Although ASUS recently delivered the $150 7-inch MeMo Pad and PadFone Infinity combo device, it's been a while since a premium Android tablet graced the lineup. A recent FCC filing from the company, however, reveals an unannounced K005 model equipped with the venerable Snapdragon S4 Pro (APQ8064) SoC clocked at 1.7GHz. Further details are light, but G4Games notes that it reveals AT&T-compatible GSM, CDMA and LTE connectivity and the model number suggests a 10-inch frame. Check out the FCC filing for yourself below and rest assured that we'll fill you in when we hear more.

Filed under: Tablets, ASUS

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Via: G4Games

Source: FCC

Almost exactly two years ago, Motorola's Android-in-Webtop-OS solution was kicked off the stage by ASUS' PadFone, the world's first phone that could fully power a tablet module from its own OS. The original concept took a while to materialize, but since then the company has kept up with a surprisingly rapid product cycle. It was only five months from the first PadFone to the PadFone 2; and now seven months later, ASUS is offering the PadFone Infinity: a non-surprising full HD update for both the phone and the tablet module. The phone itself also benefits from a newer 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 SoC, as well as a new brushed-aluminum body. So, does this upgraded package have what it takes to kill the "glass is half empty" mentality? Or would consumers still rather have two separate devices? Read on to find out.

Gallery: ASUS PadFone Infinity review

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, ASUS

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A fresh release of Dish Anywhere for Android just hit Google Play, bringing it up to speed with its iOS counterpart. Now, the application allows users to stream On Demand content from wherever they have an internet connection, and adds Facebook and Twitter sharing. The experience has also received a dedicated app for tablets running Google's mobile OS, sporting a look that makes better use of the extra screen real estate, and a skinned remote to boot. In addition to a few miscellaneous bug fixes, the update includes support for handsets with large screens, such as the Droid DNA. Jab the links below to grab ahold of the latest version.

Filed under: Software, HD, Mobile

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Source: Dish Network, Google Play

The buy local movement has plenty of appeal, but the philosophy often extends more readily to tomatoes than tablets. Not so in Romania, where Evolio has served up its share of slates and laptops for the home crowd. Now, the company is back with its first quad-core tablet offering, the 10.1-inch Evolio Quadra. The slab of aluminum and glass weighs in at 1.18 pounds (535 grams), and is outfitted with a 1.2GHz quad-core Cortex A9 CPU and the Vivante GC1000 GPU, which sits on the lower end of Vivante's offerings. Other specs are largely standard fare, such as a 1,280 x 800 IPS LCD, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage and Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). The Quadra's 5,000mAh battery is on the weaker side, and its connectivity is limited to WiFi (outside of an external 3G adapter), but that's what you'll get for 999 Romanian leu (roughly $296). This slab of Eastern European engineering is available for pre-order now on Evolio's website, and it's said to hit store shelves in mid-June.

Filed under: Tablets

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Source: Evolio

The announcement of the Acer Aspire R7 was the best example of the company's assertion that it was moving from computers designed with touch to computers designed for touch. But if having a fancy, even unprecedented, hinge is what defines a touch-optimized notebook, Acer is a bit late to the party.

Last October, Switched On discussed the role that laptop-tablet hybrids -- namely convertibles and detachables -- would play in the differentiation of Windows 8 devices. Both types have seen their share of support. Detachables have included HP's Envy x2, ASUS' Transformer-inspired VivoTab and Microsoft's Surface. (Dell's XPS 10 is available only with Windows RT.)

Filed under: Apple, Microsoft

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Ubuntu tablets may not be particularly new, but thanks to its liberal build, things can get a bit more interesting when another OS is added to the mix. Ekoore's Python S3 tablet goes a little further, nestling Ubuntu, Android and Windows 8 behind its 11.6-inch screen. Specifications can be customized on the order page, but there's an Intel Celeron processor, 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD for storage, while the 1,366 x 768 resolution was chosen to suit all three operating systems: Windows 8, Android 4.2 and Ubuntu 13.04. There's connectivity through both WiFi and an optional 3G module -- the Win 8 license itself is also a purchasable extra. The device is priced at $770 for the US, while you'll be able to pick up a dockable keyboard add-on (with built-in battery) for around $179. For those of you who still can't decide your favorite tablet OS, you can hedge your bets and place an order at the source.

Filed under: Tablets

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Via: PC World

Source: Ekoore (Italian)

Sony gifted its flagship Xperia Z smartphone with an Android Open Source Project (AOSP) build just last month, and now the stock operating system has made its way to the device's tablet counterpart, too. AOSP is now available for the Xperia Tablet Z -- it'll live on GitHub, along with instructions and other resources. Community Manager Marcus Hansson dropped by YouTube to demo AOSP. You'll find that Jelly Bean (4.2.2) walkthrough posted after the break, along with a warning to non devs: "The software is not intended for everyday use, and therefore does not include all apps and services usually expected in ordinary software." That could always change in the future, but if you're expecting a seamless stock experience for personal use, you probably won't find it here.

Filed under: Tablets, Software, Sony

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Source: Sony Blog

When Samsung revealed the third iteration of its Galaxy Tab line, it was met with a somewhat underwhelming reception. But the Korean firm's never held back on trying out different shapes and sizes. This makes this latest leak -- of a reported 8-inch Galaxy Tab 3 -- at least plausible, and definitely not surprising. The reported resolution of 1,280 x 800 and that of the 7-inch Tab 3 (1,024 x 600) certainly match the mystery profiles we saw earlier this year. Think it looks just like the Galaxy Note 8.0? You'd mostly be right, barring a few details like a thinner side bezel and the camera / speaker arrangement. SamMobile claims to have the full specification, which includes an all-around boost over the 7-inch version: a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 16GB of on-board storage (expandable up to 64GB) plus 5- and 1.3-megapixel cameras, Bluetooth 4.0 and a 4,450mAh battery. WiFi and 3G versions are mentioned, too, so all your bases should be covered if you really don't want that S pen.

Filed under: Tablets, Samsung

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Source: SamMobile

Earlier this week, we learned of Sony's plans for a 13.3-inch e-ink slate with stylus support pitched at students, and now Diginfo has caught up with the prototype device at the Educational IT Solutions Expo in Japan. The A4-sized tablet is said to be the first piece of hardware with an E Ink Mobius display that's flexible and light due to its new plastic construction. Co-developed by Sony and E Ink, the display only contributes 60g to the overall weight, which is apparently 50 percent lighter than similar screens built with glass. Sony says the software isn't quite as slick as it'd like it to be just yet, but nevertheless, you can check out people scrawling, annotating and highlighting on the prototype in the video below.

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Source: DigInfo (YouTube)

Just in case that recently announced ChefPad wasn't suited to your tastes, Archos is now introducing a smaller, not-so-kitchen-friendly Android tablet, the Xenon 80. Naturally, the main highlight of this 8-inch slate is that it boasts 3G capabilities, and the company's quick to point out it's SIM-unlocked. Archos also endowed the Xenon 80 with some decent specs, including a vanilla flavor of Google's Jelly Bean, an unnamed Qualcomm quad-core CPU, a 1,024 x 768 IPS display and 4GB of internal storage (expandable to 64GB by way of a microSD slot). And as with other recent Archos tablets, the Xenon 80 carries the proper Google Play credentials, making it easy for you to have access to all your favorite apps. It'll cost a mere $200 when it hits shelves in June, which is on par with competing offerings. Now, whether it's worth taking the plunge, well, you'll have to make that call for yourself.

Gallery: Archos 80 Xenon press shots

Filed under: Tablets

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Source: Archos

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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Remember ASUS' Transformer Books? All is forgiven if you don't, as we're already approaching the one-year anniversary of when they were first revealed at Computex in Taipei. You'll get your choice of Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors, and the ability to detach and use the device as a standalone 13.3-inch tablet when the devices finally arrive in the US next week. Sure, Japanese buyers might have picked one up first, but interested hybrid PC shoppers should mark May 21st into their diaries. No official word on pricing, but preorder pages from MacMall earlier this year had the Core i7 model pegged at a hefty $1,479.99.

Filed under: Laptops, ASUS

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Source: ASUS US (Facebook)

Looking for a place to stick that super-sized slate? You might opt to mount it in a wooden table modeled after a treehouse, or a piece of furniture designed to accommodate a digital "family game night." Of course, you'd clearly be drawing some inspiration from two such concepts that feature Lenovo's Horizon Table PC as the star of the show -- both, along with a third project that employs a more traditional bar-stool concept, will debut at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair next week in New York City. (You're going, right?) It's certainly not the first time we've witnessed a non-traditional marriage of form and function, but considering that we have yet to see these gigantic 1080p tablets on the street, it's a bit of a curiosity at the moment.

Filed under: Desktops, Household, Lenovo

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ASUS' Fonepad has been making its way around the world with a 1.2GHz Intel Atom Z2420 processor and 16GB of built-in storage, but apparently there's a need for covering one's face with a beefier version. Announced in Taiwan earlier today, the 7-inch tabletphone will be offered with a faster 1.6GHz Z2460 plus 32GB of memory (with microSD expansion as before). This new model will retail for NT$10,900 locally, which works out to be about US$360; whereas the original model will still be available for NT$8,990 or about US$300 (which is, by the way, a tad more expensive than the UK price). We'll let you know when ASUS comes back with more information regarding availability in other regions.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, ASUS

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Via: Engadget Chinese

As powerful as Android can be, Bluetooth is one of its glaring weaknesses: the absence of a default Bluetooth framework has led to inconsistent implementations from both device builders and app developers. Google is at last covering that gaping hole, however. As hinted earlier today, it's incorporating Bluetooth Smart Ready support (that is, Bluetooth 4.0 on a dual-mode chip) in an upcoming version of Android. Having a common platform should allow for more reliable behavior, not to mention fewer roadblocks to using low power Bluetooth Smart (single-mode Bluetooth 4.0) devices like the Fitbit Flex. There's only one catch that we can see, so far: when Google hasn't said how soon we'll get that Android upgrade, wireless peripheral lovers will have to remain patient.

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Tablets, Mobile, Google

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Source: Bluetooth Blog

Microsoft has a good excuse for the Surface Pro's late arrival in the UK: the company claims that demand in the US stripped its cupboards bare, leaving nothing but RT crumbs to sell on this side of the Atlantic. In any case, Redmond tells us that a date has now been set, with the Core i5-powered tablet due to be available from Microsoft's online store from May 23rd. For once, Brits can look forward to dollar-equivalent pricing, with the 64GB version going for £719 and the 128GB model fetching £799 inclusive of VAT. (That may not be cheap, but at least it's fair.) Meanwhile, the bendy Touch Cover will continue to cost £99, and the more traditional key action of the Type Cover will add another tenner on top of that. So, there it is. Just in time for Haswell to make us wonder when a more power-efficient sequel might be coming out.

Filed under: Tablets, Microsoft

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Many have chastised Google for doing little to properly expose Android tablet apps, but it's addressing that in style: the Google Play Store now includes a dedicated section in the charts for the top tablet-native releases, all of which meet the company's design guidelines for bigger screens. The company is also bringing its recent Play Store mobile redesign to the web. It shares the same interface, but it takes advantage of the extra screen area with a sidebar that lets shoppers quickly switch between media types. Both updated portals should be accessible today.

Gallery: Google I/O 2013: Google Play tablets section

Filed under: Tablets, Mobile, Google

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We don't know for sure that Dell's been experiencing the weak demand for Windows RT Samsung's been so vocal about, but significant price cuts to its XPS 10 tablet hybrid suggest it hasn't exactly been flying off the shelves. Not only has the $500 tag for the tablet with 32GB of storage dropped to $300, but adding another 32GB now only costs $50 more, instead of $100. Savings have extended to the keyboard dock, too -- opting for the bundle used to increase the overall cost by $180, but now that peripheral is only a $50 extra. (Make sure to lead with the bundle though, as it's $100 if added from the tablet-only customization options). The cost of optional LTE hasn't changed, however, so that 4G radio still costs an additional $100. While we haven't reached fire sale territory just yet, the cuts are still a welcome discount for consumers. In the interest of preserving profit margins, perhaps Dell should ask Acer's president to consult next time it's cooking up new hardware.

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets, Dell

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Via: The Verge, CNET

Source: Dell

Amid the bevy of phones outed in NTT DoCoMo's summer lineup, the Japanese carrier snuck in a tablet: Sharp's Aquos Pad SH-08E. A 7-inch 1,920 x 1,200 IGZO display dominates the front of the Android 4.2 device, while a 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor and a 4,200mAh battery are tucked inside. When it comes to imaging, the slab totes an 8.1-megapixel shooter on its rear, and wears a 2.1-megapixel cam on the front. The hardware's also been kitted out with WiFi, NFC and TV tuning capabilities, along with waterproofing and dustproofing, to boot. As the slate's outfitted to work with DoCoMo's Xi LTE network, it's capable of sucking down 100Mbps and uploading at 37.5Mbps. There's no word on how much it'll empty wallets, but it's penciled in to be available in Japan by the end of July.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: NTT DoCoMo (PDF)

Does your kitchen need a 9.7-inch Jelly Bean tablet to call its own? No, it certainly does not. But if your budget can accommodate such a device, it might look just like the Archos ChefPad, "the perfect tablet for the cooking enthusiast." Under the splash-resistant case, you'll find a standard suite of tablet specs. There's a 1.6GHz dual-core CPU, 1 gig of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, and front- and rear-facing 2-megapixel cameras, along with a pair of speakers and a built-in mic, making the device suitable for both playing back cooking lessons and recording your own. In addition to that red silicone case, you'll receive a dedicated stand to match -- both will ship in the box, along with the tablet, for just $210 this June.

Filed under: Tablets

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Source: Archos

Although there's no dearth of rugged tablets, most are still built on the assumption that civilization is close at hand. Sqigle, however, suggests that its upcoming Earl tablet could work even if there's no civilization left. The new, crowdfunded Android 4.1 slate centers on a light-up, 6-inch e-paper screen that both extends the battery life to 20 hours and makes the 5 hours of solar-powered recharging sound reasonable -- theoretically, Earl never needs to see a wall outlet. It's also built to do as much as possible without leaning on either WiFi or a PC. Along with both analog and digital radio, the design should incorporate ANT+ sensor support and preloaded topographical maps. The project isn't ideally timed for outdoorsy types when it's expected to reach backers in the late summer, but the $249 advance price is low enough that it might justify a camping trip in the fall.

Filed under: Tablets

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: Earl

Sony's no stranger to the odd e-ink device, but its latest prototype creation isn't targeted at the bookworm, it's intended to educate. The e-paper slate is quite a lot bigger than most tablets, let alone e-readers, sporting a 13.3-inch screen (1,200 x 1,600) to match the standard A4 size of normal, boring paper. That display is also an electromagnetic induction touchscreen for poking at menus and scrolling, but more importantly, it supports stylus input for scrawling notes and annotating PDFs (the only file format it currently supports). The prototype device is also only 6.8mm (0.27 inch) thick and weighs 358g (12.6 ounces) -- perfect for slipping into school bags. There's 4GB of on-board storage (with a microSD slot to increase that) and WiFi, which Sony plans to use for sharing notes with those who didn't make it to class on time. With WiFi off, the rechargeable battery inside is expected to last for three weeks of solid learning. These specs are for the prototype, of course, so after the late-2013 field trials at three Japanese universities, we might see some revisions before commercialization goes ahead sometime during the 2013 fiscal year.

Filed under: Sony

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Source: Sony (Japanese)

Remember the Notion Ink Adam? We'll forgive you if you don't -- the device fell a bit short of expectations, and news of its successor has been scarce. Save for a few teasing tweets, Notion Ink has kept the project pretty close to its chest. That changed this weekend, however, when the tablet's price and specifications were announced at India's National Technology Awards. According to the press release (after the break) and a pamphlet reportedly given to attendees, the Adam II will sell for 12,000 Indian Rupees (about $217) later this year, packing in a 1.5GHz Dual-Core ARM Cortex CPU, twin 2-megapixel cameras, 1GB RAM and up to 10 hours of battery life.

The tablet also boasts a secondary screen, albeit a small one: a monochrome ticker that displays Android notifications on the Adam's book-like spine. HDMI, headphone and micro-USB ports crowd the device's adjacent edges, which wrap around a 10.1-inch 1,280 x 800 IPS display -- a concession that was apparently made to increase longevity. Local and international availability was sadly left out of the announcements, but it's nice to finally see this project gain some steam.

Update: Notion Ink has reached out to let us know that the 12,000 rupee price cited in the PR is incorrect. We've asked the company to clarify the pricing and will let you know if we hear back.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Gallery: Notion Ink Adam II Pamphlet

Filed under: Tablets

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Canalys is back with its latest worldwide estimates of mobile device shipments, and while the analyst group has a divisive way of combining figures, there's plenty of insight to discover in its breakdown of the smartphone and tablet realms. First off, Canalys reports that Android accounted for 75.6 percent of all smartphone shipments during Q1, which is an increase from the 69.2 percent it reported for the previous quarter. As a whole, Canalys estimates that 216.3 million smartphones were shipped during Q1, which is roughly steady when compared to the three months prior. It should come as no surprise, but Samsung is said to lead the category with nearly a third of all smartphone shipments, while Apple accounted for roughly 17 percent of the pie. Meanwhile, Huawei, LG and ZTE are next in line, each with less than 5 percent of the market.

Given the prevalence of the iPad, you could just as easily guess that Apple continues to dominate the tablet category and still be right. Here, Canalys estimates that Apple holds a 46.4 percent market share, but qualifies that win, as that the company is losing ground to its Android-based rivals. On the upside, Canalys reckons that the tablet market has more than doubled from the previous year, which means there's plenty of pie to go around.

[Image credit: Jon Fingas, Flickr]

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets

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Source: Canalys

Just a little over a week after Samsung introduced the 7-inch Galaxy Tab 3 to the world, and it's already made its way to the FCC for approval. There's not much to say here that we don't know about, but as expected, this particular model is WiFi-only, with no LTE or voice-enabled bands mentioned in the documentation. As a reminder, the Tab 3 has relatively modest specs with a WSVGA (1,024 x 600) TFT screen, a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 8GB or 16GB of storage (expandable up to 64GB), a 4,000 mAh battery, a rear 3-megapixel camera and a front 1.3-megapixel one. It's set to ship with Android 4.1 some time this month, with a 3G version following in June. Though we're not sure of its exact drop date, we hope it's after a certain tech conference next week for the sake of our sanity.

Filed under: Tablets, Mobile, Samsung

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Source: FCC