Pocketables

Fujitsu's new 7-inch Android tablet is aimed at the enterprise market

Fujitsu is certainly becoming a name that we're hearing more and more of latley. Besides being the manufacturer of the LOOX F-07C that I reviewed back in October, Fujitsu is also the company that just recently announced that it will enter the US market at some point in the future. 

The company has decided to release a tablet for the Japanese enterprise market to make some money in the meantime, though. The Stylistic M350/CA2 is a 7-inch Android tablet and has a lot of great features for businesspeople. 

Most notably, the M350/CA2 can support multiple types of input. It'll recognize numeric keypad input, handwriting, and even Japanese kanji characters, which is obviously a big deal for the market the tablet's targeting.

Specs include the 7-inch 1024 x 600 display, six-hour battery, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, and an HDMI out port. It weighs only 0.9 pounds and is just 0.55-inches thick. 

I don't expect to see the M350/CA2 stateside anytime soon, if at all, but its announcement and impending release just go to show how successful Android is in the business world. 

Watch out, Microsoft and RIM!

[Liliputing]

$99 Sprint ZTE Optik official, will be released February 5

One week ago today, the ZTE Optik tablet that you see above was leaked. The main selling point of this device is price: at just $99 on contract, you actually get a good tablet connected to a great 3G network. The leak from last week didn't give a release date, but Sprint has just made this 7-inch Honeycomb device official, and it will released this Sunday.

If you need a refresher on this device's specs, keep on reading. The Optik has a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage which is expandable by way of a microSD slot, and a 4000mAh battery. All of those specs fit neatly under a 7-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 800. 

Keeping in mind that this tablet is only $99, I believe it's one of the better deals you can find, especially if you want your Android tab to be able to connect to the internet virtually wherever you go. 

Let us know if you aren't bothered by having to give up part of your Super Bowl Sunday to pick one of these up.

[Sprint]

ARM-based Windows 8 devices to have restricted desktop experience?

Although I've repeatedly told you about my excitement for Windows 8, I have been worried about one thing dealing with the operating system's dealings with ARM processors: there was a possibility that the devices with an ARM processor inside wouldn't be able to access the traditional Windows desktop. 

That rumor was somewhat squashed today. While ARM devices will be able to run the Windows desktop, Microsoft will restrict the apps that will run on ARM to ones with a trusted certificate that the company itself will sign and hand out. This move is an attempt by Microsoft to keep battery life up, but I don't think it's necessarily the step the company should be taking for battery optimization. 

However, if this rumor is true, it will make me feel a bit better about the future of desktop operating systems. For me to fully utilize and and enjoy a mobile device, I need all the productivity apps I can get. My Mac has all of my office suites and editing software I need for various tasks, but that's not something I can say about my iPhone or my Dell Streak 7. I can imagine that Microsoft will have an easier time convincing more developers to write for the Metro side of Windows 8, anyway, but I still hope I can use the traditional desktop for more demanding applications.

I will probably purchase a Windows 8 tablet; the only thing I've got to decide is Intel or ARM. It all depends on if this turns out to be true.

[The Verge]

Amazon's Kindle Fire owns a third of the Android tablet market

We have recently seen various measurements that claim the Kindle Fire is becoming quite popular, but due to Amazon's reluctance to ever release numbers we didn't know quite how popular. So, it came as something of a surprise when research firm Flurry released their numbers on the tablet's adoption over the holidays.

According to their data, drawn from application installations, the Fire jumped up 33 percentage points in two months to claim a market share tie with Samsung's Galaxy Tab line. As the Galaxy line consists of all of Samsung's tablets, from 7-inch to 10.1-inch, this is quite an accomplishment. However, while it looks in these graphs that the Fire is eating up Samsung's market share, in fact the Android tablet market has simply grown over the holidays, albeit thanks mostly to the Fire.

The Kindle's growth has been attributed mostly to its dirt cheap $199 price, which is certainly a big part of why people like it. Still, even though I personally wasn't fond of it, I think that Amazon's superb integration and focus on content and user experience got people interested who would have never considered an Android tablet otherwise.

There is no doubt that the Kindle Fire is contributing greatly to the rise of the 7-inch tabs, but the long term effects of Amazon's experiment are still unclear. The customized UI and experience may be winning over users now, but the fragmentation of the Android platform has the potential to cause problems later on.

[Flurry via Ars Technica]

BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 update to roll out on February 17th?

The BlackBerry PlayBook is coming up on its first birthday. In that time, its parent (company) RIM has been through a lot. Between hiring a new CEO and the lawsuits and delays that have gone on with RIM, I'm surprised that the company is still around. It's seriously had some issues through the past year, but I'm hoping that the new management can completely turn that around. 

Speaking of turning things around, remember that PlayBook OS 2.0 update that was delayed? Well, if you own a PlayBook, I've got some good news for you: rumor has it that the update will start to roll out on February 17th. 

Of course, all of the rumored dates have been in February anyway, but since the 17th is mid-month, I'd place my money there. That way, you'll be surprised if it's sooner, but not too disappointed if it's later; it would only be an 11 day wait, anyway. 

I really hope it's the former situation. It would be a great way for Thorsten Heins to regain the confidence of consumers and potential RIM customers. If it's the latter, then he'll have one more chance to redeem both himself and the company: BlackBerry 10.

[CrackBerry]

KDE Plasma Active unveils $265 Spark tablet

As awesome as Android is, sometimes it's really nice and refreshing to see a device with another open-source platform installed. Today brings us one of those refreshing devices: the Spark tablet. For $265, the Spark will give you a 1GHz processor with a Mali 400 GPU, 512MB of RAM, 4G of internal storage, and a 7-inch capacitive screen.

Of course, the Spark tablet isn't just about its specs. What makes this device stand out from the crowd is its software. Like the title of this posts says, the KDE Plasma Active team is involved with the Spark project, and because of that, the tablet will run Linux with the team's free software distribution platform.

The platform for software distribution is completely community-driven and open. That's more than a few other platforms can say already, and at just $265, I think it's a fantastic deal. It looks unique and also supports open platforms and has a sense of community. I love that in technology, so I am a huge fan of this already. 

[Aseigo Blog]

Microsoft to give Windows 8 ARM beta to developers in February

I don't know about any of you guys, but I am so pumped for the release of Windows 8. For me, the wait for it is almost as excruciatingly agonizing as the wait for any holiday morning for a child.

Luckily, time keeps going and we're always creeping closer to Windows 8's release date. The newest report of this is about the Windows 8 ARM beta. As you all know, my favorite addition Microsoft made to Windows 8 is ARM support, which opens up the possibility for small, UMPC-like tablets and gadgets. According to this new report, Windows 8 on ARM is now stable, meaning that the beta can start to roll out to developers so they can start to write their apps for the new architecture and operating system. 

So, given the fact that small tablets are insanely popular with consumers nowadays and that Windows 8 on ARM is stable, I believe UMPCs can make a strong comeback with consumers. And like we've seen with Windows Phone 7, there should be a wide selection of different form factors and styles to fit everyone's needs while still providing a killer experience. 

[CNET]

ZTE V66 Verizon Android tablet passes through FCC

If ZTE's Sprint-capable Optik tablet didn't hit your technological sweet tooth for whatever reason, the company has an alternative. It's called the V66 (probably a codename); while we've seen its overall shape before, we now have a colorful picture to show what the front will look like thanks to a Bluetooth filing.

If you need a refresher on this device's specs, here they are: it will come with a 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, Android 3.2, a 7-inch capacitive 1280 x 800 display, and a 4000mAh battery. 

Since it's a Verizon tablet, it will be able to connect to Verizon's network. It's also a 4G tablet, so expect to get some relatively fast speeds when you're in a Verizon LTE area. 

Unfortunately, as with other FCC filings, pricing and release dates are still unknown to us. I wouldn't be surprised to see something about this at Mobile World Congress, but who knows when it will actually be released and available for purchase. Any guesses?

[Android Community]

Idolian IdolPad is just $100, boasts 7-inch screen and decent specs

Most of the $100 Android tablets that we cover usually have dismal specs and, quite honestly, aren't even worth the small price tag. Luckily for us, there are a few devices that you can get for just one Benjamin Franklin that are worth it. I introduce you to the Idolian IdolPad, which happens to be one of those devices.

This tablet is actually pretty loaded for the price for which it's offered: it includes a 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, and Gingerbread (including Google's official Android Market). Those specs aren't bad at all; granted, the processor is just single-core and the operating system isn't optimized for tablets, but it's still a pretty good deal, nonetheless. 

On the outside, the IdolPad includes an HDMI port and a microSDHC slot for more storage space. Unfortunately, the big downer on this device is the screen and its resolution: it's a resistive panel with a meager resolution of just 800 x 480. 

You can order one at the source link below. Let us know if you pick one up!

[Indolian via The Digital Reader]

ZTE Optik is Sprint's $99, 7-inch Honeycomb tablet

Sprint has a mixed history of loving tablets. RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook is one of those examples that's negative: the carrier killed the idea of having a WiMAX-capable version, but it did offer a 3G variant. Unfortunately, the latter wasn't ever marketed very well. 

Today, though, it looks like Sprint is going to start marketing one of its forthcoming tablets a little better. It's called the ZTE Optik, and it's a 7-inch Honeycomb tablet that will cost just $99.99 on contract. 

For that price, you're getting a pretty sweet deal. On top of being compatible with Sprint's 3G network, it also has a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a microSD slot for further expansion, and 4000mAh battery. 

I'm looking forward to more cheap tablets from all sorts of companies. As we all know, prices do matter the most in a regular consumer's purchase — just look at the HP TouchPad or the Kindle Fire. If more companies and carriers get the prices just right, we could see an explosion of innovation in the tablet market this year.

[Android Police]