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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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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The Amazon AppStore, launched back in 2011, is turning two years old today. As part of their celebrations this week they introduced a birthday sale offering a variety of games and some apps with discounts. Now, just for today (March 22) some of the most popular Android and Kindle Fire apps which were available as part of the Free App of the Day program will be available from the AppStore in the US, Europe and Japan.

The available free apps (total worth nearly $45) include hits such as Final Freeway, Cubistry, Spectrum Puzzles, Fruit Ninja: Puss In Boots, Bejeweled 2 and more. And furthermore, they will also make available a selection of popular apps and games with discounts starting at 50% through March 23. You can select hits from EA, Gameloft, and more such as Scrabble (50% off), Need for Speed Most Wanted (50% off), Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour (86% off) and more.

Head here if you are interested in checking out the app deals. Check the list and let us know whether it has what you are looking for.

The post Amazon AppStore Giving Away Several Apps Totally Free, Today Only appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

When you think of major success in the tablet world, you certainly don’t think of HP in the same breathe. From Windows tablets to their failed WebOS HP TouchPad, HP hasn’t had a lot of luck in the very lucrative mobile market. That’s not stopping them from jumping all in and shifting their attention from the PC industry over to the tablet industry.

The first step in this direction is the modest HP Slate 7, a $169 budget tablet that is catchy enough in the looks department but under the hood? You are probably better off spending a few extra bucks and getting a Nexus 7.

Okay, one tablet does not a directional shift make. So where is the proof that HP is slowly shifting away from the PC? The proof is directly from HP’s CEO Meg Whitman, speaking at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference, “We’re shifting resources from PCs to tablets. The market moved very fast to tablets and smartphones, and we’ve got to now manage that transition.”

“And it’s not that HP didn’t try to manage that transition — they did with the acquisition of Palm. But as you know under the previous [management] that took a little detour to nowhere.” Meg also spoke about how quality with their upcoming devices is going to be an important focus area, and ends by stating, “Innovation is not dead at this company. So, what I did is I increased RD spending…we have to get these products that are close to market to market fast,” she said.

Can HP finally find success with mobile devices?

That’s a great question, and one with no easy answer. Let’s take a look at both the company’s Windows and Android efforts and where they stand.

Windows 8 Tablets

In the Windows 8 world, HP’s current offerings are solid enough, but not exactly exciting. Nor or they really particularly innovative or different from the crowd. They have the hardware, but Windows 8 PCs and tablets from Lenovo, Dell, Asus and Microsoft seem to be taking more of the attention at this point.

Of course this could change. If HP truly is cranking up the quality, innovation and overall effort, perhaps we could see more from their next generation Windows 8 offerings?

Android Tablets

Okay, what about Android? When the HP TouchPad firesold for just $99, it did excellent.

Many of these  buyers then turned around loaded up Android once it was properly ported to the hardware. This is probably why HP went after the low-end with the HP Slate 7. The problem was that targeting the low-end WAS an excellent idea back then. In fact, HP’s sales of the TouchPad at discount probably inspired many of the companies selling $250 (and lower) tablets today. Unfortunately, HP waited too long.

The low-end market is crowded and with Google unafraid of selling its Nexus devices at-cost, it is hard to compete here. The HP Slate 7 is a good start, but I just don’t see it gaining major traction. Of course it does have brand recognition and many consumers buying a tablet for the first time will recognize HP even over names like Asus.

What about the mid and high-end? On the mid and high-end, Android has to fight against the iPad and now even Windows 8 devices. This is an equally crowded space. That said, rumors indicate HP is working on an Nvidia Tegra 4 tablet that could have some serious oomph. If they market it right, it could certainly appeal to some.

Conclusion: It’s an uphill battle, that’s for sure.

None of HP’s tablet efforts on the low, high or mid-end (Windows 8, Android or otherwise) seem to have enough hype to sell like hotcakes alone, but is that the only way to find success? Part of HP’s success in the PC world is attributed to the fact that it has a wide range of different devices that reach the low, mid and high end crowd at very competitive pricing.

No one tablet by HP will probably generate the hype or sales to take on the iPad, Kindle Fire or Nexus 7. But combined? That’s probably the strategy that HP is banking on, though its unclear at this point if it will be enough. HP also needs to tread carefully.

HP is currently the best-selling PC manufacturer, and while it is fine to transfer some of their attention to developing the tablet market and away from the PC, they also need to remember their roots and the fact that the PC is their primary source of bread and butter. The world is heading towards mobile devices and HP is wise to head in that direction as well, but it won’t be easy.

What do you think of HP’s tablet efforts? Can they finally find a wider range of success in the tablet world?

The post HP Shifting Resources from PC to Tablets, Can They Finally Find Success? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

It’s not uncommon for major tech companies to take shots at one another. Take Samsung for example. It seems like every day a new Galaxy S3 commercial comes out bashing the iPhone. But this time, Amazon is unloading on the iPad.

Take a look at the Amazon commercial:

The main purpose of the commercial is to convince you that the Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ and the iPad have similar displays. However, while the iPad will cost you $499, the Fire HD will only run you $299. Sounds like a good deal right?

Well, not exactly. For one thing, the iPad is considerably bigger. Also, the iPad comes with a hoard of features that the Kindle Fire doesn’t have: larger display, more extensive operating system, larger list of apps, and so on.

Whether you are for the Kindle or against it, it is nice to see that someone is trying to take down the all-mighty Apple. It’s a shame that we all can’t just be friends. Amazon now joins Samsung in the ongoing feud to compare their products to Apple’s. It is a wonder that Apple never puts out much hate advertising.

Which tablet do you think is better? Do you think that Amazon was right to put out this video ad? Let us know in the comments below.

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Amazon is making your Valentine’s Day shopping that much easier by slashing prices on its Kindle Fire HDs.  Amazon is offering up to $50 off on your Kindle Fire HD 8.9-inch model purchase purchase.  For starters they are offering the 16GB model for only $269, $30 off the normal price of $299.  For those looking for the beefier 32GB, LTE equipped Kindle Fire HD, you can pick it up for $449, or $50 off the regular $499 asking price.  These deals run from today through February 8th, so hurry and get the shopping done for your loved one while the prices are so cheap, or just pick one up for yourself!

What do you think, interested in picking up the Kindle Fire HD 8.9-inch or does its locked down (and Google Play-less) interface hold you back?

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In the last several months there have been many rumors about the idea of Facebook possibly releasing a cell phone.  Despite the rumors, Mark Zuckerberg has adamantly denied on two separate occasions, in July and in September, that the idea of a Facebook phone is totally not true.  Now on Tuesday January 15th, Facebook has scheduled a press event.  So the question is, what is the topic of this event?

Is Facebook going to reveal a new phone to the world, or maybe unveiling a type of Facebook OS for mobile phones?  Using modified versions of existing OS’s is something that has been done in the past.  For instance Kindle Fire products have a modified Android OS running on their tablets, so the possibility of Facebook doing something similar is a real possibility.

In the past, Facebook did partner up with HTC to release a “Facebook” version of a mobile phone with dedicated Facebook buttons and better Facebook integration.  The phone however had fairly mixed reviews.  So it makes you wonder if they scrapped the idea, or maybe learned from some mistakes to perfect a second attempt.  We can speculate all day, but we will have to wait until tomorrow to finally get some real answers.

While the Facebook phone rumor continues to be circulated, based on the denials and lack of strong evidence to suggest it is coming— odds are that this press conference is probably about something else, though. Still IF Facebook made a special phone (maybe with HTC as a partner?), would you buy one?

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The post Possible Facebook Phone To Be Announced Tomorrow? [Rumor] appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

[CES 2013] Tablets are quickly becoming household staples, with many families easily having at least two such devices per household. Part of this tablet revolution has to do with price-friendly devices like the Kindle Fire and Google Nexus 7.

From the sounds of it, 2013 should continue this trend in an even bigger way as prices continue to drop and the age of a sub-$150 tablets from decent brands starts to be ushered in. One of these cheap options for 2013 will be the Iconia B1-A71.

The B1-A71 features a 1.2GHz MediaTek dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM and a 7-inch display with a 1,024 x 600 resolution. Other specs include 8GB of storage, a .3MP front camera and a tiny 11.3mm-thin package that weighs just 11.3 ounces.

Best of all, the pricing is said to be no more than $150.

Based on other rumors and speculation we’ve heard, the price could be as low as $100 in select markets in Asia and Europe, though North American customers can probably expect it to land in the $140-$150 price range.

Let’s be clear, this is no Nexus 7 killer with relatively modest specs. So what is the Acer B1-A71 all about? It’s a tablet at a cheap as hell price that is actually from a reasonably popular brand.

For those that can’t afford a high-end tablet or are looking for a 2nd or 3rd tablet for their families– this could be perfect. What do you think, excited or not?

The post Acer Announces Iconia B1-A71 Tablet, Will Cost Less Than $150 appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Finally received that brand new Kindle Fire or Fire HD for Christmas this year? If Santa brought you one of Amazon’s popular tablet devices this holiday season, you might now be wondering “What’s next?”

At around 50,000 apps, the Amazon AppStore doesn’t have nearly as many apps as what you’ll find with Apple or with Google’s Play Store. That said, 50,000 is nothing to sneeze at.

Whether you are looking for general entertainment, productivity or gaming– you’ll find there are many decent apps out there for your new tablet. While it is never a bad idea to just jump and explore for yourself, we’ll do our best to at least recommend a few reasonably popular Kindle apps.

Office Software

Documents To Go 3.0 Main App:

Probably considered the “de facto” standard for Android Office Suites. Not everyone loves Documents to Go, but it works well enough at what it claims to do. For free, it provides a reasonably decent way to view your documents, excel files and more.

With the purchase of the “full version” you also get the ability to edit. Again, this is a no frills solution. If you don’t plan on doing much ‘hardcore’ writing or office productivity, this will probably be good enough.

Considering the Fire and Fire HD are more consumption devices than anything, this will probably be the case.

OfficeSuite Professional 6:

I personally use this software for my Acer Iconia Tab. This is an excellent suite with a decent amount of features. On the downside? It is also very expensive at $14.99 through the Amazon AppStore. Besides content creation for word docs and excel files, you’ll also find easy PDF and PowerPoint viewing.

There is also a feature with OfficeSuite that allows you to convert text documents over to PDF files. Interestingly enough, OfficeSuite also offers Google Docs integration for accessing your Docs files and editing them in OfficeSuite.

If you think you will ever need to do true productivity work on your tablet, this is probably a better solution than Documents to Go for most users.

Image Editor

If you are looking for a flexible yet full-featured photo editor, PicShop is probably one of the best you’ll find for the Kindle Fire and Fire HD. The software supports HD images and allows editing of brightness, blur, color saturation, and gives you control over things like RedEye and the ability to crop, rotate and flip images.

Beyond that, you can add speech bubbles, enter into a Sketch Mode with different brushes and much more. There are also social integration options with Facebook, email and Twitter.

To get the most out of PicShop, you’ll want the full version for $2.50. If you are looking for a more basic photo editing experience, there is also a Lite variant that is completely free through the Amazon AppStore.

Expanded Storage

Let’s face it, with no microSD expansion, there might come a time when you want more file space. This is especially important if you want an easy way to transfer those files to your tablet without syncing it to your computer.
There are pretty much two major choices to consider here: DropBox or Box. Honestly, both are quite similar. I’m not going to go into a ton of detail here, but I will say that I use DropBox for my own needs.

Both services have a wide support for different devices, though only DropBox has Linux support. Both cloud services work with most mobile platforms. To my knowledge, Box is the only one that also supports Windows Phone devices if you happen to have one, though.

News

In today’s age, few of us are actively subscribing to print magazines and newspapers, instead opting to get our news the digital way. Listing a bunch of major news publications is pointless here because it will likely come down to taste.

That said, if you want good socially-driven news that is constantly updated with new information and presented with a convenient and friendly layout, you should check out FlipBoard. The magazine-style app looks great on your tablet and has easy social sharing tools that work with Facebook and Twitter.

Looking for an RSS reader for your news and information needs instead? The free EasyRSS app is probably one of your best bets. The UI is simple and works great, and the app itself is highly rated as one of the best you’ll find for Kindle Fire devices.

Messaging

While there are several different messenger programs for Kindle Fire users, I’ve found that imo Messenger is one of the best and works great with the Kindle Fire. There is a wide range of support for services here as well: Facebook Chat, Skype, ICQ/AIM, Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger, Steam, Jabber and more.

Another highly recommended messaging app would be the official Skype app, which is highly polished and great for your voice/vid calling needs for Android devices including the Kindle Fire line.

Weather

Weather apps are probably one of the most commonly downloaded apps for any type of mobile device. For the Kindle Fire line, one of the best out there is AccuWeather for Android. With radar overlays on Google Maps, severe weather notices, and hour-by-hour forecasts– you are covered with this app. There is also a platinium version on sale right now for $.99. 

Games

Games are pretty much one of the top reasons families buy tablets. Pointing out the ‘best’ games for the Kindle Fire tablet line is pretty difficult for a number of reasons, the biggest being that everyone has different tastes when it comes to games.

That said, here are a few from different genres that we highly recommend:

Where’s My Water: This physics-based game is all about trying to direct streams of water into an alligator’s shower. Sounds odd, but it is very fun, and equally addictive. Whether you have young ones around or not, this Disney game is quite worth the play.

Minecraft Pocket Edition: Minecraft has become a cult classic in the gaming world, and the Pocket Edition is no different. The Fire version of the game is just like the regular, allowing you to build a functioning world out of nothing but blocks. The game is on the expensive side for a Kindle Fire game at $6.99 but is worth it if you are into the series at all.

Diner Dash: This is a time-management game, which basically puts you in charge of a restaurant. You control the owner/server as she fetches order tickets, delivers food, clears tables and more. Essentially this game is simulating work, which might not sound fun but somehow is nonetheless.

Angry Birds Star Wars: There are many great Angry Birds games out there, and this is the latest one. Combining the best of Angry Birds with concepts from Star Wars, this game looks beautiful and is very addictive and fun to play as well.

Music

There are tons of Android music players out there. Some are simple and let you just play songs you’ve uploaded to your tablets, others are about streaming. This list is getting massive enough so we’ll recommend just two if you’ve just picked up that Kindle Fire for the first time and aren’t sure what to download.

Spotify: While this requires a subscription to make the most of it, it is probably worth it if you really love listening to music. This streaming service has a massive library of songs available for play on demand.

Pandora: Pandora is all about adding songs and genre types you like, and letting it generate a list of similar sounding tunes. This is a great app if you are looking to discover new songs you’ve never heard of before.

Video

Amazon has some very good services of its own here, especially if you are a Prime owner. That said, you will also want to pick up the standard video apps like Hulu Plus and Netflix, though both do require monthly fees.

Conclusion

There are many, many more great apps out there but you should at least have a rough idea now of a few good apps to help you get started. After checking some of these out, it never hurts to keep exploring and finding others that suite your needs.

Did we miss an app that you feel is one of the best that the Kindle has to offer? Let us know about the app in the comments!

The post A Look at Some of the Best Apps for your New Kindle Fire Tablet appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

With the tablet market exploding, specifically in the 7 inch range, it is a surprise that Samsung has not done more to gain market share.

The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 has been out for long enough with not enough return. Now, according to a benchmark posted on GLBenchmark, Samsung might be making another tablet in this category.

Furthermore, the Galaxy Note and Note 2 carry the model numbers GT-N7000 and  GT-N7100 respectively. The model of the device benchmarked above is GT-N5100. This leads us to believe that the unreleased device is in the Note series.

Since the Note 2 was just released and the Note 10.1 is already out, that only leaves a 7-inch slot in the Note series.

The benchmarks reveal that the device will be packing Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean) and supposedly a 1.6GHz Exynos 4412 (Exynos 4 Quad). Later in the benchmark, a screen size of 1280 x 800 is noted and a Mali-400 MP.

Although everything mentioned above is based on a benchmark and pure speculation, keep your eyes peeled for a 7-inch Galaxy Note at CES 2013.

Do you think that Samsung has any chance in the 7 inch market against the Nexus 7, Kindle Fire, and iPad mini? Let us know in the comments below.

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