Tablet

The CEO of computer maker Acer has stepped down after disagreeing with the company's board of directors over the future of the company, Acer said in a statement today.

Gianfranco Lanci, who had been chief executive at Acer since 2008, disagreed with the board over the company's ongoing strategy, according to the statement from the Taiwan-based company.

"On the company's future development, Lanci held different views from a majority of the board members and could not reach a consensus following several months' of dialogue," the statement read." [Both sides] placed different levels of importance … Read more

Back on March 14, Microsoft confirmed plans to discontinue making its Zune player, a device that arrived a little too late to be a successful challenger to Apple's iPod, but nonetheless had plenty of fans. At least enough that Microsoft still sees value in the brand and platform.

According to a statement issued to CNET by a Microsoft representative, it's "absolutely committed to providing the best movies, music, and TV show experiences through Zune on Xbox, the PC, Windows Phone 7, and Zune devices."

It was that last part about Zune devices that got me. While on the surface it could be read as "Microsoft is not going to leave Zune player owners out in the cold," it also left me wondering if a Zune tablet might be in the works. And I'm not talking about tablets from other manufacturers running a Windows OS. I mean a Zune tablet.

But, like the Zune player, is it too late for Microsoft to get in and become a leader in the category instead of a footnote? I don't think so, but it'll have to act fast. Here's what it would take to make a solid entry in the category. … Read more

Dell really appreciates that Apple has successfully created a market for tablets, but is pretty sure Apple will ultimately fail when it comes to attracting enterprise customers.

That's what Dell's head of enterprise marketing Andy Lark said in an interview with CIO Australia magazine today. He had a couple choice quotes as he ripped Apple's iPad for, among other things, being "too expensive" and incompatible for business users.

"I couldn't be happier that Apple has created a market and built up enthusiasm, but longer term, open, capable and affordable will win, not closed, … Read more

If you ever wanted to move your iPad from the living room wall to the back of a car seat and then onto the ceiling, RingO is for you. The RingO Universal Tablet Mounting System from Vogel's is all about making your iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab easier to view in a variety of settings. It comes in two parts: a cover and a mount. The cover snaps onto the back of the tablet. The built-in round aluminum connector hooks up with any of a variety of mounts.

The $69.99 starter pack includes the case and a wall mount. The wall mount looks a bit like a hockey puck, but it's low profile enough to not throw off the feng shui in your living room. Once the tablet clicks into place, it can be rotated around. It might not impress like a wall-mounted 55-inch flat-panel TV, but you won't accidentally sit on the Galaxy Tab that you left on the sofa, either.

But why stop with walls?… Read more

With the first quarter about to end, analysts are tossing around possible sales figures for Apple's iPad.

A group of analysts questioned by Fortune are estimating unit sales anywhere from 5 million to 8.8 million.

Their estimates cover the period from January 1 through last Saturday and include sales of both the iPad and iPad 2. On average, the 31 estimates point to unit sales of more than 6 million iPads in just under three months. The estimates were also gathered at various times, with most of them coming out this month but a few being offered in … Read more

Google and LG are reportedly working on a Nexus tablet that could reach consumers later this year.

According to information picked up by Russian blog site Mobile-Review (Google English Translation), Google is looking to create an Android Nexus tablet following in the footsetps of its Nexus One and Nexus S smartphones. Though LG is said to be handling the actual manufacturing, the tablet would be free of any additional software often thrown in by third-party hardware makers, thus creating a pure Android device.

The new tablet would most likely run a clean version of Android 3.0 Honeycomb and could hit the market by mid-summer or early fall, added Mobile-Review.

But before consumers get too excited, the news is still decidedly in the rumor stage. Boy Genius Report pointed out that the new device could just be an engineering prototype that Google wants to use internally for tablet development.… Read more

For competitive reasons, Barnes & Noble and Amazon never report exactly how many e-readers they've sold. But word out of Taiwan's Digitimes, which is well known for its iPhone rumors, is that the bookseller has "taken delivery of close to 3 million Nook Color e-book readers from its production partner," according to a source from the Nook Color supply chain.

The article claims that the attractively priced Nook Color--and its "clearly differentiated display size" from the iPad--has captured more than 50 percent of the "iPad-like market" in North America. We assume that means 50 percent of the non-Apple tablet market.

Additionally, the article cites sources saying sales of the Nook Color topped 1 million during the 2010 holiday season and have been running in the 600,000-700,000 unit range in subsequent months.… Read more

After launching Friday in 25 countries outside the U.S., Apple's iPad 2 was already sold out by Saturday afternoon across major markets, according to several reports.

The long lines of iPad 2 buyers in the United Kingdom apparently scooped up all the available stock from Apple's stores and other retail outlets throughout the country.

Speaking with Apple stores in Regent Street and Covent Garden areas in London, the Web site Pocket-Lint found that supplies were depleted on Saturday with no more stock expected yesterday and no indication of new iPad 2s today. The situation was generally the … Read more

Almost six months since the introduction of the PlayBook and just weeks before it goes on sale, Research In Motion is throwing us yet another curveball. RIM now says that in addition to BlackBerry and PlayBook apps, its tablet will also have the ability to run Android apps.

Reaction has been mixed, to say the least. Some are cheering RIM for being "open" and giving the PlayBook customer more choices of apps. And while those two things sound great in theory, it's also a sign that RIM needs some clarity of vision.

RIM has long been a … Read more