PSA: Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD 7, new Fire and Reader now stocked

Posted on 14/09/2012 by Steve Dent

If you had your heart set on a Kindle Fire, Fire HD 7 or Reader, you can now plunk down your plastic and receive one as fast as your shipper can wheel it over. The 1,280 x 800 Fire HD 7-inch model, which we recently put through the wringer, is available in a 16GB version for $199, and Amazon says the 32GB version will arrive October 25th. As we noted, it carries a new dual-band WiFi system for greater surfing speed, dual speakers, a front HD camera and a TI-made dual-core ARM Cortex A-9 processor. The updated Kindle Fire can be had as well for $159, with double the RAM of the last version, a new processor and a bigger battery. Finally, the new Kindle Reader is also up for grabs at an ad-supported cost of $69, while the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD should be along in November at $299 ($499 for a 4G version). So, if you're already looking ahead to a certain holiday, check the sources to see how to get one.

Filed under: Tablets

PSA: Amazon's Kindle Fire HD 7, new Fire and Reader now stocked originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source

Amazon (1), (2), (3) | Email this | Comments

Huawei’s MediaPad7 Lite clears FCC, will soon trek to Europe

Posted on 14/09/2012 by Steve Dent

Now that Huawei has shepherded its MediaPad 7 Lite through the FCCs corridors to ensure its WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 and HSPDA 3G radios all conform, the tab is set to travel. The 7-incher wields a 1024 x 600 IPS display, 1.2GHz Cortex A8 processor, 8GB of storage (32GB with optional microSD), 1GB of RAM, 4,100mAh battery and 3.2 / .3-megapixel back / front cameras. Huawei said it would ship across Asia and Eastern Europe to start with, then land in Germany by October with a price of 249 euros ($315). The slate might have a tough row to hoe against similar competition, considering its tame processor, but maybe that newly stamped cellular radio will tip the balance for road warriors.

Filed under: Tablets

Huawei's MediaPad7 Lite clears FCC, will soon trek to Europe originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 02:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source

FCC | Email this | Comments

Amazon Kindle Fire HD review (7-inch)

Posted on 12/09/2012 by Tim Stevens

More Info

It was 10 months ago that we had a doppelgänger in our midst. Amazon unleashed the Kindle Fire to the world and we spent much of the beginning of our review comparing and contrasting it to the (even then a bit long-in-the-tooth) BlackBerry PlayBook. Now, finally, we can stop making that comparison -- at least for this, Amazon's current top-shelf tablet.

It's the Kindle Fire HD and it quite handily addresses nearly every concern that we had with the original Fire. It's thinner, lighter, faster and, yes, better looking. It's a huge step forward from that which came before and yet it still follows very much in the footsteps of its predecessor, existing as a physical portal to a digital marketplace with an alluring selection of premium content. Is it enough of an improvement to topple our current king of budget tablets, the Nexus 7? You'll just have to read on to find out.

Gallery: Amazon Kindle Fire HD review

Continue reading Amazon Kindle Fire HD review (7-inch)

Filed under: Tablets

Amazon Kindle Fire HD review (7-inch) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 gets formal unveiling at IFA 2012: a ruggedized, 7-inch Android 4.0 slate (hands-on photos)

Posted on 30/08/2012 by Joseph Volpe

Lenovo just announced its IdeaTab A2107 at IFA here today. The ruggedized Android 4.0 slate, powered by a dual-core MTK Cortex A9 CPU clocked at 1GHz, adds a buffer of protection to its 7-inch expanse with a soft matte, roll cage enclosure -- perfect for the accident-prone or the outdoorsy demo it's being marketed toward. The entry-level tab's 1,024 x 600 display is no screamer, putting it on par with the very 2011 Kindle Fire, but the company has loaded it up with radios for WCDMA / GSM, 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and FM radio via built-in antenna. As far as storage goes, users will be able to choose among WiFi-only or 3G models in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB configurations, all expandable via microSD. No pricing or release information has been made available, aside from a vague September 2012 window, so if you're keen on this modest tablet, sate your appetite with the gallery below.

Gallery: Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 hands-on

Filed under: Tablets

Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 gets formal unveiling at IFA 2012: a ruggedized, 7-inch Android 4.0 slate (hands-on photos) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 07:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Nexus 7 checks off Spain, Germany and France on availability chart, sells for a premium

Posted on 27/08/2012 by Sean Buckley

Google Play quietly updated its device availability page over the weekend, making the Nexus 7 available to Germany, France and Spain. Patient Europeans can now pick up Mountain View's seven-inch wonderkind's 8GB and 16GB models for €199 and €249, respectively. Conversion rates comparatively price the slate at about $248 and $311, meaning the new markets will have to suffer a small premium for the slate. Worse still, is that not all of Google Play's services are available worldwide, with both Play Music and Magazines retaining US exclusivity. If you can bear with the inconveniences, however, one fine little tablet awaits.

Nexus 7 checks off Spain, Germany and France on availability chart, sells for a premium originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Aug 2012 23:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

Android Police, NetbookNews | | Email this | Comments

Comcast Xfinity TV Player for Android updated with beta support for Jelly Bean, Nexus 7

Posted on 20/07/2012 by Richard Lawler

Comcast subscribers who have already received their Nexus 7 tablets or are sporting Android 4.1-powered phones should cast an eye towards Google Play for an updated version of the Xfinity TV Player app. Version 1.0.2.001 adds beta support for Jelly Bean in general and the Nexus 7 tablet specifically. It also fixes a nasty bug that would leave users stranded after upgrading their operating system, and promises a UI designed for 7-inch tablets in the next update. We saw Netflix get a compatibility update for Jelly Bean the day it launched, and Sky Go only just made the jump to supporting Ice Cream Sandwich, whether or not you have access to this app, have early adopters spotted any other laggards that might stop working when a long-awaited upgrade hits devices?

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Tablet PCs

Comcast Xfinity TV Player for Android updated with beta support for Jelly Bean, Nexus 7 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Jul 2012 19:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source

Google Play | Email this | Comments

ASUS spills jelly beans on why Nexus 7 has no rear camera, cites added cost

Posted on 20/07/2012 by Jason Hidalgo

Google's Nexus 7 tablet may be receiving OnLive Universal Controller support soon. What the Jelly Bean-flavored device won't be getting, however, is a rear-facing camera. Now ASUS is offering an explanation for the omission -- and no, it isn't to prevent users from looking like a doofus when snapping photos in public. ASUS apparently faced two options for a rear-facing camera: go cheap or go for quality. The company says it decided against sticking a lower-end camera at the back of the device because it would compromise the user experience. Adding a high-quality rear camera, on the other hand, would increase costs too much, so that proposition was nixed as well. The good news is that apps such as Instagram are finding ways to make things work with just the Nexus 7's front-facing camera. In the meantime, here's a little ditty from Google that just might help put a smile on your face.

Filed under: Tablet PCs

ASUS spills jelly beans on why Nexus 7 has no rear camera, cites added cost originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Jul 2012 09:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

TechnoBuffalo | source

SlashGear | Email this | Comments

Nexus 7 review: the best $200 tablet you can buy

Posted on 28/06/2012 by Tim Stevens

In 2008, when the Eee PC was revolutionizing the computing world and driving every manufacturer to make cheaper and smaller laptops, Sony washed its hands of the whole thing. The "race to the bottom," the company said, would profoundly impact the industry, killing profit margins and flooding the market with cheap, terrible machines. Sony was wrong, its stance lasting about a year before joining the competition with its own VAIO W.

Four years on we're buying better laptops than ever before and, with the netbook class now more or less dead, that downward competition seems to have shifted to the tablet front. A flood of cheap, truly awful slates preceded Amazon's Kindle Fire, the $200 tablet from a major brand that looks to have been the proper catalyst in plunging prices. The latest challenger to enter the competition is ASUS, partnering with Google to create the first Nexus tablet, a device that not only will amaze with its MSRP, but with its quality. It's called the Nexus 7, it too is $200, and it's better than Amazon's offering in every way but one.

Gallery: Nexus 7 review

Continue reading Nexus 7 review: the best $200 tablet you can buy

Filed under: Tablet PCs

Nexus 7 review: the best $200 tablet you can buy originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Nexus 7 8GB coming to UK mid-July for £159, 16GB version arriving at retailers July 27th for £199

Posted on 28/06/2012 by Sharif Sakr

We've just had word from ASUS that the 16GB variant of the Nexus 7 will arrive on UK shelves on July 27th -- slightly later than the 8GB model, which will be sold exclusively through Google Play from mid-July. Brits are looking at £159 for the 8GB tablet and £199 for 16GB. The latter is actually shipping to big stores like PC World, Comet, Tesco and eBuyer around July 20th, so those who pre-order may end up signing for that Special Delivery even earlier.

Update: the 16GB slate will also be sold through Carphone Warehouse, either for the same price as above or free on a tethered contract (but check those sums before signing up, obviously). PR added.

Continue reading Nexus 7 8GB coming to UK mid-July for £159, 16GB version arriving at retailers July 27th for £199

Nexus 7 8GB coming to UK mid-July for £159, 16GB version arriving at retailers July 27th for £199 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 06:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

ASUS MeMO 370T 7-inch tablet clears the FCC, leaves no trace of Ice Cream or Jelly behind

Posted on 30/05/2012 by Richard Lawler

The 7-inch ASUS Eee Pad MeMO ME370T we saw in early prototype form during CES just passed through the FCC. It's still only showing WiFi radios with no trace of a cellular connection, although if it's going to be the $249 standard bearer NVIDIA and ASUS were so excited about, that's to be expected. A juicier rumor that has surfaced in the intervening period however, suggests this device will actually be released as a Google Nexus 7-inch tablet (or just sold from a Google store), and could even feature the next version of Android, codenamed Jelly Bean. It could also sell for as low as $149, although the cheaper reworked version might swap out the Tegra processor for one from Qualcomm. We didn't spot anything in the filings to back that up, but you can paw through the PDFs yourself at the link below, or just get an idea of what it looks like in non-line drawn form with our gallery of pics from CES 2012.

Gallery: Asus Eee Pad MeMO 370T