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Reports released by ComScore told us that Amazon Kindle Fire now accounts for more than 50 percent of Android market in the US market. For Google, this is certainly a disappointing development, because a fork of Android and an alternative to Google Play store is dominating the US tablet market.

Kindle Fire has doubled its market share to 54.4 percent in February 2012, from 29.4 percent in December 2011. Also at the same month, various Galaxy Tab models combined took the second place at 15.4 percent, followed by tablets released by Motorola, Asus and Toshiba. US consumers can get a variety of tablets in market from the tiny Dell Streak with 5” display to the giant Excite 13 with 13” display.

Previous rumors told us that Amazon developed a 10” tablet along with the 7” Kindle Fire, but so far, there’s no sign that Amazon will launch such a thing. Google is working on an affordable 7” tablet and it will directly compete with Amazon’s offering. Overall, Amazon Kindle Fire provides a more restricted environment compared to other Android tablets, but the low $199 price tag is often cited as the major factor for its success.

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Ever since the original iPad was released two years ago, $500 has been viewed as a decent entry price for large tablets with 10” display, 8/16GB internal storage, no 3G/4G data and with Wi-Fi connectivity. All subsequent low-end iPad models have been priced from this starting point and some competitors have attempted to match it, although many failed. In the tablet market $500 has become a sweet spot, much like $200 for smartphones with 2-year contract.

So, it’s nice to see a high-end tablet with 10.1” display priced at just $399.99 online by Office Depot. There are a few caveats though, despite the name, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 is just a minor improvement over its predecessor. The only huge improvement is the availability of a microSD card slot and it is a bit thicker than the original Galaxy Tab 10.1, which is a letdown. It doesn’t make sense why Samsung chose to make a thicker tablet as the general tendency in the mobile industry is the exact opposite.

The new tablet gets to run Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.), whereas the predecessor is still waiting for the update. So far, it is still anyone’s guess when the original Galaxy Tab 10.1 will get the update. The tablet has bezel-mounted speakers and that’s expected to be a patent-proof design, a necessary requirement in the ongoing patent war between Samsung and Apple. It still uses the same old hardware configuration; 1GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 10.1” display with 1280 x 800 pixels resolution and a 3.2 Mp rear-facing camera with 1080p video recording capability.

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The media has glimpsed an image purportedly the rumored Google’s Galaxy Nexus tablet. Proponents substantiate their claims by pointing out a few positive clues. The image shows a display with icons of basic Google apps and service, but none icons from third-party developers. The display is also devoid of overlay often applied by major manufacturers such as Samsung’s TouchWiz UI or HTC’s Sense UI. The user interface is reminiscent of the stock Android 4.0 we get from Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

Another important point to note is the presence of status bar and soft keys, which is identical to what we find on the Galaxy Nexus. In spite of these compelling evidences, you may easily identify unusual aspects in the leaked image.

Previous rumors reported that the upcoming Nexus tablet is a seven incher, while the one in the render seems to be closer to a 10″ device. Another niggling detail is that it still uses the old green icon of Android market instead of the newer white-blue-red one used by Google Play store. However, we may easily argue that the render was released before Google Play was launched.

On top of that, we can immediately assume that there are more similarities than differences. The render might also be pointing toward a 7.7″ prototype we see previously showcased at CES and the render might be simply a production version. While there’s still no word about specifications and details regarding the rumored and upcoming affordable slate by Google. We will quickly update you when we hear something new.

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John Sculley, the former Apple CEO, praised the Samsung Galaxy Tab as the only tablet that can rival the iPad, he also hinted that once Windows 8 tablets arrive, they will shake the market quite a bit. Some tablets may be more advanced than the iPad but they still can’t keep up with Apple’s tablet as it continues to sell like hot cakes. Each major phone maker has its own version of “iPad killer” by offering features not found on Apple’s products, but it appears Cupertino’s branding and marketing campaign continue to capture consumers’ imagination – and money, of course. The former Apple’s executive reckoned that Windows 8 tablet can influence the sales rate of the iPad significantly. He pointed out that he has seen the developer versions of Windows Mobile and Windows 8 and they are really impressive. Consequently, we may eventually see the return of Nokia as a major player in the market due to its close partnership with Microsoft.
Steve Jobs asked Sculley to leave Pepsi Co. to join Apple. He led Apple for 10 years but he is best known for the controversial decision to fire Jobs. He is now running a number of investment ventures and continues to have soft spot for Apple. Sculley left Apple in 1993, so what he said isn’t exactly an insider’s opinion.
Since the first Galaxy Tab was introduced in the market, consumers have been treated with various models in all shapes and sizes. Consumers can choose what suits them best from the Tab 10.1 to the more portable Tab 7.0 Plus.

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Apple is pushing to have its Nano-SIM technology adopted as the new industry-wide standard, saying that royalty-free licenses would be granted to other major manufacturers. SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) stores information needed to integrate the mobile phone into the carrier’s network. SIM card often contains user personal data and contacts; it is removable and associated with only a single phone number.

However, the royalty-free royalties are granted only if other patent holders reciprocate and the technology is approved by ETSI as a new standard. A document related to the offer has been published on the ETSI website (European Telecommunication Standards Institute), which indicates Apple will offer the licenses on non-discriminatory, reasonable and fair terms.

Apple’s move comes just ahead of the plenary meeting on smart card platform that will be held by ETSI in France. Industry participants are expected to take vote on new formats and standards of SIM cards. There are a number of characteristics that come to play, such as the shape and size of the SIM card, as well as who develops the news standards. Another SIM card technology will be submitted by Nokia and RIM. There are very few differences between these two new SIM standards; they are virtually the same except for the slight dimension differences, which is only about a couple of millimeters. Apple is keen to have the technology adopted as the new standard; instead of using an existing patented technology that can be used by others as ammunition in the current legal battles among handset manufacturers.

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A study on the new iPad’s battery found that users should keep charging the tablet for one hour after the battery indicator reaches 100%. Using simple tools, experts discovered that the new iPad still drew about 10W of power even after the tablet said it has done charging and the indicator reached 100%.

With the new iPad, Apple bumped the battery capacity for about 70.percent to power the quad core GPU and the high resolution display. The iPad 2′s battery releases 25 watt-hour of power while the new iPad uses a 42.5 watt-hour battery. The more powerful components take a toll on Apple’s new tablet; to accommodate the larger battery, the new iPad is heavier and thicker than its predecessor.

It is also easy for users to notice that the new tablet needs twice as long to reach full battery capacity. In addition, experts advise that you shouldn’t unplug the tablet immediately even when it says that the charging process is completed. Meaning, you may get longer operational time when you wait for an hour.

It appears that the battery is only 90% charged when the indicator reaches 100%. This is should be a simple bug and the fix may be included in the iOS 5.1.1 update, although you may suspect that Apple intentionally rigged the indicator to shorten the charging time.

Previously, CNBC reported that the new iPad’s battery is overcharging itself, which is an inaccurate assumption as today’s batteries work differently with those manufactured in 1990′s.

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Three million new iPads have been sold throughout the world, since its launch last week. However, as fast as it’s flying off the shelves, new complaints began to emerge.  Consumer Reports released a study revealing that Apple’s latest tablet reached a temperature of 116 degrees Fahrenheit, when running hardware-intensive tasks, like 3D games.

The temperature is reached after the tablet is used for 45 minutes, with the Wi-Fi enabled and the tablet plugged in. The heat is concentrated at a corner where the battery is located. Overall, the new iPad runs about ten degrees hotter than the previous iPad 2, however it is not yet considered as a serious flaw.

Apple addressed the heat issue of the new iPad by saying that the tablet still operates well within Apple’s thermal specifications

Unfortunately, heat issue isn’t the only thing that brings the tablet under fire. Another potential shortcoming with the new tablet is the policies of data allotment and video streaming. Some users reported that they expended the 2GB monthly data allotment in one day when playing steaming live games. And to continue browsing the web and streaming videos, users need to pay $10 for 1GB of additional data allotment, on top of the $30 basic subscription. It seems third-party applications developers need to find a way to trim data requirements.

Data usage aside, new complaints on Wi-Fi issues are surfacing throughout Apple’s online forum. They found that the connection quality is sub-par compared to the first two iPad models, they could only access Wi-Fi for a couple of minutes and some disgruntled consumers said that they would return the device immediately.

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Here is an exclusive Windows 8 pre-beta hands-on video presentation by TheVerge at CES 2012. Windows 8 build 8175 includes the ability to switch the Start Screen colors, and you’ll see from their hands-on pictures. This new Windows app store is also expected to provide new business opportunities for developers and become a source of motivation for developers to build Metro-style apps that could make money on the popular OS.

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Since one year ago, the market share of tablets powered by Android has steadily skyrocketed to more than 700 percent. Meanwhile, the iPad’s market share has plummeted steadily and now it reaches a meager 67 percent. For some, the sudden rise of Android tablets seems to be as elusive as mythical beasts, like Yeti or Nessie. Facts derived from survey stats in the tech world can give you a sudden shock comparable to a bucketful of frigid water from Loch Ness.

It’s easy to make hyperbolic claims on how the iPad market share can drop from nearly 100 percent to a mere 67 percent, on the other hand, it’s difficult to downplay this significant decline. Some experts argue that there is a huge difference between products sold and products shipped. Manufacturers of Android tablets tend to talk about how many products are sitting in the retailers’ stores, while Apple usually reported on the actual sales figures.

Regardless of what figures being used by manufacturers, the decline of iPad’s market share is inevitable. iPad is intended for those who have enough cash to spend more than $500 for a touch device that have only limited computing ability. Android tablets have created a new market segment for those, who can only spend less than $400 for a tablet.

To sustain an acceptable market share, Apple needs to reach those with limited budget, especially after Amazon has released the decent Kindle Fire that costs only $199. A smaller, lower priced iPad can boost Apple’s sales and further put a pressure on Android tablet manufacturers already reeling from the release of Amazon’s Kindle Fire.

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Samsung will release the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus soon. The tablet will feature Peel Smart remote TV, which allows users to quickly watch favorite TV shows and find new ones based on their unique preferences. This can be performed with just a few taps on the screen. It’s easy to give Samsung credit, because they simply won’t back down from Apple’s legal threats and continue to release products that can erode the iPad’s market share.

The Galaxy Tab 7.0 offers a rich multimedia experience on a 7” display. Although the tablet has a chic lightweight design, measuring 9.96 thin and weighing just 345 grams, it powered by a fast 1.2 GHz dual-core processors, which will ensure an intuitive and smooth user experience.

The tablet can control your home theater with its built-in infrared emitter. The Peel feature in the Samsung’s tablet is more advanced that what’s currently available, because it doesn’t require cables or additional hardware for TV control functionality. Peel in Galaxy Tab Plus 7.0 is versatile because it works well with any home theater systems regardless of make and model.

Peels offers content-drive and intuitive graphical interface with personalized programming recommendations. Users no longer need to scroll through the standard channel-listing grids. Its home screen shows current favorite shows displayed in colorful thumbnail images, and by tapping one you can get a brief description and the information on which channel the TV show is on.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus may set you back $400. It will be available for pre-orders at October 23rd and will hit the stores at November 13th

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