iPad 3 could make Apple the world's top PC vendor next year

Apple's iPad

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Apple is likely to outshine Hewlett-Packard as the world's top PC maker before the second half of next year, says research firm Canalys, but it'll need some help from the iPad 3.

Currently the world's second-leading PC vendor, Apple has seen its share of the market jump to 15 percent from 9 percent over just the past year. That growth is largely due to heavy demand for the iPad, which Canalys considers a personal computer.

But fourth-quarter iPad shipments in the U.S. may take a hit from Amazon's Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble's Nook tablets, which are launching at consumer-friendly prices. As a result, Canalys believes that HP and Apple will duke it out for the top spot this quarter but that Apple will ultimately grab the lead after the iPad 3 debuts next year.

Rival tablet makers are still fighting to compete with Apple, with many starting to get the hint by selling devices at cheaper prices. The debut of Android 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich, should help Android vendors as developers can finally push their existing smartphone apps to run on tablets. But the timing of updated Android operating system is less than ideal, says Canalys.

Most tablets being sold during the holiday-shopping season will still sport some version of Android 3.x. And Android hasn't been known for a speedy upgrade cycle. Savvy consumers waiting for devices equipped with Ice Cream Sandwich may actually put off purchases until next year when the newest version of Android becomes more prevalent.

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For 2011, global PC shipments are expected to reach 415 million, a 15 percent gain from last year, thanks mostly to higher tablet sales. Total tablet shipments are expected to hit 59 million for the entire year, including 22 million in the fourth quarter, says Canalys.

Notebook sales have also provided a boost to the PC market this year, with total shipments projected to reach 211 million, a 10 percent gain from last year. Ultrabooks, which are thin, light, high-powered laptops, could spur notebooks sales over the next five years. But Canalys believes prices would have to creep down sharply.

"The least expensive models are currently around $800, a real barrier to mass consumer uptake," Canalys analyst Michael Kauh said in a statement. "As more vendors embrace the ultrabook design, component costs should drop and mainstream consumer prices will be achieved."

credit: cNet

Could a 3D iPad succeed where the Nintendo 3DS failed?

Will the iPad 3 come with 3D?

(Credit: Apple)

Would you buy an iPad 3D?

That's the question consumers might have been asking themselves next year, according to areport from Business Insider. But according to the blog's source, Apple decided to nix plans for an iPad 3 with 3D over concerns that the device could become "a gimmick."

Take that rumor, of course, with the usual grain of salt. Apple hasn't confirmed it'll be launching another iPad, nor has the company spoken of an iPad with 3D. And Business Insider's source is a degree or two removed, though the blog says the source has been reliable in the past.

But the concept is an interesting one. According to the source, the 3D iPad would have worked as does the Nintendo 3DS, letting users view content in the third dimension without requiring glasses. It's not the first time we've heard that rumor. In April, a Hollywood "insider" told RCR Wireless that "the fact that the iPad 3 is 3D is a dead cert."

Nintendo, for example, has been trying to make glasses-free 3D a staple in the portable market all year. But during Nintendo's first fiscal quarter ended June 30, the company could only muster 710,000 unit sales of the 3DS worldwide, including 110,000 in the U.S. The paltry sales forced Nintendo to drop the price of the 3DS to $169.99 from $249.99. But even after that, the Nintendo 3DS has trailed theXbox 360 in monthly U.S. sales and has failed to attract the kind of attention the Game Boy and original DS did at the same point in their life cycles.But could that device succeed? It's tough to say. Right now, 3D isn't catching on nearly as much in the mobile space as some companies had hoped for.

Of course, there are several reasons for that, including the fact that the iPhone and Android-based handsets are becoming increasingly popular in the gaming space. But Nintendo itself has acknowledged that the 3D is a liability for its portable.

Nintendo has an issue with 3D on the 3DS.

(Credit: Nintendo)

"The value of 3D images without the need for special glasses is hard to be understood through the existing media," Nintendo chief Satoru Iwatasaid earlier this year in a discussion on the issues his company is facing with the 3DS. "However, we have found that people cannot feel it just by trying out a device, rather, some might even misestimate it when experiencing the images in an improper fashion. This makes it more important to give people more opportunities for appropriate experiences of glassless 3D images."

The problem is, 3D viewing is highly personal. And the 3DS makes it more difficult for users, since it requires each person to set their own "depth" with a slider on the side to get the right 3D effect for them. What's more, because the device is glasses-free, users must be holding the 3DS at the right angle in order to get the full 3D effect.

Considering that an iPad 3D would reportedly have come with the same glasses-free experience, it's unlikely that the issues the 3DS suffer from would have been different for Apple. That is, of course, if Apple wasn't trying something totally unique to bring 3D to the device.

Earlier this year, researchers in France told CNET in an e-mail about a technology they had developed called Head-Coupled Perspective. By using a device's front-facing camera, the technology can track a person's head to adjust the glasses-free 3D display, no matter the angle of the head in relation to the screen.

"Our technique uses the front-facing camera of the device to detect and track the face of the user," Jeremie Francone, a Ph.D. student in the Engineering Human-Computer Interaction research group at the Grenoble Informatics Laboratory in France, told CNET in an interview at that time. "This way, it is possible to know 'how' the user looks at the display: does he look from the front, or from the right? Is the display close or far from the user's face? Knowing such information enables us to adapt the display accordingly, giving the user the illusion that he looks at a small window instead of a 2D flat screen."

Francone and his team have already ported their technology to the iPad (see the video below). But the only question is, would Apple want to make it an official part of iPad 3?

At this point, no one is saying. And Apple has not immediately responded to CNET's request for comment. But if Apple does, in fact, bring 3D to the iPad, it will need to find a way to avoid the pitfalls devices like the Nintendo 3DS haven't been able to overcome.

Glasses-free 3D on the iPad:

Originally posted at The Digital Home

Nokia exec: Windows 8 tablet due in June

The Nokia Lumia 800 Windows Phone-powered device will be joined by a Windows 8-powered tablet next year, a Nokia executive has said.

(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET)

Nokia will add a Windows 8 tablet to its product line in June 2012, a French newspaper reported in an interview with the head of Nokia in France.

"In June 2012, we will have a tablet running Windows 8," Paul Amsellem told Les Echos in a story published yesterday.

Such a move would make some sense. Where Android and iOS span phones and tablets, Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system doesn't. But ignoring the tablet market would shut Nokia out of a major growth industry, and Microsoft is the obvious partner, even if it means Nokia must wrestle with the complexities of having two major operating systems.

Nokia didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

Last month, Nokia Chief Executive Stephen Elop wouldn't comment on Windows 8 tablet plans, but he left the door wide open when discussing earnings results with analysts.

"From an ecosystem perspective, there are beneftis and synergies that exist between Windows and Windows Phone," Elop said. "We see that opportunity. We'll certainly consider those opportunities going forward."

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop speaking at Nokia World in London.

(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET)

And in a later interview with the Financial Times, he pointed more specifically to the similarities in user interface between Nokia's newly launched Lumia line of Windows Phone products and the upcoming Windows 8 operating system.

Nokia has services it could bring to a Windows tablet, of course. But the synergies aren't always easy: Programs written for one operating system don't run on the other, so spanning the two devices means a lot of work for app developers.

Amsellem likened the new Nokia Lumia 800 Windows Phone to a BMW, saying that higher-end and lower-end models will arrive soon. Nokia already showed off the lower-end Lumia 710, and at Nokia World said higher-end models would arrive as well, but it's not shared details so far

Nook Tablet hands-on: Can it fight the Fire? Read more: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-33198_7-57325438-286/nook-tablet-hands-on-can-it-fight-the-fire/#ixzz1drS0AiP3

Nook Tablet or Kindle Fire?

That's the question that's already bedeviling consumers and gadget aficionados alike.

In a matter of weeks, it seems, the tablet market has been compressed to just a handful of choices. The iPad 2 still rules the high end ($500 and above), but the "e-reader as tablet" option now looms large in the sub-$250 range, with the $199 Kindle Fire going mano a mano with the $249 Nook Tablet.

The Kindle Fire has just started shipping, and the Nook Tablet will follow as soon as tomorrow (a few days earlier than originally expected).

Last year, Barnes & Noble released the Nook Color at the same $249 price. Back then, a 7-inch color e-reader that could run apps as well as read color books and magazines, and even play movies and music, was a revelation. The Android tablet could even be rooted--to many, it became known as the not-so-secret most-affordable Android tablet around with the best design (other similarly priced and more-generic Android tablets are, by comparison, terrible).

With the Fire on the horizon, Barnes & Noble knew it had to up the ante. Thus, 2011's Nook Tablet takes the basic Nook Color formula and delivers more storage, a faster dual-core processor, an improved screen--and, notably, a larger selection of apps.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

This year's design is very much like last year's. The Nook Tablet is to the Nook Color as the iPhone 4S is to the iPhone 4. The Tablet has had a few improvements to its feel and some contours on the tablet--it's not a carbon copy of the Color, physically--but the carabiner is back, and so is the very appealing minimalist look. The edges and back have a slightly soft touch, not rubberized, but almost like Teflon coating on cookware. It feels nice.

The Nook Color remains as a $199 device, but the Tablet is the color tablet most Nook customers are going to want to buy.

The question, then, is can the Nook Tablet compete with the Kindle Fire--or with the iPad? Barnes & Noble's latest still feels like a tweener device. The interface and user controls are a bit of an awkward marriage. Pressing the Nook's version of the Home button brings up a media bar, but various libraries are viewed in different blades. Pressing the Home button doesn't always bring you back to the home screen; it brings up that media bar on the bottom instead. Tapping the "home" icon takes you home, and...well, you see the confusion. Those familiar with the Nook will feel right at home.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET )

As an e-reader
Let's put it this way: when shooting the video for the Nook Tablet, I almost forgot to show off the e-reader features. Nook Tablet users could, as absurd as it sounds, make book reading a distant priority, what with all the video, music, gaming, and magazine reading this tablet can handle.

The Nook e-reading software is functional, but not spectacular. Fonts and font sizes--as well as margins and line spacing--can be easily adjusted, offering plenty of flexibility. Still, page turns aren't silky smooth like they are in Apple's iBooks app, although they are functionally fast. Book lovers might still prefer an e-ink choice like the Simple Touch over this bright LCD display, but for the extra features the Nook Tablet offers, it's a worthy compromise. The IPS display is bright and crisp--better than on the original Nook Color--and looks as least as good as an iPad's display.

Children's books have been a big part of the Nook's sales pitch, and they largely don't disappoint. The handful of books I looked at were colorful and bright, but full pages can get a little small on the screen real estate. Barnes & Noble has proudly shown off the ability to record and save your own voice recordings on these books, and the feature works as advertised. A kid could have page-by-page custom recordings from a grandparent or other relative who isn't there. It's similar to what's available on some iPad apps.

Nearly 200 magazines are offered for issue-by-issue or subscription purchase, with the option for print subscribers to get a free e-version. The layout on these digital versions has been changed to fit the reduced screen space. All the content is the same, but the shrunk-to-fit design might annoy magazine purists.

Comics are also supported via a new store and reader, and a few issues of Marvel comics looked great on the Nook Tablet screen. This is an even better use of a 7-inch screen, and could be the killer app for color e-readers.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

As a video player
Adding Netlfix and Hulu Plus--among others--to the Nook's color tablet ecosystem is huge. It's hard not to be impressed by the Nook Tablet's sharp screen and picture quality. Streaming Netflix and Hulu Plus in the office worked far better than we expected, although there were occasional playback hiccups over our Wi-Fi. We streamed Netflix side by side with the Kindle Fire, and head-to-head comparisons were very favorable to the Nook--it simply looked better. Both tablets have the same app, but the Nook Tablet's picture looked more vivid and detailed. The Nook Tablet also has physical volume controls on the side, which come in handy--the Kindle Fire strangely lacks them.

However, it's not enough. The Nook Tablet has no video store like Amazon.com and Apple do, and it's a big loss for anyone who wants to use this tablet to watch videos away from Wi-Fi--like, for instance, on a plane.

Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet

That's not to say you can't technically store videos. Almost paradoxically, the Nook Tablet has more extra storage space than the Kindle Fire--16GB compared with 8GB--and a microSD card slot on top of that with a capacity up to 32GB. Loading videos or music onto the Nook Tablet would have to be accomplished by sideloading (connecting a USB cable to a PC). The Nook Tablet supports the same video codecs as any Android Gingerbread tablet, so it's versatile, but it obviously can't play back videos with DRM protection. That means that those sideloaded video libraries most likely won't be of the entirely legal variety.

I only bring that up because your mother, father, sister, brother, or grandfather will inevitably ask, "How do I watch my favorite movie on this thing?" The simple answer for a Nook owner is: well, it's complicated. As much as Barnes & Noble doesn't want to acknowledge it, the Nook Tablet is a bit of an odd duck for the average person wanting a video-playing tablet.

As a music player
Music lovers will have no lack of music services on the Nook Tablet. Pandora, TuneIn Radio, MOG, and Rhapsody have apps, among others. And, of course, you could easily sideload your own music via USB. Music is sold naturally DRM-free, and sideloading it isn't nearly as much of a problem as with video. Yes, the Nook Tablet handles music just fine, but it's not ergonomically comfortable--and it doesn't have Bluetooth.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET )

As a gaming device
The Nook Tablet has a decent selection of casual games in the Nook Store, ranging from Angry Birds to Scrabble. They load and play like the average Android app; the screen shows off sharp colors and animations, but the graphics capability doesn't come anywhere near that of an iPad. Apps load reasonably quickly. Right now the pickings are slim indeed, but for a very casual audience, these games are fine enough. The library would need to grow a lot to consider this a "gaming" device. Apple's App Store has this beat by at least 20,000.

As a Web browser
Surfing the Web on the Nook Tablet is a step up from the Color, but the whole experience still pales compared with browsing on an iPad. Part of the problem is the 7-inch screen: Web pages sometimes load as mobile sites, and Flash support wasn't always reliable, as is often the case on mobile devices.

The Nook Tablet and Kindle Fire, side by side.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET )

What the Nook Tablet lacks
There are no cameras, no maps, and no Bluetooth, and there's a general lack of core Android operating system features normally found baked into Android tablets. The Nook is built on Android, but it's really just an e-reader with apps. It's impressively versatile, but you'll have to rely on app downloads from the Nook Store to fill out additional productivity functions.

What's better than the Kindle Fire
The screen, which is a higher-quality IPS display than the Kindle Fire, really shows off Netflix and Hulu Plus to amazing effect, although we did see the occasional streaming hiccup. It's the best screen on a budget tablet that I've ever seen.

More storage--both onboard (16GB) and via microSD expansion--and the ability to read EPUB files could be big news for those who want flexibility. There's plenty of expansion room, and you'll have a hard time running out of space for your apps or your magazine downloads.

What's worse than the Kindle Fire
There's a lack of cloud-based media support that Amazon front-loads on the Kindle Fire: no official music or video store, and no way of locally storing downloaded videos outside of connecting the Nook Tablet to your computer. Amazon Prime customers get a bonus pack of borrowable books and free-to-watch TV shows and movies on the Fire. Barnes & Noble has no such subscription service.

The browser isn't great. Pages were slow to load for us, and often loaded mobile versions of sites instead of the full pages. Flash support, as always on mobile devices, was hit or miss.

Also, yes, it's subjective, but the admittedly clean-looking Nook Tablet interface is more Android-esque than the eye-popping shelf animations on the Fire. The Nook Tablet might be a superpowered e-reader and media device, but it's still a budget tablet. Browsing app menus and stores often feels choppy and sluggish. Some might prefer the lack of a Cover Flow-like media flipboard such as the one on the Kindle Fire, but if I'm using this as an e-reader, I'd rather it felt like one as opposed to a mini computer.

Our initial impressions
The landscape of tablets has suddenly changed, and in a considerable, fundamental way. The iPad defined a tablet as a computer alternative; however, thanks to the Kindle Fire and the Nook Tablet, tablets might be equally seen as affordable, incredibly versatile e-readers. The Nook Tablet has an aggressive price and an impressive set of features, and hardware that bests the Fire in several respects. However, it lacks the native music and video stores that Amazon bakes into the Fire, relying on third-party streaming apps instead. Which option is best for you depends on whether you value a video store over greater storage, or, simply, which service you already own more books on, since the Nook won't display Kindle books and vice versa.

Make no mistake, however: the competition in this entry-level tablet space is aggressive, and it's quite likely that there may not be a clear-cut winner. This may well be more of a "Pepsi versus Coke" situation, where personal preferences and brand affiliation trump hardware and software considerations.

Credit: Cnet

Aakash/SKY Tablet Pictures

Aakash/SKY Tablet Features & Specifications

Features:

• Open Office
• SciLab
• Internet browsing
• Video web conferencing facility,
• Multimedia content in a variety of formats (pdf, docx, ods, adp, xls, jpeg, gif,png, bmp, odt, zip, AVCHD, AVI, AC3)
• Inbuilt PDF reader
• Internet browsing with flash plug-in, JavaScript.
• It is enabled with a touch screen.
• An in-built keyboard is attached with this laptop.
• The laptop can store the data of up to 2 GB memory. It is a RAM memory.
• Wifi connectivity and USB port are this laptop’s additional features.
• 2 watt system is used up by this laptop so that it can even perform in areas where power supply is low.
• 80% shock resistant

Specifications:

• Display: 7” colour LCD/TFT
• Keyboard: Built in
• RAM: 2GB
• Hard Drive: 32GB
• Connectivity: Wifi, USB 2.0 (2), Ethernet port.
• Operating System: Android
• Power: 2 watt
• Processor: Unknown
• Expandable Memory upto 8GB (SD Card)
• VGA Port (For connecting to Projector)

Aakash/SKY Tablet From India Govt.

India released a Rs.1,500 ($30) laptop / Tablet PC for students and teachers in colleges and Universities. The device is currently not available for sale in the market as government has decided to launch it for students in 2011.
The year 2011 would be a technologically effective one as the once high priced laptops are getting low in their price. This laptop would bring the buyer, savings up to 50 percent.
According to reports, it is clear that the laptops would see a noticeable fall in their price which would be lesser by Rs.4800. National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology is supporting this project to enlighten the more and more students. There may be many methods to spread education but this one would prove to be an innovative style of imparting knowledge.
The education which would touch the lives of every student through this mode of technology would be possible easily. Thus, these laptops would be available at lesser cost. This style is meant to edify the large population to widen the horizon of knowledge among all in every aspect of life. This project has plans to sell the laptops at remarkably lesser rate.
As a part of India’s National Mission for Education, Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT) 504 universities and 25,000 colleges countrywide would be the recipients of these laptops.
This project was the outcome of experts coming together. The IT specialists came up with this idea at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras and IIT Bombay. These laptops are going to be given out by HRD ministry. It is being considered that these laptops would prove to be an asset for the students and will give them opportunity to excel in education.
By 2011, the newbies who wish to try their hands on computers would get funding of 50 percent on the purchase of each product. The Government of India has planned to reduce the price of the computer by Rs.4800. This initiative is undertaken as an element of National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology. It is an effort to offer the high definition interactive education.
The Centre purports that these laptops would be offered at such a low price because they are a source of spreading literacy via technological methods. This mode of education would help create the awareness among the masses. The laptops are really going to see a huge drop in price.
Under the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT), connectivity is projected to be offered to 504 universities and 25,000 colleges throughout India.
This project was a result of discussions on this project with a group of experts at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras and IIT Bombay by the human resource development ministry. The human resource development ministry would send out these laptops. This product is expected to bring bright prospect for learners.
Initially, when the low priced laptop were being planned to introduce, the officials ruled out that its price would be around Rs.500. But, now it would be almost three times the price that was estimated earlier.

The project of launching this product is running successfully and it would be available to students, about after five to six months. It is been reported that this low cost laptop would be low in price but the final price of the product would be determined depending upon the transportation cost.

The Rs.1500 Laptop would be seeing a great deal of success and the expectations are already high that this would be popular. The launching this laptop at Rs.1500 is seen as one of the major steps which would be taken to brighten the future of Indian students.

India's prototype touch-screen computer for $35

India unveils prototype for $35 touch-screen computer

The Indian government has unveiled the prototype of an iPad-like touch-screen laptop, with a price tag of $35 (£23), which it hopes to roll out next year.

Aimed at students, the tablet supports web browsing, video conferencing and word processing, say developers.

Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said a manufacturer was being sought for the gadget, which was developed by India's top IT colleges.

An earlier cheap laptop plan by the same ministry came to nothing.

The device unveiled on Thursday has no hard disk, using a memory card instead, like a mobile phone, and can run on solar power, according to reports.

'Manufacturer interest'

It would cost a fraction of the price of California-based technology giant Apple's hugely popular iPad, which retails from $499.

Continue reading the main storytart Quote

Mr Sibal said the Indian tablet, said to run the Linux operating system, was expected to be introduced to higher education institutions next year.

The plan was to drop the price eventually to $20 and ultimately to $10, he added.

Unveiling the gadget, the human resource development minister told the Economic Times newspaper it was India's answer to the "$100 laptops" developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US.

"The solutions for tomorrow will emerge from India," Mr Sibal said, reports news agency AFP.

Last year, one of the ministry's officials announced it was about to unveil a $10 laptop, triggering worldwide media interest.

But there was disappointment after the "Sakshat" turned out to be a prototype of a handheld device, with an unspecified price tag, that never materialised.

To develop its latest gadget, the ministry said it had turned to the elite Indian Institute of Technology, and the Indian Institute of Science, after a lacklustre response from the private sector.

Mamta Varma, a ministry spokeswoman, said the device was feasible because of falling hardware costs.

Several global manufacturers, including at least one from Taiwan, had expressed interest in making the device, she said, although no deals had been agreed, and she declined to name any of the companies.

The project is part of a government initiative which also aims to extend broadband to all of India's 25,000 colleges and 500 universities.

In 2005, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) unveiled the prototype of a $100 laptop for children in the developing world, although it ended up costing about double that price.

In May, Nicholas Negroponte - of the MIT's Media Lab - announced plans to develop a basic tablet computer for $99 through his non-profit association, One Laptop per Child.