New Tablets Announced

by
in hardware on (#2TD9)
story imageA lot of new tablet models are being announced this week as both Google and Apple update their lineup for the upcoming holiday season. Google's new tablets include the Nexus 6 and the Nexus 9, while Apple's new tablets include the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Mini 3.

Interestingly, the smaller Nexus 6 has a higher resolution screen and overall better specs than its larger cousin. Whether anyone wants to pay $650 for a 6" tablet phone is another matter.

A Vietnamese site has leaked more images of the updated Apple tablets ahead of the official launch.
Reply 11 comments

That's no moon (Score: 1)

by bryan@pipedot.org on 2014-10-16 02:20 (#2TDA)

Oops. I saw 6" and assumed it was a tablet. Nope. That's a 6" phone. I guess that helps explain the price bump too.

Re: That's no moon (Score: 1)

by seriously@pipedot.org on 2014-10-16 08:07 (#2TDD)

That's no tablet either, but Google simultaneously announced the Nexus Player, a TV player and that the "L" in Android L stands for Lollipop.

See also http://www.cnet.com/news/google-unveils-nexus-9-tablet-nexus-6-phone-nexus-player-streamer/

Re: That's no moon (Score: 0)

by Anonymous Coward on 2014-10-16 21:07 (#2TE6)

Thanks! I was afraid they were keeping "Android L" as a marketing term and never giving us the candy. This is the first time I've heard "Lollipop". I guess they couldn't get the same sweet "no money changing hands" cross-promotional deal with Lifesavers aas they pulled off with KitKat.

Re: That's no moon (Score: 1)

by evilviper@pipedot.org on 2014-10-16 08:17 (#2TDG)

I think you're right... A phone with a 6" screen, simply ceases to be a phone. It's a tablet that can also make phone calls, which isn't really new.

I really don't understand why people like phones with huge screens. Particularly when they then buy the model that's advertised as "thin and lightweight" while a smaller phone would be far better... It's so strange to think that Dell's failed attempt to break-in to the market was just too far AHEAD of it's time to find the market:

http://en.community.dell.com/dell-blogs/direct2dell/b/direct2dell/archive/2010/05/25/dell-streak-the-versatile-5-inch-android-tablet

Ha ha (Score: 1)

by evilviper@pipedot.org on 2014-10-16 07:35 (#2TDE)

It's hilarious reading through the Android Nexus device specs. Ultra high-end across the board... ~2.5GHz processor, 2 or 3GB DDR3, AMOLED or IPS screens, 802.11ac, etc.

AND THEN!!!

...

wait for it

...

USB2.0

.

Well, USB 3.0 has only been out for 6 years or so. I suppose you have to be careful not to rush these things. Hooray for 1990's technology!

And I'd like to reiterate my call for tablet manufacturers to include HDMI inputs on their devices: http://pipedot.org/comment/2SHD

Meh ... Samsung Note 3 (Score: 1)

by zafiro17@pipedot.org on 2014-10-16 11:32 (#2TDN)

I hear you about the 'big screen.' I too used to laugh at people who had to take their phone out of their pants pockets to sit down. Then I bought a Samsung Note 3 and I love it. It's a bit big on weekends - doesn't fit well in shorts and t-shirts, etc. But during the week it fits right into a suit jacket pocket and does miracles. It's an awesome PDA (remember that word?) that just happens to also have a cellphone chip in it. I make the occasional call with it but mostly it's a tablet that's HDMA enabled, so I can do data stuff from anywhere there's a network connection. I even posted a Pipedot article from this place using it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podor That's pretty far off the beaten track by anyone's standards.

Don't knock it til you try it.

Re: Meh ... Samsung Note 3 (Score: 0)

by Anonymous Coward on 2014-10-16 14:27 (#2TDR)

I was willing to try it, but not for that price. The draw of the nexus for me was that is was a great phone for a middle of the line price. There's too much competition at the $600 point and nothing to really make it stand out.

Re: Meh ... Samsung Note 3 (Score: 1)

by zafiro17@pipedot.org on 2014-10-16 14:43 (#2TDS)

Not even the stylus? Just kidding, but I loved my old Palm Treo, so maybe it's nostalgia. To be fair, you could go down one notch to a Galaxy 5 or even Galaxy 4, saving a couple hundred bucks and getting a phone that fits better in the pocket. I think the 5 is just about perfect in size.

I do miss my old flip phone though, since it fit so well in pants pockets I lost it on more than one occasion. Not enough to give up this gadget though - endless fun, and I'm just getting started.

Re: Meh ... Samsung Note 3 (Score: 1, Interesting)

by Anonymous Coward on 2014-10-16 15:04 (#2TDV)

Really I'm probably going to hang on to my Nexus 5 for a while now. I don't think I could buy any phone without wireless charging now(why isn't that more popular?), so that shortens the list a lot. Maybe I'll look at the S6 when that comes.

Re: Meh ... Samsung Note 3 (Score: 0)

by Anonymous Coward on 2014-10-16 21:05 (#2TE5)

Maybe because they have to have a USB port for connectivity anyway, so the wireless charge circuitry is somewhat redundant? Or perhaps the various "standards" and associated licensing costs are off-putting. I don't know, just guessing.