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.

According to Apple Insider (http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/01/11/non_exclusive_apple_verizon_deal_could_allow_iphone_on_sprint_t_mobile.html), because Apple has a non-restrictive agreement with Verizon, it is possible that similar agreements could be struck with Sprint and T-Mobile. The Verizon iPhone uses the CDMA network, which is popular all around the world, making this a potential boon for an already successful Apple.

Verizon iPhone can act as mobile wi-fi hotspot

Unlike AT&T iPhones, Verizon iPhones can act as mobile WiFi hotspots like Sprint’s EVO 4G. And if Sprint does that now, bets are good it will work on the Sprint iPhone as well.

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.

Credit: Consumer Reports

Zac: Alright Facebook buddies, anyone have any reviews of the new iPhone 4 yet? I may have an itch to scratch.

Angela: no…but I want one!

Sam: I love mine…I never had a problem with reception before they had to release the bumper but I got it just because I thought they were cool….just like any other expensive phone, take care of it…screen is amazing…don’t really have a reason to try facetime, but it looks like its good…the pictures you can take are amazing….I love it.

Sam: ‎9to5mac.com

Zac: Thx Sam. Sounds fantastic.
Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Android Shakes Up U.S. Smartphone Market

Normally second place is not a celebrated accomplishment, but when you’re up against the giant that is Apple, getting second place is a big deal. Google, who helped develop the mobile device operating system, Android, is probably more than satisfied with this place…for now. According to market research firm NPD, “Google’s Android operating system edged up into second place in the US smartphone market during the first quarter of the year, leaving it still well behind RIM’s BlackBerry OS, but marking the first time that it has moved ahead of Apple’s iPhone OS.” Specifically, NPD found that RIM maintained a strong 36% market share for the quarter, with Android coming in at 28%, and iPhone OS in third at 21%. The growth for Android was attributed largely to carriers like Verizon and Sprint which don’t have the iPhone OS and are forced to heavily market Android. Verizon also maintains a 30 percent smartphone market share, which is just slightly behind AT&T at 32%, and ahead of T-Mobile and Sprint at 17% and 15%, respectively.

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.