Now, what are you looking for in a tablet? The first thing that you should be looking for is the key specifications in your tablet. The size of the tablet and the things that will affect its overall performance should be some of the things that you should be considering. How much RAM does it have? Also, does it have the memory that you need? These are some of the things that you shouldn’t miss out on.

Next, you want to read reviews of other people who used the tablet. You can’t ignore user experience. Is it comparable to high-end items or is it really something that doesn’t justify its price? Just by reading the reviews, it can help save you a good amount of money by not choosing the wrong product.

Aside from the RAM and the memory, you should be looking into the camera of the tablet. For a lot of people, having a powerful camera with their device can be a game changer. It allows them to take photos from the tablet as well.

Now, durability is another thing that you should be looking for. You will have to read the review of other people to have an idea just how robust is the design. You will also have to consider carefully whether or not the review is paid or if the person doing the review is affiliated with the company in some way. These are just some of the things that you can do in order to find out if you have the right tablet. Don’t just buy a tablet. Be sure that you are going to do some research.

Dramatically reduced priced and only while supplies last.

If you’ve been looking for the absolute best time to buy a slick 10 inch Android tablet well now’s your chance.  Get the Cobalt 10″ Android tablet now for only $129 (limited quantity available).

The Nabi Jr. is a 5 inch slate powered by Google’s Android OS (Ice Cream Sandwich to be exact), making this the perfect Android tablet for any baby.  And priced at only $100 for the 4GB model (or $130 for the 16GB), your infants will be tablet enhanced in no time.  And oh yeah… did I mention this might be a good alternative to your $499 iPad?  What’s also pretty cool about the Nabi tablet for kids is that it comes pre-loaded with educational app, games, and videos.

According to Amazon, for every 100 print books, 114 ebooks are also sold – a very close lead. What a drastic change considering that book printing started hundreds of years ago and ebooks were just first introduced in the 1970’s. Surprised as I am, ebooks have been with us for over forty years already; it was just recently that ebooks became general public use.

The advent of the iPad, Kindle Fire HD and other tablets has helped introduce ebooks to the public. Now, even kids and great-grandmothers use tablets to read books.

It will be interesting to see how this rise in ebooks affects the publishing industry. Will it adapt and follow the online trend or is it too old and archaic to function in a high-tech society?

As expected, iOS 7 is a radical departure for Apple and represents a complete change in the way users will operate their devices. The new software was demonstrated to 6,000 developers at the WWDC event, plus many hundreds of thousands watching online.

The new operating system was designed by Sir Jonathan Ive, the man who designs Apple’s hardware, and his influence has resulted in flatter shapes, fewer glassy effects and a more colourful range of icons. iOS 7 also uses transparent backgrounds and a parallax effect which makes icons appear to float above the wallpaper. Thankfully, it doesn’t look as much like Windows 8 as we’d feared.

Apple has also added a new shortcut bar, Control Center, which users can access by swiping up from the bottom of the screen. From there, they can start and stop music, switch connections on and off or transfer files.

In terms of functionality, there were some new and welcome changes. AirDrop, Apple’s file transfer system, has been added to iOS, making file transfer between iPads, iPhones and laptop computers really simple. Siri has a new voice and interface, and it can adjust phone settings using voice commands. The App Store will now automatically download updates instead of requiring the user to intervene, an improvement that most iOS lovers will really appreciate. And the Weather app has also been redesigned with live wallpaper and a stacked world clock feature.

The new iOS 7 is expected to be launched alongside the new iPad and iPad mini or a new iPhone, although we’re not clear on the specs for these, so they’re still some way off. The best guess we have for release is September. Right now, developers can download iOS 7 as a beta release and start preparing their apps for the launch.

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster thinks that in Q3 2013 Apple is really going to release a new iPhone that will cost only $199 (unlocked). Why? Obviously, to grab a bigger market share and increase its gross profit. Munster thinks that Apple will sell 37 million low-end iPhones this year and 96 million units next year.

After analyzing the smartphone markets in a number of European and Asian countries, Munster discovered that the iPhones are actually much more expensive than other phones with similar specs. For example, the iPhone 4, which is already considered to be a low-end device, costs 133% more than other low-end phones; the mid-range iPhone 4S is priced at 48% more than other similar phones, and the high-end iPhone 5 is about 19% more expensive than other high-end phones (truly, even the Sony Xperia Z that can easily beat the iPhone 5 costs less).

Munster believes that a cheap iPhone will be more competitive in terms of price. But the fact is – people buy the iPhones even despite the fact that they’re overpriced, because many of them think that owning an Apple device in cool. Will those people agree to buy cheap, plastic iPhones? I doubt they will.

Besides, an iPhone for $200 will not be competitive at all. What features will it have? A small touchscreen at 3.2 or 3.5 inches? And what about resolution? 400 x 600? Or even 320 x 480? Other than that, the cheap iPhone will most likely have a weak single-core processor and a camera with a 3 or 5MP sensor. Actually, there are many Android phones with similar or even better specs, and those who’re looking for low-end and cheap devices will most likely prefer those Androids over the new iPhones.

Maybe Apple will really manage to sell 37 million of those low-end iPhones this year, just like Munster has predicted, but I am sure they will be forgotten before the end of the year. And Apple will definitely not be able to sell that many units in 2014, since those phones will already be outdated by that time.

So I really think that making cheap iPhones isn’t quite a good idea for Apple, since those phones won’t be competitive enough to beat low-end Android phones, so they won’t bring good profits, and Apple will only hurt its reputation of a company that makes premium devices. What do you think?

If you own an iPad Mini, you may have been experiencing intermittent WiFi connection issues.  One of the biggest complaints from iPad Mini users so far regarding WiFi has been the dropping of their WiFi connection.

If you are an iPad Mini owner and experiencing intermittent WiFi connection issues, or your WiFi connection on your iPad Mini keeps dropping off, here’s 4 steps to getting a stable WiFi connection for your iPad Mini.

4 Steps To Preventing Intermittent WiFi / Fixing WiFi Problems on your iPad Mini

Let me say also the steps below can be applied to the iPad and in some cases, the iPhone.  Basically what I’m saying is this is not an all inclusively trouble-shooting method just for the iPad Mini.  However, the iPad Mini is quickly outselling all other iPad versions and because of the “new’ness”, the noise seems to be the loudest surrounding iPad Mini wifi problems.

#1:   Reset Network Settings

Resetting your network settings is a fast, easy way to trouble shoot your WiFi connection issues on your iPad Mini, and also on your iPad and iPhone as well.  Resetting your network settings allows your device to flush out all cache information from your wireless network, DNS and nameserver settings, etc… basically it allows your device to start fresh on your wireless network.

Here’s how to reset your network settings on your iPad Mini (iPhone and iPad as well).

Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.

Tap “Settings” icon on your homepage > tap the “General” option > tap on “Reset” > then finally tap on “Reset Network Settings”.

#2:  Use WPA or WPA2 instead of WEP

During the process of setting up your wireless network in your home or business, most people prefer to enable security.  This means, in order for a device to connect to your WiFi network, the user has to first enter a password in order to connect.  When setting up security on your wireless network, you probably remember being confused as to which option to chose for the security signal.  Typically you can chose between WPA, WPA2, or WEP.

Chose WPA or WPA2 as your security protocol.  These protocols are newer, with more effective drivers for security networks compared to the older WEP protocol.

WEP protocol, because it’s outdated, is prone to causing intermittent WiFi disconnects on devices such as iPad Mini, iPad, and iPhone.  Switching from WEP to WPA or WPA2 will help you eliminate these intermittent WiFi problems with your device.

#3:   Update the firmware on your WiFi (wireless) router

If you have a WiFi problem, the implication is that you have a wireless router.  Most people don’t realize this, but wireless routers are operated by software.  And if your software is out of date on your wireless router, then your iPad Mini – or any iPad or tablet computer for that matter – could struggle to hold onto the wireless connection.  Outdated firmware shows its ugly head in the form of your iPad Mini connecting to the WiFi network, then for no apparent reason, dropping the connection.

The way you update the firmware to your wireless router varies depending on the type of wireless router you have in your home or office.  Somewhere on your wireless router you’ll find the manufacturer and model number.  For example, a Linksys WRT54g is a very common wireless router found in homes.  Write down your wireless router name and model number > then go to Google and search for the updated firmware for that particular router.  In some cases, you’ll find instructions to actually push the download directly to your wireless router.  In other cases, you’ll have to download an update file to y our computer, then log in to your wireless router and proceed with the update from there.  If you have any problems, just post your message in the comments below and I’ll be more than happy to help.

#4:  Renew Lease on your IP address / network

If you are having WiFi connectivity on your iPad Mini or other device and you are in an office environment or other large gathering location that offers WiFi access, you may need to renew the IP address on your device.  This is also referred to as “renewing the lease” on your device.  A “lease” refers to the IP address that was “leased” to your device, from the network location, so that you can connect to their WiFi access point.  Again, this is common in places such as an office, church, airports, or other large gathering locations.

Here’s how to renew the IP address on your iPad Mini, iPad, or iPhone:

• Tap Settings > Wi-Fi
• Locate the Wi-Fi network you are currently using and tap
• Tap Renew Lease 

So try those 4 methods if you are having problems connecting / keeping a WiFi connection on your iPad Mini.  And if you are continuing to have issues, let us know the comments below.

Again, these troubleshooting methods can also be applied to iPhone and iPad devices as well.

• Reset the SSID of your wireless router

• Upgrade the firmware to your wireless router (Video)

• 2 Steps:  reset wireless router >> reset network settings

• Reset network settings on your iPhone or iPad (Video)

• Reset Safari browser cache, cookies, and history

  /* —— original post below follows —–*/

The iOS 6 WiFi problem just will not go away.  Perhaps the ultimate fix (above and beyond those listed below) is going to happen when Apple releases a new version of iOS 6 that addresses that ultimately addresses the WiFi connectivity problem once and for all.  For now though, stay tuned to Tablet Crunch as I continue to add to the list of confirmed fixes.

And speaking of that growing list of iOS 6 WiFi connectivity fixes, I can’t type another word without first thanking all of the readers and supporters of Tablet Crunch who continue to call me, write to me, and engage me with their problems – and share with me their due diligence that leads them to ultimately fixing their WiFi connectivity problems.  It’s because of you – the readers here at Tablet Crunch – that I’m able to share with the rest of the world these fixes.  And trust me, A LOT of people from all over the world are being helped because of the insight you all continue to pour in here at Tablet Crunch.

Latest Fix for iOS 6 WiFi Connectivity Problems – Resetting Your Wireless Router’s SSID

I was speaking with a reader from Montreal, Canada today who was telling me about his unique set of circumstances and how ultimately he couldn’t resolve his WiFi connectivity problems on his iPad.  Of course, he had upgraded to iOS 6 and he said that the WiFi connection would be fine for around 45 minutes or so, but after that, the connection would be lost.  He said the WiFi connectivity would also get dropped whenever his iPad went to sleep.  So before the iPad going to sleep, WiFi was working great.  But after he woke up his iPad, the WiFi connection would be gone.

Strange, I know!

And perhaps some of you have been experiencing the same thing.

But the reader from Montreal said he had a wireless router that hadn’t issued an update since 2007, so there was no way he was going to be upgrading to the a firmware that supported IPv6.

So after much frustration, he finally just logged into the dashboard of his wireless router > changed the SSID of his router > switched it to auto channel, and now he no longer has WiFi connectivity problems.

Changing / renaming your SSID

In case you are wondering what the SSID is on your wireless router, it’s the name of your wireless router that gets broadcast out to devices.  So if you look at the list of wireless networks that are showing up on your iPhone or iPad and you see one called “Tablet Crunch” or “Bobby’s WiFi”, etc… that network name is what has been set as the SSID on the wireless router your device is picking up.

What is SSID?

From the SSID Wikipedia page:

An extended service set (ESS) is a set of one or more interconnected BSSs and integrated local area networks that appear as a single BSS to the logical link control layer at any station associated with one of those BSSs; the BSSs may work on the same channel, or work on different channels to boost aggregate throughput.

Service set identification (SSID)

Each ESS is identified by a service set identifier (SSID); for an IBSS, the SSID is chosen by the client device that starts the network, and broadcasting of the SSID is performed in a pseudo-random order by all devices that are members of the network. The maximum length of the SSID is currently 32 bytes long.

But the reader did a little bit more than just reset his SSID – he also switched his channel to “auto”.  On most wireless routers this will be called “auto channel”, but it could vary depending on your exact manufacturer.  Basically, you are setting the channel frequency for your wireless broadcast to “auto”.

Once the reader changed the name of his SSID, and switched to “auto channel”, his WiFi connectivity problems were fixed even without upgrading his wireless router to the latest firmware to make sure it is was IPv6 compatible.

iOS 6 Wireless Drivers

With some many problems, and just as many fixes that are being confirmed to fix these wifi connectivity problems on iOS 6, it seems to all point to a driver problem in iOS 6.  This means, the drivers that Apple released in iOS 6 that are designed to handle the wireless connectivity of the device, are simply flawed.  Apple has built its brand and reputation on the fact that it just works.  Well, the “it just works” concept isn’t working this time with iOS 6 and customers are less than pleased as a result.

Surely, the WiFi connectivity problems with iOS 6 are comparatively isolated considering there are now over 200 million devices running iOS 6.  But for the people are upgrade their device to iOS 6 and start experiencing WiFi connectivity problems, their frustration is sometimes high enough to make them eject and go buy a Android smartphone or Android tablet.

So as promised, below is a list of fixes that I’ve written about that are confirmed to have helped a lot of people.  Does every fix work every time?  Of course not.  But having a list of fixes to iOS 6 WiFi connectivity problems can be very helpful as you try to work through troubleshooting the connectivity problem and ultimately working to get your iOS 6 device back online.

Check out the list below (including the SSID fix I discussed above) and let me know your feedback in the comments below:

• Upgrade the firmware to your wireless router (Video)

• 2 Steps:  reset wireless router >> reset network settings

• Reset network settings on your iPhone or iPad (Video)

• Reset Safari browser cache, cookies, and history

• Plus the fix I provided above which is to reset the SSID of your wireless router