Eye-Tracking Tablet And The Promise Of Text 2.0

From Epicenter:

The best thing about reading a book on a tablet (so far) is how closely it approximates reading a “real” book — which is why the Kindle’s screen is matte like paper rather than luminescent like a laptop. Some (not all) fear for the demise of real reading and writing, but it’s more likely we’re really at the leading edge of an innovation curve that could breathe new life into the written word.

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Androids Will Challenge The iPad

Image: Tap and go: This prototype device runs on the Android operating system and features a customizable home screen. The interface was created by Boston-based company Tap 'n Tap.
Credit: Tap 'n Tap

From Technology Review:

Tablets powered by Google's mobile operating system are set to debut.

Apple's iPad is certain to grab headlines when it hits stores next month. But a number of touch-screen tablets powered by Google's Android operating system will also debut this year. Competing with Apple's latest consumer gadget won't be easy, but analysts say the software behind these devices could give them a few key advantages.

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Sony Wants To Build An iPad Clone

From Gadget Lab:

Sony wants to make an iPad clone, according to the company’s CFO Nobuyuki Oneda. Speaking at a press conference in Tokyo, Oneda said of the iPad “That is a market we are also very interested in. We are confident we have the skills to create a product.”

It’s certainly no surprise that Apple’s long-expected announcement last week would spur a slew of copycat designs — one of the trends at this year’s CES, which came *before* the iPad event, there were plenty of iSlate announcements, notably from Dell and also Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer (nice guess on the name by the way, guys).

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Slate Showdown: iPad vs. HP Slate vs. JooJoo vs. Android Tablets & More

From Gizmodo:

Everybody's talking about tablets, especially those single-pane capacitive touchscreen ones more specifically known as "slates." The iPad is the biggest newsmaker, but there are lots headed our way (most with built-in webcams). Here's how they measure up, spec-wise:

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Google Shows Off Chrome OS Tablet Ideas

A mock-up of a Chrome OS tablet from Google's Chromium developer site.
(Credit: Google)

From CNET News:

Who could resist the months of hype that paved the way for Apple's iPad debut last week? Apparently not Google, which has shown its interest in tablet computing with its browser-based Chrome OS.

On Monday, Glen Murphy, a user interface designer for Google's Chrome browser and the Chrome operating system based on it, pointed to image and video concepts of a Chrome OS-based tablet that went live two days before the iPad launch. Apparently nobody noticed initially, because only now did Murphy tweet, "Apparently our tablet mocks have been unearthed."

The site also shows the array of devices Google envisions for Chrome OS.

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Is This The iSlate? 'Pictures Of New Tablet' Surface Online As Apple Frenzy Hits Fever Pitch

Could this be a picture of Apple's hugely anticipated iSlate?
Blogger Dustin Curtis' idea of what the device will look like

From The Daily Mail:

Apple is expected to launch its next generation gadget - an iSlate entertainment device - in San Francisco tomorrow.

But as frenzy surrounding the new device, dubbed the 'Jesus tablet', hits fever pitch, it seems some fans cannot wait that long.

Several alleged pictures of the gadget have surfaced online in anticipation of Apple's sleek new design as speculation continues to grow.

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Apple ‘Tablets’ Sniffed By Analytics Are More Likely iPhones

From Gadget Lab:

A mobile analytics company has come forward with what it touts as evidence that Apple tablet prototypes are being tested — without offering any solid details suggesting the mystery devices are tablets at all.

Analytics firm Flurry has tracked down 50 devices that it believes are Apple’s expected tablet. The devices’ IPs and GPS data give away they have not left Apple’s Cupertino campus, according to Flurry, which raises the firm’s suspicion that these are prototypes in testing. Flurry goes on to say its app tracking matches the “characteristics of Apple’s rumored tablet device” even though the analytics don’t provide any data about the characteristics of the prototypes.

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Rivals Will Vie With Apple For Tablet Spotlight

Intel demonstrates OpenPeak tablet at 2010 CES.
(Credit: Intel)

From CNET:

Technology from Intel, Marvell, and Nvidia is powering some intriguing alternatives to the imminent Apple tablet.

News about the Apple tablet, when it emerges, will likely blanket the Internet for some time after the device is announced, obscuring tablet efforts from rivals. Nevertheless, there will be at least a few designs that should warrant some attention. Here are some potential high-profile alternatives:

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Is This The Apple Tablet In Action? (Video)

Video is from Zideo.

Six Industries Apple's Tablet Could Shake Up

From Popular Mechanics:

Apple's tablet announcement is next week. And like the iPhone before it, the product may well have a power that ripples far beyond its on-sale date. Here are six industries that the Apple tablet could shake up.

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Verizon, AT&T May Carry Apple Tablet

Apple has sent invitations for a Jan. 27 event in San Francisco, where the technology company will unveil its long-awaited tablet device. Apple

From FOX News:

Which wireless carrier will offer Apple's soon-to-be-released mystery device? Will it be Verizon? AT&T? The answer, according to sources at the two companies, is both.

As any well-read geek will tell you, Apple is releasing some sort of tablet device next week, and the rumors about features have been flying as fast and furious as those men in tights at Cirque du Soleil. I'm not going to add to the noise by speculating about unreleased details like the size, shape, color, price and general feature list. Instead I'm going to add the other noise: the network noise.

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Amazon Prepares For Apple Tablet With Promise Of Apps For Kindle Ereader

Amazon's Kindle: soon with apps. Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images

From The Guardian:

Developers are being sought to produce iPhone-style apps as Kindle faces Apple tablet challenge in ebook market.

Amazon is inviting developers to build iPhone-style apps on its Kindle ebook reader, in what is seen as a pre-emptive strike against the expected launch next week of an Apple tablet computer.

Developers are promised the capacity to "build and upload active content that will be available in the Kindle Store later this year". The first developers will be allowed to join a test programme – a limited beta – from next month.

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Apple Fuels Buzz Over Tablet Computer

From Financial Times:

Apple on Monday ratcheted up the public relations buzz surrounding the launch of a new product, widely expected to be a tablet-sized computer, this month.

It sent out a press invitation via email, inviting journalists to “come see our latest creation”. Whilst far from explicit, as is Apple’s wont, the invitation was the strongest confirmation yet of what has been the company’s most anticipated new product since the launch of the iPhone three years ago.

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Analyst: Apple Tablet 'In Full Production'

Photo: Tablets on display last week at the Consumer Electronics Show. (Credit: Brooke Crothers)

From CNET:

An analyst at AVI Securities said Friday morning that the Apple tablet is "in full production" and a research note stated that Apple "NAND" flash chip requirements may be increasing because of the tablet.

The Apple tablet information comes from "a maker of components going into the Apple tablet," according to analyst Matt Thornton. "It's been in the supply chain for a while and entered full production this month. A couple of suppliers actually had weaker Decembers than they would have expected because production was pushed back a little bit," he said in an interview.

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OLED Could Be Apple Tablet’s Secret Solution For E-Reading

From Gadget Lab:

An OLED display would be a pricey, but perfect, screen for e-book reading on a tablet, like the one Apple is rumored to be announcing later this month.

OLEDs are serious power drainers, but if Apple were to implement a reading mode with a black background and light-colored text, then an OLED screen would consume far less energy. That’s because OLEDs consume power differently than LCDs; they only use power when pixels are turned on. That means blacks won’t consume any energy, and such a reading mode would substantially preserve battery life, an analyst told Wired.com.

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Skiff E-Reader Has Some New Tricks

From Popular Mechanics:

LAS VEGAS—The barrage of new products from CES includes a number of e-Ink devices, all lining up to dislodge the Kindle from its perch at the top of the market. Among the double fistful of readers for sale in 2010 will be the Skiff Reader, a sleek 11.5-inch device that has received a healthy share of buzz in the past few days. We've refrained from writing about Skiff until now because it's backed by Hearst, Popular Mechanics' own parent company, and because over the past year we've been sharing ideas on the device with the company's development team. (As you can see from the photo, we've created sample content for Skiff that will be shown this week in Las Vegas.)

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Apple To Unveil Tablet In January, Ship In March - WSJ

From Apple Insider:

Apple later this month will preview its long-awaited touch-screen tablet before shipping the device to consumers two months later, the Wall Street Journal is reporting.

Echoing claims of an early 2010 launch of the 10-inch device first reported by AppleInsider last July, the financial paper cited "people briefed on the matter" as saying that Apple has been experimenting with "two different material finishes" for the hardware.

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Ex-Googler Lee Sees Apple Tablet Debut In January

Kai-fu Lee (Credit: Google)

From CNET:

Sure, every blogger worth his salt has weighed in on the long-rumored Apple tablet that may or may not be--its possible size, shape, specs, debut date, and on and on. Now offering up a perspective on the matter is a high-profile tech industry executive, Kai-fu Lee, who until recently was the head of Google's China operations.

It seems that Lee, who's now working to foster entrepreneurship in China, wrote on his Chinese language blog earlier this week that Apple CEO Steve Jobs will be releasing a tablet PC in January, and expects to produce a voluminous 10 million in the first year, according to the IDG News Service and other media outlets.

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At Last! Apple Tablet Is Slated For Launch In January

Industry experts believe the 'iSlate' - a cross between an iPhone and a laptop - could signal the end of the keyboard and mouse system

From The Daily Mail:

Over the past decade the iPod has revolutionised the way we listen to music, and the iPhone is the must-have gadget when it comes to mobile phones.
So it seems entirely fitting that Apple should choose the start of a new decade to launch its latest product - which could entirely change the way we use computers.

Rumours are rife that Steve Jobs, the company's chief executive, is planning to unveil a touch screen computer known as the 'iSlate' at the end of next month.

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Apple Poised To Start New Year With Launch Of Tablet Computer

From The Guardian:

The device, likely to be called the iSlate, has no keyboard and allows users to watch TV shows and read online magazines.

Apple is expected to start the new year with the launch of its latest gadget: a tablet computer that will allow users to surf the web, watch TV shows and read the next generation in online magazines and newspapers.

Speculation is rife that the Californian technology group will unveil the device, which has no keyboard and resembles a large iPhone, at an event on January 26 in San Francisco. Some technology bloggers have already christened the touchscreen device the iSlate after it emerged that Apple has registered the iSlate.com internet domain name.

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