Tablets

Laptop nightmares: Scary systems with fatal flaws

The Halloween season my be winding down, but that doesn't mean there aren't still plenty of scary laptops out there. Of course, the vast majority of laptops we review are pretty decent examples of technology. After all, there are only a handful of common components used in most systems, and things such as speed and battery life are, if not standardized, at least largely predictable based on the list of what's inside the box.

That said, we occasionally run into a laptop that just rubs us the wrong way. Maybe it's a key missing feature, or terrible design, or an unusable touch pad--or sometimes products simply don't work as advertised. We've compiled our own list of the scariest laptops of 2010, the models that either had one or more frightening flaws, or else were just dogs. … Read more

Sprint ID destined for the Galaxy Tab, Epic 4G

So far Sprint ID (review) has been available on only a trio of Android phones, but CEO Dan Hesse announced at a Sprint developer conference early this week that Sprint ID is spreading to two more high profile devices, the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the Samsung Epic 4G.

In addition, Notre Dame University is a launch partner for the Galaxy Tab with Sprint ID, and will give the Samsung-made, Android-running tablet to students so they can access the university's Sprint ID Pack, according to Sprint's Hesse.

Sprint ID isn't ready to go on the duo of Samsung … Read more

Crave Extras: Everything comes up iPod

Sure, they were released weeks ago, but the new iPods are still a hot commodity and will probably become even more sought-after as the holidays near.

Donald Bell and I take an in-depth look at the current iPod lineup, including the iPod Touch, iPod Nano, and iPod Shuffle. Rest assured, we make the requisite amount of funnies for a video starring the two of us.

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Acer to launch tablet at $299

As it had strongly hinted the past few months, Acer is going to make its own line of tablets.

They will be introduced at an event in New York on November 23, Acer CEO Gianfranco Lanci told Dow Jones Newswires today. Lanci did not elaborate on screen sizes, but revealed that the price of the models will range from $299 to $699. Neither did he say what operating system they would run, though Acer has said in the past it's working on putting Android onto tablets.

It's a safe bet at least one of the models will have … Read more

Galaxy Tab coming to T-Mobile first, Nov. 10

If you can't wait to get your hands on the Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet, T-Mobile will officially kick off all U.S. sales on November 10, according to a Samsung-issued press release. T-Mobile will sell the 7-inch Galaxy Tab for $399 after $50 mail-in rebate and with a two-year contract and monthly rate plan.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab will not carry HSPA+ speeds, as Samsung initially stated in their release. Instead, the Tab will support HSPA 7.2.

T-Mobile will load up its Galaxy Tab with the Samsung Media Hub, Qik's video chat app (to take advantage of … Read more

Galaxy Tab (Sprint), hands-on

Update: CNET's full, rated review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab is now available.

Upcoming JooJoo tablet to sport Android OS

It may be carrying a heavy lawsuit on its shoulders, but Singapore company Fusion Garage is not ready to throw in the towel yet.

While its first stab at the slate market, the JooJoo tablet (pictured at right), did not go down well with the market, the company is getting ready to launch a second wave. But instead of Fusion Garage's custom interface, the new device will be based on the Google Android operating system.

Still, it will not exactly be an Android tablet, as the company intends to customize the operating system so much that the device may … Read more

Digital City 102: MacBook Air; body scanners land at JFK; and world's worst video game pitch

Is Apple's new 11-inch MacBook Air the ultimate ultraportable laptop? We compare and contrast with Acer's similar TimelineX, and also debate everything from the Samsung Galaxy Tab's contract-required pricing to the latest in privacy-invading body scanners coming to JFK and other NY-area airports.

Don't forget: You can download the show's theme song as a free MP3 here for a limited time!

Sprint to offer Samsung Galaxy Tab for $400

Update: CNET's full, rated review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab is now available.

Sprint announced today that it will offer the Samsung Galaxy Tab starting November 14 for $399.99 with a two-year contract.

Customers will be able to choose from two 3G Tablet Mobile Broadband plans: a 2GB data plan with unlimited messaging for $29.99 per month or a 5GB data plan with unlimited messaging for $59.99 per month.

By contast, Verizon is offering the Galaxy Tab for $600 without contract and data plans starting at $20 per month for 1GB of data.

Sprint customers can … Read more

Catching up with multitouch pioneer Jeff Han

When it comes to the future of technology, Jeff Han literally has his finger on the pulse.

Han, best known for creating the giant touch-screen "Magic Wall" used by CNN, has been a pioneer in touch technology since his days at NYU. His 40-person company, Perceptive Pixel, is hardly a household name, but the company has carved out a niche for itself selling the kinds of touch wall systems used in defense, government, and medical-research markets.

"We're trying to understand how multitouch is useful to the knowledge worker (to) get real work done," Han told CNET. His comments come just as Perceptive Pixel has landed a new wave of funding, including an investment from products giant 3M. It's the second round of funding for the start-up, which now has offices in New York, Palo Alto, Portland, and Washington, D.C.

While Apple and Microsoft focus on the consumer and retail end, Han has zeroed in on the upper echelon of the business. His only real consumer play was a brief appearance in the Neiman Marcus holiday catalog back in 2007.

Although Han is focused largely on large-screen touch interfaces, one area he is also eyeing is the intersection between touch screens and "Minority Report"-style in-air gestures. On their own, he said, the in-air stuff is fairly imprecise, largely useful for games and entertainment--much the way Microsoft is using it for Kinect. Combine those gestures with a touch screen, though, and things get a bit more interesting, he said.… Read more