Meg Whitman, HP’s new CEO, announced that the company will continue to build Windows tablets in an analyst call today. They are looking to Windows 8 to help maintain HP’s presence in this category. Todd Bradley also noted that they are not deterred by any Apple or Android devices.

What wasn’t so clear was the future of WebOS. Neither Mrs. Whitman nor Mr. Bradley had a concrete answer to what would happen saying “webOS is the next piece to complete. The whole team is working very hard to make the right decisions[...] We’ll make a decision about long term webOS within the next couple months.”

Posted by Randy Pinneta via This is my next

Dell is looking to capitalize on the business tablet market. To get this done they have recently announced the Latitude ST. This tablet is set to run Windows 7 on a 10.1″ tablet that is powered by an Atom  Z670 processor clocked at 1.5GHz. The tablet has 2GB of DDR2 RAM, Wi-Fi, an SD card reader and an HDMI and will have up to 128GB of storage. 

Dell states that the Latitude ST has provisioning, management and security aimed at the business sector. They have not said if there will be an upgrade to Windows 8 which is rumored to be out next year sometime.

The Latitude ST is expected to be available on November 1st in 53 different countries. No price has been mentioned as of yet.

Posted by Randy Pinneta via PCWorld

Madfinger Games has released one of best looking shooters Android has ever seen. Shadowgun can now be found in the Android Market for $4.99. It can also be found in Tegra Zone.

In Shadowgun you become John Slade an infamous bounty hunter. Your task is to hunt down the maniacal genius Dr. Edgar Simon and his mutant army. To help with this mission you get state of the art weaponry and S.A.R.A.—Slade’s personal android assistant and all of the luck you can muster.

If you haven’t seen video of the awesome looking game before please check the trailer below.

Posted by Randy Pinneta via Android Market

Lookout Security & Antivirus has long been a staple on Android phones providing Antivirus and phone location services as well as a few other features. At long last Lookout Mobile Security has decided to bring their app to the tablet crowd. While adding tablets they also made sure that their program would continue to provide service when Ice Cream Sandwich becomes a reality on devices.

I know that this is one app that I have been waiting for as I use it on my phone and have always wanted it on my tablet. Anyone else feel the same?

Lookout Security & Antivirus can be picked up in the Android Market and comes in a free an premium version.

Posted by Randy Pinneta via Android Market Link

It was just last week at AsiaD that we got the first look at the new Asus Transformer Prime. Though it wasn’t the best look up on the stage a few images have come up that allows us to get a better look at the new tablet as well as the new keyboard dock. Those images were pulled from the net almost as fast as they appeared but Notebook Italia was quick and saved them.

As can be seen in the images the new Transformer has a nice brushed metallic look. This moves over to the keyboard dock as well. The keyboard itself takes on a decidedly MacBook look which may or may not please everyone. Though it does look to provide a nice surface to type on.

There are more images over at Notebook Italia for you to peruse if you so decide.

Posted by Randy Pinneta via Notebook Italia

Though it did not meet the hoped for $35 price point, the Aakash (sky in Hindi) by Datawind at Rs.2,999 ( about $60) has a chance to connect India’s rapidly emerging urban population to those living at the fringes of this burgeoning superpower.

Taken at face value the Aakash does not seem like much. The 800×480 resistive touch screen along with the 366 MHz Connexant processor (running Froyo) pale in comparison to the recently announced Kindle Fire, however as Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal stated, “This is not just for us. This is for all of you who are disempowered.” Subsidizing and mass producing this device places the internet and basic technologies at the fingertips of a new generation who must survive in a rapidly tech-savvy work environment.

Source:

Aakash, Engadget, The Herald News

After his long battle with cancer, Steve Jobs has passed away today at the young age of 56.

“Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve. His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts.”

These were the words written on Apple’s main page; words for a man who changed the face of the electronic’s industry and revolutionized the relationship between the consumer and the corporation. We are all deeply saddened by the loss of a man who was one of the most influential figures of the last decade. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family.

Source:

Apple

While many of you may have thought MyTabletLife.com was dead, we’re back! August turned out to be a time when life got in the way for all of our contributors. Things should be starting to get back to normal, and hopefully by the time our 1 year anniversary hits in October we will be back into the full swing of things. We would like to thank all of our readers for your continued support.

Now lets get back to the tablets!!!

Posted by Chris Garcia 

In a move that might not surprise many HP has decided to discontinue all WebOS devices. This includes the new TouchPad. With recent reports of less then 10% sales coming from the likes of Best Buy HP has decided it is best to look in to other uses for WebOS. What this means for current owners of the device remains to be seen.

HP had recently dropped the price of the TouchPad by $100 to see if that might help stir up interest in the device but has apparently not done so.

It is possible that we might see WebOS in a tablet again if HP can get another manufacturer to license the OS. With the sales of the current TouchPad though it is doubtful that this will happen.

Posted by Randy Pinneta via BGR

Press Release:

HP Confirms Discussions with Autonomy Corporation plc Regarding Possible Business Combination; Makes Other Announcements

PALO ALTO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–HP (NYSE: HPQ) today commented on the recent announcement by Autonomy Corporation plc (LSE: AU.L). HP confirms that it is in discussions with Autonomy regarding a possible offer for the company.

HP also reported that it plans to announce that its board of directors has authorized the exploration of strategic alternatives for its Personal Systems Group (PSG). HP will consider a broad range of options that may include, among others, a full or partial separation of PSG from HP through a spin-off or other transaction.

In addition, HP reported that it plans to announce that it will discontinue operations for webOS devices, specifically the TouchPad and webOS phones. HP will continue to explore options to optimize the value of webOS software going forward.

HP today announced preliminary results for the third fiscal quarter 2011, with revenue of $31.2 billion compared with $30.7 billion one year ago.

In the third quarter, preliminary GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS) was $0.93 and non-GAAP diluted EPS was $1.10, compared with third quarter fiscal 2010 GAAP diluted EPS of $0.75 and non-GAAP diluted EPS of $1.08. Non-GAAP diluted EPS estimates exclude after-tax costs related primarily to the amortization of purchased intangible assets of approximately $0.17 per share and $0.33 per share in the third quarter of fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2010, respectively.

For the fourth fiscal quarter of 2011, HP estimates revenue of approximately $32.1 billion to $32.5 billion, GAAP diluted EPS in the range of $0.44 to $0.55, and non-GAAP diluted EPS in the range of $1.12 to $1.16. Non-GAAP diluted EPS guidance excludes after-tax costs of approximately $0.61 to $0.68 per share, related primarily to restructuring and shutdown costs associated with webOS devices, the amortization and impairment of purchased intangibles, restructuring charges and acquisition-related charges.

HP estimates full-year FY11 revenue will be approximately $127.2 billion to $127.6 billion, down from its previous estimate of $129 billion to $130 billion. FY11 GAAP diluted EPS is expected to be in the range of $3.59 to $3.70, down from its previous estimate of at least $4.27, and FY11 non-GAAP diluted EPS is expected to be in the range of $4.82 to $4.86, down from its previous estimate of at least $5.00. FY11 non-GAAP diluted EPS estimates exclude after-tax costs of approximately $1.16 to 1.23 per share, related primarily to restructuring and shutdown costs associated with webOS devices, the amortization and impairment of purchased intangibles, restructuring charges and acquisition-related charges.

HP will host a conference call with the financial community today at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET to discuss these announcements well as HP’s third quarter 2011 financial results. The call is accessible via an audio webcast at www.hp.com/investor/2011q3webcast.

Google Inc. has agreed to buy Motorola Mobility. A move that may help cement the dominance of Android in the smartphone market, and help further whittle away at Apple’s tablet market share. The deal has been approved by the boards of both Google and Motorola Mobility, and shareholders of Motorola Mobility will get $40 a share in cash. This purchase will also help Google with its patent portfolio, so that it can better protect itself from the lawyers from Apple Inc., and Oracle.

With Nokia focusing on Windows Phone, and Apple with its iOS, one could wonder what Google may do with this purchase. They will have to walk a fine line so they don’t turn off other Android phone/tablet vendors such as HTC, Samsung, and LG. Hopefully this will mean we will see some cutting edge devices from the Google owned Motorola Mobility very soon.

Posted by Chris Garcia via Bloomberg

The LG G-Slate may be the tablet that time forgot, but it’s still going to get an update. T-Mobile has announced that the device will start receiving the OTA Android 3.1 update starting today. You would think they would have just waited a few weeks and jumped to the 3.2 version of Android, but oh well. Here is the list of the some of the things Android 3.1 will bring to the LG G-Slate:

• Google Videos – A new Videos app has been added that allows you to buy and rent movies.

• Recent apps list expanded – The recent apps list has been expanded to show all apps recently used. After opening the apps list, touch one of the apps to access it.
• Home screen resizable widgets – Widgets built-in to Android 3.0 (Calendar, Email, Gmail, etc.) can now be resized vertically or horizontally on any one of the five home screens.
• USB accessory support – Customers can now attach a keyboard, pointing device, or gamepad to the G-Slate for use with typing, gaming, etc.
• Bug Fixes, and other enchancements – Improved browser and widget responsiveness. Fixed force close issues in several apps.

Posted by Chris Garcia via Phandroid

While stores have been offering the HP TouchPad at various discounts over the past few weeks, HP has just made a $100 price drop official. You can now pick up the 16GB version for $399, and the 32GB version for $499. HP is likely trying to get more TouchPads into consumers hands. More devices on the market will draw more developers to the WebOS table. More apps might mean more people will purchase your device (or wait, wasn’t that the price drop?), its all one big never-ending cycle of nonsense.

HP has a lot riding on the success of WebOS and the TouchPad. They consider it the future for every device that HP makes. They want WebOS on printers, Windows PC’s, and more. If the TouchPad and their new WebOS phones fail quickly, that may never come to fruition. I think that HP should have focused more on offering a better piece of hardware. WebOS has lots of promise, but the TouchPad’s hardware is very dated. If they would have waited a few more months and put out a more sleek and functional tablet, things might have turned out different.

Posted by Chris Garcia via Liliputing

Acer has just been the first one out of the gate with the release of their Acer Iconia Tab A100. The A100 is the first 7 inch Honeycomb (Android 3.+) tablet to hit the market (though many have been promised). The 7 inch device has a 1024×600 display, 1Ghz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and is available in 8GB and 16GB storage options.

Many will also be happy to hear that the A100 has a a micro HDMI port, microUSB port, and microSD card slot. You can pick up the 8GB version for $329, and the 16GB for $349. As of right now only WiFi versions of the tablet are available.The tablets dimensions are 7.7″x4.6″x0.5″ and it weighs just 0.9 pounds. The battery is rated at about 5 hours of usage, which may deter many of you from picking this baby up.

A few reviews have already been put out. You can find one at Engadget, and one at Gizmodo. Seems they were underwhelmed by the device. Battery life and viewing angles seems to be its weak points. But with a price of $329, I am sure many will pick it up. Especially those who have been waiting for a 7 inch Honeycomb tablet. Check your favorite online retailers to see if they have the Acer Iconia A100 available yet.

Posted by Chris Garcia via Liliputing

We have just updated our app on the Android Market. If you already have the app we ask that you update to the latest version. For those who had issues with it in the past, or haven’t downloaded it before, we think you should give it a try. You can stay up to date with all the goings on at MyTabletLife.com right from your Android phone or tablet.

Download the app from here: MyTabletLife.com Android App

Posted by Chris Garcia

Samsung had a press event today announcing the official release of their TouchWiz UX update for the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 tablet. Those at the event and people in the NYC area can get their device side-loaded with the update today, and the it will start hitting the general public on August 5th. This update brings a overhaul to the user interface on the currently stock Honeycomb (Android 3.1) device. A break down of what the update includes is below.

• Live Panel: Magazine-like widget view for immediate access to weather, social updates, email, news, photo gallery, all on the home screen. The visual layout of Live Panel is completely customizable for one-touch entry into each user’s most important information.
• Mini Mode Tray: One-touch access to commonly used applications–Task Manager, Calendar, World Clock, Pen Memo, Calculator, Music–which overlay in a pop-up window on display screen for powerful multi-tasking.
• Clipboard: Advanced copy & paste functionality allows Galaxy Tab 10.1 users to store photos, Web pages, YouTube links, etc., on the clipboard for easy sharing via email and social network sites.
• Indicator Quick Panel: Quickly toggle on/off Wi-Fi, notifications, sound, brightness and settings in lower right hand corner of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 display.
• Photo Editor: Rotate, crop and adjust colors on high quality digital images

You can check out the press release for even more detail on what this update entails.

Posted by Chris Garcia via Phandroid and Samsung Mobile Press Release

While Motorola XOOM WiFi users have already gotten their Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) update a few weeks back, now the XOOM 3G owners get their turn. Droid Life has gotten a hold of a posting about the update from Verizon, and it could start going out as early as today. For the XOOM 3G this brings SD card support, screen scaling support (for smartphone apps to look better on tablets), and improvements related to Movie watching and renting.

Verizon has not officially stated on their own yet that this update will be out. But XOOM 3G owners can check for the update by going to Settings>About Tablet>System Updates. There is still no word on when the Android 3.2 update will hit other devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Toshiba Thrive, or Acer Iconia Tab A500.

Posted by Chris Garcia via Droid Life

When the BlackBerry PlayBook was released RIM had promised that the ability to run Android apps would come sometime during the summer, but now reports are coming out that this won’t happen until late fall. The BlackBerry PlayBook has been struggling to compete in this ever expanding tablet market, and this is yet another setback for the device. The PlayBook still needs to be paired with a BlackBerry phone to use your email and calendar applications. RIM had said this would be addressed quickly after launch, but this also has not come to fruition.

RIM needs to get things in better order if they ultimately want the PlayBook to succeed. Rumors had sparked a few weeks ago that they were already planning on discontinuing the WiFi edition of the PlayBook, but RIM denied this. These delays could be the final nail in the coffin for the device. The HP TouchPad and Apple iPad may have a better chance of taking the enterprise markets, which RIM thought their PlayBook would flourish in.

Posted by Chris Garcia via Engadget

Pandigital is looking to stay in the low end Android tablet market. They have just released the Pandigital Nova for $170 at BestBuy. This new tablet packs in Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a 7″ 600 x 800 TFT-LCD, 4GB internal storage, WiFi, microsd expansion, front and rear facing cameras all powered by an 800MHz Samsung cpu. While these might not be top of the line specs you won’t be paying top of the line prices at just $170.

So, if your looking for a mild mannered Android tablet with a cheap price this might be a tablet for you to look at. BestBuy has them in stock at certain stores and on a 1 to 2 week delivery time online.

Posted by Randy Pinneta via BestBuy

The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer has been one of the more popular Android tablets on the market. Price has been the main reason for this, as it sells for $100 less then comparable tablets from Samsung and Motorola. The second reason has been for its unique keyboard dock. The dock brings a full keyboard and trackpad, but also its own battery which doubles the battery time for the tablet. ASUS initially had a hard time with production and keeping up with demand, but you can now readily find the device online and in stores. With the success of the device ASUS has let it be known that the next generation Transformer could be out by October.

Not much detail was given on what this updated version of the Transformer will bring to the table. Speculation is that it will have the next generation quad-core Tegra 3 processor, and possibly the next version of Android called Ice Cream Sandwich. Ice Cream Sandwich is the convergence of Honeycomb and Android for smartphones. Ice Cream Sandwich(ICS) is set to work on all devices such as tablets, phones, Google TV devices, and more. With the success of their first Honeycomb tablet, Google might be giving ASUS early access to ICS as they did with Honeycomb for Motorola. Hopefully ASUS will continue to be competitive with pricing for this new device.

Posted by Chris Garcia via Liliputing

It looks like the rumors were true that the ASUS Transformer would the the next device to get the Android 3.2 update after the Motorola XOOM. Users are now reporting that the update started hitting their devices this past weekend. This update does not bring any big changes to the tablet, but does bring better support for smartphone based apps. This allows apps built just for phones to now take better advantage of the larger tablet screens.

There is still no word on when other Honeycomb devices will get this update. This update also brings support for tablets smaller then 10 inches. This sets the stage for the release of the 7 inch tablets from Acer and Asus, and also the 8.9 inch tablet due out by Samsung.

Posted by Chris Garcia via Liliputing