While it is hard to say that Surface RT from Microsoft has proven to be a massive hit in the market of tablets, Microsoft has said that due to high retailer interest in the device, it has decided to expand the production of the tablet. The company has also decided to allow the third-party retail stores to carry the device sooner than it was originally planned.
This expansion in the production and distribution of the slate would be started from mid-December. Previously, Microsoft had the plans of such an expansion after the start of the next year. However, due to the increased retailer interest in the device, the company has decided to make this move earlier than planned. Staples would be the first third-party retailer to carry the tablet.
It is hard to give a definitive opinion about the success of Surface RT, considering that Microsoft has so far not released the sales figure for the device. Surface RT runs a chip designed for smartphones, unlike the other computers running Windows. Due to this reason, Microsoft had to bring specific changes in its operating system in order to make it work for the new chip. An optional keyboard is also available separately for Surface RT which can be used to convert the tablet into a laptop with Microsoft Office applications.
The increased commitment of the company can also be estimated from the fact that some of the temporary holiday stores by Microsoft would be converted into permanent locations. Other than being available in all Microsoft retail stores from the US and Canada, the device would also be available online in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. The present temporary stores of the company would either be converted into brick-and-mortar retail outlets or specialty store locations.
The increased attention that Microsoft has been paying to Surface RT clearly shows that the company is serious in expanding its market share in the domain of tablet computers. This does make sense, since the tablet domain has proven to be a highly lucrative area for other tech giants such as Apple, Amazon and Google, while Microsoft has only recently entered in the competition. Surface RT is the sole product from Microsoft that would decide the company’s fate in the tablet market.

Latest news about the upcoming version of Amazon Kindle Fire is that it would be displayed by Amazon during a press event. However, contradicting all the rumors and speculations, Amazon would not display any 10 inch version of its tablet and instead only two models of the 7 inch version of Kindle Fire would be shown.

The difference between the two 7 inch versions is that one of them would come with enhanced features while the other one would only be slightly upgraded from the first generation version. The enhanced version would have faster processor, increased internal storage, HDMI port and exterior volume controls, among other anticipated hardware enhancements.

The most important thing in this regard is that there won’t be any 10 inch version of the device. Previously, it was highly speculated that Amazon is developing a 10 inch version of its tablet, mainly to compete against Apple’s iPad. However, reliable sources have now claimed that other than the two 7 inch version of Kindle Fire, there would not be any 10 inch version.

Amazon’s decision of not entering in the domain of 10 inch tablets seems a bit reasonable since it would be quite useless competing against iPad which virtually has a monopoly among the 10 inch tablets. But on the other hand, it might have been a good idea since Amazon would face a real tough competition from Nexus 7 in the domain of 7 inch tablets and having a 10 inch tablet would’ve increased space for the company. Besides, there are also rumors that Apple is gearing up to launch a mini iPad, which would be a 7 inch device, and hence Amazon would inevitably have to compete with Apple. If this turns out to be the case, Amazon should consider launching a 10 inch version since it would already be competing against Apple in the domain of 7 inch tablets.

So far Amazon has not given any official information regarding the prices of the two updated Kindle Fire models. But rumors suggest that the improved model would come at a price between $149-$199 while the model with advanced features would cost between $199 and $249. However, there are also chances that Amazon might reduce the prices of the two models even further to retain its upper hand in 7 inch tablets.

According to the latest information from some of the most reliable industry sources, Apple would launch its iPhone and the highly anticipated mini iPad during two separate events this fall. The sources have even pin-pointed the exact dates, according to which the event unveiling the iPhone would come before the mini iPad event. iPhone 5 would be unveiled during an Apple event on September 12.
Sources have also revealed that the launch of mini iPad would be done after iPhone 5 has launched and is already on sale. The exact date of the event that would see the unveiling of the mini iPad, however, is not known as yet, even though the event would be held in October. It is quite understandable that Apple would reserve separate events for both these devices, considering that both of them happen to be blockbusters. Previously it was speculated that Apple might launch both these devices during the same event but according to reliable tech sources, this would be highly unlikely since releasing both devices during the same event would divide the separate attention which they would otherwise command.
According to John Gruber of Daring Fireball, Apple would not want the reviews of both iPhone and mini iPad appearing at the same time since this would divide the attention. Apple would clearly not want a new product from the company battling for top spots in the news coverage. So it makes perfect sense that Apple would reserve separate events for both these grand devices.
So it seems that the season just before holidays would be particularly very active for Apple. Two new major events announcing the launch of two major Apple devices is something that would certainly capture the limelight for a good while. But we do have expectations of major products from other tech giants: second generation version of Amazon Kindle Fire to name one. Whatever turn the situation takes, next few months would be very exciting for the fans of smart phones and tablets.
Apple has so far not released any official announcement endorsing or rejecting these rumors. This is quite expected since Apple likes to keep the announcements very secret till the last moment. To know about the actual situation, just keep your fingers crossed for a few weeks, or even less.

Good news for the fans of Galaxy Note: the larger, 10.1 inch, version of the tablet would be launched during August, as per the official announcement by Samsung. The tablet, which would come with an S Pen style, would come in two models: WiFi only and 3G. 4G LTE models would also follow at a later stage. So far details regarding the price of the tablet have not been provided by Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 was announced during the Mobile World Congress back in February. The two features that Samsung stressed upon for this device are multi-tasking and content creation, which would certainly help Samsung against the tough competition in the market of tablets. Besides, the S Pen stylus specifically made for this tablet would be another positive point since it readily integrates with many native apps for the tablet.

Other than the Stylus, important technical specs of Galaxy Note include a quad-core processor clocked at the speed of 1.4 GHz, 2 GB of RAM memory, 5 mega pixel rare end camera working in conjunction with a 1.9 mega pixel front end camera. Finally, the operating system for this device would be Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which might be a disappointment for many since Android 4.1 Jelly Bean was also recently announced and many people were expecting to see it on Galaxy Note 10.1.

Important software features of Galaxy Note 10.1 include Pop Up Play, which can be used to play vidoes anywhere on the screen, while continuing other tasks. Another feature is Smart Stay, which keeps the display on as long as user have his or her eyes on it. Finally there is S Note, the note-taking app of Galaxy Note that works with the S Pen.

Original version of Galaxy Note, a 5.3 inch cross between a smart phone and a tablet, proved to be quite popular in the market. Besides, Galaxy S3 was also immensely successful, so it is expected that the 10.1 inch version of Galaxy Note would also do well. Samsung has surpassed Apple when it comes to the the number of smart phones sold worldwide, although it still lags behind in the market of tablets, with Apple’s iPad still having a market share of more than 50 percent. However, Samsung Galaxy Tab is considered to be the most popular 10 inch Andorid tablet in the market.

It seems that Google Nexus tablet would make it big in the market since the device is already out of stock at most retailers, given the high number of pre orders. After the official announcement of the tablet last month, Google was the first one to offer the pre-orders and after Google, other major retailers such as GameStop, Staples, and Sam’s Club also followed. However, due to the large number of pre-orders from the enthusiasts, the tablet is already out of stock and retailers have ordered more devices from the vendor.
 
GameStop is among the major retailers offering 16 GB version of the device which is also out of stock and the retailer has ordered more devices. The new round of Google Nexus tablets would be shipped from Game Stop starting from August 7. As a side offer, GameStop is also offering 30 percent increase on the value of any trade-in item for the users who would purchase the tablet.
 
Other three major retailers, Staples, Office Depot and Sam’s Club, are also showing the tablet out of stock. So far no information is available as to when the new stock would be available and more orders would be taken. According to the official announcement from Google, the shipment of the tablet would be started in a week or two.
 
The pre-orders for Nexus 7 were started by Google and other retailers starting from last Friday and within a week the retailers are out of stock, which depicts the immense demand for the device. This means that Google tablet would certainly make it big in the market, which can be an alarming situation for Amazon Kindle Fire. Google Nexus might also affect the market share of iPad to some extent.
 
There are a lot of impressive features that Nexus 7 tablet has to offer. These features include Android 4.1 Jelly Bean which is not found on any other device as yet, HD display having a resolution of 1280×800 pixels, a powerful Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor and a 1.2 mega pixel front facing camera. The tablet would be available in two models: 8 GB version for $199 and 16 GB version for $249. New stock of the devices would soon be made available after which more pre-orders would be taken from the customers.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is all over the news these days and Samsung has been undertaking each and every step that is indeed innovative. Well, if Samsung wasn’t able to show much innovation in the design of the device, at least it has shown it in the marketing process of the tablet. Previously, Samsung has successfully made a deal with American Airlines where Galaxy Tab would be provided during various nation wide flights of various American Airlines. Now the latest deal has been made with the London officials and according to this deal, Galaxy Tab 10.1 would be made part of the capsules of the famous EDF Energy London Eye. This would be the first technical addition to the capsules of Energy London Eye in 11 years. The new installation would contain displays made of several Galaxy Tabs ad would contain content such as interactive guides of the surrounding areas. These guides are created by LMC design and Henry Stuart Photography.

With the installation of these tablets in the capsules, the facility of exploration would considerably be enhanced for the tourists. With a simple touch, visitors would be able to explore and have detailed information about 44 landmarks surrounding the capsule. 24-hour time lapse photography and 360-degree day and night views of these points would also be available. Finally, a detailed bird-eye view would be made available. The decision to install Galaxy Tabs inside the capsules was a result of a research conducted on some 5000 visitors. Most of the visitors felt a need of a more detailed exploration of the surrounding areas and important landmarks that are visible from the capsule. Galaxy Tab is believed to fulfill this need to a meticulous extent.

2012 is quite an important year for tech industry particularly tablets and smart phones. Besides, it would also be an important year of celebrations throughout London and UK and hence a lot of tourists would be visiting the place. Keeping this in consideration, David Sharpe from the Merlin Entertainments Group expressed the intention of the authorities to present best possible services for the tourists and state-of-art technology during their visit to the famous EDF Energy London Eye. On the other hand, the deal is certainly another achievement for Samsung and would result in the increased popularity and sale of Galaxy Tab 10.1, which is already considered to be best 10 inch Android tablet in the market.

Another noteworthy news form Samsung is the development of smart phones and tablets with flexible screens which would allow you to roll the device and put it in your pocket. This would also mean that the device would be pretty much immune to fall and shock. This is certainly a landmark and would help in resolving certain issues that are, at present, associated with the tablets. For example, it is not easy to carry a 10 inch or even a 7 inch tablet over long distance, particularly if you don’t have private transport. Flexible screen, on the other hand, would resolve this problem and there won’t be any more transportation issues since you can just roll the screen and insert it in your pocket. However, it would take some time before such flexible devices are introduced in the mainstream market. We should probably expect a wait of more than a year. Not only Samsung, there are also rumors about Nokia considering to embark on such a development through which it would be offering bendable Kinetic screen. Let’s just hope that we see flexible devices in the market soon and that they actually do turn out to be useful.

Facebook has recently released its Timeline feature that is receiving a lot of appreciation and hype. With this feature, it’s very easy to skim through your entire Facebook updates ever since you joined Facebook. This feature is in the process of activation and the latest news it that the new Facebook version with this feature would be made available on iPads in early 2012. With this feature, the profile of the user is summed up in two columns and you can search your timeline with respect to year and month. Initially Timeline was made available only for the developers and it was released on a wider scale in mid December. Although Timeline has already been made available on mobile devices but a perfectly optimized version for mobile devices was lacking which would now be released in a couple of months. At present, there are certain bugs in the feature that is made available for Apple and Android devices. With the version of Facebook along with this feature perfectly optimized for iPads and other tablets, users would have an opportunity of having a scrapbook on their iPad with its special form factor and touch-centric nature. Exact time frame for the release of such an app, however, has not been announced as yet.

There is  lot of anticipation and hype about the next grand product from Apple, iPad 3. Accoridng to Citi analyst Richard Gardner, Apple might release iPad 3 as soon as next February which means only after a couple of months. Some of the exciting features that we would be able to see on this new model of iPad would be the famous Retine Display which was made part of iPhone 4, an enhanced processor and probably Siri as well. The inclusion of Siri, however, is not confirmed as yet. Retine Display would be the maximum pixel density that could be attained on a tablet device. Accoridng to tech experts, Retina Display would certainly be a huge step forward in the area of pixel density and would be a feature worth trying. At present, the pixel density of iPhone 4S happens to be 326 pixels per inch. Although attaining this pixel density in itself is not a major problem, the development of devices on massive scale with this feature would certainly be a huge task. Previously, the release of iPad 3 was expected some time in April of 2012 but now it appears that Apple would be ready to release this coveted device earlier than expected. With iPad 3 and iPhone 5, the first quarter of 2012 would certainly be grand for Apple enthusiasts.

Finally, another brand new story would unfold on tech savvies’ Apple experiences as one of the Hollywood’s biggest studios is set to be coming on iPad. When not having any idea or wild guess about this, well might as well prepare oneself to say “Hi” to Wal-Marts Vudu application on iPad.

Unlike any other downloadable application, Vudu has created and designed its own website that will specifically work on iPad. The application will allow uninterrupted rental and purchase of Hollywood movies via their website while Apple takes zero scrutiny to such. Meanwhile, Vudu can take full control on the user experience and Apple will also be taking a 30% cut for all transaction done therein.

As a bit of history, Vudu is actually the first video services to be launched on iPad directly competing with the Apple’ own iTunes. This is because Vudu actually bestows one a selection of 20, 000 movies all in all. The only sad thing about it is that it excludes the movies coming from Walt Disney Studios. In other words all the movies from Walt Disney Studios and other five major Hollywood studios such as 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. will not be usable with Vudu on iPad or iPod. Nevertheless, when desiring to watch Disney movies, anyone can access it in all other devices except for one with Vudu application.

Even so, Vudu General Manager Edward Lichty said that the purpose of this is to increase the company users by connecting accounts across devices.

Furthermore, he has cleared that Vudu is not an application on iPad, it appears to be an icon in the start-up menu that when clicked allows one to view their website. Unlike iTunes, Vudu does not allow one to download movies, rather gives one the opportunity to watch movies online given the fact that there is an internet connection. Without such, Vudu would not be able to function though. On the other hand, Vudu only has the standard definition of movie for iPad. When compared to Apples’ own iTunes, the application offers high definition that one might be looking for in movies.

It must be a sad thing that Disney movies and movies from any other studious cannot available on Vudu. This thing may sound unfriendly especially for those who have favorites on Disney. Nevertheless, the good news for Vudu today is that it is already paving his way to expanding library as launching on the Wal-Mart.com website.