The
right size for right by your side. Carry your world in the palm of
your hand. Think smaller with the HP Slate 7 that keeps your photos,
documents, music, games, and apps with you every step of the day. Access
and manage it all with a fully featured, 7-inch diagonal tablet that
brings everything down to size —including price.
Features
Sounds bigger than it looks.
Thanks
to built-in Beats Audio™, the HP Slate 7 is designed for the best
sounding, richest audio available on a tablet. Small size. Big sound.[2]
Artfully Android™
Enjoy access to an ever-expanding world of music, apps, movies, and more on this tablet fully powered by Android™.
You’re
ready to go. The HP Slate 7 is loaded with a suite of apps that has
something for everyone, from popular entertainment to productivity
tools.
What you see is what you share.
See
your world through two new lenses. Capture moments at every turn with
rear and front cameras, then effortlessly print photos or share videos.
Create
and share memories at every turn. Video chat on the go with a front VGA
webcam.[1] Easily snap photos and video clips with a 3MP rear camera.
Gather your friends around to share photos, videos, and games on a wide-angle display that lets you see it all.
Move and tilt the HP Slate 7 position, orientation, and velocity for game time that’s fully hands on.
The right size for ready-to-go.
Your
world is always at hand with a sleek HP Slate 7 that moves with you. At
just 7-inches diagonal, it’s the perfect size whether you are relaxing
at home or running errands.
Premium
quality, packed into a small tablet. You’ll love how the sleek HP Slate 7
feels in the palm of your hand, with stainless steel accents and a
soft-touch back.
Power to keep going.
Your
battery should keep up with you. Now you can run errands, enjoy music
and movies, and get things done without running on empty.
Run
apps, 3-D games, and more with fast response times and sharp video. A
low-energy, high-performance processor works hard without draining your
battery.
So much more to this tablet.
Stay in touch on the go. Keep your email, social media, apps, and the Internet close at hand with built-in WiFi.[1]
Rest
assured—this HP Slate 7 is compatible with most devices, including your
PC. Quickly transfer photos, music, and other files, using a micro USB
cable.
Making room for movies, photos, and games is easier than ever. Simply increase your storage with a microSD expansion slot.
When
it needs to be printed —photos, directions, paperwork, and more —HP
ePrint has you covered. Use easy, web-based printing[3] or print
directly from multiple apps.[4]
[1]
Wireless access point and Internet service required and not included.
Availability of public wireless access points limited.
[2] Headphones required and purchased separately.
[3]
Requires an Internet connection to HP web-enabled printer and HP ePrint
account registration (for a list of eligible printers, supported
documents and image types and other HP ePrint details, see
www.hp.com/go/eprintcenter). Mobile devices require Internet connection
and email capability. May require wireless access point. Separately
purchased data plans or usage fees may apply. Print times and
connection speeds may vary.
[4]
Requires a wireless access point and an Internet connection to the
printer. Services require registration. App availability varies by
country, language, and agreements, and requires a firmware upgrade. For
details, www.hp.com/go/eprintcenter.
Here it is, the official Nexus 10 review from yours truly. After having bought a Nexus 7,
I have been quite content with the 7″ size and what it offers in terms
of being an Android tablet. Although, I know many people out there in
our community have had their fingers crossed that Google would make
something bigger, and indeed, people’s prayers have been answered in the
Nexus 10.
The Nexus lineup of devices creates a wonderful blend of elegant
hardware and exceptional software that brings the ultimate
Android experience to your hands. The Nexus 10 is no different and
offers up a great deal of features that anyone would be happy to harness
for a pretty competitive price. If you have had your eye on one, let’s
go over why it isn’t a question of if you should consider this tablet,
but why on Earth wouldn’t you.
The Good:
Specs: On paper, Google’s Nexus 10 features some
of today’s most notable specs for a tablet. Under the hood, it is
running a dual-core A15 Exynos 5 processor, 2GB of RAM, which powers
Android 4.2 “Jelly Bean.” In addition, the tablet features a remarkable
10″ WQXGA 2560 x 1600 display with 300ppi, a powerful 5MP camera coupled
with 4.2′s camera software, a 9,000 mAh battery, NFC, Android Beam, and
comes in two storage options; 16GB or 32GB. For the price, the Nexus 10
runs laps around the competition.
Display: This display is killer. In terms of
specs, it’s a 10.055″ WQXGA display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 and
300ppi. As for the competition, the newest iPad rocks a 2048×1536
display with 264ppi. Not being someone who bases their opinion solely on
a spec shootout, I have enjoyed every second I’ve had to look at this
device. Watching YouTube videos, a movie, and playing games is a real
joy when everything looks crystal clear. When outside, text is still
clear and viewable, yet manages to be exceptionally brilliant on its
lowest brightness setting while laying in bed at night and watching a
show. Overall, the display will definitely be the device’s power point.
Add caption
Feel: When you get your hands on the Nexus 10, it
just feels good. The backside is smooth (giggidy), with just the right
amount of “stick” to make you feel assured that it won’t go slipping out
of your hand. I’ve been doing a sort of “twist test” when I get my
hands on tablets, by giving the device a very light twist with both
hands. For example, some of the ASUS and Archos tablets give off a
plastic cracking sound, which for me, is no good. I want to make sure I
can at least be able to drop my tablet once or twice and it won’t
completely fall apart on me. With the Nexus 10, it feels light, sturdy,
and durable. As I mentioned, it just feels really good in hand.
Android 4.2: Buying a new Nexus device has its
benefits. One of the big ones is knowing you’re going to be running the
newest version of Android out there, and Android 4.2 kicks major butt.
With some enhancements being placed into the camera application, slight
UI changes, ability to add multiple users (tablets only), and lockscreen
widgets, it’s easily my favorite version of Android yet. Knowing that
the Nexus 10 will receive updates straight from Google as soon as they
are announced is a major plus for anyone wanting no bloatware and
no unnecessary skin on top of this beautiful OS.
Back-facing Camera: The fact that the Nexus 10
comes with a camera is an automatic plus. It doesn’t even need to be
insanely good. The fact that they used the space and made it happen is
great thinking on Samsung and Google’s part. It’s a 5MP camera that
actually delivers some decent images. It won’t be replacing your point
and shoot anytime soon, but for when you need it, it’s there and will
deliver.
(Warning: Full Resolution Images)
Front-facing Speakers: When listening to videos
and playing games, the front-facing speakers deliver. They’re loud,
sound clear, and maintain at high volumes. We have seen speakers on the
back of tablets, which force you into having to do a type of cupping
motion so you can hear the sound, something that is just silly. Having
them in this position is great and I’ve been extremely impressed with
the audio quality.
Battery: The Nexus 10 battery is a tank. It just
won’t die. I’ve had it in my possession for about five days now and I’ve
only charged it once. You can easily get through some Netflix and
plenty of Internet browsing. I really can’t see you running into any
type of issues when it comes to battery life. If you were concerned
about battery, don’t be.
Multiple Users Feature: One of the features that
tablet users will benefit from with the upgrade to Android 4.2, is the
ability to have multiple user accounts on one device. Each account can
have separate settings that make the tablet custom to each user. You can
have different apps, different looks, and different content, which is
great for families and other environments where multiple people will be
sharing a single device. Smooth move, Google.
Price: At $399 (16GB) and $499 (32GB), the Nexus
10 is one of the more reasonably priced tablets on the market. No other
tablet has this good of a display, no other tablet has this new Exynos 5
processor, and no other tablet (aside from the Nexus 7) is supported
directly by Google. As previously mentioned, even the new retina iPad
cannot can’t match the display on the Nexus 10, nor can it match the
price.
Gaming: Last but certainly not least, I wanted to
touch on gaming with the Nexus 10. When playing, the device utilizes
three key aspects of its hardware to make it a very enjoyable experience
– the display, the speakers, and the processor. When playing a heavy
game like Shadowgun:DeadZone
or watching my nephew play Angry Birds Star Wars, it was awesome. Zero
lag, no sputtering, and it looked absolutely fantastic. Not much else to
say here except gaming on this is pure win. If the Nexus 7 is just too
small, then the Nexus 10 is where it’s at in this department.
The Not-so-Good:
Backside aka “Fingerprint Magnet”: As you may have
already heard us discuss here and there, the backside of the Nexus 10
feels great, but it is impossible to clean and keep safe from your
greasy fingers. After handling this thing for a bit, you will see the
grime begin to accumulate on the back, where you will then need to
locate a damp cloth to clean it with. No, a dry paper towel or napkin
will not suffice. This thing needs to be seriously buffered in order to
become clean. We like the feel of it a lot, but it’s just a downer to
clean.
Little Quirks of Android 4.2: Now, what I mean by
little quirks in Android 4.2 are just little things that we may not like
right now, but could find ourselves becoming comfortable with down the
road. The main example I will use is the notification pulldowns on the
homescreen. Since the beginning, there has only been just one. Now, with
Android 4.2, there are two. This is frustrating at times. It has become
muscle memory to just pulldown the notification bar and clear your
notifications and access Settings menus, but now, it’s divided. The
pulldown on the left is strictly for notifications, while the other is
for system settings. Why they decided to split it and not just do the
reversible configuration like they did on the phones is beyond me. Like I
said, this could be something that I grow fond of down the road (doubt
it), but it’s definitely not a make or break situation.
Lack of Expandable Memory: I will only briefly
touch on this, since I myself do not find it to be an issue, but I know
some do. The Nexus 10 does not have expandable memory, which could be a
deal breaker for some. It comes in 16GB and 32GB models, and if that’s
simply not enough, or you need access to additional storage that you can
easily swap, this won’t be the tablet for you. There are plenty of
other options out there that feature lots of ports and storage options.
No 4G LTE: The Nexus 10 is a WiFi-only tablet, so
if you were hoping to add this to your shiny new Family Share plan and
soak up the 4G LTE speeds of Verizon or AT&T, you will be
disappointed. Not having LTE is not a big deal if you know going in that
it’s a WiFi-only tablet. And truthfully, there is nothing wrong with a
tablet that is WiFi-only. We all love a low, low price, something that
wouldn’t have been easily accomplished if it had an LTE chip inside.
Revolves Around Google Play Content:
Much like its little brother, the Nexus 10 revolves around the idea
that as an owner of a Nexus 10, you are investing yourself into Google’s
Android ecosystem. You’re downloading apps, renting movies, buying
music, and reading books all from Google Play. To me, the question is
simply, “Is this the device I want to spend my hard earned money on to
deliver the goods?” Upon first boot, Google makes sure you know about
their presence throughout the device, and how simple it is to get the
content you want right from the Play store.
It isn’t overdone and it’s quite tasteful in terms of advertising,
which I appreciate. Many who are reading this probably already own an
Android device, but whenever I talk to someone who is debating between
iOS and Android, I always refer to the ecosystem and community. With the
Nexus 10, this is a great device to either upgrade to or start off with
down the road to living with Android.
Device Gallery:
Device Overview:
Android 4.2 Overview:
Conclusion:
When Google launched its Nexus 7 tablet at Google I/O, I quickly
found that a 7″ device was the perfect size for me. But with so many
people on this planet, it’s only natural that someone out there will
disagree. In fact, I saw so many comments from people who wanted a
bigger tablet that I quickly assured myself that Google
would inevitably create a device that suited other’s needs. But, would
it meet the buyer’s expectations that Google set so high with the
success and pricing of the Nexus 7?
To sum it all up, I think Google has accomplished what they set out
to do – create a 10″ tablet for those that want it and expect it to be
an absolute dream device at the same time. Sure, the back is a
fingerprint magnet, but that is really the only negative I can come up
with. The display is gorgeous, the device is extremely fast and
responsive, and it will receive updates for a long time to come. As an
Android fan, that is literally all we can ask for.
With the Galaxy Note 8.0, which bridges the space between the Note 2 and Tab 2 10.1,
it's clear that Samsung is continuing its approach of throwing out as
many devices as it can in an effort to catch as many consumers as it
can. The question is, do the customers care about all this subtle
differentiation, or is Samsung just creating confusion in an
oversaturated market?
At
the time of writing, there's only one place in the UK (Samsung's store
in Westfield, East London) to buy the Galaxy Note 8.0 and it's slowing
creeping out in the US, Australia and others countries. Considering this
is a device trying that's said to be taking on the iPad Mini (and is playing catch-up by a good five months), it's an odd strategy.
Especially
with the fact that it's about £70/$70 (around AU$70) dearer than the
equivalent Apple offering with the 16GB Wi-Fi option setting you back
£340/$399 (around AU$385), we think the South Korean brand has gone
slightly barmy here. It will be available through other channels in due
course, but it's not clear exactly when.
While
we don't want to rain on Samsung's proverbial parade by making constant
comparisons to the iPad Mini, the fact is that Apple's 7.9-incher is
the Galaxy Note 8.0's main competition.
Other devices like the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD
will be taken into account by those consumers who are clued up enough
to realise Apple isn't the sole maker of tablets. But with even the
Cupertino option coming in cheaper - something almost totally unheard of
- this is going to be one tough fight.
Although
we're not privy to the boardroom discussions at Samsung HQ, we can't
help getting the feeling this is a product that is more reactive than
proactive. Samsung seems to have seen the demand for smaller tablets
offered by competitors and wants in, rather than being the one setting
the agenda as it did with the original Note.
To look at it, the Galaxy Note 8.0 looks very similar to the other Galaxy lines - the Note 2 and the Galaxy S3
clearly have an influence here. The rounded rectangular shape, the
chrome edging, the single home button with accompanying menu and the
soft keys are all accounted for.
Sadly, one of the new design pluses of the Galaxy line - the almost non-existent bezel of the Galaxy S4
- is not here. So you end up with a lot space around the screen, which
admittedly does make it harder to accidentally tap. However, there feels
like there's too much expanse.
Had the
Galaxy S4 and iPad Mini not whetted our appetites, we wouldn't be so
hungry. But we are now - and the Note 8.0 doesn't taste as good.
You can see how the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 stakes up against the iPad mini in our handy video below.
Even so, the Galaxy Note 8.0
has some great things going for it. For example, it is light. Very
light. So while it's a bit big to hold in one hand with your fingers
wrapped around the sides (you end up holding it like a book instead,
gripping the front with your thumb, the back resting on your fingers,
and trying to stop the device sliding out of your mitts), it's a
pleasure to not have to keep swapping paws like with some other devices.
At
338g, it's two grams lighter than the Nexus 7 and about 30 heavier than
the iPad Mini. Size-wise, it measures 210.8 x 135.9 x 8mm.
Then
there's the display. You get a TFT offering with 800 x 1,280 pixels
spread over 8 inches, which works out at a density of 189 ppi. That's
higher than the (some would say pretty rubbish) 163 ppi given by the
iPad mini over a fractionally smaller screen.
This
makes it pretty good for looking at most things - especially because
Samsung devices often offer vivid colour representation. However, it
pales into insignificance compared to the 216 ppi we get on Google's
Nexus 7.
At
least it offers good viewing angles - so, if you like to look at your
Galaxy Note 8.0 from the seat next door as someone else uses it, you'll
be fine. But try using it outdoors in the sunlight and there may be
tears.
The fact of the matter is this:
it's a good display. Pictures look bright, text looks clear. But you
will be able to see pixels if you go a-hunting close up. And as we've
become more and more spoilt in this field in recent years, sadly, that's
one of the first things many of us do.
As
with Samsung's phones (and those of most manufacturers these days),
there's a built in ambient light sensor, which does a great job of
adjusting the brightness depending on your environment.
Another
element worth pointing out is the addition of Smart Stay - Samsung's
proprietary technology that allows the front facing camera to watch your
eyes and track if you're looking at the screen or not. The idea is that
the screen will stay on when you're looking at it, and go off when
you're not.
We
found it to work functionally but not excellently, in a similar vein to
the Galaxy S3. In dimmer lighting conditions, it was very prompt at
popping up with a warning to let us know it couldn't see our eyeballs
but when we tried looking away to see if it went off, it didn't.
The
Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 is unique among its rivals in that it offers
the S-Pen functionality. This has been the big selling point of the Note
line, allowing annotations, drawing, formula calculations and so forth
on a screen. Here, the number of pressure variations has been increased -
meaning it's even better. We'll go into that more later.
The
Galaxy Note 8.0 is a solidly built device. Throughout our reviewing
process, there were no unwelcome creakings of the kind that led to
criticism with the likes of the Nexus 7.
Indeed,
the only button adorning the front felt solid enough, as did the
power/standby key on the side and even the Micro SD card slot (which of
course, means you can expand the memory by another 64GB, which is sure
to please some quarters - especially because Google is trying to
encourage users to move away from relying on external memory
reservoirs).
Our
main concern in using it was that it didn't feel premium enough. Maybe
we've just been overindulged design-wise - but while the controversial
'make-it-all-out-of-plastic' approach may work with smaller phones, for a
larger device, it felt like it cheapened the experience.
Inside,
the Galaxy Note 8.0 offers you an Exynos Quad-Core 1.6GHz processor.
This thing is fast. We tried throwing several tasks at it and couldn't
manage to slow it down.
It
multitasks incredibly well, running on 2GB of RAM. Added to that, the
fact that you get Android 4.1.2 out of the box - and therefore, Project
Butter - means there is really no way you can bring the Note 8.0 to a
halt.
For the uninitiated, Project Butter is a feature of Android Jelly Bean
that makes the whole experience run a lot quicker and smoother.
TouchWiz - Samsung's custom overlay - is on board too. It's not one of
those that manages to confuse or detract and for the majority of
punters, we think it'll be more of a help than a hindrance.
Charging is done via a micro USB - which is great news. We can remember our disappointment at playing with the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1
last year and realising that when we carried it about, we also had to
lug around a charger because Samsung opted for a proprietary power
source. At least here, if you lose it, there's likely to be somebody
else nearby who can offer you a bit of electrical help.
One
other thing to note is the IR blaster which allows you to use the Note
8.0 as a remote control for your TV and home entertainment system.
Infrared seems to be enjoying a renaissance at the moment - having been
out of the loop for years, now it's back on the HTC One and Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S4 to boot.
The
difference here is that it now acts properly whereas the old IR
receivers just allowed for the crude transfer of data and connections.
We'll be going into how it works later in the review - but must make the
point that the IR blaster here is on the right if you're holding the Galaxy Note 8.0 in portrait mode.
That
essentially means you will have to use the Note 8.0 in landscape mode
when using the IR blaster to point it directly at your TV (or sit
sideways, whatever takes your fancy).
Swipe brings another budget tablet with
voice-calling feature. The Halo Speed runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of
the box and is powered by a 1.5GHz processor.
Swipe Telecom has launched a new Android tablet called the Halo Speed. Priced at
Rs.6,990, the new Swipe tablet comes with voice calling functionality.
The Swipe Halo Speed features a 7-inch
5-point HD capacitive multi-touch screen with 800 x 480 pixels
resolution. The tablet runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and is powered by a
1.5GHz processor along with 1 GB DDRII RAM.
The tablet comes with 4GB in-built
storage, expandable up to 32 GB via a micro SD card. It has a 2MP rear
camera and a VGA (0.3 megapixel) front camera. For connectivity, the
tablet supports 2G with Voice calling, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth.
The tablet comes with a 3,000 mAh battery.
The Swipe Halo Speed comes with various pre-loaded apps and has Flash Support 11.1, Olive Office Premium and audio recording.
The Halo Speed is the latest addition to
Swipe's Halo line up of budget Android tablets. Swipe recently launched
the Halo Value, featuring dual-SIM support, 7-inch display, Android
Jelly Bean and 1GHz processor. The Halo Value is priced at Rs. 6,990.
You can read more about the tablet here
Sony's flagship Android Tablet, the Xperia Tablet Z,
that was recently open to global purchase, is now open for pre-booking
for users in India. The 10.1 inch Xperia Tablet Z (16GB, Wi-Fi and Black
variant), running the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, has been listed by
e-commerce site Flipkart at a whopping price of Rs 44,990, and the
official release date is stated as first week of June. Infibeam the
online retailer, is also accepting pre-orders for those wanting to buy
the tablet. Infibeam lists a slightly lower price, stating that the
tablet would be officially released in India, on June 3 2013.
Sony,
had earlier claimed the Xperia Tablet Z had received highest number of
pre-orders till date. However, it would be interesting to see how the
Xperia Tablet Z performs in comparison to earlier Xperia Tablets, most
notably Xperia Tablet S, that suffered due to poor battery life.
To recap tech-specs, the Sony Xperia Tablet Z is packed with:
10.1" touch screen, having 1200x1920 pixels
Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system
1.5 GHz Qualcomm quad-core processor
Adreno 320 GPU
2 GB RAM
Internal flash memory of 16GB/32GB
MicroSD card slot for expansion up to 32GB
8.1 MP rear camera, and a 2.2. MP front snapper
Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, and 3G connectivity
6000mAh battery with claimed backup time of 9 hrs
Sony's new flagship Android tablet comes with impressive technical specifications,
but its main USP is the lightweight nature - the device weighs in at
495 grams which makes it fairly light to carry around. Sony says that
the device can sync with the company's recently released Xperia Z smartphone. With the high-price tags though, the war won't be easily won in price-sensitive India.
ASUS continues to dish out more Transformer devices with the new Transformer Book Trio being shown off
at Computex 2013. As the name suggests, the device with an aluminium
body can transform from a tablet to a laptop and back in a jiffy. It
consists of a tablet with an 11.6" Full HD touchscreen that attaches to a
PC Station dock to bring it laptop functionality and better
productivity. And that's not all: while the tablet runs Android, the PC
Station runs Windows 8.
Of course, this essentially means that
the Transformer Book Trio actually consists of two computing devices
powered by two CPUs. The tablet is powered by a 2.0 GHz Intel Atom CPU,
while the PC Station has the latest laptop-class Core i7 Haswell
processor. Also, the tablet has a 64 GB SSD while the PC Station has got
a 750 GB HDD inside. The PC Station can also be independently connected
to an external display even without the tablet part attached, to work
as a desktop PC. Switching between the two OS is said to be possible
using a dedicated hardware button and data is said to be synchronised
between the two operating systems so you won't lose any data if you
disconnect the two in the middle of your work session. About the name,
we think this should rather be a Duo instead of a Trio because there are
two devices with two CPUs and two OSes. However, we will wait till ASUS
clarifies about the third device that should actually make Trio an apt
name. Pricing for this device is yet to be announced.
Huawei has launched a new tablet called MediaPad 10 Link,
that runs on the now obsolete Android 4.0 platform. The USP of the
Huawei MediaPad 10 Link is its 10.1" IPS display and quad-core
processor. The tablet is priced at Rs 25K on e-commerce portals, and can
also be spotted in brick and mortar retail stores. You may feel the
price tag isn't justified by the tech-specs, which are as follows:
