Creative ZiiO 10in review

Creative has not one but two tablet models available for purchase, and they're both dirt cheap. We reviewed the Creative ZiiO 7in a while back, and this larger model, with a 10in 1,024 x 600 screen, is almost as reasonable. It will set you back a mere �200 � a full �199 less than the cheapest iPad 2.

Despite the low price, the ZiiO doesn't look bad. It comes in a subtly sparkling matte-charcoal plastic case, with the ZiiO logo etched tastefully in the bottom right corner below the screen.

Inside, though, the ZiiO has clearly been built to a budget. The 1GHz Creative ZiiLabs ZMS-08 CPU is an old single-core design, and it's backed up by a mere 8GB of storage (though this can be supplemented thanks to a full-size SD card slot).

Such mediocre hardware yields predictably poor performance, with a generally laggy feel to menus and browsing operations. The ZiiO�s SunSpider score of 8,158ms isn't as quick as recent dual-core Honeycomb-based tablets, and its BBC desktop homepage load time of nine seconds is again slow. A score of 2,219 in the Android-specific Quadrant benchmark wasn�t bad, though, and the ZiiO proved perfectly capable of playing most current games smoothly.

The processor isn't the only place corners have been cut. There's no 3G option, and battery life is well below average, managing just 6hrs 53mins in our video loop test. The system software is behind the times too � a Creative-modified, but smartphone-oriented version of Android 2.2. There�s no access to the Android Market, and Creative's ZiiO Space service is no substitute.

The biggest disappointment, however, is the screen. Image quality leaves an awful lot to be desired, with viewing angles so poor you must take care to hold the tablet directly head-on � tip it even slightly away from the perpendicular and the image fades rapidly from view. It�s very drab too, reaching just 157cd/m2 at maximum brightness, while colours have a noticeably yellow cast to them.

Worse, the ZiiO's touch controls are implemented with cheap resistive technology. It responded poorly to our prods and pokes (the navigation and multimedia controls below the screen are particularly frustrating), and it doesn't support multitouch, so you can't pinch to zoom.

The ZiiIO�s one distinctive feature is support for Creative�s Bluetooth-based APT-X wireless audio codec, which connects to a variety of the firm's wireless headphones and speakers.

Overall, though, the ZiiO 10in is simply unpleasant to use, making it a poor choice despite the low price. If you�re looking for a bargain basement tablet, we�d recommend the Advent Vega instead, or Creative's own ZiiO 7in at a now very cheap �150.

Author: Jonathan Bray
PCPro

Gigabyte unveils S1080 tablet and M2432 Booktop

Gigabyte has unveiled two new devices at Computex 2011. The first is a new 10.1-inch tablet, the S1080 running Windows 7 on a platform packing a 1.66GHz dual-core Intel Atom N550 processor and 2GB of RAM. The second is the new M2432 Booktop with a bundled docking station that also packs a �desktop-class� GPU matched with 1GB of VRAM.

The Gigabyte S1080 Windows tablet is one of the most powerful Windows 7 tablets to arrive on the market. Its dual-core Atom and 2GB of RAM should give it decent performance for the current-generation of Windows 7 tablet devices. It is also equipped with a 320GB hard-drive, GMA 3150 graphics with a VGA output and WiFi b/g/n, along with Bluetooth 3.0. It also incorporates a front-facing 1.3-megapixel webcam. A high-speed USB 3.0 port, a USB 2.0 port, gigabit Ethernet and an audio socket, along with an SD card reader, provide connectivity. It weighs in at around 1.9 pounds.

The Gigabyte M2432 Booktop will ship with a Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost 2.0. Its 14-inch LED backlit display has a resolution of 1366 x 768. Onboard graphics is delivered by an integrated Intel HD 3000 GPU. Other hardware highlights include a USB 3.0 port as well as THX sound. The keyboard is a chiclet design and is matched with a multi-touch trackpad. It weighs in at around 4 pounds.

The Booktop will also ship with a bundled docking station, which integrates a separate NVIDIA GT 440 GPU with 1GB of DDR5 RAM. This allows the Booktop to be connected to up to two external monitors. The docking station includes six additional USB ports, an HDMI out, a D-Sub and DVI port.

Electronista

Viewsonic intros two new ViewPad tablets

Viewsonic has introduced two new tablets at Computex 2011. The Viewsonic ViewPad 10Pro will arrive with Windows 7 and Intel�s Oak Trail platform. The 10Pro will also have Android capability and is aimed at enterprise. The Viewsonic ViewPad 7x will be powered by a combination of Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) and NVIDIA�s Tegra 2 platform and is aimed at the consumer segment.

The Viewsonic ViewPad 10Pro will be powered by Intel�s Atom Z760 1.5GHz processor paired with 1GB of RAM. It will ship with Windows 7 Professional and is capable of launching Android 2.2, but in virtualization mode only. This may limit the potential for the device to run Android apps smoothly, but it will make it useful for quick launching a web browser for example.

The ViewPad 10Pro also incorporates both 3G and Wi-Fi 802.11n. Its 32GB of RAM is expandable by microSD, as well as through USB. Its 3500mAh battery is rated for 4.5 hours of use when playing 1080p video showing marked power consumption improvements over the previous generation of Atom chips. It will run for up to 6 hours for lighter duties.

The Viewsonic ViewPad 7x�s 1024x600 7-inch LED display supports up to 10-point multi-touch input. It also packs an HSPA+ radio for 3.5G speeds and supports DLNA media sharing and SRW TruMedia. It weighs 380g and incorporates front and back cameras and is capable of video conferencing. When it ships, it will arrive with Android 3.0.1 (Honeycomb).

Electronista

Asus PadFone Is Both a Tablet and a Phone: Neat Concept, but Still Vapor

At the end of the Asus press conference at Computex 2011, Chairman Jonney Shih waited until the very last minute to unveil the best product of the night: The Asus PadFone, a convergent device that docks a smartphone into the back of a slate so that they can be used together as a single device. Problem is, the entire demonstration was based on a few concept videos and a prototype that was clearly unfinished. Still, it's a usage model that we were really excited about when the Motorola Atrix made its debut and an incredibly neat approach to mobile computing�if and when Asus decides to make it available to the public.

The PadFone is essentially a symbiotic relationship between smartphone and slate, whereas the Atrix's screen and keyboard dock are intended to replace your netbook or laptop. It's a concept that owners of both Apple iPhone and iPad wish were possible: To dock the former into the latter and quit having to use two separate devices.

From the demonstration, the PadFone is inserted into the back of the dock like a cassette tape, hidden by a panel that fits flush with the back of the tablet. With the Atrix, the Smartphone sits several inches behind the screen, which simply isn't as clean-looking.

If the PadFone is anything like the Atrix, the tablet portion won't have a processor, memory, or local storage; it'll be a shell so that the two can share things like data, webcam, and 3G internet access. What makes the PadFone fundamentally different than the Atrix, however, is that it also shares the same operating system (The Atrix, when docked, runs on an alternative Linux OS). According to Asus, it's not doing any kind of upscaling or upconversion; it's using its own technology to adjust the smartphone screen layout. If you ask me, it almost sounds like it's using an internal HDMI connector.

Here's what we know for sure: The Smartphone will have the latest version of Android at the time of launch, which means so will the tablet dock. The screen size of the tablet is 10.1-inches, while the Smartphone has a 4.3-inch one. The tablet dock also has a built-in battery that will extend the life of the one in the Smartphone.

The usage scenarios are evident with such a solution: Say you're surfing the Web on the smartphone and find that the screen is too small for certain websites. You can stop what you're doing, dock the phone, and pick up where you left on the tablet. This also applies to composing email, video conferencing, and playing media. Right now, the details are so limited that it sounds like this game-changing device is still a while away. But if it does come to fruition, it could be the future of tablet computing.

PCmag

Alcatel OneTouch T60 Android tablet shows at FCC

Alcatel will soon join the tablet market with an Android-powered device of its own, if a Thursday FCC test is to be trusted. What appears to be a seven-inch device, known as the OneTouch T60, will ship with Android 2.2. It will also connect to North American 850MHz and 1,900MHz networks.

Otherwise, the simple tablet will have Wi-Fi, GPS, a rear three-megapixel camera and a VGA front-facing camera. It gets access to Google Maps as well. A microSD memory card slot and 3.5mm headset jack round out the package.

Despite the listing, ship dates or prices for the device aren't known. The latter will likely place the device at the lower end of the Android tablet offerings, and perhaps at the very bottom.

Electronista

Lenovo IdeaPad K1 tablet shows on stores before unveiling

Lenovo's upcoming IdeaPad K1 tablet with Android 3.0 onboard is showing up on retailer sites, including Buy.com. The device hasn't yet officially been dated, and the sites lack a price and a shipping schedule. They also differ on basic specs from earlier reports.

A 1.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon is seemingly replaced by NVIDIA's 1GHz Tegra 2 dual core. Other new details that have no other ones to compare to include a 10.1-inch display with 1280x800 resolution, 1GB of RAM and 32GB of storage space. Android 3.0 should be onboard as are a two- and five-megapixel camera, front and rear, respectively. A microSD and a SIM card slot, along with a microHDMI port are accounted for, and a battery life rating of 10 hours.

The only model shown here is black, but China's LePad version is available in white as well. Earlier, pricing was expected to come in at about $520, but this could have been for a 16GB model. An optional keyboard dock is also likely coming at a later date.

Electronista

Toshiba Thrive tablet pops up for pre-order at $450

The Toshiba Thrive tablet, the name of which was trademarked last month, is again showing up online and is available for pre-order at J&R but the listings have been pulled. They did reveal that the 10.1-inch tablet with Android 3.0 will cost $449 for an 8GB model and $579 for a 32GB version. A 16GB model is expected, falling between the two at $499, but wasn't listed.

The listing also didn't show a shipping date, simply opting for a Coming Soon label. Other specs include a dual-core 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 CPU, a 1280x800 resolution, a front-facing two-megapixel camera, and a rear five-megapixel camera with autofocus. There is also Bluetooth 3.0 onboard, Wi-Fi, an SD card reader and full sized HDMI and USB 2.0 ports along with a mini USB and dock port. A rubber rear backing differentiates it from other Android 3.0 tablets.

The model number of AT105-T108 doesn't match the earlier AT300 tablet from the company, though the specs are certainly very similar.

Electronista

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 shows in Russia with keyboard dock

Samsung's Galaxy Tab 8.9 has been given one last preview ahead of its wider June arrival. A Russian look, including a video (below), has shown the tablet with the full TouchWiz interface we saw at CTIA in March, including the more advanced quick settings pop-up and the live home screen tiles. MForum.ru also saw a new keyboard dock that was optimized just for the 8.9-inch tablet's size.

The early glance was potentially worrying as the tablet, despite its dual-core Tegra 2, appeared to be slowing down with basic video playback. At this late stage, it's unlikely to be beta firmware and could have been a one-off glitch or a symptom of deeper problems.

Samsung is due to ship the Galaxy Tab 8.9 in early June at prices of $469 for a 16GB Wi-Fi model and $569 for a 32GB edition.

Electronista

Fujitsu teases seven-inch Android 3.1 tablet for summer

Fujitsu�s tablet strategy for 2011 has been further crystalized with news that it plans to release a 7-inch Android 3.1 tablet this summer. It will sit alongside its LifeBook TH40/D Windows 7 hybrid, slider-tablet due to go on sale in Japan this June. While the 10.1-inch TH40/D is targeted at enterprise, the 7-inch Honeycomb tablet will be aimed at the consumer market.

According to Digitimes, Fujitsu has suggested that the 7-inch Honeycomb tablet will priced at the equivalent of between $347 and $694. The company plans to outsource the production of the tablet to unnamed Taiwan-based ODMs in order to keep the price competitive. While the price range is indicative of the tablet coming in a range of capacities, it�s low starting point could also suggest that it might have a carrier subsidized strategy in mind.

In further news, Fujitsu also indicated that its TH40/D will also be getting official stylus support and a 3.5G module when it launches in Taiwan. It did not indicate whether it planned to also bring stylus support to its 7-inch Android tablet.

Electronista

Pantech intros dual-core 1.5GHz Vega Racer, plans tablet

Pantech has unveiled a new flagship smartphone that could give it a rare speed edge in the smartphone world. The Vega Racer should be the first to use Qualcomm's dual-core, 1.5GHz Snapdragon MSM8660 and outpace even 1.2GHz dual-core phones like the HTC Evo 3D. The chip's inherently much faster Adreno 220 graphics could give it an edge in visuals not normally associated with Snapdragon chips.

The Vega Racer should be a high-end phone apart from the processor, centering on a 4.3-inch, 480x800 screen. Pantech is promising 1GB of RAM as well as a rear eight-megapixel camera and a front 1.3-megapixel camera. In spite of being just 0.35 inches thick, it will have a 1,650mAh battery that should give it a long life.

Pantech is giving the phone a customized version of Android with an iPhone-like fixed set of bottom icons.

Shipments start later this month for Korea, where it will appear before the end of May on SK-Telecom's Sky badge. A US launch if it comes hasn't been mentioned so far. The company has teased that it's working on a tablet and progress is in "full swing" for an arrival sometime in the future.

Electronista

Barnes & Noble Nook app optimized for Android tablets

As promised, Barnes & Noble on Friday put out a version of Nook for Android (free, Market) optimized for Android tablets. The new version takes advantage of the larger screen both for reading as well as browsing the book library and store. Unusually, the app isn't just optimized for Android 3.x slates like the Motorola Xoom but also for Android 2.x models, many of which are seven-inch designs like the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

The only stipulation is that the screen have an 800x480 or larger resolution, the bookseller said. A device check will open up magazines and newspapers to non-Nook Color tablets for the first time while keeping them off of smartphones, even at the same resolution.

Readers can get the new app immediately and can now find it in other portals, such as Samsung Apps, Verizon's V Cast Apps, AppsLib, and GetJar. Outside of public domains, most regular books cost $10. Subscriptions vary but usually have a two-week trial to test them out before committing to a monthly fee.

Electronista

Fujitsu�s TH40D tablet packs slim slide-out keyboard

Fujitsu has shown its new TH40D tablet, which packs a slim, slide-out keyboard. It centers on a 10.1-inch 1024x600 display that can quickly be converted from a tablet form factor to a netbook style device. Much like the similar Samsung Slider, the new hybrid tablet device runs Windows 7 and is powered by an Intel Atom Z760 1.5GHz processor.

The system is underpinned by 1GB of RAM, and a 120GB hard drive. Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0+HS, 2x USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI output and an SD card slot provide connectivity. Its aluminum chassis helps to bring its weight down to around 2.3 pounds.

The Fujitsu TH40D will be available in Japan at the end of June for the equivalent of $990.

Electronista

Samsung shows Retina-like 2560x1600, 10-inch LCD for tablets

Samsung and its frequent partner Nouvoyance said on Thursday they would show an ultra-sharp LCD optimized for tablets. The 10.1-inch, PenTile RGBW-based (red, green, blue, white) screen reaches an unprecedented resolution of 2560x1600. At 300 pixels per inch, the panel's sharpness is double the 1280x800 on most early Android 3 tablets and 2.25 times sharper than the 132PPI of an iPad 2 screen.

PenTile's ability to 'share' color pixels, instead of having separate pixels in stripes, still gives it performance at least as good as a much lower-resolution LCD, the two said. The panel can put out 300cd/m2 of brightness but uses up to 40 percent less power. Outdoors, the panel can kick up to 600cd/m2. Color accuracy is also as good as better mobile screens at 72 percent of the NTSC color range; most tablet screens hit 55 percent.

Samsung anticipated making the screen available to use for shipping products before the end of 2011. Companies still usually have to integrate the hardware and might not have shipping tablets until early 2012. Any tablet shipping with the hardware may need a quad-core processor, quad-core graphics, or both to smoothly drive the extra resolution, though Qualcomm, and graphics core makers like Imagination Technologies are expected to come through at the same time.

The development is most likely to lead to a new version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 given its manufacturer, but Samsung's willingness to manufacture displays on contract could lead to at least other Android tablet makers signing onboard. Apple uses Samsung for iPad 2 displays but would have to get Samsung to cut the display down to 2048x1536 if it were to double its existing pixel density.

Regardless of manufacturer, the LCD should be the first to offer an effect similar to Apple's Retina Display at tablet sizes, creating a "pixel-free" image better for 1080p video, photos, and text.

Electronista

ZiiLabs announces two CPUs for Android 3.0 tablets

ZiiLabs this week announced the upcoming release of its latest processors, the dual-core ZMS-20 and quad-core ZMS-40. The former is much closer to production, and has a 1.5GHz ARM Cortex-A9 at its core. The company says this chip is four times faster than its previous flagship offering, the ZMS-08. Both the ZMS-20 and ZMS-40 are optimized for Android 3.0 tablets with HD video playback.

The ZMS-40 can scale up to 6GHz, ZiiLabs said. It would also be capable of providing up to 100 processor cores.

The ZMS-20 will have the ability to play back 1080p videos, support OpenGL ES 2.0 3D graphics, handle HD video calling, and play Adobe Flash Player support. It would also be compatible with DDR3 and LPDDR2 memory, along with HDMI 1.4 and OpenCL. It will be released alongside a full-blown Android Tablet Platform that includes the SDK for Android, customizable or white label ID tablet designs, certification and conformation.

The ZMS-20 is now sampling and will ship in the summer of this year. More details on the ZMS-40 will be released at a later time.

Electronista

Toshiba delays Android 3.0 tablet to summer

The upcoming Toshiba Android 3.0 tablet introduced at CES and promised to ship in June has been delayed. Toshiba UK's business notebooks chief, Ken Chan, told RegHardware the 10-inch tablet will now arrive during the summer. Chan wouldn't give reasons why the tablet was delayed even when pressed, however.

"It'll be here at the very end of summer," Chan said.

The delay may be due to the recent parts supply shortages that have affected tablets that include the iPad 2, Motorola Xoom and Eee Pad Transformer, among others. A less likely reason is that Toshiba will put the next generation NVIDIA Tegra processor into the tablet and is awaiting its release.

The unnamed Toshiba tablet has hardware very similar to other Android 3.0 tablets, including a 1280x800 capacitive, a 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, and a rear five-megapixel and front 0.2-megapixel camera. There will also be Wi-Fi, HDMI, USB and an SD memory card slot onboard.

Electronista

Advent Vega tablet gets Android 3.0 hack with GPU boost

The Advent Vega tablet has just received an unofficial Android 3.0 hack along with a GPU boost, thanks to a creative developer over on the XDA-Developers forum. Zebwen ported Android 3.0 while others, including newbe5, Corvus and HomerSp helped out and the four have now achieved hardware acceleration. The Alpha ROM is also now available for download.

The hack will boot, provides the aforementioned hardware acceleration, supports widgets and most Android apps should run, though this hasn't been thoroughly tested. The video below shows the fast response of the OS on the Advent Vega tablet. What doesn't work is more comprehensive, as it's simply described as everything else. Wi-Fi doesn't work either, and neither does the camera or the accelerometer for screen rotation.

There are some caveats for those who wish to try this build, however. For example, ClockworkMOD is bundled with the ROM, and the Vega doesn't have a hard button for boot recovery, and the ROM doesn't have ROM manager installed, so code has to be added to enter recovery mode.

Electronista

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to come in white

Samsung gave those coming to the Google I/O conference a treat with word from early adopters of a white version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1. The design is the same 8.6mm slim version shown in March. An XDA owner and others have said the Android 3.0 slate is coming with the hinted 21Mbps HSPA+ 3G and 16GB of storage, though presumably 32GB and possibly Wi-Fi versions are due as well.

The white 10.1 will still have the NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor as well as Samsung's tablet-optimized TouchWiz 4.0 layer on top. Both the eight-megapixel rear camera and two-megapixel front camera cameras are still intact and should give 1080p video recording.

Samsung hasn't said when it expected the white version to ship, though it's likely to show in the same early June timeframe as the black version.

Electronista

HTC Puccini 4G tablet to take on iPad at AT&T

AT&T is lining up a pair of HTC devices for the near future that could see the carrier get its first major 10-inch tablet alternative to the iPad, a pair of leaks showed. Nicknamed the Puccini, it would be one of the first truly 4G devices on the network and use LTE. It's presumed by PocketNow that the device would use Android 3.0 and support the Scribe pen support from HTC's smaller Flyer.

A phone, the Holiday, has fewer details. It superficially resembles the Aria. Very little has been shown, but it may have a front-facing camera and could have at least 14.4Mbps or 21Mbps data.

The Puccini was hinted as possibly shipping in June. Speculation has put the Holiday in the summer.

AT&T has been offering the Samsung Galaxy Tab as an alternative to the iPad, but its small size and high relative price has largely kept the Android device out of contention. The Puccini would be its first more direct option and would be HTC's first real full-size tablet.

Electronista

Fujitsu Stylistic Q550 tablet hits US pre-orders

The Fujitsu Stylistic Q550 first unveiled at CeBIT in March is now up for pre-order on the company�s website. The Windows 7 tablet comes in two models, differentiated spec and price. The entry-level model starts at $729 and comes with 30GB SSD, while the higher-spec 62GB SSD model costs $849.

The two devices are further differentiated by RAM and batteries with the entry-level model is equipped with 2GB and a 2-cell battery and the higher-spec with 4GB and a 4-cell battery. The rest of the specifications remain identical. Core specifications include an Intel Atom Z670 clocked at 1.5GHz matched with 512KB cache and with an 800MHz FSB. The anti-glare 10.1-inch WXGA LED backlit display also features IPS technology for wide viewing angles. It also supports capacitive multi-touch as well as digital pen input.

The Fujitsu Stylistic Q550 is expected to ship in June.

Electronista

BeBook Live Tablet keeps Android 2.2 alive

BeBook Live has in introduced the BeBook Live Tablet. The device is one of the few newly launched tablets to persist with Android 2.2 although the OS is not specifically designed for tablets. Like the original Samsung Galaxy Tab, which also runs Android 2.2, the BeBook Live Tablet even incorporates Samsung�s own 1GHz single-core Hummingbird Cortex A8 processor matched with 512MB of SDRAM. It is also Flash compatible.

While it only incorporates 4GB of internal storage, it can be expanded through its microSD/SDHC card slot. Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.0 provide connectivity. It also features a mini-HDMI port for 1080p output over an HD TV, and a mini-USB port. A 2-megapixel front facing camera also enables video calls, though it omits a rear camera.

The BeBook Live Tablet available June 21 for $279, with pre-orders being taken now.

Electronista