Lenovo sets expectations for tablet market

A man displays an unannounced Lenovo tablet computer running the full Windows 7 operating system at a preview of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas January 4, 2011. According to a spokesman at the show, the computer, scheduled to be available in May, has a tentative name of the IdeaPad Slate, uses the Intel ''Oak Trail'' 1.6gHz processor chip and has a 32gb SSD drive and a microSD slot.

Credit: Reuters/Rick Wilking

By Gabriel Madway

LAS VEGAS | Fri Jan 7, 2011 4:10pm EST

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Lenovo Group Ltd, which is making a concerted push into tablets, said it expects the devices to see good growth but still eventually only make up a fraction of the broader personal computer market.

Rory Read, chief operating officer for Lenovo, predicted that tablets will settle in at 10 percent to 15 percent of the overall PC market.

"I think it will fill in exactly where netbook was. Netbook I think has faded, it doesn't have that energy," he said in an interview on Friday at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Read said he does not expect Lenovo's tablets to cannibalize its PC sales: "We see it more as a third or fourth screen; additive, like a smartphone."

The overall PC market is expected to top 400 million units this year.

China-based Lenovo, the world's No. 4 PC maker, has been increasing sales at a torrid pace. Third-quarter PC shipments surged 33 percent in the third quarter, according to IDC.

The company showed off one of the more unique tablets at CES this year. The Lenovo U1 hybrid is a laptop running Microsoft's Windows, with a 10-inch touchscreen tablet -- which runs Google's mobile Android platform -- that pops out of the frame.

The device will be available in China in the first quarter for roughly $1,300. The company's LePad tablet is also sold separately for roughly $500.

Read said the U1 is an example of the sort of differentiated "converged" device that Lenovo is banking on to drive growth.

He said the company is focused on its hardware business, and has no interest in moving into areas such as IT services, where rivals like Hewlett-Packard and Dell are putting considerable energy.

Lenovo moved in 2009 to reacquire the cellphone business it had previously sold off, and it launched the LePhone smartphone a year ago at CES.

The device is still only available in China, where Read said it ranks as the No. 3 premium-priced smartphone.

When asked when Lenovo would launch a smartphone outside China, Read declined to provide a time frame.

"The idea is to get the scale first. We think you only get one time to make that best first impression. Other players are rushing to bring I think premature technology to market."

(Reporting by Gabriel Madway, editing by Dave Zimmerman)

Complete impressions of the Motorola Xoom tablet, the first real iPad competitor

Motorola unveiled its Xoom tablet just a few days ago. Below is our first impressions of the new Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) tablet, perhaps the first true competitor to the iPad.

The iPad has made tablets a hot commodity at CES this year. There are dozens of tablets on the show floor and, with the exception of a few highlights like the BlackBerry PlayBook, most of them are fairly forgettable. The Motorola Xoom, the first tablet to run Google’s new Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) OS, joins the PlayBook as one of the standout tablets at CES.

The unit itself feels as sturdy and well constructed as the iPad, but is actually a bit larger. It has a 10.1-inch widescreen display with a 1280×800 pixel display (slightly higher than the iPad’s 1024×768 pixel display). Like the new Atrix phone, the device is running a on the 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor and has a full gigabyte of DDR2 RAM. In addition, it has 32GB of internal storage, a 2MP front-facing camera, a micro HDMI port, a 5MP rear camera with a dual LED flash, and the ability to support 4G LTE speeds with an upgrade later this year. It is a Verizon exclusive device at this time, but Motorola representatives wouldn’t deny the possible addition of more carriers in the future.

The Xoom is a bit thicker than the iPad, but has a solid feel. The 10.1-inch form feels a lot more useful than the smaller 7-inch sizes offered by some tablets like the PlayBook, but size may be a personal preference. The Xoom also has a rubberized back on it that helps alleviate the fear of it slipping out of your hands at any moment.

Like the PlayBook, the Xoom is running a new operating system. The device was chosen by Google to debut its first version of Android built to run on touch tablet computers. Though weren’t able to spend too much time with the device, we walked away very impressed by our first look at Android 3.0 and Motorola’s integration of the operating system. The menus and speed of screen rotation are very snappy.

One of the new features of Honeycomb is the new way the main navigation buttons are displayed. Instead of having permanently lit buttons on one section of the device (even the iPad has a physical button), the Home, Menu, and Back buttons are now built into the lower left of the software. This is particularly nice with a tablet because many users will tilt it on its side or hold it vertically. Having hard-mounted buttons would limit the ease of use when turning the tablet around. The menu buttons minimize to a few pixels in thickness when unused. touching them makes them larger.

The homescreen has some good looking widgets and is much more flexible than the heavily gridded current Android versions like 2.2. Widgets are scrollable and you can flip between homescreens by flicking to the side or get a complete view of everything that’s running by flicking up on the device.

The media player has a gridded look to it, much like the current media players in Android devices. Motorola claims that the Xoom can run continuous video for about 10 hours before needing to charge–impressive battery life, if true, but we suspect the actual performance will be about 5-8 hours. Google’s eBook reading application will come pre-installed and Honeycomb apps will have widescreen modes so they work well on both tablets like the Xoom and smaller smartphones.

Like the iPad, the Xoom will also have 10-finger touch capabilities, which will make the on-screen keyboard much more useful. Also, it’s just fun to watch people move things around on-screen with all of their fingers. I suspect many tablets will move to a 10-finger touch in the year to come.

Like it did with the Droid smartphone in 2009, Motorola may be the first manufacturer to offer a competent alternative to Apple’s iPad. No pricing has been announced yet, but if it’s priced at lower or comparable prices to Apple’s tablet, I suspect Motorola may have a hit on its hands. I can’t say that it knocks the iPad out of the park, but it appears to match the device in most categories. We look forward to checking it out further when the Motorola Xoom hits shelves sometime in the first few months of this year.

Below is a long 6 minute demo we got from a Motorola executive. I apologize about the length, but was too fascinated to stop recording. Fair warning, the audio is a bit faint and I am no professional photographer. Thanks to our own Greg Mombert for the photos seen above.

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Sony aims for No. 2 tablet, CEO denies job reports

Howard Stringer, Chairman, CEO and President of Sony Corporation of America, is shown on stage as actors Seth Rogan and Jay Chou leave in a car from the upcoming Green Hornet movie during a media presentation at the Sony booth at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada January 5, 2011. The annual convention, the world's largest consumer technology trade show, officially begins January 6.

Credit: Reuters/Steve Marcus

By Isabel Reynolds

LAS VEGAS | Thu Jan 6, 2011 7:23pm EST

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Sony Corp aims to slide in behind Apple Inc as the world's second largest maker of tablet devices by 2012, a senior executive said on Thursday, adding that a PlayStation phone was also a potential opportunity.

Separately, Sony CEO Howard Stringer denied he was a candidate for the chairmanship of the BBC, after a media report said last month he had been approached about the post.

Sony, considered a laggard in some areas of high-end consumer electronics, surprised some by not unveiling a tablet rival to Apple's iPad at CES.

Competitors including Samsung -- whose Galaxy Tab is out and being called by some a potential iPad killer -- and Research in Motion -- which is getting positive early reviews for its PlayBook demonstrated here on Wednesday -- are pushing ahead.

But computer division head Kunimasa Suzuki said the company had ambitions to catch up quickly.

"For sure iPad is the king of tablets. But what is the second, what is the third? Who is taking the second position? That is our focus," Suzuki said. "We would like to really take the number two position in a year."

Stringer said the company was biding its time and considering whether the tablet offering should have 3D capability. "If I want to differentiate it from others, do I release it tomorrow, or do I wait till I differentiate it?"

Suzuki said he saw casual and social gaming as an area of interest for Sony, adding that the rumored PlayStation phone was "one potential opportunity," but declined to comment further.

A series of media reports have focused on 68-year-old Stringer's career prospects, with one saying part of his responsibilities would be hived off to another executive as Sony seeks to groom a successor. Last month, Britain's Daily Telegraph said he had been approached to become chairman of the BBC.

"I am not a candidate," Stringer told reporters at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Thursday. "I'm not worried about the future. I am still very excited about what we're doing here. For me, this is the culmination of a dream that started five years ago," he added.

Analysts say Stringer, who took the helm at Sony 5 years ago, deserves credit for pushing through necessary job and cost cuts and for trying to pull the sprawling conglomerate's diverse units together to leverage its unique combination of content and technology.

But the company has fallen behind Apple in terms of innovations that seize the public imagination and lost ground to South Korean rivals in the flat-panel television market.

Stringer, who is expected to stand down in 2013, joked that a lifetime award for technology he was set to receive later on Thursday inspired somber thoughts.

"That does suggest, I agree, it's over," he said. "Actually, I already have a lifetime achievement award in media from the Emmys too. That was ten years ago, so it doesn't mean it's over."

(Reporting by Isabel Reynolds and Edwin Chan; editing by Gunna Dickson, Gary Hill)

Dell unveils the Streak 7, new 7-inch tablet

Today at 2011 International CES, Dell and T-Mobile unveiled Dell's new 7-inch Android tablet, the Streak 7.

This is the first 4G capable tablet for both companies and has been designed for the super-fast mobile broadband speeds of T-Mobile’s 4G network.

The Streak 7 features Google’s Android 2.2 operating system, a dual core 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor and full support for Adobe Flash Player. It also comes equipped with a the rear-facing 5 megapixel camera for high-definition stills and video recording. The front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera with the preloaded Qik Video Chat application provide video-calling over T-Mobile’s network as well as Wi-Fi. The device is also Bluetooth 2.1 capable and comes with 16 GB of internal memory and SD Card slot with support for expandable memory up to 32 GB.

“Dell is continuing to create the very best in entertainment, mobile and gaming experiences,” said Steve Felice, president of Dell’s Consumer, Small and Medium Business unit. “With Streak 7 on the blazingly fast T-Mobile network, families, students and mobile professionals will gather, share, and find new ways to interact and keep in touch.”

The new Streak 7 will feature Dell’s Stage user interface. Later this year, Dell will add syncing to Stage so people can keep their photos, contacts, calendars and other personal content synchronized across their Dell Stage-equipped devices.

The Dell Streak 7 also comes preloaded with unique content and applications to entertain the whole family, including: T-Mobile TV, BrainPOP, Zinio, Qik Video Chat, Blockbuster, Kindle for Android, Let’s Golf demo, Slacker Radio and Zoodles.

The new Dell Streak 7 Tablet is expected to be available in the U.S. in the coming weeks at T-Mobile retail stores and directly from Dell. No word on pricing yet for the Dell Streak 7, but we’d expect to hear that shortly.

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Samsung gets creative with ultralight Note PC, sliding hybrid tablet

The Note PC Series 9 and Series 7 break away from Samsung’s tame stateside reputation for netbooks with innovation designs, including one that challenges Apple’s MacBook Air.

Third year’s the charm. Samsung first pried its way into the crowded notebook computer space two years ago, and despite establishing a solid foothold with vanilla netbooks, the company looks to be spreading its creative wings for the third year in the States. On Wednesday, the consumer electronics giant showcased an ultralight, aerospace-inspired notebook, as well as a hybrid tablet that slides open to reveal a full-sized keyboard.

At 2.88 pounds and 0.68 inches thick, Samsung’s Note PC 9 Series could easily be mistaken for a netbook on numbers alone, but the next-gen Intel Core i5 or Core i7 under the hood would beg to differ. Samsung realized the weight savings using Duralum, a lightweight alloy used in aerospace, and gave the machine swoopy, wing-like curves to match. And this is no prop plane: Samsung claims the 9 Series will boot to the desktop in just 12 seconds thanks to an SSD and wake from sleep in three seconds, which rivals even Apple’s rocketship MacBook Air.

That turns out to be an apt comparison, considering the Series 9 packs a 13-inch screen. Samsung opted for a Super Bright Plus model, which offers 400 nits of brightness, a 1,300 to one contrast ratio, and 16 million colors, and 1366 x 768 resolution.

Cashing in on the tablet trend that has stricken just about every manufacturer this year, Samsung also contorted one of its latest notebooks into a tablet – but not the way you would expect. Unlike your garden-variety convertible tablet with a pivoting screen, the Note PC Series 7 actually has a screen that slides linearly away from the keyboard beneath like a giant smartphone, then pivots up like an ordinary laptop hinge. Specs are more netbookish, including a 10.1-inch screen, 1.66GHz Intel Oak Trail processor, 2GB of RAM and a missing optical drive, but it runs Windows 7 and should be priced at only $699 when it arrives in March. Samsung will offer both 32GB and 64GB variants, both using SSDs that should allow them to boot in around 20 seconds.

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Microsoft links up with ARM in new tablet drive

By Bill Rigby

LAS VEGAS | Thu Jan 6, 2011 1:10am EST

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp is taking its biggest step away from a long-standing, lucrative alliance with Intel Corp, teaming up with Britain's ARM Holdings to take on Apple Inc in the red-hot tablet and smartphone arena.

Microsoft, the second-largest U.S. technology firm, plans to design a Windows operating system compatible with chips designed by ARM, an Intel rival and the dominant producer of chips for smartphones and tablet computers.

Chief Executive Steve Ballmer pitched the move in a typically ebullient opening address at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, looking to convince investors that his company can hold its dominance in a world moving away from PC-centric computing.

"Whatever device you use, now or in the future, Windows will be there," said Ballmer, stalking the stage in a packed, supportive auditorium, in his trademark blue shirt and slacks. "Windows will be everywhere on every kind of device, without compromise."

Investors and analysts were not immediately convinced that the software giant can maintain the dominance of Windows as Apple's iPad leads the exploding tablet market and Google's Android smartphone systems take off.

"The PC is not going to be the 95 percent dominant solution five years from now," said IDC analyst Al Hilwa. "The trajectory of the iPad and all these Android devices is to take on multiple form factors."

The lack of a coherent strategy on tablets hobbled Microsoft's share price last year, and its shares continue to trade around the same level they did eight years ago.

"We've already seen that the personal computer has lost dominance as a computing platform," said Brendan Barnicle, an analyst at Pacific Crest Securities. "Microsoft has to deal with the fact that Apple is making these really compelling devices."

Microsoft's move is the latest major win for ARM, which is making huge strides in mobile computing and on Wednesday also announced that graphics chipmaker Nvidia will begin designing central microprocessors for computers based on ARM architecture.

CORNERING THE MARKET

Microsoft's new approach marks a shift away from Intel, whose chips have held a hegemony on Windows operating systems on personal computers, and suggests the breakdown of the fabled "Wintel" alliance, which set the standard in early computing.

"It's highly symbolic, the Wintel duopoly that was such a good partnership for so long is fraying at the edges a little bit," said Todd Lowenstein, a portfolio manager at HighMark Capital Management.

The U.S. software maker offered no time frame for the launch of the ARM-supported operating system version, but Windows unit chief Steven Sinofsky said Microsoft typically aims for 24 to 36 months between major Windows versions, suggesting a launch date of between October 2011 and October 2012.

That means tablets capable of taking on Apple's iPad may be a year or more in coming, running the risk of leaving it too late to catch up with Apple's iPad, and betting that tablets will be an enduring new market.

"It's still early in the adoption phase for tablets," said Lowenstein. "Prices will be coming down, there is a mass market opening up even more, and both Intel and Microsoft have the capability to catch up. Microsoft has made a business model out of second-mover advantage, using its scale to crush opponents."

RIM announces 4G tablet, touts corporate interest

Jeff McDowell, senior vice president of enterprise and platform marketing for Research in Motion, holds a prototype Blackberry PlayBook, a seven-inch tablet, during an interview at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada January 5, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Steve Marcus

By Gabriel Madway

LAS VEGAS | Thu Jan 6, 2011 12:42am EST

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Corporate interest in Research in Motion's new tablet was "massive," the company said, as it announced plans to launch a 4G version of the device this summer with Sprint Nextel.

RIM for the first time on Wednesday provided a hands-on demonstration of the PlayBook, a seven-inch touchscreen tablet that will go head-to-head with Apple's iPad when the Wi-Fi-only version ships, likely in March.

"In large companies, they're talking deployment in the tens of thousands, right off the bat," said Jeff McDowell, senior vice president of enterprise and platform marketing for RIM.

He said corporations are viewing the PlayBook as a tool as essential to employees as a phone or a PC. "It's not something that they want to trickle in."

RIM's tablet is perhaps the most anticipated iPad rival in a sea of new competitors bent on challenging Apple and stealing a piece of a fast-growing market expected to top 50 million units next year.

McDowell said RIM decided to go with Sprint for its first high-speed wireless compatible tablet because it has most "ubiquitous 4G network at this point."

The choice of No. 3 U.S. mobile service Sprint as RIM's first carrier was an interesting one given that Sprint uses a high-speed wireless technology that is incompatible with networks being built by the top two U.S. mobile operators.

The PlayBook -- which sports a fast dual-core processor -- performed smoothly as it went through its paces, loading websites and applications quickly and playing Flash-based videos on the Internet with ease.

The PlayBook weighs less than one pound (400 grams) and is less than 10 millimeters thick, with a thin rubber coating.

Its software allows for multi-tasking and features a rotating "carousel" that shows all the programs that the device is running. A simple finger swipe up brings up the home screen, while a swipe out closes programs.

There has been plenty of debate in recent weeks about the PlayBook's battery life, a key point of competition in the tablet market. The 10-inch iPad boasts more than 10 hours of battery life.

McDowell said the PlayBook's battery will last as long or longer than other 7-inch tablets, although he declined to be more specific.

He said concerns about Flash programs draining battery life were "absurd generalizations." Apple has derided Flash as a battery hogging technology, and the iPad does not support the widely-used multimedia software.

TABLET WARS BEGIN

RIM is betting that its reputation for security and reliability will make the PlayBook a favorite in corporate IT departments.