December 2010 Archives

IT Reviews have published a review of the Disgo Tablet 6000. 'The Disgo's 7-inch screen has a resolution of just 480x800 pixels, where the Samsung Galaxy Tab boasts a much higher 600x1024. In fact, the Disgo Tablet 6000's screen resolution is on a par with many much smaller screened smartphones. Then there is the version of Android used by the tablet. Version 2.1 (code-named 'Eclair') is a little behind the curve. Version 2.2 ('Froyo') is widely available, and 2.3 ('Gingerbread') is just around the corner. Probably the most important thing missing from Android 2.1 from a tablet user's point of view is support for Adobe's Flash technology. That means streaming video from web pages is often impossible.'

The Iview 700EB 7-Inch Color LCD Digital E-Book Reader has been reduced from $119.99 to $99.95 over at Amazon.com. 'Iview 700EB is the latest digital ebook reader with a powerful Arm 9 processor and 512MB DDR memory. It comes with a generous 7" color LCD screen with 800x480 high resolution screen. It has a built in 2GB storage so you may store up to 1400 of your favorite ebooks at a time. In addition, you may expand more storage by adding SDHC, up to 32GB. It supports ebook formats: EPUB, PDF, TXT, FB2, PDB, HTML. DRM formats: Adobe DRM & EPUB DRM. Ebook browsing features include Bookmark, Slide Show, Zoom in/out, rotate. Enjoy multimedia playback, including audio, photo, and video formats. Connect with 3.5mm headphone jack. Built in battery 2000 mah: get 12 hours of ebook reading, 8 hours of music, and 3 hours of video playback. Includes carrying case.'

The Top Review Shop have published a review of the Nextbook NEXT2 Tablet e-Reader. 'The Nextbook has a basic fit and finish that closely resembles other e-readers such as the Kindle and Nook. Black gloss is the only color choice available and the black color is used for the entire device. As with nearly all black gloss devices, fingerprints and smudges are an inevitable result of frequent handling. The 7" color touch-screen stands out as the highlight of the user interface, with the only other buttons being the left- and right-arrows to turn pages while reading. Input connections are lined along the bottom of the device -micro USB, SD card slot, 3.5mm headphone jack and the power button.'

The Mophie Juice Pack external battery case for iPod touch 1G (Black/Green) is on offer for $22.80 over at Amazon.com.
Tech Specs:
● Compatibility: iPod touch 1G
● Charge your iPod touch battery anywhere
● Enjoy up to 24 hours audio and 7 hours of video
● Charges on its own or connected to iPod touch (iPod also charges)
● LEDs indicate battery status

TabletPCReview have published a review of the HP Slate 500 tablet PC. 'The HP Slate 500 packs a lot of hardware into its svelte 5.91 x 9.21 x 0.58 inch body, and it only weighs 1.5 pounds to boot. The unit is impressive with an Atom Z540 1.86 GHz CPU, 64 GB SSD, 2 GB of DDR2 RAM, front-facing VGA camera, rear-facing 3 megapixel camera and an 8.9-inch 1024×600 screen with an N-trig Duo Sense capacitive touch and digital pen digitizer. This combines to give the HP Slate 500 topline specs at a topline price compared to most consumer slates. The 500 is sealed with no user replaceable battery or other parts.'

2010 was certainly the year when the internet/tablet (portable media player) captured some valuable attention away from the several mobile entertainment devices on the market. Undoubtedly the Apple iPad was by far the most significant device however there were some serious entries from Archos, Asus, Samsung and others.

Here is a selection of popular tablet devices:

1. Apple iPad : iPad isn't just the best device of its kind. It's a whole new kind of device. 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology, 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi). Wireless and cellular 3G: UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz) GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), Data only2, Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology. Capacity: 64GB flash drive.

The Creative Zen Stone 2GB MP3 Player w/ Built-In Speaker (Black) is on offer for $89.99 over at Amazon Marketplace. 'Powered with a built-in speaker, share your music out loud with your friends. Small but impressively built, the new ZEN Stone is the answer to ready music on the move. Carry it on you as you dance to the beat of your workout music. Featuring user-friendly plug-and-play capabilities, transfer files smoothly from the computer to your ZEN Stone and take pleasure in a selection of up to 500 songs as you bask in 20 hours of continuous audio playback. You can even download the free integrated software Creative Media Lite to enhance your ZEN Stone s performance. Tiny in size? But definitely big in value. Black Color.'

iTechTalk have published a review of the Samsung YP-U6QP MP3 player. 'When comparing the design of the U6 with that of its predecessor, the U5, we can find the new model to have a metallic exterior that is slick. The aluminum metal on the exterior of the player is sturdy and firm. It is well built but then it is not resistant to the scratches. The U6 is available in a couple of colors such as Pink and Black. Most of the controls and the keys are the same as in the previous model. One noticeable change is the absence of the backlight for the play/pause button. The extreme left side of the U6 has the power or lock button, back button and the menu button. The top edge of the player has the microphone and the 3.5 m headphone jack. The favorite aspect of the U6's design is the press in, slide o tans lock type USB port. This type of USB port design is the traditional one for all the U series MP# players.'

The Samsung Galaxy Tab (AT&T) is on offerr for $629.99 with free standard shipping over at Amazon.com. 'Designed to fit in one hand, typing messages or notes is simple and easy with the Galaxy Tab's virtual QWERTY keyboard with Swype technology, which allows you to input text faster and in a more intuitive way with one continuous finger motion across the screen keyboard. It's outfitted with a rear-facing camera for photo capture and sharing as well as a front-facing camera for video chat. Other features include Bluetooth 3.0 wireless connectivity for hands-free devices and stereo music streaming, 16 GB internal memory, microSD memory expansion (via optional cards up to 32 GB in size), HDMI video output (via optional dock), and up to 13 hours of battery power.'

PC Advisor have published a review of the Advent Vega Android tablet. 'The Advent Vega takes the same basic form as the iPad, then cheapens it each direction in order to reduce the price tag. Where the original has a glass multi-touch IPS screen rich in colour and viewable from any angle, the Advent Vega has a budget plastic TN screen with weak colour when used face on.That's at its best - when tilted by a view degrees as you naturally do when holding it, the screen can fade to black tones and become an unviewable mess. Resolution is comparable to iPad, but at 1024x600 instead of 1024x768 pixels, we see it's taking a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio.'

The Philips GoGear Muse 16 GB MP3 Player (Silver) is on offer for $123.40 with free standard shipping over at Amazon.com.
Tech Specs:
● FullSoundTM for CD-quality music and Surround for movies and sound-isolation headphones for best listening experience
● 3.2-Inch HVGA touch-screen
● HDMI out to watch High Definition (720p) video on HDTV
● MicroSD card slot for expandable memory capacity
● Philips Songbird to discover play and sync

HotHardWare have published a review of the Maylong M-150 Android tablet. 'Our initial impression of the tablet was quite positive. The screen resolution of 800x480 suits the 7" screen quite well; we had no trouble reading text or navigating around the tablet's various functions and menus. The touchscreen is resistive rather than capacitive; the only way to accurately control the device was by using the included stylus. Even finger-typing was troublesome; the M-150 had a tendency to interpret keystrokes as though the keyboard was slightly off-center. Tap "H" on the left side of the button, and the system typically printed "G," tap to the right and you'd likely get "J". We tried running the M-150's screen calibration utility in an effort to have our inputs more accurately captured, but to no avail.'

The Archos 3 Cam Vision Player with built-in video camera and FM transmitter (Black) is on offer for $89.00 with free standard shipping over at Amazon.com. 'The ARCHOS 3 cam Vision player has an intuitive, animated user interface, a video camera, FM radio & transmitter, and plays a huge range of audio and video formats--it's as simple as entertainment should be. The ARCHOS 3 now sports a video camera. Film your friends or family any time, and instantly view your footage on the three-inch screen. You can also watch them later on your PC with a simple copy and paste from the device, or even upload them to YouTube. The camera also takes still images, so you can always capture life's best moments

Laptop Magazine have published a review of the new Kobo Wireless ereader. 'The updates to the Kobo Wireless are mostly internal, leaving the outer design much the same as the original. This is a good thing, as we liked the original Kobo's slim profile--7.2 x 4.7 x 0.4 inches--and very light weight: just 7.8 ounces. The reader also retains the soft-touch, quilted back that makes it so comfortable to hold. One nice addition is a range of color choices beyond the original's white front and silver backing. Now customers can choose from all black (Onyx) or white with a lilac back.'

The Cowon D2+ 16 GB MP3 Player (Black) is on offer for $133.99 over at Amazon Marketplace. 'Video and audio player with FM tuner, voice recorder, and text and photo viewer 2.5-inch, 24-bit QVGA (320 x 240) touchscreen LCD with 16 million colors Up to 52 hours of music playback (10 hours of video) on one charge SD/SDHC/MMC/MMC-plus card memory expansion DRM-protected content and BBE+ support What's in the Box Cowon D2+ (Black), stylus, earphones, USB cable, Quick Guide, installation CD.'

Pocket-lint have published a review of the new Asus Eee Note. 'The Eee Note has 4GB of built-in flash memory and it also has a microSD card slot that supports cards up to 16GB. At the bottom you'll find a Micro-USB port, the microSD card slot, a headphone jack, a surprisingly loud speaker and the power and reset buttons. You don't get access to the full amount of storage memory though, as not only does the operating system take up some space, but the drivers and sync software are loaded onto the Eee Note. Below the screen is a set eight soft keys, left and right navigation, home, back and four that corresponds to on-screen menus. These allow you to navigate without the need to use the stylus.'

The Archos Vision 4 GB MP3 Player with 1.5-inch display is on offer for $29.99 with free standard shipping over at Amazon.com.
Product Features:
● Store and listen to more than 2,000 songs with the high capacity storage of 4GB.
● Store and view thousands of photos in JPEG and BMP
● Plays MP3, WAV, FLAC, APE, OGG and WMA music files
● Audio recorded to record memos

PC Advisor have published a review of the ViewSonic ViewPad 7 Android tablet. 'The ViewSonic ViewPad is one of two new Android tablets from the company best known for its computer screens. The other, the ViewSonic ViewPad 10, is a 10in model that dual boots into Windows 7 too - it remains to be seen how well it pulls that off. The ViewSonic ViewPad 7, however, is a largely successful and likable Android Froyo 2.2 tablet that is more like a Filofax than a tablet PC. Wrapped in a smart, slip-resistant folio case with a lid that's secured by an elastic strap, we took the ViewSonic ViewPad 7 on several commutes without realising we had been lugging it around London. It weighs 375g without its jacket, but 517g with it.'

The Velocity Micro T301 Cruz 7-Inch Android 2.0 Tablet is on offer for $249.99 with free standard shipping over at Amazon.com. 'At just under one pound, the sleek Cruz Tablet goes everywhere you do and fits perfectly in one hand. Use the built-in Kindle bookstore app to download and read over 700,000 eBooks in a light and convenient package. Staying up-to-date with email and social networks is just a Wi-Fi hotspot away, thanks to the Cruz Tablet's 802.11n Wi-Fi and full browser support. You can even load your Cruz Tablet's 4GB of internal storage up with all your favorite music and movies to make it a completely mobile media device!'

Laptop Magazine have published a review of the Archos 101 Android tablet. 'With a footprint of 10.6 x 5.9 inches, the Archos 101 takes up nearly the same amount of counter space as the Archos 9 as well as the Viewsonic G Tablet. However, the Archos 101 is just 0.47 inches thick, compared to 0.7 inches for the Archos 9 and 0.5 inches for the G Tablet. The Archos 101 weighs just 1.1 pounds, a good deal lighter than the G Tablet's 1.55-pound heft, not to mention the Archos 9's 1.8-pound bulk. Plus, the 101's tapered sides make it look as light as it feels. Unlike the Archos 9, there are no physical buttons on the face of the Archos 101. All of the 101's ports and buttons are on the left side; from the top, there's a volume rocker, power, headphones, USB, microUSB, microSD card slot, and a mini HDMI port. At the bottom of all this is a port for the power plug, the only way you can charge the 101. We wish you could simply use a USB port instead. To the left of the screen is a VGA webcam.'

The SanDisk Sansa Clip+ 8 GB MP3 Player (Black) is on offer for $49.99 with free standard shipping over at Amazon.com. 'The Sansa Clip+ MP3 player, recipient of an August 2009 CNET Editors' Choice award, is built to bring your music to life. The player features solid-state flash memory for skip-free playback, making it ideal for working out with, and with MP3 quality for a rich, full-bodied sound. Whether you're a jazz aficionado or a classic rocker, the Sansa Clip+ MP3 player will ensure that your music comes through loudly and clearly. The Sansa Clip+ MP3 player supports the most popular audio formats, including MP3, WMA, secure WMA, Audible, Ogg Vorbis, and FLAC.'

CNET have published their review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab (Verizon Wireless). 'Tablets are only as good as their screens, and the Tab's screen is a glossy beauty with the strength of a beast, thanks to a protective layer of Corning Gorilla glass. The LCD underneath it is a crisp 1,024x600-pixel resolution, which is on par with the iPad, but since the screen is about half the size, the pixel density is much tighter. The screen uses a capacitive, multitouch technology that can match the iPad in both response time and usefulness. Not once did we catch ourselves cursing at it--at least, not in the same threatening tone as we used with the Dell Streak or the Archos 7 Home Tablet. Above the screen you have a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera, perfect for self-portrait photos or video chat (though no video chat software comes preinstalled). Across the bottom you have the typical Android-style buttons for menu, home, back, and search. There's a standard headphone jack on the top, volume and power buttons on the side, along with a microSD card slot. For this model from Verizon, a 16GB card came installed.'

The Coby 4 GB Video MP3 Player with FM Radio has been reduced from $45.39 to $28.72 over at Amazon Marketplace. 'The Coby MP620 is ready for your favorite music, movies, and photos, so you can take them anywhere--whether it's for your own enjoyment, or a little sharing. Play back your favorite MP3/WMA music files for hours of entertainment. If your music files contain ID3 tags, you will be able to view your tracks by Artist, Album, or Genre. Create a quick playlist on the fly, enjoy random playback, repeat mode, and more. For the lyrics freaks, LRC files are also supported, so you can view the words (including synchronized timing display).'

Laptop Magazine have published a review of the Viewsonic G Tablet. 'At 10.5 x 6.8 x 0.5 inches, the G Tablet isn't the smallest slate on the block by any stretch. At 1.55 pounds, it weighs as much as the iPad. It's much bulkier than the iPad and the 7-inch Galaxy Tab, though. The glossy black plastic on the front and the matte black on the back look and feel a bit cheap. We could hear the slate creaking in our hand when we picked it up. On the left side of the G Tablet, you'll find a headphone jack, a mini USB port for connecting to the PC, a full size USB port for attaching USB drives, and a microSD card reader. Unfortunately, you can't charge the G Tablet via USB. Instead, you must a dedicated AC adpater that connnects to its own jack on the slate. A docking port on the bottom of the G Tablet is designed to support HDMI output, but there's no mention of an adapter on ViewSonic's site.'

PC Magazine have published their review of the Sony Reader Touch Edition (PRS-650). 'The Touch Edition is available in black and red versions (my unit was black), both of which are aluminum on all four sides. The single color, lack of keyboard, and sparing use of buttons make for a minimalistic and sleek device. On the bottom of the Touch is a reset button, a micro-USB port for charging and connecting the device to a computer, a headphone jack, and volume controls--more on why those are there in a minute. On the top of the reader sit a power button, a stylus, and two memory card slots. One slot accepts SD cards, the other Memory Stick Duo--all told, the Touch Edition can handle up to 32GB of extra storage--combined with the 2GB of internal memory, you'll certainly never be wanting for extra space.'

The Archos 3 Vision 8 GB Video MP3 Player (Red) has been reduced from $69.99 to $59.99 over at Amazon Marketplace. 'The ARCHOS 3 vision is perfect for music fans, with up to 14 hours of music playback before recharging and support for MP3, WMA, and WAV formats. The music library shows music by title, album, artist, genre, or your own favorites. With 8 GB of disk capacity to store over 4,000 songs, you'll have no problem saving tons of music and podcasts onto your device. And with the lyrics function, you can actually see song lyrics display right across the screen.'

Reg Hardware have published a review of the Imagin IMEB-5 colour e-book reader. 'As the model number suggests, the IMEB-5 has a 5in display. Its resolution is an unimpressive 480 x 800, but for a screen this physical size, that makes for a pixel density capable of rendering reasonably crisp text. Being a colour LCD, it's capable of presenting still and moving pictures in a way that E Ink readers can't, but you're really not going to want to bother. A limited colour depth, that low resolution, a truly awful UI and a none-too-bright backlight made greyer by the screen's anti-glare coating make this a poor platform for photography and an even worse one for video.'

The Archos 5 500 GB Internet Tablet with Android is on offer for $254.99 with free standard shipping over at Amazon.com. 'The ARCHOS 5 features an 800 pixel-wide 5-inch touchscreen, an ultra thin design, and an accelerometer for portrait or landscape viewing. Whether enjoying media yourself or sharing with friends, it delivers outstanding image quality. The ARCHOS 5 lets you easily surf the Web. With a Wi-Fi connection (802.11 b/g/n) and the new OMAP3440 processor running at 800 MHz, you get quick and responsive Internet browsing just like on a laptop, without the endless waits for page loads. Enjoy the Web in full width thanks to the 800 pixel wide screen, with no need to zoom in or out.'

Pocket-lint have published a review of the Philips GoGear Muse portable media player. 'The Philips GoGear Muse (SA2MUS16S) is an MPEG4 player that looks to offer a range of features without breaking the bank. The Muse is lovingly crafted from brushed metal so it looks fantastic, but does the rest of the package deliver? A comparison to the Apple iPod touch is unavoidable so we'll get it out of the way right at the start. The Muse competes on several levels, offering up music and movie playback, but it isn't a connected device, so you won't be filling it with games or apps, chatting to your friends on FaceTime, or browsing the Internet over Wi-Fi.'

The Creative Labs Zen X-Fi 2 32 GB MP3 and Video Player with Touchscreen and Built-In Speaker (Black) is on offer for $149.99 over at Amazon.com. 'ZEN X-Fi2 now allows you to experience the sound of perfection even with your stored movies and FM radio, thanks to X-Fi technology that restores audio to even higher levels of clarity than before. Immerse yourself in a natural listening experience as the state-of-the-art X-Fi technology intelligently moves the earphone stereo source away from your ears, simulating an audio experience from a pair of high-end stereo speakers.'