Tag Archives: slates

Ubuntu lands on Nexus 7 slates with Canonical’s one-click installer

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Ubuntu lands on Nexus 7 slates with Canonical's one-click installer

If you'd rather not let your Nexus 7 live out its life as a Jelly Bean-toting device, Canonical's freshly minted Ubuntu Nexus 7 Desktop Installer can help. Instead of allowing Ubuntu to ride shotgun with Android, the installer requires unlocking the device's bootloader, which wipes the slate clean. Once the Nexus 7 is unlocked, started in fastboot mode and connected to an Ubuntu machine, the one-click installation software takes care of the rest. Roughly 10 to 15 minutes later, your tablet will be running full-blown Ubuntu. Since development is currently focused on getting the core of the desktop OS up and running, there's no tablet-specific Unity UI to see here. However, Raring Ringtail is set to flesh out the mobile experience with an emphasis on sensors, memory footprint and battery life, among other features. Those who regret ousting Google's confection-themed operating system can simply reload their device with stock Android. For the entire walk through, hit the first source link below.

[Thanks, Keith]

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Ubuntu lands on Nexus 7 slates with Canonical's one-click installer originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Oct 2012 14:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceUbuntu Wiki, Jono Bacon  | Email this | Comments

Microsoft turns Surface tablet into a skateboard, Windows chief Steven Sinofsky takes it for a spin

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Microsoft turns Surface tablet into a skateboard, Windows chief Steven Sinofsky takes it for a spin

Gorilla Glass 2 and a chassis forged from magnesium lend Microsoft's Surface slates some durability, but the firm's decided to prove just how tough its tablets are by turning one into a skateboard. The wheeled slice of Windows 8 is said to have been rolled out during a tour of Redmond's Surface skunkworks, but Windows chief Steven Sinofksy couldn't resist hopping on the board today and tweeting a pair of photos. You can pre-order your deck now, though something tells us this mod isn't covered under Ballmer and Co.'s warranty.

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Microsoft turns Surface tablet into a skateboard, Windows chief Steven Sinofsky takes it for a spin originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 23:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Microsoft News, Neowin  |  sourceSteven Sinofsky (Twitter) (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

32GB Nexus 7 surfaces on Staples’ business portal, roughly matches 16GB model’s price

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32GB Nexus 7 surfaces on Staples' business portal, roughly matches 16GB model's price

What appears to be a 32GB Nexus 7 has already been spotted in Japan, and now a screenshot reveals that the slate has been listed on Staples' business-centric storefront. Staples Advantage pegs the tablet at $248.37, placing it on par with the current 16GB model. If a Nexus 7 with beefed-up storage and a price tag similar to the one above does materialize, Google could put one of the current models on the chopping block to maintain its two SKU offering. The retailer also lists an October 18th availability date, but we're not holding our breath for such a quick reveal.

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32GB Nexus 7 surfaces on Staples' business portal, roughly matches 16GB model's price originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 22:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Police  |  sourceJoe Sanchez (Google+)  | Email this | Comments

Bezos: Amazon breaks even on Kindle devices, not trying to make money on hardware

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Bezos: Amazon breaks even on Kindle devices, not trying to make money on hardware

Amazon makes a pretty good case for its Kindle Fire HD and Paperwhite with prices as low as $199 and $119 respectively, but it turns out there's more at work than just special offers to keep them affordable. In an interview with the BBC, the company's head honcho Jeff Bezos revealed that they can keep the price tags reasonable since they don't turn a profit on the devices. "Basically, we sell the hardware at our cost, so it is break even on the hardware," Bezos said. "We're not trying to make money on the hardware." Instead, Amazon banks on making a buck when owners of the slates and e-readers purchase books, movies, games and other content through their digital storefront. This doesn't exactly come as a surprise, but we're glad that Jeff's confirmed our suspicions.

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Bezos: Amazon breaks even on Kindle devices, not trying to make money on hardware originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 03:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Atom-powered Acer Iconia W510 on sale November 9th for $500 and up

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Acer Iconia W510

Acer recently announced pricing and availability for its Iconia W700, and now its other Windows 8 tablet, the Iconia W510, is getting that same treatment. The 10.1-inch slate will ship for $500 and up when it goes on sale November 9th.

The W510 sports an IPS display with a 1,366 x 768 resolution, and that panel is coated in Gorilla Glass 2 for some extra scratch resistance. Unlike the Ivy Bridge-packing W700, this device runs a 1.5GHz dual-core Intel Atom Z2760 processor (from the Clover Trail series) with 2GB of RAM and up to 64GB of solid-state storage. Connections include a microSD card reader, micro-HDMI and a micro-USB 2.0 port. Acer also offers a $150 keyboard dock, which connects to the tablet from the top and offers a full-size USB 2.0 port. Without the dock, the tablet is rated for up to nine hours of battery life; the dock adds another nine. We got a chance to play with an early unit of the W510 -- head over to our in-depth preview for a closer look.

Gallery: Acer Iconia W510 press photos

Continue reading Atom-powered Acer Iconia W510 on sale November 9th for $500 and up

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Atom-powered Acer Iconia W510 on sale November 9th for $500 and up originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fujitsu Arrows Tab shows up at CEATEC with Windows 8 in tow (video)

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Fujitsu Arrows Tab shows up at CEATEC with Windows 8 in tow

We got a look at Fujitsu's Arrows Tab at CEATEC last year, and the 10.1-inch tablet is making an appearance yet again -- this time running Windows 8 rather than Android Honeycomb. Exact specs were MIA, but the slate sports a front-facing camera along with a rear-facing shooter, plus a micro-USB port and a microSD card slot. Rather than the shiny plastic backing we saw last year, this device has a slightly textured, metallic finish, and it sports much sharper corners than the earlier version's more curved design.

A booth worker did confirm that the Arrows Tab is waterproof like last year's model, and while he wouldn't provide exact availability, he said the tablet will launch within the October-November time frame. Last year's Arrows Tab F-01 LTE debuted on NTT DoCoMo, and given Japan's penchant for hydrophobic gadgets, it's safe to say that the device will be targeted at this country in particular. Head past the break for a quick video hands-on.

Gallery: Fujitsu Arrows Tab with Windows 8 hands-on

Continue reading Fujitsu Arrows Tab shows up at CEATEC with Windows 8 in tow (video)

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Fujitsu Arrows Tab shows up at CEATEC with Windows 8 in tow (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 22:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Archos 101 XS available in Europe for £300 via the company’s online store

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The Archos 101 XS, a 10-inch ICS tablet packing a magnetically attached keyboard dock, is now available for purchase via the company's European websites. The slate, with 16GB of internal storage, is going for £300 (about $487). No word yet on when this guy will make it to North America. Check out our review for the full lowdown on this unique, productivity-minded tablet, and non-stateside types can click through to the Archos site to nab one for themselves.

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Archos 101 XS available in Europe for £300 via the company's online store originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Sep 2012 17:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Central  |  sourceArchos Store  | Email this | Comments

Purported ASUS holiday roadmap pegs Windows 8 tablets at $599 and above

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Purported ASUS holiday roadmap pegs Windows 8 tablets at $599 and above

Windows 8 tablets have had their specs bandied about for months, but their prices have continued to remain off the radar. Now, however, a purported ASUS holiday roadmap sent to ZDNet may give us a glimpse as to how badly bank accounts could be affected this fall. According to the slide, the ASUS Vivo Tab will carry a $799 price tag and its Windows RT counterpart will come in at $599, which matches the previously reported price difference between slates running Redmond's latest OS with Intel and AMD processors. The ASUS Taichi dual-screen notebook / tablet hybrid is said to ring up at a heftier $1,299. As for the firm's Transformer Book, it will supposedly set purchasers back $1,399. If these prices are any indication of what we can expect from other OEMs, Microsoft's Surface might be pricier than hoped.

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Purported ASUS holiday roadmap pegs Windows 8 tablets at $599 and above originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 19:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CNET  |  sourceZDNet  | Email this | Comments

Microsoft announces new entertainment and game studio focused on Windows 8 tablet development

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Microsoft announces new entertainment and game studio focused on Windows 8 tablet developmentWindows 8 slates are riding a wave of 40 Xbox titles into an October launch, and now Microsoft has laid the foundation to deliver more games with a brand new studio focused on tablet development. The currently unnamed, London-based outfit will be headed by former Rare Production Director Lee Schuneman, who has shepherded Kinect Sports titles, the Xbox 360 Avatars, Fable: The Journey and the Xbox's Sky TV app to completion. Slabs running Redmond's latest OS won't see a project from the team for a while, however, as the studio is still looking for new hires and won't open its doors until November.

Continue reading Microsoft announces new entertainment and game studio focused on Windows 8 tablet development

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Microsoft announces new entertainment and game studio focused on Windows 8 tablet development originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 Sep 2012 15:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Every new Kindle Fire model is ad-subsidized with lock screen ‘Special Offers’

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Every new Kindle Fire model is ad-subsidized with lock screen 'Special Offers'

Amazon's roster of fresh Kindle Fire slates won't just be delivering content for your entertainment, they'll also be serving up ads. That's right, each of the new tablets will greet users with "Special Offers" on their lock screens like some of the firm's other e-readers, which matches previous rumors nicely. While the low-end Kindle and Paperwhite devices come in both subsidized and ad-free flavors, its tablet brethren aren't getting the same treatment. Also, there's no word if you'll be able to avoid gracing the advertisements with your eyeballs in exchange for some additional cash once you have the hardware in hand. Alongside messages from other companies, the folks in Seattle promise to offer a $5 credit for both the Amazon MP3 and Instant Video Stores.

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Every new Kindle Fire model is ad-subsidized with lock screen 'Special Offers' originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 20:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge  |  sourceAmazon  | Email this | Comments