Android tablets

At I/O 2022, Google announced that over 20 first-party apps would be optimized for tablets. We’ve already seen a handful of launches since May, and Google Drive, Docs/Sheets/Slides, and Keep are now set to receive updates that improve multitasking on Android tablets. 

At I/O 2022, Google showed off a major Play Store redesign for large screen devices. Until that’s ready, the Play Store on Android tablets and Chromebooks is picking up some Material You flourishes. 

At I/O 2022, Google announced it was updating over 20 of its first-party apps for Android tablets and other large screen form factors. Besides visual redesigns, this includes multitasking optimizations like the ability to drag images across apps, which Google Keep for Android now supports.

For quite some time, the Google Weather app could only be found on Android phones, but it’s now coming to tablets.

The latest first-party app to get an Android tablet-optimized redesign is Google Clock with version 7.2 today. This follows Google Lens and Calculator, which widely rolled out earlier this week.

YouTube Music was one of the Android apps that Google said would get tablet optimizations at I/O 2022, and the redesigned playlist interface is now live. 

Following Lens last week, Google Calculator is the next first-party application to be updated for tablets and other large screen Android devices.

A week ago at I/O 2022, Google said it would optimize over 20 of its Android apps for large-screen devices. The first tablet update is now here, and that distinction goes to Google Lens.

During today’s The Android Show, Google discussed its recent work in the large-screen device space and its grand vision for the form factor, including “tablet-first” apps.

Sometime in the past year, Google looks to have formed a new “Android Tablets” initiative. In fact, one of Android’s cofounders rejoined the OS team to be part of that effort.

NVIDIA released the refreshed SHIELD Tablet K1 last month, and now it’s getting a huge software update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The biggest additions here are nothing new — they’ve been hitting devices since Marshmallow first started rolling out to the Nexus line earlier this year — but there are a few things unique to the K1…

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The Pixel team took to Reddit this morning to answer questions about their new tablet following its launch yesterday. Early reviews of the device praised the hardware, but faulted Android for a lack of tablet optimization. Unsurprisingly, most of the questions asked revolved around that…

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Affirming last week’s rumors, the Pixel C is now available for purchase. Android on tablets have had a varied history and unfortunately this one suffers from the same usual friction of putting what is essentially a phone OS on a large screen. However, the device is not completely without merit on the hardware side and accompanying software updates might change that in the future.

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This week, a rumor going around stated that the Pixel C would be available for sale starting on December 8th. Beyond a brief Twitter mention and the knowledge that the product would be launching in time for the holiday season, we have not heard much about Google’s productivity-focused tablet. However, the launch rumor is gaining credence as the device has been spotted on a GFXBench and Geekbench benchmark.

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AT&T today announced that it will soon begin selling the budget AT&T Trek HD 4G LTE (let’s just call it the Trek HD), the nationwide carrier’s first company-branded tablet. In its press release, the company says the tablet will be available to purchase on their website starting May 12th and in AT&T stores starting May 15th, and notes right in the first sentence, and on multiple other occasions, that it will run Android Lollipop…

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With every great smartphone, there must be a great tablet, right? Well, that’s particularly true for Google. Today we’re taking a look at the HTC-made Nexus 9. Will the Nexus 9 be tough competition for the Android tablet market? Only time will tell, but let’s go ahead and dive into the box first to see what it’s all about…

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Intel is hoping to help schools make the transition to electronic learning with the announcement of two low-spec Android tablets intended to be cheap enough for bulk purchase, reports PhoneArena.

The smaller and presumably cheaper of the two comes with an Atom Z2420 chip running at 1.2GHz, 1GB of RAM, and a 7-inch, 1024 by 600 pixel display. There are also 8GB of storage, a built-in speaker and mike, basic front and rear cameras, and a sealed battery that should last through 8 hours of usage. That the tablet is resistant to some water and shock damage, bearing IP41 certification, is worth noting.

The larger of the two Intel Education Tablets is powered by a 1.6GHz Atom Z2460 processor backed by 1GB of RAM and its 10.1-inch display has a resolution of 1280 by 800 pixels. It offers twice the built-in storage, 16 gigs …
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While all eyes may be on the new Nexus 7, those with 2012 models may want to hold fire before handing over their cash for the shiny new model. AnandTech (via GigaOM) reveals that an upgrade to Android 4.3 could give the older model a whole new lease of life.

One of the common complaints late in the life of the original Nexus 7 was slow storage I/O performance, leading to an inconsistent user experience. After a fresh flash, the Nexus 7 was speedy and performant, but after months of installing applications and using the tablet, things began slowing down. This was a friction point that many hoped would be fixed in the new Nexus 7 (2013) model, which it was. There’s even more to the story though, it turns out Google has fixed that storage I/O ageing problem on all Nexus devices with the Android 4.3 update … 
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From 9to5Toys.com:

Hot on the heels of Google announcing early availability for the new Nexus 7, we’re getting our first discount on the brand new tablet. For the next two days (or until sold out), Staples is offering the 16GB version for $199 and 32GB for $239 when you enter coupon code 41178. Both deals include free shipping and tax is added where applicable. This deal is the only current discount available for the new Nexus 7.
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There’s some noise being made about the Nexus 7 in the Hangouts video (above at 21 seconds in).  I’ve just talked to a Google rep who said, “That’s not the new Nexus 7… if hypothetically there was such a thing.”
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