Techiesmo (Tech+Gizmo)

Vox is Kobo’s first step towards the World of Tablet.  Kobo has been a small Canadian Company and has worked with Companies like Amazon, Bernes & Noble and Sony and has given competition in the products like eReader Touch Edition.

The Kobo Vox is an Android tablet which is reasonable and affordable for the people. It has an internal memory of 8 GB and also has slots for additional external memory. The Vox consists of the eReading application and also has the e book store. GetJar can be accessed through the e book which can be used for downloading free apps.

The Kobo Vox eBook does not have any of the unique features apart from an affordable price if compared to the Kindle Fire. There is nothing to be called exceptional in this android tablet.

The Kobo Vox E Book also faces certain drawbacks related to the speed as the books do not load in the speed they should. The screen does not respond well and the battery life, which occupies the main space in the review, is only OK. There is only one cable which helps in charging as well as transferring files which makes the work quite difficult. Thus, the tablet cannot be marketed as a perfect Android.

The Kobo Vox E Book Weighs up to 14.2 ounces and has an in built memory of 8 GB and can Support external memory through micro SD cards up to 32 GB. The Kobo Vox is the only E Book with a Wi Fi but no Bluetooth. The screen resolution is 1024 x 600 pixels and consists of an anti glare coating. The Device also has a standard USB port for external memory and for transferring files.

Another feature that leave the Vox behind in the race is that it has a processor of only 800 MHz where as Kindle fire and Nook’s tablet give the 1 GHz Dual Core processors with 1 GB RAM, where as the Vox provides a RAM of only half a Gigabyte.

Though these features bring the Kobo Vox E book down in the market of ebooks there is nothing to be said as bad about the Tablet but at the same time there is nothing so great to boast on it also. Being an Android it has the access to android 2.3 Gingerbread and also 15000 free android apps but those are only through the GetJar and thus this Tablet cannot be called a complete Android also.

Kobo is working for making the Vox better and is trying to come over the drawbacks which will happen over a period of time and then it might also catch the market of eBooks and can be rated well amongst the competitors.

There isn’t a mass product that is special for those working in harsh environments where additional protection is required upon contact with water and dust. The Toughpad from Panasonic is a tablet that does meet those requirements thought and here we delve into just how good it is.

1. Overview

With a diagonal of 10 inches, the Toughpad FZ-A1 is ideal for those working in special conditions such as aviation, construction or public safety. The series will be supported by an ecosystem that includes a wide range of professional accessories, such as those fitted to vehicles or ergonomic holster for hands-free. Panasonic and its partners may offer professional services such as project management, imaging and assembly.

In the second half of 2012, Panasonic will enrich the Toughpad series with a new model of 7-inch tablet.

“Consumers have, for some time, the existence of tablets but without being able to use the premises for work due to the fundamental limitations of design. Now, users in rural business and industry can benefit from the ease of use and portability of a tablet. Toughpad powerful Toughbook computers taken from experience, experience that we have developed since 1996 and we channeled to design a tablet.” Explained Hiroaki Sakamoto, Managing Director, Panasonic Computer Products Europe.

2. Features

The new Toughpad family is such that to have the same durability standards as Panasonic Toughbook series of laptops. The Toughpad FZ-A1 has a rating of MIL-STD-810G for distances of 120cm drop and protection against dust and water included. Also Toughpad FZ-A1 is resistant on extreme temperature. This allows the use of the tablet in almost any situation. Toughpad FZ-A1 has, in addition to ordinary CPU and a dedicated security processor, powerful and reliable. Its CPU allows data encryption and security programs, VPN improved management for authentication and secure boot. Enhanced level of security means that the security of the Toughpad system will be under FIPS 140-2 level 2. Toughpad FZ-A1 is equipped with Bluetooth® v2.1 + EDR, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, GPS and optional 3G connection, offering download speeds of up to 21Mb/s. Here you can use a great way to have portable internet by connecting your tablet with a phone that allows tethering and comes with a decent data allowance or by inserting an Internet SIM only deal into the built-in SIM card slot.

The new tablet has a high brightness, 10.1″ XGA, multi-touch and anti-reflective screen. Workers in areas such as procurement, logistics, utilities and the military can easily read the documents and data they need and can use the device even in bright sunlight. Toughpad FZ-A1 includes an active digitizer that records the pressure, direction and speed, together with the signature, so signing a legal document will have a higher value. You can also ease your work by adding a best SIM.

3. Autonomy

The model has a range of 10 hours and the battery can be replaced. (Panasonic recommends the battery to be replaced by the IT support team). As a world leader that makes durable mobile computers, the Toughpad benefits from advanced accessories, including:

• Ergonomic support and bags daily use.
• Powerful System load.
• Chargers with multiple outputs, multiple Toughpad tablets can be loaded simultaneously.
• Solutions for mounting on vehicles.
• Office support.

4. Services

Panasonic offers the Toughpad customers a wide range of professional services including project management, imaging and assembly.

Toughpad FZ-A1 will be available in spring 2012 at an estimated retail price of €850 + VAT for the standard model and €999 + VAT for 3G. The Toughpad model comes with a guarantee of 3 years.

Costea is working for a website that offers one of the best SIM contracts. He often writes about the latest gadget news.

From the list of Tablet PC manufacturers could not miss Packard Bell, Acer subsidiary. Manufacturer in Taiwan will launch a Tablet PC in Europe on behalf of Liberty Tab. In reality it is a slightly modified and rebranded Acer Iconia Tab A500.

We also know some technical specifications about Tab A500: 1 GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual core processor, an multi-touch screen of 10.1 inch – 1280 x 800 pixels and 16.10 point, the system will be Android 3.0 Honeycomb and it will be equipped with two cameras – 2MP on the front and 5MP camera in the back.

The Packard Bell Liberty Tab you can navigate easily on the Internet supports Flash content and multitasking – things you do not find on too many tablets. It is perfect for those working with very much content. With Liberty Tab you can access the Android Market Place where you will find a variety of free or paid applications.

From what I observed, Packard Bell Liberty Tab comes equipped with an USB 2.0 port, a HDMI port, an audio system based on Dolby Audio Mobile, microSD slot – supports cards with capacity of up to 32 GB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 and 3G.

Packard Bell Liberty Tab will be available in two colors: Cherry Red and Pearl White.

This is a guest post by Costea, an Apple fanatic hunting the latest iPhone 5 rumors, news and leaks. Make sure to visit his website if you are an iPhone fan!

The last one decade has witnessed numerous technological advancements and the vigorous commercialization of various electronic inventions. The hardships of mankind to put the bigger computer functions in to the comforts of a small handheld device has resulted in smart phones and tablet PC’s. Even though manufacturers have come up with numerous high end models of smart phones, Tablet PC’s continues to offer greater flexibility of these computer features and applications.

Blackberry Playbook is the recent addition to this category. The gadget comes handy with a 7 inch screen display at .9 pounds of weight. There are just four physical buttons for volume up, down, power and play/pause respectively. The device comes with a 5 megapixel camera at the rear and a 3 megapixel front view one for video chatting. Ports for connecting HDMI, charger and USB are seen below the Blackberry Playbook. A 3.5mm headphone jack is also available for external audio connectivity.

Categorized as a medium paced device by Blackberry itself, the Playbook is a worthy gadget for daily browsing, games etc. The device is 4G capable and can be used with most carriers as promised by the company. The device can simply last longer hours on a single full charge of the battery.

Blackberry Playbook is available in 16, 32 and 64GB with price tags of $499, $599 and $699 respectively. If you love to have the comforts of a portable device for your daily browsing, business or personal needs, Blackberry Playbook is one device worth giving a try!

Blackberry Playbook 7-Inch Tablet (32GB)

Apple is well known for its innovative steps in the field of technology that adds value to lives through various ranges of products. With the introduction of  iPad, Apple has made its strong presence in the tablet PC world.

The iPad 2, which is a successor of iPad has been creating rumors on its release in the technology gadgets market for the last few months. Now, with the launch of the long awaited apple iPad 2, the tech savvies are in great excitement!

This new gadget is supposed to be a strong competitor for Samsung’s Galaxy Tab as well as Motorola’s Xoom. Let’s have a look at few aspects that makes the iPad 2 better than its successor.

Lighter and thinner than before – The iPad 2 hits the market with 33% slimmer and 15% lighter as compared to iPad.

Get the grip out of it – iPad 2 is designed with a carbon fiber case instead of aluminum casing. The new provision seems to have less weight and increased grip.

Faster than before – Another significant improvement in the iPad 2 is the fast dual-core processors, which claims works 2x faster than the previous version. This dramatically enhances the web browsing performance as well as user experience in multi-tasking.

Fits inside the budget –  More importantly the price remain unchanged. You can get the low end version of 16GB capacity at an affordable US$499 with WiFi-only connectivity!

Whatever features it boasts of and whatever it has as cons, the gadget lovers around the world are anxiously waiting for the release date of this one magnificent technological advancements from Apple – iPad 2 in their countries!

The internet Tablets has been creating waves among the gadget lovers, especially after the wide spread movement of I pads in the global markets. Even though, not as popular as iPad, there are few competitive models that have been available in the market.

Among them, the Archos 70 Internet tablet seems to have a good position. This slim and light weight model has hit the markets with its unique and tremendous storage capacity.

Archos 70 – 250 GB Internet Tablet (Black)

The over molded PVD stainless steel structure gives Archos 70 a slim outlook along with the light weight. The high resolution capacitive touch screen coupled with 1GHz processor and Wi-Fi feature makes Archos 70 perfect for your browsing needs. The 7.91 inch x 4.49 inch x 0.55 inches of the gadget along with the fourteen ounces of weight makes it easily portable.

The best part is that Archos 70 has a 3D graphics accelerator to its credit list in order to maximize the overall performance. The operating system of Android 2.2 Froyo never makes it out of the trend as it is the latest android version available.

The email applications, web browser and other variety of applications make Archos 70 a star among the tablet family. The HDMI output connectivity option makes it possible to view those WebPages on your large screen TV’s. Whatever features its holds the best part is the 250 GB of tremendous storage capacity.

Priced reasonably at $374.20, Archos 70 is for sure the best option for those who are not ready to take iPad or are interested in ‘something’ else.