Toshiba will have its own family of slates by this time next year
Before the iPad and before the Slate, the most exciting touchy tablety thing in our lives was Toshiba’s JournE multimedia tablet. Now that the Japanese compu-maker has seen what the competition has on offer, it’s proudly proclaimed itself back in the running with an entire family of slate devices it’s planning to introduce near the end of 2010 or in early 2011. “It has proved to be a mistake to underestimate these new categories” is the word from Toshiba’s Jeff Barney, which indicates that not even he sees that much potential in the form factor, but his company is pushing ahead with its plans for fear of being left behind. Also quoted in the Fortune piece is ASUS’ inimitable Jonney Shih, who makes sure to remind us that without multitasking, Flash support, or a webcam for videoconferencing, the iPad leaves plenty of room for devices richer in features to grab market share. All we know for certain is that the major players are falling in line to make 2010 truly the year of tablet — whether or not consumers will place their stamp of approval on this vendor-driven craze, though, remains to be seen.
Toshiba will have its own family of slates by this time next year originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The Apple Tablet: a complete history, supposedly
digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/apple/The_Apple_Tablet_a_complete_history_supposedly’; It’s no secret to us (or our readers) that Apple’s products tend to generate what some might consider insane amounts of interest for weeks, months, and even years before they’re launched or even announced. Whether you love the company or hate its guts, you can’t deny that Apple is particularly prone to being fodder for the rumor mill. It comes in all forms: leaked photos (be they real, fake, or merely imaginative fan creations), analyst speculation based on “what if” scenarios for investors, “insider” reports from Asian supply chains, and a fair amount of conjecture via the press, both mainstream and blog alike. Here at Engadget, we’ve always been pretty proud of our ability to decode fact from fiction, and we try not to add too much noise to the echo chamber in which the gadget world seems to sometimes live. That said, we do cover plenty of rumors — and the Apple Tablet (in its many rumored form factors) may just be the biggest and most twisted of them all.
Apple’s been kicking around the idea of a tablet since at least… oh, 1983. From real, physical prototypes to out-there ideas such as the Knowledge Navigator — the company (who did not, alas, invent the idea of a tablet PC) has, somewhat unsurprisingly, seen fit to investigate the possibility for almost as long as it’s been around. For one reason or another, though, they’ve never actually produced a device which saw the light of retail day (well, besides the Newton). Perhaps that’s part of the fascination that Apple fans have with the product — it’s been rumored so long, and seemed on the verge of actual arrival so many times that it’s become a Holy Grail of sorts for the tech community.
Evidence that any tablet actually existed or would come to retail, however, has always been slim at best. In the entire lifespan of Engadget, not one viable photo of a real-looking prototype has ever emerged, and not one source within Apple itself has ever really hinted that it was at work on such a product. Oh sure, there have been dozens — possibly hundreds — of people “familiar with the matter,” but almost no one who would or could go on record to talk about the tablet, and in the end, it’s always seemed like a non-starter. The Apple Tablet rumor started in earnest around 2002 — before Engadget was even around. By the time we arrived to the party, the idea that Apple might be working on a tablet or slate PC was pretty firmly entrenched into the psyche of the avid gadget geek, but again, perilously little evidence existed to support the idea, or shall we say… the hope?
And here we are, in January of 2010, on the verge of yet another expiration date for the rumored launch of an Apple Tablet (though let’s be honest — this thing is starting to feel pretty real). We thought now might be as good a time as any to take a look back — back through the rumor timeline of one of the gadget world’s longest-standing, and seemingly best-loved unicorns. Join us for the ride, won’t you?
Continue reading The Apple Tablet: a complete history, supposedly
The Apple Tablet: a complete history, supposedly originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Apple rumor roundup: ‘the day before’ edition
We’ll just come right out and say it: we couldn’t possibly be happier to see that January 27, 2010 is tomorrow. Shortly after 10AM on the left coast, Stevie J himself will finally put a hush to the rumors that have been swirling constantly over the past fortnight or so (and we’ll be there live to cover it). Till then, however, we’ve got one more round of scuttlebutt to serve up. Kicking things off is a New York Times report that explains in some level of detail what exactly the supposed Apple tablet will feature in terms of specifications. To quote: “It will run all the applications of the iPhone and iPod Touch, have a persistent wireless connection over 3G cellphone networks and Wi-Fi, and will be built with a 10-inch color display, allowing newspapers, magazines and book publishers to deliver their products with an eye to the design that had grabbed readers in print.” We shall see.
Moving on, we’ve got even more whispers that publishers — with the NYT mentioned specifically — around the globe have been getting wind of this thing as the suits in Cupertino attempt to nail down content deals. Broadcast Engineering even has a piece that straight-up states that Apple was “was in New York City last week showing the tablet to media companies as a new way to sell books, newspapers and other reading material through its iTunes online store.” Still not convinced? NetbookNews has an apparently ongoing article about the authenticity / non-authenticity of a Media Markt tweet that “accidentally” leaked a supposed €899 price point for the device, while Hot Hardware switches things up and reports that AT&T will lose its iPhone exclusivity during tomorrow’s event. Oh, and the very first hands-on review of the Apple tablet is also live (courtesy of Mosspuppet), while yet another hotly contested image has arisen to perch atop these very words. Phew.
Apple rumor roundup: ‘the day before’ edition originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
HP Slate teases us with another video appearance
The HP Slate — has there ever been a more iconic, more groundbreaking, more life-altering device? Oh, there has? Well anyway, HP CTO Phil McKinney has been friendly enough to share some of the history behind the development of his company’s newly announced tablet, which is set for a release at some point later this year. Starting with e-reader prototypes five years ago, he tells us, HP steadily built up an idea of the sort of “rich media experience” modern consumers are lusting after. It’s only now, however, in a “perfect storm” of innovation, that HP finds itself capable of pairing the right hardware with the mainstream-friendly price point it was shooting for. Join us after the break for the full dose of education on this multitouch Windows 7 machine.
Continue reading HP Slate teases us with another video appearance
HP Slate teases us with another video appearance originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 01:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Stantum multitouch Slate PC prototype hands-on
We’ve had a few run-ins with Stantum before, and never came away less than impressed. This time they sent us their Slate PC concept, which is actually a hacked-up Dell mini 10. The 10-inches of real estate don’t seem to hamper Stantum’s multitouch, ultra-sensitive and pressure-simulating resistive touchscreen technology one bit. Unfortunately, with stock Windows 7 on here we’re not sure this makes much more of a compelling use-case for a “slate” computer than we’ve seen already littering the halls of CES. Read-on for our full impressions and a video tour.
Continue reading Stantum multitouch Slate PC prototype hands-on
Stantum multitouch Slate PC prototype hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Dell teases the Streak?
digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gadgets/Dell_Slates’; Welcome to CES 2010, where we’re currently enjoying the ‘year of the slates.’ Dell’s just teased us by talking about its “upcoming slates,” and from the looks of it, the one shown off is the Streak we’ve been hearing about for a few months now, though of course we can’t be sure yet. Sure, there was perilously little detail given out — all we know so far is that it’s a 5-incher and it’s running Android, and there appears to be a camera around back. This also is only the first of the slates, so hopefully we’ll get to see more of Dell’s offering soon. We’ll keep you posted as we find out more detail, but check out some other angles of this mystery device after the break.
Continue reading Dell teases the Streak?
Dell teases the Streak? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Stantum shows off resistive multitouch Slate PC, we’re awed again
Stantum Japan already got us all giddy and schoolgirlish once, and now that the company’s TouchPark has reached the proof of concept stage, we’re ready to fawn all over again. Initially compatible only with smartphone hardware, the firmware seems to have been adapted to the x86 instruction set, as it’s now perched atop a Dell Mini 10 netbook modded with a resistive touchscreen. Responsiveness and accuracy are both remarkable, with the multitouch feature accommodating as many fingers as you can fit on the screen. There’s pressure sensitivity too, and we even get to see the thing used with a paintbrush. A paintbrush. Scalable from 2.5 to 30 inches, this can do all the gestures, swipes and rotations you want, and viewing the video after the break will lead you to conclude the same as us: this needs to be out yesterday.
Continue reading Stantum shows off resistive multitouch Slate PC, we’re awed again
Stantum shows off resistive multitouch Slate PC, we’re awed again originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.