tablets

Qualcomm posts record 2Q rev but earnings view disappoints

Qualcomm today reported record fiscal second-quarter revenue and boosted its forecast for the full year, a reflection of its dominant position as a supplier of chips for smartphones and tablets.

However, the San Diego chipmaker also projected weaker-than-anticipated fiscal third-quarter per-share earnings, causing shares to drop 6.9 percent to $61.45 in after-hours trading.

The forecast raised worries that Qualcomm's expenses are increasing at a time the average selling price of devices is falling. Qualcomm generates a significant amount of its earnings from royalties for its 3G code division multiple access technology, and the price of devices impacts … Read more

Get a Lenovo 13.3-inch ultrabook and 7-inch Android tablet for $549.99

Remember that Lenovo IdeaPad U310 I wrote about a couple weeks ago? Let's talk.

I bought one. It's really, really nice, though battery life proved disappointing. And I found zero value in having a touch screen. In fact, I suspect that battery life would have been better with a non-touch-screen version (as indicated by both CNET and PC World in their reviews of that model).

If you concur, Newegg has the Lenovo IdeaPad U310 13.3-inch ultrabook for $549.99 shipped -- $50 less than I paid for the touch-screen version. And it gets better: You also get … Read more

Samsung Galaxy S4 has the fastest gaming graphics of any phone

Mobile devices like smartphones and tablets are on a collision course of high graphical performance. We're not at "console quality" just yet, but every few months or so performance seems to take a giant leap forward.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is the latest mobile graphics prodigy, and while our full review will answer whether it's ultimately worth your money, I'm personally more interested in just how adept its highly advanced internals are. Namely at producing real-time, polygonal, video-game graphics. (Spoiler alert: as smartphones go, it's currently the best at doing this.)

To determine this, … Read more

Microsoft expanding Surface Pro availability to 19 more countries

After a couple of months of silence, Microsoft officials are sharing more about expansion plans for the company's Surface devices.

Surface Pro will launch before the end of May in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. It will launch in Korea, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore, and Thailand before the end of June, according to an April 23 post on the Surface Blog.

Surface Pro distribution issues have plagued Microsoft since the company initially launched the devices in early February 2013.

In … Read more

Why your next Android tablet will be more powerful

Your Android tablet sucks. At least compared with what's coming. Later this year we'll see the release of three new Systems on Chip (SoC). SoC is simply the name used for the collection of silicon that makes up the brains of the tablet and includes the CPU, GPU (graphics processing unit), onboard memory, and other processors.

The new chips will no doubt be used to power many high-end Android tablets and are expected to deliver better-looking games, faster Web surfing, increased battery life, and in at least one case, could allow you to take better-looking photos.

Of course, … Read more

Cheap Intel devices will run Google, Microsoft OSes, sources say

Some inexpensive Intel-based laptops and tablets will come with Google's operating system, and others with Microsoft's, according to sources and analysts.

Intel CEO Paul Otellini earlier this week said touch devices could debut at prices as low as $200, as CNET reported. But the cheapest devices may be based on a non-Windows operating system, according to sources -- not necessarily Windows 8, as originally reported.

"There are design wins for Android tablets at that $200 price point. Intel will be participating in that market this year," a source familiar with Intel's plans told CNET.

A … Read more

Amazon's new series is decided by you

CNET Update has the power:

Amazon has released pilot episodes for 14 shows, and is asking for feedback from viewers to decide which programs are worthy of continuing. Amazon's dive into original programming comes just as Netflix launches its third series.

Amazon's not the only one with eyes for television. Twitter partnered with BBC America, but details so far are limited to this tweet.

Also mentioned in this tech rundown:

- TomTom dives deeper into the GPS sport watch business

- Review of the updates to the LinkedIn app

- Yahoo launches Mail and Weather apps

- Google launches app One Today for donating to good causes … Read more

Hooked Up: It's the best of celebrity tech. Exposed.

I'm pretty juiced to announce an all-new show that you'll be able to find right here on CNET called "Hooked Up." It's a partnership between CNET and CBS Television Distribution, and it will be a new weekly Web series that brings you today's hottest stars and the technology that surrounds them.

CBS entertainment correspondent and host Kevin Frazier goes inside the homes of celebrities like Cee Lo Green and others as they share the gadgets they love. Each 15-minute show will feature a new celebrity and the shows will air on Wednesdays from April … Read more

Microsoft working on 'small touch devices' running Windows

Microsoft has all but confirmed long-standing rumors that it is working on a 7- or 8-inch Windows-powered tablet.

Outgoing Microsoft CFO Peter Klein said during the company's third-quarter earnings conference call Thursday afternoon that Microsoft was working with partners to produce "a new suite of small touch devices powered by Windows" that would be available "in the coming months." Klein did not indicate that Microsoft itself would be making its own smaller Windows 8 devices, but considering the company's recent foray into the tablet market with its Surface lineup, it's not out of … Read more

Yahoo launches Mail app for iPad, Android tablets

Yahoo on Thursday released a Mail app for iOS and Android tablet users and a Weather app for iPhone owners.

A Yahoo Mail app has already been in play for the iPhone and Android smartphones, but the new version takes advantage of the larger screen size of tablets. A full-screen reading mode lets you flip through your e-mail messages as if you were reading a magazine.

Flipping through messages this way feels so much more natural than having to tap on each e-mail in the inbox to read it, especially on a tablet. It's an innovative and welcome approach, … Read more