Tablets - 12/17 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Sep

Amazon's "Kindle Fire" To Be Officially Announced Wednesday - Expected To Release This November

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Amazon, News, Tablets

It looks like Amazon's Android-powered tablet we heard about previously will soon be a reality. TechCrunch reported today that at Amazon's press event this Wednesday, the online shopping giant will unveil the Kindle Fire, an Android-based tablet named to differentiate itself from its e-ink cousins.

The tablet runs a custom version of Android including Amazon's own app market. Little is known about the Fire's hardware, other than the fact that it's sporting a 7" backlit display and possibly a Texas Instruments OMAP 4 processor. The Kindle Fire's hardware specs are not the only thing the tablet has to offer however. Many are speculating that a last-minute deal with FOX indicates a strong media focus for the tablet, bringing sophisticated streaming capabilities and a slew of media options.

Sep

New Details Surrounding Xoom 2 Leak Out - More Than One Version In The Works

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News, Tablets, XYBOARD / XOOM 2

When we first reported on Motorola's alleged Xoom 2, very few - if any - details were certain. An anonymous tipster has been piling on the information since then, however, providing photos, (some) specs, and perhaps the most interesting detail of all - a second, smaller version of the Xoom 2, expected to be billed as an "e-reader replacement."

The Xoom 2's smaller relative appears to have the same rear buttons (power and volume rocker) as its larger counterpart, and a generally similar form factor, if not yet completely polished.

Obviously a full list of specs has not been confirmed, but here's what we think we know so far about the Xoom 2, thanks to the tipster:

Sleek 9mm thickness
1.2GHz Processor (of unknown origin, possibly an OMAP 4)
1GB RAM
1080p video recording with a 5MP rear shooter
LTE Compatibility

The smaller tablet, suspected to be a "media version," supposedly shares the same specs as its larger relative, but is rumored to add an onboard IR remote and subwoofer, as well as an 8.2" HD IPS display.

Sep

12 Best Android 3.0+ Apps For Honeycomb Tablets From The Last 2 Weeks (9/3/11 - 9/21/11)

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, Best Apps/Games/LWPs Of The Week, Games, News, Tablets

Welcome to the weekly roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Market or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.

This edition focuses only on new tablet apps or ones that added Honeycomb support. Regular apps and games are coming soon.

Please wait for this page to load in full in order to see the AppBrain widgets, which include ratings and pricing info.

Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.

For Tablets

Antipaper Notes HD

Can't ever have enough note-taking apps on tablets, right? I love the UI on this one - it's absolutely gorgeous.

Sep

The Wait Is Almost Over - ASUS Eee Pad Slider Coming At The End Of September, Starting At $475

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Eee Pad Slider, News, Tablets

Since its debut at CES, ASUS' Eee Pad Slider has been a hotly anticipated device, blurring the line between tablets, netbooks, and webtops. After months of waiting, it seems the Slider is almost upon us - Engadget reported today that based on the information received at an event in New York, ASUS' latest entry into the tablet market will be available by the end of this month.

The Slider's 16GB model will be coming in at $475, with a 32GB model available for $575. For those who need a reminder, here are some of the Slider's specs again:

Android 3.2
Dual Core Tegra 2 Processor
10" IPS Display (1280x800)
1.2MP Front Shooter and 5MP Rear Shooter (with flash)
Mini-HDMI, Mini-USB, and MicroSD slots
Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
2.2 lb
1/2" thick

Engadget goes on to break down their hands-on experience, explaining that the Slider looks quite elegant in person, and while the keyboard's sliding mechanism eats up a fair amount of space, it's still a relatively comfortable typing experience when processing words in "short bursts." This is aided however by the seemingly strong build quality.

Sep

Fusion Garage Grid 10 Tablet Looks To Crush The Competition With Comparable Specs And A Low Pricetag

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Tablets

The upcoming Fusion Garage Grid 10 tablet is a different sort of beast, looking to separate itself from the current crop of Honeycomb tablets by bringing high-end specs with a low-end pricetag. How high-end, you ask? Let's have a look.

10.1-inch 1366x768 display
1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 processor
512MB RAM (a little on the low side, I agree)
16GB storage
microSD slot
Wi-Fi and 3G variants
Custom "Grid OS" based on Android

Aside from the resolution (which is higher than any other Honeycomb tablet currently out), the Grid 10 features specs that are equivalent to most other Android tablets on the market.

Sep

[New App] Got An Android Tablet? Like YCombinator's Hacker News? Grab The Excellent HackNewsBot For Honeycomb Tablets

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, News, Tablets

I'm a huge fan of 2 community news sites - Reddit and the more technical/nerdy Hacker News by YCombinator. The former has a few tablet apps but Android users haven't had as much luck with Hacker News apps for tablets. The website, while fast and looking just fine in the browser, is far from optimal for those using a touch interface with its tiny links to discussions and buttons.

Enter the new HackNewsBot app by Jason Ostrander, designed specifically for Honeycomb tablets.

We have the independently scrolling list of stories on the left which can be toggled on and off to make room for the browser on the right.

Sep

[New App] HoneyBar Hides The Notification Bar On Rooted Honeycomb Tablets With A Single Tap

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News, Tablets

If you own a Honeycomb tablet, then you probably know that a true fullscreen option doesn't exist. When watching YouTube videos, viewing images in the gallery, or playing a games, the navigation bar is always present - which causes frustration for a lot of users. Enter HoneyBar, a simple way to temporarily hide the navbar on rooted tablets.

Upon install, HoneyBar will launch itself and constantly run in the middle of the navbar, which is usually blank space. I say 'usually' because with TouchWiz on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, this is where the mini app tray is.

Sep

13 Android 3.0+ Apps For Honeycomb Tablets From The Last 2 Weeks (8/14/11 - 9/2/11)

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, Best Apps/Games/LWPs Of The Week, Games, News, Tablets

Welcome to the weekly roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Market or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.

This edition focuses only on new tablet apps or ones that added Honeycomb support. Regular apps and games are coming soon.

Please wait for this page to load in full in order to see the AppBrain widgets, which include ratings and pricing info.

Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here:

For Tablets

Beautiful Notes for Honeycomb

Beautiful Notes is a tablet optimized note-taking and todolist-management productivity app targeted at Android 3.0 Honeycomb Tablets.

Aug

[Exclusive] Toshiba's Sexy New Tablet To Be Called The Excite

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Excite 10 LE (AT200 / AT205), Exclusives, News, Rumors, Tablets, Toshiba

Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

Back in April, before Toshiba had officially revealed the name of its upcoming tablet, one Babyfacemagee did some serious detective work to figure out that it would be called the Thrive - and ended up being dead-on. Fast-forward a few months, and we're hearing rumors of a new, slimmer, sexier Galaxy Tab-fighter from Toshiba.

While we've yet to hear (or see) anything official from the company, Babyfacemagee seems to have come through with the name once again. This time around, it seems that the tablet will (quite fittingly) be dubbed the Excite.

So, what do we have by way of proof?

Aug

CyanogenMod 7 Makes Its Way To The HP TouchPad

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, News, Tablets, TouchPad, Videos

Just last week we reported that a HP TouchPad running Android 2.2 was being sold on eBay for $700. The claim seemed a little dubious, especially considering the inflated price tag, but today news just broke that CM7 has finally made its way onto the HP TouchPad. The news comes from Rootzwiki, who included a video and a letter from the CM Team related to the project and its recent progress.

The letter explains that the footage is from last week, meaning much progress has been made, many tablet-centric tweaks have been added, and the team is still hard at work making improvements.