They are calling it the “tablet for the cooking enthusiast”. The Archos ChefPad is an Android 4.1 running tablet that is meant to be used in the kitchen, although no one is going to stop from using it in the garden or elsewhere.

The slate is coming with Chef Apps Zone which will filter through the Play Store to bring you cooking apps. The device features a 1.6GHz dual-core CPU and 1GB of RAM, which should be enough for your selection of apps to work fine, and a 9.7 inch 1024×768 screen.

With the 8GB of storage, you can add a lot of cooking related stuff including cooking lessons which will guide you through your cooking experiments via a pair of speakers. You can even save your own speeches about that special soup all thanks to the built-in mic and take snaps of your spicy salmon with the device’s 2MP cam, and maybe send your works to Gordon Ramsay.

And coming with the tablet is a waterproof silicone case and an adjustable stand which will be very useful while you are video chatting while cooking. The device will be available next month with a price tag of $210. Are you interested?

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HP hasn’t had tons of luck in the mobile devices market. The HP TouchPad was an interesting product, but ultimately fell short. Same thing happened with their smartphone endeavors. Luckily, HP isn’t one to give up. They’ve recently pushed hard into the Windows 8 tablet territory, and even released a budget Android tablet, the Slate 7.

So what’s next for HP in the tablet space? The company has now announced the HP Slatebook X2, a 10.1-inch Android slate that works a lot like the Asus Transformer series – combining an Android tablet with a convertible laptop base.

The Slatebook X2 looks very similar to HP’s convertible Windows tablets, with the big difference here being that this impressive looking tablet runs on the power of a Tegra 4 processor, has a 1920 x 1200 resolution display, and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. Other specs include a 2MP rear cam, an HD capable front cam, internal storage up to 64GB, microSD, HDMI, USB 2.0, DTS+ sound and a full-sized keyboard dock.

So how much will this little “netbook meets tablet” beauty cost you? The HP Slatebook X2 is expected to arrive in August with a price point of $480. It is currently unclear whether that price includes the keyboard dock, but if it does – that’s a hell of dell for a device that effectively is both a true tablet and a great netbook replacement.

What do you think of the Slatebook X2, did HP finally get it right in the mobile department?

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Barnes and Noble recently introduced price cutting on its tablet line, alongside the introduction of support for Google Play. Many feel the reason that this move was made was to be more competitive against other tablets including the Kindle Fire line, others say it is a way to push remaining stock before bowing out of the tablet game.

Now it looks like an internal document has surfaced suggesting that Nook is ending its involvement in creating Android-based tablets by 2014, instead looking to have partners create devices designed around Nook’s software and store. Additionally, the reports claim Microsoft is looking to take its investment in the Nook one step further, buying it out.

It’s really hard to say whether this is true or not, and if it is, what Microsoft plans to do with the Nook line. They could strongly integrate Nook services into their Windows 8 tablets, and they could also spin-off their own Nook-centric tablets.
If this happened, the tablets would probably run on some form of Windows 8 or Windows Embedded as opposed to Android, of course.

What do you think, if the rumor is true, should Microsoft buy Nook? Or should Nook continue to ride out its new strategy of aggressive pricing and Google Play support and see where that takes the company first? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

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When modern tablets first started surfacing, they were generally of the 10-inch variety and a demanded a pretty substantial price to take em’ home. Things change quickly, don’t they? Nowadays, 7-inch tablets like the Google Nexus 7 can be yours for as little as $200.

But what if you want more screen real-estate, without paying more of your hard earned cash? That’s where the Cube U35GT could come in.

We’ll be upfront here and say that the Cube is a Chinese branded tablet, and that means you probably won’t get the same build quality as you might expect from more commonplace brands. It is also aesthetically a clone of Apple’s iPad Mini.

What the tablet lacks in originality of design, it somewhat makes up for with its 7.9-inch display with a resolution of 1024×768. Areas where the U35GT ones-up devices like the Nexus are the addition of microSD, a 2MP rear cam, and VGA front cam. The tablet is powered by an ARM Cortex-A9 quad-core processor. Other specs include 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, WiFi, mini-HDMI, stereo speakers and a battery that gets about six hours of usage. The tablet also features Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

Unfortunately, the U35GT also has some very big weaknesses like a lack of Bluetooth and GPS support. Still, at $187.82, it could be a perfect device for those that need a bigger display budget tablet that still packs a fair amount of punch for gaming, entertainment and other apps.

For those that want and need GPS, Bluetooth, the latest OS updates, and a more reliable brand – you are probably better off with the Nexus or perhaps Apple’s iPad Mini. What do you think of the Cube U35GT, would you consider it or not?

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It has been talked about for a while that HTC is working on Windows tablets to be released sometime this year. According to a new rumor, the Taiwanese manufacturer is planning to release two tablets running Windows RT Blue in October.

First up is the smaller of the two, the HTC R7, which could be the first of a wave of small screen Windows tablets expected to be available in the coming months. The R7 apparently boasts a 7-inch full HD screen, a 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB RAM, a 13 MP cam, 16GB of storage (and microSD slot), and it will be available as a Wi-Fi only version and as a model with LTE/HSPA+ support.

The R7’s bigger screened brother, the HTC R12, will reportedly feature a 12-inch display with a resolution of 2048×1536 (similar to the iPad’s Retina Display). It will come equipped with the same internal specs as the R7, though the R12 will add NFC and HDMI.

The rumor suggests that the devices will be launched on October 13^th. There’s currently no info regarding possible price tags, though we believe that they won’t come cheap looking at the specs. If the R7 is coming with the reported features, it is less likely to hit the market as a budget tablet to go against tablets like the Nexus 7. For that segment, “Clover Trail” tablets are expected to arrive sometime in the future.

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We have been seeing a lot of good deals from Barnes and Noble recently, and now an even better one. They are currently offering both the Nook HD and the HD+ at discount rates through Mother’s Day on May 12.

You can now get the 8GB Nook HD for $149 and the 16GB version costs $179 (a $50 discount). The 9-inch 16GB HD+ will be yours for $179 (down from $269) and the 32GB model for $209 (drop from $299). The devices are available online at Barnes & Noble bookstores and on Nook.com, and at retailers including Best Buy.

The Nook tablets have suddenly become more appealing with this price drop, and also the slates now support Google Play (so access to more than 700,000 apps and games. That’s a big advantage over the Amazon Kindle Fire devices. At Amazon, the entry-level Kindle Fire has a price tag of $159, the 16GB Fire HD costs $199 and the 32GB 8.9-inch Fire HD tablet is available for $299.

As for other rivals, the Google Nexus 7 starts at $199 and Nexus 10 retails from $399. The Mac maker’s iPad mini starts at $329. Bottom-line, for the hardware, the Nook HD and HD+ are nothing less than a steal at their reduced pricing. What do you think, are you interested?

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Apple is still top dog when it comes to tablet market share, a pretty impressive feat for a company with only 2 tablet models to choose from, however they aren’t sitting quite as pretty as before as their share has slipped while rivals begin to catch up.

When the ‘tablet wars’ kicked off, the Apple iPad seemed all but unbeatable, but times have changed and the iPad mini came a little late to the party giving the likes of Samsung, Amazon, Asus and others the chance catch up with their pint-sized offerings. The shift in market share is quite dramatic with Apple slipping from a 65% share at the start of 2012 to just under 40% this year. In second place Samsung enjoys a 18% market share, with Asus and Amazon making up the rest and Microsoft coming 5th with 1.8%.

From what we have been seeing Apple’s share will continue to slip unless they really do something special with the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2, but even then it won’t be easy, as a new Nexus tablet is expected soon, along with more Samsung tablets on the way.

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It’s the Sony Xperia Tablet Z, the 10.1-inch Android Jelly Bean tablet which was announced in January, and it’s now available for pre-order.

The device features a ‘Full HD Reality Display’ (1920x1200p WUXGA), a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2GB of RAM, an 8MP shooter on the back and a 2MP cam up front.

Should you get the Xperia Tablet Z? It is certainly a stylish looking device. On the other hand, its 6000mAh battery and $499.99 price tag for the 16GB (black) model are not very appealing when you compare it to the Nexus 10. The Nexus 10 is better in comparison with a bigger battery, its 2560×1600 display and a more pleasant price. But the Xperia Tablet Z is the one for you if an SD card slot is very important to you. And the Z is also super thin, super light, and water/dust-resistant.

If you order the $599.99 32GB white version of the Tablet Z, you will be eligible for a free cradle. We are not sure why the offer is not available with the 32GB black one.

So, are you interested? Still can’t make up your mind? You can check out a comparison chart here, all thanks to Sony. And do check out Dreyfus, their adorable three-legged spokesdog, in the video below.

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The main problem faced by all HP Touchpad users is the scarcity of apps, but of course dual booting into Android is a good way to access apps that are unavailable. If all goes as it should, a better solution could arrive in just a few months, provided you are willing to help Phoenix International Communications in their attempt to resurrect OpenMobile’s ACL for webOS.

In case you are new to ACL, it’s Application Compatibility Layer, and it allows running of Android apps on non-Android devices. The webOS ACL will allow users to run Android apps alongside native webOS applications, and its alpha version appear to be working fine on a Touchpad as you will see in the video below.

Since OpenMobile worked on the project earlier, Phoenix is promising that the final build will be available for purchase and download by July. It’s a Kickstarter project and they have, at the time of writing this, managed $5,991 of the $35,000 goal with 24 days to go.

They are offering various gifts including a copy of the ACL software, their LED flashlight keychain, and even the developer’s Touchpad depending on how much you pledge.

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Samsung are once again pushing the boundaries of what can be done with a mobile device. Their latest concept is a brainwave controlled tablet. The idea might sound like the stuff of science fiction, but the Korean electronics giant actually have a working prototype based on the current Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Tab.

The current system uses a wearable cap which is studded with EEG sensors. Researchers working with Samsung on the system have found that it is possible for users to open an App and select a contact simply by concentrating and using the blink of an eye. The system is far from market ready though, but with considerable research we could see thought controlled mobile devices entering markets in the near future. 

Imagine the potential for this kind of control system for those with disabilities. If such a control method could be perfected, it could truly be a life-changer for some folks.

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