A look at the Toshiba Folio 100 tablet - running Android 2.2 Froyo on Nvidia Tegra 2

Toshiba recently showed off its Google Android 2.2 and Nvidia Tegra 2 based Folio 100 tablet at IFA. Though the device certainly seems well-specced (it also supports Flash 10.1), some those who’ve had a hands-on with the device are not very impressed with the build quality or the apparently drab UI customization…Let us hope that Toshiba decides to do something about this criticism before they release the tablet in the last quarter of this year, in the initial launch markets of Europe, Middle East, and Asia. Here’s a look at the specifications of the Toshiba Folio 100 tablet:

CPU: Nvidia Tegra 2

Display: 10.1-inch capacitive multitouch display with 1,024 x 600 pixels resolution, UI auto-rotate with accelerometer

OS: Customized Android 2.2

Storage: 16 GB onboard with SD expandability (no word on the limit)

Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Mobile Broadband (for certain models & countries), DLNA compatible, 1xminiHDMI®, 1xUSB 2.0 (client and hub), SD/MMC Card Reader

Camera: 1.3MP webcam

Battery life: 7 hours (65% web browsing, 10% video playback, 25% standby)

Weight: 760g

Size: 281mm x 181mm x 14mm

Software (excerpt): Opera Mobile, Toshiba Media Player, FBReader, Fring, Document to Go, Evernote

Other features of the Folio 100 tablet include an instant-on functionality. The tablet will also have access to Toshiba Market Place, which features such platforms as Music Place, Radio Place, and App Place. This unfortunately means it will have no access to the Android Market, at least until Google gives it, and the numerous other Android tablets waiting in the wings, this access. Toshiba’s suggested retail price for the non-3G version of the Folio 100 is £329, including VAT, which is £100 less than the 16GB WiFi-only iPad, and it might have really have a chance to give the iPad a run for its money, especially if the Android Market is added to the mix.

ViewSonic launches Dual Os Based Tablet {Android and Windows}

ViewSonic has officially announced its 10 inch tablet that dual boots Android and Windows 7 Home Premium.

The ViewPad 100, which was launched at IFA in Berlin, joins the company's ViewPad 7. It is claimed to have a lightweight design and features a built-in 16GB SSD, which is said to give a faster boot-up and read/write times than standard HDDs. There's also an Intel Atom N455 1.66Ghz processor with 1GB DDR3 RAM, providing users with decent battery life.

In addition it also has touchscreen functionality as well as built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. There's also a G-sensor built in so it changes the screen to landscape or portrait depending on how the device is held. It's got a Micro SD slot for up to 32GB of storage, assisted GPS, two USB 2.0 connections and a built in webcam.

"The combination of operating systems means that users have the speed and portability of an Android-based OS without sacrificing the power and compatibility of a Windows powered system," reckons ViewSonic.

"Users can quickly check their emails or browse the internet with Android while still being able to rely on the traditional PC experience that a full Windows environment provides, such as USB connectivity, video output via mini VGA, Adobe Flash support and the ability to create presentations and word documents from scratch.

Toshiba to Launch New Tablet Computer

TOKYO—Toshiba Corp. said Friday that it will release by year-end a tablet computer that runs on Google Inc.'s Android operating system, as the Japanese electronics maker aims to grab a chunk of a fast-growing tablet device market spearheaded by Apple Inc.'s iPad.



The company said it will sell the Folio 100 in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It has yet to decide whether to launch it in other regions such as the U.S. or Japan, a company spokeswoman said.

Toshiba is among many electronics manufacturers around the world looking to ride the wave of demand that has swelled with the iPad. Samsung Electronics Co. Thursday unveiled the Galaxy Tab, which also runs on the Android software. Sharp Corp. in July showed off prototypes of a tablet it hopes will be the "iPad made in Japan," and plans to officially unveil the new product later this month.



"The market for tablet devices like the iPad is attracting a lot of consumer attention," said the Toshiba spokeswoman.



The Folio 100 is not Toshiba's first tablet computer. The Japanese company unveiled a touch-screen tablet called the JournE Touch last September and started selling it in Europe in March, before Apple started selling the iPad in April.



The JournE Touch runs on Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system, so the new Folio 100 will be Toshiba's first Android-based tablet.

The Folio 100 is equipped with a 10.1-inch multi-touch display and an embedded webcam. Unlike the iPad, the Toshiba tablet supports Adobe Flash for viewing videos on the Internet.

Toshiba expects the model that can connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi networks to sell for 399 euros. The company has yet to decide when it will launch another model with 3G connectivity.



Still, despite the new tablets from Samsung, Toshiba and other major electronics makers, U.S. market research firm iSuppli expects the iPad to continue to control the global tablet market at least through 2012.



Citing an absence of competitors offering applications and content that can match those of Apple, iSuppli forecasts that the iPad will account for 74.1% of global tablet shipments in 2010. Even after rivals beef up their tablet offerings and related services, iSuppli expects that the iPad will still hold 61.7% of the market in 2012.

Viewsonic’s ViewPad 10 Dual Boot Tablet PC With Android and Windows OS

Previously we mentioned about Witstech A81 Arm Cortex-A8 based dual boot tablet PC based on Android and WinCE, but in case you are looking for true Windows Operating System while still maintaining Android OS, the newly announced tablet PC from ViewSonic may be your great alternative. Named as ViewPad 10, the machine will be powered by Intel processor (not finalized yet but likelihood will be thermally efficient Atom family) with 10-inch display featuring dual boot capability and other feature sets.



Unlike its sibling model, a 7-inch ViewPad 7 that is powered by ARM processor running on Android OS only, the newly announced ViewPad 10 has been enlarged in terms of display size to complete against Apple’s iPad and at the same time, it has been preloaded with both Microsoft and Android OS for greater usability. Not to be limited to Windows CE but rather a much preferred Windows 7 or Windows XP embedded OS (thanks to its X86 based architecture), it will definitely able to attract users especially those that would like to experience dual boot system with different user interface and running apps. Other specifications include 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, front and back camera, MicroSD card slot, USB ports and many more.

No pricing and availability yet, the ViewPad models will be showcased at IFA 2010 event held in Berlin by next week.

Sharp announces iPad rival for 2010, possibly a 3D tablet

Sharp has announced it is going to launch a brand new e-reader into the global market in 2010, starting with Japan in autumn, and the rest of the world by the end of the year. This news is certainly interesting, as the Japanese company has recently been turning heads with its autostereoscopic 3D display technology, which is seen in the Nintendo 3DS, and will soon be seen in the company’s upcoming smartphone.

Now, while you don’t exactly expect an e-reader to feature a 3D display (we can’t even fathom the ensuing headache), a statement made by Sharp’s president makes it clear the product will be full colour, as it is targeted to “rival the iPad” (like every other tablet manufacturer says nowadays). A 3D tablet is surely a possibility though, as Sharp will have to pull out all the cards from up its sleeve to take on the fruit giant’s hot-selling tablet. We certainly hope for some exquisite gadgets from them, be it a smartphone or a tablet. 

HP's developing an Android e-reader tablet called Zeen? What happened to webOS?

Images out of FCC have revealed a tablet in development by HP, variously called HP Zeen and HP eStation Zeen. Speculation has it that the tablet will be e-reader focused, and will run the Android 2.1 operating system, with some HP customization. This is a step that most of the industry didn’t predict, after Todd Bradley – HP’s VP for Personal Systems Group – openly relegated the Windows version of HP Slate to the enterprise/corporate sector, and dismissed Android and Windows Mobile as HP’s future mobile platforms.

The Zeen will apparently also be able to connect to certain HP printer, acting as its interface, without requiring a computer as an intermediary. Other rumoured specifications include capacitive touch buttons, video support, webcam, and an SD card slot. As an e-reader, the Zeen will supposedly feature a tie-up with the Barnes & Noble bookstore and ecosystem, similar to the Android-based Nook, with the major difference being the ability to print e-books in addition. Anything could happen it seems, and webOS is still a possibility as the Zeen’s OS. However, if numerous sources are to be believed and the Barnes & Noble e-book ecosystem is truly what HP desires, then Android 2.1 (and very possibly 2.2 by launch) certainly looks like a good choice as an operating system.

As for pricing, not much is known for now, except the possible price of a Zeen + Zeus printer bundle (the Zeus being the above speculated Zeen-supporting printer, featuring a basic interface that’s meant to work in conjunction with the Zeen) pegged at $399. Standalone prices are still unknown.

A look at HP’s now unsubstantiated plans for webOS

We’ve all been wondering about how exactly HP plans to use Palm and its webOS technology for a while now. Recent statements revealed that HP would definitely use webOS for its future phones, vehemently disregarding Windows Mobile (or Phone 7) and Android as possible platforms. However, this does not limit the application of webOS to just phones, and when we spoke with Raj Kumar Rishi about using webOS for web-&-touch-enabled printers, we were told anything is possible.

Well, now HP’s CTO, Shane Robison, has publicly praised webOS as a “modern, Web-oriented, connected operating system” which he believes will be a major component in many of his company’s future products. He went on to speak of how future web-connected printers will share a common webOS-based interface. That’s great, but doesn’t tie up with what we’ve heard about the Zeen! What about netbooks you wonder? Mr. Robison had an answer for that as well, one that will definitely appease the recently estranged Microsoft, saying that Windows will remain the primary platform for HP’s netbooks, as they’re “not trying to wreck the market we’ve already got.”