Top 5 Android 4.0 tablets

Posted on July 12th, 2012

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean a sweet Android update

The Nexus 7 is the first tablet to ship with Android 4.1 (see above for details) and with its release imminent, I couldn't in good conscience update the top Android 4.0 tablets without including it.

So although the title states "4.0," think of it as "4.0 and above." Everyone cool with that? Cool. Cool, cool, cool.

I imagine this list will need frequent updating over the next few months as some big-name Android 4.0+ releases like the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 are coming down the pike. For now, however, here are the current top Android 4.x tablets.

Editors' note: This post was originally published May 31, 2012, and updated July 12, 2012.

I've definitely warmed up to the folded-back-magazine look and feel of the Tablet S.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

Sony Tablet S Sony recently bestowed an Andro... [Read more]

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Posted in Digital Devices

Apple-Like Solar-Powered Keyboard Controls Mac, iPad, iPhone

Posted on May 31st, 2012


Love portable keyboards? You’re going to want to see Logitech’s latest offering.

The Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K760 for Mac, iPad and iPhone lets you pair up to three of those devices at a time.

That means no more disconnecting and re-entering a code each time you want to switch between devices, from your Mac to your iPad, say. Just one push of a button does it.

The Solar panel means never having to change batteries again. The keyboard can be charged either from sunlight, if you like to work outside, or from indoor lamp light. Logitech says that fully powered, the keyboard will run for three months, based on an average 8 hours of use a day.

The new solar keyboard is an upgrade from the Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 we reviewed in 2010, and has some welcome improvements for Apple users.

For starters, it looks a lot like the regular Apple Wireless Keyboard; Logitech has designed the layout and keys to more closely resemble those on a Mac. The dedicated Home key works like the Home button on your iPad or iPhone.

The Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K760 hits stores in the U.S. and Europe in June with a list price of $80. If this report is correct, it may be followed by another hot sun-fueled Apple gadget from Logitech: a solar-powered iPad case that can charge your tablet.

Logitech Brand Manager Todd Walker demos the keyboard in the video below:

Are you using a portable keyboard with your tablet? Have you tried a solar keyboard? Let us know how it’s working for you in the comments.

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Gadget Lab Show: Asus Zenbook Prime and MindWave Mobile Headset

Posted on May 31st, 2012

                    

This week on the Gadget Lab Show, we take a look at the new Asus Zenbook Prime ultrabook, the MindWave Mobile Headset, and talk about Star Wars‘ recent 35th anniversary.

To start, staff writers Christina Bonnington and Roberto Baldwin take a look at a preview version of the Asus Zenbook Prime. The 13-inch ultrabook weighs 2.89 pounds and will run you anywhere from $799 to $1599, depending on the model. It’s a very attractive ultraportable notebook, but it has a few caveats: a loud fan, and a laggy touchpad, primarily.

Next up, the gang goes “heads-on” with the Mindwave Mobile Brainwave Headset. It’s an EEG headset that lets you play iOS and Android games using the powers of your mind — specifically, the powers of concentration, relaxation, and blinking. There are close to 100 PC and mobile apps compatible with the $130 headset, but it’s still a hefty investment for a product that makes you feel like a total nerd when you’re wearing it.

Finishing off the show, Roberto and Christina chat about some of the best tech and gadgets in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, which recently celebrated its 35th anniversary.

Like the show? You can also get the Gadget Lab video podcast via iTunes, or if you don’t want to be distracted by our unholy on-camera talent, check out the Gadget Lab audio podcast. Prefer RSS? You can subscribe to the Gadget Lab video or audio podcast feeds.

Or listen to the audio below:

Gadget Lab audio podcast #153

http://downloads.wired.com/podcasts/assets/gadgetlabaudio/GadgetLabAudio0153.mp3

Posted in Technology

Rumor: Sense-Free HTC One in the Works

Posted on May 24th, 2013
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Despite official claims to the contrary, HTC will be releasing a variant of HTC One with stock Android, Geek claims citing unspecified sources

HTC's flagship smartphone without the company's Sense UI should be announced "within two weeks," with a full release in the summer

Sources claim the device would first become available in the U.S., and a launch under Google's wing — similar to the Galaxy S4 Google Edition — is also a possibility

Though many users are excited about the idea of a Sense-less HTC One — it would, after all, be one of the most powerful devices with stock Android you can get — we'd take any HTC-related rumors with a grain of salt. With the recent staff departures and reports that the company is in disarray, anything can happen Read more...

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How a Computer Model Could Help Fight Terrorism

Posted on May 24th, 2013
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When Justin Bieber tweets, 39,361,876 people (and counting) immediately jump to attention. But when one of those nearly 40 million people tweet, does the Beebs see it? Does he react at all?

Communication among terrorist cells works much in the same way as Justin Bieber's Twitter account, according to mathematicians from Ryerson University in Toronto who have built a mathematical model of the way information spreads through these hierarchical networks. Their approach may give counterterrorism agents insight into terrorism hierarchies and allow them to predict terrorist attacks and sabotage networks before the attack plans can be carried out. Read more...

More about Terrorism, Big Data, Tech, Apps Software, and Dev Design
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‘The Guardian’ Is Finally Moving to ‘Guardian.com’

Posted on May 24th, 2013
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The Guardian's international editions are proliferating, but before the newspaper launches an online edition in Australia later this year, it's uniting all of its websites under a single domain, theguardian.com.

Currently, The Guardian operates three websites. The primary one is guardian.co.uk. It has a second URL for its U.S. operation, guardiannews.com, which redirects to guardian.co.uk on section and article pages. It has a third subdomain for mobile, m.guardian.co.uk.

The Guardian describes the move as a symbolic one. "As we set out on our mission to become a unified, global [organization], we now have one domain we can rally behind," Guardian U.S. CEO Michael Bloom said in an interview with Mashable last week. "[And] it will be much easier for users and partners," he added. Read more...

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