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iPad 2’s Real Nemesis Could Make Apple Sweat

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With Xoom failing and iPad 2 prevailing, many are wondering whether anyone can challenge Steve Jobs magical device (and no, RIM’s Playbook is dead on arrival).

Although we shouldn’t write off Android entirely (after all, GalaxyTab 8.9 could become a hit), Google’s tablet OS is still rather buggy and truth be told needs a bit more polish in order to outshine iPad 2.

However there seems to be one tablet that can potentially challenge iPad 2, as a recent video highlighting an upcoming version of webOS reveals below. [Read more…]

Originally posted on April 13, 2011 @ 1:25 pm

Filed Under: HP

Blackberry Playbook: To Buy Or Not To Buy?

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Today is the day that the Blackberry Playbook will either prove their critics wrong or collect dust alongside other tablet devices.

Blackberry addicts can now pick up their shiny Playbook today (provided you live within 2 specific countries).

We are thrilled to be launching the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet – the world’s first professional-grade tablet. It is available today in thousands of retail outlets across the United States and Canada.  (Official Blackberry Blog)

Although RIM poured out their heart and soul into this device (with a camera that blows iPad 2 out of the water), the lack of a native email and calendar client from the go makes the device almost worthless to consumers and corporations.

In order to gain access to those features, you will need a Blackberry smartphone (since Playbook “borrows” those apps from Blackberry) making the tablet useless for Android and iOS fans who may not want an iPad 2.

Hopefully RIM will consider adding these features to Playbook, as the last thing the company needs is buyers remorse due to the inability to send a message without the assistance of a nearby Blackberry.

Originally posted on April 19, 2011 @ 12:36 pm

Can Anyone Challenge iPad 2?

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You would think that the combined minds of Motorola, Google, Samsung, RIM and HP would be able to release a tablet that would put the iPad 2 to shame.

On the contrary it looks like Steve Jobs “magical” device has already claimed their first victim, as Motorola’s Xoom has predictably failed in the market, with only 100,000 units sold to consumers since the tablet made its debut. [Read more…]

Originally posted on April 6, 2011 @ 3:14 pm

Motorola Hedging Their Bets Against Android?

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Unlike Nokia (who abandoned MeeGo for Windows Phone 7), Motorola doesn’t seem to keen on relying upon Android to guarantee their future.

While the company has experienced success with the Droid serious, the company apparently is working on building their own mobile OS.

Over the past nine months, Motorola has been hiring engineering talent that would well-suited to create a new mobile operating system. Its team appears to include a significant number of ex-Apple and Adobe personnel, including Gilles Drieu, VP of software engineering at Motorola Mobility, Benoit Marchant, director of engineering at Motorola Mobility, and Sean Kranzberg, also a director of engineering at Motorola Mobility. (Information Week)

Although using Android has revived Motorola’s fortunes, the company is probably nervous about relying upon an OS whose legal future is not exactly certain.

This is probably one of the reasons why their rival Samsung has created their own OS (called Bada), which gives them an exit strategy just in case Android falters in their quest to challenge iOS.

It’s still unclear how far Motorola’s mobile OS is, or whether they plan on launching it within the US, but either way a move like this could enable the company to easily compete against Apple without relying upon others to release bug free operating systems.

(Hat tip: Gizmodo)

Originally posted on March 25, 2011 @ 1:54 pm

Google Fiber Comes To Dorothy’s Home State

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After postponing their decision of which town was worthy of Google Fiber, it looks like the search engine giant has finally chosen a city to host the future of the internet.

After a careful review, today we’re very happy to announce that we will build our ultra high-speed network in Kansas City, Kansas. We’ve signed a development agreement with the city, and we’ll be working closely with local organizations, businesses and universities to bring a next-generation web experience to the community. (Official Google Blog)

Although the state of Kansas is known mainly for Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, it looks like the region (or rather the city) will soon be famous for boasting 1 gigabit/sec connection speeds.

Google plans on launching the service in 2012, although the company has not yet revealed what the prices will be for Google Fiber, although they do mention it will be “at a competitive price.”

Despite the fact that Google could only choose one city in the US, hopefully other internet service providers will be able to match Google’s speed in order to increase broadband speeds for the benefit of all.

Image Credit: John R. Neill

Originally posted on March 30, 2011 @ 1:05 pm