GADGET REVIEWS Just another GADGET NEWS

Microsoft plans to introduce a special version of Windows for low-powered mobile devices like tablets at next month’s Consumer Electronics Show, according to multiple reports.

The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg claim to have both heard that Microsoft will discuss a version of Windows that supports mobile ARM chips and other low-power processors. WSJ adds that the new Windows OS isn’t expected to be available for two years.

My instant reaction to these reports: WTF?

Microsoft already has a new version of Windows designed for mobile devices: Windows Phone 7. The company hired new executives, spent million of dollars on development facilities, rethought its entire mobile strategy and took an entire year to whip up a touch-friendly mobile OS from scratch.

In terms of power and features, Windows Phone 7 hasn’t caught up with Android or iOS yet, but it’s a solid start. It’s certainly more fit for tabletization than the desktop Windows. There are many reasons why Windows 7-based tablets make no sense.

Windows Phone 7 is also light years ahead of Microsoft’s previous mobile OS, Windows Mobile, to say nothing of Windows CE, Microsoft’s first mobile OS, which lives on as an “embedded” OS powering hospital devices, manufacturing equipment, point-of-sale devices, and the like.

So why in the world would Microsoft throw more money and talent at a new mobile version of Windows when it’s already made great progress on a newer, better one?

I like the well-informed Mary Jo Foley’s skeptical interpretation of the news. She thinks that Microsoft will announce a new version of Windows Embedded Compact, a trimmed-down version of Windows CE made especially for enterprise devices. That OS, which is currently in beta, already runs on ARM, and might make a suitable platform for Windows-powered tablets, especially the kind attached to your UPS driver’s barcode scanner.

Among other points,Jo Foley notes that the timing is right, and that Microsoft announced tablet partners earlier this year who are already in the business of making Windows Embedded Compact devices.

That outcome would make a lot more sense to me, and if Jo Foley’s right, Microsoft’s “tablet” news won’t be as exciting for the average gadget geek aching for a Microsoft-powered iPad competitor (unless you have a urinary tract disorder).

Photo of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at CES 2010: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Brian is a Wired.com technology reporter focusing on Apple and Microsoft. He’s also writing a book about the always-connected mobile future called Always On (publishing April 2011 by Da Capo).
Follow @bxchen and @gadgetlab on Twitter.

jQuery(‘#inf_widget’).load(‘http://www.wired.com/ajax/widgets/related/content/blogPost/gadgetlab_55678′);

Source:wired.com

Posted under Gadget Reviews

<< Previous
|
Next >>

<< Previous
|
Next >>

HP has at last revealed its long-awaited Slate, an 8.9-inch tablet with capacitive multi-touch and running Windows 7. The Slate, you will remember, was proudly touted by Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer as an iPad killer, back before the iPad even existed. So is this an iPad competitor? No freakin’ way.

The HP Slate 500 Tablet PC is just that, a PC. It runs on a 1.86GHz Intel Atom Z540 processor, has 2GB RAM and a 64GB SSD, along with a Broadcom accelerator for 1080p video, a USB port, HDMI-out, a hardware Ctrl-Alt-Delete switch, a button to activate the on-screen keyboard and a pair of cameras, one on the back for photos and one on the front for Skyping. It also has, somewhat unbelievably, a slide-out Windows license. That’s right. Apparently any machine with Windows pre-installed needs to show the license info and HP, in order to keep the rear design clean, opted to add a slide-out plastic bar to display it. Oh, it is also Wi-Fi only: There’s no 3G radio.

There is one nice touch: the screen includes a Wacom digitizer so you can use a stylus to take notes on screen. There is nowhere to store the stylus, though, so you’ll lose it soon enough.

Clearly, the Slate is to full-featured tablet PCs as a netbook is to a proper notebook: a scaled back, underpowered portable with a too-small screen, running an OS designed for the desktop, not a touch-operated device. HP has tried to justify the ridiculous price with a disclaimer in its press release, which says it is “designed specifically for business.” The problem is, businesses are already buying the iPad, which is designed just to be good.

We’re certainly looking forward to seeing some proper rivals to the iPad, with ten-inch screens running an OS designed for touch. The HP Slate, a netbook with the keyboard missing, ain’t it.

HP Slate placeholder page [HP]

jQuery(‘#inf_widget’).load(‘http://www.wired.com/ajax/widgets/related/content/blogPost/gadgetlab_52971′);

Source:wired.com

Posted under Gadget Reviews

There are two ways you could take the news that Hewlett-Packard has confirmed WebOS phones for early next year. One is “At last! What took so long?” The other is “Thank God they didn’t rush this thing.”

Speaking at a Conference in Barcelona, Spain yesterday, HP senior VP Eric Cador said “You will see us coming early next year with new phones” and added that Palm’s WebOS is “extremely fundamental.”

HP bought Palm earlier this year, so releasing new phones early next year is still pretty fast. But if we have learned anything from the runaway success of the iPhone and iPad, it’s that these things can’t be rushed: Apple’s devices were in development for years before they launched.

What we’re really looking forward too, though, is a WebOS tablet. Could it be that HP, once known for innovation but now just another commodity gray box maker, is taking its time to come up with an amazing, killer product? Let’s hope so. Right now, there’s only one tablet worth buying, and that lack of competition is not good for the consumer.

HP to launch new webOS phones in early 2011 [Reuters]

Image: New Palm Pre WebOS screenshots

Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.

Source:wired.com

Posted under Gadget Reviews

Cross your fingers and then hope and pray that this isn’t actually HP’s finished design for its Slate. The video purportedly shows the upcoming HP tablet, and it’s running Windows 7.

From what we can see, the hardware seems very capable. It has two cameras, a pair of speakers, a USB port and a capacitive touch-screen. From the front, it has the same wide, grab-able bezel and bright screen of the iPad. The problems start when the video’s maker x313xkillax boots the machine.

Windows 7 may be a great OS, but it is a desktop OS. See how x313xkillax tries to scroll the page but instead opens a new tab (or something – even he’s not sure)? That’s because his finger isn’t a tiny, sharp mouse-pointer (look closely and you’ll see the actual pointer appear on screen after boot). Also notice that there is a hardware key to switch the keyboard on and off. Without this, you’re screwed: the Windows 7 tablet I reviewed back in March had the same problem, only without the switch to rescue you. Switch into full-screen view in the web-browser, for example, and you had to plug in an external keyboard to escape.

Best of all, though, is the hardware Ctrl-Alt-Delete switch. The three-fingered salute is an essential part of corporate life (you need to press the combo to log-in to servers) but it is also the emergency life-raft when things go awry. Putting this on an iPad competitor is a big signal that HP has spent the months since the iPad launch sleeping.

It’s a shame, as the hardware looks great. I have a feeling that this is the actual, real, ready to go Slate, though, which will be a disaster. HP should just wait until it has a proper WebOS slate ready to go, instead of playing catchup with this half-assed solution.

HP Slate review [x313xkillax / YouTube via ]

Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.

Source:wired.com

Posted under Gadget Reviews

Until now, the iPad has faced almost no competition. Soon, though, the Android and WebOS tablets will start to ship in bulk, and things may change. Amongst the first will be Velocity Micro’s Cruz lineup, which brings a wide-screen (16:9) tablet running Google’s Android OS for just $300.

The touch-screen tablet is flanked by an e-reader and a “kid-friendly” (read: drop-resistant) model, which come in at $200 and $150 respectively.

The Cruz tablet really is a cut-down iPad. It has 802.11n Wi-Fi, 800×480 pixels on the little 7-inch screen, 4GB storage (expandable via SD-card, with an 8GB card in the box), an accelerometer, a seven-hour battery-life and (oh Lord, can it be true?) a USB port.

The Cruz is essentially a slab of screen, which is just what a tablet should be. As such, it will succeed or fail on software, which is Apple’s big advantage, and also on battery life (will you really get seven hours?) The seven-inch screen seems like a great idea for some, the iPad is too big but the 16:9 ratio is a little odd for a device that can be used in portrait orientation.

Velocity Micro confuses the customer with the other options. For $100 less ($200), you can opt for the 4:3 “e-reader” which is essentially the same tablet with less memory (none built-in, 2GB card in the box), slower Wi-Fi (802.11g) and a 800×600 display (yes, more pixels, but not capacitive, demoed above).

The tablets all ship September 1st, just six weeks away. Lets see how they shape up to the iPad.

Cruz Tablets [Cruz Reader via Richmond Times Dispatch]

Press release [Engadget]

Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.

Source:wired.com

Posted under Gadget Reviews

Palm CEO John Rubinstein will continue to head up his webOS team under new boss HP, and will be working on smartphones, “future slate PCs and netbooks,” according to a statement from HP

The computer giant completed its acquisition of Palm yesterday, and announced that Palm will continue to develop both hardware and software, headed up by former Apple employee Rubinstein.

This will include new phones (the Pre and Pixi lines are now also owned by HP), but most exciting is the confirmation that there will be webOS tablets. After all, apart from iOS, name another operating system that is as suited to a tablet as the webOS (sure, Android is close, but still a little too clunky).

Better still, HP has the deep pockets to go up against Apple, and if Rubinstein and team are left to work on great machines their combined experience (many of them are also Apple alumni) should finally provide an iPad competitor. And even if you are a total, unashamed iPad fanboy, this should still excite you. Competition is good for us buyers. Take a look at the iPhone 4: Do you think it would be this good if Android and Palm weren’t chasing so close behind?

HP Completes Palm Acquisition [Yahoo]

Photo: Lisa Brewster/Flickr

Source:wired.com

Posted under Gadget Reviews