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mobile life 5 tablets w
DAWN of the TABLET ERA
Since the launch of the fi rst iPad, tablets have become one of the most in-demand gadgets. Laura O’Brien fi nds out what these devices have to offer
J
UST a little over a year ago, the fi rst iPad was un- veiled with huge fanfare, aiming at changing the mobile computing market forever. While it was met with some skepticism, it sold a whopping 15 million units in under a year, proving that there was a big demand for slate-sized mobile computers. Fast forward to 2011 and things are a little differ-
ent. Not only is there a new iPad, but there will soon be loads of other new tablets vying for your attention.
Tablet computers are designed to be incredibly useful >> BLACKBERRY PLAYBOOK
devices for consuming information. Navigating the web through touch is a highly immersive experience, mak- ing the internet seem much more beautiful. Apps are not only bigger, but bring greater functionality, such as the wonderfully designed news-aggregating app Flipboard. Tablets excel with media too – movies look gorgeous on their HD screens and reading ebooks is a breeze, thanks to their speedy processors.
AVAILABLE MID-
SUMMER 2011 Win one in our competition! See page 15 or visit
www.siliconrepublic.com/ mobilemay
The BlackBerry PlayBook runs on a 1GHz dual core processor and will support technologies such as Flash, HTML5 and Adobe AIR. The PlayBook will also run on the new Black-
Berry tablet OS and will offer full HD playback support. It will be available mid-2011.
>> IPAD 2
The successor to the fi rst iPad is two times faster thanks to its A5 chipset. Despite this, it still has its 10-hour battery life. It’s just 8.3mm thick and comes in two colours – black and white. The iPad 2 has a front and rear facing camera for video calling capabilities and has access to thou- sands of apps from the iTunes App Store.
>> HTC FLYER
The HTC Flyer has a speedy 1.5GHz single core CPU and features HTC Scribe technology, letting you write notes and draw naturally using a stylus. Running on Android, it offers OnLive cloud gam-
ing, allowing you to play games without needing to download or update them. It will be available in mid-summer 2011 but we’re giving you the chance to win one now. For further information log on to
www.siliconrepublic.com/mobilemay.
>> HP TOUCHPAD
The HP TouchPad will be the fi rst webOS tablet computer. It has a communication suite fusing email, IM, contacts and video calling into one. The tablet has powerful multi- tasking capabilities, letting you listen to music, update your Facebook status and chat on IM at the same time. It has a full virtual QWERTY
keyboard, VPN support and has top sound quality by Beats Audio. The TouchPad will be available in mid- summer 2011.
>> SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB 10.1
The 10-inch Galaxy Tab runs on the latest version of Android – Honeycomb – designed specifi cally for tablets. It offers a front facing camera and an 8-megapixel camera at the back with full HD record- ing capabilities. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 also has USB connectivity and will be available in the middle of 2011.
>> MOTOROLA XOOM
Running on Android 3.0 Honeycomb, the Motorla Xoom is powered by dual core processor, each running at 1Ghz. It supports full HD video playback and has a HDMI output to display media on bigger HD TVs. Its mobile hotspot capability provides
an online connection for up to fi ve other Wi-Fi-enabled devices.
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