Apple's iPad success has been largely driven by its ecosystem of a large library of third-party applications that run on the tablet, in addition to the vast number of music and other entertainment offerings in...
The laptop, with a 3-D button and active-shutter glasses, will formally debut in the spring, according to Sony CEO Howard Stinger. The prototypes use a frame-sequential technology that alternates between left- and right-eye views, with blank screens between them to keep them separate enough for the mind to create good-quality three dimensions. The video is displayed at 240 frames per second to create 60 fps video.
A 'Long Ways to Go'
Sony is moving forward quickly on 3-D across its product line, in addition to TVs. It also announced at IFA that existing Blu-ray HD DVD players and the PlayStation 3 game console will be updated with firmware so they can play 3-D. Stringer demonstrated a variety of 3-D titles, including Major League Baseball, Mortal Kombat, Virtual Tennis 4, Killzone 3, and others.
The company also announced a 3-D video projector and said its 3-D TV channel will focus on natural history, children's programs, science and movies. New 3-D feature films in the works from Sony include The Green Hornet, Resident Evil Afterlife, and new sequels in the Spider-Man and Men in Black franchises.
Richard Shim, an analyst with industry research firm IDC, said the market for 3-D laptops at the moment is restricted to aficionados, and this kind of product -- and 3-D in general -- "has a long ways to go before it will be mainstream."
The presence of 3-D display technology on a laptop raises the possibility of third-party development of 3-D applications. Shim noted that this "chicken and egg problem," where developers will be reluctant to develop for...
The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday said it has rejected M2Z's request that the agency demand that the winner of an auction for the radio spectrum provide free Internet service to anyone who connects to it.
That condition would have mirrored M2Z's business model of offering free basic wireless broadband access -- with speeds of up to 768 kilobits per second -- that would be supported by advertising in addition to a faster, premium service.
"We gave careful and thorough consideration to the proposal, but ultimately determined that this was not the best policy outcome," Ruth Milkman, head of the FCC's wireless bureau, said in a statement. The FCC did not explain its rejection further.
M2Z's plan had encountered resistance from T-Mobile USA and other big wireless carriers, which warned that it would interfere with their own services.
"A designer allocation auction that would be tailored for one company was not in the public's interest, especially when that company was offering broadband service that is slow by even yesterday's standards," Steve Largent, head of industry trade group CTIA-The Wireless Association, said in a statement.
M2Z was founded in 2005 by John Muleta, a former FCC official who at one time also headed the agency's wireless bureau, and Milo Medin, co-founder and chief technology officer of cable modem pioneer (At)Home. The company's investors include several top Silicon Valley venture capital firms, including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Redpoint Ventures.
In a statement, Muleta said "the FCC's decision to delay the use of this valuable spectrum forgoes the consumer welfare and economic stimulus that would result from putting new spectrum into the marketplace."
The FCC is still studying possible uses of...
To hammer that home, the company is launching its biggest media blitz in decades, starting next week.
While the Xerox name is still synonymous with copy machines, the company has been branching beyond that line of work for years. Selling toner and paper remains a huge portion of its revenue, but it also makes money helping other companies manage how documents get around on their computer networks, among other services.
And with the $6.4 billion acquisition this year of a company called Affiliated Computer Services, it has tripled the size of its services business, essentially transforming the company more than half a century after putting out its first copy machine. Where less than a quarter of its revenue came from services before the deal, they now account for roughly half of the $22 billion annual total.
Coming out of a recession that put a big dent in corporate technology spending, Xerox is counting on the deal to get revenue growing again.
Xerox, which is headquartered in Norwalk, Conn., expects ACS to help it sell back-office services to its existing clients, which won't require much advertising. But according to Xerox President Jim Firestone, the bigger opportunity is winning new customers, especially abroad, where ACS hasn't had as much of a presence.
Hence the new ads.
"We know that Xerox has moved far from its historic roots," says Firestone. "But the rest of the world doesn't pay quite as close attention as we would like."
It isn't the first time Xerox has tweaked its brand in an effort to shake the copier company label. It redesigned its logo in 2008 with the same goal in mind, dropping the uppercase lettering that was so familiar from its copiers and printers and adding a stylish...
The International Telecommunication Union agency's Secretary-General Hamadoun Toure said that all governments engaged in the fight against terrorism had the right to demand access to users' information from the maker of the BlackBerry -- Research in Motion Ltd.
"Those are genuine requests," he told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "There is a need for cooperation between governments and the private sector on security issues."
RIM has said it complies with all legal requests, but is unable to provide anyone with the text of e-mails sent using its corporate service, which is designed from the ground up for secure communications.
The International Telecommunication Union is responsible for coordinating the use of the global radio spectrum, promoting international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, and establishing standards for the telecommunications industry. The little-known body also serves as a global forum for discussion of cutting-edge communications issues.
The agency has no independent regulatory power, but Toure's comments are a barometer of sentiment among the agency's 192 member states, who are expected to re-elect him to a second term later this year.
At least five of those members -- India, Indonesia, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates -- are already considering banning some BlackBerry services over concerns that the devices' powerful data encryption could be used as a cover for terrorist and criminal activity. Civil libertarians have argued that the controversy is in fact fueled by authoritarian governments' inability to eavesdrop on BlackBerry-using citizens.
Governments in the U.S. and elsewhere have largely made their peace with encryption technology. E-mails can still be obtained through legal channels, for example by obtaining a...
"People who operate communication services in India should (install a) server in India as well as make available access to law enforcement agencies," Home Secretary G.K. Pillai told reporters. "That has been made clear to RIM of BlackBerry but also to other companies."
On Monday, India withdrew a threat to ban BlackBerry service for at least two more months after RIM agreed to give security officials "lawful access" to encrypted data.
Indian officials have for some time also been concerned about Google and Skype, neither of which maintains servers in India. Google has an Indian unit, but Gmail is offered by Google Inc., a U.S. company subject to U.S. laws. Luxembourg-based Skype has no India operations.
India began a sweeping information security review after the November 2008 terror attack in Mumbai, which was coordinated with cell phones, satellite phones and Internet calls. Officials are also eager to avoid any trouble at the Commonwealth Games, a major sporting event to be held in New Delhi in October.
At the same time, India seems to be gaining confidence in its own attractiveness as a market, taking a tougher stance with international companies, not just in telecommunications -- where it is the world's fastest-growing major market -- but also in mining and nuclear energy.
"Our stand is firm. We look forward to get access to data," Home Minister P. Chidambaram told reporters. "There is no uncertainty over it."
The U.N. technology chief expressed support for the Indian demand on Thursday. Hamadoun Toure, secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union, told The Associated Press...
Compared with previous models (which I liked), new, smaller and lighter Kindles have better battery life, superior glare-free displays and enough storage for up to 3,500 books. What's more, the new entry-level Wi-Fi-only Kindle costs $139 vs. $399 for the original reader three years ago. A step-up model with both Wi-Fi and 3G cellular wireless is also attractively priced at $189. Both models are on back-order at Amazon.com, with new orders expected to ship by Sept. 17.
Add the 670,000 e-books on sale in Amazon's U.S. Kindle Store -- and the fact that you can download them in less than a minute via 3G or, now, Wi-Fi -- and the latest devices reinforce why Kindle is the category leader. Most available e-books still cost $9.99 or less. Prices on others have crept up to around $13.
The new Kindles are by no means perfect. Amazon faces competition from Sony, Barnes & Noble (Nook) and others that use similar paperlike E Ink display technology. Hovering over them is the iPad and its sexy, color touch-screen.
A closer read:
*Kindle vs. iPad. Amazon's devices aren't glamorous. Unlike the iPad, Kindles don't have color touch-screens, pages that curl like a real book or stunning software bookshelves. Reading periodicals on Kindle isn't as appealing. The backlit display on the iPad means you can read in the dark, which is beyond Kindle's capabilities.
Despite all that, I'd still pick Kindle for reading most books where photos and illustrations are scarce. At 8.5 or 8.7 ounces, compared with 1.5 pounds for the iPad, Kindles are lighter and smaller, making them an easy choice when you're in bed or a cramped coach seat. Kindles are a...
On Thursday, Google announced a five-year renewal and expansion with AOL. Google will continue providing search services to AOL's global content network, including all its properties. In return, AOL will get an undisclosed share of the search advertising revenue. In the new deal, Google will also include mobile search and YouTube.
"This agreement combines Google's expertise in search and advertising with AOL's strength in online content," said Eric Schmidt, chairman and CEO of Google. "It's particularly exciting to see our relationship expand into video and mobile. These areas are now at the heart of users' online experiences and at the core of both of our businesses."
New Search Trends
The renewed partnership includes new features that aim to improve and expand the Google products and services AOL users can tap into. Of course, it all starts with search products. Google is enhancing its search to improve the consumer experience across AOL's network of sites. On the advertising-products front, Google will provide AOL with ad formats that promise AOL consumers a better, more relevant ad experience.
Over the past 10 years of the Google-AOL relationship, search and video have become hot trends in the search market. The new five-year deal takes those trends into account. As AOL renews its focus on mobile apps and content, the companies said they will work together to expand the alliance to cover mobile search. And AOL and YouTube have agreed to a content partnership that will bring AOL's video content to YouTube.
"Today is another important step in the turnaround of AOL,"...
"While the final integration of Windows Phone 7 with our partners' hardware, software and networks is under way, the work of our internal engineering team is largely complete," wrote Microsoft's Terry Myerson on the company's Windows 7 blog.
Bold Promise
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer unveiled Windows Phone 7 Series in February at the Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona, Spain, promising a fresh approach to phone software and design. The new OS brings together Xbox LIVE games and the Zune music and video experience on a mobile phone. "In a crowded market filled with phones that look the same and do the same things, I challenged the team to deliver a different kind of mobile experience," Ballmer said.
He demonstrated the new system's "live tiles" that show real-time content directly, rather than static icons, and a dedicated hardware button for Bing that allows searches while using applications. Windows Phone 7 devices also feature six hubs for people, pictures, games, music and video, marketplace and the Office suite of productivity software.
"It's a big step forward even from versions as recent as [Windows Mobile] 6.5," said Strategy Analytics wireless-device analyst Alexander Spektor. "Microsoft has revamped the user experience and refocused the way they present information and the types of information they present. They made it more about the social space, the gaming aspect, and the web [browsing] aspect."
Microsoft said in February that the company has Windows Phone 7 commitments from worldwide partners, including AT&T, Deutsche Telekom AG, Orange, Sprint Nextel, Telecom Itali, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, Vodafone, Dell, HTC, Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba and others. But which company will be the first to debut...
That's the concept behind Flipboard, a new application for Apple Inc.'s mega-selling iPad.
It's a marriage of the new media ethos that we've all become news editors for our online contacts and the traditional media's talent for packaging the news in a way that's inviting and cohesive.
Flipboard takes the random links that accumulate on your Facebook or Twitter account -- plus your friends' personal status updates and tweets -- and makes something like a digital magazine out of them.
Blurbs of text and photos recommended by friends become fodder for a continuously updated collage of content. You can also add sections to your magazine compiled from the tweets of just one contact or a specific publication -- Spin magazine, say, or The Huffington Post.
The pages are laid out much like a newspaper or magazine. A swipe of the finger flips open the next page on the iPad's dazzlingly vivid screen.
And you can use the app to post comments to an item on Facebook or e-mail articles to friends.
For a week or so, I've made this hodge-podge my daily reading.
Flipboard comes with enough flaws that I won't be canceling my newspaper or magazine subscriptions just yet.
But I think the app has promise.
As much as the blizzard of Web links that confront me every day have begun to dictate my reading habits, I still want a comprehensive take on the day's events -- something more than a link on a Facebook page. And there's an obvious appeal in keeping tabs on what the people I actually know and care about are interested in reading.
Flipboard...
The new models are the five-inch Pocket Edition PRS-350, the six-inch Touch Edition PRS-650, and the seven-inch Daily Edition PRS-950. The 350 will retail for $179.99, the 650 for $229.99, and the 950 for an estimated $299.99.
Infrared Touch Technology
Only the 950 has wireless, both 3G and Wi-Fi, which is raising eyebrows among e-reader watchers. Both Amazon's Kindle and the Barnes & Noble nook have models with built-in Wi-Fi and 3G, or just Wi-Fi. To download new books, the two lower-end Sony e-readers connect to a computer via USB.
In addition, the non-wireless Pocket Edition and Touch Edition cost more than the equivalent Kindle model. This also raises eyebrows, since the conventional wisdom has been that e-reader makers were competing to get the lowest cost, with some user surveys indicating the market would really take off when e-readers are available for under $100. The trade-off is the touch technology, with page turning by a finger swipe and a stylus, which all Sony's e-readers now have and which Amazon's do not. The Touch and Daily Edition models featured touchscreens in their earlier incarnations.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has told news media he is wary of capacitive touch technology because it adds another screen layer and increases glare. Sony is using infrared sensors on the edge to avoid adding another layer.
The Pocket Edition PRS-350, weighing 5.64 ounces, has 2GB of built-in memory, which can store up to 1,200 e-books. A single battery charge can handle two...