In true rugged device fashion, the Panasonic ToughPad FZ-G1 isn't exactly a winner in the looks department, with a rather chunky plastic and rubber chassis. It provides a splash-proof cover - measuring in at 270 x 188 x 19mm - making Surface RT look super-thin in comparison.

But the ToughPad FZ-G1 isn't an aspirational lifestyle product like your standard tablet: this is a working machine, designed to go where frailer tablets wouldn't dare. And if you or your business need rugged, relatively portable computing with the power of a full PC, this 10.1-inch slate could be just right for you.

Those raised edges protect the ToughPad from bumps and scrapes

The ToughPad FZ-G1 comes running Windows 8 Pro - the same software you'll find on desktops and laptops. This gives you Microsoft's full operating system, which has been specially designed for touchscreen use.

At 1.1kg, the ToughPad FZ-G1 isn't as heavy as it looks, but its still feels substantial in the palm and you'll probably find yourself gripping it with both hands if you don't have a surface to rest it on.

Surface Pro review

On the right, there's a blocky port cover hiding a headphone jack, plus HDMI and USB 3.0 ports. On the left, there's a clip for the stylus pen - which can be defaulted to act as a right mouse or customised to your choosing.

Each corner is padded with a wedge of rubber, raised from the rest of the tablet, providing protection if the ToughPad FZ-G1 happens to slip from your grasp.

In the bottom-left corner, a rubber flap conceals the charging port, which is reminiscent of one you'd find on a regular laptop. All this armour should protect the ToughPad FZ-G1 from the accidents of working life.

Best Windows 8 tablets: all the Windows 8 tablets we've reviewed

Panasonic claims the ToughPad FZ-G1 can survive a drop of four metres, and though we couldn't test this claim, the rugged feel of this tablet makes us inclined to agree.

Seven large physical keys adorn the front of the ToughPad FZ-G1 just below the screen. These give you instant access to the home, volume, rotation, lock and power buttons, while the remaining two can be programmed according to your needs.

There are various customisation options, including the potential for a bigger battery

Inside, Panasonic has stuffed in an Intel Core i5 processor and 4GB of RAM, which makes light work of Windows 8 Pro, booting up in a tidy six seconds. It runs smoothly and we were able to glide through the live tiles on the Start screen and drop in and out of desktop mode without any hassle.

As the ToughPad FZ-G1 comes running the full-blown version of Windows, you get a complete internet browser in the form of IE 10 - allowing for a simple, straightforward web surfing experience, and with a (somewhat pricey) 3G option available, it's great for those out in the field.

Surface RT review

Round the back you'll find a removable 4400mAh battery, which is claimed to last up to eight hours - which you can get with careful usage. You can also swap it for a larger, bulkier pack if you want a longer lasting option.

There's a bunch of optional extras you can add to the ToughPad, with a slot on the top of the tablet giving you the choice of LAN, USB 2.0, microSD, GPS and True Serial. There are also 126GB and 256GB flash memory storage drives, a variety of processor speeds and the potential to have a rear-facing camera as well as the standard 1.3MP front facing snapper, which lets you customise your rugged tablet even further.

Verdict

The standard battery life makes this only just capable of lasting a working day, but the sturdy build and snappy insides mean the ToughPad is a hardwearing and hardworking option.

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After today's announcement of Panasonic's 20-inch 4K tablet, the company unveiled the enormous slab at its booth at CES 2013. We got a close-up look at this super-thin Windows 8 device, and we bring you this gallery along with all of its specs and particulars.

Panasonic told us this prototype is aimed at professionals who will be able to use a stylus to manipulate graphics in the cloud. This might be an excellent tool for professionals such as video editors, who will be able to trim and scrub their video clips on a timeline and share them with colleagues online.

The prototype tablet's 20-inch IPSa panel measures 18.7" x 13.1" x 0.4", and its display has a resolution of 3,840x2,560. It's a 230ppi screen that's similar to that of Apple's Retina display on its iPhones, tablets and laptops. It has a 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 34207U vPro processor on board, but Panasonic wasn't more specific about its graphics processor, saying only they would be Nvidia GeForce. 

 FULL ARTICLE AT TECHNEWSWORLD

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Mozilla is teaming up with Taiwanese company Hon Hai Precision Industry — better known as Foxconn — to launch a new device running the Firefox OS.

Mozilla confirmed the partnership to Reuters and although the company wouldn't share the exact nature of the device, it is believed to be a tablet. Mozilla is expected to unveil the plans at Focus Taiwan on June 3.

Mozilla has already signed partnerships with Alcatel (TCL), Huawei, ZTE and LG for Firefox phones but this would be its first tablet initiative.

Foxconn makes most of its money from Apple but is reportedly looking to diversify its customer base. It already makes Android devices but this would be its first foray into the Firefox OS space.

SEE ALSO: Foxconn Will Now Pay Microsoft for Every Android Device It Makes

Firefox OS is just one of the class of operating systems vying for a fourth or fifth spot in the smartphone ecosystem. These platforms — which also include Ubuntu Touch and Tizen — are primarily targeting emerging markets and first-time smartphone buyers.

What do you think of Foxconn getting into the Firefox OS space? Let us know in the comments.

Photo via Josep Lago/AFP/Getty Images

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The tablet may be the latest product darling of the tech world, but its success is hindering PC growth.

According to the market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC), shipments of PC computers are expected to drop by nearly 8% this year, and by 2015 tablets will overtake the entire PC market, including both portables and desktop devices.

"What started as a sign of tough economic times has quickly shifted to a change in the global computing paradigm with mobile being the primary benefactor," said Ryan Reith, program manager for IDC's mobile trackers, in a statement. "Tablets surpassing portables in 2013 and total PCs in 2015, marks a significant change in consumer attitudes about compute devices and the applications and ecosystems that power them."

Read more…

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The term ‘phablet’ is perhaps the most cringeworthy in consumer tech right now.

The blurred space between smartphones and tablets is pretty much impossible to categorise, but appears to be developing as a pretty strong niche, as huge sales of Samsung’s Galaxy Note and Galaxy Note 2 attest.

The latter shifted two million in as many months when it first landed and it seems Sammy is not willing to stop there.

The Galaxy Note 2 already packs what some might term a pretty capacious 5.5-inch display.

Others might say it’s too big, awkward to fit in all but the biggest of pockets and taking the demand for larger screened smartphones too far.

But Samsung is having none of that.

This week news has emerged of two new devices in a new range dubbed Galaxy Mega.

The smaller of the two will be the Galaxy Mega 5.8, with a, yes, 5.8-inch panel.

The larger, Galaxy Mega 6.3 will rock a 6.3-inch display. Both are apparently being primed for a summer release. The former won’t actually look much different to the current Galaxy Note.

But the latter is surely taking things a step too far. Asus has already shown off a similarly-sized device, its Fonepad, which packs a seven-inch screen.

The Galaxy Mega 6.3 would barely be smaller than a Google Nexus 7, which is very much a tablet, not a smartphone.

Recent research by analysts at research firm Flurry has suggested that ‘phablets’ like these Galaxy Megas are simply fads.

That’s perhaps harsh seeing how well Samsung is already doing in the space.

But surely, as daily-use devices for those who want to make calls without looking like a Dom Joly character, they are at best a niche concern. In fact, it would perhaps be better to see the Megas as small tablets rather than large phones.

They’ll offer a better reading and movie viewing experience than smaller devices, no question, but fielding calls without appearing absurd will require a headphones or a hands-free kit.

Perhaps this is where Samsung sees the whole space going, believing that the days of whipping out your phone and clamping it to your ear are numbered.

That’s unlikely in the extreme, although with its current clout, you can surely expect other mobile makers to be muscling in with their own takes on the Mega.

Sony is said to be prepping a six-inch-plus phone for later this year and surely LG and HTC will fancy a slice of the action.

What is clear is that there’s only so far a smartphone can go size-wise.

The iPhone has proven that staying small doesn’t always work, but the current and forthcoming crop of phablets suggest that punters are quite happy with devices between four and five inches.

Any bigger and things start to feel faintly ridiculous.

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Apple is investigating new screen technology with a view to slimming down the next full-size iPad, reports suggest.

According to NPD DisplaySearch, the next 9.7-inch iPad will swap the current screen for an LED display with a modified backlight to make the device as thin and light as is feasible.

Analyst Paul Semenza told CNET: "It's likely that part of the thinner/lighter design will be reducing the size of the LED backlight, partly by making the display more efficient and partly by using more efficient LEDs.”

If Semenza can be believed, the tech giant will also adopt thin film-based touch sensors – a move that will also help to create a slimmer tablet.

Previous leaks suggest that the fifth-gen iPad will feature a different design that lifts elements of the compact and bijou iPad mini.

The last-gen model adhered rigidly to the blueprint for earlier models, prompting the usual round of catcalls that Apple was shortchanging fanboys with incremental updates to its key product lines.

Source:

CNET

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Reports that the next full-sized iPad will get an iPad mini-style makeover looked a soupcon more credible today, after what it’s claimed are images of the device’s rear casing leaked online.

Brought to the attention of the tech press by the bloggers at Tactus, the snaps reveal suggest that the next-gen iPad will essentially retain the same shape as the current model but with a smaller bezel and a volume rocker and power output repositioned in line with the iPad mini.

The slate will also be a slimmer bit of kit all round, the casing suggests, once again blurring the lines between the top-end iPad and its more compact baby brother.

Earlier this month, it emerged that Apple is investigating new screen tech, purportedly with a view to trimming down the iPad 5.

According to NPD DisplaySearch, the next 9.7-inch iPad will trade the current screen for an LED display with a modified backlight that ought to make it thinner and lighter.

The last iPad refresh came in for excoriating criticism in some quarters amid claims that it was little more than an iterative rehash of its predecessor.

Via:

Apple Insider

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Looking back at his remarks, it’s hard not to imagine a BlackBerry PR exec tearing their hair out as Thorsten Heins indulged himself in a takedown of the tablet market.

Quoth he: “In five years I don’t think there’ll be a reason to have a tablet anymore.

“Maybe a big screen in your workspace, but not a tablet as such. Tablets themselves are not a good business model.”

When BlackBerry finally managed to ease Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis out of the door, surely staff in their media and comms team would have thought that the days of firefighting were over.

But alas, it seems Heins hasn’t learned the lesson of his predecessors.

Taken in isolation, Heins’ comments to Bloomberg look downright odd.

Tablet sales show no signs of letting up. The budget end of the market is booming and other players are finally giving Apple a run for their money.

Mind you, the iPad’s nigh-on 20 million sales in the first quarter of the year show Cupertino’s doing pretty well out of the apparently ailing market too.

Consider that the PC market is being battered by tablets and that users are demanding bigger screens to access content, and the idea that tablets will be a goner by 2018 is just plain weird.

Perhaps Heins meant that phablets would take up the slack. But just look at the demand for seven-inch slates like the iPad Mini, Google Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD.

People want more capacious displays for work and play and tablets fulfill that role perfectly.

Look at Heins’ remarks in the wider context, though, and you see a man heading a company that seems to think it’s made it back to the top.

The BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 have clearly been successful, selling better than hoped.

The company’s ambition is to be admired.

But making statements like this only serves to suggest that BlackBerry is still mired in the past, thinking it can dictate the terms of the market.

Those days ended when the iPhone arrived.

Heins seems only to want to dismiss tablets because BlackBerry has only ever released one and it was a total flop.

The PlayBook was the ultimate primer in how not to release a product: delayed endlessly, launched without complete software and lacking in decent apps.

It could have been so much more. In fact, a BlackBerry 10-based slate would probably do well.

In this post-PC world, a secure tablet would surely be the go-to piece of kit for corporations looking to save on IT costs but still offer full laptop functionality.

Now though, Heins’ remarks will follow him everywhere.

If BlackBerry does decide to release a new tablet, what will the reaction be? You can be certain his interview with Bloomberg will be the first thing on everyone’s minds.

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Windows 8 tablets and hybrid devices powered by an Intel Atom processor score over premium models powered by Core i5 and i7 processors when it comes to battery life. Moreover, they come in at half the price and are equally versatile, albeit slightly slower. We have already seen some great examples such as the HP Envy X2 and Acer Iconia W5, both of which are hybrid devices featuring a detachable design. Today we have with us yet another Atom-powered device, the HP ElitePad 900, that uses a different approach and targets office users. Here’s what it has in store for you.

An Intel Atom-powered Windows 8 tablet

Design and features

The ElitePad 900 resembles an elongated iPad—when held in portrait mode, it’s about an inch taller and a few millimetres narrower. This straightaway indicates that the display of the ElitePad 900 has a widescreen aspect ratio. However, a pixel dimension of 1280 x 800 translates to an aspect ratio of 16:10 unlike 16:9, which is the case with most laptops and tablets that have 1366 x 768 pixel displays. This was the first thing that disappointed us. The display is vibrant and features Gorilla Glass 2 protection, but it would have been nice to see a full HD panel.

The core of the HP ElitePad 900 isn’t much different from that of the HP Envy x2, Acer Iconia W5 and Dell Latitude 10 ST. At its heart is the Intel Atom Z2760 processor ticking at 1.8GHz and 2GB of RAM. The variant that we got our hands on offers 32GB of onboard storage (eMMC SSD type) and comes with 32-bit Windows 8 operating system.

HP hasn't compromised on the build and finish of this tablet—it’s impeccable. The casing is made of aluminium and sports a matte finish. The only plastic bit is a black patch on the rear that houses cellular and Wi-Fi antennas and NFC sensor. An almost invisible 8 megapixel camera is also present at the top right corner of the black patch, next to which is an LED flash. Below that you have the volume rocker and the opposite side is home to a microSD and a SIM card slot hidden under a plastic flap, which can be ejected using a SIM card eject tool or a paperclip.

When held in portrait mode, you’ll find the power button on the left side at the top. An autorotate toggle switch and a 3.5 mm earphone jack are placed on the right side. At 0.75-inch, the black frame around the display isn’t too thick. A full HD front camera is placed at the centre of the frame above the display. The Start button takes its usual place at the bottom centre of the frame. Lay the tablet flat on the desk and you’ll see stereo speakers on the bottom side—they’re placed on either side of a proprietary connector. That rounds out the exterior of the device. 

Sounds incomplete? Are you thinking about the presence of USB ports and HDMI output on the side of the device? You don’t get any of that built-in. If you want them, you have two options.

Expansion Jacket with USB ports, HDMI output and SD/MMC card reader

First, you can opt for the HP ElitePad Expansion Jacket. It’s a tough plastic housing with a rubberised finish that encases the tablet. The bottom of the jacket has a pair of USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI port, SD/MMC card reader and the same proprietary port as that on the tablet for PC connectivity. The jacket also has a provision to take an additional battery pack (also an optional accessory) to add few more hours of battery life. The Expansion Jacket and battery will set you back Rs 6,999 and Rs 5,990 respectively—that’s almost Rs 13,000 extra for HDMI and USB ports and additional battery life.

The second option is the ElitePad Docking Station that allows using the tablet as a desktop PC. It’s layered with a rubber mat at the bottom and weighs a good 657 grams so that it doesn’t budge. A pair of USB 2.0 ports is placed on each side and the rear has an Ethernet port, an HDMI port and VGA output. The dock draws power from the supplied power adapter. Thus it enables using input devices and peripherals such as multifunction devices and external storage with the tablet. This desktop PC transformation doesn’t come in cheap—the Docking Station carries a price tag of Rs 9,999. Another optional accessory is the HP Executive Tablet pen that’s priced at Rs 3,499. It’s a digitiser that allows making sketches and taking handwritten notes.

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ablets with voice-calling capabilities seem to be the order of the day. As ridiculous as the concept may be, this new trend has already caught on like wild fire in India and it’s not uncommon to see hipsters talking on their tablet instead of a phone. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 2 P3100 has been the tablet of choice for many and seeing this trend, we have others jumping on this bandwagon too. Asus’s initial concept of a phone that could transform into a tablet (PadFone) didn’t fly well with consumers so now they’ve taken the simpler route, adding calling functionality to a tablet. The FonePad is priced in competition with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 P3100, which will soon be replaced by the Tab 3, a supposedly slimmer and lighter version of the Tab 2. 

Design and Build 

The FonePad’s design is loosely based on the MeMO Pad, another 7-inch tablet that never really made it to the Indian market. The tablet has a sizeable bezel, which is just enough to be held comfortably with both hands without making it look ugly. The glossy front is a real pain to keep clean as it attracts fingerprints very easily. The tablet is comfortable to hold with one hand which ought to be since it also doubles up as a phone. We liked the matt finish for the back cover which protects the non-removable battery. The power and volume rocker are placed on one side and along the sloped edge, which is not the most ergonomic of placements. We have a rear facing camera as well and the speaker grille is all the way to the bottom. The flap above the camera can be removed to insert the microSIM and microSD card. Finally, the headphone jack and microUSB port are placed at the bottom.

Overall, the FonePad is another well-built, sturdy device from Asus. The dimensions make it very comfortable to hold although the button placement could have been better.

Features 

The FonePad is fitted with a high-quality IPS display which sports a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution. The panel manages to produce vibrant and punchy colours and the LED backlight is strong enough for outdoor use as well. The display also has very good viewing angles as there’s very little to no colour shift when viewed at an angle. The tablet runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean which is lightly skinned. There are toggle switches in the notification bar which can be moved around, a power saving mode and a selection of floating apps. The floating app list lets you use the calculator; watch a video, etc. while performing other tasks. The problem is that it’s a bit sluggish and that’s mainly due to the Intel SoC onboard.

The FonePad uses the same Intel Lexington-based Z2420 Atom SoC that we first saw on the XOLO X500. Even with 1GB of RAM, the SoC isn’t the fastest and it shows when you try to switch between apps or load a heavy game like Dead Trigger. 

Media 

Asus hasn’t messed around too much with the stock music player, which is not a bad thing since Jelly Bean comes with a pretty mean player. You can sort your songs by Recent, Albums, Artists, Songs, Playlists or Genre. The player has a clean look to it and you even get audio enhancements by default. The great bit is that the player also supports FLAC files. The audio quality is good with a decent pair of earphones and the volume is quite loud even without the enhancements. The volume level of the speakers is not very good though for music or movies but alerts are still very audible

The stock video player and the one by Asus only recognises MP4 files but MX Player extends the format support quite a bit. 1080p videos play flawlessly but not through the floating video player app

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