Remember the European tablet device WePad ? We reviewed it when the details of WePad came out publicly for the first time and now we have another news regarding WePad.

WePad is no more….No, no..don’t take it the same way you interpreted the news of HP Slate’s project shutdown or Microsoft Courier’s brutal slaughter. It’s just that the brand ‘WePad’ is no more.

WePad has now officially changed its product name to WeTab. Here is the official statement from Neofonie..

To clearly differentiate our products within the international market for tablet computers, as of today we have changed the product name of our tablet computer from WePad to WeTab. Similarly, the company formerly known as WePad GmbH will now trade under WeTab GmbH. This change only concerns the name of the product and company. All other particulars and pre-orders are not affected.

As we noted in our review of WePad, the brand name sounded like a cheap copycat of Apple iPad and that’s probably one strong reason why WePad is now WeTab.

Apart from that, another reason could also be Apple’s issues with the closely resembled name of WePad with iPad and everyone knows how fuzzy Apple is about all such things, even when iPad is cruising away and looking almost invincible in tablet space.

R.I.P. WePad !

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According to some reports coming in, Samsung is all set to launch its own Tablet device, codenamed S-Pad, which might also be the actual product name as it comes out. The S-Pad is rumored to be an Android powered tablet device, a 7 incher tablet that will probably be aimed at giving more portability to the end users.

The S-pad is also said to come up with super-AMOLED power saving screen, which will last for really long time, may be more than iPad’s 10 hours time too.

The S-pad will come only in ‘WiFi & 3G’ model and will also offer desktop dock as an accessory, just like iPad. The tentative month of S-Pad launch is the month of august but it seems that S-Pad will be too late as iPad is just cruising away at the moment and despite some WiFi reception issues, there is no looking back for Apple in tablet space at this time.

But one thing that might work in favor of S-Pad is the latest news of project shutdown of HP Slate as well as Courier killing.

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Today’s certainly a bad day for tablet lovers. First, the news broke about the project shutdown of Windows 7 based HP Slate and now, the latest reports are confirming from multiple sources that Microsoft’s Courier project has also been halted and there’s no hope of any innovative slate device from Microsoft anytime soon.

Courier tablet was a two-screen folding tablet device, which was supposed to facilitate both Touch computing and Pen computing on the same device and was more inclined to be a productivity device, rather than Just-for-fun device.

As it was certain that Microsoft would use its own Operating System, Windows 7 in Courier tablet as well, its Killing of Courier project reaffirms HP’s decision to drop the idea of Windows 7 based Courier tablet. All this concludes that there must be major pitfalls in Windows 7 as a tablet OS and therefore, both the companies felt it right to stop investing on something that’s weak from its roots.

This also makes pretty sure that Apple iPad is going to make some serious domination in the evolving Tablet market, before any of its competitors makes it to the stores.

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The latest news from TechCrunch is that the much-anticipated Windows 7 based HP Slate project has been killed off. This news sounds hard to believe at first because HP Slate was showed off in CES 2010 by Steve Ballmer himself and HP kept people buzzing about the Slate every now and then.

It doesn’t mean that HP will not bring its own Slate. It’s just that Windows 7 will not power the much awaited HP Slate. It appears that HP realized the unsuitability of using Windows 7 as core OS for its first touch-enabled tablet.

It’s a proven fact that hardware will not sell like hot cakes if there’s a poor software setup at its core and HP doesn’t want to take any more chance here.

With recent acquisition of Palm, it could a possibility that HP would also consider Palm’s WebOS power its Slate device but the chances are slim as there’s no established eco-system around WebOS as such.

Will HP turn to Google for Android OS ? Chances are minimal but HP seems to be having little choices here.

Things will get clear after sometime but this is for sure that HP Slates will not make it to market anytime soon and all those tablet lovers can comfortably buy an iPad or WePad if they aren’t willing to wait for really long time, say until end of this year.

Source : TC

All those Apple Fanboys who queued up in front of Apple stores to grab an iPad earliest possible might just be in trouble !

Since the first day of iPad launch, Apple did see annoyed users who were complaining about weak Wi-Fi signal while surfing internet through their newly bought iPad. Some thought, it was just a perception issue from user’s end but the crescendo of complaints didn’t stop and humongous uproar from iPad buyers has now gone so loud that Apple had to speak out and admit the Wi-Fi issues with the iPad.

Most of the problems are related to the weak signal reception from WiFi network and the users are reporting that the signal drops drastically once they take iPad away from the WiFi router. The users are so sure about the issues because they have cross-checked the Wi-Fi signal strength with their smartphones(most of them are iPhone guys) and the signal remains absolutely good on their iPhone, Droid or whatever smartphones they have got.

While Apple has only commented on the issue regarding failure of iPad in Automatic rejoining of known Wi-Fi networks, there is still no word from Apple regarding the weak Wi-Fi signal reception issues which are piling up fast on Apple’s shoulders.

The support forum solutions basically suggest getting closer to the Wi-Fi hotspot, which is not an intelligent solution at all.

Now, what do we make out of this ? Is this a hardware fault ? Can it ever be rectified ? Can a firmware update fix all these problems ?

We can’t really say if Apple can fix things with a software update as the problem seems to be a hardware design problem and that can’t be fixed with a software update. We’re keeping a watch over the issue. Stay tuned !

When everyone is talking about slates and tablet devices, here’s something interesting that has just popped up on web and it’s about the closest rival to iPad, the HP Slate. Below is the leaked tech specs of HP Slate so see if that can hold you from buying an iPad until June or not.  Here is the iPad spec sheet for reference.

• Display: 8.9-inch 1024 x 600 capacitive multitouch with Pen/digitizer support
• Processor: 1.6GHz Atom Z530 processor with UMA graphics, an accelerator for 1080p video playback
• Data Storage: 32GB/64GB of flash storage with SD Card enhancements
• RAM: 1GB of non-upgradeable RAM (Should have been more for Win 7)
• Battery life: 5+ hours
• Camera : VGA Camera(Inward) , 3MP Camera(Outward)
• Ports: SDHC, USB, SIM card slot for the optional 3G modem, connector for power, audio, and HDMI
• Software: Windows 7 Home Premium + HP Touch optimized UI
• Connectivity: WiFi(802.11b/g), Bluetooth, Optional 3G
• Pricing: $549 – $599

It has not been released officially but it seems that the specs sheet is a real one(the leak might be intentional). HP Slate specs are certainly impressive, actually lot better than iPad but the heart of the Slate, software and UI needs to be excellent. Hope, HP won’t disappoint this time.

Source: Engadget

Apple iPad is making the crowd go crazy, not just in U.S. but all across the globe where gadget freaks were patiently watching the entire iPad bonanza happening over the web.

One such country where gadget freaks are roaring to get this spectacular piece of hardware is India. And all those folks who don’t want to wait for the iPad to launch officially in India (it will take months for sure) and get their gadget right away have got an not-so-affordable option for doing so.

Apple iPad 16GB/WiFi version is available in India for around Rs.38k. 32GB version would come at Rs.44k and 64GB version would come at Rs.50k. The Apple iPad will, of course, be imported to India so the buyer will have to bear custom duty and shipping charges as well(both the charges are included in the price mentioned). The shipping will start April 15 onwards.

Honestly, it’s a costly affair to import the iPad right away from U.S. and it sounds more sensible to wait for the official launch of the device in India. By that time, the WiFi+3G version will also be available to the users, which will be much better option than a WiFi only iPad. And don’t forget the WePad, HP Slate and loads of other slate devices to come in the near future, which will provide plenty of options to pick the best one from. You are going to buy just one slate device so choose wisely.

Of course, the final call is yours !

Last weekend, while the entire lot of tech journalists and bloggers were busy writing or reiterating the specs etc about the Apple iPad and essential apps for the device, the Apple Fanboys were happily waiting in queues, literally for hours, just for grabbing their device, which they had pre-ordered online or just dropped in the store and wanted to get an iPad right there.

With loads of media speculation over this new category of device and the possibility of success or failure of iPad, it was tough to guess the real fate of iPad before April 3. Now, with early sales estimates pouring in, its quite apparent that Apple has certainly created a new category of device, which is revolutionary and disruptive in several regards.

According to an estimate by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, Apple sold as many as 7,00,000 iPads on the first day of its public launch. It takes no genius to estimate that Apple must have sold more than 1 million iPads by the end of Day Two, that’s April 4. Now, compare that to the 74 day time period that iPhone took, to get to the figure of 1 million and you will easily realize what’s the probable future of iPad.

One much note here that Apple is not yet selling iPad with WiFi+3G model, the preferred option for anyone who wants to take along iPad just about anywhere.When 3G enabled model comes into the market, iPad sales are bound to explode. And further, when more tablets will jump in, Apple will drop the iPad prices for staying competitive and lift the sales.

But what the key factor in this early success of iPad ? It’s the Apple Fanboys !

It has become more of a ritual for people, aka Fanboys to queue up in front of Apple Stores all across the U.S. before any such product launch and get the iPod/iPhone/iPad on Day 1 itself. And probably, it just Apple that enjoys such a committed following, not even Google.

No doubt, iPad is just awesome in many regards but it’s actually the millions of Apple fanboys that don’t even need to touch yet-to-launch Apple gadgets before pre-ordering the device weeks before getting it in their palms.

There are plenty of slate device alternatives available like WePad or many others will soon be available so why hurry for a WiFi only iPad Slate device right now ? That’s what a sensible guy would think, not an Apple Fanboy.

The war between the Slate devices is bound to get hotter and more interesting as the time passes by. We’re keeping an eye over that.

With more and more buzz surrounding the tablet gadgets and increasing number of contenders entering the newly explored arena, one can’t deny that iPad will surely get accompanied by lot more cutting edge gizmos that Steve Jobs might not have anticipated.

And the latest one to bring more competition to iPad is WePad. It apparently sounds like a cheap copycat of Apple iPad but it’s certainly not. It’s actually a shocker of a gizmo and brings a lot for the consumer to take away, especially when one compares it to what Apple iPad is offering.

Built by Germany based Neofonie, WePad adds some staggering hardware capabilities that are way too far from iPad till date. Take a look at the head-on comparison table between iPad and WePad.

Now WePad, as defined by its creators, runs a Linux derivative with Android on top. And this makes it a suitable device to run thousands of Android applications over it. With growing prevalence of Android platform and more apps being added to its marketplace faster than ever, WePad might turn things difficult for iPad in the initial run, especially in Germany and European continent where WePad will make its debue next month itself.

Another thing to note here is that WePad is trying its best to fancy the publishing industry magnates and projecting its device as the most ideal slate device for serving digital analogue of magazines and newspapers. It makes perfect sense because the parent company(Neofonie) has already been busy providing software services through WeMagazine ePublishing Eco System and now, the same software will power WePad. Here’s a factsheet for WePad. Take a look.

It is yet to be seen whether WePad, JooJoo, HP Slate or other queued up slate devices will be able to dominate the evolving market of “couch computing” when there is iPad to compete with but it is sure that Apple iPad will not be squeezing the non-existent yet lucrative market of slate devices all alone.

Apple iPad is yet to make it to the Apple stores but the uproar about iPad’s success/failure/future/competitors/blah..blah isn’t appearing to stop at all.

The latest speculation surrounding iPad is Apple’s future policy regarding the pricing alteration of iPad, a couple of months after its date of release. As the history of Apple products suggest, Apple tags its glittering gizmos with a high price at the time of launch and sells on the basis on positive buzz and extravagant product quality. Soon after, it attracts the masses by cutting down the price to an affordable value. This happened with iPod, then with iPhone and now, it seems that history is about to repeat itself with iPad as well.

The rumor mill is buzzing about the iPad Price cut that Apple might be considering these days. It is not confirmed whether Apple will take the plunge(price cut) before iPad’s release or after it but tech pundits are bidding over the latter option at the moment.

Apple has had a track record of squeezing high margins at the early stage of product launch and tone down the price thereafter, to sell off its gizmos like hot cakes. The speculation is that Apple will prefer the earlier strategy only. This suggests that early iPad adopters are going to get a bad deal anyway.

So, who are going to be those poor guys who will play significant role in plausible success of iPad and will later be screwed up by Apple itself ?

“The cult of Apple Fanboi”.

Apple relishes a crazy following of guys(they’re in millions by the way) who buy whatever Apple produces, no matter what the price tag asks for. These guys love flaunting their sleek and sexy Apple gizmo within their community and don’t mind paying extra bucks for being the first to flaunt.

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