Tablet

The new Chromebook family for the education market includes the first-ever Chrome OS-driven tablet by Asus, a 14-inch clamshell design Chromebook, an 11.6-inch convertible, and an 11.6-inch clamshell configuration. While the tablet is powered by the Rockchip OP1 processor, the other three devices use Intel Celeron processors.

At one point, Belkin was the go-to brand for third-party Apple accessories, not to mention USB power banks and cables. However, it had gone quiet for a good while following its amalgamation with Foxconn. This year, Belkin and its current international brands (Linksys, Wemo and Phyn) have made a comeback to CES this year to showcase their new products.

A patent application made to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has been found that shows an electronic device consisting of two smartphones being linked magnetically. The patent, which was published on January 3, was originally filed by Samsung. The smartphone parts would contain holder magnets and a cylindrical magnet, allowing users to connect them for activities such as video-watching and gaming.

Apple has published a new support page that addresses the Bendgate 2.0 controversy. As it has in the past, however, the company continues to insist that there is nothing wrong with straightness and durability of its latest flagship iPad Pro models.

LG has applied for a patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for what is innocuously titled “electronic device.” The drawings included in the files show a foldable device that utilizes a spring-loaded hinge to turn a regular-sized smartphone into something that more resembles a tablet.

A new video recently released on Evan Blass’ Twitter account appears to show a foldable device, allegedly manufactured by Xiaomi, in action. The well-known tipster isn’t himself sure of the video’s veracity, but it has been garnering a considerable amount of comments from excited viewers. Fake or not, it certainly offers an enticing glimpse into one of 2019’s hottest technologies.

The upcoming Android slate is now known only as the LG-V426 and we know that it received its Bluetooth and WiFi certifications already. Unfortunately, most of its specs are not public yet but, if we get lucky, we might see it on display at CES or at the MWC. Otherwise, its launch is expected to take place by the end of the first quarter.

The Chinese consumer electronics company Oppo has applied for a trademark for “Limn” with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). The application was made at the end of December and comes under the Nice classification number 9, which includes computers, tablets, and smartphones. There has been some speculation that Oppo may be planning on releasing a foldable tablet.

A filing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for the Samsung Galaxy M10 smartphone has thrown up a couple of new details about the device. The M10’s measurements have been specified at a length of 155.7 mm and a width of 75.88 mm, and the display diagonal has been confirmed as 153.2 mm, which is equivalent to 6.03 inches.

Royole is an OEM whose main claim to fame is that it released the first ever flexible smartphone. It is bringing this product to CES, alongside others that, as the company claims, include electronics-enhanced clothing, a "smart writing pad" and more flexible displays. Royole asserts that the latter are ready for production.

Under normal circumstances, the most up-to-date version of Windows begins to drag in a majority of market share (defined as the percentage of PCs that run it) in the year of its release. Windows 10 1809 has not enjoyed this level of success so far. In fact, according to a new report by AdDuplex, it has only attained 6.6% of the total market share from 2016 to 2018.

Microsoft has reportedly begun to induce PCs to download and install the latest Windows 10 update, whether the user seeks for it or not. The company claims that this is necessary to protect devices against security threats. However, there are a number of workarounds for this situation.

Epic Games is now sitting on US$3 billion in gross profits this year. According to a new article in TechCrunch based on the claims of a 'knowledgeable' source. This level of success is (somewhat obviously) made off the back of Epic's flagship, Fortnite. It is a particularly impressive claim, considering that this title's revenue is largely derived from in-game purchases.

Michael Gartenberg describes himself as "Former Sr. Marketing Director @Apple, ex Jupiter Research, Gartner & other stuff" on his Twitter bio. He also now implies that he is unhappy with the iPad Pro 2018's build quality on this platform, as he documented his return of this product in a Tweet.

A new LG patent has surfaced showing a device that features rollable OLED display technology. Similar to the foldable smartphones that are headed our way in 2019, this is a much more radical approach that will yield devices that can be both incredibly compact yet can be unrolled to reveal a large display.

A case design purported to be associated with the upcoming iPad Mini 5 appeared to show that the tablet would have a dual camera and a headphone jack. This may have been an encouraging sign, as the iPad Mini line hasn't been upgraded since 2015. However, a subsequent comment on the matter from another leaker asserts that the case in the initial leak is in fact from 2016.

The Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus may have got their Christmas gift, in the form of an update to stable Pie with One UI, already. Now, Samsung has released the update schedule for all other models eligible to receive the latest Android update. The Galaxy Note FE, which was released in 2017, is notable by its absence.

The Zanco smart pen is a stylus with (nearly) all the features of a smartphone crammed into it. It has physical buttons, a click-pad, front and rear cameras and even a teeny tiny screen. It is intended as a smartphone replacement or companion (much like the Palm phone) and can also function as a Bluetooth remote for screens for purposes such as presentation. So far, it has raised just over US$50,000 on Kickstarter.

Although LG is still making tablets their availability varies from market to market and they are largely mid to lower end devices running Android. A new patent application filed by the Korean tech giant looks as though that company may still harbor ambitions in the tablet space although it isn’t clear what operating system it might run.

'Bendgate 2.0': the saga continues; an iPad Pro customer who emailed Tim Cook about the situation in which the US$799+ devices arrive deformed out of the box claimed to have gotten a response. This reply was not from Cook himself, however, but from another Apple executive who explained how well the new iPad fits in with Apple's design philosophy.

Some AT&T customers may start seeing a “5G E” label appearing on their Android smartphones soon. It might initially seem to some that the telecommunications company is already offering 5G network connection to its subscribers, but the truth is the label stands for “5G Evolution”, which is still classed as 4G technology.

A report by the China Times has stated that Apple is planning on releasing a new iPad Mini device and a revised iPad model in 2019. The supposed iPad Mini 5 tablet would be the first new slate in the Mini series since 2015. The larger iPad has a rumored size of 10 inches, making it slightly larger than the current 9.7-inch version of the popular tablet computer.

The current Windows Insider Preview build (or Windows 10 19H1) has been updated to include support for the 'shruggie' and other emojis of its types in the OS' hotkeys. This may finally bring a welcome end to workarounds with keyboard shortcuts and so on. 19H1 should be available in early 2019.

Apple has mired itself in a new bending device controversy. The latest structural integrity issue affects the new 2018 iPad Pro models, some of which are shipping out of the factory to customers with slight bends in the chassis. According to a statement it provided The Verge, this is apparently “normal” and is something the company doesn’t consider a defect.

A simplified Start menu, Windows Sandbox, Kaomoji and more are rolling out to the Insider Preview Fast ring in the latest 19H1 build. Build 18305 is available to download now from Windows Update.

Tencent Games has asserted that it has drawn level with Epic Games' Fortnite in terms of mobile user numbers for its own game, PUBG. This means that PUBG has made it to about 200 million users. It is estimated that both games also have the same approximate number of users who play at least once a day (30 million).

Are you tired of using Photoshop to clear the background from your photos so you can replace it? The makers of remove.bg clearly thinks you are. It offers a service in which its AI identifies the main subject matter of any image, then makes the background around it transparent.

A new post to the Android Developers Blog details the measures Google is taking to address the issue of fake reviews or ratings on the Play Store. They are described as a combination of AI and human expertise. The post claims that they have already resulted in the removal of millions of reviews from the Store.

The most recent versions of Windows 10 has an option in settings that apparently prevent the OS sending your activity history to Microsoft. However, HowToGeek has reported that these options may be insufficient in the case of app-history tracking. This information may still be collected unless every relevant privacy setting possible is modified.

It has been reported that Samsung is working on a new tablet, which could end up being the latest addition to the Galaxy A series. The SM-P205 slate is expected to feature 32 GB of storage and will come in either black or gray. The South Korean manufacturer only recently introduced the Galaxy Tab A 10.5-inch device and the flagship Galaxy Tab S4.

The developer of a new home-made app claims that it allows for the streaming of PC games to the Nintendo Switch. Unlike many other similar attempts in the past, this version apparently has reduced latency and allows for the full control of said games. It is currently available for Windows only, however.

Facebook has informed its developers of "a photo API bug" that allowed third-party apps to access photos uploaded to the social media's servers, regardless of whether the user then chose to share these images on their timelines or not. The company has admitted that this new flaw had been in effect for eight days in September 2018 and may have affected as many as 6.8 million users who logged in on those dates.

Chrome 73 is now rumored to add a feature that can organize tabs into certain sets to the browser. This may be most reminiscent of the similar function that Microsoft is reportedly set to bring to Windows File Explorer in the future. In addition, it is now alleged that Google will add a dark mode to Chrome 73 for Macs.

Sales of laptops, traditional PCs, and mobile workstations are expected to remain relatively flat for the next few years. Even so, the fast decline of traditional slate tablets will allow laptops and PCs to regain lost market share. Detachable tablets will continue to grow and eat up sales of slate tablets.

The Helio M70 baseband chipset was showcased at the China Mobile Global Partner Conference in Guangzhou today. This modem, unlike the Snapdragon X50, is backwards-compatible with 4G to 2G. It is also 3GPP-compatible and rated for speeds of 5 gigabits per second.

Gorilla Glass, which has become a nearly indispensable component of fullscreen phones everywhere, is most likely to become available in a form that can protect flexible displays for phones. However, Corning has indicated that it may not be there by the time the first generation of these devices are ready for production.

Microsoft has launched a new Surface Go advert aimed at families buying the device for their children for the holiday season. Naturally, the company had a dig at Apple and the iPad too.

The most affordable slate by Barnes & Noble has just received a refresh without jumping over the US$50 sweet spot. Its specs now include 16 GB of storage space, a "vivid and bright" 7-inch IPS display, as well as up to 7 hours of battery life while reading, watching videos, and browsing the web.

A report from Windows Central claims that Microsoft and Intel are working on a device with the codename “Centaurus.” The device is believed to be a foldable dual-screen version of the Surface PC that will operate on an edition of Windows 10 known as Core. Centaurus is not a new name for the Andromeda device project, which is believed to involve the long-rumored Surface Phone.

Scott Johnson, the Google manager in charge of the app Hangouts, has taken to Twitter in order to refute a report that the same app is to shut down shortly. Instead, Johnson asserts, its functions are to be split across two new services: Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meets. Those who still use "Hangouts Classic" will be "upgraded" to these new apps as they roll out.

MediaTek started out as a provider of mobile SoCs for emerging Chinese smartphone makers. Up until now, the Taiwanese company presented solid entry-level and mid-range solutions, but, with the upcoming Helio P90, MediaTek is aiming to compete with the best SoCs from Qualcomm, Apple and Samsung. The Helio P90 SoC was recently teased as a "powerful" and "efficient" chip with "groundbreaking AI."

Intel has announced that it will introduce a new medium called Universal Windows Drivers (UWD) to update the integrated graphics the company supplies to current Microsoft OS-running hardware. The institution of UWD will mean that all other methods to install updates for these graphics drivers may become invalid.

Huawei, in partnership with the New Zealand telecommunications company Spark, has had its proposal to provide 5G hardware for the country blocked. This action was taken by the NZ Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB). The body stresses that this decision was not specifically related to any possible connection between Huawei and the Chinese government.

For just under $200 USD, the 10.1-inch Android tablet promises 3 GB of RAM, 4G LTE, expandable storage, dual-SIM slots, a metal body, and a 10-core processor. It's certainly one of the more ambitious tablets from a Chinese manufacturer.

Fluent design updates for the start menu, clock synchronization added, microphone notification area refinements and more are rolling out to the Insider Preview Fast ring in the latest 19H1 build. Build 18290 is available to download now from Windows Update.

A group of trademark applications to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) have been discovered by LetsGoDigital that offer a number of names for an upcoming foldable smartphone from LG. The selection of names goes from the rather prosaic XF and XB, to the much more colorful Solid, Solidis, and Bendi.