Rumor: Apple is developing 7.85-inch iPad to compete with Kindle Fire

Apple may begin selling smaller, 7.85-inch iPads next year to compete with newer tablet devices, according to sources within the US firm’s supply chain who are quoted by a DigiTimes report.
The company is rumoured to already be sourcing parts to begin producing the units by mid next year:

In addition to purchasing 7.85-inch panels from LG Display, Apple will also buy panels from AU Optronics (AUO), indicated the sources, adding that makers in the supply chain are likely to begin production of the 7.85-inch models at the end of the second quarter of 2012.

The rumoured size has been selected to allow the iPad to compete with, but differentiate itself from, the 7-inch Kindle fire and a number of large-sized smartphones that manufacturers like Samsung has introduced to the market.
Apple is also thought to be launching the third version of the iPad during the first quarter of next year, in response to the growth of tablet PCs, which are expected to reach 60 million units by the end of this year
Previous iPad rumours have included speculation that a thinner iPad 3 will land in March. Back in October, analysts predicted that production of the iPad 3 would be under way before the end of the year, by which time an initial 1 million devices are thought to be ready.

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Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime vs Apple iPad 2

It's fair to say Apple's iPad 2 has enjoyed relatively unimpeded dominance in the tablet market. The device is powerful, user friendly and just oozes with Apple appeal, making it a sure-fire hit. But now we're starting to see tablets from Apple's competitors roll-out with some striking design features of their own.

Foremost among these contenders to the iPad 2's crown is Asus' Eee Pad Transformer Prime, a device that may have a silly name but is rather more smart when you dig below the surface. Will it offer enough to topple Apple's tablet from its lofty perch, though?

Display

The screen is the heart and soul of any decent tablet and both of our contenders are able to give plenty in the display department.

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime offers up a 10.1-inch Super IPS+ LCD that operates at a resolution of 1280x800 pixels and has a pixel density of 149PPI, which is pretty impressive.

The screen is striking, with sharp detail, vivid colours and pleasing viewing angles and it's big enough to enjoy movies and other media, without having to screw your eyes up and resort to painkillers after 15 minutes.

The iPad 2's display is equally as impressive. It's 9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS TFT operates at a resolution of 768x1024 pixels and has a pixel density of 132PPI which is good, but on this occasion not good enough.

The iPad 2's screen performs exceptionally, though, and is responsive to the lightest of touches making it a pleasure to surf the Web.

Winner - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

Power

Beneath the stunning screen technology lurks the engine room, and what is secreted therein usually makes or breaks a tablet in today's market.

Apple's iPad 2 is imbued with a dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU clocked to 1GHz and also offers a PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU to take care of the eye-candy and gaming.

Disappointingly, though, the iPad 2 only has 512MB RAM, leaving it well behind the leading tablets from other manufacturers.

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is a heavy hitter. Far too heavy for the iPad 2. The device is driven by a quad-core 1.3GHz Cortex-A9 CPU and offers up a ULP GeForce GPU, which will have any game you throw at it running full-tilt.

On top of the monster processor the device also boasts 1GB RAM and 32 or 64GB of on-board storage, compared with the iPad 2's 16/32/64GB options.

It will come as no surprise to you that the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime wipes the floor with the iPad 2 in the power stakes and we're quite sure it would out perform many laptops and desktops too.

Winner - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

Software

The iPad 2 runs on Apple's iOS platform, the latest iteration of which, version 5.0, is simply fantastic.

It's so easy to use a toddler could get things done in short order and has enough visual appeal to excite the most discriminating design student.

In addition to its simplicity and power, the device also has at its disposal Apple's App Store, which is brimming with apps, many of which have been designed with the tablet in mind.

Asus' Eee Pad Transformer Prime runs on version 3.2 of Google's Android OS, which is a specially tweaked version of the OS, designed for tablets only.

It's attractive, powerful, offers a ton of customisation options and benefits from Google's Android Market, which is full of apps, many of which are free.

Where it falls flat, though, is tablet-specific apps, or more appropriately the lack thereof. Many of the titles on offer, though, excellent in smaller resolutions, appear misshapen and out of whack on the tablet's screen and this is a massive let-down for a device that's otherwise incredible.

Winner - Apple iPad 2

Camera

The iPad 2 has a 0.7-megapixel primary camera (yes, you read that correctly) which is, to be fair to it, quite the let-down.

The device does capture 720p video and offer a secondary VGA camera for video-calling but 0.7-megapixel? Come on, Apple!

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is much more in keeping with current form and offers up an impressive 8-megapixel snapper with LED flash, autofocus and geo-tagging as well as 1080p video capture and a 1.2-megapixel camera for video-calling - much more the ticket!

Winner - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

Form and Build

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime - 263 x 180.8 x 8.3mm, 586g
Apple iPad 2 - 241.2 x 185.7 x 8.8 mm, 607g

Straight off the bat it's easy to see that both tablets are well built and pretty to look at.

The iPad 2 positively reeks of Apple's design standards and its minimalist facade and simple good-looks lend a certain style to the tablet that has often been copied but not yet bettered.

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is no ugly duckling, though, it's thin, sleek and looks premium, in fact it looks very much like the iPad 2 which is no bad thing.

Overall, the iPad 2 just has that je ne sais quoi that Apple strives so hard to breed into its devices, and for that reason we love it. We don't dislike the Transformer Prime mind, but it just isn't an iPad 2.

Winner - Apple iPad 2

Conclusion

So Apple's tablet has had its cards. Its time at the top of the tablet tree has come to an end, and Asus' new Eee Transformer Prime is the new device in residence.

With a superior chipset, brighter, clearer screen and quality camera the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is a fantastic piece of hardware, one which is going to be very difficult to top.

Apple's iPad 2 can hold its head up high, though. It's still a brilliant device, but technology has moved on and it now needs to concentrate on growing old gracefully - we just get the feeling that Apple's pricing policy won't allow that to happen.

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Motorola Xoom 2 vs Apple iPad 2

Android tablets are numerous but few have managed to come close enough to Apple's iPad 2 to provide a real challenge. Today's contender, the upcoming Xoom 2 from Motorola, aims to change that.

Will the Xoom 2 win the day, or will it be yet another contender steam-rollered by the iPad 2's seemingly limitless charm and good looks?

Build & Form
Apple iPad 2 - 241.2x185.7x8.8 mm, 607g
Motorola Xoom 2 - 253.9x173.6x8.8mm, 599g

There isn't much between these devices in terms of design and build. They are both slim, relatively light and admirably crafted.

The Xoom 2, with its nicely rounded off corners and slim bevel certainly looks as if someone with an artistic eye has had a hand in its design, and the improvements over the previous model are easy to see.

The iPad 2 is no ugly duckling though, and as with all Apple products you can see a lot of thought has gone into the aesthetic of the device.

Winner - Draw

Power
Motorola's Xoom 2 is powered by a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU clocked at 1.2GHz and also benefits from a ULP GeForce GPU, making it a peach for playing games and enjoying other visual content.

We'd hoped to see more than the requisite 1GB RAM, to give the device more lastability but it's by no means a deal breaker.

The iPad 2 runs on a dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 CPU, making it a gnats slower than the Xoom 2. The device's PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU is perfectly fast and capable though, making gaming a fast, fun experience on the device.

With only 512MB RAM the iPad 2 falls short of what we've come to expect from a top-level mobile device. iOS 5 uses what it has very efficiently though, so it needn't be a huge drawback.

Winner - Motorola Xoom 2

Camera
Apple's iPad 2 features a 0.7-megapixel primary camera which is, to be frank, a massive let down. Performance is weak even in ideal conditions and we'd really hoped to see more from Apple, especially after it gave us all such a treat with the iPhone 4 camera.

The device does capture video at 720P though, and the quality is pleasingly good. The secondary camera, a VGA, isn't hugely powerful, though it serves its purpose well enough.

The Motorola Xoom 2 is much more the ticket with a 5-megapixel primary camera, with LED flash, geo-tagging and 720P video capture and a secondary 1.3-megapixel offering for video chatting and the like.

Winner - Motorola Xoom 2


Software
Apple's mobile devices are known for their reliance on the company's iOS platform, and what a fantastic piece of software it is.

The user-interface is amazingly simple to use, but powerful and highly functional nonetheless, and the amount of apps on offer in the Apple App Store is huge, with over 4000 designed specifically for the iPad 2 and its older sibling.

The Xoom 2 runs version 3.2 of Android, which has been specifically designed by Google with tablets in mind.

The platform is fast, fun to use and offers plenty of customisation potential, as well as flash browsing - which is more than can be said for the iPad 2!

There are a good number of high quality app among the 352,000+ on offer in the Android Market, but if you're looking for tablet-centric applications you should give Android a wide-berth, as the amount designed for tablets is embarrassingly small.

Both operating systems have their own virtues. Android is much more open than Apple's software; which is a boon to advanced users, while iOS is much more polished and slick. Overall Apple's software is the more pleasing to use though, which is what counts.

Winner - Apple iPad 2

Display
The iPad 2 features a high quality 9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS TFT display which operates at a resolution of 768 x 1024 and has a pixel density of 132PPI.

The screen performs well and offers a consistently high visual standard, though it does fall well short of the Retina Display technology that you'll find in the iPhone 4 and 4S.

The Xoom 2's screen is decent, but doesn't really offer anything new or special.

It's responsive, hard-wearing (thanks to its Gorilla Glass frontage) and does the job but when compared the iPad 2 does appear a little flat and cold.

Winner - Apple iPad 2

It's a draw!

Both of these tablets have a lot to love about them. The iPad 2 is exceptionally easy to use and benefits from Apple's huge app library, while the Xoom 2 is more powerful and has by far the more pleasing photographic capabilities.

If we were put on the spot we'd take an iPad 2 over a Xoom 2 simply because there is more you can accomplish on the device, thanks to greater developer support. Sure, it may be less powerful but what's the point of having all that muscle if you're never in a position to really use it?

What matters is what you want though, and if you're weighing-up a new tablet then you could do far worse than either of these.

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iPhone 4S, Siri and today’s Apple event – EVERYTHING you need to know in a handy list.

It’s been months in the making, and today we finally have confirmation from Apple, as well as a few squashed rumors. Apple has released the iPhone 4S today, as well as iOS 5 and the addition of Sprint in the company’s lineup of US carriers.
Funny enough, we got confirmation of the 4S name via Apple’s own Japanese store site, less than an hour before launch. Most of these rumors were nailed down prior to today’s event, but it’s good to finally get completely confirmation. That said, here’s a rundown of everything that happened today, plus links to our coverage for the specifics.

The Business of Apple

CEO Tim Cook opened, taking the stage with the obvious statement of “this is my first prouct launch since being named CEO”. The event is being held in what Apple calls the Town Hall. It is the place where the original iPod was launched, 10 years ago.

 “Today we’ll remind you of the uniqueness of this company as we announce innovations from our mobile OS, to applications, to services, to hardware, and more importantly the integration of all these into a powerful, simple, integrated experience.”

Cook goes on to talk about the “enormous momentum of Apple, specifically the retail stores. Cook then highlights the year to date for Apple:
Retail Stores

• Apple’s Shanghai store had 100,000 visitors on its first weekend. It took the LA store a month to reach that number
• More Macs were sold on the opening day of the Shanghai store than in any other store in the world
• Apple now has 357 stores around the world

Mac vs PC

• OS X Lion has been downloaded 6 million times. 80% more than Snow Leopard (It took Windows 7 20 weeks to do what Lion did in 2)
• The Mac outgrew the PC market six-fold, 23% vs 4%, with 60 million Mac users worldwide

The iPod

• Launched 10 years ago, 300 million in sales
• 45 million sold in the last year, ending in June
• Nearly 50% of all people buying iPods are buying their first one

The iPhone

• 125% year over year growth
• 93% of Fortune 500 companies are testing or deploying the device
• JD Power rated #1 six times in a row
• Holds only 5% share of the overall market in handsets

The iPad

• 95% customer satisfaction rates
• 92% of Fortune 500 are deploying or testing the iPad
• 80% of hospitals in the US are testing or deploying the device
• 3 out of 4 tablets sold in the US are iPads

iOS

• 500,000 apps in the app store
• 140,000 of the 500k are for iPad
• 61% of mobile browsing belongs to iOS
• 18 billion downloads from the App Store in 3 years, 1 billion per month
• $3 billion paid to developers

iOS 5

iOS 5 will land on October 12th, 2 days before the launch of the new iPhone and it will be a free update.
What’s new aside from what we already know?
Cards

Apple is introducing a new application that allows you to design cards on your iPhone, then have them mailed to anywhere:

“Apple is literally going to mail things, physically, for you. You create the card on your iPhone and we’ll do the rest.”

Friends and Family App
Free with iOS 5 and for Lion users. Locate your friends and family with your iPhone.
The rest of iOS 5, we  have detailed pretty deeply. In short you can expect big changes to the following:

• iMessage
• Reminders
• Newsstand
• Camera
• Safari

The iPod

Phil Schiller took the stage to talk about the iPod, stating that he wanted to give updates on 2 of the lines today.
The iPod Nano touch gets a refresh, with Nike+ built in, 16 new clock faces and  will be available for $129 and $149 in 8 and 16-gigabyte versions respectively.
The iPod touch, inarguably Apple’s #1 selling iPod, also gets an update. iOS 5 gives great updates, as does iCloud, both of which help you to do more and save space. The touch model iPod is now available in white, for $199, $299 and $399 for 8, 16 and 32-gig models.

The iPhone

And now for the announcement we’ve all been waiting to hear, Apple tells us about the iPhone 4S . It has the same design as the iPhone 4, but inside it is “all new”.

• Apple-designed A5 Processor
• Dual-core graphics, up to 7x faster than the iPhone 4
• 8 hours of talk time, 6 hours 3G browsing, 9 hours on WiFi
• Intelligent antenna switching to fix the “antennagate” problem
• HSDPA data, for up to 14 mbit download speeds
• CDMA and GSM in 1 device makes it a “world phone”
• 8 megapixel camera
• 1080p video recording
• Screen mirroring, akin to the iPad
• Siri intelligent voice assistance

The iPhone 4S will cost $199, $299 and $399 for 16, 32 and 64 gigabyte versions, respectively. The 8-gig iPhone 4 goes to $99 and the 3GS will be free, all on 2-year contracts. The date? As we called it, October 14th, with a pre-order on October 7th.

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Amazon Kindle Fire vs iPad 2

The Amazon Kindle Fire has arrived complete with its 16 million colour screen and all the backing of the enormous online retail platform that is Amazon itself. Big, but is bigger necessarily better?
There also happens to be a certain other massive player in the tablet market in the shape of the company who redefined it back in April 2010 with the arrival of the first iPad. So, now with the iPad 2 ruling the roost, how is Amazon going to compare with Apple in this space and, more importantly as far as your decision goes, how do their tablets match up? Here is the Amazon Kindle Fire vs iPad 2 to help you figure that one out.

Form Factor

Tie: iPad 2

241.2 x 185.7 x 8.8mm, 613g

Tie: Kindle Fire

190 x 120 x 11.4mm, 413g

It’s not really fair comparing a 7-inch tab to a 9.7-inch one on form factor stats alone - the larger one is quite obviously going to be bigger and heavier. All the same, we’re going to call it a tie this time around.

Yes, the Amazon Kindle Fire is made small enough and light enough to hold in one hand - and anyone who’s tried to do the same in bed with an iPad 2 will know that that’s not so easy - but what gets us a little concerned is that, despite its more pocketable (well, baggable) size, it’s, well, a little bit fat. The similarly sized Blackberry PlayBook comes across a touch chunky and that’s 9.7mm thick. So, the Kindle Fire, at 11.4mm, might not be as physically beautiful as the competition.

Engine Room

Tie: Kindle Fire

OMAP 4430

Tie: iPad 2

Apple A4

In some ways, it’s not hugely relevant to compare the power specs of these two tablets. Both are essentially designed as closed system devices and, as such, you can bet that they’re designed to run their respective content with much aplomb. All the same, we may as well split open these systems-on-a-chip that run the two to find out what’s inside.

On the RAM front, both the Apple A5 and OMAP 4430 contain the same 512MB complement. The CPUs are also identical. Each is a dual-core ARM Cortex-9 set to run at a clock speed of anywhere between 1-1.2GHz. In fact, the only thing that separates them is the GPU. The iPad 2 has a PowerVR SGX543 and the Kindle Fire has a PowerVR SGX540. For the sake of a 67 MPolygons per second vs 60 MPolygons, we’re calling this one a tie to all intents and purposes. Those willing to nit pick may do so at the bottom.

Display

1st: Kindle Fire

7-inch, 1024x600, 169ppi, IPS

2nd: iPad 2

9.7-inch, 1024x768px, 132ppi, IPS

There are some tiny differences between the Amazon Kindle Fire screen and that of the iPad 2 but they more or less balance each other out. Both are multitouch, both are based on LCD technology and both have IPS which gives them as wide a viewing angle as possible, just in case you’re feeling generous enough to want to share your screen.

What you do get with the iPad 2 display is more of it but the advantage that the Amazon Kindle Fire has is that it maintains a similar resolution at slightly smaller size. So, you get a bit of a boost of pixel density for a snappier picture but at the expense of a little less screen real estate. The other advantage the Kindle Fire has is that the aspect ratio of the device is far closer to the film-friendly 16:9 rather than the more awkward 4:3 on the iPad 2. What might just tip the balance though is that the Kindle Fire screen has been chemically hardened to make it more durable. For whether or not this makes a physical difference, we'll have to wait and see.
At the end of the day though, this isn’t a category that should encourage you to choose one over the other.

Storage

1st: iPad 2

16/32/64GB + iCloud

2nd: Kindle Fire

8GB + USB + Amazon Cloud

Another close run category here. Neither of these devices has SD removable storage and if it were down to internal flash alone, then the iPad 2 would win with its choice of three storage sizes, all of which are bigger than the 8GB on offer in the Amazon Kindle Fire even if it does have a USB port to back it up.

The tricky part comes in because both devices also offer cloud storage. On the one hand you get iCloud with the iPad, and there’s a couple of issues here. The first is that, at the time of writing, iOS 5 and iCloud are not available on the iPad 2. However, we are expecting that to change very shortly. The next problem with iCloud is that, so far, although there’s been mention of TV shows and it doesn’t look like you’ll be able to sync them or films from the off while out and about.

So, the picture you get with the iPad 2 is that, over Wi-Fi, while at home, you're more or less covered but when out of range of your home library to sync with your options start to narrow a little. Once we're talking 3G coverage only, then there's a maximum file download size that kicks in which means no videos from iTunes at all and no big apps either.

The Amazon Kindle Fire, on the other hand, comes supported by the Amazon Cloud Storage system which promises to store as much of your Amazon bought content as you like, be it books, films, TV shows or whatever else digital that the retail giant sells. In fact, this is pretty much key to the entire model for them.
With that behind you, you can stream direct or download at the touch of a button, whatever you like. Now, that’s all very well at home, work or even at a hotel but the problem is that, because the Kindle Fire doesn’t support 3G, when you’re on the move, you’re at the mercy of whatever is sitting on that 8GB of internal memory alone. According to Amazon, that’s around 10 films.

We’re not saying that that isn’t enough but what it does mean is that using a Kindle Fire does require a modicum of thought and preparation that the Apple iPad 2 doesn’t, even if it's only with music and smaller files that you see the benefit.

Battery

1st: iPad 2

Up to 10 hours video

2nd: Kindle Fire

Up to 7.5 hours video

OK. Nice and simple this time. You’ll get more battery life out of the iPad 2 than the Amazon Kindle Fire. Naturally, the quoted specs are your classic “up to” figures which means that you’ll need to turn off the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, possibly dim the screen and generally not touch the thing at all once you start watching your movies, but they should be just about be achievable nonetheless. Either way, it’s the iPad 2 that will last longer.

Connectivity

1st: iPad 2

Wi-Fi, BT, 3G, HDMI

2nd: Kindle Fire

Wi-Fi and USB

This isn’t normally the strongest of categories for the iPad 2 but it still manages to get one over the Kindle Fire on connectivity. The fact that Amazon hasn’t included that same free 3G that comes on the rest of the Kindle range is a bit of a bummer. It might be something that Amazon sorts out later but given that we’re talking about transferring feature length video files rather than books, it might never happen.

All the same, paid or otherwise, not having a mobile internet connection of any kind is a bit of a loss. On the plus side, there is a USB slot that you don’t get on the iPad 2 but it’s not quite as useful as perhaps it was in the past. Its best function might be as a removable storage device.

The other downer is that there’s no video-out socket in the way that the HDMI adapter provides for the iPad. So, this isn’t something for taking round to your mate’s and plugging into the back of their TV. When it comes to your TV, however, an Amazon app on your set linked to your Amazon account might remove the need for video-out. On top of that, who knows what Amazon may or may not let you do over wireless by the time this hits the shelves although it seems unlikely that users will get access to the DLNA certified apps like Skifta and Twonky.

However you look at it, there’s quite a few ifs there and, ultimately, the iPad 2 is more flexible a device on this front for the moment.

OS Software

1st: iPad 2

iOS

2nd: Kindle Fire

Android Gingerbread-based

We’re all pretty familiar with iOS these days, whether its iOS 4 or iOS 5. What you get is a relatively closed system with a bunch of things that you can do but also a whole host of things that just aren’t possible the way that are on Android. The plus points, of course, are that it works very well and it’s very easy to use, even if it doesn’t offer a high level of flexibility.

The Kindle Fire might run Android 2.3 Gingerbread but it’s a highly customised and closed down version. The big killer is on the apps front, but more on that in a moment. From what we’ve seen so far, the experience, although very attractive, looks like it offers even less room for manoeuver than iOS with the main face of the Kindle Fire OS a series of carousels where you can purchase and sift through your Amazon books, music and videos.

The other interesting part of the platform is the Amazon Silk browser for the old surfing of the web over Wi-Fi. Silk is a tabbed browser set to be lightening quick because half the computational work is done off-device and up in the cloud in the Amazon servers. It’s a feature known as split browsing. While it all sounds very good, the downside is that Amazon then knows all of your browsing habits. Now, naturally, this is something that your ISP probably knows anyway but a shop (Amazon) knowing all about your other shopping habits is some seriously valuable information for them. It’s up to you how you feel about that. Fortunately, you can turn the split browsing off.
There's also Amazon's Whispersync technology to enjoy whereby your videos and books will pick up where you left them on other devices.

Apps

1st: iPad 2

iTunes App Store (500,000+ apps)

2nd: Kindle Fire

Amazon App Store (3,800+ apps)

If there’s one place where Amazon has got you buy the balls it’s on the app front. The Amazon App Store is all you’ll get access to on the Kindle Fire rather than the vast expanses of the Android Market. The Amazon version launched in March 2011 with 3,800 applications to choose from and you can bet that it won’t include any services that interfere in any way with the company’s selling of content and positioning of its tablet device. There’s still plenty of big name games but don’t expect many tools to wrestle control of the tablet back over to you.

On the other hand, the iPad 2 gives you access to the 0.5 million and more apps sitting on the best app store in the world. No contest.

Content Library

1st: Kindle Fire

Amazon

2nd: iPad 2

iTunes Store

This is where the Amazon Kindle Fire really comes into its own both for the user and for Amazon. The 7-inch tablet gives you access to the entire Amazon Instant Video collection of TV shows and films which amounts to a catalogue of over 100,000 possibilities. Each one can be bought and downloaded to the device or rented and streamed. What’s more, anyone signed up to the £50/year Amazon Prime service can get over 10,000 of these rented for free. The comparison on iTunes is around 6,000 videos with nothing decent for free

Music is where you might expect Apple to do better and, indeed, there’s around 14 millions songs on offer worldwide, but, again, Amazon offers more with 17 million on the MP3 Store which you can stream for your cloud space or download to the device. Beyond that, there’s books, comics, newspapers, magazines and audiobooks and it’s not even worth making comparisons here. This is Amazon’s bread and butter. If it’s access to buy content that you want, then read no further.

File support

1st: iPad 2

Most things

2nd: Kindle Fire

Not everything

Again, this all comes down to what apps you’ll be allowed to use but while there’s just about every kind of player and converter to deal with those files that the native side of iOS cannot reach, that might not be possible with the Kindle Fire. Currently, the supported file format list by Amazon is:

Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, non-DRM AAC, MP3, MIDI, OGG, WAV, MP4, VP8.

So, with no AVI, no EPUB and no FLAC support, it might be frustrating when it comes to playing your own library of films, books and music on the Kindle Fire.

Imaging

1st: iPad 2

Rear camera (VGA stills, 720p video)

2nd: Kindle Fire

Nothing

Um.

Price & Availability

1st: Kindle Fire

$199 (£127)

2nd: iPad 2

Wi-Fi: £339/£479/£599, 3G: £499/£579/£659

The Amazon Kindle Fire is cheap. Really cheap. It’s less than half the cost of even the most basic of the iPad 2 range and it’s going to offer a good, entertaining tablet experience to more or less everyone, and that’s hard to ignore.

It’s available for pre-order now but there are currently no plans to take it outside of the US. Doubtless, those plans will turn up eventually but, with a lot of licensing and agreement paperwork to get through, don’t expect anything in the UK for at least a year.

Conclusion

1st: iPad 2

2nd: Kindle Fire

It’s a little churlish to talk about winners and losers in this comparison but, if you want a blanket “who would win in a fight” type result, then it’s the iPad 2. Ultimately though, the reason we at Pocket-lint write these match-ups is to help you out with your buying decision, and to say that the iPad 2 is the tablet for everyone over the Amazon Kindle Fire would not be correct.

There are some differences worth noting. Yes, the iPad will last you a bit longer, it’s a better looking piece of kit, it has 3G, a camera and it’s more flexible in terms of what you can do with it. The real story, and where you need to think long and hard, is about what you want to do with it.
If a tablet, for you, is about watching movies and TV, and reading an enormous wealth of publications and periodicals, then it’s definitely the Kindle Fire that’s the one for you. If playing games, communicating, working and generally using a tablet as a tool is just as important, then it’s the iPad 2 and that’s where you need to be at. At least until the iPad 3 comes out.

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Amazon CEO says Kindle Fire is an end-to-end device – like the iPad

Bezos goes so far as to say that he doesn’t consider the Kindle Fire a tablet at all. “We think of Kindle Fire as an end-to-end service,” he told an interviewer, saying that the Fire is a wrapper meant to consume a wide array of digital media, from books and magazine to video, apps and music, all while staying constantly connected to the cloud.
It’s hard not to think of Apple’s strictly-enforced walled garden of hardware and software when one hears about an end-to-end service. And while that may sound like a sour note to the Android faithful, there’s no denying that it’s allowed Apple to dominate the tablet market, with the iPad holding on to an 82% market share even as Android tablets become more and more advanced.
Amazon may even have an advantage over Apple in the long-run, since the heavily-customized Kindle Fire relies almost exclusively on cloud services for a la cart and subscription content. As more and more consumers get access to ubiquitous broadband internet, services like Amazon Instant Video will become more and more popular. Shoppers sure seem to think so: the Kindle Fire jumped to the top of Amazon’s product list as soon as pre-orders were made available.

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Acer hopes ultrabooks will slow down iPad, save PCs

Acer VP Scott Lin in remarks captured Wednesday was adamant that Intel's MacBook Air-inspired ultrabook concept would help rescue the PC industry. Tablets like the iPad were mostly popular because they were light, thin, and had good battery life while focused on entertainment, he said with Digitimes in earshot. Once ultrabooks got to that point, buying habits would "reverse" as people would rather get one ultrabook that did both instead of having both a tablet and a regular notebook.Buyers would swing back to notebooks in 2012, Lin insisted.

While some signs have emerged of a disputed iPad 2 production cut, the remarks come from a company with a history of predicting the imminent end of the tablet market and the iPad, only to be repeatedly proven wrong and suffer the consequences. A year ago, company chairman JT Wang was arguing that buyers would 'return to their senses', while others at Acer have called the iPad a fad and predicted that PCs would recover, always in the next quarter.

Acer has been falling rapidly in PC share in losses often directly credited to the iPad and Acer's overreliance on low-end notebooks and netbooks. This spring, the company was eventually compelled to change its strategy and fired its CEO as part of a major company restructuring that focused much more on smartphones and tablets. The changes haven't helped so far in the face of deepening company losses and a lackluster if solid entry into tablets with the Iconia Tab line.

Independently, unnamed industry contacts believed that the tablet market would slow down just because of replacement cycles. Tablets aren't as dependent on performance as computers,which need to produce content as much as consume it, and wouldn't be upgraded as often. Whether or not this is true has been debated, since tablets have made large strides in performance and have frequently been bought in place of notebooks rather than just as complements.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 vs Apple iPad 2

We take a look at two of the hottest tablets on the market, Samsung's Galaxy Tab 7.7 and Apple's trend setting iPad 2

The tablet market is rapidly becoming as diverse and popular as the smartphone one. Manufacturers are beginning to push boundaries with every release, looking to create the ultimate product.
Two tablets that have come pretty close to perfection are Samsung's Galaxy Tab 7.7 and Apple's iPad 2, and we're here to play a little game of tablet top trumps to see which one has the most to offer.

Screen
Apple's iPad 2 comes equipped with a 9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS TFT touchscreen which operates at resolution of 768x1024 pixels and performs brilliantly. Colours are well represented, responsiveness is good and the overall user experience is pleasing.
Unfortunately the iPad 2 doesn't bring the fabled Retina Display to the tablet market. In fact its pixel density, 136ppi, is lower than average, but studies have shown the quality to be A+ regardless.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 boasts - yep, you guessed it - a 7.7-inch Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen that runs at a resolution of 800x1280.

To put it bluntly, the Galaxy Tab 7.7's display is fantastic. Colours are vivid, responsiveness is excellent, blacks are pitch and the pixel density (196ppi) gives the device a great level of detail.
Winner - Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7
 
Power
Both of our competitors are dual core toting tablets, with the Apple iPad 2 offering up a 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 and the Galaxy Tab 7.7 a 1.4GHz Cortex A9, giving the Galaxy Tab 7.7 a fair bit more punch.
Both devices offer high performance GPU's too, though, the Galaxy Tab 7.7's Mali-400MP again gives it the edge over the iPad 2's PowerVR SGX543MP2.

It's a similar tale when you look at installed memory too, as the Galaxy Tab 7.7 comes with 1GB and the iPad 2 only 512MB of RAM.

The iPad 2 knows how to use what power it has, but we can't see it being a very future proof device. But we think that could be what Apple wants, so mission accomplished.
Winner - Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7

Software
The iPad 2 runs on Apple's iOS platform and it's as pleasing to use on a tablet as it is on the iPhone.
The OS runs quickly, it's simple and looks great, plus you get access to the Apple App Store which is where the iPad 2 really comes into its own, as you get access to hundreds of thousands of quality apps, not to mention tons designed solely for the iPad.

Samsung's Galaxy Tab 7.7 runs on version 3.2 (Honeycomb) of Google's Android platform, which has been designed with tablets firmly in mind.
As well as plenty of new speed and security enhancements, you're treated to re-designed core apps and a vast array of UI improvements.

Some of those UI tweaks won't be visible at first glance though, because the Galaxy Tab 7.7 comes with Samsung's TouchWiz UX UI - a custom overlay designed to allow the user to get the most out of the tablet.
TouchWiz UX brings new widgets, icons, social networking integration and a whole lot more to-boot, but even with all this third-part finery has been added it still doesn't feel as slick and smooth as the iPad 2.

Winner - Apple iPad 2

Camera
The Galaxy Tab 7.7 comes with a primary 3.15-megapixel camera with LED flash, autofocus and geo-tagging, as well as 720p video capture. The device also offers a 2-megapixel secondary camera.
Apple's iPad 2 is similarly underwhelming in the camera stakes, with a 0.7-megapixel primary offering that captures video at 720p and a paltry VGA secondary for FaceTime duty.
Neither of these devices are going to set tongues wagging based on their photographic capability, but the Galaxy Tab 7.7 is the least disappointing so it takes this round by default.
Winner - Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7

Form and build
The Galaxy Tab 7.7 measures 196.7x133x7.9mm and weighs-in at a respectable 335g, making it a sure-fire hit with those that cart their tablet everywhere with them.
It's constructed largely of plastics with a smattering of metal thrown-in to give it a lightweight yet premium feel.

The iPad 2 measures 241.2x185.7x8.8mm and tips the scale at a comparatively obese 607g, which isn't quite as bad as it sounds, but still a way behind the compact and bijou Galaxy Tab 7.7.
As with all Apple products, the iPad 2 has a neat, premium feel to it and the materials used in construction are top-tier.

One area where the iPad 2 pips the Galaxy Tab 7.7 is battery life, with the iPad 2 offering up to 10 hours of usage thanks to the built-in 6930mAh cell. The Galaxy Tab 7.7 only comes with a 5100mAh battery, so you can expect a bit less. However, only our review will reveal whether that's actually the case.
Winner - Apple iPad 2

Verdict
Samsung's Galaxy Tab 7.7 has taken-on the mighty iPad 2 and beaten it, with a respectable score of 3-2.
If you're after a small, high performance tablet then the Galaxy Tab 7.7 must make your shortlist. It's a wonderful gadget that looks to excel in nearly every area, though it could have done with a better snapper.
The iPad 2 is still, despite its loss, a fantastic tablet and let's not forget it's the follow-up to the device, which re-ignited the tablet trend, makes it something akin to tablet royalty.

The apps on offer are great and the user experience is second-to-none, and they are arguably the most important thing with any device, so you'd be hard pushed to find a better tablet if you're looking to one-up the iPad 2 there.
Overall there can only be one winner though, and the Galaxy Tab 7.7 is a worthy one!

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iPhone and iPad competitors could benefit from Jobs’s resignation

Apple’s iPhone and iPad competitors could benefit with Steve Jobs out as CEO of Apple. “It’s going to give competitors a bit more of a lease of life to go out and compete harder,” Nomura International Plc. technology analyst Richard Windsor told Bloomberg, which noted that Sony and Nokia’s stock prices jumped after Jobs’ announcement. “It’s been thought about, talked about endlessly for the past several years that Tim Cook would probably take over so while you get an initial knee-jerk reaction on the downside, we would probably expect that not to last very long.” Apple will also need to maintain the momentum and market lead that Steve Jobs created as CEO. “If the new management team doesn’t sustain the level of innovation that Steve Jobs spearheaded, it’s going to be an opportunity for the competition in the long term,” Korea Investment Management Co. fund manager Lee Young Seog said. “Still, because of Tim Cook’s competence and the system at Apple, the competitive landscape isn’t likely to change anytime soon.” Steve Jobs announced his resignation from his CEO post on Wednesday and he will be replaced by Tim Cook, who has effectively been running the company while Jobs has been on leave. “Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it,” Jobs said in his resignation letter on Wednesday.
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Apple iPhone 4S and iPad 3 production slated for September, report claims

We have heard at least a dozen rumors that Apple will launch the next iPhone in September, possibly alongside the next-generation iPad. Several of those rumors have suggested Apple will announce a new iPhone 5 and an iPad 3 with a Retina Display, while others have predicted the Cupertino-based company will simply announce the iPhone 4S, a marginal upgrade from the current model. The latest rumor from Macotakara.jp says that Apple will begin production of the iPhone 4S in September and will bring it to market in October along with the iPad 3. The iPhone part of this rumor corresponds with an earlier report from TiPb in terms of release timing, though that report also claimed that the iPad 3 won’t launch until next year. Macotakara.jp mentions the iPhone 5 briefly but says it has “not found any information” about the device. BGR reported that the iPhone 5 will land in mid-September and several reports indicate that mid to late-September is still the likely launch time frame.
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Android steals 20% of tablet market from iPad over past year

Android-powered tablets have taken 20% of the global tablet market from Apple’s iPad over the past 12 months according to new data from ABI Research. While Android tablets have collectively managed to make a sizable dent in the iPad’s global market share, ABI says no single tablet vendor has managed to “mount a significant challenge” against the iPad at this point. “Many vendors have introduced media tablets, but none are separating themselves from the pack to pose a serious threat to Apple,” ABI Research mobile devices group director Jeff Orr said in a statement. ”In fact, most have introduced products at prices higher than similarly-configured iPads. Apple, never a company to be waiting for others, has introduced its second-generation iPad media tablet while keeping product pricing unchanged.” Orr continued, “De-featured, low-cost media tablets are being introduced by more than fifty vendors in 2011. This will certainly help bolster year-over-year growth for the category, but it also creates a negative perception in the minds of the mass consumer audience about the readiness of media tablets to be fully functional within the next several years. Good user experiences and product response are needed to propel this market beyond the ‘early adopter’ stage.” ABI Reseach’s full press release follows below.

Android Takes 20% Media Tablet Market Share from iPad in Last 12 Months
NEW YORK – August 11, 2011
Worldwide annual media tablet shipments are expected to top 120 million units in 2015. While not quite as strong as traditional PC or smartphone annual sales, media tablets are emerging from the shadow of non-handset mobile devices and rapidly coming into their own. Android media tablets have collectively taken 20% market share away from the iPad in the last 12 months. However, no single vendor using Android (or any other OS) has been able to mount a significant challenge against it.
ABI Research mobile devices group director Jeff Orr comments, “Many vendors have introduced media tablets, but none are separating themselves from the pack to pose a serious threat to Apple. In fact, most have introduced products at prices higher than similarly-configured iPads. Apple, never a company to be waiting for others, has introduced its second-generation iPad media tablet while keeping product pricing unchanged.”
Fragmentation within operating system software is hindering growth of this device category. Application developers must choose an initial software platform and may delay starting development if the market potential is not significant. Google’s Android OS has no less than three different software builds deployed across media tablets at the same time. The benefits of open software platform development have yet to be realized for media tablets.
“De-featured, low-cost media tablets are being introduced by more than fifty vendors in 2011,” Orr says. “This will certainly help bolster year-over-year growth for the category, but it also creates a negative perception in the minds of the mass consumer audience about the readiness of media tablets to be fully functional within the next several years. Good user experiences and product response are needed to propel this market beyond the ‘early adopter’ stage.”
ABI Research’s new “Media Tablets” study defines the product category, discusses market drivers and inhibitors, and provides information about distribution channels, go-to-market strategies, product pricing, and availability. The report also presents information about device features, capabilities, and use cases, and provides forecasts of media tablet shipments and price bands.
It is part of the firm’s Tablets, Netbooks, and Mobile CE Research Service.

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Walmart dances around Apple’s in-app purchase rules with VUDU web app for iPad

On Wednesday, Walmart subsidiary VUDU launched a new iPad-accessible web app that allows iPad users to stream more than 20,000 movies and television shows directly from the Web. iPad owners don’t have to use iTunes and simply need to navigate to http://VUDU.com for access to rentals and purchases. “VUDU’s launch on the iPad plays into that vision as we’re committed to offering the VUDU experience on as many devices as possible so customers can shop for and access their favorite movies and TV shows however they want, whenever they want,” general manager of VUDU Edward Lichty said. Customers can add a VUDU web app to their home screen by clicking the “Add to Home Screen” button once they have accessed the website. Read on for the full press release.

Walmart Brings VUDU’s Movie Streaming Service to iPad
More than 20,000 blockbusters, Hollywood classics and independent films can be instantly streamed through VUDU.com on iPad
SANTA CLARA, Calif. and BENTONVILLE, Ark., Aug. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Walmart announced today the launch of VUDU for the iPad. VUDU, a leading subscription-free, video-on-demand movie service and wholly owned subsidiary of Walmart stores, has optimized the navigation experience of VUDU.com to enable millions of iPad owners to rent or buy entertainment content and then stream it easily through any iPad browser.
Beginning today, iPad users can go to VUDU.com and browse through VUDU’s entertainment content library, which includes more than 20,000 blockbusters, Hollywood classics, independent films and TV episodes, then rent or purchase and watch them instantly. For one touch access to VUDU, customers can add a VUDU icon to their iPad desktops by clicking the “Add to Home Screen” button when on VUDU.com.
“At Walmart, one of our key priorities is to provide one continuous experience for our customers to interact with our brand — whether that is in stores, online or from their mobile devices,” said Edward Lichty, general manager, VUDU. “VUDU’s launch on the iPad plays into that vision as we’re committed to offering the VUDU experience on as many devices as possible so customers can shop for and access their favorite movies and TV shows however they want, whenever they want.”
Movies purchased and/or rented on the iPad can also be viewed on Walmart.com/VUDU, VUDU.com or on any VUDU-enabled consumer electronics device. VUDU is currently available on more than 300 consumer electronics devices including Internet-capable HDTVs, Blu-ray Disc players and the PlayStation 3 — more than any other pay-per-view service.

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