Five reasons why the OlivePad will not dethrone the iPad

We got some time with Olive’s Android tablet, the OlivePad, which is the first 3G tablet in India and while we must confess to being rather impressed with it, we still think it is some way from knocking the iPad off most people’s list of preferred tablets. No, we are not saying that because we are Apple fan boys (for the record, we are not), but because for all its amazing features (support for expansion cards, high speed broadband connectivity, 3.0 MP camera, Android 2.1, decent battery life, GPS, phone calling ability, et al), the OlivePad gets outclassed by Mr Jobs’ tablet in five key areas.

1. Looks: All those who claim that they are not swayed by the appearance of a gadget have clearly never used one from Apple. There have been tablets before but what made the iPad different was its sleek appearance. Alas, the OlivePad is more chunky with the glossy back and steel border not exactly giving it a drop-dead-gorgeous look. Unlike the iPad, which is very two-handed, seems too big for one hand, and too small for two. We can see people using the OlivePad, but flaunting it? Nahh….
2. Interface: We love Android, but honestly, we think it currently is not as adaptable to tablets as iOS 4. Using the OlivePad was not half as smooth as using the iPad. There were frequent lags and the touch experience was not that smooth – we often found just unlocking the screen a pain. As for typing, the iPad’s onscreen keyboard simply runs away a clean winner here.
3. Multimedia: On paper, the OlivePad should not compare too unfavourably with the iPad, although the latter has a bigger screen, but we found sound and video to be a different league altogether on the iPad. Gaming too seemed much better. Of course, the fact that the iPad has so many more games and that we cannot yet access paid Android apps in India, helps.
4. Apps: No, we are not going to get into the “App Store has so many more apps than the Android Market” argument, but are simply going to point out that there seem to be far more apps designed for the iPad in particular (and we do NOT mean iPhone apps that you can run on the tablet) than for Android tablets. The net result of which is that while the iPad looks like competition for a netbook, the OlivePad ends up seeming more like an oversized Android phone.
5. Price: Yes, we can hear people saying that at less than Rs 25,000, it is more than a match for the iPad which currently comes for Rs 30,000 in the Indian grey market, but in our opinion, the price is just too close to that of the iPad for comfort. Had it been sub-Rs 20,000, we would have had no hesitation in labelling it a potential iPhone slayer, but at around Rs 23,000 (which we hear will be the final price), it is way too close to the ubergizmo.

Our final call: The OlivePad is a very good device if you have never used a tablet or an iPhone before, but if you are looking for something that will match the iPad, keep waiting.

Via : onlygizmos.com

Best Buy To Stock Numerous Slates This Holiday Season

Ever since the launch of the iPad, companies from all areas of the market have been scrambling to create something competitive in order to catch the latest wave of ultra-portable computing. Tablet PCs have been around for years, but the newer breed of slim, useful tablets with multimedia capabilities are demanding attention.

Up until now, all we have heard from almost all contenders is their intentions; Microsoft has said they are dead-set on bringing Windows 7 to a number of devices, but that's easy for them to say. They don't have to work out the hardware details.

The biggest question on the minds of consumers is "when." When will this rush of non-iPad tablets hit the market? Many OEMs have really been willing to talk about it with specific dates, but thanks to a recent report on Best Buy, it sounds like the competitive Tablet PC rush may happen sooner rather than later.

Shawn Score, the president of Best Buy’s Wireless Retail unit, Best Buy Mobile, recently said the following in an interview with Forbes: "Going into the holidays, we will make tablets a focus. Like e-readers over the last couple years, we think customers will think of Best Buy for tablets and expect us to have the right ones."

Read More @ hothardware.com

PS3 Games – Xbox 360 – Marketing Battle of the Titans

They are so many blowhards out there whose job is to hype PS3 games, that is their remit that is what they get paid to do market, hype and showcase the products.

To explain that in simple terms, they want the PS3 games to be pushed right in front of your eyes, right in your face.

Forget whether the PS3 games are better than the Xbox 360 the only time anyone compares is when someone promoting PS3 sees someone buy Xbox 360 or vice a versa. The facts are clear cut in these very edgy and expensive marketing campaigns.

The winner will be who sells the most units between PS3 games and Xbox 360 and comes out as the top dog making huge profits. Financial muscle will be the KPI which ensures who comes out as this the winner in this marketing war! Will the winner be Sony?

Via : shuttervoice.com

Digg Founder Says iTV Will Launch In September And Revolutionize Television

We’ve been hearing rumblings of an iOS-driven AppleTV rebranded as the iTV and priced at $99 for a couple months now, and now it seems that Digg founder Kevin Rose thinks that these rumors have a lot of weight.

Although it’s not clear if Rose has any inside information, he writes: “From what I hear we should expect to see the iTV launch in September.” That would certainly confirm rumors we’ve heard that the new ‘iTV’ will debut alongside a freshly rejiggered iPod Touch at Apple’s iPod event in September, and it makes a lot of sense besides: the AppleTV, after all, has always pretty much been just a big iPod you could hook up to your television.

More to the point, Apple themselves said that their plans for a media-streaming iTunes update would likely be “more limited in scope” than people were anticipating. We all know that the music industry and film industry have been being difficult when it comes to signing licensing agreements with Apple for streaming, but television’s another story… as an institution, they are already quite comfortable with digital streaming. Could that mean that the streaming iTunes rollout will be limited in scope for everything save television at first?

Via : cultofmac.com

Apple iTV will have iAd-supported content, iPad remote control claims Kevin Rose

Apple’s plans for the Apple TV continue to gather a halo of rumors, with Digg founder Kevin Rose throwing his own insider gossip into the ring. According to Rose, a smaller, iOS-based set-top box isn’t the only exciting thing about the rebanded “iTV”: it will also allow content providers to use iAds to monetize their shows, bypassing traditional cable and satellite distribution. Meanwhile the iPad will be repurposed as “one big badass remote control”.

That remote will allow for video editing, game and channel control, but also be tied into the iTV interactive experience; that means different camera angles and other add-ons. There’ll be an App Store style marketplace for TV-centric apps, video streaming/editing software, games and news widgets, together with integration with MobileMe. The latter will allow for straightforward sharing of content recorded on, say, an iPhone with other iTV users.

As before, Rose has heard a $99 price point mentioned for the updated Apple TV, together with a September 2010 launch window. If accurate, it sounds like Apple are taking a more antagonistic approach to cable and satellite operators than Google are with their Google TV negotiations; still, given the search giant’s main stumbling block at present is apparently convincing content producers that they have a business model to monetize their shows, Apple’s iAds-centric strategy may make more sense.

Via : slashgear

All New Kindle 3: Finding its Niche in Wireless Reading

Amazon has once again taken a lead ahead of Barnes & Noble’s Nook and Apple’s iPad by launching its latest version of wireless e-book reader Kindle 3. This third generation Kindle is 15% lighter (only 8.7 ounces), 21% smaller and only 8.5 mm thick, making it the thinnest kindle ever. The 6 inch monochromic E-Ink technology enabled screen is retained in the latest version but with improved contrast.

Now what makes Kindle 3 fascinatingly different from earlier versions is its 20% faster page turns (or page refresh rate) and a web kit based browser. The latter is meant for free 3G web browsing being provided on an experimental basis as of now. Also, more conspicuous page-navigation buttons on side make the new kindle easier to use.

One of the other design changes as compared to Kindle 2 includes, the ‘Menu’ and ‘Back’ buttons being shelved on keyboard rather on sides. You can also observe this in the adjacent Kindle 3′s image. The read-in-bright-sunlight feature ensuring no glare during sunlight reading is another unique feature in Kindle 3. You can now read for hours on a sea shore without any eye strain.

Coming to some of the other absorbing features of Kindle 3, it has a built in Wi-Fi which can be used to shop and download up to 3,500 e-books from Amazon’s library consisting 6,30,000 e-books (the storage space in new kindle is almost doubled).

Read More @ techd.in