There’s a new site highlighting Velocity Micro Cruz Tablets and Readers which covers, “Velocity Micro™ Cruz Tablets, Cases, Covers, and Accessories.” Velocity Micro tablets are among the discount tablets that hover under $300, but not of the quality or caliber of a Nook Tablet or Amazon Kindle Fire which currently cost $249 and $199 respectively. While Coby Kyros tablets are similarly priced, they seem to be of better quality than the Velocity Micro Cruz tablets or a Pandigital Tablet.

Although the most successful tablet is still the iPad tablet, the HP TouchPad tablet, and Acer Iconia Tabs are also very popular. According to a survey by Robert W. Baird & Co., the tablets customers want the most are:

1. Apple iPad – Height: 9.5 inches – Storage: 16, 32 or 64 GB
2. HP TouchPad – Height: 9.45 inches – Storage: 16 or 32 GB
3. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 – Height: 10.1 inches – Storage: 16, 32 or 64 GB
4: Motorola Xoom – Height: 10.1 inches – Storage: 32 GB
5: HTC Flyer – Height: 7.7 inches – Storage: 16GB or 32GB

Source: Robert W. Baird & Co.

Mobile Internet devices, or “MID” for short, are defined as any hand-held device that has Internet access. That can range from a smartphone to a tablet PC so more and more that phrase is being used less as almost all new mobile devices can access the Internet such as cameras. When someone calls a tablet PC a mobile Internet device or MID, it’s almost redundant, but that’s exactly what Coby Electronics does when it decides to name all of it’s tablet PCs, “MID tablets“.

The question is no longer whether or not to buy a laptop or a tablet, the question is which tablet PC to buy. That’s where sites like Tablet Comparison come in handy. For most people a tablet PC is all they need because they just need a mobile Internet device. They don’t need to edit pictures in Photoshop, edit their website, or compute things in a spreadsheet. They just need to be able to search for something on Google, buy something on Amazon, get on Facebook, and check their email. That’s exactly what tablet PCs do best – in addition to also being a great portable video player (via Youtube, Netflix, Amazon Instant, or Hulu) or ereader.

The iPad 2 has a beautiful ereader, but if ebooks are your thing, then you might want to consider the Kindle Fire or the Nook Tablet PC. They both have a 7″ form factor. Compare that to the iPad2, which has a 9.7″ screen. You’ll pay more for the iPad though, which starts at $600 and goes up from there while the Kindle Fire goes for $199 and the Nook Tablet is only $249. Compare this to the Coby Kyros tablets which range in size from 7″ to 10″ inches and vary from $150 to $200 depending on model, of which there are at least 12.

So which mobile Internet device is best for you? Maybe the hardware isn’t as important as the service behind it or the accessories available for it. For example, it’s much easier to find iPad covers, Kindle skins, or Nook covers than it is to find Coby Kyros cases. And if human support is important you might want to go with an iPad or a Nook Tablet over a Kindle Fire for access to your local Apple Store or Barnes and Noble book store, respectively. Although Amazon has great support, that support will be over the phone and any trade-ins will be done by shipment, not over the counter. There is a trade-off though because the lack of brick and mortar stores is what makes Amazon so cheap comparatively.

If money was no object, I would buy the iPad 2 simply because of the large selections of apps, accessories, and the look and feel of the device. If I were more budget-conscious I’d go with the Kindle Fire or the Nook Tablet next. The only real difference in the two is that the Kindle is a little more closed off and locked in to Amazon’s version of Android while the Nook Tablet is running a more standard version of Android. They also each have access to two different sets of libraries, albeit highly overlapping ones. In the end, you’ll have to decide based on the factors that matter most to you.

Tablet PCs are dominating the mobile device market and giving smartphones a run for their money.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately you’ve noticed the huge number of new tablet PCs that have been released over the last two months. Everyone from Apple to HP to Dell to Google to Microsoft has had their hat in the ring vying for market leadership in an increasingly crowded field.

Tablet computer shopping sites like Tablet Comparison stand to benefit from such a wide consumer choice, but businesses may find it hard to integrate tablets into their daily processes without some assistance. Tablet PCs range in operating systems from Microsoft Windows 7 to Android to Apple iOS to PalmOS making it difficult for non-cloud based system integration. However, for sales teams, travelers, students, and doctors, tablet PCs are ideal. They probably won’t ever replace workstations, but neither did laptops.

The Download Squad has recently discovered that HTC’s tablet PC will debut on Verizon’s network on November 26

The as-yet-unnamed tablet PC is more like a slate or pad as it has no physical keyboard, like Apple’s iPad.  However, unlike the iPad, this PC will be running Google’s Chrome Operating System (OS), which may allow for more functionality than the iPad.

While the purpose of the iPad is another conversation, it was worth mentioning that you probably will be able to do more with this tablet, but not as much as say, a netbook or laptop PC running Windows 7.  Essentially it’s functionality will depend on it’s wireless connection and the availability of apps.  Google is said to be opening a Chrome App store in October, one month before this HTC release, which may serve that purpose, one similar to Apple’s iTunes, which contains their apps store.

Specs

The mobile device is said to include a 1280-by-720 multitouch display for the tablet, 2GB of RAM, and a minimum of 32GB of storage, Download Squad said.  The price is rumored to be under $200 and should be a hot item on Black Friday 2010.

LG electronics manufacturer announced the development of an Android tablet PC, which comes on the heels of their Windows 7 10 inch tablet they displayed at the 2010 Computex. It’s too soon to tell whether or not LG plans for the Android tablet to replace the Windows 7 tablet like HP did after purchasing Palm, but chances are there will simply be two versions.

Just last week Cisco announced that they too would be producing a tablet, but theirs would be aimed at the medical devices market. Of course this all comes on the heels of Apple’s iPad, when put together with all of the ereaders makes 2010 the year of the mobile devices.

Dell’s CEO, Micheal Dell announced at the O2 Telefonica that the Mini 5 tablet slate would be released in Europe first and will be called the Streak. It’s officially a tablet PC with a phone, but it’s 5-inch screen and small form factor puts it more in line with smartphones like the iPhone.  And like the iPhone it will debut on AT&T’s 3G network.

Streak runs Android, has Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. It’s 5-inch screen supports full multitouch and is very light and comfortable to use. The screen is responsive, and Dell’s icon interface makes for intuitive presentation of Android.

The best feature seems to be the 5MP camera

Dell took a risk with the Streak tablet. Its 5-inch screen is meant to appeal to a different crowd than the iPad, with its considerably larger 9.7-inch display. Unlike the iPad, the Streak will run Android and will feature not one, but two cameras: front- and rear-facing cameras. It will also have USB ports, two microSD slots, and possibly an unlocked 3G modem. Because it’s Android, it will have multitasking, but that also means that users will have to manage open programs with a task manager. Android apps will be available via the Android app store, similar to the HTC Hero.

WebOS to replace Windows 7 in HP slate to be released in the third quarter

Shortly after HP announced the Palm acquisition, HP said it would be “doubling down on webOS,” with near-term plans to “scale it across multiple connected devices.” We predicted that HP would deploy a webOS-based mobile device slate and now, according to an unsubstantiated report at the Examiner, an “insider at HP” has informed the site that “a webOS tablet under the code name HP Hurricane could be released the third quarter of this year.” This corroborates what HP said about taking webOS to places it has never been, there was strong suggestions that the HP Slate was being killed, and now, people close to the HP camp have given a name to a purported webOS tablet slated for Q3. Stay tuned for more info from Mobile Devices.

Eco-leather iPad folio cover with microfiber interior is healthier for the environment

The Eco-Vue offers a stylish eco-leather folio that helps protect your iPad. A unique and innovative hand strap design allows you to fold back the cover and securely grip the device during usage – a feature not offered in other covers. The Eco-Vue opens like a book, and the elastic strap keeps the folio closed while the foldover tab inside helps keep the iPad from slipping out. A foldaway display stand rounds out a broad array of features provided in a single case solution.

What’s so great about eco-leather? The tanning process used to make this leather uses less toxins than traditional leather tanning. This minimizes toxic runoff into the ground and water tables. Throughout the entire process, the leather remains RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) compliant. No chlorine, no sulfuric acid, and no petroleum/chemical based dyes. This is real leather, without the environmental impact of standard tanning and dying processes. Need more iPad accessories?

Apple beats its own record it set with the iPhone

Estimate beats iPhone on its release date

Apple announced today that they have sold over 1 million iPads, the revolutionary slate device that runs the iPhone OS. Much of that is to retailers and pre-orders, but it is an accomplishment nonetheless.

Who is buying?

Though the economy is improving its hard to imagine that a mobile device that is not a phone or a laptop, but something in between could be so popular. So who is buying it? Besides early adopters and Mac fans, students and baby boomers are likely candidates. Students find the device useful in class and older generations find its ease of use and lack of maintenance exactly what they want in a computer.

eBook Reader Capability

While the iPad is a slate computer, it’s also features eBook reading software, which essentially also makes it an eReader.  For a comparison with Barne’s and Noble’s nook e-Reader, compare the Nook vs. iPad.  For eReader accessories for the iPad, Kindle, Nook, or Alex eReader, visit eAccessories.

HP Slate may be running webOS soon under a different name.

A day after announcing the purchase of Palm, HP was rumored to be killing the Slate which was to be released in June. Microsoft had announced the Slate project back in January just ahead of Apple’s announcement of the iPad. So why would HP be killing it now, just one month away? HP insiders are rumored to be saying that it was because Windows 7 ran too slow on it, but the timing is just too coincidental. One of the biggest reasons HP bought Palm was for their webOS, which would give them full control over the operating system and reduce their relationship (read: expenses) with Microsoft.

Legal Tactics

HP more than likely had legal licensing agreements lined up with Microsoft for the Slate since January, long before HP knew they would be acquiring their own operating system. Killing the project is equivalent to eliminating someone’s position instead of firing them outright. The result is the same, but the legalities of the maneuver are different. In the same way, if the agreement with Microsoft was for the Slate then all HP would have to do is kill the name and make an end run around the legal agreement. Expect a ‘phoenix’ version of the Slate reborn with webOS coming later this year.

5/12/2010 UPDATE: HP rumored to be launching the slate under the codename, Hurricane, in the third quarter of 2010. Read more.