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Tag: tablet

  • shomi is Coming to All Canadians this Summer

    shomi is Coming to All Canadians this Summer

    shomi-canada

    Canada, make room on your couch and time in your schedule – shomi is moving in! Following a successful beta launch in November 2014 to Rogers and Shaw Internet or cable customers, shomi is now coming to all Canadians across the country this summer.

    The comapny is moving in and unpacking “great stuff” to watch – including exclusive series not available on other streaming services, celebrated Canadian content, human-curated collections, plus fun kids and family programming.

    shomi has exclusive content deals for some of the most buzz-worthy TV series being produced today. Canadian exclusives such as Golden Globe-winner Transparent, Mozart in the Jungle, and Catastrophe; exclusive day-and-date releases of hot new series including iZombie and multiple award-winning Jane The Virgin; top-notch Canadian content including Vikings, Rookie Blue, and Mr. D; and past-seasons of some of the most popular shows on television, featuring Modern Family and Sons of Anarchy – these are just a few of the series that are coming this summer with shomi.

    Beyond TV binges, shomi offers hand-picked movie favourites plus great kids-and-family content, including Thomas and Friends, Blue’s Clues, Johnny Test, Scooby Doo, and Boy Meets World.

    shomi is accessible across the variety of platforms – tablet, mobile, online, Xbox 360, Apple TV, Chromecast, as well as set-top boxes for Rogers and Shaw TV subscribers; the service is also on offer to other distributors.

  • 4SeTV Streaming Device Brings Four-in-One Viewing Experience to Big Screen TVs, Tablets and Smartphones

    4SeTV Streaming Device Brings Four-in-One Viewing Experience to Big Screen TVs, Tablets and Smartphones

    4SeTV

    A new TV streaming device from 4SeTV lets you watch any four live television shows at once on a tablet, smartphone or TV. Alternatively, up to four people can view an individual live show of their choice on four different devices, at the same time.

    Built on patent pending technology, 4SeTV uses over-the-air broadcasting and streams the HD content you want to see to your connected devices in your home network. It is said to be the first-ever device that lets you select and watch four channels on the same screen.

    4SeTV hooks up to your HDTV antenna and connects to your router with an Ethernet cable. From there, simply switch the box on and go, at the push of a button.

    How it works:

    • Content is broadcast (i.e. free HDTV content over-the-air, clear QAM)
    • It is captured by an antenna and relayed to the 4SeTV device
    • Broadcast content is captured by the 4SeTV device
    • 4SeTV streams the content to connected devices in your home network (smartphones, tablets and TVs)

    4SeTV is now at the production unit stage and conducted live demonstrations of its device at the Showstoppers media event held yesterday at the NAB show in Las Vegas.

    4SeTV is available for pre-order on Kickstarter and is priced at $99 for early adopters. The first units are slated to ship in August.

  • Samsung New Galaxy Note Launch Date Revealed

    Samsung has finally decided about the date that the new Galaxy Note will be launched and as it seems, it will be in the 29th of August.

    After all these rumors and speculations about the release of the brand new Galaxy Note, Samsung announced that they will launch it at the Mobile Unpacked event in Berlin, in the 29th of August. It was confirmed by a spokesman of Samsung to Reuters, although he preferred not to give any other details.

    Galaxy Note was a huge success back in 2011, with its 5.3-inch screen and  the Android Ice Cream Sandwich capturing everyone's attention. The fact that it was something between a smartphone and a tablet, created a new need for many of us, the need to have an extra device. And since it was carefully made to compete with the best, it had received great reviews by geek fans. According to Samsung, 7 million Galaxy Notes have already been sold, raising the standards for the new model.

    Samsung feels that after the release of the popular Galaxy S III smartphone, another release of a popular smartphone/tablet would be at a perfect timing. They know that they are finally among the powerful at the market and they need to live up to the customers' expectations. Many Samsung fans anticipate for the release of the new Galaxy Note. And the fact that it will be released before Google's Nexus 7 and before the brand new iPhone, means that they need to convince customers as fast as possible.

  • Apple Launches New Lawsuit Against Motorola Regarding its Xoom Tablet

    Just one day after Apple convinced the court in Düsseldorf, Germany, that Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 imitates the iPad and obtained a court order that prohibits the sale of the South Korean tablet in few European countries, here’s that Steve Jobs and his team from Cupertino launches a new lawsuit, this time against Motorola.

    The incriminated product is Motorola Xoom, also for the alleged design elements inspired by iPad 2. The trial will take place at the same court in Düsseldorf. Even if Apple will win in the first instance, the companies accused can appeal, a fact already confirmed by the South Koreans.

    Apple has also won a major victory against its South Korean rival, Samsung Electronics, after the court in Dusseldorf has banned the sale of Samsung Galaxy tab in the European Union, except the Netherlands. Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet, confirmed that the court has issued a temporary ban against the Galaxy Tab 10.1. It is not yet clear why the order did not include the Netherlands.

    Samsung Electronics, the largest technology company in Asia in terms of revenue, said it will appeal German court decision. Samsung is also the world's largest producer of memory chips and televisions and the second largest producer of mobile phones.

    German court decision comes a week after Samsung was forced to postpone the launch of Galaxy tablet on the market in Australia because of similar legal actions filed by Apple.

    On the IT&C market, such lawsuits are on the agenda. There is a huge network in which many important companies are judging each other for the infringement of various patents. In terms of design-problem lawsuits and not software, is very difficult to make an objective judgment.

    If Apple will finally win all these lawsuits, it will be created a precedent under which the company in Cupertino could also attack other major manufacturers of tablets.

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  • Samsung Out from Apple’s Suppliers List of Components for iPad

    Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), a Taiwanese company producing chips, began manufacturing a new generation of components for Apple’s mobile devices, which could mean that the manufacturer of iPad tablet will break the contract with its supplier of Samsung Electronics chips, according to several sources close to the situation.

    Samsung is the only supplier of A5 chips used for the iPad 2, but Apple has suggested that wishes to depart from the Korean company.

    The two companies have each other filled a complaint in court accusing of infringement of patents, while Samsung has proven to be the fiercest competitor of Apple in the battle on the smartphones and tablets market. Apple is faced with several obstacles if would want to make a transition to TSMC.

    "Apple is trying to diversify its source of components, but will continue to be some way in a relationship with Samsung," said William Wang, an analyst at Fubon Securities.

    "I believe that TSMC will receive orders for the new chips, but the problem is how many. Apple will not provide 100% of the orders of a single supplier, such as TSMC. Maybe will allocate only 20-30% of the orders", he completed.

    The analysts and other sources have previously said that TSMC, the largest manufacturer of chips under contract, will become the supplier for the next generation of chips for Apple devices, probably starting from next year.

    TSMC is an obvious candidate to win the future business with Apple, because it has budgeted 7.8 billion dollars this year to update the technology and to add capacity of production.

    The company has experience with the architecture of the British ARM Holdings chips, widely used by Apple to make efficient mobile chips in terms of energy consumption.

    "Taiwanese company already has all the details and authorizations in place," said another source.

    Tablet market, which last year was aggressively dominated by Apple's iPad, is expected to grow to 108 million devices next year, from 70 million as estimated for 2011 and 17.6 million as it was in 2010, according to Gartner.

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  • Ciscos Cius Tablet Coming to Verizon LTE

    Cisco Cius, the first Android tablet aimed at enterprise customers will be launched by Verizon Wireless later this summer. According to Verizon, the company is combining the power of its 4G LTE network with the Cisco Cius to improve "Mobile Enterprise Collaboration."

    The Cisco Cius will be available to Verizon enterprise and government customers around the world later this summer, and those located domestically will be able to combine the device with a Verizon Wireless 4G LTE mobile hot spot.

    Designed for the enterprise, the Android-based Cisco Cius combines voice, video, collaboration and virtualization capabilities on one device. When powered by Verizon's 4G LTE network, mobile workers will be able to easily use bandwidth-intensive video applications – including between devices – for more effective collaboration.

    "Mobile applications over intelligent high-speed networks will continue to eliminate barriers in the workplace," said Mike Smith, vice president for Verizon enterprise communications, network and mobility sales. "We're forecasting a perfect storm where advanced enterprise tools such as the Cisco Cius mesh with the speeds made possible by 4G LTE to make the virtual office a more robust reality than ever."

    Putting Tablets to Work

    In general, industries such as retail, financial services, healthcare and government can employ tablets to change the pace of their business.

    Retail: Sales associates can employ tablets while out on the floor to look up product and inventory information for customers, in addition to processing transactions on the spot.

    Financial Services: Bankers and financial advisors can take advantage of the video capabilities of tablets for face-to-face meetings with clients, saving the time it takes to meet up at physical locations.

    Health care: Medical professionals can use tablets to collaborate on patient care and speed critical decision-making.

    Government: Tablets can increase productivity of government users – from military to civilian government field workers to emergency first responders – allowing them to enter information or share it quickly with remote offices to complete the business of government more efficiently.

    Through Verizon's Managed Mobility portfolio, enterprise customers can securely deploy a wide range of devices to employees. Capabilities include device management; expense tracking management; lock and wipe features for protecting sensitive data; and mobile delivery of popular business and consumer apps from the cloud. In addition, the company offers a full suite of professional services to help organizations create policies and design mobility programs to suit varied requirements.

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  • Cisco Unveils AppHQ Application for Cisco Cius

    Cisco introduced AppHQ, an application ecosystem built specifically for Cisco Cius that provides new ways to create, manage and rapidly deploy tablet applications in the enterprise. According to Cisco, with the Cius, organizations can now deliver an optimized tablet with enterprise-grade security, as a natural extension of the enterprise network.

    AppHQ provides developers with tools and resources to create, test and market applications for Cisco Cius, and allows IT managers to control which applications can be used on the devices. Additionally, companies can create private, custom-branded application storefronts for their organizations where employees can find, publish and procure applications that complement their business environments.

    During a series of media events, Cisco highlighted that CDW, Nervecentre Software, Nottingham University Hospitals, Palomar Pomerado Health, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and Verizon are among customers using Cisco Cius.

    Cisco AppHQ

    Cisco AppHQ is a highly secure, cloud-based user storefront that provides capabilities for end users and IT managers. Some of these capabilities include:

    – Testing and validation:Cisco AppHQ provides IT managers and users with a "trusted source" for applications, ensuring that every application within AppHQ goes through Cisco validation testing, whether developed by Cisco, third-party Android developer partners, or users within the enterprise. The validation process includes interoperability testing both for the application itself and in typical configurations within the device.

    – Store-within-a-Store: Enterprises will have a Cisco hosted, highly-secure and private application store within AppHQ. Businesses can customize the storefront, following their corporate branding guidelines, including use of logos, icons and color schemes. Beyond customization, the store-within-a-store is a platform that customers can use to deploy applications efficiently in their organizations. For example, a financial services company could deploy applications pertaining to their back office operations, such as human resources or payroll apps, and populate those applications on the devices of relevant employees.

    – Empowers IT management:With AppHQ Manager, IT will have the ability to allow (or deny) access to application marketplaces by user role or device and to grant (or deny) access to applications by type, source or category. This unique capability will let IT organizations balance the individual freedom of users with the enterprise-class policies on security and cost efficiency.

    The AppHQ ecosystem will include Cisco selected applications that deeply integrate Cisco collaboration capabilities, as well as validated business-to-business and business-to-consumer applications from developer partners. The company announced that it will continue to add applications to AppHQ based on customer requirements. IT managers can also select from approximately 200,000 applications in the Android Marketplace.

    Cisco Cius is scheduled for global availability on July 31, 2011. The estimated street price is below $750 USD and Cisco has made available a new promotion* called "Triple V" (for Voice, Video and Virtualization) that could enable further price reductions below $700 USD. Pricing may vary by country. Basic access to Cisco AppHQ is included with every Cisco Cius device.

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  • ASUS PadFone – a hybrid between smartphone and tablet

    ASUS PadFone, the latest product of the Taiwanese company, has been officially launched. PadFone, the first model of what appears to be a new class of portable devices, lures features borrowed from both smartphone and tablet.

    The tablet serves as a dock for the phone, providing an interface optimized for a larger screen of the same applications present on the phone. Being embedded in the tablet, the phone can be charged through its internal battery. Also, if it is connected to a 3G network, the tablet can also use the network to connect to the internet.

    The two devices are as one, each complementing the other. In times when the speed and the mobility are needed, the phone is the preferred device, but when it comes to productivity and media, the tablet wins.

    Among the benefits obtained by using ASUS PadFone include a significantly improved battery life and extended desktop display.

    The idea of creating two devices able not only to “discuss”, but also to integrate, represents a new concept, which opens new horizons for the technologies in this sector.

    The body of the tablet in which ASUS PadFone is housed, seems to have similar size with the ASUS Transformer tablet, but the weight is probably slightly bigger because of the carcass.

    Among the visible enhancements on the tablet include a set of stereo speakers, front camera and a 5MP camera, mounted on the back of the PadFone. Currently weren’t disclosed any technical details, but it seems that will have HDM and micro-USB ports.

    ASUS’ choice regarding the version of Android that the new PadFone will run on is currently unknown, but certainly the future Ice Cream Sandwich is among the favorites, being the first version of Android adapted for both tablets and smartphones.

    Even if it wouldn’t please everyone, ASUS PadFone may be a good compromise for those who want to enjoy the functionality of a smartphone and of a tablet, without spending an exorbitant amount of money for purchasing two separate products.


  • iSuppli: HP’s Palm Acquisition Opens up a Tablet of Possibilities

    Hewlett-Packard planned acquisition of Palm immediately puts the PC-centric company knee-deep in the smart phone race, but perhaps more importantly positions the company to compete in the burgeoning tablet market, says iSuppli.

    According to the research firm, the acquisition gives HP the means to use Palm’s WebOS platform to release a tablet device that will compete against Apple’s iPad as well as whatever arises from the relationship between Nokia and Intel.

    iSuppli forecasts worldwide tablet shipments will expand to 11.0 million units in 2010, up from just 2.0 million units in 2009 and 1.8 million units in 2008. Most of the shipments in 2010 will be made up by sales of the iPad, and sales will continue to expand in the coming years as a range of competitors enters the tablet market.

    iSuppli believes that a key component in HP’s strategy will be to utilize its common WebOS operating system as a basis for developing a tablet that can use the same applications and services being employed by the company’s existing smart phone product line.

    According to the analysts, the challenge for HP is to develop an ecosystem around a platform that will be able to compete with the centralized apps store Apple has created. That also means garnering support from leading developers in order to get the right apps and features available for multi-platform mobilized devices.

    What this means is that there are now three major competitors positioning for a fully interoperable, multi-device platform: Nokia/Intel, Apple and now HP with its Palm purchase.

    “Even so, this doesn’t even address the number of Taiwanese and other vendors that are developing their own tablet PCs in what will surely be a highly competitive market in years to come,” as iSuppli claims.

    Related articles
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  • iSuppli: iPad Will Be a Sales Success for Apple

    The research group iSuppli says while the iPad has met its lofty expectations and is likely to be a sales success for Apple, the jury is still out as to whether the tablet will define or redefine the technology market to the same degree the other products like Apple II, the Macintosh, the iPod and the iPhone have.

    “In terms of features, product design, software and content, the iPad delivered on all its promises,” said Dale Ford, senior vice president at iSuppli.

    “And at a starting price of $499, the product even exceeded expectations. However, with the iPad straddling multiple product categories and with the usage model for the product still unproven, it likely will be a number of quarters after shipments begin before whether we know the product will have a revolutionary impact on the technology world.”

    The iPad seems to occupy a position somewhere between the smart phone, the e-reader and the netbook PC. “The question for Apple is what is the usage case for such a product?” said Dr. Jagdish Rebello, senior director and principal analyst iSuppli.

    “What does it do that other products don’t do—and what does it have that will make a large number of consumers want to buy the product?”

    According to the analysts, the killer app for the iPad appears to be delivery and presentation of content. “The iPad’s portability, built-in iPod, display, touch interface, wireless connectivity and powerful processor make it ideal for convenient viewing of all types of content, from photos, to videos, to music, to games, to e-books, to online newspapers,” they say.

    Rebello claims that what Apple is trying to do with the iPad is to try and create a new market by stimulating new user behavior and new use cases. “So while the iPad might appear to compete with many existing products in specialized markets like eBooks, tablet PCs and PMP/MP3 players, the success of the produce is intrinsically linked to its capability to change consumer behavior,” he says.

    “The iPad will be a game changer if it becomes the Trojan horse that changes the slowly dying print information business to an electronic information market,” said Egil Juliussen, principal analyst and fellow at iSuppli.

    Analysts ensure that it’s not hardware that makes an electronic product different and unique. “The ingredients of Apple’s iPhone are similar to the other 1.1 Billion phones sold in 2009. What makes the iPhone so different, prompting sales of 8.7 million last quarter, is its unique usability, convenience and content,” they say.

    “The iPad has similar traits to the iPhone—being the right enabler at the right time” said Steve Mather, principal analyst for iSuppli.

    “For investors and corporate leaders, it’s all about identifying trends early, positioning for success. To this end, we believe an area centered on usability, convenience, and emerging content on the Internet, will prove increasingly relevant in the coming years. Furthermore, we believe Apple’s iPad will prove a unique enabling device, connecting new apps and content with emerging behavior trends.”

    While many early reviews concluded the iPad is simply a bigger, faster iPhone, iSuppli believes it more closely resembles Apple’s iPod touch. The research group thinks this is because the iPad is available in a version that includes Wi-Fi as its exclusive wireless connection, the same as the iPod touch.

    Because of this similarity, the initial total available market for the iPad may be similar to that of the iPod touch. During the first four quarters after its introduction, Apple sold a total of 8.3 million iPod touch units, according to iSuppli.

    Over the longer term, the iPad will benefit from Apple’s large and loyal customer base, as the analysts claim.

    “The iPad’s success is expected to be substantial because a significant portion of the 200 million plus users of iPhones, iPods and Macintoshes will want one,” Juliussen added.

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