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May

Chrome Beta For Android Updated To v28: Translate Bar, Fullscreen On Tablets, Bandwidth Savings Graph, And More

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, News, Tablets

Following the release of beta features to Chrome stable yesterday, the beta channel of Chrome for Android was promoted to version 28 today.

The update brings a number of desired additions and improvements, all of which I will break down for you below. Here's the relatively incomplete list the Chrome team posted on its blog:

The Chrome team is excited to announce the promotion of Chrome 28 to the Beta channel. Chrome for Android 28.0.1500.21 contains a number of new improvements including:

Google Translate: When you come across a page written in a language that isn't in the same language as your phone or tablet, look for the translation bar

Fullscreen on tablets: Simply scroll the page to dismiss the toolbar

Support for fullscreen API

New graph showing your estimated bandwidth savings when you use the experimental data compression feature

Mobile friendly error pages

Google Translate

Here's what Chrome's new mobile-friendly Translate bar looks like if you visit a site with a language different from your device's (for example, newsru.com):

I find built-in translation support to be one of Chrome's most useful features, so I applaud Google for finally bringing it to Android.

May

PSA: The New Hangouts App Should Now Work On All Android Tablets - Go Grab Your Update And Leave Google Talk Behind

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, Google, News, Tablets

There is no arguing that the new Hangouts Android app, which replaces Google Talk and aims to unify several communication methods, has had a rough start. One of the main issues we've run into from the very beginning was wonky tablet support. In fact, most people couldn't install it at all because instead of the Update button, only a lone "Open" button would show up on tablets. Dan Morrill, one of our favorite Android engineers (HOLOYOLO! No really, he yelled that at yesterday's Android Fireside Chat), has explained that this happened due to an unfortunate bug with telephony-related permissions, and that a fix would be rolling out shortly.

May

Archos ChefPad Tablet Appeals To The Clumsy Cook Who Is Too Lazy To Search Google Play

Posted by Bertel King, Jr. in ARCHOS, News, Tablets

I like to cook, and sometimes I bring my tablet into the kitchen with me to look up a recipe. For some of you, this might not be dedicated enough. You demand a dedicated kitchen tablet, and Archos is ready to deliver. Their new ChefPad is "a tablet for the cooking enthusiast." It comes with a selection of cooking oriented apps and a silicone case that makes it a dream come true for the four of you who could not settle for anything less.

The Archos ChefPad comes with Chef Apps Zone, which filters through the Play Store to present a curated selection of cooking apps.

Apr

[Weekend Poll] Is Stylus Support Actually Worth Paying More For In An Android Tablet?

Posted by David Ruddock in Polls, Tablets

On April 11th, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 officially went on sale in the US in a Wi-Fi only flavor. I can tell you this already - if someone were to offer me one of those or a Nexus 7 3G, I'd take the Note 8.0 no questions asked. I think it's probably the best all-around Android tablet currently on sale, squeaky plastic and giant-Note II look be damned.

That said, it also costs $400! Now, that nets you 16GB of built-in storage with a microSD card slot, 2GB of RAM, a rear camera, Android 4.1.2, and a digitizer-equipped 8" 1280x800 display with a smart stylus.

Apr

Animoca: Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 Line And The Kindle Fire Family Are Still The Most Popular Android Tablets Worldwide

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Android OS, News, Tablets

A little less than a year ago, we saw a report that showed the Galaxy Tab was the most popular Android tablet, followed closely by the Kindle Fire. A lot has happened since then. The Nexus 7 has rolled out and set the new bar for what a small, cheap Android tablet should be. So, what's changed worldwide? Well, according to Animoca, not much.

According to the firm—which distributes games and entertainment apps—the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is the top Android tablet with 11.8% of its network, followed closely by the 10.1 model of the same line. Following that is the Kindle Fire and the Kindle Fire HD which collectively make up another 12.4% of Animoca's users.

Mar

SoundHound Updated With A New Tablet Interface, All Hail Big Screens

Posted by Cody Toombs in Applications, Device Updates, News, Tablets

Nothing brings a smile to my face like the words "Tablet Optimized," and thanks to SoundHound, I'll be walking around with a little grin all day long. The music recognition service has updated its Android app to include a fully realized tablet UI and a few other performance enhancements. Here are a few screenshots for comparison (taken on my Nexus 7):

Original

New

The new tablet UI replaces the boring stretched out rows with drag-able lines of large cover art, making much better use of space on the main screen, discovery, and song pages. In landscape mode, history and bookmarks now stack songs into two columns instead of one, but appear otherwise unchanged.

Mar

News Corp Introduces Amplify, A 10" Android Tablet For $299 With A $99 Subscription To Educational Content

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, Tablets

When we think of tablet manufacturers, News Corp doesn't really come to mind off the bat. Yet, here we are. The international media conglomerate has announced plans for a branded Android tablet targeted at education called Amplify. The slate would come pre-loaded with Google Apps for Education, content from Common Sense Media, Merriam-Webster's Dictionary and a graphing calculator. Most of this can be acquired or supplemented on regular Android tablets, but having the system pre-built may make teachers' lives easier.

What these tablets offer that others don't, however, is lesson plan tools for teachers and software to help parents keep track of their children's progress.

Feb

Amazon Mobile For Tablets Breaks Into Europe

Posted by Cody Toombs in Amazon, News, Tablets

Good news for our friends across the pond - Amazon Mobile for Tablets is now available in Italy, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Spain. This change follows closely behind a pair of updates from Amazon, the first adding support for additional tablets while the second added Canadian availability to the phone version.

Now available in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, and United Kingdom, as well as United States.

Bug fixes and performance enhancements

If you live in any of these European countries, own a tablet, and can’t wait to buy something online, hit the widget below.

Amazon Mobile (Tablet)

QR code for https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.amazon.windowshop

Feb

Quick Look: MagNector Pogo Charging Cable For The Nexus 10

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Accessories, Nexus 10, Other Reviews, Reviews, Tablets

Since the Nexus 10's launch, users have been itching to make use of the device's pogo pins. No word has yet emerged from either Google or Samsung about the dock we spied last Christmas or the pogo charger many assumed was in the works, but in mid-December, a thread sprung up on XDA opened by a person who claimed to have the fabled pogo charging cable in the works and nearly ready for sale. After much hurried speculation, it turned out the poster was telling the truth – the MagNector pogo cable (from Town Communication) began selling on eBay, with an official web front following close behind.

Jan

[CES 2013] NVIDIA GRID Will Power The Next OnLive (With Android Integration), If NVIDIA Has Anything To Say About It

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, NVIDIA, Tablets

Okay, so sure, OnLive still exists, but given its financial woes and general instability, it's unlikely that the company will be investing in any new hardware or infrastructure. This is a shame, because NVIDIA just dropped some sweet-looking server racks on us at CES. While it bears more than a little resemblance to the GeForce GRID program, the NVIDIA GRID features the ability to support 24 concurrent users on a single node.

In addition to providing businesses with huge, server-side processing power, the company is also touting a fully-integrated video game streaming system that includes an Android client.