Tablets - 3/17 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jul

The Nexus 7 Has One More Trick Up Its Sleeve: A Magnetic Smart Cover Sensor

Posted by David Ruddock in ASUS, Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Nexus 7, Tablets, Tips & Tutorials

You thought you knew everything there was to know about the Nexus 7? Well, you thought wrong. A curious owner of the device started doing what any totally rational person does with a brand-new tablet: expose it to magnetic forces. The results yielded an as-yet hidden feature in the Nexus 7, in the form a magnetic smart cover sensor. Simply take a magnet and put it up against the front or back of your Nexus 7 along the bottom left-hand side while in portrait mode with the display on, and you can see the effect for yourself. Or, you could just watch this video of our tipster doing it:

While Google does sell covers for the Nexus 7, it's unclear if they support this feature (though ASUS does call it a "smart cover" here).

Jul

Nexus 7 Review: The Android Tablet, Rebooted

Posted by David Ruddock in ASUS, Jelly Bean 4.1, Nexus 7, Reviews, Tablet Reviews, Tablets

Last Updated: July 15th, 2012

Android tablets, for the last year plus they've existed, haven't been anything to get excited over. At least that's my opinion on the matter. And even if you've wanted one (a good one), most of them have been sort of expensive. But now that Google has unveiled the first true Nexus tablet (XOOM who?), for a mere 200 of your dollars, you can get in on the computing revolution. At that price, Google isn't shooting for the premium market. It's targeting first-time tableteers, boldly going where only Amazon and various Chinese knock-offs have gone before - into the sub-$200 slate market.

Jul

15 Best Android Apps For Tablets From The Last 6 Weeks (5/18/12 - 7/4/12)

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 6 weeks or so.

This edition focuses only on new tablet apps or ones that added tablet 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.

Featured App

Rogue AI

Today's tablet roundup is sponsored by a pretty awesome game called Rogue AI.

Jul

[Update: Affecting Only Some Units] The Nexus 7's Screen Has Surprisingly Bad Image Retention - Just Take A Look At These Photos

Posted by David Ruddock in ASUS, News, Nexus 7, Tablets, Tips & Tutorials

ASUS Response: We've received a response from ASUS that they're unable to replicate the problem on production units (I/O units are, technically, pre-production), so this may have been sorted out in time for the initial consumer run. It appears, then, that this problem is at least affecting only some units.

Update: Here are some more comparison photos from a different Nexus 7.

Some have suggested this is a native behavior with IPS displays called "image retention." I did a side-by-side of the same image with a Transformer Prime and Trasformer Pad 300 - both of which have IPS displays.

Jul

A Buyers' Guide Look At The Asus Transformer Pad (TF300), Prime (TF201), And Infinity (TF700)

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Eee Pad Transformer Prime, News, Tablet Reviews, Tablets, Transformer Pad 300, Transformer Pad Infinity

With the flagship Transformer Pad Infinity (TF700) release right around the corner and the release of the budget-oriented Transformer Pad (TF300) a few months ago, Asus has filled out it's line-up of 10" quad-core Android tablets. Obviously, most people would opt for the highest of the high-end (that'd be the TF700) if they were just looking to blow money. Unfortunately, most people aren't just looking for ways to spend as much money as possible, so instead, they spend enough to cover their needs.

First, I've provided a handy-dandy chart to let you compare the major (and some of the minor) talking points of each tablet.

Jun

Google I/O Day One Roundup – Jelly Bean, Google Glass, Two New Nexus Devices, And So Much More

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, ASUS, Google, Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Nexus 7, Nexus Q (Steelhead), Tablets, Videos

Google's I/O conference, in usual form, kicked off with an explosive start. The day's news saw the revelation of things we've been waiting to see for months. Things we've heard rumor of, wished for, and even (quite accurately) predicted. With all the things we saw, it only seems right to round up all the day's news in one place. Grab a snack, because we've got a lot to talk about.

Jelly Bean

One of the day's I/O show stoppers was undoubtedly the announcement of Android 4.1 aka Jelly Bean. I have to be honest, with a ".1" update, I wasn't expecting too much improvement, but I was certainly wrong in that estimation.

Jun

[Counterpoint] Android Tablets Are Powerfully Versatile Machines, And Don't Try To Tell Me Otherwise

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Editorials, Tablets

A few days ago, my colleague David Ruddock shared his feelings on Android tablets, why they "suck," and a few suggestions on how they can be improved. At the start of that editorial, he asked the question "how often do you instinctively reach for [your Android tablet], as opposed to your phone or laptop?" Today, I'm going to answer that question from my own personal standpoint, and I'm going to explain why I think Android tablets are actually underrated.

Before I get started, I want to make one thing clear: this isn't about blindly defending Android tablets. It's also not about ignoring their weaknesses, either; I will be the first to admit that the Android tablet app ecosystem is extremely lacking.

Jun

TouchType Launches SwiftKey 3 Update (On Sale For $1.99), Introduces SwiftKey Healthcare Tailored For Medical Professionals

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, News, Tablets

TouchType Ltd., the creators of what is arguably the best predictive keyboard available for Android, have just announced SwiftKey 3, along with a separate solution made specifically for medical professionals – SwiftKey Healthcare.

SwiftKey 3, which has – as of tonight – finally come out of beta, is on sale in celebration of its launch, available from the Play Store for just $1.99 today. SwiftKey Healthcare, for those wondering, is a new keyboard, pre-loaded with tons of medical terminology and tools to enhance medical note taking in the healthcare industry. We'll take a quick look at both of the keyboards below.

Jun

Editorial: Android Tablets Still Suck, And Google's Running Out Of Time To Fix Them

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Editorials, Tablets

I want to ask everyone a question - well, everyone who owns an Android tablet, that is - how often do you instinctively reach for it, as opposed to your phone or laptop? I don't care what the reason is, I'm just genuinely curious how much of a "tweener" role your Android tablet has taken in your life. And after you read this editorial, share that story with me in the comments, because I'd really like to have a discussion with people on this.

I own a Transformer Prime. Know how often I use it? Once, maybe twice a week for a few minutes.

Jun

[Quick Look] Arkon Desk & Travel Stand For Tablets: Simple, Compact, And Convenient

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Other Reviews, Tablets

If you own a tablet, then you probably realize a good tablet stand is clutch. The thing is, though, there are so many stands on the market, it's almost impossible to find exactly what you want. Personally, I want something as minimal as possible, functional, offers a variety of viewing angles, and doesn't take up a lot of room in my bag. Enter the Arkon Desk & Travel Stand for Tablets.

As you can see, this stand is not only extremely compact, but equally as versatile. I've spend the last few weeks using this stand, and I have to say that the overall quality of the product has left me impressed; in fact, it actually surprised me in ways that I didn't expect.