A review on Google Nexus 10.

Starting with a price range of £319, Google Nexus 10 is a 16 GB model and is approximately £80 inexpensive than its correspondent iPad 4. Also the 32GB model is for £389, which is £90 inexpensive than the 32 GB Apple’s model.

You cannot underestimate the device just because of the fact that the device is relatively cheaper. The device has the retina-searing Super PLS display of 10.05-inch 2560 x 1600. Surprisingly, its resolution is even higher than the most recent iPad as it has 300 pixels per inch whereas 4′s 264ppi.

This screen resolution has made the Google Nexus 10 with highest resolution in tablets currently available in the market. To keep the device in immaculate condition, the screen has Corning Gorilla Glass 2.

It ahs a dual-core 1.7 GHz Samsung Exynos processor along with 2 GB of  RAM, this makes it perfectly compatible with the latest technology of fast Android devices. It is been built with Android 4.2 and it is also expected that it will be pioneer on bringing the next version of Android.

Both models of the device; 16 GB and 32 GB are available in market from 13 of November according to the company’s official statements. Currently it has WiFi only, for the 3G or 4G, you as a buyer will have to wait for long, as Nexus 7 has just taken out 3 G, so it expected that Nexus 10 will follow the trend sometime very soon.

In comparison to Nexus 7, Nexus 10 is weighty; however considering the other tablets of same size, its 630 grams of weight is quite an average. It has 203.9 x 177.6 x 8.9 mm of dimensions, which make the device little thinner and longer than iPad 4. So you can have the experience of watching movies on slightly wider screen.

For the longer use, its curved edging makes it suitable for holding. Nexus 7 is more easy to hold for longer duration of time because of its soft and warm back, however the back of Nexus 10 is cold and hard plastic. Though, its rubbery surface makes it perfect for gripping.

In comparison with Asus Transformer Pad Infinity, iPad 4, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 or Nexus 7, Google Nexus 10 with 2 GB is double in RAM. It has Bluetooth and NFC support. Considering the battery life, the Google Nexus has 9000 mAh Lithium polymer battery, which can treat you with 90 hours of music, 9 hours of video, or 7 hours of web browsing.

William Shakespeare’s plays are now introduced in smartphones and tablets in forms of new apps.

William Shakespeare’s plays are given the 21^st century style makeover. It is being done in type of new apps for the tablets and smartphones. This makeover is done after 500 years of their actual writing.

The fantastic plays like “Macbeth” and “Romeo and Juliet” are given new life in form of iPad apps launched by Cambridge University Press. It works in a way that it has combined texts with commentary, performances and other sort of interactive material, which converts the classic stories of plays perfectly in digital age.

These apps are coming as a component of novel series with name of Explore Shakespeare. The concept was given by the British publishing house so as to enhance the playwright’s approach to informal readers.

John Pettigrew, who is the executive producer of Explore Shakespeare series said, “A lot of people have a copy of Shakespeare on their bookshelf that they never got around to reading because they have this idea that Shakespeare is hard or has to be studied to be appreciated.”

Pettigrew is of the view that the plays are supposed to be enjoyed and such circumstances should be made with the help of which language and other barriers of outdated context can be removed and the context become easily comprehendible for the readers.

However the basic emphasis of the context is on real text, the readers can take help from glossaries, photos notes and synopsis in case they do not understand anything in the context.

He also said, “Everything there is designed to keep you in the play and to put you in the mind of the actor, director or writer.” He further explained, A classic one is in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ which is ‘wherefore art thou Romeo?’ It’s not ‘where are you Romeo?’, It’s ‘why are you Romeo? ‘ So that kind of phrase gets a glossary to explain what is meant. You can delve into the language or themes or interpretation, but our first task is to show that it’s just a good story.”

About the tablet brand selection, Pettigrew said that publishing house has chosen iPad for developing apps because of its dominance in the market, but will also be considering Windows 8 and Android in future.

The world’s largest smartphone maker by shipments, Samsung is focusing to smudge the line between smartphones and tablets.

The Korean company Samsung has gained its name as the world’s largest smartphones makers by shipments. These days the company is trying to bring out something in between smartphones and tablets, or in other words, a device that carries features of both smartphones and tablets. It is focusing in making some groundbreaking developments in the category of phablets.

In this everyday increasing market of smartphones, Samsung’s efforts to lead the market especially in presence of competitors like Apple are mind blowing. The launch of its hybrid devices is something extra ordinary. Galaxy Note II (a hybrid device) was released in late September, has already experienced a sale of more than three million units in almost one month. These facts were revealed by the company on 2^nd November.

Samsung’s first Note device had sales of more than two million in fist three months when it was launched last year in November. So the latest device Galaxy Note II has broken the sales records of previous edition.

Apart from the above mentioned facts, it is also a matter of fact that Samsung’s success in tablets business is still not as positive as Apple’s, so the company is of the view that it can excel from Apple in category of phablets.

In the start of this year, Samsung overtook Apple to become Global leader in manufacturing smartphones by shipments. However, according to the Strategy Analytics, Apple is dominating the tablet market with 57% of the total market share in the third quarter of year 2012.

Samsung still has to go a long way as it comes on second position in tablet market with quite a distance from the first position. The company has plans of launching tablets of different sizes with both Microsoft Windows 8 and Google’s Android operating system.

An analyst at Daewoo Securities, James Song has stated, “Since Samsung’s doing well in the bigger-screen smartphone business with its Galaxy Note series, it is trying to re-brand its tablet with the Note’s image.” He further predicted, “Longer term, smartphones are becoming more and more mass market products…but given the many upcoming tablet offerings in the market, Apple’s tablet market share may fall to as low as 40% next year.”

Microsoft’s Surface is suitable for students due to its Windows, Touch or Type cover and the laptop experience it offers.

Surface, the tablet by Microsoft is a major step by the company as it puts its feet in the hardware business. After the Xbox, Microsoft is now making its way in the tablet market. The tablet Surface is designed in a way to support the company’s new operating system Windows 8. The excitement of the Microsoft is at its peak with the release of Windows 8 as well as the tablet. The pre-order deliveries are expected to be made after 3 weeks. The Microsoft’s Surface is an interesting device, especially for the University going students for certain reasons.

Firstly, Surface RT will released with the new specialized version of Windows 8, Windows RT. Even though Windows RT does not comprise of all the features of the Windows 8 but it provides the users with many advantages that the iOS and Android are incapable of providing. A full browser will be available with the Windows RT rather than the browser we see with the iOS and Android. In addition, the windows RT will allow running the web sites that do not have the mobile versions. Moreover, the full version of Microsoft office will be able to operate on the Surface hence making the tablet more of a mobile laptop.

Secondly, the Surface tablet will come with a Touch or Type cover, for an extra $119 and $129. On most of the tablets there are pop up display keyboards that are difficult to use. The display of the keyboard blocks the content displayed on the screen. However, the Touch or Type cover for Surface will offer the users with physical keyboards and a protective cover. The best part is that this will not add up to the thickness of the tablet very much. The Touch or Type cover of Surface will let the students use the tablet as the laptop.

Lastly, the Surface along with the Touch and Type cover will cost you $599 for the 32GB model and 4699 for the 64 GB model. These prices are comparable with the Apple’s iPad, while the Surface will also provide you with the laptop experience where you can do the work on it that you would usually find a laptop for. The Surface weighs 1.5 pounds, which is less than a Macbook Air which is 2.38 pounds, providing the users with almost the same functions.

Even though the tablet market is over flowing with new tablets, and there are many options available but Microsoft’s Surface will be a popular choice among the University going students.

The T-Mobile G-Slate is a nice tablet, with many amazing features.

The T-Mobile G-Slate features a 4G network with a web browser, through which internet surfing is surely going to be a good experience. The tablet also has HD video support, T-mobile TV services and video cha options. Some apps like Zino for digital magazines and games like “Need for Speed SHIFT HD” are pre-loaded in the device. Moreover, you have full access to the Android market for purchasing and downloading other apps as well.

The T-Mobile G-Slate is cheaper than the infamous iPad, this is when you sign up for a standard two-year contract plus rebates. The device will give you access to a fast 4G network but you will have to pay for it monthly making the device a little expensive. And if you thinking of purchasing the T-Mobile G-Slate without the contract, be mentally prepared to pay around $700.

The T-Mobile G-Slate is packed with a 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor with 32 GB of flash memory and 1 GB of RAM. The tablet is fast and comes with the  Android 3.0 Honeycomb software. With Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean in the market the software is outdated. The battery life of the device is good , as it runs for 10 to 12 hours during normal use however with 4G network, the battery will finish off faster.

The T-Mobile G-Slate measures 9.56 x 5.88 x 0.4 inches. It weighs a little less than 1.5 pounds. It isn’t very heavy or comfortable when using, so you can hold the tablet easily while watching movies, videos or reading. The tablet has a SIM card port, mic, headphones port, and particular place for the power adapter. Moreover, slots for miniUSB and mini HDMI. The volume rocker, power, lock button, and speakers can be seen on the tablet. The sound quality is average but not excellent. The tablet has an 802.11n Wi-Fi and a Bluetooth 2.1.

The T-Mobile G-Slate has a 2 megapixel front facing camera while a 5 megapixel back facing camera, which is capable of shooting videos in 3D.  The quality of the video shot from the tablet is not very great, the videos are sometimes blurry and you have to wear the red and cyan glasses.

The display of the tablet is 8.9 inches. The tablet is a comfortable device with a good performance, with a beautiful display and a 4G network. In addition, video shooting in 3D is a plus. However, in order to use the 4G network you will require an expensive contract with the T-Mobile, making the tablet costly also the software is outdated. In conclusion, the tablet is expensive but has some very nice features too.

The Toshiba AT300 is an average tablet with some nice features.

Toshiba AT300 is an android tablet with average features and design. The tablet measures 261x 179x 9mm and weighs about 590g. The tablet has a shiny black front with a scratch less Corning Gorilla Glass. Also, it has a textured plastic panel at the back, preventing accidents like the slipping of the device. Even though Toshiba AT300 does not give the feel of a very expensive tablet like iPad but it does not look cheap and contemptible either. The tablet has HDMI, microUSB slot, combi mic/ earphone jack and a slide-out tray for the multi card reader on its sides.

Moreover, the display of the tablet is impressive as well. It has a 1280×800-pixel resolution, which is average comparing with the new iPad’s 2048×1536-pixel resolution. The display is good in the sunlight as well.  The Toshiba AT300 is packed with a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 1.3GHz processor, with a 1GB RAM. In addition, it has a 4-PLUS-1 Technology.

The tablet has Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth 3.0. The Toshiba AT300 runs the Android Ice Cream Sandwich, which has now gone old after the release of the 4.1 Jelly Bean that came with the Google Nexus 7 tablet. However, the Jelly Bean has little changes; hence, if you like Androids then you will not be taken aback by the performance of this very particular tablet. It has the typical Android interface, hence nothing new about the interface.

The device has a 2 megapixel front facing camera while a 5 megapixel rear facing camera, with an LED flash and autofocus. The results are average, as you cannot really expect excellent results from a 5 megapixel camera. The colors are a little dull and the images are not really sharp either.  The Toshiba AT300 has a 16GB of memory and it comes with an additional memory of 32 GB through the microSD card.

The 10.1 inch Toshiba AT300 is an average looking tablet with some average features. The display is of good quality while it also has a fast processor with a good memory as well. The camera of the device is not very outstanding, but the results are not very bad either. All in the entire tablet is a good choice but not better than iPad.

The Kurio 7 is a family device, priced at $149.

The Kurio 7 measures 7.7 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches, and weighs 12.5 ounces. The 0.3 megapixel camera is located on the upper right corner of the tablet while the home, back and menu buttons are present at the bottom of the tablet. The tablet has white plastic rims. The power and volume rocker buttons are located at the sides of the tablet, while at the bottom there are various ports, which include the miniUSB, miniHDMI, headphone and mic, miniSD card slot and a DC power port. The 2.1 megapixel camera is located at the bottom right and can be distinguished as it has a white ring around it. The back of the tablet is blue and gives a feeling of cheap plastic, while there are bright white logos and the serial number sticker cannot be removed.

The Kurio 7, with 800 x 480 screen display doesn’t exactly impress the user. The colors get a bit shaky when the brightness is turned on to the extreme. The screen is also a finger print magnet.. The speakers located at the bottom left rim, are not very impressive either, hence if you want to listen to music use the headphone jack instead.

Unlike other tablets, which feature a slide-lock, the Kurio 7 has a two finger size holes that need to be pressed in order to unlock the tablet. The tablet has a dual personality, with Android Ice Cream Sandwich and Kurio interface. There are five customizable screens at the Android side, also with the back, home and recent app options at the bottom. There is also a notification box, which at the bottom right through which the time, wireless connection and battery life can be seen. There is a Google search bar at the top left, while at the top right corner there is a button to show all the applications. With the launch of Android Jelly Bean, the Ice Cream Sandwich is now outdated. The stock keyboard is very similar to those in other Ice Cream Sandwich devices.

While the Kurio 7 features Ice Cream Sandwich, it also runs Kurio interface. The Kurio 7 is called the “ultimate Android tablet for the families.” As the Ice Cream Sandwich is meant for the parents while the Kurio UI for the kids. At the startup setup, you are asked to create a “parent account.” For this account your email address, date of birth and password is needed. The same procedure is followed for the other eight accounts that you can create on the tablet. Every account has a password. Once this done, the Kurio interface will launch by default, which is particularly designed for the landscape mode. Every profile has a profile picture and a home screen.

You can manage the android tablet through Parental Area, from where you can download applications; change the settings of the device. This can be done by pressing the button on the top left corner on the screen.  The parents can also limit the time of using the tablet during one session per day.

The tablet has a 0.3-megapixel front rear camera, and a 2.1 megapixel back camera. The tablet suns on a single-core 1.3 GHz Cortex A8 CPU processor and has 1GB RAM.

The Kurio 7 is expected to last for 5 hours of video playback. Priced at $149, the tablet does not have many appealing features but it is a good device for families. It is just right for small hands that can be reluctant enough to drop it, as the Kurio 7 can handle shocks and drops.

The successor of the Amazon Kindle Fire, “The Kindle Fire HD” is now in markets, with a better hardware and improved features.

The new tablet offers new features for reading books and watching movies. The Kindle Fire HD hit the markets with enhanced and better features, but is it capable enough to beat the Google Nexus 7. The Kindle Fire HD is priced at $199 and has an impressive hardware with great features. With a 7-inch screen, the Kindle Fire HD features a 1280 x 800-screen resolution. The display is outstanding, with high contrast and a bright and fresh display of the colors. The movie watching and YouTube surfing is just superb on the screen of the Kindle Fire HD.

The Kindle Fire HD has 16 GB storage, hence better than the 8 GB storage of the Google Nexus 7 and Nook tablet. In addition, if you want an even better storage than you can buy the 32 GB version of the Kindle Fire HD priced at $249. On the other hand, Nexus 7 is for $199 for 8GB and $249 for the 16GB version.

The Kindle Fire HD also has a miniHDMI jack, allowing you to connect it to a television. Moreover, the Kindle Fire HD also features a front facing camera, which lacked in the previous Kindle Fire. The speakers of the device are also very good. The Kindle Fire HD is a Wi-Fi device only, it has dual antennas and  a support for MIMO and  reception for both the 2.4GHZ and 5GHz, which is an effort made by Amazon to speed up the connection.

The tablet does not have GPS. It has a 1.2GHz dual core OMAP 4460 Texas Instruments processor. Hence, after several hours of use, the tablet becomes the victim of infrequent pauses, but restarting the device solves the problem.

In the previous Kindle Fire, the Android operating system was somewhere hidden under Amazon’s own interface. The main screen in the new Kindle Fire HD works much more smoothly than it did in the previous version. In addition, the bookshelf has been replaced bu the favorite’s drawer. Nevertheless, the built-in applications are not very op to the mark. Such as, the tablet has a camera but does not have an app for taking pictures from that camera. Maybe the front facing camera is only meant for video chatting.

Looking at the built-in browser, you cannot open your “Favorites”, but you have to go all the way back to browser’s startup page. Moreover, the basic applications such as alarm, task list maker, not-taker etc. Also, for downloading apps you can only use the Amazon Store and not the Google Play Store.

An overview on Motorola Xoom

Motorola Xoom is one of those very few tablets that have given tough competition to Apple iPad. The key features of the tablet that attracts the buyers are Android 3.0 operating system with a striking touchscreen display. The device has a wide range of applications, video chatting features along with HD video recording. If you are an Android lover, the Motorola Xoom can prove to be a perfect choice for you.

The tablet has an attractive selection of advanced features. The feature that makes Motorola Xoom stand out from the mainstream is Xoom’s image capturing capability. It has a front facing camera of 2 MP and a rear camera of 5MP. Because of these cameras, the tablet is capable of taking such quality pictures that is rarely seen on other tablets. You can also use the rear camera for capturing 720p HD video. The device also allows video calling because of dual cameras. The video editing software is another treat.

If you prefer Android Operating system, you will definitely enjoy the Xoom’s OS. The Android 3.0, which is also called Honeycomb, is capable of providing innumerable applications like pinch-and-zoom display and 5 customizable homescreens. Few features make the operating system different from the previous version of Android operating system. In the previous version, basic navigation tools were located at bottom of Android devices; however, they are at the top in this tablet. With the use of widgets on the homescreen, you can check your inbox, Facebook account, or can go through the latest headlines without any hassle of opening several applications or programs.

The excellent battery life is another attraction. In a single battery charge, this computing device can give a back up of about 10 hours. You do not need to worry about charging the tablet while playing games or browsing internet. The connectivity is through Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The device has built-in preparation for upgrading 4G LTE as it gets connected to 4G network. However, 4G LTE is not functional yet.

The device has other features like music player, GPS and an e-Reader. You can enhance the android features by accessing Android market. You can also access Google Mobile services like Google Maps, YouTube and Gmail. With built-in eReader you can take advantage of Google eBooks.

The device has a dual-core 1 GHz processor. Its high memory makes possible a great storage for photos, videos, music and movies.

Technology experts and critics are assessing from quite long that Android tablet apps are not up to the mark. Google has now started working on that.

On the 8^th of October, the company issued a “tablet app quality checklist” at its Android Develop website which actually pushes the developers to create tablet-optimized apps. This time Google has also enlisted excellent practices for issuing the apps in Google Play storefront. This will be published along with the developer stories that will highlight the achievement stories from, renowned developers who are already in field of developing apps who get benefited of larger sized tablets. The Android team has also plans of hosting a chain of Google+ Hangouts and live YouTube streaming that will have tips and guides on creating Android apps that have nicer outlook with excellence in performance on tablets and smartphones. Also this week, Google will be promoting tablet-optimized apps on the Google Play app store.

In a developer post, Google said, “With the release of Nexus 7 earlier this year, we shared some tips on how you can get your apps ready for a new wave of Android tablets.  With the holiday season now approaching, we’re creating even more ways for great tablet apps to be featured in Google Play — including a series of new app collections that highlight great apps specifically for tablet users.”

Rajeev Nagpal, the product head at Tiny Co said, “Before, we’ve done separate apps for separate platforms and even for separate devices on platforms. But after awhile, it became a bit overbearing and unwieldy to do that.” So the company moved to a new process that allows it to deliver one app download that can change how the app works depending on what type of gadget a user is playing on.

He further said, “Our system can determine what type of device you have in your hand — if it’s a phone or a tablet, what operating system your running. There are hundreds of things we can determine in real time. And we can tune the experience based on device that you have in your hands, we can deliver a different user interface or different animations and artwork to suit your device.” He added, “If we can get our players to stick around longer and spend more money while they are there, then that’s a win-win. It helps us make more money, but it’s also a sign that we’re making better games and players are enjoying them more too.”