Tablet Archives - Serious Startups

Is This The iPad Killer You’ve Been Looking For? Microsoft Reveals Surface Pricing

With our deep roots in mobile technology we’re not quite sure what to think of the Microsoft Surface series of tablets or the next iteration of Windows, Windows 8. Sure it’s going to be a Microsoft game changer, but are they trying to come in and change a party that’s been going on for the last five years?

Microsoft is betting a great deal on the fact that people will come back to the Windows brand on the desktop, the laptop the tablet and the smartphone. They’ve lost a tremendous amount of ground in the mobile sector and have taken their time bringing a tablet to market. Hopefully, they’ve used that time wisely and they’re ready to compete with Apple’s iPad and the onslaught of Android tablets available everywhere.

Microsoft has been working hard on making Windows the same experience across multiple screens. Windows 8 integrates well across desktops, laptops, tablets and with Windows Phone 8, phones. They’re hoping to capture a lot more of the mobile market than they have with past versions.

Now, after nearly four months of being completely in the dark about pricing and final specs, Microsoft has revealed what you want to know.

The baseline Surface tablet will set you back $499. This includes 32gb of memory but no fancy shmancy Touch Cover. A $100 more will get you the 32gb model with the Touch Cover. The 64gb Surface tablet will set you back $699 and that will also include the Touch Cover.

Here are other specs that Microsoft revealed today:

1366×768 10.6-inch screen with five-point multitouch,
9.4mm thick
weighs 1.5 pounds
Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor (1.4GHz Cortex A9 part coupled with a 520MHz NVIDIA GPU,)
2GB of RAM
32 or 64gb of flash memory
Bluetooth 4
microSDXC slot
mini-HDMI port
USB 2.0 Port
Preview versions of Office 2013 apps

The Surface is priced competitively with the iPad and several Android based tablets from computer manufacturers like the Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx.

The Surface Tablets are available for preorder now and will be shipped October 26th. Microsoft is reporting that on launch day the Surface tablet will be available at Microsoft branded stores across the country and 34 pop up stores in malls across the country. While Windows 8 will be widely available on October 26th, including at Best Buy and Walmart, there is no word on when the Surface tablets will make it to Microsoft’s retail partners.

Linkage:

Source: Arstechnica

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Contest: There’s A New Kid In Town, The TechSlinger And You Can Win One This Summer

At Chicago TechWeek we got to meet the team from Michigan startup TechSlinger. This is a new wearable accessory designed to easily transport your tablet, your phone, your wallet and other small items. You can even hang your keys from it.

At first glance you may not think it’s for you, but it so is. Especially if you carry multiple gadgets with you and one of them is an iPad or Android tablet. You see, when you go out to a meeting or a networking event, or any event for that matter and you bring your tablet you’re putting a device that costs hundreds of dollars at unnecessary risk.

I’ve witnessed first hand people who’ve had their iPads turned conveniently into coasters. I’ve seen people leave them behind and drop them, shattering the screen, trying to hold a beer or other drink. Oh and of course the countless times I’ve seen beer, soda and other liquids poured onto the iPad.

Granted, you want to take your iPad or tablet with you because you undoubtedly have work to do, or you want to show off the latest app you’ve downloaded or pictures and videos of the kids. Well that’s great except most purses can’t fit iPads, no one wants to bring the bulk of a backpack or briefcase out with them, and holding them is risky.

The TechSlinger looks like an under jacket holster and has one pouch designed to hold an iPad or tablet and then the other side has two compartments. One is a secure compartment for your phone the other is a secure compartment for your wallet, credit cards, money, license, etc. I actually hold a 16,000mah portable battery in my extra pocket insuring that not only are my devices with me but backup power is as well.

The TechSlinger fits under any jacket, blazer or suit coat and keeps your gadgets from interfering with important things, like walking.

At the recent TechCrunch meetup in Atlanta over 40 people asked about the TechSlinger. At the airport, TSA folks were asking about the TechSlinger, and of course on three different trips to three different Apple stores, people asked about the TechSlinger.

Well low and behold we’ve got Techslingers to give away.

Here’s how it works. Starting this week at ComiCon 2012 in San Diego, just tweet

“@nibletztweets & @techslinger I need a #techslinger” and if you’re lucky you’ll be randomly selected to win one. We’ll randomly draw winners in San Diego, Washington DC, Memphis, Cincinnati and other places along our sneaker-strapped nationwide startup road trip, and you’ll win. It’s that easy. Then your friends will ask, “where’d you get that”.

Linkage:

Find out more about the TechSlinger here

Here’s more coverage from Chicago’s TechWeek

Oh and we’re on this cool sneaker strapped, nationwide startup roadtrip

Exclusive: Hands On With Nyko PlayPad Pro

Nyko, the brand known for its third party controller for consols such as the XBox360, Play Station 3 and Wii is coming to Android with its PlayPad Pro which we got a hands on with at e3. From someone who doesn’t game any more, The PlayPad Pro won me over as a must have accessory to play games on my Android tablet. The controller, looks to be based upon the Xbox360 one pairs to your Android tablet running 3.0 and newer via Bluetooth.

Is This The Google Nexus Tablet Passing Through At The FCC?

Google’s annual developer conference, Google I/O is a tad bit less than a month away. The conference, which opens on June 27th in San Francisco will bring out a slew of new Google product news.

We are all expecting to hear more about the Google Chrome Box, Google Glass and the rumored Google Nexus tablet. Google is rumored to be launching a seven inch tablet to compete with the Amazon Kindle Fire in size, price and content delivery.

Our friends at Phone Arena are reporting by way of Engadget and the FCC that the Asus MeMo Pad 370T has just crossed the desks of the FCCs approval center in Columbia Maryland.

So why is this significant to the Google Nexus Tablet?

Well Asus showed off the seven inch Tegra 3 powered device at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas back in January. However they immediately shelved it when rumors started swirling that Asus had been tapped for the wi-fi only Google tablet.

PhoneArena and others, speculate (with good reason) that the MeMo Pad 370T that the FCC is seeing right now, is in fact the Google tablet without the internal name changed.

We all seem to be in agreement that the Google Nexus tablet will be at least one of the devices given away at Google IO. Seeing it cross the FCC at the tail end of May, further solidifies that thinking.

Source: PhoneArena

Bye Bye Cisco Cius Android Tablet

If you haven’t heard of the Cisco Cius Android tablet you are not alone. That may be the reason that Cisco has decided to stop manufacturing the hybrid business phone tablet device.

The Cisco Cius was not marketed to direct consumer channels. Instead Cisco was hoping to make the device a must have for enterprise customers.

PC World’s Tony Bradley suggests that it’s this direct to enterprise philosophy that ultimately resulted in the devices death. More and more companies are supporting the BYOD (bring your own device) mantra and with employees bringing their own iPads or Samsung Galaxy Tabs to work, there’s no room for a $750 enterprise Android tablet that can’t even access the Google Play Store.

Cisco’s OJ Winge reiterated that sentiment in a Cisco blog post “These stats underscore a major shift in the way people are working, in the office, at home and on-the-go, a shift that will continue to gain momentum.”

This isn’t the first innovative Cisco product to disappear from the company’s line up, last year they discontinued the Flip camera which was very popular with consumers.

Source: PC World

Google+ Updates Its Android App To Mimic It’s Update To iOS

Google has finally updated their Android app to follow the model of the iOS version they released to make the mobile experience “more beautiful.” Many Android users were pretty jealous to see the beauty iOS users were beholding, and they now can finally have it themselves. With some glitches though, the tablet version is still a little lacking as seen below. Most of the update takes what was a bland boring application and just makes it pop with the photos and posts, as well as some other major updates that we’ve all been waiting for and hoping for.