Tech Nest

iPad mini with Retina display review: as good as the Air, just smaller — Engadget.com

rishi.lopez@gmail.com (Rishi) — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 06:42:00 +0000

Last year Apple introduced the iPad mini, a second size option for its tablet lineup. In addition to being, well, miniature, it featured a beautiful design — so beautiful, in fact, that the iPad Air now mimics it. More importantly, with a starting price of $329, consumers at last got an iPad at a more mid-range price point. As you can imagine, it appealed to folks who couldn’t afford the full-sized model, and it was also intriguing for people who craved something a little more portable. By the same token, it was also panned by power users who thought the mini should have the same high-end specs and Retina display as the 10-inch model. In short, Apple had two iPads that were capable of attracting two different groups of people.

This year Apple stirred the pot. The new iPad mini not only features nicer hardware than its predecessor; it’s also equipped with the same specs as its larger sibling, the iPad Air. For starters, the 2013 mini adds a Retina display, along with Apple’s top-of-the-line A7 processor and a larger battery. But, it also comes at a higher cost. We know, we know: It’s a premium tablet, but is $399 too much to pay for a brand-new 8-inch slate? Is there anything else in the mid-sized tablet market that would work at a lower price? And since the two iPads are no very similar, are there any factors to consider outside of size?

See all photos62 Photos

HARDWARE

WD Blue 500 GB Mobile Hard Drive: 2.5 Inch, 5400 RPM, SATA II, 8 MB Cache - WD5000BPVT

We can explain the hardware of the new iPad mini in one sentence: It’s an iPad Air hit by a shrink ray. In many ways, the new mini appears to be a modest, iterative update. Dive a little deeper, however, and the new iPad mini represents an apparent shift in Apple’s product strategy. How so? To answer this question, let’s go back to last year, when Apple made it clear at its fall event that the iPad mini shouldn’t be regarded as a scaled-down iPad. This smaller tablet should have its very own personality, Apple said, and should be viewed in a different light than its larger sibling. It even featured a beautiful design that more closely resembled aniPhone 5 or fifth-generation iPod touch than the fourth-gen iPad, with its chamfered edges and rounded back. Unfortunately, it didn’t have a Retina display, nor was it as powerful as the 10-inch version. It was a great tablet in terms of size and portability, but it seemed like Apple was reserving its latest and greatest features for the full-sized model.

See all photos10 Photos

See all photos15 Photos

This year is a different story. Not only did the iPad (now called the iPad Air) get redesigned to look just like the mini, but it also offers virtually the same specs as the smaller model. In many respects, the smaller tablet is now a scaled-down iPad Air — precisely what Apple seemed to be avoiding last year when it debuted the original mini with inferior specs. Now, the company wants its tablets to be equal in everything but screen size, so you don’t have to feel like you’re making any sacrifices by choosing the mini. (We also can’t help but wonder if Apple plans to extend this philosophy to iPhones by offering more than one size.)

Well, they’re almost equal; you will notice a few minor variations. For instance, the Air’s battery is larger, mainly thanks to its bigger size, but Apple’s 10-hour battery life claims apply to both regardless. The mini’s processor also doesn’t run quite as fast, but we’ll discuss that more in just a moment. What’s more, there are also a few differences between this year’s mini and last year’s model, one of which is size and weight. At 200 x 134.7 x 7.5mm, the 2013 edition offers the same width and length as the original, but it’s 0.3mm thicker. And whereas the iPad Air is much lighter than its predecessor, the new mini gains 29 grams from last year’s model. This may seem odd if little else has changed under the hood, but the new mini features a much larger battery (23.8Whr versus 16.3Whr), which was probably necessary to compensate for that power-draining Retina display. Don’t let the dimensions fool you, though — unless you’re playing with them side by side and actively looking for differences, you won’t be able to tell.

The unibody aluminum enclosure has also remained unchanged, which means it’s as solidly built as ever. That said, we’ve noticed that the back doesn’t heat up as much during gaming and other activities as it used to. That means the mini is even more comfortable to use — and it was pretty easy to handle even the first time around. It’s worth noting that we also noticed this drop-off in heat dissipation on the iPad Air, so this may very well be a by-product of the A7 chip that’s present in both devices.

Under the hood, WiFi performance has been dramatically improved thanks to multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology, which is a fancy way of saying that your WiFi can now take advantage of two antennas instead of one. The theoretical max is 300 Mbps, although few people will have the means or need to take advantage of speeds that fast. This tech is quickly becoming popular in flagship phones and tablets, so it’s good to see Apple adopt it now. The company also inserted a second mic for noise canceling, which is ideal for videos, FaceTime calls and Siri voice recognition.

The review unit provided to us by Apple was a cellular model, which features much better compatibility with global LTE providers than the original. In years past, iOS devices were spread out across several different SKUs, each one carrying a specific set of frequencies to ensure compatibility with hundreds of operators around the globe. This is no longer the case, as Apple now uses a baseband that offers support for 14 LTE bands (1/2/3/4/5/7/8/13/17/18/19/20/25/26), DC-HSPA+, UMTS, GSM/EDGE, CDMA and EVDO (Rev. A and B). If you’re not sure of a carrier’s network settings, don’t fret: The mini will detect which network you’re using and download the proper settings for you.

Just like with the iPad Air, the home button looks the same as on earlier models. Normally this might not be worth pointing out, but in this case it’s significant because it means Touch ID (aka the iPhone fingerprint sensor) remains exclusive to the iPhone 5s. Whether this is due to supply constraints or it’s something Apple doesn’t think iPad users want, the company isn’t saying. Still, we’ve enjoyed Touch ID on the 5s and can’t wait to see it eventually implemented in iPads.

DISPLAY

High-resolution displays are a must-have on premium tablets these days — since inexpensive devices like the Nexus 7 offer beautiful panels with 1,920 x 1,200 resolution, we’re happy to see the mini’s screen get a much-needed bump to Retina status. By the numbers, the mini features a 2,048 x 1,536 display and boasts a pixel density of 324 pixels per inch. In comparison, this is twice the density of the original mini’s 163 ppi. What’s more, the new mini has the same exact resolution as the iPad Air, but because the Air’s screen is larger, it has a lower pixel density of 264 ppi. The mini also matches the Nexus 7′s pixel density, even with a screen that’s an inch larger.

Even though numbers don’t always match up with user experience, they’re quite telling here. The 1,024 x 768 display on last year’s model wasn’t horrible, but our tired eyes were yearning for a nicer experience for consuming photos and video, and reading text. As you might expect, doubling up the pixel density is not only easily noticeable; it’s also refreshing. High-definition videos look glorious; fonts have never looked sharper; and images that show fantastic details on the new mini simply look fuzzy on the old mini. There’s very little difference in color reproduction however, but then again, it was already pretty good on last year’s model, so we’re quite happy with the results. All told, this is one of the best displays we’ve seen on a tablet.

SOFTWARE

Though our unit came with iOS 7.0.3 preloaded, Apple pushed an update to version 7.0.4 while we were working on this review. Since it’s a simple bug fix, the user interface remains unchanged. In general, though, you’ll notice slight improvements in the overall user experience thanks to the faster A7 chip and M7 coprocessor. We’ll discuss those points later in the review.

CAMERA

Imaging is another area where the new iPad mini and the iPad Air share identical components. Heck, the 5-megapixel f/2.4 rear-facing camera was used on the previous-gen mini as well, which tells us that Apple doesn’t believe people care about taking professional-quality photos with their tablets. Even if people aren’t swapping out their point-and-shoots in favor of a tablet, however, Apple has a knack for making its picture-taking experience a relatively stress-free one. No worrying about tweaking manual settings or waiting several seconds to take the shot; the user interface is simple and the shutter lag is quite minimal compared to most other devices. Most importantly, the results are surprisingly good for a tablet — pictures are reasonably detailed with accurate colors, and they look fantastic on the mini’s Retina display. The camera doesn’t handle low-light conditions particularly well, and there’s no LED flash to rescue you either, but still, it meets our expectations.

See all photos94 Photos

Videos are recorded at 1080p resolution and a bit rate of 17.3 Mbps, and as we expected, the footage looks pretty good. Moving objects are perfectly smooth and the colors are fairly accurate. Audio was a mixed bag, because the secondary mic for noise cancellation works well for FaceTime video chatting. In other words, our selfie videos sounded great, but my voice wasn’t very loud when taking home movies of my kids or anything else. The FaceTime camera, which records at 720p and 10.6 Mbps, also fares pretty nicely (for a front-facing camera, anyway). Still, there were times my hand accidentally covered the mic and muffled my voice.

PERFORMANCE AND BATTERY LIFE

Apple’s new A7 chip first debuted on the iPhone 5s and quickly showed up on the iPad Air too, albeit with a slightly higher clock speed (the Air runs at 1.4GHz; the 5s, 1.3GHz). Now the same dual-core 64-bit chip is being used in the new mini, but it has the same 1.3GHz clock speed as the 5s. Yes, this means the benchmarks may not be quite as fast on the mini as they are on the Air (see the table below), but we’re not looking at a drastic difference. In fact, the only times you might notice a discrepancy is in side-by-side comparisons, and even then the performance gap is rather subtle.

More importantly, the differences between this mini and last year’s model are actually quite significant, since the tablet made a two-generation jump from Apple’s A5 chip to the A7. Everything loads faster; there are fewer frame skips when playing games; and we had a great experience with both 32- and 64-bit apps. And if you don’t think there’s enough of a difference between the A5 and A7, we recommend you play with an original mini for a few minutes and then repeat the same tasks on the new version. The improvement is immediately obvious. On both devices, we played some of the usual games – Infinity Blade III and Asphalt 8 come to mind — and new games like Epoch 2 and Lego LOTR, and it’s really hard to go back.

	IPAD MINI (2013)	IPAD AIR	IPAD MINI (2012)	IPHONE 5S
SunSpider (ms)	423	388	1,651	418
GXFBench 2.7 T-Rex HD Offscreen (fps)	25	25	CNR	23
Basemark X (onscreen / offscreen)	13.2/15.6	13.3 / 15.5	11.0/CNR	27.7/16.7
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited	14,171	14,631	2,392	13,729
Geekbench 3.0 (multi-thread)	2,509	2,682	496	2,562
Linpack	870	950	116	795
SunSpider: lower scores are better. Linpack scores taken on average. CNR = could not run

As you can see, the new mini ranks just slightly below the Air thanks to the lower clock speed, but again, unless you’re playing graphics-intensive games, you won’t have much of a reason to pick the larger tablet over the smaller one. The differences between the two minis, on the other hand, are simply astounding; the A5 on the original doesn’t come close to any of the A7 devices we’ve tested.

Much to our satisfaction, Apple’s official battery life claims on the iPad Air appeared to be rather conservative, and fortunately the iPad mini also beats the company’s estimates. Both devices are supposed to get 10 hours of video playback, and in our standard video rundown test, which consists of playing a 720p movie on an eternal loop with LTE connected and at a fixed display brightness, our unit managed 11 hours and 55 minutes of life. This isn’t quite as good as the Air’s 13:45 or the original mini’s 12:43, but when you consider we achieved that latter result on the WiFi-only model, the gap in battery life isn’t really surprising: LTE naturally causes a small dip in battery life. When all was said and done, we were able to get through almost two days of normal use, including web browsing, email, social media, video playback and the occasional game.

TABLET	BATTERY LIFE
iPad mini (2013)	11:55 (LTE)
Microsoft Surface 2	14:22
Apple iPad Air	12:45 (LTE)
Apple iPad mini	12:43 (WiFi)
Apple iPad (late 2012)	11:08 (WiFi)
Apple iPad 2	10:26
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime	10:17
Apple iPad (2012)	9:52 (HSPA) / 9:37 (LTE)
Nexus 7 (2012)	9:49
Microsoft Surface for Windows RT	9:36
Apple iPad	9:33
ASUS Transformer Prime Infinity TF700	9:25
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1	8:56
Sony Xperia Tablet Z	8:40
Hisense Sero 7 Pro	8:28
Galaxy Tab 2 7.0	7:38
HP Slate 7	7:36
LG G Pad 8.3	7:19
Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0	7:18
Nexus 7 (2013)	7:15
RIM BlackBerry PlayBook	7:01

CONFIGURATION OPTIONS AND THE COMPETITION

The new iPad mini with Retina display comes in “space gray” and silver colors, both of which look the same as on the Air. You’ll also be able to choose one of four storage options ranging from 16GB to 128GB (the latter option is new for the iPad mini, since the original maxed out at 64GB). Finally, there’s also the matter of picking WiFi-only or WiFi+Cellular. The cellular model is decked out just like the Air, combining GSM/EDGE, UMTS/DC-HSPA+, EVDO and 14-band LTE and covering most networks around the world. The least-expensive WiFi-only model is $399, while its cellular-enabled counterpart starts at $529; if you want more storage, you’ll need to pay an extra $100 for each higher tier, which means the 128GB WiFi-only version goes for $699 and WiFi+Cellular is $829.

Sadly, the new mini costs $70 more than last year’s model at the time of launch, which is a head-scratching move. Sure, it’s a nicer tablet than the previous model, but all next-gen iOS products are nicer than their predecessors, and rarely have we seen a price increase associated with those improvements. After all, even after the full-sized iPad got a Retina display, the starting price stayed the same at $499.

Those who need a larger screen will still get a great experience with the iPad Air, which features the same configuration options as the mini and a 9.7-inch display starting at $499 for the baseline model. If you don’t care to spend extra for the top-of-the-line iPads, Apple now offers the original 7.9-inch iPad mini for $299, a $30 discount from its launch price. The 16GB iPad 2 is also still available for $399 (WiFi-only) and $529 (WiFi+Cellular).

There are also plenty of possibilities on the Android side, especially in the mid-sized category. The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 is available for the same base price of $399, and it comes with an active digitizer and S Pen stylus. The LG G Pad 8.3 is another decent option for $350. The Google Nexus 7 (2013) is one of our favorite Android tablets and comes in at $229, which is an incredible price for the features it offers; we’d say this is one of the strongest competitors stepping up to challenge the iPad mini. The Tegra Note 7 is a well-performing Tegra 4 gaming tablet that’s launching this week for $199. And let’s not count Amazon out with the Kindle Fire HDX line, which starts at $229 for the 7-inch model and $379 for the 8.9-inch. Of course, this also means that you don’t get the same Google Play access as other Android devices, and it features “Special Offers” (read: ads).

WRAP-UP

MORE INFO

In the course of a year, the iPad mini has hit puberty, and matured quite a bit. It’s an iterative update, for sure, but one that makes it vastly better than the original. Because it now offers a Retina display, fast connectivity and a powerful processor, the mini now shares top-tier product status with the iPad Air. This is precisely the iPad mini we’ve been waiting for, but it comes with a price hike of $70 over last year’s model. Despite its wondrous feature set, some budget-minded buyers may look toward less expensive tablets like the Nexus 7, which also offers a brilliant display and top-notch specs, but for significantly less money.

But, let’s face it: Plenty of potential buyers won’t have a problem paying up, especially those of you who’ve been eagerly awaiting a mini with Retina display. And we can’t blame anyone for being tempted, either, because the mini seems to have finally reached its full potential. We say, two high-quality iPads are better than one, even if it does make it harder to decide which to buy.

Steve Jobs On Space of

rishi.lopez@gmail.com (Rishi) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 06:48:00 +0000

Steve Jobs On Space of

Go Ahead, Drop This Tablet Into the Toilet

rishi.lopez@gmail.com (Rishi) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:27:00 +0000

LAS VEGAS — Admit it, you’ve used your favorite gadget gear in the bathroom and, at least once, that phone (or even your tablet) has taken the plunge. You fumbled and in it went into the toilet or sink — or perhaps the tub. If you have one of these new tablets and phones from Fujitsu, though, you don’t have to worry. They can survive a drop into the drink and even full submersion for up to 30 minutes. Fujitsu proved this simple fact in a live demonstration at this year’s CES 2012.

Fujitsu dipped the white, 10.1-inch Android tablet into a bowl of water and then, finally, slipped it fully beneath the shiny surface. Then they grabbed an equally slender Android phone and dropped it in beside the tablet. How do they do it? Well, Fujitsu wasn’t exactly forthcoming. They promised that the ports are “covered” and that the gadgets would work fine when removed. However, they would not describe the exact technology used to keep the tablet and phone safe from the H2O.

Still, when they pulled the gadgets from the drink and let them drip-dry, they worked — perfectly.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that Fujitsu won’t bring this waterproof tech to the U.S. until it’s proven in Japan. So, for now, folks, please keep a tight grip on that tablet and those phones when you’re using the facilities.

Windows 8 Beta Roadmap Leaked

rishi.lopez@gmail.com (Rishi) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:17:00 +0000

Next month, Microsoft should make the beta version of Windows 8 available for public download, following the release of a Developer Preview in September last year.
In this regard, some new details on the Windows 8 Beta roadmap have emerged, suggesting that the build might be ready for preview as soon as January 30.
At the moment, Windows 8 is still in a pre-Beta state, and should remain the same until January 21, WinUnleaked reports.
Starting with January 23, it will enter the Beta Escrow period, and testers will have until January 28 to vote for the Beta final build.
After Windows 8 Beta is signed off, Microsoft is expected to display it during an internal preview.The news site also notes that the currently targeted build number for Windows 8 Beta is 8200.winmain_win8b1.
Previously, Microsoft confirmed that it was targeting the second half of February as the release timeframe for the beta flavor of Windows 8.
Some suggested that there might be a connection between Windows 8 Beta’s release date and the Mobile World Congress that will kick off in Barcelona in late February.
Since Windows 8 will target tablet PCs, chances are that we’ll see new such devices being showcased at the event.
Microsoft already demoed Windows 8 on a Samsung tablet PC, and it should be only a matter of time before more such devices are being unveiled.
Compared to the Developer Preview, the Beta version of Windows 8 will bring along some new UI changes, along with a resizable on-screen keyboard and access to the Windows 8 Store.
Following the February release in Beta, Windows 8 should hit Gold sometime towards mid-2012. The first tablet PCs running under it are expected to be released in late 2012, and should pack Intel processors inside. Windows 8-based ARM tablets might not arrive on shelves before the end of this year.

Beetel Magiq Glide unveiled in India

rishi.lopez@gmail.com (Rishi) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:52:00 +0000

Beetel has launched a new Android tablet Magiq Glide in India. Beetel Magiq Glide is the upgraded version of Beetel Magiq tablet, this new tablet features a capacitive display. This new tablet is powered by Android 2.2 Froyo OS and 1 GHz processor.

Magiq Glide sports a 7 inch WVGA capacitive touchscreen display, an optical trackpad, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth connectivity and Google market access. It sports dual camera front 2 MP for video calls and 2 MP rear camera.

Beetel Magiq Glide comes with an internal memory of 8 GB which can be expanded up to 16 GB with the help of microSD card slot. It is energized by 2200 mAh Li-Ion battery, which offers up to 60 hours of standby time.

Beetel Magiq Glide is priced at Rs. 11,999.

Although there have been doubts about the Nook (and e-book readers in general) lately, Barnes & Noble isn't giving up on the brand anytime soon.

rishi.lopez@gmail.com (Rishi) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 16:49:00 +0000

Although there have been doubts about the Nook (and e-book readers in general) lately, Barnes & Noble isn't giving up on the brand anytime soon.

CEO William Lynch told CNBC today that Barnes & Noble will continue to reinforce the relationship between the digital Nook e-book brand and its brick-and-mortar stores.

Rebuffing the idea that B&N would be spinning off its Nook unit, instead, Lynch reaffirmed the company's stance on the future of digital content:

The growth is going to be in digital, hence our investments in digital and how we've scaled that business. But the physical book business, by any measure and any projection, will continue to be the largest part of the business, and we've been growing share there, and in fact growing the business in absolute terms...That is a very profitable side of the business.

Earlier this week, Barnes & Noble said in a statement that it's examining how to "unlock" the value of the Nook unit after disappointing sales results--especially for the Nook Simple Touch reader that debuted in May.

In December, Barnes & Noble reported fiscal second-quarter losses of $6.6 million, though there was a silver lining: the recently released Nook Tablet is said to be the fastest selling Nook product in history.

Nevertheless, Lynch argued during the CNBC interview that the Nook brand is "undervalued," and that B&N has established the No. 2 brand in the digital book business with a value of $1.5 billion after two years.

Internet Explorer Still on Top, But Chrome Is Winning the Browser War

rishi.lopez@gmail.com (Rishi) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:43:00 +0000

Gingerbread and Froyo Installed on 85% of Android Devices

rishi.lopez@gmail.com (Rishi) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:18:00 +0000

Huawei reveals world’s first 7-inch Android 3.2 tablet, it is the MediaPad

rishi.lopez@gmail.com (Rishi) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:27:00 +0000

Huawei has revealed its new upcoming tablet at CommunicAsia this year, it is a 7-inch device, which the company has named MediaPad and would be the world’s first Android 3.2 tablet device. Huawei mentioned that the Android 3.2 Honeycomb version would be the same as the Android 3.1 Honeycomb, however the former would be specifically optimized for 7-inch tablet devices.

The Huawei MediaPad includes a 217 pixels-per-inch IPS capacitive touchpanel, it has a 5 megapixel front facing camera and a secondary 1.3 megapixel front facing camera, GPS and Wi-Fi 802.11n connectivity options. The Huawei MediaPad would be powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor and also include 1080p video playback, HSPA+ support, Flash 10.3 and over 6 hours of battery life.

It is expected to be available in select markets from Q3 2011 and it seems that the company will bring it to the Indian market during the same time. The pricing has is yet to be announced.

What's coming in Firefox 11

rishi.lopez@gmail.com (Rishi) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:26:00 +0000

Big changes are arriving in the developer's build of Firefox for Android in a bid to make it more appealing, while the significantly more popular desktop version is getting several noteworthy but smaller changes, the company announced at the end of 2011.

Available for download now, the first versions of Firefox 11 Aurora for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android came out just after the stable build of the browser updated to version 9. The Android update is again the more notable release, as the new native Android interface reaches a wider audience. For the first time, the browser also supports playing Adobe Flash content, which competitors like Dolphin HD and Opera have offered for a while.
The new Firefox for Android Start page has cleaned up its act.

The new Firefox for Android Start page has cleaned up its act.
(Credit: Mozilla)

This is more than a new look, though, as many of the browser's features have been stripped out. This includes Firefox Sync, which allows seamless synchronization of personal data like bookmarks, passwords, and browsing history, and Mozilla's popular add-ons. In a blog post announcing Firefox 11 Aurora for Android, Mozilla promises that Sync and add-ons will return "soon."

Personally, I've found Sync to be the single most useful feature in the mobile browser. To be able to open a tab on the desktop, and have it nearly instantaneously pushed to my Android, makes jumping from desktop to phone or tablet practically seamless. On the other hand, very rough testing indicates that Firefox 11 is a much faster browser. While site-loading tests indicate speed gains only around half a second to a full second, initial app start time tests show major speed gains over the current Firefox 9 of around 50 percent.

Meanwhile, Firefox 11 Aurora for desktops gets two useful changes. Windows 7 and Vista users will no longer see the User Account Control (UAC) for Firefox after the browser's initial installation. This completes Firefox's alignment with Chrome's seamless updates, which haven't required your interaction with the UAC. On first installation, the browser now adds Chrome to its list of browsers from which it can import your personal data.

Other changes in Firefox 11 Aurora are aimed at developers. More HTML5 code is supported, Google's SPDY protocol for faster site loading can now be tested, Tilt support allows for 3D Web page visualization, and the HTML5 video controls have been redesigned. Check out the Firefox 11 Aurora changelog published by Mozilla.
Although Firefox Sync is expected to break on Android under the current interface, this mock-up indicates that Mozilla isn't about to let it die.

Although Firefox Sync is expected to break on Android under the current interface, this mock-up indicates that Mozilla isn't about to let it die.
(Credit: Mozilla)

The new Aurora builds bump Firefox 10 to beta status. Changes in this version offer users an improved add-on experience, as all compatible add-ons except for binary add-ons will not be disabled by the browser. This sorts out the "maxversion" situation, which required developers to set a Firefox version number with which the add-on would stop being compatible. Mozilla expects that this will significantly decrease the number of problems related to add-ons. The Sync setup process has been improved, too.

For developers, Firefox 10 beta improves the developer experience in the browser with a bucket of changes. These include support of the full-screen API for better gaming in Firefox, Page Inspector and Style Inspector for testing new code, WebGL improvements for better 3D rendering, and Orion code editor support in the Scratchpad tool for on-the-fly coding. Mozilla released the Firefox 10 beta changelog here, with a scheduled graduation to stable release the last week in January.

BlackBerry PlayBook officially launched in India

rishi.lopez@gmail.com (Rishi) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:48:00 +0000

Frenny Bawa, Managing Director of RIM India and Bollywood superstar Salman Khan unveil the BlackBerry PlayBook in Mumbai

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) Wednesday launched its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in India. It is available at Rs.27,990 (16 GB), Rs.32,990 (32 GB) and Rs.37,990 (64 GB), depending on the models.
It will be distributed nationally through Redington India and Ingram Micro, initially in 1000 retail stores across eight cities and will then expand to other parts of the country. Accessories for the BlackBerry PlayBook will also be available in these stores from Wednesday, the company said.

A conference attendee examines the PlayBook at its launch in Mumbai

"The BlackBerry PlayBook is an incredibly powerful and innovative product in the growing tablet marketplace. It's perfect for both large organizations and individuals, and it gives users an unmatched mobile experience," said Frenny Bawa, managing director, India, (RIM).
"With the BlackBerry PlayBook, we are stepping into a new era of mobile computing and opening up new and even more exciting opportunities for developers and content publishers with support for Adobe Flash, Adobe Mobile AIR and HTML-5," she added. The PlayBook is also equipped with Wi-Fi support. -IANS Photo Credits:Danish Siddiqui / Reuters

BlackBerry PlayBook specifications

7" 1024x600 WSVGA capacitive LCD touch screen

Ultra-portable at less than a pound and less than one-half inch thick: 0.9 lbs (425g) and 5.1” x 7.6” x 0.4” (130mm x 194mm x 10mm)

1 GHz dual-core processor

BlackBerry® Tablet OS with support for symmetric multiprocessing

MP3, AAC and WMA audio playback

Support for 1080p HD video playback (H.264, MPEG4, WMV)

HDMI out

Dual HD cameras for video conferencing and video capture

1 GB RAM memory

Up to 64 GB internal storage (16, 32 and 64 GB models)

Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n) connectivity

Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR support

Development platform:

Open, flexible application platform with support for WebKit/HTML-5, Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Mobile AIR, Adobe Reader, POSIX, OpenGL, Java

Motorola Xoom now in India, too pricey?

rishi.lopez@gmail.com (Rishi) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:43:00 +0000

Motorola Mobility has now officially launched the very first Android 3.0 Honeycomb based tablet in the Indian market. The Xoom soon follows after the launch of the HTC Flyer.

This tablet device from Motorola is powered by a 1GHz Tegra 2 dual-core processor, along with 1GB of RAM. It has a 10.1-inch display, plays 1080p HD videos, includes 32GB of in-built memory, a 5 megapixel on its rear which can capture life at 720p HD and a secondary 2 megapixel camera so users video chat with their buddies or probably enjoy random conversations on Chat Roulette. THe device also includes a HDMI port, Bluetooth, GPS and A-GPS connectivity.

The company priced the WiFi-only version at 32,990 INR and the WiFi+3G model is priced at 39,990 INR. However, we think the device is absurdly priced and it could have done much better in the market if the WiFi-only version would have been priced at around 30,000 INR and the WiFi+3G version would have been on sale for around 35,000 INR.

Currently, it goes up against the HTC Flyer which eve though is an Android 2.3 Gingerbread device is bundled with some interesting services. Moreover, we are still awaiting the Galaxy Tab 10.1 which would be a real deal breaker.

HTC Flyer now available in India, comes with HTC Watch, HTC Scribe and OnLive

rishi.lopez@gmail.com (Rishi) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:38:00 +0000

HTC has finally launched its very first Android tablet in the Indian market. The HTC Flyer tablet runs Android 2.4 and is powered by a 1.5GHz processor. The tablet supports WiFi as well as 3G connectivity. It sports a front facing 1.3 megapixel camera and a 5 megapixel rear camera.

The Flyer also includes a tablet optimized version of the famous HTC Sense UI, and is bundled with a few other exciting services like the HTC Watch, HTC Scribe and OnLive. HTC Watch will allow users to stream HD quality videos directly to their tablet device. HTC Scribe is the capacitive stylus technology supported technology from HTC. Finally, OnLive is a cloud based gaming service which brings some interesting games to the device.

The hardware on the HTC Flyer is decent, yet not up to the mark to compete with the newly released Android tablets, or even RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook and Apple’s iPad 2. To our disappointment the tablet is officially priced at 39,890 INR and it seems a lot more expensive than what we had earlier speculated. However, it is noteworthy that the tablet will introduce a unique experience when compared to various stock Honeycomb-based tablet devices available in the market.

Internet Explorer 6 Usage Drops Below 1% in the U.S., Finally

rishi.lopez@gmail.com (Rishi) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:22:00 +0000

The end is finally nigh for IE6. Microsoft announced Tuesday that Internet Explorer 6 usage in the U.S. has dropped below 1% and is at 7.7% worldwide.

“So as we kick off 2012, we call on the rest of the world – make it your new year’s resolution to end IE6 and move to a modern browser like IE8 or IE9,” Microsoft wrote in a blog post.

NEW YORK: announced within an official post on The Windows Blog, Microsoft seems elated to relay the news that usage of the Internet Explorer 6 Web browser has dropped below one percent within the United States. Tabulated from data collected by Net Applications, the official Internet Explorer 6 C0untdown site have dropped the usage rate to 0.9 percent in the United States. While the worldwide rate of usage dropped to approximately 7.7 percent, China still leads the world in Internet Explorer 6 usage with just over a fourth of the population active on the Internet still utilizing the old version of the Web browser. South Korea is in second place with 7.2 percent still using IE6 and Japan stand in third place with 5.9 percent.

Other countries that are under the one percent mark are entered into Microsoft’s “Champion’s Circle” and include countries like Czech Republic, Portugal, Philippines, Ukraine, Mexico, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Finland and Norway. While developers around the United States are likely applauding the fact that Microsoft’s taking a more active role in updating older versions of the Internet Explorer browser, the 0.9 percent usage rate means roughly two million people in the United States are still using the browser since the country has approximately 245 million Internet users.

Microsoft also has reason to celebrate about Windows 7 as the operating system made gains over 2011. Windows 7 grew by approximately 13 percent since February 2011 and now takes up about 37 percent market share. Alternatively, Windows XP lost about 11 percent market share during the year and Windows Vista dropped from 11.5 percent in February 2011 to 8.4 percent in December 2011. Microsoft plans to end all support for Windows XP on April 8, 2014 and users cannot use Internet Explorer 9 without first upgrading to either Windows 7 or Windows Vista. While Microsoft still dominates the market with approximately 92 percent market share, Apple’s Mac OS X comprised about five percent of the operating system landscape.

Apple Is $50 Billion Away From Becoming The World’s Most Valuable Company

rishi.lopez@gmail.com (Rishi) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:15:00 +0000

After a record setting quarter that shattered Wall Street estimates, Apple is in a position to become the most valuable company in the world.

The company announced on Tuesday that it sold 20.34 million iPhones and 9.25 million iPads in the second quarter of 2011, up by 142% and 183% respectively. That translated to a quarterly record revenue of $28.57 billion and a record net profit of $7.31 billion.

The result? Apple shares soared by more than 4% in after hours trading to $394. That translates to a market capitalization of $364 billion.

Despite that growth, Apple remains the second most valuable company in the world.

Last year, Apple surpassed Microsoft’s market cap and took the title of the world’s most valuable tech company with a market cap of $223 billion. Only one company exceeded its worth: Exxon Mobil, whose net worth at the time was $281.5 billion. Today, the oil giant is worth an astounding $412 billion.

Can Apple catch up with Exxon and become the world’s most valuable company? If Apple continues to post record-breaking earnings, it’s definitely possible. However, Exxon Mobil’s profits are soaring as well, and energy tends to perform better than consumer electronics in a stagnant or down economy (you don’t need an iPad, but you still need to drive your car).

Our verdict? These two companies are going to continue breaking revenue and profit records, but unless something drastic happens at Exxon or Apple, it may be some time until the technology company beats the oil giant.

Samsung Galaxy offers up super AMOLED

rishi.lopez@gmail.com (Rishi) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 09:24:00 +0000

Samsung's 2011 flagship still tantalizingly out of your wallet's reach? Well, you might be tempted by the latest addition to the Galaxy family that's just gone official in Korea. ...