Microsoft to launch 8-inch Surface in June, say Taiwan makers
That’s DigiTimes, which has a spotty record.
What’s interesting is that Chinese sites are adding that it will MSRP for US$249-$299.
Screen resolution is unknown. Would MS go for 4:3 at 1024 x 768 or stick with 16:9 and do 1280 x 800? Which would they mimic, an iPad Mini or a Galaxy Note 8.0?
I can see a “Nook RT” succeeding — but I have my doubts about a Surface RT at eight inches getting many sales.
Filed under Other Hardware
There are a slew of iPad Mini clones coming out of China.
Aside from small sales through sometimes-dodgy international sellers, they are doomed to remain in China.
This is because they all appropriate what’s been established as the “trade dress” of the iPad Mini. “Trade dress” is an issue that Apple hauled Samsung into court over. Apple claimed Samsung’s tablets looked too much like the iPad and caused confusion.
The same argument can be made against all of these iPad Mini clones.
They all more or less look like this:
That’s nothing but lawyer-bait.
And it shouldn’t be that way.
Filed under Other Hardware
The Actions ATM7029 CPU will be used in several iPad Mini clones from China. The well-known one right now is the HKC Q79 Quest.
In a forum at IMP3Net [Google English], someone posted this revelation:
Engaged in the production of flat-panel reliable: the fact ATM7029 dual A9 and A5 portfolio!
Internet and some simple applications, IC using only the A5, the game uses the A9. ATM (A9 + A5) * 2.
40 A9 + a low-performance core and T3.
In the final analysis, ATM essence of true dual-core, quad-core false.
Filed under Other Hardware
Part of yesterday’s Tech Fondle Tour was a trip to Staples.
Ah, the Surface Pro! I thought it was too thick and too heavy. And also felt warm — as in battery heat from being on AC constantly. I didn’t do anything more than swipe at the home screen and peer at it to see if I could notice pixels. I couldn’t.
I looked for pixels because earlier at J&R I encountered some touchscreen PCs running Windows 8. And my god! The screen pixels were so prominent it made everything look fuzzy! Maybe that’s another reason PC sales are down. After being spoiled by tablet — and Retina — displays. new PC screens look terrible.
Filed under Amazon Kindle, Other Hardware
Part of yesterday’s Tech Fondle Tour was a trip to Best Buy.
Samsung will set up a colony soon:
Filed under Kobo Reader, Other Hardware
My LifeDrive has duct tape on the power slider because it broke. If I turn it off, I can’t turn it back on with the switch. Now I use one of the front buttons to turn it on and software to turn it off. Anyway, look at how thin that iPod Touch is!
Filed under Other Hardware
Windows 8 on a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 (via Splashtop):
Photo by Steven Troughton-Smith
I’m not a fan of 16:9. People who watch a lot of video love it for widescreen without black bars. But those people drive people like me — who like to read — up the wall.
Filed under Other Hardware
Sony will use MediaTek chipset
This is a rumor.
But if it turns out to be true, it would be a bit of an earthquake.
MediaTek CPUs are mainly used by Chinese companies. As far as I know, there’s never been a world-class company using that chip in a consumer product. This could be the beginning of a huge change in future hardware.
Filed under Other Hardware
New Windows 8 hardware specs hint at 7-inch tablets and a Microsoft Reader
The new guidelines relax the minimum resolution for Windows 8 devices to 1024 x 768 at a depth of 32 bits. That’s a significant change from the current guidelines, which require a minimum resolution of 1366 x 768 for a device to be certified with the Windows 8 logo.
It is beyond my technical capabilities to comment on whether or not that will wreak havoc on devs.
But it’s not beyond my capabilities to comment on this:
The lower resolution would disable snap, a feature that allows two Windows Store apps to be viewed simultaneously side by side. To avoid potential consumer disappointment, OEMs need to disclose the loss of snap.
Microsoft has lost its mind.
Filed under Other Hardware, Stupid, Video
The Pepper Pad!
A D-Pad and a scrolling cylinder.
A stylus and a keyboard.
And that’s a seven-inch screen!
It was the Vitameatvegamin of tablets.
Do you think Samsung would have done better? No. Meet the Samsung Q1.
These were tablets before the iPad, before Steve Jobs said No.
Filed under Other Hardware, Video
