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WSJ on iPad for $17.99 a month, magazines to be at or near newsstand prices?

Thomas Ricker — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 09:15:00 +0000

The Wall Street Journal is running a piece that focuses on ad sales for the iPad. Pretty boring stuff except for a few nuggets related to the actual content we crave. Rupert Murdoch already confirmed that his monument to main stream media was coming to the iPad. Hell, they've even been treated to a rare, in-house device to assist with the development of the iPad version of the Wall Street Journal. Now it's quoting "a person familiar with the matter" (wink) who says that The Journal plans to charge subscribers $17.99 per month for iPad subscriptions -- for comparison, the print version of the WSJ costs $349 for 52 weeks or about $29 per month. Not bad, but you can't roll up an iPad to swat the dog.

Conversely, magazines appear set to offer weekly or monthly editions out of the gate, not annual subscriptions. Sources told the WSJ that the April issue of Hearst's Esquire magazine (no stranger to new media) will arrive in downloadable format without advertisements for $2.99, $2 less than the newsstand price, and will include five music videos (each containing the phrase "somewhere in Mississippi," oddly enough) to take advantage of the device's multimedia capabilities. On the other hand, a full iPad issue of Men's Health with match the glossy's $4.99 price. Of course, as we heard earlier, publishers will be experimenting with advertising and pricing models to see what works so expect things to be fluid for quite some time after the April 3rd launch.

WSJ on iPad for $17.99 a month, magazines to be at or near newsstand prices? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 04:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Survey finds people eager to ‘work on the go’ with iPad, we wonder what line of ‘work’ they’re in

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 22:21:00 +0000

So, give this a listen -- a survey from the lairs of Sybase has found that among smartphone-owning respondents, some 52.3 percent of them "would use a tablet device such as the Apple iPad is for working on the go." We fully understand that this phrase leaves open the possibility of using tablets not Designed in Cupertino, but the mere fact that it's highlighted gave us pause. We're still trying to figure out how exactly Apple's forthcoming tablet is going to fit between our daily laptop and workhorse-of-a-smartphone, and without a major overhaul of the iPhone OS, we definitely can't visualize ourselves using it for "work." 'Course, maybe they're into something that doesn't require the use of multiple applications at once, and maybe the dearth of a real keyboard isn't much of a productivity killer, but we're just not sold on the iPad being a bona fide work machine as-is. So, what say you? Are you one of those 52.3 percenters? Or do you relate more with the vocal minority?

Survey finds people eager to 'work on the go' with iPad, we wonder what line of 'work' they're in originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iWonder Android tablet fixes major bug: the logo is right-side-up

Chris Ziegler — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:34:00 +0000

Remember that ultra-low-cost Android-powered tablet that Marvell was showing off back at MWC this year? It seemed neat enough considering the aggressive goal of getting it into Chinese customers' hands for somewhere around $100, but there was a single unforgivable problem: the iWonder logo was upside-down. Fatal flaw, right? Well, not to worry, because Marvell's back with the iWonder here at CTIA, and this time the logo's facing precisely the same direction as the display (in landscape mode, anyhow). We've also learned that the tablet is being produced in a wide variety of colors -- we saw white at MWC, black here -- so if you've ever dreamed of owning a cherry red Google-powered tablet that's as big as your frickin' skull, Marvell knows a guy who knows a guy who can probably hook you up.

iWonder Android tablet fixes major bug: the logo is right-side-up originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 14:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T announces deals with OpenPeak, Zeebo, American Security Logistics

Donald Melanson — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:48:00 +0000

Well, it looks like AT&T is maintaining a steady pace with its non-cellphone news during CTIA (in addition to cellphone news, of course), with it now following up yesterday's announcements with another three. That includes a deal with OpenPeak that will see AT&T provide 3G service for the company's OpenTablet device (now slated to be available in "late 2010"), and an agreement with Zeebo to provide mobile broadband for the company's gaming / entertainment / education console. That's currently only available Brazil and Mexico, but Zeebo is apparently "planning for commercial opportunities in the domestic market " sometime next year. Rounding things out (for now) is a deal with American Security Logistics, which has announced that it will be using AT&T to wirelessly connect a whole range of location-based tracking devices -- including everything from cargo shipments to pet tracking to Alzheimer's patient monitoring. Alright, AT&T. Anything else left up your sleeve? A 3G-equipped sleeve, perhaps?

AT&T announces deals with OpenPeak, Zeebo, American Security Logistics originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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JooJoo finally shipping?

Thomas Ricker — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 07:08:00 +0000

Do our eyes deceive us? Can it be that JooJoo -- the CrunchPad that wasn't -- has progressed from pre-order status to shipping? Sure seems that way. Two days ahead of the revised March 25th launch date we see that the JooJoo is now taking proper orders for their Ion-based $499 Atom tablet with 12.1-inch capacitive touchscreen, in the US anyway. So, did anyone get a revised delivery status?

[Thanks, Marquel G.]

JooJoo finally shipping? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 02:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Enso’s zenPad is the cheap Android tablet you’ve always wanted, available now

Tim Stevens — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:54:00 +0000

With so many concept Android tablets floating around lately we were inclined to just ignore this one -- until we learned two particularly interesting aspects: it starts at $155, and it's actually shipping now. It's the zenPad from Enso, a five-inch, 800 x 480 Android 1.6 tablet with 8GB of storage (on a replaceable microSD) that, for an additional $25, comes with GPS. It's powered by a 667MHz Samsung 6410 processor, pledges six hours of battery life, and has WiFi built-in while an external 3G adapter is just another $35. That means a fully max'd out unit with GPS and 3G would set you back $210 -- plus $25 for shipping. And yes, they are shipping now, as evidenced by a number of the things popping up on eBay. Sure, it doesn't look as fancy as the Dell Mini 5, but you won't have to fly to Shenzhen to get one. Video demonstration embedded after the break~~, but the footage was apparently encoded using some demo software, so beware nagging audio intrusions~~.

Update: We were guessing this was a rebrand of something, and thanks to commenter Raikus it looks like this is a Smit MID-650, which eviGroup's Wallet was also said to be based on -- at more than twice the price. Also, we (well, you really) seem to have taken down Enso's site thanks to traffic. Oops! Hit that eBay link if you're desperate to Buy It Now(R).

Update 2: The annoying demonstration video previously embedded, which Enso had provided, has been replaced by the original, nagware-free version courtesy of ARMdevices.net.

Gallery: Enso zenPad tablet

[Thanks, Corey]

Continue reading Enso's zenPad is the cheap Android tablet you've always wanted, available now

Enso's zenPad is the cheap Android tablet you've always wanted, available now originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 09:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kindle for iPad and tablets makes the scene

Thomas Ricker — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 07:38:00 +0000

It must be getting close to April 3rd because the iPad news is hotting up. Today we get our first glimpse at Amazon's free Kindle app for the iPad. We've also got a Barnes & Noble iPad app on the way, courtesy of a report in the New York Times, that has been completely redesigned by a team of 14 developers working since January to allow for custom fonts in multiple colors and quick page turns with finger swipes. The Kindle app, meanwhile, features a redefined core screen and reading experience, slow page turns, and new ways to view your eBook library. One view, pictured above, presents your books as large icons against a silhouetted figure under a tree -- the sun changes position in accordance to the time of day. Of course, the app also gives you access to the Kindle bookstore (assuming Apple approves) and saves your reading position so that you can pick up any Kindle app (or device) and continue reading right where you left off.

Fortunately, Amazon's Kindle App will be targeting tablets beyond the iPad. We're also hearing that Skiff is almost certainly headed to Apple's tablet, and we suspect as many competitors as possible given the plethora of devices demonstrated to us at CES. So seriously, we ask you, in an age where content is king, are you really going to buy an eReader dedicated to a single store?

Update: The Barnes & Noble app, not the Kindle app, is being worked on by a team of 14 developers.

Gallery: Kindle for iPad and tablets makes the scene

[Thanks, Jason D.]

Kindle for iPad and tablets makes the scene originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 02:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EAFT Magic Tile and Compal tablets shown in India, Tegra 2 and Android in tow

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:41:00 +0000

We heard earlier this month that half a hundred ARM-based tablets would be launching this year, and it's pretty safe to say that these will be two of 'em. Shown off recently in Mumbai, India's own EAFT spurred interest with its Magic Tile, a presumably Billy Mays-endorsed Tegra 2-based tablet that runs on Android. We're told that it's equipped with a 7-inch touch panel (1,024 x 600 resolution), a front-mounted 1.3 megapixel webcam for video chats, 1080p video encoding / decoding abilities, optional 3G, a battery good for 8 hours of usage, inbuilt accelerometer, Bluetooth, HDMI output and a USB socket to round things out. All told, it's a pretty well-specced machine, though we're certainly hoping that the design gets a little TLC before it's launched in Q3 for an undisclosed rate. In related news, a Compal tablet was also on display, boasting a similar 7-inch layout, a Tegra 2 chip within, 512MB of DDR2 RAM, a 3 megapixel camera and a complete lack of WiFi (gasp!). Head on past the break for a hands-on vid.

Update: We thought this thing looked familiar. If you had the same feeling, it's probably because the Magic Tile is actually that ICD Ultra tablet we played with a little while back. Still, "Magic Tile" has a catchy ring to it.

[Thanks, Sriram]

Continue reading EAFT Magic Tile and Compal tablets shown in India, Tegra 2 and Android in tow

EAFT Magic Tile and Compal tablets shown in India, Tegra 2 and Android in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Mar 2010 17:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Neofonie announces WePad 11.6-inch Android slate

Joseph L. Flatley — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 02:31:00 +0000

Another day, another Android tablet render. This one, the imaginatively titled WePad, is as ambitious as its name might suggest. (You know, because "we" is plural of "I"? Yeah, it's a stretch.) Dwarfing the iPad with its 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) display, a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, GMA 3150 graphics, webcam, two USB ports, flash card reader, UMTS modem, and a mooted six hours of battery life, we could see ourselves picking one up -- provided the price point is decent. But that's just the beginning! The manufacturer, Neofonie, also has designs on a WePad app store and, if all goes according to plan, this thing'll sport genuine Google Android and the Android Market. The company also mentions something called the "WeMagazine publishing ecosystem," the basis of a turn-key operation for getting your own branded device out on the e-reader market, so if you're looking to get into the biz just hit the source link to begin your adventure. As for us, we'll wait to see a final product before we jump to any conclusions.

[Thanks, Dan Z]

Neofonie announces WePad 11.6-inch Android slate originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 21:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP Slate priced at €400 for June launch, Atom CPU confirmed?

Vladislav Savov — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:27:00 +0000

Reputable Spanish publication Clipset has the first concrete report on pricing and internal specs for HP's Slate. Seemingly obtained from HP itself, the €400 ($546) price tag positions the Slate a notch above netbooks and bodes well for the expectation that it'll undercut the iPad's entry level pricing. Straight currency conversations are inadvisable in such situations, so we'll just have to wait until official stickers for the iPad in Europe are known or HP announces US prices for the Slate. Further info includes an Atom CPU, Flash support, USB connectivity, a memory card reader, and a back-mounted webcam (see it after the break). The launch of this Windows 7 device is slated for June, while retail availability in Europe is said to be expected at some point "before September." It's not clear what all that means for the US, but we doubt HP will be making its home turf wait longer than the rest of the world. Rest assured, we'll be reaching out to HP HQ before they've had their first cup of green tea to find out.

Update: HP's response to our queries has been typically tight-lipped. The company refused to discuss Clipset's specs and pricing, which would suggest that -- even though they may be spot on -- they are not yet official.

Continue reading HP Slate priced at €400 for June launch, Atom CPU confirmed?

HP Slate priced at €400 for June launch, Atom CPU confirmed? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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