Category Archives: tablets
Sony’s real tablet for real people
GoMo gets hands on with Xperia Tablet Z
Whilst other publications might rave about how the Xperia Tablet Z from Sony Mobile Communications will be the first to run a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro ‘asynchronous quad core’ processor, GoMo News says, “Who really cares? This is product is a real tablet for real people – it meets IP55 and IP57 standards, for starters. So in layman’s terms it should survive a dip into the wash basin or a cup of coffee spilt over it – unlike certain other leading tablet products. GoMo News spent an hour playing with the Tablet Z pre-commercial availability (late May 2013). Continue reading
By 2016 mobile content revenues will rise to $65bn from over $40bn says Juniper
Direct Carrier Billing implementation to fuel growth
Growth in mobile content revenues will primarily be fuelled by an increased opportunity for content monetisation via DCB (Direct Carrier Billing) on smartphones, along with an upsurge in game, video and e-book purchases via tablet devices. This is one of the main conclusions from the latest report from Juniper Research entitled, ‘Mobile Content Business Models: OTT & Operator Strategy & Forecasts 2013-2017 ‘. It predicts that over the next three years, annual revenue generated from content delivered to mobile handsets will reach $65 billion by 2016. That’s an increase of nearly $25 billion. Continue reading
Nokia should definitely produce a Windows tablet
Why we think it makes sense
The news wires have been burning over the last few days ever since Amazon appears to have mistakenly ‘outed’ the Acer W3-810, a new 8.1-inch tablet which was listed for $379.99. The reason everyone got so excited is that the device seemed to be running the Windows 8 OS. It’s still about twice the price you might expect to pay for a popular Android such as the Google Nexus 7 or the Amazon Kindle Fire HD. However, it’s much closer in price than your typical Windows 9 or RT tablet. If it could competitively price a Microsoft tablet, GoMo News thinks that Nokia might be tempted into the tablet space. Continue reading
KALQ touch keypad invented for tablets @ St Andrews
Rating: Thumb typing 34 per cent faster for tablet users
The traditional QWERTY was designed for a specific purpose – the typewriter. So researchers at three separate institutions: – the University of St Andrews; the Max Planck Institute for Informatics and Montana Tech have done what researchers do. And come up with a KALQ keyboard – created especially to make it easy for tablet users to ‘type’ on a touchscreen using their thumbs. The trio claim that using the KALQ, thumb typing can become 34 per cent faster. Continue reading
Brit retail consortium sees 198% growth in tablet searches
Rating: Importance of omnichannel offering highlighted
This week the latest BRC [British Retail Consortium]-Google online retail monitor results were released. Total search volumes from UK consumers searching tablet devices increased a staggering 198 per cent and growth on smartphone devices was an impressive 66 per cent. Significantly, total search volumes from UK consumers searching overseas retailers increased by 18 per cent in Q1 compared with the previous year. However, whilst total overseas searches for UK brands rose a modest 16 per, there was particular interest from North America with searches up 75 per cent. “This reinforces how critical it is for retailers to be visible across all digital channels in order to reach today’s hyper connected shoppers,” commented Adam Stewart, marketing director, Rakuten’s Play.com. Continue reading
ZTE launches the ZTE GEEK with Intel Inside @ IDF 2013
First ZTE smartphone powered by Intel’s new 32nm Atom processor
Press release
April 10th 2013. ZTE www.ztedevices.com, a publicly-listed global provider of telecommunications equipment, network solutions and mobile devices, has debuted the ZTE GEEK, the first ZTE smartphone powered by Intel’s new 32nm Atom processor Z2580, at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in Beijing, China. Continue reading
Dinamotxt puts SMS/text onto Android tablets
Rating: More like BlackBerry Bridge than Facebook Home
When the folks at Dinamotxt first contacted us about their app, they made mention of a similarity with Facebook’s forthcoming app. It wasn’t until after Facebook had launched Home for Android that we made the connexion and understood what Dinamotxt was going on about. Their app is for texting from Android tablets. Dinamotxt claims the app(s) solve serious issues associated with other apps in the category. For example, the company believes it is the first to give users a PIN to protect text privacy because tablets are often family devices. Nonetheless, Dinamotxt offers none of the tight messaging integration that Facebook Home app will eventually provide. Continue reading
Guest Post: Future smartphones probably won’t replace the laptop
by Dr Matthew Candelaria, a professional technology writer from WriterMC.com
The rise of the smartphone for internet usage seemed like the death knell for the laptop. Smartphones are relatively commonplace (Pew and Nielsen agree that still only 50 per cent of North Americans have them) and their usage is growing steadily. However, it is unlikely that smartphones will ever replace the laptop because of their inherent limitations and the rise of alternative technologies. Continue reading
Fun & games over iPad mini trademark
Rating: In the UK we think a mini is a car
Well, there has been fun and games after the revelation that Apple’s preliminary attempts to trademark the term iPad Mini were turned down by US regulators. Initially, commentators were of the opinion that this would unleash a tide of tablet producers – obviously mainly based in Asia, introducing tablet devices with very similar names. Now they all seem to be backtracking and admit that Apple has simply failed to jump the first hurdle but could easily ready itself and try again. GoMo News is, however, is tickled by the thought that Apple might try to trademark the word mini in the UK. Continue reading
BBC World News & BBC.com release world’s largest global study of news consumption habits across multiple devices
Survey finds tablets complement TV viewing and finds 25-34 age demographic the biggest news enthusiasts
Press release
March 26th 2013. BBC World News and BBC.com have released the results of the largest global study to date on the consumption of news in the digital age. The study, which was conducted by InSites Consulting, surveyed more than 3,600 owners of digital devices in Australia, Singapore, India, UAE, South Africa, Poland, Germany, France and the US in order to determine the growing impact of TV, smartphones, tablets and laptops on people’s news consumption habits. Survey participants were top income earners and owners of at least three devices amongst television, tablet, smartphone and laptop/desktop. Continue reading
Guest Post: Tablet usage is the last nail in the coffin for newspapers
by Mark Knight, a director with Broadgate Mainland
Many UK newspapers are reporting decline in sales. This has been the case for the last fives years. Daily newspaper circulation has fallen by 22 per cent – equivalent to 2.6 million of total circulation. In addition, Sunday newspaper circulation has also fallen by 28 per cent – the equivalent of 3.3 million copies. It is highly rumoured that some newspapers are considering ditching their printed editions to cut down costs. The Guardian is expected to be the first newspaper to make this move. Continue reading
Guest Post: Do employees need tablets
by Tara Wagner, a staff writer for TechBreach
Ever since tablets hit the scene, business owners haven’t known quite what to do with them. Whilst they’re phenomenally useful in some industries, the tablet app market is still maturing, and it’s not always obvious whether they’re worth the investment. If you’re sitting on the fence about purchasing tablets for your employees, the following thoughts may help you take the plunge (or save your company money). Continue reading
Tablets outperform smartphones on CTRs by 250%,says Adfonic
Rating: Android tablets increased share by 40% over Xmas
There is absolutely no doubt about it any more. According to Adfonic, the mobile ad buying platform, information contained in its ‘AdSnap: Tablets’ report shows that clickthrough rates (CTRs) on tablets outperform those for smartphones by 250 per cent for branding campaigns. In other words, for every one clickthrough on a smartphone, there are 2.5 additional clickthroughs on a tablet. Tablets increased their share of ad requests by 40 per cent in just 2 weeks over the Xmas [2012] period – driven primarily by Android tablets (especially the Kindle Fire HD). However, Adfonic says that role for smartphone campaigns. Continue reading
The evolution of the use of tablets in the enterprise
by David Akka, md for UK, Eire & Nordics with Magic Software UK
It’s now almost three years since Apple released the iPad – the first tablet style PC to achieve worldwide commercial success. Since this release, tablets have made the transition from a sought after consumer gadget, to a tool with a strategic role to play in business operations. The figures seem to bear this out with a recent report citing that 86 per cent of enterprises planned to deploy tablets by the end of this year. Continue reading
Tablet sales up 75% in Q4 as consumers ditch PCs
Some 52.5 million tablets were shipped globally in the last quarter, latest figures from IDC reveal, but the bulk were Android devices as Apple’s iPad and iPad mini accounted for a dwindling 43.6 per cent of sales.
Korean giant Samsung, meanwhile, more than doubled its share to 15.1 per cent over the Christmas period with eight million devices sold, while Amazon shipped about 4.7 million Kindle Fire tablets closely followed by Google with its Nexus 7 with sales of 3.1 million tablets. Continue reading
