Tag Archives: Tablets

The second-generation Apple Pencil is on sale for $79 during the Amazon Spring Sale

Posted on by

Apple’s second-generation Apple Pencil is down to one of the best prices we’ve seen yet in an Amazon Big Spring Sale deal. You can grab one for just $79, which is a 39 percent discount and $50 off its normal $129 price tag. This is the pencil that's used with most of the latest iPads (except for the 9th-gen tablet) and we consider it to be one of the best iPad accessories you can get.

The second-generation Apple Pencil is great for artists and note-takers who make heavy use of their iPads. It works with the iPad mini (sixth generation), iPad Air (fourth generation and later), the 12.9-inch iPad Pro from the third generation on, and all 11-inch iPad pro models. When it comes to choosing a stylus for your iPad, you really can’t do any better than the Apple Pencil, as it’s designed specifically to be used with Apple’s tablets. It boasts pressure sensitivity for a more realistic drawing experience and has a hover feature that will preview your pen marks to improve precision.

The second-generation Apple Pencil also has a customizable double-tap feature so you can have easier access to the tools you use the most. It charges wirelessly as well, when it’s magnetically attached to a compatible iPad. Apple’s second-generation Pencil was also designed with a more practical flat edge on either side, so it’s less likely to roll off the table when you set it down.

This model of the Apple Pencil came out a few years ago, but it’s still the best of the current lineup. There have been rumors for months that Apple is planning to release new Apple Pencils, possibly as soon as this spring, but that has yet to be confirmed by the company itself. In the meantime, the second generation Apple Pencil is as cheap as the less feature-rich USB-C Apple Pencil.

Your Spring Sales Shopping Guide: Spring sales are in the air, headlined by Amazon’s Big Spring sale event. Our expert editors are curating all the best spring sales right here. Follow Engadget to shop the best tech deals from Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, hear from Autoblog’s car experts on the best spring auto deals on Amazon, and find spring sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-second-generation-apple-pencil-is-on-sale-for-79-during-the-amazon-spring-sale-162232269.html?src=rss

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S9 is cheaper than ever right now

Posted on by

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S9 is on sale for $680 via Amazon, which is a discount of $120. This is a record low price for the well-regarded tablet. The S9 is the most recent iteration and there likely won't be a refresh on the horizon until at least September.

Now onto some specs. The standard S9 boasts an 11-inch AMOLED screen, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and 12GB of RAM. It also comes with the company’s S Pen stylus, which is something I wish Apple did for its tablets. The $680 price tag gets you a device with 128GB of internal storage, but 256GB and 512GB models are also on sale. 

The Galaxy Tab S9 easily made our list of the best tablets, and for good reason. We loved the gorgeous AMOLED screen, the powerful speakers and the tablet’s surprisingly useful Dex multitasking mode. For the uninitiated, this mode basically turns the tablet into a PC, complete with standard windows, folders and a taskbar, with the ability to drag and drop files.

The 11-inch screen is a joy to behold and probably the best fit for most people. The S9+, which is also on sale, boasts a particularly large 12.4-inch AMOLED display. Those with small hands should probably demo that unit before making the splurge. 

This is part of a larger Amazon sale on a bunch of Samsung tablets. There’s the aforementioned S9 tablets with more hard drive space, but also discounts on the entire A9+ line and the S9 FE+. There are no deals, however, for the top-of-the-line S9 Ultra.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-galaxy-tab-s9-is-cheaper-than-ever-right-now-155536182.html?src=rss

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S9 is cheaper than ever right now

Posted on by

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S9 is on sale for $680 via Amazon, which is a discount of $120. This is a record low price for the well-regarded tablet. The S9 is the most recent iteration and there likely won't be a refresh on the horizon until at least September.

Now onto some specs. The standard S9 boasts an 11-inch AMOLED screen, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and 12GB of RAM. It also comes with the company’s S Pen stylus, which is something I wish Apple did for its tablets. The $680 price tag gets you a device with 128GB of internal storage, but 256GB and 512GB models are also on sale. 

The Galaxy Tab S9 easily made our list of the best tablets, and for good reason. We loved the gorgeous AMOLED screen, the powerful speakers and the tablet’s surprisingly useful Dex multitasking mode. For the uninitiated, this mode basically turns the tablet into a PC, complete with standard windows, folders and a taskbar, with the ability to drag and drop files.

The 11-inch screen is a joy to behold and probably the best fit for most people. The S9+, which is also on sale, boasts a particularly large 12.4-inch AMOLED display. Those with small hands should probably demo that unit before making the splurge. 

This is part of a larger Amazon sale on a bunch of Samsung tablets. There’s the aforementioned S9 tablets with more hard drive space, but also discounts on the entire A9+ line and the S9 FE+. There are no deals, however, for the top-of-the-line S9 Ultra.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-galaxy-tab-s9-is-cheaper-than-ever-right-now-155536182.html?src=rss

Compal gaming 2-in-1 laptop concept has controls hidden on its back

Posted on by

Handheld gaming PCs are becoming a bit more popular these days, especially with major brands getting in on the game, pun intended. But while these small computers seem impressive for packing that much power inside, their designs make them less useful for anything else unless you connect an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Not only do gaming laptops offer more power, they can also be used for other purposes. Conversely, you need to connect a game controller and put the laptop down on a table, which loses the appeal of being able to play anytime, anywhere. Compal has an idea that attempts to bridge the best of both worlds, though its 2-in-1 gaming laptop design does raise just as many questions as it answers.

Designer: Compal

2-in-1 laptops and tablets that have touchscreens do offer a compromise when it comes to gaming with a controller. Just like with smartphones, it’s theoretically possible to put virtual joysticks and buttons, but those are actually awkward and more cumbersome to use on such a large screen. And just like on smartphones, it also means covering up part of the screen with their thumbs, and most PC games don’t take that into account.

The Compal Rover Play concept solves that by putting the controls on the back of the tablet half of the 2-in-1 laptop, almost like those paddles on the back of modern controllers. These aren’t simple buttons, though, as they would make the laptop look rather odd and unusable when not used to play games. Instead, there are panels on the back of the laptop that slide and fold slightly outward, creating an angled structure that’s like grips on a controller.

These FlexiRear Controllers have ultrasonic sensors that don’t use physical buttons to register presses and gestures. The idea is that instead of using the touchscreen on the front, you use those sensors on the back to control the game. The concept doesn’t exactly explain how those gestures would map to standard controller input, but it’s not difficult to imagine some specialized software making that conversion.

The biggest hurdle for this rather intriguing design is how such controls would feel alien to gamers. Not only would it require a considerable amount of learning effort, switching between this non-standard input method and a conventional controller could also prove to be confusing. Still, Rover Play is an interesting design that aims to bring the best of both worlds, but it’s still a little bit raw for any PC maker to implement in an actual product.

The post Compal gaming 2-in-1 laptop concept has controls hidden on its back first appeared on Yanko Design.

Amazon’s Fire Max 11 tablet drops to a record low of $140

Posted on by

Woot is selling Amazon's largest tablet, the Fire Max 11 for $140. That's $89 below the list price and $37 cheaper than it's selling for on Amazon right now. The price applies to the 64GB model with ads on the lockscreen and just the tablet alone — the magnetic case, stylus and keyboard case are all sold separately. The tablet hit $150 for the shopping holidays last year, so the Woot deal represents a $10 discount off the all-time low price. The sale should run through Sunday or until the tablet sells out. 

We had a chance to briefly check out a sample when the latest generation came out in May of last year and were impressed by how much you get for the money. There's an 11-inch LCD screen (Amazon's largest tablet screen) with a 2,000 x 1,000 resolution. Most of Amazon's Fire Tablets are built for casual use like browsing, streaming and for kids to play games on, but the Max 11 could be seen as the grown-up of the lineup. It's designed to handle a bit of work and multitasking with its octa-core MediaTek processor that Amazon says is 50 percent faster than the next fastest model. Just keep in mind that Fire Tablets rely on the Amazon Appstore, which does have Microsoft 365 apps, but you can't natively get Google's productivity apps without sideloading.  

Still, you get an aluminum build, support for Wi-Fi 6, 8-megapixel front and rear cameras, a fingerprint sensor and picture-in-picture capabilities. That last feature could be particularly useful for keeping tabs on your Alexa-enabled smart home cameras while you watch a show or flip through YouTube. In fact, when set up with a stand, it can go into "show mode" and act like one of Amazon's smart displays, providing you with Alexa's controls and interactivity. 

Even though it's perfectly suitable for adults who want to get some work done, Fire Max 11's claimed 14-hour battery life, comprehensive parental controls and access to an Amazon Kids+ subscription (currently $5 monthly) makes the tablet particularly well-suited for kids, too. Plus Amazon says the Max 11 is "three times as durable as the iPad 10.9 (10th generation)."  

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazons-fire-max-11-tablet-drops-to-a-record-low-of-140-171039269.html?src=rss

Amazon’s Fire Max 11 tablet drops to a record low of $140

Posted on by

Woot is selling Amazon's largest tablet, the Fire Max 11 for $140. That's $89 below the list price and $37 cheaper than it's selling for on Amazon right now. The price applies to the 64GB model with ads on the lockscreen and just the tablet alone — the magnetic case, stylus and keyboard case are all sold separately. The tablet hit $150 for the shopping holidays last year, so the Woot deal represents a $10 discount off the all-time low price. The sale should run through Sunday or until the tablet sells out. 

We had a chance to briefly check out a sample when the latest generation came out in May of last year and were impressed by how much you get for the money. There's an 11-inch LCD screen (Amazon's largest tablet screen) with a 2,000 x 1,000 resolution. Most of Amazon's Fire Tablets are built for casual use like browsing, streaming and for kids to play games on, but the Max 11 could be seen as the grown-up of the lineup. It's designed to handle a bit of work and multitasking with its octa-core MediaTek processor that Amazon says is 50 percent faster than the next fastest model. Just keep in mind that Fire Tablets rely on the Amazon Appstore, which does have Microsoft 365 apps, but you can't natively get Google's productivity apps without sideloading.  

Still, you get an aluminum build, support for Wi-Fi 6, 8-megapixel front and rear cameras, a fingerprint sensor and picture-in-picture capabilities. That last feature could be particularly useful for keeping tabs on your Alexa-enabled smart home cameras while you watch a show or flip through YouTube. In fact, when set up with a stand, it can go into "show mode" and act like one of Amazon's smart displays, providing you with Alexa's controls and interactivity. 

Even though it's perfectly suitable for adults who want to get some work done, Fire Max 11's claimed 14-hour battery life, comprehensive parental controls and access to an Amazon Kids+ subscription (currently $5 monthly) makes the tablet particularly well-suited for kids, too. Plus Amazon says the Max 11 is "three times as durable as the iPad 10.9 (10th generation)."  

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazons-fire-max-11-tablet-drops-to-a-record-low-of-140-171039269.html?src=rss

The 256GB Google Pixel Tablet with charging dock is cheaper than ever

Posted on by

Google's Pixel Tablet can also serve as a smart display for your home, and if you've ever wanted to get one, todays' the day. The company's official Amazon store is selling the 256GB Pixel Tablet with a charging speaker dock for only $449 — that's $150 less than retail and is an all-time low for the device on the website. It's the first tablet with the Google Tensor G2 chip, which enables artificial intelligence-powered features such as high-quality video calls and smooth streaming, among other things. The 11-inch device is also the first tablet you can Chromecast to and use as an extra screen. 

As a smart display, the Pixel Tablet can serve as a digital photo frame or a control center for your smart home devices. Its charging dock can keep it charged 24/7, and you can also use it as a speaker for when you want to play music. We gave the tablet a score of 85 in our review, praising it mostly for its abilities as a smart display. It responded well to our commands — if you want to use it to control connected devices with your voice, just wake it up by saying "Hey Google." But it also comes with a Hub Mode that brings up a dashboard, showing your smart devices and giving you a quick way to monitor your security cameras or to switch lights on and off. 

We also tried using the tablet as a TV substitute, since it has the capability to act as a Chromecast receiver. While it does work that way as Google promised, take note that the tablet has to be docked for you to be able to cast movies and shows to it. As a tablet, the device runs full Android and can open any app for the platform. It's a better smart display than it is a tablet, but we still found the device enjoyable to use.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-256gb-google-pixel-tablet-with-charging-dock-is-cheaper-than-ever-091352263.html?src=rss

The 256GB Google Pixel Tablet with charging dock is cheaper than ever

Posted on by

Google's Pixel Tablet can also serve as a smart display for your home, and if you've ever wanted to get one, todays' the day. The company's official Amazon store is selling the 256GB Pixel Tablet with a charging speaker dock for only $449 — that's $150 less than retail and is an all-time low for the device on the website. It's the first tablet with the Google Tensor G2 chip, which enables artificial intelligence-powered features such as high-quality video calls and smooth streaming, among other things. The 11-inch device is also the first tablet you can Chromecast to and use as an extra screen. 

As a smart display, the Pixel Tablet can serve as a digital photo frame or a control center for your smart home devices. Its charging dock can keep it charged 24/7, and you can also use it as a speaker for when you want to play music. We gave the tablet a score of 85 in our review, praising it mostly for its abilities as a smart display. It responded well to our commands — if you want to use it to control connected devices with your voice, just wake it up by saying "Hey Google." But it also comes with a Hub Mode that brings up a dashboard, showing your smart devices and giving you a quick way to monitor your security cameras or to switch lights on and off. 

We also tried using the tablet as a TV substitute, since it has the capability to act as a Chromecast receiver. While it does work that way as Google promised, take note that the tablet has to be docked for you to be able to cast movies and shows to it. As a tablet, the device runs full Android and can open any app for the platform. It's a better smart display than it is a tablet, but we still found the device enjoyable to use.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-256gb-google-pixel-tablet-with-charging-dock-is-cheaper-than-ever-091352263.html?src=rss

nubia Pad 3D II at MWC 2024: Glasses-free 3D tablet gets 5G and AI upgrades

Posted on by

With mixed reality and spatial computing becoming trendy again, 3D content is also seeing a rise in interest, both in terms of creation and especially in consumption. Of course, most of the digital content that we see is in flat 2D, and you need to wear specialized glasses to actually experience those objects in a way that tricks your brain into believing it’s actually 3D. Or at least that’s how things have been traditionally. Outside of cinemas, wearing such glasses is not only uncomfortable and awkward, they’re practically unusable as well. That’s where technologies like the new nubia Pad 3D II come in, offering that same enjoyable experience of immersing yourself in 3D content without having to put anything on your face and without blocking the rest of the world.

Designer: Nubia

Instead of relying on a projector and glasses, the nubia Pad 3D II employs a Diffractive Lighthfield Backlighting (DLB) layer underneath the LCD screen to have the same effect of sending a different set of images to each eye. It uses sensors and eye-detection algorithms to adjust those images depending on where we’re actually looking, giving the same effect without having to wear glasses. That was the concept that nubia proved last year, and the nubia Pad 3D II refines that design with much-needed upgrades.

At the top of that list is 5G connectivity, which is pretty much a minimum requirement for any mobile device today. Given the tablet’s potential for content consumption as well as creation on the go, a fast and stable Internet connection is more than just a convenience; it’s a necessity. Other hardware upgrades include an improvement to the special display with 80% better 3D resolution and 100% boost in 3D brightness. It is powered by some of the current mobile technologies available, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, a whopping 10,000 mAh 66W battery, and a 12.1-inch 2.5K screen.

Unsurprisingly, nubia is also pushing the AI upgrades it made to the second-gen eyewear-free 3D tablet. In addition to utilizing AI to properly detect eye position and adjust the 3D display accordingly, it also uses neural networks for its Neovision 3D Anytime, which can convert any 2D content into 3D in real time. That includes not just photos but also videos, streaming media, and even games. AI 3D Collaboration allows owners of ZTE phones or Miracast devices to wirelessly stream content to the tablet for even more sources for videos, images, and more.

The nubia Pad 3D II is more than just a tablet for watching 3D videos, though. Thanks to an AI-enhanced dual-camera system, it can also take photos or record videos in stereoscopic 3D, letting you easily create 3D content that you can then share with others. The tablet also has a role to play even if you’re creating those 3D images on a different device. Simply drag and drop that 3D model from laptop to tablet for a better way to view your creation. With the new and improved nubia Pad 3D II, 3D no longer has to be something you can experience inside a cinema or with glasses on, opening a whole new world of 3D content that you can enjoy anytime, anywhere.

The post nubia Pad 3D II at MWC 2024: Glasses-free 3D tablet gets 5G and AI upgrades first appeared on Yanko Design.