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Honeycomb 3.1

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Lenovo debuts Honeycomb tablet with Netflix, another one for business

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Lenovo announced two new Honeycomb 3.1 tablets: The consumer-focused IdeaPad K1 and the ThinkPad, which is being pitched as a tablet for business pros. Both devices come preloaded with the Netflix app that streams Hollywood entertainment, a first for Honeycomb tablets, in addition to Lenovo’s Launch Zone Android 3.1 skin, a bunch of enterprise apps and other software such as Zinio, Kindle and mSpot programs.

The business-focused ThinkPad tablet sports a 10.1-inch display with a 1280-by-800 pixel resolution and IPS, a premium display technology for wide viewing angles. The device is 0.55-inch thick and weighs in at 1.6 pound versus 1.24 pound for the Samsung Galaxy Tab. It runs a 1GHz Tegra 2 chip from Nvidia, features WiFi and 3G options and has a 24.1Wh battery, mini-HDMI, full-size USB 2.0, micro USB ports, SIM tray and SD card slots. The 16GB ThinkPad will retail for $499, or $30 more with the digitizer pen included. A 3G version will be offered “at a later date”, says LG.

The IdeaPad K1 rocks the same display (sans IPS) and processor as its business counterpart, but in a slightly slimmer package due to the use of mini ports.  Priced at $499, the 32GB IdeaPad will be available in the US beginning July 20 on Lenovo’s online store and through select business partners and retail stores nationwide. General availability in the US is pinpointed for August 2011 and worldwide during the third quarter 2011. This is my next has more details plus this nice video below.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv8e7GBgzXs]

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Video walkthrough details Galaxy Tab 10.1 software update

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlLP3RXkmUQ]

On Monday, 9to5Google told you about some of the new features of the forthcoming software update for Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet. Following-up, Samsung yesterday released a twelve-minute promotional footage laying out the new stuff in greater detail. If you don’t have the time to sit through the entire clip, here’s what you need to know. First, you’ll notice subtle user interface tweaks that streamline the user experience and tone down a bit Honeycomb’s appearance with the larger and easier-to-grasp pictograms for the back, menu and home buttons. The calendar app has gotten a face-lift and the clock app also sports a cleaner look with crisper fonts.

The biggie is the resizeable widget capability, courtesy of Honeycomb 3.1). You can now resize clock, calendar, weather and picture widgets, which is nice. Samsung has built on top of stock Honeycomb 3.1 experience with custom apps – such as their own contact manager – plus a new version of TouchWiz with Quick Panel access to device settings, wireless and cellular networks, brightness and volume adjustments and so forth. You can also invoke a pull-up gesture from the bottom of the screen to display a list of the commonly used apps. You can also run some apps in multiple windows, usually the ones that don’t require the whole screen, which is a first for Android. Liliputing has the full breakdown of other interesting tidbits and nice-to-haves.


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Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 hits UK August 4, Galaxy Tab 8.9 to follow later this year

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Samsung today announced that its Galaxy Tab 10.1 will arrive in the UK on August 4. The device will be sold by “a range of UK retailers” and a portfolio of accessories will be available at launch. Both WiFi and 3G versions will be available, Samsung said. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 measures just 8.6 millimeters thin and weighs in at 565 grams. The device runs the latest Android Honeycomb 3.1 tablet software from Google and comes preloaded with Samsung’s apps.

These include Readers Hub and Music Hub that provide access to more than 2.2 million downloadable e-books, 2,000 newspapers, 2,300 magazines and 13 million songs. They also have Social Hub which integrates email, instant messaging, mobile contacts, calendar and social network connections into a single interface. The Britons will also be able to get their hands on the 8.9-inch Galaxy Tab (pictured below) “later this year”. Full release below.


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Galaxy Tab 10.1 hits Sprint this Friday, Samsung unveils a bunch of accessories

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Samsung has taken the wraps off of a lineup of accessories designed for its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet. Offered online at samsung.com, some are available now while others are slated for a mid-summer arrival. If you plan on accessorizing, there will be no shortage of choices ranging from standard protective cases and docking and charging stations to multimedia and USB adapters, digital frames and more. Of course, you’ll need a Galaxy Tab 10.1 to boot with and Sprint just announced that sales are beginning this Friday, starting at $499 Full press release below.


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Toshiba’s Thrive tablet goes on pre-order starting at $430

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As of yesterday, Toshiba’s 10-inch Android tablet dubbed the Thrive is available for pre-order from the online Toshiba store and Office Depot, starting at $430 for the entry-level eight gigabyte version. The 16GB and 32GB versions will set you back $450 and $570, respectively.

As we previously informed you, the Thrive runs stock Android Honeycomb 3.1 software and has full-sized USB and HDMI ports allowing you to attach a plethora of USB-compatible peripherals, from thumb drives, mice and keyboard to printers, digital cameras and camcorders. Other features include a microSD card slot, a swappable battery and slim profile measuring just 0.66 inches.
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Toshiba’s Thrive: Full-sized USB/HDMI ports, 10.1-inch IPS display, Honeycomb 3.1 from day one

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This is my next caught up with Toshiba officials, learning their anticipated Android-driven tablet will hit pre-orders beginning next week. Dubbed the Thrive, it runs Honeycomb 3.1 from the get-go. As a result, expect compatibility with mice, keyboards, memory sticks and other USB peripherals from day one because Honeycomb 3.1 is the first Android version that acts as a USB host. Let’s not forget a built-in SDcard port for easy media transfer from your digital cameras and camcorders. In addition to full-sized USB and HDMI ports, the Thrive also packs in – and road warriors will appreciate this – a swappable battery. A couple more perks before we get to the downer…


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Google I/O 2011: Day one summary

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If you missed big announcements from today’s Google I/O 2011 keynote, don’t sweat – here’s your recap of key takeaways. Google executives first touted 100 million Android activations so far and about 400,000 new devices being activated each day. Other mind-boggling stats include 200,000 free and paid applications on Android Market and 4.5 billion downloads since Android’s launch less than three years ago. That was just a warm-up for big announcements, though…


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