Tablets

Plastic tube keeps cable clutter in line

Most of us live with some amount of cable clutter--it's a fact of contemporary life. There are numerous cable minders, and many desktop monitors have them built in. Still, it's nice to see an elegant solution, especially one that doubles as a tablet or smartphone stand.

Cable.Gone's shape and materials set it apart from other cable minders. It's a slanted, rubberized plastic tube with open ends and a couple of holes in the middle. Cables can run from one end to the other or from either end to the middle. Running cables through Cable.Gone is an easy way to consolidate cables, save desk space, and reduce visual clutter.

Cable.Gone's cross-section is hexagonal, with one side lower than the other so the top surface is slanted. The slant is useful for propping up tablets and smartphones at an angle that makes them easier to see and type on. The bottom surface has a slot that makes it easy to insert cables. The tube is made of a rigid plastic with a rubberized outer surface, which helps hold tablets and smartphones in place.… Read more

Android coming on strong in tablets, Q3 data shows

Apple's iPad easily dominated the tablet market last quarter, but Android is coming on strong, a study from research firm Strategy Analytics has found.

During the third quarter, worldwide tablet shipments totaled 16.7 million units. Apple shipped 11.1 million iPads during the period, helping iOS secure 66.6 percent of the tablet space. Android-based tablet shipments hit 4.5 million in the third quarter, for a 26.9 percent share during the period.

All told, iOS and Android secured nearly 93.5 percent of the tablet market between them, easily overshadowing the 2.4 percent market share … Read more

Match your browser to your bandwidth on Android

Some Android browsers deliver all the content, while others cut back for faster browsing. Choosing the correct browser for your connection type each time can become tedious--but there's a quick fix.

With Smart Browser Chooser, a free app on the Android Market, you can decide which browser is used based on your connection speed. All it takes is a couple minutes of setup and whether you're on Wi-Fi, 3G, or 2G, your Android device will know which browser to load for the best user experience.

Note: In order to use this app, you need … Read more

Asus' new Android Transformer tablet going quad-core

Asus Chairman Jonney Shih unveiled his company's next-generation Android tablet today, a 10-inch model in the Transformer family that will come with Nvidia's quad-core Kal-El processor.

Shih, speaking at All Things Digital AsiaD conference in Hong Kong, said the model will be 8.3 millimeters thick and features USB and mini HDMI ports, but reserved further details for a formal launch on November 9, according to All Things Digital's report. The tablet is called the Transformer Prime, according to Endgadget. … Read more

How to use Evri for iPad

Looking for a new newsreader for the iPad? If so, then check out Evri, a slick, graphics-rich, customizable newsreader that could become your go-to tablet news source.

Calling itself the "world's first topic-based newsreader," Evri uses its own semantic Web search technology to scan more than 2.3 million topics from what it believes to be the Web's 15,000 best sources. Unlike The Daily, Evri is free. And unlike Flipboard, Evri is ad-free. Here's how the app works.… Read more

PlayStation games hit Sony Tablet S

Owners of the Sony Tablet S can now access the PlayStation Store and purchase games.

As of yesterday, a limited selection of games is available for those who wield the exotic tablet in the U.S., Canada, and seven other countries. Ten titles digitized from the original PlayStation console are being sold for $5.99: Cool Boarders, Destruction Derby, Hot Shots Golf 2, Jet Moto, Jet Moto 2, Jumping Flash!, MediEvil, Motor Toon Grand Prix, Rally Cross, and Wild Arms. … Read more

Android tab, media player half-off on Groupon

The floor for tablet pricing has fallen out again. Today, Groupon is offering an Android-based tablet for only $129 through its Groupon Goods program.

Granted, it's not the most drool-worthy tab out there. Groupon is selling a limited number of Skytex Primer Pocket media players and Skypad Alpha tablets at a 50 percent discount. The Primer Pocket is a 4.3-inch Android-based iPod Touch knock-off running FroYo (Android 2.2), while the Skypad Alpha is a 7-inch slate that comes with Android 2.3 Gingerbread. … Read more

Google: Motorola buy won't put us into hardware business

When Google announced plans in August to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, some assumed the company would start actively involving itself in handset development.

But in an interview today at All Things Digital's AsiaD conference, Google Android boss Andy Rubin said that this simply won't happen.

"I don't think you should consider Google's acquisition of Motorola as Google entering the hardware business," Rubin said during the interview. "This is going to be an arm's length thing...Motorola isn't going to get any special treatment."

Rubin's comments seem … Read more

Android identity crisis: Is it for nerds or everyone?

commentary The more popular Android becomes, the more it seems to suffer from an identity crisis.

Android 4.0 is designed to be more approachable than its precursors, opening up Google's operating system to a broader market. But that shift toward the mainstream market is hobbled by techie-focused marketing messages.

The design of Android 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich, manifested in the Samsung Galaxy Nexus due out in November, indicates that Google is trying to aim Android for that broader market. It's designed to be more physical, with touch actions letting people do what they want without … Read more

Four handy iOS 5 tricks for the iPad

iOS 5 further improves the iPad as a productivity device, with new features that streamline navigation and speed up word processing. Four of these new features stood out to us, two of which are only available on the iPad.

All of these tools are built in, so you can start using them right away. Watch the video and follow the tips to get started:

1. Multitasking gestures With iOS 5, the Home button is nearly obsolete, as you can now navigate and manage your iPad using multitouch gestures. To enable gestures, go to Settings > General, and turn on multitasking … Read more