Tablets

Apple touted several new and improved products at its keynote event at the Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, from a revamped iOS design to a music streaming service to a new MacBook Air. But some items were noticeably missing in action.

Apple revealed several changes to its MacBook Air, including the adoption of Intel's fourth-generation Core "Haswell" processor, built-in support for Wi-Fi 802.11ac, and beefier battery life. But the new version of Apple's ultrabook will be stuck with the same resolution as always since the Retina Display wasn't on the list of enhancements.

Although … Read more

That's three times more than Android and other mobile stores have distributed to app makers, Cook said during his keynote speech at Apple's annual developers conference. And $5 billion of the total was just from this year, he said.

"The momentum is incredible," Cook said.

Apple currently is hosting its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. Among the expected announcements is an update to its mobile operating system and a new radio service.

Apple Stores receive more than 1 million customers per day, CEO Tim Cook revealed at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco on Monday.

The company now hosts 407 stores around the world across 14 different countries. Apple recently opened a store in Berlin, which is located in a 100-year-old building.

Samsung could introduce an extra-large Android tablet in the second half of the year, according to ETNews (translate).

New rumors indicate that Samsung will release a 12.2-inch version of the Galaxy Note-like experience in the coming months.

According to the Korean Web site's "industry sources," the Samsung tablet will feature a 2,560x1,600-pixel display and come with an S-Pen stylus. While there's no outright mention of a name, we could assume it'll be part of the Note line.

As for smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is rumored to arrive in early fall, … Read more

The world will see combined shipments of PCs, tablets, and smartphones rise past 1.7 billion next year. And more of those will be headed toward developing markets, research firm IDC said today.

Out of that 1.7 billion figure, 1 billion devices will end up in emerging markets. China, India, Brazil, and Russia will grab around 662 million devices, for a value of more than $206 billion. Developed markets will see around 650 million units shipped, with more than 400 million devices valued collectively at $204 billion arriving in the U.S., the U.K., and Japan.

Tablets and … Read more

Consumers looking for a small Windows 8 tablet can now preorder the Acer Iconia W3 through Amazon or Staples.

Dubbed the world's first 8.1-inch Windows 8 tablet, the 32GB flavor of Iconia W3 is going for $379 through both Amazon and Staples. Amazon also lists a 64GB version for $429.

Staples promises a delivery date of anywhere from Tuesday, June 11, to Wednesday, June 19. Amazon isn't nearly as quick, listing an estimated delivery time of three to five weeks for both models of the tablet.

Equipped with Windows 8, the Iconia W3 comes with an 8.… Read more

Wow.

Remember last month, when Barnes & Noble chopped Nook HD and Nook HD+ prices the week leading up to Mother's Day? Turns out they like Dad a little more.

This week only, you can get the Nook HD (8GB) 7-inch tablet for $129 shipped and the Nook HD+ (16GB) 8.9-inch tablet for $149 shipped (plus sales tax in most states).

Those are unprecedented deals, especially considering that these are new units, not refurbs. The Nook HD normally sells for $199; the Nook HD+, for $269.

I've written about both these models before, and you can learn … Read more

The Amazon Kindle has officially landed in China.

On Friday, both the Kindle Fire HD tablet and the Kindle Paperwhite e-reader popped up for sale on Amazon's Chinese Web site. The Fire HD tablet costs 1,499 yuan ($244) for the 16GB version and 1,799 yuan ($293) for the 32GB version, while the Paperwhite e-reader costs 849 yuan ($138).

The Kindle devices will also be sold locally through Suning and Tesco Shi, two retail chains in China, according to Chinese news site Sina Tech. Chinese consumers will be able to find the Kindles at stores in Beijing, Shanghai, … Read more

The original iPad may seem a bit like of a dinosaur nowadays, but, well, it's still an iPad. Big screen. Endless apps. iTunes ecosystem. All good.

Today only, and while supplies last, DailySteals has the refurbished first-gen Apple iPad (16GB) for $149 shipped. That may be the lowest price I've seen on any iPad ever.

Consequently, this may sell out very quickly, so I'm going to toss in an extra bonus deal just in case. But as of around 8:45 a.m. ET, they were in stock -- and a company rep told me they have … Read more