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?

[Source]

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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.

[Source]

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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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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.

[ Source ]

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At CES in January, GM announced that it is releasing an SDK so that developers can create apps specifically for its vehicles. In fact, there is going to be a 4G-supported app store built into that in-dash screen, allowing you to browse and buy apps from right behind the steering wheel. Of course, they don’t recommend you do this while driving, but you know that inevitably some people will try.

The goal isn’t so much to extend existing apps into the cars as much as it is to build apps that are specific for cars. It’s not about having Angry Birds on there. As Phil Abram, GM Chief Infotainment Officer said, “GM may approve applications that stem from vehicle ownership. For example, customers can choose to download applications that assist them in driving more safely or in a more fuel efficient manner, possibly decreasing the costs of vehicle ownership.” Of course, we can expect the usual suite of weather, music, news and navigation apps too.

The built-in 4G also ensures that you can keep downloading and using these apps even when you’re not tethering off your phone or in the presence of a Wi-Fi hotspot. They have a deal with AT&T for this purpose.

[Source]

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Apple has now created a new iPad page highlighting the features of both the iPad and iPad mini on their website. The new page is much like the iPhone page they launched earlier this month and points out everything that is ‘great’ about the iOS tablets.

Obviously it’s just Apple marketing going in to high gear in order to better fight off growth from competing tablets, particularly Android devices. The page is actually quite informative and gives you all the best bits of the iPad on one continuous page. Other areas on the Apple site have you navigation from page to page to get the full story.

Apple is obviously feeling the pressure from Android devices, and hopes that this new targeted campaign will be enough to keep people in their camp. What do you think of their recent iPhone/iPad campaign, does it smell of desperation or do you agree that the iPhone and iPad are the best consumer smartphone and tablet options on the market right now?

[ Source ]

The post Apple Posts “Why you’ll Love iPad” Page appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

When we think of ZTE, some of you will envision the low-cost Android phones of yesteryear, while the rest of us think about the newer flagship show stoppers such as the ZTE Grand S and Grand Memo. At Mobile World Congress, show goers are seeing another side to ZTE: a Window’s 8 tablet side.

The ZTE V98 is the company’s first Windows 8 slate and it looks like they have done a great job. The design is attractive with a nice chrome strip around the edge, and hardware isn’t bad either with 1.8Ghz Intel Atom CPU and 2GB RAM driving the 10.1-inch display. They’ve even made room for 32GB of memory, and SD card reader and even LTE and GSM network support.

Windows Phone Central have managed to get some hands on time with the ZTE V98 tablet which you can see directly below:

What do you think of ZTE’s first attempt at a Windows tablet? Would you ever consider a tablet built by ZTE?

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Back at CES, Samsung announced an all new version of the Exynos processor called the Exynos 5 Octa. Simply put, the 5 Octa is a 8-core CPU which will be used in mobile devices from phones and tablets to possibly even Chromebooks, but it’s not all as open shut as that.

The Exynos 5 Octa is actually made up of 4 Cortex-A15 cores and 4 Cortex-A7 cores, with the cores switching on an off as and when they are needed. For example opening a web-page requires more grunt so the A15′s will kick in, but once the page has loaded the A7′s will take over. Playing graphically intensive games will make use of the A15 side of the Exynos 5 Octa, while video will only need the power of the A7 side.

This LITTLE.big core switching means the processor can run more efficiently and can possibly reduce power drain by as much as 50%.

Samsung has put together a prototype tablet running the Exynos 5 Octa for ARM at MWC, where Engadget have been able to take some video of it in action, as seen below:

What do you think, impressed by the prototype unit or not?

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Three new Android tablets have been announced by Lenovo at the Mobile World Congress, each of which will come with a budget orientated price tag, which could sway potential customers from a possible Nexus 7 purchase.

With three tablets to choose from and sizing from 7-inch to 10.1-inch, Lenovo looks to have a tablet for everyone.

The Lenovo A1000 and A3000 tablets both come with 7-inch 1024 x 600 resolution displays. The A1000 packs a dual-core processor, allows for up to 32GB SD cards and features large front speakers and Dolby Digital Plus audio, while the A3000 boasts a 1.2Ghz quad-core Mediatek chip, up to 64GB of external storage and the option of built in 3G. For those of you who prefer a larger tablet, the Lenovo S6000 has a 10.1-inch display with a resolution of 1280x 800 which is powered by the same quad-core chip as the A3000 and also has the option for built in 3G. 

Pricing hasn’t been announced just yet but the tablets are set to be launched worldwide with the A1000 being described as priced “Very aggressively.”

[ Source ]

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Neuromuscular problems, as you might know, are difficult to diagnose as doctors do not possess an analysis tool for quantitatively measuring the performance of the patients. Doctors have to rely on qualitative or subjective info. Well, that may not be the case from now on. Introducing NeuroAssess, the technology developed by the researchers at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering.

It’s a tablet app which may help doctors to measure quantitatively the neuromuscular performance of, say, aged patients or a sportsperson with a concussion.

All that a patient has to do is use a stylus to trace a moving target around the circle that’s on the tablet’s screen. The rest is done by the app. It measures the slightest deviations from the circle and the data it collects will be analyzed based on age, sex and handedness, and the final result will be a score.

The researchers have already done tests on 150 healthy people aged 21 to 95 and so they have baseline data. So now the researchers can test the app on patients.

Lei Stirling, a Wyss senior staff engineer, says, “One day it might sit next to the thermometer and pressure cuff in the doctor’s office. Just as your blood pressure is recorded during every visit, so could your neuromuscular score be tracked over time to determine progress through recovery and rehabilitation.”

Check out the video to know more.

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