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News Flash! Tablets Are A Hot Item – 155% Gain between Q4 2010 and Q4 2011

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by Jim Farmer on
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Tablets are hot. The numbers don’t lie.  According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Media Tablet and eReader Tracker, worldwide media tablet shipments into sales channels rose by 56.1% on a sequential basis in Q4 2011 to 28.2 million units worldwide. That’s a whopping 155% increase  over the fourth quarter of 2010. Ultimately this all equates to a total  of 68.7 million units worldwide for the entirety 2011. The results have shocked analaysts and promped them to up their 2012 forecast to 106.1 million units, formerly a  forecast of 87.7 million units.

So where is Android in all this?

As predicted, Android gobbled market share in Q4 2011, thanks in no small part to the Amazon Kindle Fire’s resounding success. Android grew its market share from 32.3% in Q3  to 44.6% in Q4. As a result, iOS slipped from 61.6% market share to 54.7%. It appears the tables are continuing to turn. Looking ahead, IDC expects Android to continue to grow its share of the market at the expense of iOS.

Of course Apple won’t necessarily be hurting much. Tom Mainelli, the research director, had this to say:

“As the sole vendor shipping iOS products, Apple will remain dominant in terms of worldwide vendor unit shipments. However, the sheer number of vendors shipping low-priced, Android-based tablets means that Google’s OS will overtake Apple’s in terms of worldwide market share by 2015. We expect iOS to remain the revenue market share leader through the end of our 2016 forecast period and beyond.”

For better or worse, tablets are claiming the future.

source: IDC
via: BusinessWire 

 

ARCHOS G9 Series Tablets Get Official Ice Cream Sandwich Update

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by Roy Alugbue on
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Today is a joyous day if you’re an ARCHOS G9 series tablet owner. We knew it was only a matter of time before a major update arrived for the tablet, but unfortunately encountered some minor delays which raised some doubt. The brand has officially pushed out the coveted Ice Cream Sandwich update to the 80 G9 and 101 G9 tablet devices. The new update will now bring the software build of those tablets to Android 4.0.3. In addition to ICS, you’ll find some MediaCenter and FileManager upgrades and ohhhh– Xbox gamepad support if that strikes your fancy. If you’re an owner of either tablet, go out and grab the update today by hitting up the Support link below. And please– be sure to let us know how that delectable ICS goodness tastes.

 source: ARCHOS Support
via: Phandroid

 

Bank of America brings out a tablet optimized app

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by Emily Aquin on
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If you bank with Bank of America, and have an Android 3.0+ tablet, this app is for you. The first banking app that is optimized for tablets, this app lets you check your account balances, pay bills, transfer funds and find nearby banking locations using GPS. Bank of America assures us that the app is secure, and it uses the same SiteKey technology to log in that the normal online banking website uses. All of this will be easy on the eyes with the larger displays of tablets. At least paying bills will be a little more fun with the new Bank of America app. Download it for free with the Google Play Store link below.

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Google Play Store Link

GO Launcher Development Team Creates GO Launcher HD Beta For Android 3.0+ Tablets

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by Roy Alugbue on
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One of the best launchers available is now available for Android 3.0+ tablets. The GO Launcher development team has developed an tablet-specific version called GO Launcher HD. While the launcher is currently in beta, there are some nifty highlights you can find in the launcher. For starters, there is the given ability to change your grid size in your various homescreens. Also, the launcher is incredibly fluid and smooth, which means transitions won’t be as choppy as some customized skins out there.

Although it’s currently in beta, GO Launcher HD is indeed available— though not in the Android Market at this time. If you fancy trying out having a new look to your homescreen, hit up the download link below. Don’t forget to let us know how it works out for you in the Comments section below or in our Forums.

GO Launcher HD download link

source: Android Police

Samsung Makes It Clear: “We’re Not Doing Very Well In The Tablet Market”

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by Roy Alugbue on
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Samsung is dominating smartphone sales, it’s not doing as well in the tablet market. While participating at a discussion at MWC, Product Strategy Executive Hankil Yoon offered a blunt and straightforward summary of Sammy’s products in the tablet market:

“Honestly, we’re not doing very well in the tablet market.”

We don’t have the numbers to verify Yoon’s comments, but there are a few reasons why he would make that statement. Perhaps it may be the industry-leading iPad or the lackluster, yet popular Kindle Fire which has found the way into consumers’ hearts and wallets. Whatever the reason may be, Samsung just has not been able to distinguish its tablets from Apple and Amazon’s offerings, despite having several Galaxy Tab models.

Despite Yoon’s comments, there’s reason for optimism for Samsung’s future direction. For starters, it has the intriguing Galaxy Note, which can be considered the most popular “phablet” to date. 10 million Galaxy Note units are expected to ship and Yoon believes the S-Pen (Stylus pen) “allows users to more easily create content, rather than consume it.” In addition, there is the newly introduced Galaxy Note 10.1 which brings you a bigger tablet, but with an S-Pen. This is something that much of the competition cannot claim at this time. Yoon sums it up best:

“Samsung wanted to do something different in the category… Even if the design is similar, how you use the Note is totally different.”
Expect Samsung to make a continued push into the tablet market by continuing to introduce unique and innovative features.
 
(Photo courtesy of C Net)
 
source: C Net

Dolby And Huawei To Team Up To Bring Premium Audio Experience To Smartphones

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by Roy Alugbue on
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Huawei is already on its way to bringing some sweet devices to the limelight, but it wants to further itself apart from the competition even more. Dolby Labs has announced a collaboration with Huawei by incorporating Dolby Digital Plus into future Huawei devices. This means that we’ll soon be able to enjoy that rich, crisp and superior surround sound on premium Huawei tablets and smartphones. The manufacturer plans to utilize Dolby Digital Plus by optimizing the technology for the overall mobile experience by including virtual surround sound over headphones, bass and high-frequency enhancements, a sound level controller, mono-to-stereo creator and sound space expander. Oh and don’t forget that these Dolby-powered devices will have the full capability to connect the devices to HD-ready TVs, A/V receivers and home theater systems in order allow consumers to enjoy quality surround sound as well.

Huawei is just giving us yet another reason to drool over its ever-impressive brand. Hit the break to see the full press release from Dolby. » Read the rest

Panasonic Set To Unveil New Device At MWC, Will Possibly Follow-Up With New Tablet

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by Roy Alugbue on
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MWC is finally here next week and Panasonic is out to reveal more at the event, but first it wants to tease us a little. According to Pocket-lint, Panasonic is set to unveil a new device. The mysterious device will be a premium toy— perhaps more premium than that sexy Eluga smartphone and feature a dual-core processor, a bigger screen, front-facing camera and have a display featuring a Panasonic-designed technology. One other noteworthy feature is the smartphone will also utilize Panasonic’s Lumix technology in some sort of way.

Word on the street is a second mysterious device may be launched, which will be a tablet. There are little details and information about this except we do know that it won’t be a Toughbook tablet or similar to their other attempts at making tablets. Pocket-lint reports the device will be more consumer-orientated. This likely means Panasonic is finally ready to take a bigger bite into the Android pie.

 

source: Pocket-lint

Amazon Rises to 14 Percent of the Tablet Market Share

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by Emily Aquin on
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While we all know how popular the iPad is, Amazon is stealing the show with their rapid rise in sales. Research firm IHS iSuppli has released shipping data from 2011. The Kindle Fire rose to 14 percent of the tablet market share in the fourth quarter, pushing it to second place. Following Amazon is Samsung in third place, Barnes and Noble in fourth place, and Asus rounding out the top five. Apple still has the lion share of the market at 57 percent, but they have dipped down from 64 percent in the third quarter.

IHS iSuppli reports that Apple lost some of those sales to themselves, with some customers opting for the iPhone 4S instead of an iPad. However, the Kindle Fire is popular because it is much more affordable at $199 than the iPad. While it is noted that these numbers are for shipments, not for actual sales, it’s still enough action for Apple to sit up and take notice.

The release of the iPad 3 will shake up the tablet  market once again, but with the cheaper price and good functionality of the Kindle Fire and other Android tablets, the future is wide open for competition.

source: IHS iSuppli
via: Tech Crunch 

Chinon Announces New Tablet Line, But Don’t Get Too Excited Just Yet…

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by Josh O'Donnell on
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Don’t let the picture fool you — iPads still can’t run Android. Instead, it’s simply the design of the new series of 7-inch and 10-inch Swift tablets (Swift 7 and Swift 10, respectively). The new line of tablets are obviously aimed for the affordable tablet market, only putting you back $160 for the 7-inch and $280 for the 10-inch. With a dual-core Cortex A8 ARM processor running at 1.2Ghz,  1GB of RAM and running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, it’s pretty much on par with today’s tablets going for the same price. However when compared to higher-end tablets like the Galaxy Tab, it falls behind quite a bit, so buyer beware if you’re looking for something with a little more chutzpah or something on the cutting edge of tablets. Might be a good idea to wait until some reviews are out to see how these two tablets hold up. Hit the source for more info.

source: chinon usa

Samsung Rumored To Bring 2GHz Exynos-Powered Galaxy Tab To MWC

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by Roy Alugbue on
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We know Samsung is pushing its Exynos line of processors in its devices. That’s a given. However, we all know Sammy has yet to really push the boundaries of its impressive chip. It’s exactly why the brand is hard at work on its Exynos 5250 series of chips. According to Phandroid, Sammy is looking to take the ARM Cortex-A15-based processor and push it into 2GHz territory. You read that correctly folks, it is looking to have its chips at a whopping 2GHz. Moreover, rumor has it that while the chip will be insanely fast, it will suck less power than that the earlier chipsets. As it stands, the chips are currently in testing right now and we can expect to see them in devices by Q2 of this year.

Naturally you can’t have a chip in the works without a device made for it. That’s why Sammy is also rumored to be developing a special Galaxy Tab that will take full advantage of the Exynos 5250 series of chips. The tablet can support a resolution of up to 2560×1600, all in a WXQGA display of greater than 10-inches of course. Further details are scarce at the moment, but we expect to see something demoed or previewed at the upcoming MWC.

[via Android and Me by Phandroid]

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