IN PICTURES: Kindle Fire - Up close with Amazon's media tablet

The Amazon Kindle Fire is one of the most anticipated tablets of the season. Here's a look at some of its notable features.

By Melissa J. Perenson | 17 November, 2011 10:14

Tags: tabley, mobility, mobile solutions, Kindle Fire, amazon

How Steve Jobs changed mobility

It's no dispute that Steve Jobs' influence on technology has been far and wide. However, in reflection, one could say he single-handedly transformed and redefined mobility in the 21st century, in a way no other technology company or individual has done.

By Melissa J. Perenson | 09 October, 2011 09:10

Tags: mobile, consumer electronics, company news, apple ipod, apple ipad, Apple

The Amazon Kindle Fire: First impressions

The wraps are finally off Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet. Its splashy entry into the tablet firestorm was hard to miss -- Amazon made quite a statement with its $199 price -- and yet I'm underwhelmed. Although reporters were not allowed to touch the Kindle Fire during the demonstrations following Amazon's New York launch event, I spent considerable time observing the tablet in action, and grilling Amazon executives about different features. My gut reaction to what I saw today: This is not the Amazon tablet we've all been looking for.

Hands on with the 7-inch Toshiba Thrive

Toshiba today unveiled the newest addition to its Thrive family of tablets: the Toshiba Thrive 7".

By Melissa J. Perenson | 28 September, 2011 10:19

Tags: toshiba, tablets, tablet PC, hardware systems

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet means business

With the ThinkPad Tablet, Lenovo distinguishes itself as the first company with two tablets clearly aimed at two different markets. The company did a solid job with its consumer-focused IdeaPad K1, released midsummer. The ThinkPad Tablet (starting at $499 for a 16GB model, price as of 9/23/2011), like its laptop brethren, has its sights squarely set on business users. And like the ThinkPad laptops, Lenovo largely succeeds in putting together a business-worthy package with its own design, features, and bundled software.

By Melissa J. Perenson | 26 September, 2011 02:45

Tags: tablets, Lenovo, hardware systems

Windows 8 on ARM processors: Three working tablet demos

This week has seen lots of talk about Microsoft Windows 8 coming to hardware running on ARM processors. Now, the first prototypes, from Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments, are on display here at the BUILD Expo. But questions remain.

By Melissa J. Perenson | 16 September, 2011 07:25

Tags: Windows 8, texas instruments, tablets, tablet PC, qualcomm, nvidia, Microsoft, hardware systems

Why we need Windows 8 tablets

Interoperability: It's a big word that describes an even bigger problem -- namely, that of the compatibility of your apps and data between different devices. And while the mobile worlds of Google's Android and Apple's iOS have come a long way, nothing compares to the complete end-to-end compatibility offered by a Windows computer. The issues that a Windows 8 tablet could address are the twin troubles of file handling and app compatibility -- two things that remain troublesome thorns in the sides of both Android and iOS.

By Melissa J. Perenson | 13 September, 2011 00:09

Tags: tablets, hardware systems, Google, Apple

Samsung unveils Galaxy Tab 7.7 Android Honeycomb tablet

Samsung today launched the successor to its original Galaxy Tab tablet, one year after first showing off the 7-inch Galaxy Tab at last year’s IFA trade show in Berlin. That Samsung would refresh that initial model, and bring its naming convention more in line with the other tablets in the company’s lineup, Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy Tab 8.9, was predictable. That Samsung would include a Super AMOLED Plus display on such a large screen was less of a given, but this move was no less welcomed.

By Melissa J. Perenson | 02 September, 2011 01:31

Tags: tablets, Samsung Electronics, hardware systems

Apple without Steve Jobs: A charisma crisis

Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ resignation leaves the company's internal operation in the capable hands of his replacement, Tim Cook. But his departure also leaves a cavernous void when it comes to the company’s public persona. And right now, it’s unclear who may step in to fill that void.

By Melissa J. Perenson | 25 August, 2011 23:26

Tags: steve jobs, personnel, business issues, Apple

Panasonic reveals ruggedised Android tablet

Panasonic joins the long list of notebook manufacturers getting into the tablet game. The company announced it would release its Toughbook Android tablet later this year.

By Melissa J. Perenson | 18 June, 2011 00:07

Tags: tablets, tablet PCs, Panasonic, laptops, hardware systems

Hands-on with Google's Android 3.1 update

Google's long-awaited Android 3.1 update is slowly rolling out over-the-air to the Motorola Xoom, the first of the Honeycomb-based tablets to get the update. The non-3G Xoom on my desk finally got its update, and I got a chance to finally get some up-close time with the OS.

By Melissa J. Perenson | 21 May, 2011 08:20

Tags: tablets, tablet PC, Phones, Google, consumer electronics, Android

Cool Android tablet apps to watch for

These apps are all optimized for the larger screens of tablets -- and either just came out, or are coming soon

By Melissa J. Perenson | 20 May, 2011 10:50

Tags: tablets, android apps, Android

Google releases Android 3.1, first big Honeycomb update

Google today announced its first significant update to Android 3.0 Honeycomb. Google will roll out the update to Verizon Xoom 3G users today, and to other Honeycomb devices over the next couple of weeks.

By Melissa J. Perenson | 11 May, 2011 03:59

Tags: Telecommunication, software, operating systems, Mobile operating systems, mobile, Google, applications

Five things Google needs to fix in Android 3.0 Honeycomb

Make no mistake: Google's tablet-optimized Android 3.0 represents a huge improvement overall over previous versions of Google's mobile operating system. But that's not to say it gets everything right. After extensive use across multiple tablets, I've identified five things that Google needs to address in Honeycomb.

By Melissa J. Perenson | 09 May, 2011 00:36

Tags: tablets, software, operating systems, Motorola, Google, Apple

RIM BlackBerry PlayBook

To say that Research in Motion's BlackBerry PlayBook is a study in contrasts is an understatement. After extensively testing a PlayBook ($500 for 16GB of storage, $600 for a 32GB version, and $700 for 64GB) that was running not-quite-final software, I'm impressed by its convenient size and novel navigation, but I found the tablet's sometimes primitive native software and selection of apps frustrating.

By Melissa J. Perenson | 15 April, 2011 01:07

Tags: tablets, tablet PCs, tablet PC, research in motion, laptops, hardware systems