Tools Toys and Technology

About the Tools You Use and the Toys That Make Life Interesting

Tools Toys and Technology - About the Tools You Use and the Toys That Make Life Interesting

Monthly Archives: June 2012

Yet Another Kindle Fire Rumor – 10 inch Tablet Coming?

Just yesterday I posted the rumored new 7-inch Kindle Fire that may appear as early as next month. Now today, yet another rumor of a 10-inch version coming by the end of this year.

The new 7-inch Fire is needed to keep Amazon in the hunt and compete with the new Nexus 7. A 10-inch product would presumably enter Amazon into a position to compete with the iPad.

If true, this would be Amazon’s first 10-inch tablet. It is rumored to have a higher build quality than the first Kindle Fire, which was, admittedly, a little cheap looking. Higher quality in both a 7-inch and 10-inch Fire could result in a resurgence of Amazon in the hotly contested tablet marketplace.

7-Inch Tablet Showdown

Things are heating up in the 7-inch tablet market. There are two notable “new kinds on the block”

New Kindle Fire

There have been rumors of an imminent new Kindle Fire before. And I fell victim to one of those rumors in this blog a few months ago. But this time, it really looks real.

The rumor has it that the next generation of Kindle Fire will be released by the end of July. Specks of this new Fire are also just rumor at this point, but among the speculations are a camera, physical volume adjustments, 1280 x 800 pixel display (an upgrade from the current Fire’s resolution of 1024 x 600), and continue to sell at the current price of $199. Some people thought that this might be a 10-inch tablet, but at that price, that is very doubtful.

The rumor of a new Kindle Fire had better be true this time, for Amazon’s sake. Because a serious competitor has just come on the market.

Google’s Nexus 7 Tablet

Google is expected to announce it’s Nexus branded slate this week. We won’t have to wait long to get the specs on this, but at first glance, it appears to be targeting Amazon’s Kindle Fire directly. Like the Fire, Nexus 7 appears to be optimized for content from the Google Play marketplace, just as Fire is for Amazon’s collection of books, mp3s, games, TV shows & movies, etc.

The Nexus will be built by Asus and will supposedly sport the newest version of Android, named “Jelly Bean.” The 7-inch display has 1280 x 800 resolution, the same as is rumored for the new Fire. Nexus 7 offers 8 and 16 GB storage options. The entry level price point is expected to be $200, head-to-head with Fire.

Google Play is simultaneously being updated to more completely compete with Amazon’s content offerings. It will be offering movies and TV shows, as well as magazines.

With the hardware, content offerings and price running so completely parallel between Google’s Nexus 7 and Amazon’s new Fire, this is going to be a competition showdown to watch!

Live from Hollywood … It’s Microsoft’s New Surface Tablet

June 18, 2012, 5:03 p.m. 

This is as “Hot Off the Presses” as it gets!

I just finished watching a live podcast of PC World’s coverage of Microsoft’s LA introduction of the “Surface” tablet. Yes, this is Microsoft’s own hardware. And does it ever look snazzy! And practical.

In the words of PC World’s Melissa Perenson,

“Have to say, from the looks of this, Microsoft has out-Apple’d Apple.”

Prior to this event, there was much mystery and speculation about what the special Microsoft announcement would be. Among the speculations:

  • Would it be a Windows RT tablet, with an ARM processor running tablet apps only — a direct competitor to iPad and other tablets?
  • Would it be a full Windows 8 tablet, running full desktop programs — a PC in a tablet form factor?

Turns out it’s BOTH. Surface comes in two flavors, Windows RT and Windows 8 Pro. Both have a 10.6 inch display. The RT version comes with either 32 GB or 64 GB memory; Windows 8 Pro version comes with 64 GB or 128 GB. You can use it as a touch-screen tablet; stand it up on its own kick stand for viewing movies, etc; and the screen cover can be folded down in front of the free-standing tablet and serve as a keyboard.

Price? That’s still a mystery. It was said that the RT version would be inline with other tablets, but that’s a big window: from $200 to $700. The price of the Pro version was not addressed. Hopefully we’ll hear about that soon.

When will we see these tablets? The RT version will come out simultaneously with the release of Windows 8, presumably October. The Pro version will appear 3 months later… looks like an end of year introduction.

In my June TTT article I said I’d be waiting to see these Windows 8 tablets before I brought out my credit card. I think I’ve just seen my tablet.

Information is still somewhat limited, but here’s where you can go for more information:

Website: http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en/us/gallery.aspx

Specifications:
http://www.microsoft.com/global/surface/en/us/renderingassets/surfacespecsheet.pdf