Delimiter » tablet

ASUS Transformer Pad tablet hits Australia

Renai LeMay — Wed, 16 May 2012 02:33:59 +0000

news Taiwanese consumer electronics giant ASUS has started selling its Transformer Pad TF300T Android tablet in Australia, with the device to hit retailers this week starting at $499 for the basic model, and $599 with a docking station attached.

The Transformer Pad is the latest in a line of ASUS Android tablets which feature the ability to be connected to a keyboard docking station, as pictured above. The docking station also dramatically extends the device’s battery life.

The Transformer Pad is one of the first of an expected second-generation of Android tablets which are slowly arriving on Australian shores. The device features an NVIDIA quad-core Tegra 3 CPU running at 1.2GHz, a 12-core NVIDIA GeForce graphics processing unit, 1GB of memory and 12GB or 32GB of storage space, a 10.1″ WXGA touchscreen running at 1280×800 pixels, an eight megapixel rear camera and a 1.2 megapixel front camera, an SD card slot and other advanced tablet features. It runs version 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) of Google’s Android platform, and has a battery life of an estimated 10 hours, extendable up to 15 hours with its optional keyboard dock. THe device weighs some 635 grams, measures 263 by 180.8 by 9.9 mm, and comes in “”Royal Blue, Iceberg White and Torch Red” colours.

Delimiter’s review of the previous device in ASUS’s tablet line-up, the Eee Pad Transformer Prime, found that the device had great hardware, but was let down by its software. Reviewer Jenneth Orantia wrote:

“Based on the lag and stability issues that plague the Transformer Prime, we get the feeling that ASUS rushed the Ice Cream Sandwich update out just for the privilege of being first to market. What we’ve ended up with, then, is a beautifully-designed, extremely powerful tablet that fundamentally fails to deliver the performance improvements we were expecting. Yes, gaming and video playback is better, but performance for everyday usage actually seems to have gotten worse in some areas, and we can see a lot of unhappy customers kicking themselves over not having gone the more sensible route of buying an iPad 2 or waiting for the iPad 3.”

Engadget has published a broadly positive review of the Transformer Pad, writing: “Even as more mid-range, 10-inch Android tablets start hitting the market, the second-gen Transformer still feels like the best deal, with smooth, Tegra 3-powered gaming, good endurance and an understated design that calls to mind ASUS’ other Transformer, the $500 Prime … the tablet is eminently usable, and ultimately a pleasure to live with.”

opinion/analysis
I don’t expect the Transformer Pad to set Australia on fire, but right now if you’re considering an Android tablet, this is one of the better options available in Australia. Of course, you’ll need to decide not to buy an iPad first. This isn’t an unreasonable choice. While Apple’s still out in front, many people won’t buy anything which was designed by Cupertino, and the quality of Android tablets is gradually increasing.

Image credit: ASUS

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 4G: Review

Adam Turner — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 06:44:48 +0000

review Pick up Samsung’s sleek Android-powered Galaxy Tab 8.9 4G and you can see what Apple is afraid of.

Design
The little sister of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, the latest Galaxy Tab is a delight to hold — with the 8.9-inch display striking the perfect balance between usability and portability. The tablet is only 8.6 mm thick and tips the scales at 458g, so it sits comfortably in your hands and slides easily into a travel bag.

The black bezel, with silver trim and rounded edges, certainly looks the part but helps drive the inevitable iPad comparisons. This tablet is thinner and lighter than the iPad 3. That’s not really a fair comparison considering the iPad 3 has a larger 9.7-inch display, but losing less than an inch doesn’t impinge on this tablet’s usability.

Fire up the Samsung tablet and you’re treated to a bright, crisp 1280×800 TFT PLS display, which is sharper than the iPad 2 but still falls far short of the iPad 3′s retina display. The colours aren’t as vivid as the AMOLED displays found on many Android devices, but they’re certainly not washed out. Thankfully you avoid AMOLED’s trademark blue tinge and the display’s very white whites help combat outdoor glare.

Performance
The Galaxy Tab 8.9 4G’s claim to fame is access to Telstra’s new super-fast LTE mobile broadband network. We clocked an impressive 55 Mbps in the inner suburbs, but results varied greatly. Further from the city it fell back on Dual-Cell HSDPA and still clocked a respectable 13 Mbps. LTE is obviously the way of the future, but for now only people throwing around really big files (or tethering to a notebook) will see a noticeable speed boost over DC-HSDPA.

For now we wouldn’t buy this tablet just for its 4G access unless we worked and/or lived inside Telstra’s small 4G footprint and didn’t already have DC-HSDPA access. It’s worth noting the SGT 8.9 4G is a Telstra exclusive which only supports 3G at 850 and 2100 MHz. Unfortunately there’s no Wi-Fi only option, so outright pricing starts at a hefty $720 for the 16GB Wi-Fi/4G model.

Under the bonnet you’ll find a 1.5 GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core processor accompanied by 1GB of RAM, which would seem impressive but only manages a Rightware Browsermark of 67,432 — respectable but lagging behind the SGT 10.1. We’ve read of much better results from the SGT 8.9 4G when running Android 3.1, so the Android 3.2 and associated bloatware could be factors.

Features
One key disappointment with the SGT 8.9 4G is that it runs Android 3.2 “Honeycomb” rather than the new Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich”. To be honest this is only likely to bother Android power users, who will probably root the tablet anyway and install a custom version of ICS without the bloatware. For now the tablet can feel a little sluggish at times, something ICS supposedly addresses.

An ICS update for the Samsung tablets is promised for later this year, offering interface improvements and other goodies such as improved voice recognition. For now this tablet stands out from the crowd thanks to Samsung’s TouchWiz tweaks such as the pop-up launcher for mini apps like the calendar and task manager. You’ve also access to Social Hub, Reader Hub and Music Hub which includes a subscription music service.

Software updates will come with time, but it’s the hardware limitations that will put some people off this tablet. You’ve got 16 or 32GB of onboard storage, but there’s no micro-HDMI and no micro-SD slot for expanding the storage and side-loading apps. You’re also missing a micro-USB port in favour of Samsung’s proprietary 30-pin connector. Thankfully you can get USB adaptors to cover these, which also activate the USB Host features so you can copy files from a USB stick. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 makes the same sacrifices and it could be enough to drive some shoppers to consider Android competitors.

Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 4G is a thing of beauty which will delight those who care about design. Unfortunately in return you sacrifice a few connectivity options, while general performance is good but not great. The LTE speed boost is impressive, but with DC-HSDPA to fall back on we’d say there’s no rush to embrace LTE.

Adam Turner walked away from an old-school newsroom to embrace his inner geek and become a freelance technology journalist. With a passion for mobile gadgets and the digital lounge room, Adam’s on a quest to attain oneness with technology.

Image credit: Samsung

Telstra launches Samsung 4G tablet

Renai LeMay — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:16:22 +0000

news The nation’s largest telco Telstra today started selling the first tablet able to take advantage of the dramatically heightened speeds available on its fledgling 4G/LTE network infrastructure, with the device to be a 8.9″ Galaxy Tab model manufactured by Samsung.

The launch marks the second major end user device release on Telstra’s 4G network — which is mainly available in central business districts of Australia’s major cities — after the telco started selling HTC’s Velocity 4G smartphone last month. Customers using 4G devices within 4G coverage areas will enjoy typical download speeds ranging from 2Mbps to 40Mbps and typical upload speeds from 1Mbps to 10Mbps, according to Telstra.

In a media release, Telstra and Samsung said the Galaxy Tab 8.9 4G would run version 3.2 of Google’s Android operating system, but would be upgradable to the latest version 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) release in future. It would feature a 6,100mAh battery, a rear and front-facing cameras and be available with either 16GB or 32GB of storage space on board. At its heart the device will run a 1.5GHz dual core processor, and it weighs 470g.

Telstra has simultaneously announced that it would make available a 4G prepaid mobile broadband USG dongle. Previously, to get access to Telstra’s network, customers had to sign up to a monthly plan. The GALAXY Tab 8.9 and the Pre-Paid Telstra USB 4G are also among the first mobile devices in Australia to feature 3G dual channel HSPA+ connectivity, allowing them to take full advantage of Telstra’s existing 3G Next G network outside the 4G areas.

Telstra will make the Galaxy Tab 8.9 4G available on a range of 24 month plans from $29 to $89 per month, with included data quota ranging from 1GB to 15GB. It can also be bought outright for $720 for the 16GB version, with the 32GB version to cost $840. The new prepaid dongle will be available for $129, which comes with 3GB of quota that has to be used over the succeeding 30 days.

“Australians are adopting mobile tablets in record numbers and the Samsung GALAXY Tab 8.9 4G — the nation’s first 4G mobile tablet — promises to boost the appeal of this technology even further,” said Warwick Bray, Executive Director, Telstra Mobile. “The leap in internet speeds available on GALAXY Tab 8.9 4G means customers can stream HD video and music over the internet, load magazines faster and enjoy rich internet content traditionally confined to a PC screen.”

And with respect to the prepaid dongle:

“Hundreds of thousands of Australians already love the flexibility of Pre-Paid mobile broadband when commuting, logging in from uni or checking Facebook on holidays. With the launch of the Telstra Pre-Paid USB 4G hundreds of thousands of Australians who rely on pay-as-you-go mobile broadband can access some of the fastest mobile internet speeds available.”

“In 4G coverage areas Telstra Pre-Paid USB 4G owners can surf the mobile internet on their laptops up to five times faster than previously possible on 3G Pre-Paid modems. That means they can download songs faster, video chat with fewer interruptions, get TV shows in minutes and do more things simultaneously. And importantly Telstra’s Pre-Paid 4G service allows customers to get connected without the need for fixed term contracts or minimum monthly spend commitments,” Bray said.

Telstra Business customers will also be able to purchase the GALAXY Tab 8.9 from 6 March and team it with a range of Telstra Mobile Broadband plans over 24 months — including Shared plans, which give business customers the ability to share unused data across eligible services on the same account while in Australia.

opinion/analysis
Telstra and Samsung’s launch of this tablet today brings to mind the following paragraph which reviewer Jenneth Orantia wrote in her Delimiter review of the HTC Velocity 4G:

“Being on the bleeding edge is something early adopters (ie, many Delimiter readers) thrive on, but the Velocity 4G presents something of a conundrum. Sure, it has faster-than-ADSL2+ speeds when you’re in a 4G coverage area, and faster-than-regular-3G speeds when you’re not, but it’s missing other cutting-edge features that early adopters may be looking for.

The older operating system isn’t a big deal if you’re happy to wait for the Ice Cream Sandwich update in a couple of months, but the non-AMOLED, non-720p HD display is a drawback you’ll be stuck with. Trust us – once you see the gorgeous display on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, other smartphone screens look like faded photocopies.”

In short, using the Velocity 4G in 4G areas did produce a noticeable difference from normal 3G handsets, but the device was also hamstrung because it didn’t have the latest software (Ice Cream Sandwich) and its fit and finish wasn’t fantastic. I expect many of the same comments to apply to the Galaxy Tab 8.9, which also doesn’t run Ice Cream Sandwich, and appears to be merely an iteration of Samsung’s previous Galaxy Tab 10.1 line, which hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire even when it did go on sale in Australia following Samsung’s legal shenanigans with Apple.

Why would you rush out a 4G tablet in early 2012 without Ice Cream Sandwich? Because Telstra knows that it has a limited window of opportunity with 4G to get as many customers on board before Optus launches its own 4G network, presumably later this year. By that point, which will probably be around when Apple gets the iPad 4 with 4G out, Telstra wants to have established as strong as possible a foothold in this market.

But personally, if you’re after a 4G tablet, I would hold off a few months to see what else Telstra launches. By mid-2012, Australia should have some more visibility around what the 4G device landscape will look like as we shift into high gear towards Christmas, and by that stage Telstra’s 4G network should have been rolled out widely enough to be more useful. In particular, I would hold out until at least March/April to see what Apple can come up with in an iPad 3. Given that the iPad 2 wasn’t a huge dramatic improvement over the original iPad, but rather a solid iteration, the iPad 3 is likely to be a game changer on many levels — and will definitely support 4G speeds.

Image credit: Samsung/Telstra

Virgin Australia provides in-flight Galaxy Tabs

Nayantara Mallya, Chillibreeze — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 23:43:25 +0000

news Airline Virgin Australia has revealed plans to use Samsung’s Android-based Galaxy Tab 10.1 device to launch Phase I of its new in-flight entertainment system on most of its Boeing 737 and Embraer E190 aircraft in April 2012. Business Class guests on all sectors will be able to use the Galaxy Tab while Economy Class passengers taking flights over three hours will have access to the device.

The move comes as a response to customer demand for comprehensive in-flight entertainment on these longer sectors. In a statement on the airline’s website, Martin Daley, group executive product and guest services said that the Samsung Galaxy Tab’s high-resolution graphics and excellent sound would provide an outstanding on-board entertainment experience.

Daley said that the first phase would provide the Galaxy Tab 10.1 to guests pre-loaded with a range of movies, television and audio programs for their entertainment and information. He added that the group felt the device was the perfect choice to experience the next generation of in-flight entertainment.

Daley explained that Phase II would involve the roll-out of a leading edge Wi-Fi system developed by Lufthansa Systems. “In Phase II guests will have access to a wide range of products including video and audio streaming delivered on demand to their own personal electronic devices, Wi-Fi enabled laptops or the Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1,” he said.

According to Daley, the increasing number of travellers carrying along their own devices opens up further potential for in-flight entertainment. The Wi-Fi in-flight entertainment system will keep Virgin Australia at the forefront of technology, including:

The capability to control and view content from personal electronic devices (PEDs) and Wi-Fi enabled laptops
An extensive range of movies, television and audio content
On demand controls to start, rewind, stop, pause and fast forward content
Selection of games for children and adults including arcade style games in future releases
Service and product information including destination/airport guides, travel offers and velocity information in future releases.

With these technology features, the Galaxy Tab constitutes the perfect companion for guests’ in-flight entertainment, according to Daley. Other features include a 16:9 screen aspect that enhances the movie viewing experience, improved screen sharpness with 149 pixels per square inch, and a lightweight (565 g) and slim (8.6 mm thickness) design that makes the device easy to hold.

Virgin Airlines is following in the footsteps of Qantas, which had started using Apple’s iPad 2 for in-flight entertainment for all passengers in Economy and Business for the duration of their flights. Australian Business Traveller had reported that the trial was slated to carry on through February under the name ‘Q Streaming’, but restricted to a single Boeing 767-300. The plan included one tablet for each of the aircraft’s 254 seats, along with sufficient spare devices. The iPads would be ‘locked down’ to ensure that they did not have any capability not approved by the airline.

Earlier, in June 2010 low-cost airline Jetstar had revealed plans to trial the iPad as an in-flight entertainment option costing customers $10 to rent on board selected domestic routes.

opinion/analysis
While all of this seems quite fine and dandy, one does wonder whether the on-board Wi-Fi will be able to keep up with the demands of streaming video to all of these tablets. In-flight entertainment systems are often sketchy at best when they feature wired connections. Will the airlines install enough Wi-Fi access points so that everyone on board can stream video to their seats simultaneously?

Image credit: Samsung. Opinion/analysis by Renai LeMay.

Telstra launches Motorola Xoom 2 tablet

Nayantara Mallya, Chillibreeze — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:45:56 +0000

news Hot on the heels of the Motorola Xoom, Motorola Mobility and Telstra are introducing the Xoom 2 tablet to Australia. The company claims the new slimmer and lighter version of the tablet is also faster, super-powerful, and features higher productivity, rich entertainment and customisable experiences. The Motorola Xoom 2 is available from Telstra starting this week.

Calling the previous Motorola Xoom (read Delimiter’s review here) a great achievement for Motorola, Timo Brouwer, managing director, ANZ and South Pacific, Motorola Mobility, said that the Xoom 2 meets the needs of today’s always-on generation. “Motorola XOOM 2 is the ultimate device for home, work and play, and comes packed with apps like MOTOPRINT and MotoCast, which you won’t find on any other Android-powered tablet,” Brouwer said.

Features of the Motorola Xoom 2 include Android 3.2 (upgradeable to Android 4 in the future) and a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor. It also has scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass for the 10.1-inch widescreen HD display, and a splashguard coating that helps it withstand poolside use, spilled liquids or dashes out to the car on a rainy day. The tablet’s new MotoCast app enables streaming of photos, music, videos and documents from a computer to the tablet without any media tools, apps or cords. This gives business customers easy access to files and documents on their office PC, whenever required.

Other business-ready features of the Xoom 2 include VPN support and data encryption. The tablet has MotoPrint integrated into key apps, which enables wireless printing from the tablet. With a 603g weight, that is over 100g lighter than the original Motorola Xoom, and a battery providing up to 10 hours of video playback, the Xoom 2 is more portable.

According to Andrew Volard, director, Telstra Mobile, tablets are rapidly becoming must-have companions for Australians who wish to carry games, magazines, productivity tools and video with them on the road. The Motorola Xoom 2 has a 1GB RAM, in-built 32GB storage and an additional 32GB microSD slot. It has 3G connectivity on the 850/900/1900/2100 bands with a 14.4 Mbps peak downlink rating.

Volard said that the slimmer and lighter new model makes for a good travel companion, offering a vibrant high-definition touch screen, made-for-tablet apps like Gmail and YouTube, and home screens that are easily personalised with apps, widgets and shortcuts. The tablet fits easily into a bag or satchel, and its angular corners make it easy to hold, even for prolonged periods. According to Volard, “Teamed with Australia’s largest national mobile network, Motorola XOOM 2 is the perfect tool for viewing, creating and sharing content in more places.”

The Xoom 2 can connect to users’ compatible HDTV via an included HDMI cable for them to enjoy large-screen entertainment. The device can also connect to any keyboard and mouse using inbuilt Bluetooth technology.

Telstra stores and partners are offering Motorola Xoom 2 for outright purchase for $720 RRP from February 21st onwards. This includes a monthly data allowance (ranging from 1GB to 15GB on four different plans) and payment over 24 months for eligible customers. Customers purchasing the device outright can also club it with Telstra’s Pre-Paid Data + Cap offer, allowing them to update data when required. Eligible customers can also opt for monthly device repayment plans, after MRO Bonus credit, paying between $10 and $20 per month, according to the plan. Recharge denominations available include a popular $150 recharge plan that includes 10 GB of data to use in Australia with a 365-day expiry period.

Telstra Business customers can avail of the range of Telstra Mobile Broadband Member Plans over 24 months with Xoom 2, including Shared plans; this allows them to share unused data across eligible services on the same account while in Australia.

opinion/analysis
Research published by analyst house Telsyte last week revealed that Apple sold about one million iPads in Australia in 2011, representing around 76 percent of the total local market for the new burgeoning tablet category. Because of this, and a number of other indicators, I don’t believe that Motorola will make a big impact on the Australian market with the Xoom 2.

Right now, Android tablets in general are struggling against the dominance of the iPad. It doesn’t appear as if Motorola has delivered significant new features or enhanced technical specifications in the Xoom 2 that would compel people to buy it instead of the iPad. I could be wrong – and I have been before. But I just don’t see a huge amount of interest in Android tablets in general right now, especially after the first batch proved so lacklustre.

Image credit: Motorola. Opinion/analysis by Renai LeMay

Is a 4G Samsung Galaxy S II coming to Australia?

Nayantara Mallya, Chillibreeze — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:54:19 +0000

news Samsung appears to be on the verge of launching a plethora of new mobile phones and tablets into the Australian market, with the Galaxy Note confirmed to be on its way, and 4G versions of the Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone and Galaxy Tab 8.9 tablet reported to be arriving shortly.

Vodafone this week confirmed via its Twitter account that it would launch the Galaxy Note in Australia. According to Samsung, the ‘phablet’s’ biggest features are its 5.3” Super AMOLED HD capacitive touchscreen WXGA (1280×800, 285ppi) display, which is good for playing HD movies. The device also comes with a stylus (S pen) that is possibly more responsive than earlier ones, making it easy for users from creative or business backgrounds to utilise it for work-related activities. The S pen works with dedicated apps such as S Planner and S Memo.

The Galaxy Note comes with an 8MP camera with 1080p video recording capability, Geo-tagging, face and smile detection, touch focus and image stabilisation. The device’s front-facing camera is for video calls. The Galaxy Note’s high-resolution display also enables comfortable viewing of PowerPoint presentations, Web pages, news apps and e-books, with minimal scrolling or zooming. The device is powered by a 1.4 GHz dual-core processor with 1 GB of RAM, and works on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Internal memory includes 16 GB of storage, with up to 32 GB of expandable storage.

Meanwhile, local Android blog Ausdroid has reported that dummy models of the Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung Galaxy S II 4G and Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 4G have come to Telstra retail stores, confirming previous rumours that Telstra will launch these devices shortly. According to Ausdroid, this indicates that advertising and sale of these three devices are very much in the offing. Gizmodo also reported that Telstra’s business catalogue now features the 4G Wi-Fi Hotspot to complement its current USB 4G device and the HTC Velocity 4G.

Samsung has been nipping at the heels of Apple’s iPhone ever since the launch of its Galaxy S smartphone range. The Galaxy S II features the Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) operating system customised with TouchWIZ GUI, a 1.2 GHz dual-core Exynos processor, a 1 GB RAM and a 4.3” Super AMOLED Plus display screen. Other features include a 21 Mbps HSDPA, an 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, DLNA wireless media streaming, and 16 GB internal storage that can be expanded with both microSD cards (up to 32 GB) and USB flash drives (using an optional USB OTG adapter). Samsung has included an extra-large 1650 mAh battery and the Exynos processor underclocks the chip when the device is idle.

Bonus software with the Galaxy S II includes the Navigon turn-by-turn navigation software, hubs for games, social networking, reading and music, Polaris Office, and basic photo and video editing apps. Kies Air allows for wireless transfer of content between computers and the phone via a browser interface. The free Samsung Dive service enables remote management options, such as tracking the Galaxy S II over GPS, remote lock and wipe, and the option to call the phone and access its call logs.

opinion/analysis
It looks like Samsung is preparing to launch a number of smartphones and tablets into Australia to take advantage of Telstra’s strong 4G network, as well as to catch up Australia with the rest of the world when it comes to some handsets, such as the Galaxy Note, which hadn’t launched locally previously.

This is both good news and bad news for Australia. The good news is that we’re getting new smartphones — and it’s good to see non-standard options such as the Galaxy Note available locally. It’s also good news, if it’s true, that several of these planned devices will support the burgeoning 4G standard which Telstra has already implemented and Optus and Vodafone are working on. Testing has shown that incredible speed benefits can be gained when you’re in a 4G-capable area.

However, there is also bad news. The launch of new Samsung smartphones such as a 4G version of the Galaxy S does bring higher speeds to Australians, but it does so by virtue of a fairly dated smartphone — the Galaxy S II — which launched some eight months ago locally. January and February are typically a big time of year for smartphone announcements. I’d prefer that we saw Samsung announce a new, upgraded model, such as the rumoured Samsung Galaxy S III, for Australia, rather than a speed-boosted version of an existing handset. Yet that is what Australia might get.

Image credit: Samsung. Opinion/analysis by Renai LeMay

Apple Australia sold 1 million iPads in 2011

Vijith Vazhayil, Chillibreeze — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:35:37 +0000

news New research published by analyst house Telsyte has revealed that Apple sold about one million iPads in Australia in 2011, representing around 76 percent of the total local market for new burgeoning tablet category.

Touch screen tablets are becoming increasingly popular in Australia; sales are booming and new research indicates that going by current trends, nearly half of the Australian population will be using a tablet by 2016. According to an Australian tablet study 2012 carried out by local emerging technology analyst firm Telsyte, 2.6 million Australians are already using touch screen tablets and more than 11 million are expected to use one by 2016.

The Telsyte study indicates that more than 1.4 million tablets were sold in Australia in 2011 representing an annual growth rate of more than 330 percent. At retail prices, the tablet market generated around $1 billion in 2011. In 2012, Telsyte expects more than 2 million tablets to be sold locally and sales are expected to grow to 5 million by 2016.

Apple’s iPad remains the most popular device with sales of a little more than 1 million units in 2011. This accounts for around 76 percent of total tablet sales in Australia. Telsyte believes that Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 operating system on tablet form factors has the potential to spur the market on even further, particularly in the business segment.

Telsyte predicts that the mobile carriers will be a growing channel for vendors, especially taking into account the arrival of LTE (4G) tablets in 2012.

The Telsyte study also indicates that the tablet audience is growing rapidly along with an unabated device proliferation. This is particularly true within families where a device is often shared between two or more people. The fast growing audience is creating unprecedented opportunities for publishers that are delivering their content via dedicated applications.

International research published by Strategy Analytics last month showed that internationally, Apple had less market share than it did in Australia. According to that research, Android tablets took 39% of the world tablet market in the fourth quarter of 2011

Apple took 58 percent of the market during the period as it sold 15m iPads, more than double the number of the same period in 2011. Strategy Analytics said at the time that the total tablet market grew from 10.7m in the fourth quarter of 2010 to 26.8m in the same period of 2011.

The strong Australian iPad sales have contributed visibly to Apple Australia’s bottom line. In its annual set of financial results published last month with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Apple revealed that it made $4.88 billion in revenues from its Australian division in the year to 24 September 2011. That figure was up $1.29 billion compared with the previous year, in what is believed to be an unprecedented annual revenue jump for a technology company operating in Australia.

opinion/analysis
What this research shows us is that the Apple iPad is more popular in Australia compared with its rivals than in the rest of the world. Apple has a competition on its hands globally — but in the Australian market, it’s in a much stronger position.

It also shows us that Australia is adopting expensive gadgets such as the iPad at a higher rate per capita than other countries. It won’t be too long before half of Australians own a tablet of some kind — and those that do will also already likely own a smartphone. This is good news for the gadget companies — in short, we’re a small market globally, but still an important market — and a very early adopter market.

Opinion/analysis by Renai LeMay

New Sony Android tablets hit Australia

Navina Anand, Chillibreeze — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:17:31 +0000

news Sony has launched the new Walkman Z series and the Sony Tablet P and Sony Tablet S 3G in Australia. Both the tablets and the Walkman are powered by the Android OS. The existing Sony Tablet S will also have a new pricing for its Wi-Fi model.

The Walkman Z series features an anti-reflective 4.3” multi-touch LCD screen, an S-Master MX digital amplifier and the full range of Sony’s Clear Audio Technologies and EX headphones. Patrick Etherington, Assistant Product Manager for Walkman at Sony Australia said, “It is the beginning of an exciting chapter in the history of Walkman as we introduce the first ever Walkman powered by Android. The new Z series is replete with all of Sony’s innovative audio technology and offers an unparalleled personal audio experience for audiophiles and music fans alike.”

The Walkman Z series allows users to gain access to Sony’s Music Unlimited service that has a catalogue of over 7 million songs The Basic subscription will be available at a fee of $4.99 a month while a Premium subscription will be offered at $12.99 a month. The Walkman Z also has a built-in xLOUD speaker system and can connect to compatible speakers, headphones, hi-fi systems or car stereos via Bluetooth.

It also allows users to share content wirelessly or through a connection to other DLNA enabled devices. The W. Control app button allows the user to play or skip songs with a swipe of the finger. The Z series is expected to be available from late April 2012 and will retail for $269.

The Sony Tablet P featuring two 5.5-inch TruBlack displays allows users to manage different functionalities on two different or one combined screen. Kent Tanigaki, Tablet Marketing Manager of Sony Australia said that the design and functional ease of use of tablets was as important as the software that runs them. He said, “Our Sony Tablet range will continue to boast not only the most unique designs in the category, but also the best entertainment applications for Android users. The Sony Tablet P is another example of our innovation in the category.”

The Tablet P with 3G capability runs on the Android Honeycomb 3.2 operating platform and will hit Australian markets in the middle of February, retailing at $729 SRP. It will also be available online. The Sony Tablet S 3G has all the features of the Tablet S along with 3G capability and can be used as a universal remote for home entertainment platforms. This will retail at $649 for the 16GB version.

The Sony tablets also have access to the full suite of Sony Entertainment Network services like Video Unlimited and Music Unlimited allowing users to download their favourite music, movies, games and TV shows. The tablets can also work with devices with DLNA compatibility like the Sony Bravia range, which allows users to use Wi-Fi speakers. The tablets are the only ones on the market to be PlayStation certified so you can download and play PlayStation games as well. The existing Sony Tablet S will retail at a new price of $499 (16GB) and $599 (32GB) from Feb 15, 2012.

opinion/analysis
If you read Sony’s press release about these products, you would think that their release in Australia is a significant event and that they matter. However, nothing could be further from the truth.

For starters, why would anyone buy an Android-based Walkman device when they could just get that music playing capability built into any modern mobile phone? In his biography, former Apple CEO Steve Jobs made it very clear that he knew the iPod, which was the Walkman-killer, could have its lunch eaten by smartphones. That’s why Apple developed the iPhone first — to beat the so-called ‘Innovator’s Dilemma’, where people who invent a new technology are usually the last to understand that it’s become superceded.

Secondly, will Sony’s tablets make a dent in the universe in Australia? Hardly. As we’ve previously written, the iPad continues to enjoy an overwhelming (almost monopolistic) market share in Australia, and consequently Apple Australia is virtually printing money. These are decent products from Sony, as our reviews of some of them make clear. But there are such better products out there, usually from Apple, that I have a feeling they will unfortunately be largely ignored.

Image credit: Sony. Opinion/analysis by Renai LeMay

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime: Review

Jenneth Orantia — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 23:57:16 +0000

review Of all the Android tablets that came out of the last year – and there sure were of a lot of them, by our count – the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer was the only one that really stood out as something different. It was the keyboard docking station that gave it its mojo: a unique accessory that integrated tightly with the tablet to provide notebook-style computing when you needed it (and the the freedom to detach it when you didn’t), with a built-in battery to extend run-time and laptop-like amenities such as a full-sized USB port and SD card slot.

This year, ASUS has hit the ground running with a sequel that improves on the original in every way. The Eee Pad Transformer Prime is the first quad-core mobile device to hit the market, and is also the first Android tablet to come with Ice Cream Sandwich (aka Android 4.0). If you’ve been holding out on buying an Android tablet up until now, this could very well be the one that you’ve been waiting for. But does the extra power and newer operating system make Android on a tablet more attractive than it has been up until now? Is it compelling enough to get people to buy it despite rumours of an iPad 3 coming out next month? Read on to find out.

Design
One thing’s for sure: the Transformer Prime is an absolute stunner. It’s the sort of decadent-looking device that we can imagine Kanye West using to read his email on. When it’s connected to the keyboard dock, it doesn’t look like a tablet connected to a keyboard so much as a complete notebook. In fact, it takes most of its design cues from the ASUS Zenbook UX31 ultrabook, utilising the same ‘spun metal’ finish on the lid and rear, and the same edge-to-edge Corning Gorilla Glass screen. The results are striking, especially when combined with its eye-catching ‘champagne gold’ colouring and the skinny dimensions of both the tablet and keyboard dock. ASUS has managed to make the Transformer Prime more powerful while simultaneously slimming it down, and it’s gone from a portly 13mm to a slender 8.3mm.

The Transformer Prime has tapered, almost sharp edges like the iPad 2, and while it’s not as comfortable to hold as the flat edges of something like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, we can’t argue with its luxurious look and feel. At 586g for the tablet (close to 100g lighter than the original Transformer), it’s lighter than the iPad 2 but heavier than the Galaxy Tab 10.1, although we definitely prefer the aluminium body over the somewhat cheap-feeling plastics used in most other Android tablets. The only downside to its skinnier body is that there isn’t as much room to fit buttons along the edges – as a result, the power and volume buttons are thin slivers that are uncomfortable to feel for and push.

The same ports, buttons and slots found on the original Transformer are all present and accounted for on the Prime, although some of them have shifted around. The left-hand side of the tablet houses the microSD card slot, micro-HDMI port and volume buttons, the top has the power button, the right-hand side has the headphone jack, and the bottom has the proprietary ASUS connector with holes on either side for the keyboard dock to hook into. There’s a 1.2-megapixel camera above the screen, and an 8-megapixel camera and LED flash on the back. On the keyboard dock, the left side houses the same ASUS connector (used for charging when the tablet is connected), and the right side has the full-sized USB port and SD card slot.

Features
The Transformer Prime is the first device we’ve seen that offers Nvidia’s powerful new Tegra 3 chip, which consists of a quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor (1.3GHz in multi-core mode and 1.4GHz in single-core mode) and a 12-core GPU. This spec alone is enough to get power users and early adopters interested, and if you believe the marketing hype, it provides a vastly superior experience for multi-tasking, web-browsing, gaming and Full HD video playback.

ASUS has also paid special attention to the screen and camera. It has the standard 10.1” 1280 x 800-pixel IPS display, but a special IPS+ mode (which you can toggle on and off) boosts the screen brightness to 600 nits for enhanced outdoor visibility. The rear-facing camera offers the same features that you’d expect in a high-end smartphone, such as an eight-megpaixel backside-illuminated sensor, an LED flash and a larger-than-average 2.4 aperture. We still think people taking photos with tablets look ridiculous, but it’s nice to have the option of high-quality stills and Full HD video when you don’t have any other means of shooting them.

Like its predecessor, 3G has been left off the menu, but you do get the standard complement of 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, GPS, and gyroscope. It’s also available in 32GB and 64GB storage capacities. The Transformer Prime ships with Honeycomb out of the box, but you can upgrade this over the air to Ice Cream Sandwich for a host of improvements like an enhanced multi-tasking pane, a better browser, support for Wi-Fi Direct and a nice ‘Roboto’ system font. ASUS has also added its own widgets and software on top that adds extra functions like a DLNA media server, cloud storage, word processing and data backups.

Performance
With all the hype surrounding quad-core mobile processors, we were expecting fireworks and rockets to shoot out of the tablet every time we tapped the touchscreen. But the experience of using the Transformer Prime wasn’t anywhere near as mind-blowing, and frankly, we were left feeling disappointed. When it’s fast, it’s really fast, and some of the things that used to lag on dual-core Honeycomb tablets (like bringing up the multi-tasking pane, swiping through the homescreen, unlocking it and loading photo thumbnails in the Gallery photos app) were swift on the Transformer Prime. But there were just as many things that performed at the same speed as older tablets, making us wonder whether Ice Cream Sandwich is actually optimised for quad-core processors.

But that wasn’t even the worst part. The bigger let-down was how flaky the Transformer Prime was for day-to-day use. It randomly rebooted a handful of times, and frequently gave us ‘[application name]’ is not responding’ errors – particularly when we were using the browser. A lot of the time, it didn’t even feel like a dual-core processor, let alone a quad-core one, as it would regularly lock up when doing one task (such as installing an app or loading a webpage) and ignore any other input attempts until it was finished.

At the very least, web browsing performance has seen a noticeable improvement. We were able to compare the Rightware Browsermark scores between an ASUS Eee Pad Transformer running the latest version of Honeycomb, an ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime running Honeycomb, and an ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime running Ice Cream Sandwich. The original Transformer got a score of 81,642, while the Prime running Honeycomb got 92,047. Naturally, the Prime running Ice Cream Sandwich got the best score of all at 109,925.

Another way the Transformer Prime one-ups its predecessor is by supporting Full HD video playback. We’ve been promised this capability before on dual-core smartphones and tablets and have almost always been let-down by the experience (the exception is the BlackBerry PlayBook, surprisingly), but the quad-core processor on the Transformer Prime was able to pull Full HD video playback off extremely well. It doesn’t have native support for MKV video files, so we had to test it using the third party Dice Player. It was able to play our 1080p video files almost completely smoothly; it dropped frames occasionally, but not enough to be irritating.

There are a few games in Android Market that are either specifically for Tegra 3 devices or offer extra visual effects. One of the latter is Shine Runner, and we used it to compare the graphics between an ASUS Eee Pad Transformer and an ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime. The game played just as smoothly as on the original Transformer as it did on the Prime, but the water looked a little more realistic and you get a couple of extra effects like water splashing onto the screen. ShadowGun THD, which is a version of the game specifically for Tegra 3 processors, showed a more dramatic difference on the Transformer Prime, with graphics that looked far more detailed and nuanced. It’s still not quite Xbox 360-level, but it’s close, especially once you pair it with a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 controller – both of which are supported natively in Ice Cream Sandwich.

And finally, there’s battery life. ASUS has added three different power modes that you can toggle through using the notification drawer in Ice Cream Sandwich: power saving, balanced and performance. We used the balanced mode first, and set screen brightness to 50% (using the standard IPS mode rather than the IPS+ mode) and turned Wi-Fi on. With a loop of movies set to play continuously, the tablet lasted for 7 hours and 4 minutes, at which point we plugged it into the dock. It then ran for another 5 hours and 9 minutes by sipping the dock’s battery, adding up to a total of 12 hours and 13 minutes. We then switched to power saving mode to see whether it would make a substantial difference to power consumption. Under the same test conditions, the tablet on its own ran for 7 hours and 50 minutes, or 46 minutes longer than it did on balanced mode.

Conclusion
Based on the lag and stability issues that plague the Transformer Prime, we get the feeling that ASUS rushed the Ice Cream Sandwich update out just for the privilege of being first to market. What we’ve ended up with, then, is a beautifully-designed, extremely powerful tablet that fundamentally fails to deliver the performance improvements we were expecting. Yes, gaming and video playback is better, but performance for everyday usage actually seems to have gotten worse in some areas, and we can see a lot of unhappy customers kicking themselves over not having gone the more sensible route of buying an iPad 2 or waiting for the iPad 3.

Given ASUS’ past, exemplary track record at delivering prompt over-the-air software updates for the original Transformer, we’re optimistic that the problems will be ironed out fairly soon, That said, we’d recommend waiting until this update is actually available before buying it. The Transformer Prime definitely has the lust-factor down pat, but the irony is that it doesn’t appear to be ready for ‘prime time’ just yet. The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime is available for $799 for the 32GB version and $899 for the 64GB version, both of which come with the keyboard dock as standard.

Jenneth Orantia turned her back on a lucrative career in law to pursue her unhealthy obsession with consumer technology. She’s known for having at least half a dozen of the latest gadgets on her person at a time, and once won a bottle of Dom Perignon for typing 78WPM on a Pocket PC with a stylus.

Image credit: ASUS

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1: Review

Jenneth Orantia — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:12:49 +0000

review There’s nothing like a little controversy to drive up demand for a new gadget. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the famous tablet Apple didn’t want us to get our hands on, and yet despite its best efforts in the courtroom, Samsung was successful at getting the injunction against Aussie sales lifted in time for Christmas. Was it worth all the legal wrangling? Read on to find out.

Design
After all the fuss, we were expecting the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to look a lot more like the iPad. Perhaps if you’d never seen an iPad before, and assumed any tablet-looking device was an iPad, you’d make that mistake, notwithstanding the Samsung logos emblazoned on the front and back. But holding the white iPad 2 and white Galaxy Tab 10.1 side-by-side, you’d never mistake one for the other. The white iPad 2 has a white bezel around the screen, a metal back and 9.7” display in a 4:3 aspect ratio, while the Galaxy Tab 10.1 has a black bezel around the screen, a plastic white back with chrome frame, and a 10.1” display 16:10 aspect ratio.

With the obligatory iPad comparisons out of the way, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a handsome device in its own right – possibly the best-looking Android tablet we’ve come across so far. At 565g and a skinny 8.6mm thick, it’s both the lightest and thinnest tablet for its size. As with most tablets, the battery is sealed in to keep it slim as possible, but the Galaxy Tab 10.1 skips a few of the niceties that we’ve come to expect in an Android tablet, namely a micro-USB port (it uses the same proprietary jack found on earlier Samsung tablets for charging and syncing), a HDMI port, and a microSD card slot. You can, however, buy adapters that attach to the proprietary port for adding HDMI, USB and SD card reader functionality.

Features
There are no real surprises on the Galaxy Tab 10.1’s spec sheet. It has the stock-standard 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, a 10.1” 1280 x 800 display, front and back cameras, and both Wi-Fi and 3G versions. For some reason, Samsung has skipped the 32GB option in favour of 16GB and 64GB storage capacities, and this is something you’ll want to get right up-front, as there’s no microSD slot for adding extra storage. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 uses a PLS (plane to line switching) LCD rather than the IPS panel found on most other tablets, and while this is meant to have the same effect for ultra-wide viewing angles, we found the screen dimmed considerably when moving it from side to side.

Software is the main way that Samsung differentiates the Galaxy Tab 10.1 from the legion of other Android tablets. Alas, it doesn’t run the latest Ice Cream Sandwich version of Android (Samsung says an over-the-air ICS update will be available in the first quarter of this year), but the Android Honeycomb 3.1 build running on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been heavily customised with Samsung’s TouchWiz UI. It’s always a bit of hit or miss as to whether vendor skins are better or worse than the vanilla OS, but in this case, TouchWiz is a definite improvement over Honeycomb’s homely – and at times, confusing – UI.

Extras include lots of tablet-optimised widgets to choose from on the homescreen, a ‘Mini Apps Tray’ that you can for running supported applets (such as calendar, music player and calculator) on top of the app that’s currently open, an enhanced ‘Quick Panel’ notification area that includes shortcuts to system settings like Wi-Fi, GPS, screen brightness and auto-rotation, and custom fonts, apps and settings that put a much friendlier face on Honeycomb.

There’s also the usual Samsung software like Samsung Social Hub (an aggregator app for email, PIM, chat and social networking), Samsung Music Hub (a music subscription service), Kies Air (an app for wirelessly transferring files with a computer through a web browser), and the Samsung Apps store, and some Android apps exclusive to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 like MagShop (a digital newsstand app for ACP magazines) and ABC Reading Eggs (an educational children’s app). The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is also the only Android tablet we’ve come across so far with native support for DivX, XviD and WMV.

Performance
For day to day use, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 felt slightly snappier than other Android tablets we’ve reviewed. Things like launching apps, switching screen orientations, moving between homescreens and loading webpages felt just that little bit faster. Its Rightware Browsermark score of 88,970 is significantly faster than the average Android tablet score of 55,000, and not too far behind the Apple iPad’s score of 99,578.

Standard definition video playback was decent, if not occasionally choppy. The stock video player can’t play 720p MKV videos, but like most Android tablets, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 supports hardware acceleration for 720p and 1080p videos thanks to its Tegra 2 processor. Also like most Android tablets, 720p video (using the third party VPlayer) isn’t great, with audio sync problems and jerky playback. We didn’t even bother trying a 1080p video. Audio performance didn’t blow our hair back either – the Galaxy Tab 10.1 surround sound stereo speakers sound a lot better on paper than they do in practice, and while the volume is adequate for personal listening, you’ll struggle to hear it in noisy environments.

One thing we noticed when transferring files to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is that the USB connection only supports MTP – there’s no option for mounting the tablet as a USB mass storage device. It still mounts as an external drive on a WIndows computer, but if you’re using a Mac, you’ll need to either install the Samsung Kies desktop software, or use Kies Air over a Wi-Fi connection to transfer files.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1’s battery life is much better than expected for such a skinny device. Playing a loop of standard definition videos (Wi-Fi on, 3G off, screen brightness set to ‘Auto’), it lasted for just under 12 hours. This beats the iPad 2’s record of 10 hours of continuous video playback.

Conclusion
Based on its own merits, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is an impressive tablet. It’s sleek, good-looking, offers a great user experience out of the box and has the best battery life out of any tablet we’ve reviewed so far. But it’s not really the hardware we have an issue with – it’s the dearth of tablet-optimised apps for Honeycomb tablets. The app situation for Honeycomb has gotten a little better in the past few months, but it’s still drastically behind its main competitor, the Apple iPad 2 – an issue that’s all the more significant given both the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and iPad are priced identically. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 doesn’t even get the benefit of the extra features usually found on Android tablets like microSD expansion, HDMI output and USB OTG; some of these features are available for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 using optional adapters, but then again, you can say the same for the iPad 2.

If you’re ideologically opposed to any Apple-branded products, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is definitely one of the better Android tablets available, but even then, your money may be better spent on one of the newer devices with quad-core processors and Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 starts at $579 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model and $729 for the 16GB 3G model, and it’s available on plans from both Optus and Vodafone.

Image credit: Samsung