Samsung's Galaxy Note 8.0 Tablet Spotted

Best Five Budget Tablets

If you are looking for a tablet under Rs. 15,000, you are spoilt for choice. There are a plethora of tablets available in this space that will give you a bang for your buck but may compromise on some features. However, the one place where these devices shouldn't compromise is on the display. If the display isn’t great, then there is nothing really good you can do with the tablet. So here’s listing 5 budget tablets for you with good displays.

iPad 4G Review

Features:

The fourth-generation iPad looks almost exactly like the previous model, and it's priced the same, too. There are 16, 32, and 64GB sizes in Wi-Fi-only ($499, $599, and $699) and same-size 4G LTE variants ($629, $729, and $829). If you want to be able to keep apps, movies, and music on your tablet, I advise getting at least 32GB. For this review, I tested the $699 64GB Wi-Fi-only model.

Just like the second- and third-generation iPads, this tablet has a 9.7-inch screen surrounded by a black (or white) bezel, with a curved metal back, and a single Home button. Apple's magnetic Smart Cover, which was released with the iPad 2, clips on just fine. The tablet still has a sealed-in battery, and no ports other than a standard headphone jack. There's a 1.2-megapixel camera right above the display on the middle of the top bezel, and a 5-megapixel camera in its traditional location on the back upper left corner.

On the bottom is Apple's new, compact Lightning connector, which isn't compatible with earlier accessories, but Lightning accessories are starting to appear, and I'm confident the ecosystem will develop quickly with more than 8 million Lightning-compatible phones, PMPs, and tablets already in people's hands.
The 2,048-by-1,536-pixel Retina Display is sharp, clear, and bright. At 263 pixels per inch, it beats every other tablet on the market right now except Google's Nexus 10, which offers a 300ppi, 2,560-by-1,600 10-inch screen. But both Web browsing and gaming look better on the iPad's screen because of superior software choices. In the browser, Apple picked better-looking, better-kerned fonts, and cross-platform games showed generally superior graphics and coding on the iPad.

Apps:

The new iPad, like the old iPad, runs Apple's iOS 6. See our full review for a look at the ins and outs of the iPad's operating system. We've also reviewed and profiled hundreds of iPad apps if you want to get an idea of the richness of the software for this device.

In the eight months since the third-generation iPad was released, most of the apps I have been using for testing have been upgraded to Retina versions. The OS smoothes and improves standard elements within many non-Retina-enhanced apps, too, including text and embedded maps.

Speaking of those maps, Apple's troubles with mapping don't affect this iPad as much as other iOS devices because the Wi-Fi-only model lacks GPS. Still, though, if it can find Wi-Fi the tablet can find its location, and you can download a third-party mapping app if you like; here are 10 solid Apple Maps alternatives.

The latest iPad packs an Apple A6X processor which Geekbench reports to be running at 1.4GHz (Apple won't confirm or deny). The custom-designed A6, as seen in the iPhone 5, was already one of the fastest CPUs available; the A6X enhances the A6 with even better graphics.

The results are stunning. The fourth-gen iPad outmatched all other Apple products on the Geekbench and GLBenchmark benchmarks, scoring 1,768 on Geekbench to the iPad 3's 749. Similarly, the heavy game "Need for Speed: Most Wanted" launched in 18 seconds on the new iPad as compared to 37 seconds on the iPad 3. Yes, it's more than twice as fast. With the iPad 3, I found apps that stressed the older A5 processor.
Gaming performance is significantly better on the new iPad, too. Intense games like Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Asphalt 7 run at a smooth 60 frames per second on the new iPad and render landscapes in advance of viewing; the Nexus 10 had frame-rate trouble in both games and would render buildings as I came up to them, which was distracting. Scores on the GLBenchmark graphics benchmark tell the tale. On GLBenchmark's "Egypt HD On-Screen," which renders a complex game-like scene, the iPad 3 scored 22 frames per second, the Nexus 10 hit 27, and the iPad 4 marked 42. That's a noticeable difference.

The new iPad upgrades both cameras. The 1.2-megapixel front camera records 720p video; the rear camera takes 5-megapixel stills and 1080p video. The cameras offer the same excellent performance as on the Apple iPad mini. The front camera takes sharp 1.2-megapixel shots, even in low light. In very low light, images get quite noisy, but that's preferable to blurry. Its 720p HD videos record at a noisy 24fps in very low light, and 30fps outdoors. The main camera captures sharp, clear, and well-balanced 5-megapixel images and 1080p video at 30 fps indoors and out.



Final Review:

Most 10-inch Android tablets, including the laudable, but flawed, Google Nexus 10, still lack the level of polish and the range of third-party apps designed for Apple tablets. Yes, the Google Play store offers a small selection of featured tablet apps, but for the vast majority of Android apps, it's hard to tell before downloading (and paying for) them whether you'll get a true tablet app or a blown-up phone app. Once again, those scaled phone apps look okay on a medium-resolution, seven-inch tablet and generally awful at a super-high-res 10 inches, so this is more of a concern with larger tablets.

Google Nexus 7 Review

The name "Nexus 7 with mobile data" is a clunky mouthful, but it's perfectly appropriate — this tablet is the Nexus 7 with a little bit of connectivity grafted onto it. This tablet is exactly, utterly the same as the tablet we reviewed in June, save for a tiny cut-out rectangle about a third of the way up the left side. Poke a SIM tool or paper clip into the small hole in the cut-out, and out pops a SIM card tray. Pop in an AT&T or T-Mobile SIM card, and you're off and running. The whole thing is so well camoflauged that you might never notice it's there, even feeling along the side with your fingers.

it's a really solid device. (I bought one myself, and love it.) Its soft-touch back is comfortable to hold, and everything from text to movies look good on the 7-inch, 16:10, 1280 x 800 display. The design is great for reading in portrait, and for turning on its side for watching movies — personally, I prefer the form factor to the iPad mini. It's a little thick and heavy, especially compared to the iPad mini, but it's still really usable in one hand. Its Tegra 3 processor is fast, and Android 4.1 (since upgraded to 4.2) is a reliable and mature operating system.
The Nexus 7's problems make the jump to the new model as well. There are limited storage options (only up to 32GB), the Play Store doesn't have the depth or breadth of content some of the App Store, and most of all there are still far too few good apps for Android tablets.

The HSPA+ connection makes the Nexus 7 Mobile feel more like a portable device than any other tablet I've used — including the Nexus 7. Same goes for the iPad with LTE, or Verizon's Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7. With no connection, your tablet is only as good as the last time you synced it, but these always-on models are great for streaming music, quick Google Maps lookups.

Final Review:

All of this is to say that if you're thinking about buying a tablet, you're still probably best off with an iPad. But if you're sold on a Nexus 7, I can't think of a good reason not to buy it with mobile data. I recommend buying the cellular version of any tablet, actually, but it's an even easier sell on this device. The deciding factor with other tablets is price: you pay a $130 premium on the iPad for LTE connectivity, and the Galaxy Tab 7.7 is only available for $399.99 from Verizon. At $299, the Nexus 7 costs only $50 more for the HSPA+ model — it's $100 more than the entry-level model, but you also get 32GB of storage instead of 16.

HP Is Jumping Back In The Tablet Game

HP is jumping back in the tablet game after a short-lived run with the webOS-based Touchpad as well as the Windows-based Slate. The HP ElitePad 900 is the company’s first Windows 8 tablet aimed at business users, offering the serviceability, security, and manageability that HP’s desktop “Elite” desktop PCs have, along a military-grade aluminum shell that protects it from drops, dust, temperature extremes and high altitude.

The tablet has a 10.1-inch, 1280 by 800 resolution display covered in Gorilla Glass, is 9.2 mm thick, and weighs 1.5 pounds. Inside is Intel's Atom Z2760 dual-core processor (Clover Trail) clocked at 1.8GHz, a solid 2GB of RAM and either 32GB or 64GB of flash storage. Connectivity features include 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC with a Secure Element, and an optional HP hs2350 HSPA+ mobile broadband chip.

HP has also thrown in the usual front (1080p) and rear (8MP) facing cameras as well as a battery that should last around ten hours on a single charge. Perhaps the biggest differentiator against the current crop of tablets, HP claims the ElitePad 900 can be easily disassembled to replace components like batteries, screens or motherboards, making it easy to service rather than having to replace the entire unit if something fails.

The device also supports a slew of optional accessories that will turn it into a “total enterprise solution.“ Among them is a Rugged Case for extra protection, a pen digitizer, a docking station with four USB, wired ethernet, VGA, HDMI, power, audio-out, and a Kensington lock hole, and lastly several Smart Jackets that fit nicely around the ElitePad 900 to protect it and add extra functionality, such as built in keyboards.
HP is promising general availability sometime in January of next year, but didn’t give any pricing details for the new tablet or its accessories. Atom-based tablets are expected to cost somewhere around $600 or more.

Asus Launches Transformer Pad TF300TL

LTE-equipped tablets have been around for a while. The feature of 4G connectivity is kind of becoming inevitable for the current crop of tablets, given the consumer’s needs to engage with high-speed connectivity and the consequent high demand for it.

Asus hasn’t been much behind and has now launched its own quad-core LTE equipped tablet, Transformer Pad TF300TL. Given the fact that the specifications of TF300TL are more or less the same as the Asus Transformer Pad TF300, we can safely say that the new slate is essentially a 4G-LTE version of the latter. We recommended TF300 for those looking to do some serious computing and would suggest the same about TF300TL.

The tablet packs Nvidia’s quad-core Tegra 3 processor and a 12-core GeForce GPU rendering it a fairly handful power-punch. The display, which is a 10.1″ WXGA, can seamlessly play full 1080p full HD video while Asus promises a great gaming experience on the tablet.

TF300TL features an 8mp rear camera as well as a 1.2mp front camera. The rear camera is equipped with a 5-element lens which enables it to capture 1080p HD video. Asus is currently offering the tablet in two variations, 16GB and 32GB. The battery life clocks at 9 hours, which is not bad for an LTE-capable tablet.With the ‘suggested’ retail pricing of the tablet starting at $499 (for the 16GB model), Asus has launched it with AT&T data plans. The pricing and availability of the tablet may vary across different regions. You can also fit it up with a separate mobile dock which comes at $149 and adds three additional hours of battery to the tablet.

BSNL To Launch Android Tablet

IRA ICON

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and WishTel have teamed up to launch a new Android-based tablet called ‘IRA ICON’. Scheduled to be officially released on October 1, the IRA ICON is priced at Rs. 10,500.

The IRA ICON runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system and is powered by 1.2 GHz processor. The device, also dubbed as the Triple Play tablet, has a 1GB of RAM. It has a 7-inch capacitive multi-touch screen with 800X400 pixel resolution, 0.3MP front camera, 2MP rear camera, 4GB internal storage and microSD card slot that supports storage up to 32GB. The IRA ICON comes with a massive 4,000 mAh battery, which is rated to deliver browsing time of about 4-5 hours. The device comes with built-in stereo speakers and a microphone as well.
Features

For connectivity, the IRA ICON supports voice calls (SIM slot), Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP), 3G, GPS, WI-Fi, Bluetooth, mini HDMI, 3.5mm jack and USB. The IRA ICON comes preloaded with a wide range of applications such as Wish Learning, Wish Studio, Wish TV, Wish News, Wish video calling, Skype, Photo Viewer, Games , Gtalk,  Google play.BSNL is offering a 3G SIM and free 3G data of 2GB for two months for the IRA ICON customers. The state-run telecom operator also provides a wide range of BSNL 3G plans or customised plans for the tablet.

The IRA ICON is available in two colours - black and white.

Partnership

Prior to partnership with WishTel, BSNL in collaboration with Pantel Technologies has launched budget tablets namely T-Pad WS802C and T-Pad IS701C. WishTel has also launched quite a few budget tablets as part of its IRA-Series. The company recently launched 10.1-inch ICS-based tablet, called the IRA Comet HD at Rs. 9,999.

Asus Launches PadFone 2 On October 16th

Asus recently sent out media invitations for the unveiling of their next smartphone scheduled for October 16. Unlike most other companies that are secretive about upcoming events or like to drop subtle hints as to what will be released, Asus made it clear that their PadFone 2 will be the center of attention on the third Tuesday of next month.

The PadFone 2 will be unveiled simultaneously in Taipei and Milan and aside from a partial photo of the phone on the announcement, not much else is known at this hour. Recently-leaked benchmarks indicate the phone will utilize a quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor but that’s all we have to go on right now.

The original PadFone was similar in function to what Motorola attempted to do with the Atrix, a concept that was perhaps ahead of its time. As The Verge describes, the PadFone is a mobile phone that serves as the hub for all of your data. The interesting part, however, is the accessories that are available for it.

The PadFone Station turns the phone into a tablet. A door at the back of the tablet opens up, allowing you to “install” the phone and use the larger tablet display. Everything on the tablet is powered by the phone – in fact, it doesn’t even work unless the handset is connected. It comes with a hybrid stylus / headset that allows you to make annotations on the tablet or even hold a conversation by talking through it. Furthermore, an optional keyboard dock that transforms the tablet / phone combo into a laptop.

Logitech New ULtra Thin Pad Now Available In White

When it comes to finding a good iPad keyboard case, two accessories come out of the pack, the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard and the Belkin YourType Folio. The Logitech one was the clear winner in Matt Burns’ review battle and it now comes in white.

If this accessory needed another argument to convince you, the color might be what you were waited for. For white iPad owners, the white keyboard case is a nice addition to match it with your device.

Other than that, all of the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard previous strengths still apply to the white version. The battery life is very long. Logitech claims that it will last 6 months based on 2 hours of usage a day. But even more important, the keyboard provides a good tactile response and allows you to write efficiently if you are accustomed to physical keyboard — maybe the newer generations will think the other way round and prefer a touch-based keyboard but you may feel the need for this accessory.

It has the same layout as a MacBook keyboard, which makes it very easy to switch from a MacBook to an iPad with the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard. A nice side effect is that it will protect your screen while carrying your iPad. It costs around $100 and should be available later this month at Apple retail stores.

Samsung's 10.1-inch Galaxy Note 800 Now In India

Samsung has priced the Galaxy Note 800 at Rs. 39,990 (MRP) in India, a price that could be justified with the 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos 4412 processor, Mali 400MP GPU, and 2GB of RAM of onboard, apart from built-in 3G connectivity. However, only the 16GB version of the tablet is being launched (and microSD expandability is up till 32GB), once again raising a question as to its value for money. The tablet had been listed for pre-order on Samsung's India eStore a little over a week ago.

Announcing the launch of the Galaxy Note 800 in the Indian market, stated Mr. Ranjit Yadav, Country Head, Samsung Mobile & IT, “India is one of the first 10 markets in the world where the Galaxy Note 800 is being launched. With the Samsung Galaxy Note 800, Samsung provides a unique user experience that goes beyond passive content consumption to a new world of productivity, active creation and personalized communications. While the S pen offers both active content creation and passive content creation, the Multi screen capability finally enables true multitasking. I expect this device to in many ways to fuel the growth of the tablet market in India and help us further strengthen our market leadership in the tablet market here in India.”
Other specifications of the Galaxy Note 800 include a 5MP autofocus rear camera with LED flash capable of 720p HD video recording, a 1.9MP front camera, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, microUSB with MHL (TV-out), HSDPA 21Mbps, HSUPA 5.76Mbps, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, GPS with A-GPS (Glonass) support, and stereo speakers.
Samsung’s also boasting of a new education app on the Galaxy Note 800, called ‘My Education.’ It is said to feature more than 10,000 free videos that have been curated by teachers, and is apparently the largest collection of educational videos mapped to the Indian curriculum. These videos are relevant for all students from Class I to XII. The app also offers more than 800 education text books, which would be the largest collection of educational e-books in India. Samsung says students will also be able to access assessment papers.

Asus Eee Pad Slider Features

What the Asus Eee Pad Slider attempts to offer is the tablet based alternative to someone who wants to shift from a netbook or a laptop, but, is driven up the wall at the very mention of typing on a touchscreen.
This is the most unique tablet we have seen till date. The Asus Eee Pad Transformer also offers a similar combo - touchscreen with a keypad dock, but admittedly, looks like a netbook unless the display is switched on. The Eee pad Slider, on the other hand, looks very different.

When closed, the Slider looks like just any other tablet, a bulky tablet, but nevertheless just another tablet. All the ports and connectivity options are spread around the side spines of the tablet. However, the real interesting stiff is hidden behind the screen! You need to pull the display upwards, from the top, and wait for it to lift up and sit at an angle. And there is the keypad!

Common colour combo of black and silver is what you see around the display. The keypad however is chocolate brown in colour. While the colour combo does seem a bit dull, with the brown seeming quite bland. However, those who want understated colours will appreciate the wide berth given to glossy colours.

While we do not see any issues with the solidity of the product, it doesn’t feel very high quality. There is a clunky touch to it, which is a huge disappointment. The mechanism for lifting up the screen and holding it there tends to get scratched easily.
The Slider is powered by a 1GHz dual core processor, and paired with 1GB of RAM. With Android 3.1 (Honeycomb) on board, we found the performance to be very good indeed. In fact, this one has some of the best benchmark scores we saw among Android tablets.
The keyboard does bring in its share of drawbacks - the tablet is bulky and too heavy to hold for more than a few minutes. You may just end up using this all the time on the desk, with the keyboard activated.


Surprisingly, the battery life isn't as good as some of the Android tablets out there. The Slider will last about 6 hours under a mixed use scenario - some videos, web browsing and document typing with the brightness set at 60% and Wi-Fi connected throughout.
MRP: Rs 36999-/

Samsung Anounences it's ATIV Tab At IFA 2012

As we predicted earlier, Samsung has announced a 10.1-inch Windows RT tablet at IFA 2012 in Berlin — the product is officially named the Samsung Ativ Tab. In terms of specs, we've learned that the device will be powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 2GB of RAM, with a mid-size 8,200mAh battery keeping everything going. Its 10.1-inch display will offer a resolution of 1366 x 768, and users will have a choice of either 32GB or 64GB of internal storage.

Alongside the standard Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0, the Ativ Tab will provide connectivity through a USB 2.0 port and NFC. The unit as a whole weights in at 570g and measures 0.35 inches at its thickest point. Check out our hands-on post for pictures, video, and a more detailed overview.

Hp Releases Envy x2 Hybrid Tablet And Two Touch-Enabled Ultrabooks

As with many other system vendors, HP is preparing a handful of new touch products for the launch of Windows 8, including a Surface-like hybrid slate. Branded the Envy x2, the core device is a fairly typical tablet, albeit one with an 11.6-inch display and an x86 processor. However, like Microsoft's upcoming offerings, the Envy x2 will be accompanied by a magnetically attachable dock that provides laptop-like functionality.
The base system packs a 1366x768 IPS display, an Intel CPU (rumored as a Clover Trail Atom chip), up to 64GB of solid-state storage, a 1080p front camera and an 8MP rear camera, HP's Beats Audio tech, and NFC support. Besides wireless connectivity, I/O seems to be housed on the dock, which we assume will be included and not sold separately. It contains a keyboard, an HDMI port, a card reader, two USB ports and a battery.
Sans dock, the tablet weighs 1.5lbs (0.68kg) and measures about 8.5mm thick, while the keyboard add-on pushes that to 3.1lbs and 0.66-0.76 inches. Because both the slate and dock weigh about the same, folks who have received hands-on time claim the Envy x2 feels sturdy and well balanced. Unsurprisingly, like Microsoft, Sony and others making Window 8 hybrids, HP is keeping quiet on pricing until we're closer to October.

Along with its new convertible, HP has unveiled two new touchscreen ultrabooks: the 14-inch Envy TouchSmart and the 15.6" SpectreXT TouchSmart. The company's press release offers few details on the former, saying only that it has a metal chassis, weighs 4.77lbs, measures 23mm thick, offers up to eight hours of battery life, ships with Beats Audio and will offer an optional AMD graphics card with up to 2GB of memory.

Sony Releases Portable Tablet

In a market riddled with similar slates, no one's going to accuse Sony of adopting a copycat tablet strategy. First the company released the Tablet S, a tablet seemingly inspired by a folded-back magazine, and now comes the Tablet P, which draws its design from some combination of a Nintendo 3DS and a Kyocera Echo. We’ve been hearing about the Tablet P for more than a year, originally as the Tablet S2, and now it’s finally available: the clamshell device has two 5.5-inch displays, a Tegra 2 processor, dual cameras, Android 3.2, and data connectivity through AT&T's HSPA+ network. It's available for $399.99 with a two-year AT&T contract, or $549.99.
That the Tablet P comes in a phone-sized package is telling — the tablet has a surprisingly small footprint. Out of the box, the device is 3.1 inches wide by 7.1 inches tall and one inch thick, with a silvery plastic shell and black accents. It slips nicely into a jacket or even a jeans pocket (assuming you wear pretty baggy jeans), and at 13.1 ounces it won't weigh you down too much. The smooth case is interrupted only by the slightly protruding hinge, the camera lens, and four tiny feet that make the tablet sit upright even though its back is rounded. There's also a small rectangular notch cut out of the front of the case, where you pry open the device — a notification LED rests in the same spot, and glows green when you have a waiting notification.

Most of the external buttons are grouped on the right side of the bottom display: there's a power button, an AC adapter port (the Tablet P won't charge via USB, which is a bummer), a Micro USB port, and volume buttons that are so small and recessed that they're very hard to press. The back also pops off into two pieces, one giving access to the full-size SIM card slot and the other to the battery and Micro SD card slot. Unfortunately the Tablet P lacks the IR transmitter found on the Tablet S, as well as the cool companion remote app.
The Tablet P is well-built and sturdy, with nice materials and a very reliable hinge — its ability to stand one screen vertically while the bottom lays flat is pretty awesome, allowing you to prop the device at almost any angle and see it at your desk, or use it as an alarm clock on your bedside tablet.
Each 5.5-inch display is a 1024 x 480 LCD, and they both look good, sharp with deep blacks and good contrast — Sony's TruBlack technology is at work here, and it makes the screens look great. Viewing angles are pretty bad, with colors washing out a bit once you get more than a little bit off-axis, and since the displays are usually at two different angles one screen is always going to be off-axis. There are also jaggies on text if you look hard enough, but in general the displays do fine. I don't love the displays' resolution, either, because it means videos have black borders on the right and left as you watch 16:9 video, but video still looks pretty good.
There's only one speaker on the Tablet P, spewing sound through a small slit on the left side of the device. It's really underwhelming: everything comes out muted and muffled, and even at max volume isn't very loud at all. I spent a lot of time holding the tablet up to my ear to try and hear it, even in relatively quiet situations.
The Tablet P's rear-facing 5-megapixel camera is functional, though it's far from a camera you'd want to use to preserve important memories. It's slow and produces soft, noisy photos, though it's not measurably worse than most other tablet cameras. It can also shoot 720p video, though it's not much to look at either.

The front-facing, 0.3-megapixel shooter, on the other hand, is comically awful. I can't remember the last time I saw a camera that let in so little light — unless you're basically pointing the camera at the sun, you're going to get impossibly dark photos. Don't even bother trying the front-facing camera, even for video chat.
The Tablet P is a "PlayStation Certified" device, indicated by the four-icon logo placed near the hinge. It's a nice bit of branding synergy for Sony — the Xperia S and other devices are similarly certified — and means you can play a tiny selection of original PSOne games, but in practice it's not at all exciting. Playing Crash Bandicoot is all well and good, and it's actually much better on the Tablet P than most: the bottom screen is devoted to the game's controls, which makes the on-screen d-pad and buttons easier to manipulate.
The 1GHz, dual-core Tegra 2 processor inside the Tablet P was for a time the standard Android tablet chip, and with good reason: even though it’s not exactly bleeding-edge anymore, it's extremely capable.

For the Tablet P to really work as more than just a console, Sony would also have to convince every developer in the Android Market to code a version of their app that makes sense on the dual-screened form factor — the apps that aren't optimized become a pretty poor experience thanks to the odd screen resolutions and the difficulty of accessing the top screen while holding the device. It would also need to drop the huge bezel and make the device easier to hold — it's nice and small when it's closed, but unwieldy when you flip it open. Add all that together, and the Sony Tablet P becomes a hard sell even for the biggest fans of the Nintendo DS form factor.

iPad Mini Releasing In October-2012

Lots of rumors have popped up all around the internet about Apple possibly releasing a iPad Mini. This iPad will have a 7-8 inch screen, which is 3 inches less than the iPad 3. Websites such as JailbreakNation and CENET have been all over the iPad Mini. The planned release for the iPad Mini is this October of 2012. Again these are only rumors however.

A few years back after the release of the iPad Original, and right before the release of the iPad 2, there were lots of questions reagarding a iPad Nano or a smaller iPad. Apple had said that there was no need for a iPad Nano or anything of the kind because of 2 reasons. The iPod Touch and simple because of no need for one with today’s market. However it is possible Apple may have re-thought those words and decided to go ahead and make a smaller iPad. The main reasons for this is because of the release of the Kindle Fire, and the release of the Nexus 7 tablet.

If Apple does plan on releasing an iPad Minni it will be sometime around October. Already some possibil prices have come up and they are estamating that the starting price for an iPad Mini will be at $199 all the way up to $250. There is no news yet on storage options, however it is possible that they may be a 8GB iPad Mini.

Google's Nexus7 Latest Features

Google's Nexus 7 ($199 or roughly Rs. 11,300 for 8GB, $249 or roughly Rs. 14,000 for 16GB) is a game-changer. The first tablet with Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean," it's the most bang for the buck you can get in the market right now. It's versatile, well-built, fast, and a lot of fun to use.

It basically renders every 7-inch tablet priced at more than $300 (Rs. 16,400) pretty much irrelevant. If you're looking for a small tablet to surf the Internet and play games, this is the one to buy. It easily unseats the Amazon Kindle Fire ($199, or roughly Rs. 15,000 in India).
The Nexus 7 feels well-built, even classy for a $200 tablet - and trust me, I've handled plenty of cheap tablets. Kudos go to the hardware manufacturer, Asus, a company that typically builds good stuff. A Gorilla Glass screen dominates the front of the tablet, and around back, there's a slightly grippy, stippled black rubber panel. At 7.8 by 4.7 by 0.4 inches (HWD) and 340 grams, it's comfortable to hold in one hand for long periods.
The performance news gets even better with Android 4.1 thanks to "Butter." That's Google's code-name for a project that makes everything in the Android UI smoother, and it works. Screen transitions are indeed smoother, and there's no lag with the touch keyboard. The whole experience feels more polished and professional than previous Android iterations.

Butter doesn't solve everything, though. Android has problems with processing stylus touch inputs that can make it difficult to use drawing programs. I tried Sketchbook Pro with a stylus and still saw a lag. Android 4.1 apparently fixes this, but consumers won't see the advantage yet because the apps involved need to be retooled for the new OS.

Lenovo tablet Tegra 3

We've already seen the Lenovo IdeaTab S2, which has many of the same specs, but the successor to the IdeaPad K1 looks like it will be the more business oriented tablet model from Lenovo. This tablet has been seen in China under the name LePad K2010, but given the new naming structure that Lenovo is using, it is likely to be released in other regions as the IdeaTab K2.

As we said, it has many of the same specs as the S2, including the 10" IPS display with a 1920x1200 resolution, a quad-core Tegra 3, and an 8 MP rear camera. One interesting feature that sets the K2 apart is a fingerprint scanner on the back of the tablet. The obvious use for this is for biometric security, but there is also word that it could be used to control a mouse cursor, but that seems a bit unnecessary with a touchscreen device that will likely have a keyboard dock with trackpad.

Unfortunately, there's no word of a suggested price for this seemingly-impressive device, but I imagine it will be pretty competitive with the Prime. Given the choice between the two (and assuming they have similar price points), which would you choose -- the razor thin, keyboard boasting Prime, or the Lenovo tablet, with an on-device USB port and and extra geebee of RAM?

Acer Iconia Tab A700 Tablet Latest Review

The Iconia Tab A700 is Acer's latest update to its Android tablet line-up. Featuring Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and a quad-core processor, the A700's claim to fame is its new 1920 x 1200 pixel, full HD display.The Acer Iconia Tab A700 should look familiar to anyone who has seen or used a 10-inch Android tablet before. The standard slate design measures 259mm x 175.2mm x 10.9in (10.2in x 6.9in x 0.43in) and weighs 1.47lbs. The tablet's dimensions and 16:10 aspect ratio display lend it much more to use in landscape orientation than in portrait -- something that is frequently said about 10-inch Android tablets.

The A700's 1920 x 1200 pixel display easily qualifies as full HD, offering a pixel density of 224PPI. While not quite as high as the Apple iPad's 264PPI, the A700's resolution is plenty dense enough for my eyes and it is a struggle to see any individual pixels. Needless to say, it's a considerable step up from the 1280 x 800 pixel displays Acer used on the A500 and A510.
The right side of the tablet is home to a microSD card slot (under a plastic flap) and a micro-HDMI port. The power/sleep/unlock key and 3.5mm headphone jack are located along the left edge, while a volume rocker and orientation lock switch are found on the top edge of the tablet, in reach of your left index finger when you are holding the device in landscape orientation. The buttons and switches are solid and worked well during my testing, despite the fact that they are all made of plastic.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Student's Edition Costs $249.99

A Student Edition bundle of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 will be going on sale starting tomorrow. The bundle includes a keyboard dock, USB adapter, and a glossy white version of the Android tablet, and will only be available though September 1st for $249.99 — the normal price of the tablet without the accessories. Released earlier this year, Samsung's 7-inch tablet features a 1024 x 600 resolution display, a 1GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of built-in storage, an IR blaster, and is pre-loaded with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The Student Edition tablet is Wi-Fi only, so if you must have a constant wireless connection, you'll have to get the LTE version recently released on Verizon. Those looking for the Student Edition bundle will be able to find it at Best Buy, Amazon, Tiger Direct, Costco, and Fry's.

Mini Range Tab 2 From Karbonn

Karbonn Mobiles have introduced another budget tablet in the market – Karbonn Smart Tab 2. The latest Karbonn tablet runs on Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system and is upgradable to the latest Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The Karbonn Smart Tab 2 is available for purchase via online retailer Snapdeal for Rs. 6,990.

The Karbonn Smart Tab 2 has a seven-inch capacitive touch display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. The device is powered by a 1.2GHz processor. It has 2MP front facing camera, 4GB of internal storage, microSD card slot that supports storage up to 32GB, 512MB of RAM and a 3,700 mAh battery, which is rated to deliver up to 25 hours of music playing time and video playback time of up to 8 hours. For connectivity , the device supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

The Karbonn Smart Tab 2 launch comes days after the company announced the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean-based Smart Tab 1. Karbonn has said it will be rolling out Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for the existing customers of the Smart Tab 1 as well.