11/11, 6:45pm
NVIDIA CEO admits Android a 'bit behind' iPad
NVIDIA chief Jen-Hsun Huang in a conference call tonight to discuss fiscal results was ready to note that Google had slipped back in tablet development compared to Apple. He thought that the work Google had done on optimizing Android for tablets and future smartphones was "really amazing" but mentioned twice that the company was a "little bit behind" in bringing it up to par with the iPad. The finished work, which would often focus on NVIDIA's dual-core Tegra chips, would help Google, NVIDIA and their partners catch up.
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10/06, 3:40pm
Verizon exec hints 4G Android focus at CES 2011
Verizon's wireless chief Lowell McAdam dropped more hints during his presentation at CTIA today with claims that there would be Android devices running 4G at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. He mentioned that there would be "some products" unveiled with Google CEO Eric Schmidt also on stage. Smartphones and tablets would likely be part of proceedings, McAdam said.
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09/30, 9:55pm
NFL wants video on Verizon tablets
The NFL tonight said it was talking about bringing American football video to Verizon tablets. It didn't have details but was determined that a deal was just a "question of what shape or form." Verizon declined to comment to the WSJ but admitted that video was an important part of how it pushed data use on its networks.
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08/03, 5:15pm
Moto 10-inch tablet would use TV to rival iPad
Motorola's rumored 10-inch Android tablet could have an unusual TV feature to lure buyers away from the iPad, anonymous sources said Tuesday evening. The slate would support watching TV and would have an unspecified link to Verizon's FiOS fiber optic IPTV. It's unknown if this would involve a FLO TV tuner, but with Qualcomm's planned exit an Internet streaming option is more likely.
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07/26, 3:55pm
Google, Motorola get close to Android 3 devices
Android 3 is now believed to be in field testing as a check of online analytics has shown examples in the field. Some phones running the Linpack online benchmark have been caught running 3.0, 3.0.1 and 3.2. While the releases could use faked version numbers, they're believed to be examples of concurrent development which will branch out once 3.0 is finished.
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07/19, 10:05am
Verizon may have 10-inch BBerry tablet this fall
Verizon's future plans were spoiled in major fashion early today as multiple tips pointed out its device mix for the next few months. A source that provided photos of a pre-release Droid 2 also understands that a 10-inch tablet is enroute. The Engadget tipster had little extra insight, but it could be the often rumored BlackBerry tablet or the Android-based ICD Ultra.
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06/17, 11:20am
iPad could push past netbooks in two years
Apple's iPad should help push tablet sales past netbooks in as little as two years, Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps estimated today. She believes that, even with a conservative estimate of 3.5 million tablets sold this year, the category could grow to 20.4 million by 2012 and make up 18 percent of the market while netbooks would peak at 17 percent. A year later, tablets would overtake declining desktop sales, reaching 21 percent versus 20 percent.
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05/17, 2:05pm
Verizon expects multiple LTE phones by May 2011
Verizon chief Lowell McAdam in new statements said the company plans to have multiple 4G phones on its network within the next 12 months. He anticipates as many as five phones using the new LTE (Long Term Evolution) network by May 2011. While he didn't name devices, he expected HTC, LG, Motorola and RIM to be early candidates.
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04/06, 7:45am
ICD Gemini combines Tegra 2 with 11in tablet
ICD is planning a second tablet beyond the Ultra that would potentially upstage the iPad. The leaked Gemini would have a larger 11.2-inch, 1366x768 screen, and like the Ultra would use an NVIDIA Tegra 250; the 1GHz chip would give it the ability to play 1080p video, including in Flash 10.1 when it becomes available. It will still run Android, though Engadget doesn't say which version, and will not only carry 3G and 802.11n Wi-Fi but make phone calls.
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04/01, 9:10am
ICD, Notion Ink, more hurt by Tegra flaws
The ICD Ultra, Notion Ink Adam and other Android-based tablets have been pushed back due to flaws in the NVIDIA Tegra processor they use, a rumor claimed today. The dual-core Tegra 250 at the heart of these and a Compal 7-inch tablet allegedly has "serious issues" of reliability and has pushed back launches until August at the earliest. A SlashGear tipster claimed Compal wouldn't ship its reference design until mid-September, while ICD and Notion Ink wouldn't ship until the fall; ICD's Ultra and Vega wouldn't arrive until October.
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03/16, 11:40am
Marvell tailors 10in ARM tablet for e-readers
Marvell at the Future of Publishing Summit on Tuesday showed a prototype of a 10-inch tablet running Android. The example device uses a non-production shell but is expected to be fast, using an ARM-based Armada processor that could give it 1080p video playback without hurting battery life. The version on display appears to be using Android 1.6 rather than 2.0 or 2.1, but this would be more likely to change in a finished product.
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03/10, 8:00am
ARM exec sees tablet use exploding
The number of touchscreen tablets running on ARM chips is set to explode even in 2010, the company's global mobile device ODM manager Roy Chen said today. While the iPad is the most conspicuous of these, Chen anticipates over 50 shipping in 2010. The first are due in the spring and will largely be attached to cellular carriers. There will be "a lot more" in the summer, the manager said.
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01/29, 4:05pm
Mini 5 demo includes a shipping timeframe
Michael Dell on Thursday slipped out some of his company's plans for the Mini 5 tablet in a quick demo (viewable below). In addition to showing off the customized Android interface we saw at CES, which has at least a special menu bar, the CEO also acknowledged to TechCrunch that it would be released in "a couple months." Dell employees earlier this month insisted it was a concept and that it wasn't a confirmed production device.
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01/12, 4:55pm
MS tries to downplay Android threat
Microsoft Windows Consumer Product GM James DeBragga drew attention at a CES panel late last week with remarks attacking Android. When discussing netbooks, the executive criticized the OS after eDGe creator Entourage's CEO praised it for being free. DeBragga said it was only "free like a puppy" and suggested it was trouble when it actually came to using it.
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01/11, 10:25am
Microsoft quietly pushing Win Mo 7 back?
Windows Mobile 7 may have been quietly pushed back to 2011, talks with partners may have revealed on Sunday. Representatives from Microsoft, as well as partners like HTC and NVIDIA, reportedly don't expect to see the new phone OS until Mobile World Congress next year. It's unknown what the alleged delay might be from the commonly accepted schedule, which would have Microsoft show the OS at this year's MWC and ship it before the end of 2010.
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01/08, 2:45am
ICD Ultra fast but limited for now
Touched on briefly during NVIDIA's keynote, ICD has confirmed its new high-end tablet, the Ultra. It should be one of the fastest tablets yet with a dual-core Tegra 250 and (eventually) support for 4G over Verizon's LTE network. We've tried it at CES, however, and can weigh in on how close it is to that goal.
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11/13, 9:05am
ICD Vega may beat Apple to large tablets
Newcomer ICD late yesterday confirmed first details of a tablet design that promises to be one of the first in a new category of large media devices. Previously teased by NVIDIA's CEO, the Vega has a large 15.6-inch, 1366x768 resistive touchscreen and will have the performance to drive it through an NVIDIA Tegra chipset. Besides faster rendering, it should theoretically give the Vega 720p video playback at full resolution.
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