Tablet PCs Source

After all the leading PC companies, it is now the turn of Amazon.com, the worlds largest online retailer. They have announced launching of table PC this year. So far they have been marketing the tablet PCs produced by leading brands like Dell, Toshiba, Samsung, Sony, HP, and many others. Now they have decided to launch their own for selling more digital goods than they are presently selling. Amazon PC is likely to become one of the leading tablet PCs around in coming times.

What To Expect

Though the final shape of the proposed Amazon PC is not yet published, it is expected that the PC may have the following features.

• A 9 inch screen.
• Google’s Android operating system.
• The projected marketing time is October this year.

No Surprise

Arrival of a tablet PC from Amazon has not come as a surprise as analysts and experts have been expecting it for quite some times now. With its reliability and high reputation in the market, the Amazon PC could well become one of the favored PCs in the market. Logic behind Amazon deciding to produce its own tablet is perhaps the fact that the tablet users use more digital products in comparison to other product.

The Projection

Around 1.5 million Amazon brand tablet PCs are being manufactured for the third quarter and for the entire year the production projection comes to around 4.5 to 5 million units. Of course there is also the probability of development of stiff competition between Apple and Amazon. Many experts and analysts are predicting that in the tablet PC market Amazon is likely to become the second player after Apple quickly.

Amazon has a clear advantage as it has a lot of contents that the Amazon Tablet PC users will be able to access such as the Kindle e-Books, music downloads, and above all; the videos that could be available on rent, for buying, or in streaming format.

Toshiba Thrive tablet PC arrived much later than it was scheduled to hit the market but it seems that the waiting was worth it. Coming with a number of exceptionally user-friendly features, it is ideal for the multi tasking and multimedia users.

Friendly Features

Some of the unique friendly features offered by the tablet PC from Toshiba are –

• Excellent personalization options.
• Very good ability to handle multi tasking.
• Smooth and exceptionally problem free multimedia operations.
• Use of Nvidia Tegra dual core 1GHz processor that makes the web pages load on the Toshiba Thrive tablet PC at almost twice the normal speed.
• GeoForce graphic cards that offers some of the best visuals.

Memory and Price Factors

A couple of important issues for any buyer of tablet PCs would be memory size and the price factors. Toshiba Thrive tablet PC has all the potential of getting substantial customer support. The model with 8 GB memory is price at only $429, the one at 16 GB is priced at $499, and the one with 32 GB memory is priced at $599. Customers may like that they won’t have to pay too much for the highly versatile tablet PC.

Unique Attributes

In addition; the tablet PC also has some unique features.

• Toshiba Thrive tablet PC comes with 1024 MB of RAM as against the traditional 512 and 768 MB RAM in most other tablet PCs.
• It has the capability of attend to multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Attribute of the tablet PC that would be most appreciated in the user’s circle is that it offers huge scope for personalization.

The new Toshiba Thrive tablet PC comes in six different colors such as silver sky, green apple, lavender bliss, basic black, raspberry mission, and blue moon. Excellent addition is the rubberized back plates for absorption of impact of any external contact, easy to grip and hold.

One of the major trends in the mobile gadget market is the ever rising demands for touch panels. In fact, the revenue generation has grown by a staggering 90% in just a couple of years.

The Contributors

But what are the reasons for such trend in the market? Several reasons contribute to it and the most prominent among them are –

• Immense growth in the use of cell phones;
• Growing demands for tablet PCs for their portability; and
• Substantial demands for portable gaming devices.

Market Analysis

A recent survey and market analysis reveals that the expected revenue generation in the realms of touch panels could easily reach $13.4 billion in the current year and could expand to almost $24 billion in course of the next six years by 2017.

Areas of Popularity

Touch panels are very popular in the following zones.

• Mobile phones
• Handheld games
• Gaming consoles
• Tablet PCs

Overall, the accumulated revenue generation surpasses a massive $10.5 billion in the current year alone. The demands are likely to grow further with the coming up of the all-in-one PCs and advanced notebook PCs where they will be immensely useful.

Tablet PC Dominance

Despite the popularity of touch panels in all types of mobile devices, tablet PCs stand out in their use of such applications. While the growth in demand is expected to by 100% by the end of the year 2011, it is heartening to note that tablet PCs account for around 70% of the entire revenue generation through touch panel business.

However, it is not only the mobile phones and tablet PCs manufacturers but also many others including the color filter suppliers and LCD providers that are now turning towards the touch screen technology for improvement in their products and making them more attractive for the users.

However, the technology is still in its infant stage and while mobile phones still continue to have the lion’s share of the touch panel market; use of these touch panels in table PCs have taken a jumpstart in 2011.

It seems that Microsoft has taken up seriously the competition with iPad in its bid to bring an end to the domination of Apple in the competing zone. In the process of achievement of such coveted goal, Microsoft views the tablet as a PC. Unfortunately, it could be a repetition of the tablet PC history that may not be good for the industry.

New Interface

To attract both professionals and average users alike, Microsoft has now announced Windows 8 even before Windows 7 has been firmly established and they are recommending it for all types of PCs including the tablets. In essence; Windows 8 has a lot of similarities with its predecessor, the Windows 7. But in the process they seem to forget that full blown computers are different from the tablet PCs.

Microsoft Tablet PC – Replacement for Full Blown Computers?

Mistaken Concept

In fact, the concept that drives Microsoft seems to be grossly mistaken. They think that end users desire to have the full blown computers in their tablet PCs. Fact also remains that tablet PCs that were marketed based on such concepts failed miserably and these concepts are not ideal for the consumer tablets as they are viewed today.

Apple Success

On the other hand the iPad marketed by Apple was not only a resounding success but it was able to build up a market of its own because of the fact that Apple never tried to replace the mainstream PCs with it but made it a user-friendly and extremely convenient tablet with remarkable features.

Bottom Line

Bottom line of all these is that if Microsoft really desires to compete Apple in their own forte then they have to realize that success of Apple iPad was because it was a marvelously pure mobile device and not a replacement for the regular laptop or desktop PCs. That is why the original tablet designed by Microsoft has insignificant impact on the consumer market though it is around for a decade now and in contrast Apple iPad has millions of users.

And the sooner Microsoft realizes this, the better it would be for all concerned.

Year 2011 is known as the tablet PC year and true to the trend the year is going to see four top products from the top brands in the world.

The Starting Point

All these mad rush about the tablet PCs was preceded by the dominance of iPads in the market during the year 2010. No less than 15 million iPads were sold that year but gradually the focus shifted to tablet PCs and the competition started taking the turn from moderate to fierce.

Consumer Electronics Show

Earlier this year in the CES almost every leading provider of computers has announced or have demonstrated their tablet products. Most attractive propositions among them were the Motorla Xoom, RIM BlackBerry Play Book, Windows table PC WedOS and of course; the Apple iPad2.

Motorola Xoom

Motorola xoom will be liked for its looks and feels with a sleek black and grey color scheme with the large 10.1” 160DPI WXGA display at a resolution of 1280×800 pixels. Quick access to menus and applications due to inclusion of the extremely quick Tegra2 processor and 1GB of DDR2 RAM are other plus points for the tablet PC.

- > Motorola Xoom Available Now

BlackBerry Play Book

With its 7 inch touch screen design and lightweight at around 454 grams that is less than a pound BlackBerry playbook is based on QNX operating system. High definition dual cameras, 1GB RAM and dual core processor design and support for proprietary audio of Apple and Microsoft, Adobe Flash, and HTML makes it extremely versatile.

- > Blackberry Playbook Available Now

HP Tablet WebOS

HP tablet webOS has two versions; Opal that is 7 inches and Topaz that is 9 inches but both have front cameras and mini USB jack. Best part of the tablet is the excellent user interface design that poses challenge to all leading tablets.

- > Check out HP Tablets

Apple iPad2

Last but not the least and perhaps inches ahead of all others is the Apple iPad2. A couple of advantages of iPad2 over other products in the market are –

• For its good foundation and unique culture, many large companies prefer the product.

• Users can use iPad1 and then choose to buy iPad2, the upgraded version.

Only time will tell which of the products storms the market.

-> Check out Apple iPad 2

Due to their portability and the ease of handling, tablet PCs are becoming popular fast. Hence one question is pertinent for every PC users as well as providers. Whether tablet PCs could replace the regular PCs in recent future.

Statistical Indications

A look at the sales statistics of the tablet PCs all over the world will indicate the current market trends. While the tablet PCs still enjoys great popularity, there has been a steady fall in the demands, at least during the first quarter of the current year. Statistics indicate that shipments of tablet PCs have come down by 28%, and that amounts to around 7.2 million units across the globe, during the first quarter of 2011 alone.

No Adverse Affect on Production

Such dips in the worldwide demands have not yet been able to affect adversely the production of tablet PCs. In contrast, IDC raised the projection to 53.5 million units as against 50.4 million in the year 2010.  Moreover, a host of new tablet PCs is likely to hit the market in the second part of 2011.

Reasons for Higher Production

Reason is that the drop in demand was not because users have started growing weary of the tablet PCs. Instead it is because they are waiting for the new arrivals where they expect much more than what they get in the current stripped versions of their home PCs in shape of tablet computers. Some of the leading companies like Apple, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, and Dell have been announcing their upcoming products much before they are hitting the market and this put the current market to a pause.

Tablet PCs May Not Replace the Regular Ones

Yet it is most unlikely that the tablet PCs would replace completely the regular ones used at home. There are millions of users who still favor the desktop even to the laptops and such people will not like the homely feeling of working on a spacious desktop or at least a big laptop to be taken away by replacing them with the tablet PCs.

Fact remains that tablet PCs are still the item meant for the travelers and it would still be sometimes before they become the favorite of static workers at home or in office.

With their latest tablet; Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-Fi 16GB, Samsung has effectively posed a challenge to the hitherto dominating Apple iPad. Thin as well as stylish, this tablet PC has all the features of becoming an instant hit with only a couple of weaknesses that could be addressed easily.

Pros and Cons

Like its counterparts in the market, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has its pros and cons. Some of the advantages are –

• It is the lightest among the 10 inch tablet PCs at only 1.24 pounds;
• Sharp and clean display qualities;
• Thin features making it easier to carry; and
• Android 3.1 is preloaded.

On the negative side are a couple of features like –

• Lack of Micro SD card slot; and
• Charging of the battery takes a lot of time.

Potential Rival for iPad2

With all its user friendly and attractive features, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 seems to be a worthy rival for the iPad2 of Apple. It is the first Android tablet with designs matching or even better than Apple. In terms of price also it counts favorably by staring at $499 for the 16GB version with Android 3.1 preloaded.

Points of Confusion

Galaxy 10.1 tab is often mistaken by the prospective buyers as iPad2 due to its striking similarities with iPad2. However on closer look one will find that the Galaxy tab is a hair breadth’s slimmer than the iPad2 with 8.6mm in comparison to 8.4mm depth of iPad2. Also the 10.1 tab has more rounded edge as against the tapered edges of iPad2.

Wi-Fi Features

Extremely light weight and well balanced, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is easy to handle. It is one of the slickest and lightest devices with all the Wi-Fi compatibility. Display at 1280 x 800 pixels is bright as well as brilliant. Images are produced with great sharpness and details. It also runs the Nvidia’s Tegra 2 platform with dual core 1GHz process and 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi with the usual rear and front cameras. However, not having the micro slot card is a disadvantage and its presence could have taken the Galaxy much above the iPad in respect of user features. Another disadvantage is lack of sufficient ports and in this area the Galaxy lags behind the iPad.

Yet with all the novel features, it is a true challenger for the iPad2.

Among the new tablet PCS, Fujitsu Stylistic Q550 stands out with some novel designs and stylish approach. Of course like most of its contemporaries, it is not free from a couple of downsides but overall the tablet PC brings up new experience levels for the end users.

Pros and Cons

Some of the major advantages of the Fujitsu Stylistic Q550 are –

• Highly attractive and stylish design;
• Durability of the tablet PC;
• Replaceable battery system; and
• Robust security features in the tablet PC.

Side by side there are a few downsides as well such as –

• Operating system is Windows 7 that is not optimized for touch technology;
• Intel Atom processor used in the table PC is pokey in nature; and
• Lack of adequate space for storing stylus on the tablet.

 Basic Features

A 10.1 inch capacitive as well as multi touch screen of the tablet PC is powered by single core Intel Atom processor. Clean lines, round corners as well tapered edges; it may look like a consumer friendly tablet which in reality it is not. Better use of the tablet PC is for the enterprises.

Affordable Price

An advantage with the Fujitsu Stylistic Q550 is that the price of the tablet PC ranges from $842 through $879 depending on locations and is affordable so that average users can opt for the same. Though there are other brands that have come up with cheaper tablets, yet this is not just beyond the permissible affordability levels.

Excellent Security Features

Some of the security features offered by the tablet are excellent such as –

• Fingerprint reader;
• Smart Card slot;
• TPM chip.

It is these features that have added around 100 to the price making it expensive in comparison to Apple iPad2 that comes at $499 or Motorola Xoom that is available at $599.

Requirement of Custom Device

If the user intends to use the Fujitsu Stylistic Q550 for business pursuits then it would be better to have some custom devices that will help it make more useful for the purpose. Its basic limitations may not be contributed to the manufacturer Fujitsu but to the operating system provider of Windows 7 operating system Microsoft.

Perhaps the user should wait for the arrival of Windows 8 to get the best out of the tablet PC.

Bringing up WiMax to HTC Flyer, EVO View 4G is a solid device and one of the latest tablet PCs to hit the market. It may not be flawless but is undoubtedly one of the most compact and easy to handle devices available today.

Pros and Cons

Some of the plus points of the new tablet PC are –

• It has a very compact and seven inch design.
• Latest technology of Netflix on an Android Tablet has been introduced for the first time.
• Excellent speed of performance is the greatest advantage.

At the same time it has a few downsides as well such as –

• Mediocre speakers reduce audio quality.
• Sometimes the 4G coverage is spotty in metropolitan towns.
• Use of pen is limited.

 It is Different

EVO View 4G is different because it has introduced 4G coverage on Android tablet; performs a decent job of one of the nicest tablet PCS. The 7 inch size is very handy and smaller than most other tablet PCs in the market and above all the price at around $700 is not much for a device with so many decent qualities. Despite being smaller it has speakers and cameras on sides, front and back as well as 12-pin USB connector input that works with the proprietary cable that comes with the tablet PC as well as with any micro USB. One downside is that it does not provide the placeholder for black HTC scribe pen accessory that should have been there.

The Glare Issue

While EVO View 4G is excellent for indoor works, it may not match so well in outdoor conditions. In outdoors there will always be the glare issues.

However, one best thing about the tablet PC is that it works real well on it since the navigation is easy and touch sensitivity is not too strict either. With Android Gingerbread 2.3 with HTC Sense UI, 7-inch diagonal TFT touch screen, 1.5 GHz single core Qualcomm process, 1GB RAM, and 32 GB internal memory as well as Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth 3.0 GPS, the tablet PC has almost all the features one would look forward to in it.