Motion outs F5t, C5t rugged tablet PCs with Ivy Bridge and optional SSD, pricing starts at $2,240

Okay, these might not be quite as elegant as, say, that 10-inch, high-res slate coming out of the famed Cupertino labs, but hey, folks working on construction sites (or doing other types of handy work) need to get some actual work done. Here's where Motion Computing comes in. The outfit's just taken the wraps off of its newest rugged tablet PCs, the F5t and C5t -- both of which can be loaded with a choice of an i3, i5 or i7 third-gen Intel CPU, also known as Ivy Bridge. What's more, the company's also letting users pick between a 64 or 128GB solid-state drive, which can then be paired alongside 2 or 4GB of RAM. As you can imagine, this ruggedized duo isn't exactly aimed at something like the Nexus 7 crowd, since the starting price point for the Windows 7 Pro couple starts off at around $2,240 ($2,236, to be exact) depending on configuration. Either way, you can give 'em both a better look after the break, thanks to a press shot gallery courtesy of their creator.

[Source: Engadget]

IDC: Apple's still king of the tablet hill with 68 percent of the market

IDC's cabal of statisticians, nerds and people who just love spreadsheets have handed down their latest document about the state of the tablet market. Of the 25 million slates shipped in the second quarter, 17 million of them were iPads -- giving Apple 68.2 percent of the market. Samsung came second with 2.4 million devices and Amazon third, although since the Kindle Fire maker doesn't reveal numbers, there's probably some guesswork involved there. Rounding out the top five are ASUS and Acer, although the former should expect to move up a place (or two), depending on the success of the Nexus 7 when Q3's results are released in a few months time.

Top 5 Vendors, Worldwide Media Tablet Shipments, Second Quarter 2012

 

2Q 2012 Shipments

Market Share

2Q 2011

Shipments

Market Share

Q212 / 2Q11Growth

Apple 17,042 68.2% 9,248 61.5% 84.3%
Samsung 2,391 9.6% 1,099 7.3% 117.6%
Amazon 1,252 5.0% 0 N/A N/A
ASUS 855 3.4% 397 2.6% 115.5%
Acer 385 1.5% 629 4.2% -38.7%
Others 3,067 12.3% 3,668 24.4% -16.4%
           
Total 24,994 100% 15,042 100% 66.2&
Unit shipments are in thousands

[Source: Engadget]

Huawei to introduce 10.1-inch tablet PC in Russia and China

Huawei Technologies aims to expand its tablet PC product line. The firm plans to introduce the MediaPad 10 FHD with a 10.1-inch IPS screen that has a resolution of 1900 by 1200. The tablet PC, featuring Android 4.0.4, will be launched in Russia and China first.

Unlike most tablet PC makers that develop similar applications such as smartphones and notebooks, Huawei has been developing tablet PCs using its home appliance department. The firm hopes to integrate home appliances with the tablet PCs.

Huawei has been cooperating with Foxconn on OEM orders.

According to Huawei, MediaPad 10 FHD comes with a HiSilicon quad-core K3V2 1.5GHz processor and 2GB RAM. The product has a thickness of 8.8mm and weighs 598g. MediaPad 10 FHD will be introduced in Taiwan at the end of the fourth quarter.

Huawei has been dominating the set-top box (STB) market in India, Brazil and Mexico, an mainly focuses on cable TV and satellite STBs. The firm indicated that IP STBs are a development trend.

[Source: DigiTimes]

Is This The 10-Inch BlackBerry PlayBook?

Photos of what could be the 10-inch version of BlackBerry’s PlayBook tablet have surfaced on Vietnamese forum Tinhte.  If real, the tablet looks very much the same as its smaller, 7-inch brother, with a simple, black design, relatively wide bezel and a BlackBerry logo on the bottom.  The device sports a SIM card slot and a sign that says “BlackBerry4G PlayBook,” which imply cellular connectivity of the fastest order. Other than that, no specifications have been revealed.  Check out many more photos of the device over at Tinhte, including a comparison with the 7-inch PlayBook and several photos of the device’s insides.

[Source: Mashable]

Google Nexus 7 available at Carphone Warehouse from 26th of July

Wanting to get your hands on the Google Nexus 7 in the UK, but come up empty-handed so far? Carphone Warehouse sends word that it'll be stocking the highly-anticipated (and highly-demanded) Jelly Bean tablet from this Friday, July 27. Carphone's only stocking the more expensive 16GB version, which retails for £199.99 in the UK. That's also the version that's currently sold out on Google Play, so if you want to get hold of a 16GB Nexus 7 in Old Blighty, this may be your best bet.  In addition to the option to buy an N7 outright, Carphone is also offering the ASUS-made tablet on a tethered contract, which includes a Mifi and an (undisclosed) data allowance. Normally we'd say you'd have to be a bit mad to pick up a tablet on-contract with a mobile operator, but if you're after a Mifi anyway, you could certainly do worse than picking yourself up a free Android 4.1 tablet in the process. Prices on the tethered contracts are said to start at £20.50 per month.

[Source: Android Central … Click to read full story]

OLPC Tablet for $100 - yes please!

One Laptop Per Child will be showing their $100 tablet at CES 2012 and I must admit it looks like they have done a superb job. The XO 3.0 integrates a 1GHZ Marvell Armada PXA618 system-on-a-chip, which should deliver good performance at a very low cost. It should also eek out 8-10 hours of battery life. Check the full rundown here. [Source: CNET] [Photo: OLPC]

Enjoying Gambling Games on Your Tablet

One of the reasons that tablets of all types are growing in popularity by leaps and bounds is the games available, with a ton of different genres and options available. From strategy games to first person shooters to casino games such as slots, there’s a little something for everyone when it comes to tablet games. If you have a little gamble in you (or take frequent trips to Vegas or Atlantic City) you’re especially in luck, as poker and casino games are some of the most popular for both tablets and smartphones.
Poker apps were some of the first available for both the iPhone and the iPad, as millions of existing poker fans around the world made it an easy choice for Apple to develop its own Apple Texas Hold’em app. You’ll have various options when it comes to tablet PC software to play poker, including ones that pit you against computer opponents as well as others such as Zynga Poker that let you take a seat at the poker tables with other players from around the world. Most apps only let you compete for play chips but a few apps are available in certain countries that let tablet owners play for real money at poker and casino sites.
More and more online casino and poker operators are developing apps for tablets and smartphones, as mobile gaming has become of the fastest growing segments of many online gambling firms. That’s good news for tablet owners who like to place a wager here and there, as more and more options should become available in coming months, especially if Apple and Google continue to allow more gambling apps in their respective app stores.

HTC FLYER IN STORES TODAY

Aluminum unibody design with HTC Watch video service and HTC Scribe Technology

hits the shelves across EMEA
 
HTC, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, has announced that its first tablet, HTC FlyerTM, will be available in-store from 13th May. Blending HTC’s trademark design language with an all-new HTC Sense user experience that has been reimagined for tablets, the HTC Flyer combines natural touch and pen interaction in either a combined 3G and WiFi or WiFi-only model. As well as being available to purchase in retail outlets, HTC fans will also be able to order Flyer direct through the HTC.com website.
 
“We are delighted by the positive reactions that HTC Flyer has received since we first unveiled it in February and are pleased to be able to bring it to major markets across EMEA,” commented Florian Seiche, President HTC EMEA. “HTC Flyer is completely different from any other tablet on the market and we look forward to hearing about the different ways in which our customers use HTC Flyer in their daily lives – for both work and play.”
 
The combined 3G and WiFi HTC Flyer features 32GB of onboard memory which can be expanded with a microSD card of up to 32GB and will retail at €649. A second variant will be available for €499 and features WiFi connectivity and expandable 16GB memory. Both versions will come with the HTC Flyer Magic PenTM that will work with HTC’s Scribe Technology for an alternative to fingertip interaction.
 
From 13th May, HTC Flyer will be available in the following territories, both in-store and through HTC.com: UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Romania.
 
Premium Design and Performance
Weighing as little as a paperback book and encased in sleek aluminium, the HTC Flyer exudes the style and premium build quality that have forged HTC’s reputation in the smartphone market. With a seven-inch display, lightning fast 1.5Ghz processor and high-speed wireless capabilities, the HTC Flyer tablet is perfect for those who have been waiting for a tablet that is both compact and powerful.
 
HTC Sense for Tablet
HTC Flyer’s tablet-focused HTC Sense experience focuses on surprising and delighting people with its gorgeous 3D home screen. Similar to the experience unveiled on the new HTC Sensation, a unique carousel of widgets puts your most important content and information at the visual center of the experience and offers uncompromised Web browsing with Flash 10 and HTML 5. 
 
Streaming Mobile Movies with HTC Watch
The HTC Flyer is the first tablet to premiere HTC Watch, HTC’s new video download service, offering more than 600 premium movies and TV shows from major studios. Video content can be bought or rented and watched immediately through progressive download. Once purchased, movies are stored in a “cloud locker”, allowing up to five registered HTC devices to download and play the same content.
 
HTC Scribe Technology                                                                    
HTC Scribe Technology introduces a wave of integrated digital ink innovations that make it easy and natural to take notes, sign contracts, draw pictures, or even write on a web page or photo. Note-taking has been made smart for the first time by synchronising natural onscreen handwriting with Timemark audio recording. Tapping on a word in your notes instantly takes you to that exact place in time in the audio recording, ensuring you can place your notes in the context of any conversation or meeting. Notes are also integrated with the calendar so when there is an appointment reminder you are automatically prompted with an opportunity to begin a new note or in the case of recurring meetings, to continue where the last meeting left off.  In an industry first, the HTC Flyer tablet also features built-in synchronization with Evernote, the world-leading notes application and service.