tablets

It hasn't even launched yet and already Apple's iPad is catching the eye of colleges.

Pennsylvania-based Seton Hill University, which has an enrollment of about 2,100, announced on Tuesday that starting fall semester, all full-time students will receive an iPad tablet device in an effort to boost learning ability and technical know-how.

"The iPad initiative kicks off the university's Griffin Technology Advantage Program," the school wrote on its iPad page. "This new program provides students with the best in technology and collaborative learning tools, ensuring that Seton Hill students will be uniquely suited … Read more

AT&T is already expanding its selection of products in the nascent tablet market. In addition to the upcoming Apple iPad, AT&T will market a tablet based on a future version of Intel's Atom processor.

At the CTIA trade show in Las Vegas this week, AT&T announced a tablet that will run, like the iPad, on its 3G broadband network. The tablet is based on a design from Boca Raton, Fla.-based OpenPeak, which designs and develops products for companies like Verizon and Telefonica--two of its current customers.

Inside OpenPeak's "OpenTablet" … Read more

It seems that when it comes to the company's sweetly controlling nature, Apple has slipped a Xanax into its perfectly still martini and let the online show begin.

Figures from those delightfully modern bean counters at Visible Measures suggest that the new iPad TV spot--you know, the one in which thighs play a leading role--has become the second-most-watched piece of viral footage after the E*Trade Super Bowl ad in which Lindsay Lohan most definitely does not appear.

More than 2.4 million people have already feasted their tired but excited online eyes on an ad that covers the … Read more

Samsung will be the latest to jump on the tablet PC bandwagon.

The Korean electronics company said at a technology forum in Singapore Monday that it will sell a slate-like device starting in the second half of this year, according to a report in APC Magazine. Samsung's slate will be intended for the consumer market, though details like size, operating system, and other tech specifications were not revealed.

The company did say that its slate will be faster and more powerful than that other tablet everyone is talking about, the iPad, which a Samsung executive called "a glorified MID (mobile Internet device).&… Read more

Though the shipping date for JooJoo, the underdog tablet, was recently pushed back to March 25, manufacturer Fusion Garage isn't letting that time go to waste. It's overhauled the JooJoo's interface, expanded local video playback, and given its backplate a makeover.

Engadget has shots of the tablet's new look, the most striking change being that of the home screen, which now sports a customizable wallpaper with nice, shiny icons. Here's what it looked like when we played with it in December:

The updates aren't only aesthetic, though. Fusion Garage has streamlined and updated navigation … Read more

I'm among the many who will purchase an iPad on April 3. I'm not some huge Apple fanboy, but I did have a hand in a successful iPhone app last year and plan on creating more this year. I'll need an iPad to test it out and show it off.

But I'm also in lust with Microsoft's Courier. It drives me nuts that I know someone here in Seattle who has one and won't let me anywhere near it. Bastard.

Then there are the dozens of other devices about to hit. Make no mistake … Read more

Though Dell didn't offer many details when it first introduced its forthcoming touch-screen tablet in January, we're learning more about it, bit by bit.

Engadget has posted two slides purported to be from internal Dell documents that show color options, a new name for the tablet, and content sources.

The Mini 5 is referred to as "Streak" in this document and will apparently come with lots of Amazon tie-ins. That will reportedly include an Amazon Kindle app and access to Amazon's MP3 store and Video On Demand streaming service.

Another document shows the Streak available … Read more

While we still don't know when Hewlett-Packard's Slate will be for sale, thanks to two new videos, we certainly know more about how HP feels about Apple.

Just hours after Apple revealed the first iPad commercial, HP has followed with a pair of video demos showing off its own touch-screen tablet, the Slate.

The first video, embedded below, feels remarkably similar to Apple's own ad, just sped up and with backing music that's a little harder-edged than Apple's usual choice of cutesy indie pop. Like the iPad as well as iPhone and iPod Touch ads, the demo features just the screen and a pair of hands swiping and pressing the Slate's screen. The similarity between the demo videos of the two competing devices is made easier considering that the iPad and the Slate also look a lot alike. Check out the video, and you can judge for yourself:

… Read more

Apple finally gave us the date the first iPads will hit store shelves: April 3. We've been closely following the touch-screen tablet since Apple first announced it in late January, but here's a quick guide for your most essential questions about the device.

First things first: How big is it? The iPad's screen offers a maximum resolution of 1,024x768 pixels and measures 9.7 inches diagonally, 5.75 inches wide, and 7.75 inches tall. An 0.86-inch bezel frames the screen (with a hair extra room on the bottom to account for the home button), making the front of the iPad a total of 7.47 inches wide and 9.56 inches tall. The total thickness of the iPad is half an inch at its thickest point, which tapers down to a quarter of an inch near the edges. Total weight is 1.5 pounds for the model with Wi-Fi only, or 1.6 pounds for the version with 3G.

What hardware features does the iPad offer? Many of the iPad's hardware capabilities are identical to the Apple iPod Touch, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, a stereo audio output (headphone jack), built-in speaker, an integrated lithium ion rechargeable battery, and NAND flash memory. A built-in accelerometer and ambient light sensor are also included on the iPad.

Hardware features that distinguish the iPad from the iPod Touch include a 1GHz A4 processor, an oleophobic screen coating, integrated digital compass, built-in microphone, mute switch, and support for 802.11n Wi-Fi (in addition to 802.11b/g). The 3G version of the iPad includes a SIM card tray, as well as assisted GPS capabilities.

… Read more