R3 Media Network

Editor’s Choice
DIY Transformers 2 Megatron tank is utterly crazy
Nintendo 3DS games detailed: Nintendogs, Steel Diver, more
AT&T Motorola ATRIX 4G on sale now

SlashPhone
Sprint to Reveal a New Phone, Suspected to be The HTC 7 Pro
BlackBerry Bold Touch Caught in Wild
O2 Getting White Xperia Play

Android Community
Advent Vega Dock now on sale: HDMI and USB
Android Community Big Fat Android Toy Giveaway #1 WINNERS
Motorola XOOM priced by Verizon: No big subsidies for first Honeycomb slate
Toshiba updates AC100 to Android 2.2 with Flash Player support
Motorola ATRIX 4G arrives on AT&T for $200
Flash Player 10.2 for Motorola XOOM “within a few weeks”
Motorola DroidX & Droid 2 get a fancy Gingerbread Port
Motorola XOOM Street Egg Ad Released
Motorola ATRIX 4G Laptop Dock Demo
Motorola ATRIX 4G HD Dock Demo
Android Toy Series 2 Secret Figure #2 [SPOILER]
VCast Music gets updated on Android
Verizon fuels sales for Motorola Mobility
Samsung Pulls Captivate Update Page After News Leaked
Motorola Roadster Review [In-Car Bluetooth Speakerphone]
Twitter lets third party clients out of the penalty box
Samsung Epic 4G to get some Froyo today
HTC ThunderBolt Rooftop Ad Released
HTC Inspire 4G Review
US Cellular offers buy one get five deal on Android

SlashGear
DIY Transformers 2 Megatron tank is utterly crazy
Apple considering 24-bit iPod/iTunes update for boosted audio quality?
OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro Qx2: 12TB of super-flexible storage
SuperTalent CoreStore SSDs promise 350MB/s read & 220MB/s write rates
Verizon Motorola XOOM pricing confirmed: $600 with agreement
Palm Pre Plus webOS 2.1 update already up and running on French phone
$76 Micro Four Thirds/NEX lenses promised as China weighs in
T-Mobile readying unlimited data plan
Nintendo 3DS games detailed: Nintendogs, Steel Diver, more
Spring Design “phasing out” Alex ereader
Amazon Prime Instant Video service switched on
Toshiba AC100 Android 2.2 Froyo update arrives with Flash support
Apple looking to white iPhone 5 as touch supplier leaks
Steve Jobs says subscriptions are “for publishing apps” but confusion remains
Sony VAIO L Series all-in-one wraps touch-bezel around multitouch screen
Sony VAIO C Series: Garish looks hide decent notebooks
Palm Pre Plus gets webOS 2.1.0 update in Germany
Sony VAIO S Series: 13.3-inch ultraportable with 14hr runtime
Nokia N950 MeeGo phone named: “very elegant hardware” says CTO [Video]
Apple iPad 2 release in June after production delays tip analysts
Secusmart encryption microSD: security costs $2,700 [Video]
Apple iPad stock shortages tip iPad 2 imminent
Geohot Sony defense fund closes after rapid response
HP TouchPad tablet shipping April tip suppliers
AT&T Motorola ATRIX 4G on sale now
Motorola XOOM Flash Player 10.2 release “within a few weeks”
Lenovo ThinkPad W520 quadcore desktop replacement outed
Lenovo ThinkPad T420s, T420 and T520: up to 30hrs battery life
Lenovo ThinkPad L420 and L520 entry-level notebooks outed
Verizon Updates V Cast Music App for Android
Verizon Releases New Ad For Motorola Xoom
Apple’s New Subscription Policy Upsets Readability App
Sony 3D Dual-View Split Screen Demo For PlayStation 3

To see more Daily Slash posts, click here: [The Daily Slash] or here: [SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up]

You may have been able to grab Flash Player 10.1 with your device before now if you had access to less legal sources, but this announcement by Advent is encouraging. They’ve linked to Build 1.09 at http://bit.ly/cDd99a and encourage you to go ahead and download, while they mention further that the soft update will be coming out early next week.

Now you can do all the flashing you ever wanted to do in your life! While we’re here, let me ask you Advent Vega owners – are you glad you purchased the Vega? How’s it working for you?

[via Twitter]

R3 Media Network

Editor’s Choice
AIDS cure with stem cell transplant found claim German doctors [CAUTIOUS EXCITEMENT]
Japanese dudes skydive Google Earth style [WEEE]
KAIST sells eight HUBO 2 robots to US and Singapore [HUMAN AFTER ALL]

Android Community
Lotus Notes Traveler hits Android
RSA offers new security tools to make Android eCom and enterprise friendly
SuperShuttle app hits Android to get you a ride to the airport
Nexus One Android 2.3 Gingerbread ROM is unofficial work-in-progress
Advent Vega Flash Player 10.1 pulled over missing certification
Vodafone HTC Magic gets Android 2.2.1 OTA update
Google acquire NFC startup Zetawire for mobile wallet ambitions
Words with Friends Port for Android Coming Soon

SlashGear
AIDS cure with stem cell transplant found claim German doctors
Google Chrome OS is “careless computing” warns GNU founder
Dell Venue Pro delayed until Jan 6 2011
Toshiba unveils enterprise class SSD
Hitachi 3TB HDD ships to OEM
Acer Iconia dual-touch laptop arrives UK on Jan 14 2011 for £1,499
Nokia E7 delayed until early 2011 [Updated]
eLocity A7 tablet now shipping
IBM Watson supercomputer to challenge all time great Jeopardy champions
Chevy Volt loaded on to car carriers and on way to first customers
EFO outs Rechargeable mini loud-speaker
Advent pull Flash Player 10.1 from Vega tablet until “early 2011″
Japanese dudes skydive Google Earth style
Verizon 4G LTE modem gets Mac OS X hack
KAIST sells eight HUBO 2 robots to US and Singapore
Final bids are due for Nortel Network patent treasure trove
Colorful offers up special edition single slot NVIDIA GTS 450
Samsung Tegra 2 tablet for 2011 tipped
RunCore offers SSD specials for Christmas
Google attempts to Teach Parents Tech (so you don’t have to) [Video]
Comcast Xcalibur smart TV trials tip Google TV rival
Toshiba Retina Display LCD plant gets Apple investment
HP webOS tablet due March 2011 tips analyst
Samsung Gloria & Dell tablets to star in Ballmer’s CES 2011 Microsoft keynote?
Google acquires NFC specialist Zetawire for “Walleto” e-wallet tech
Best Buy Nexus S sales plans detailed: 2 per buyer from 8am on Dec 16
CLEAR iSpot and Spot 4G mobile hotspots price-slashed
LG Optimus 2X (aka Korea’s LG Star) gets video demos
Amazon Windowshop for UK, France & Germany hits iPad App Store

To see more wrap-up posts, follow the following tags: [The Daily Slash] or [SlashGear Morning Wrap-up]

R3 Media Network

SlashPhone
Patriot Memory to Offer Class 10 microSDHC Memory Card
Windows Phone 7 Cut and Paste Caught on Video
ASUS E600 Windows Phone 7 Smartphone Make an FCC Appereance
Gingerbread OTA Update For Nexus One Available In A Few Weeks

Android Community
Add the new Gingerbread keyboard to your Android 2.2 device with these steps
New guide outlines packaging Tablet & Phone UI in a single APK
Students living in Campus Apartments buildings can pay rent from Android smartphones
KBB app for Android downloaded 50K times in less than a month
Google Maps for Mobile 5.0 incoming: 3D dynamic mapping, caching, more
Motorola Android Honeycomb tablet gets brief preview
Sweet FRG83D Update for DROID A855 from Verizon

SlashGear
Advent Vega [REVIEW]
Crazy Yoomi Duo iPad game is part app part real world board game
Large Pocket Shirt makes you look like The Little’s
Quirky outs cool modular cooking utensil
DIY jog wheel controller uses old VCR head
Samsung outs new green memory with advanced chip stacking tech
Adesso offers new WKB-2000CB iPad case with wireless keyboard inside
Acer tosses out new Revo 100 media PC in the UK
Green Porsche Cayenne S hybrid gets federal tax credit
sWaP Rebel touchscreen phone watch is geeky fashion at its finest
Macy’s saves millions migrating to green LED lights for 86 stores
16GB and 32GB class 10 microSDHC Cards surface from Patriot Memory
Apache Wave reboots Google’s collaborative tool in open-source Incubator
Taiji dual-screen tablet and Win 7 slate shown off
iPad iOS 4.2 power loss leaves Connection Kit users in the cold
Amazon Kindle for Web full ebook access to get previewed today
Toshiba readying Windows 7, Chrome OS and Android tablets for CES 2011?
iPad 2 shipping Feb 2011 for April release tip insiders
Honeycomb Motorola Android tablet previewed by Andy Rubin

To see more wrap-up posts, follow the following tags: [The Daily Slash] or [SlashGear Morning Wrap-up]

Hardware

Compared to the brushed metal of the iPad or the sturdy compactness of the Galaxy Tab, the Vega’s plastic construction and uninspiring design feels more mundane. Still, it’s also around half the price of those rivals, so we’re more forgiving of the bland aesthetic. The rear panel sounds somewhat hollow when tapped, and squeezing it in the middle causes distortion on the LCD; the edges – where you’re more likely to be gripping – are sturdier. At 275 x 177 x 14 mm it’s reasonably thin, though it’s longer (and narrower) than the iPad.

Advent Vega unboxing & hands-on:

Up front is a 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 resolution display with a capacitive touchscreen, and we’re not all that impressed by Advent’s choice of panel. Colors are reasonable, and it’s a bright screen, but the viewing angles are poor, particularly the vertical angles. Viewed dead-on in landscape orientation and it’s fine, but lay the Vega down on a table or beside you on the sofa and there’s considerable distortion of the picture, particularly along the bottom edge (where the shortcut bar lives on the homescreen. Flip into portrait orientation, and the shallow angles are even more frustrating, with websites suffering from glare and discoloration.

Image taken with Vega and Galaxy Tab at full brightness, showing same 1024 x 600 image.

Bar the 1.3-megapixel webcam – which takes unpleasantly fuzzy stills – the Vega’s bezel is completely bare, with all of the hardware controls pushed to the edges of the slate. On the top edge there’s a microphone, power/lock button, a switch to lock screen orientation and a back button, while running down the right side there’s a volume rocker, headphones socket, MicroSD slot (with a 4GB card preloaded), USB port and HDMI port, along with the power connector. A docking connector is on the bottom edge, though so far there are no accessories that take advantage of it, and a pair of stereo speakers are on the back. There’s no dedicated home, search or menu keys, as you’d expect to find on an Android device, though a long-press on the back button calls up the context menu, and a long-press on the power button offers home as an option.

Wireless connectivity is limited to WiFi b/g and Bluetooth; Advent tells us that a 3G-enabled Vega is in the pipeline, but this first model has no cellular modem. While that doesn’t present much of an issue for home use, it does have an impact on what software Advent can use; more on that in the next section.

Software

The Vega scores points for using Android 2.2 Froyo, rather than an earlier version of the Google platform, though if you’ve come to the tablet from an Android smartphone then you’ll likely find plenty missing. Google’s mandatory specifications for Android devices – which the Vega doesn’t achieve – means the tablet lacks Android Market access together with all of the custom Google apps, like Gmail, Google Maps and Google Voice. In fact, the application launcher is surprisingly bare: out of the box you get the browser (with multitouch pinch-zooming but no Flash), calculator, camera app (for use with the webcam), clock, WHSmiths ebooks app, email, gallery, iFileManager, music, search, Sound Recorder and a shortcut to the online Vega help portal. There’s no native PDF or Office File viewer, though, which means downloaded instructions and guides from that portal can’t actually be read on the Vega itself.

Third-party apps can be loaded via their raw .apk files – you can browse to them at a site like GetJar.com, download and install them with no issues – or you can opt for a third-party application store, such as SlideMe or AppsLib. Still, where Samsung took the core Android 2.2 experience and boosted it to suit the larger-screen Galaxy Tab, the Vega feels like a backward step in comparison.

Advent’s changes to Froyo are minor, the most obvious being to accommodate the missing hardware buttons. A toolbar along the top of the display has a home shortcut on the far left and menu/back buttons on the far right. There are also WiFi, battery and clock indicators. The battery gauge can be sluggish to respond; on several occasions we hit the power button to glance at how much juice was left, then had to wait as the gauge updated to the latest figure. Five homescreen panes mock the absence of apps to fill them with, and a persistent shortcut row along the bottom links to settings, mail, browser, My Media and then the Facebook, Twitter and YouTube sites.

The absence of apps is frustrating, because we can’t really fault Tegra 2′s performance. The browser whips along nicely, rendering even complex sites quickly, and multitouch zooming suffers no stuttering or lag. Screen rotation (in all but the homescreen, which is locked to landscape orientation) is similarly fast. Angry Birds – the .apk install file for which we downloaded in the browser and then installed manually – looked great on the 10-inch screen and played with no issues. We could only access YouTube via the m.youtube.com mobile site – the full site wouldn’t recognize the Flash Player 10.1 plugin Advent had installed – and quality was mixed.

Multimedia playback proved frustrating. We first tried loading a selection of AVI, DivX and other format video clips onto the Vega’s microSD (a microSD to SD adapter is included in the box), but the tablet proved reluctant to show them in the file browser. Instead, we had to use the VegaMedia app, with a companion PC sync manager (Windows only) that you drag files onto and it automatically pushes them over to the tablet. We can’t see any change in format along the way – it literally copies them from your computer to the tablet – but done that way the iFileManager app could see the media.

As for file types, a MKV HD clip proved too much for the Vega to handle, but an SD MKV was no trouble at all. DivX and MP4 were also handled readily – the latter in HD, even. The HDMI output worked well, showing not only the playing media but mirroring everything on the Vega’s display; still, you’re stuck at the same 1024 x 600 resolution when browsing around, so it can look underwhelming on a Full HD panel.

The Vega’s salvation is likely to be in the hands of the Android homebrew community, and there’s already at least one alternative ROM that adds unofficial access to the Android Market along with all the usual Google apps. The process of rooting and installing the Vega is apparently straightforward, and the end result is a far more flexible slate.

Battery

Advent suggest you’ll see around 6.5hrs of HD movie playback or up to 16hrs of audio playback (with the screen off) from a full charge of the Vega. In practice, with mixed use – predominantly browsing – we managed a full day’s use before the battery expired, though power draw while in standby was higher than on the Galaxy Tab or iPad. Overnight, the Vega dropped from 93-percent to 69-percent with no use whatsoever.

Wrap-Up

There are times – web browsing, for instance – when we had to remind ourselves how cheap the Vega is, given its performance lived up to other far more expensive tablets. At other times, the cost-cutting required to hit that price reared its head, with the lacklustre viewing angles of the display being a particular frustration. Reading text or looking at photos or video is simply a more enjoyable experience with the iPad or Galaxy Tab’s displays.

Out of the box, there’s definitely a sense that you get what you pay for. Advent could have done themselves major favors by throwing in some custom apps for social networking, IM or video calls, or by preloading things like Fring or Skype. Instead, there’s a webcam that only gets used to take vanity stills and a processor that’s massively under-utilized.

Spend some time tinkering, however – whether that be the basics of installing a third-party app store, or going the more complex route of flashing an alternative ROM – and the Vega proposition is far more appealing. That appeal seems to have caught the Android dev community, for whom Advent’s limitations are of no real consequence. Mainstream users, however, will likely find the Vega underwhelming in its pure form.

Advent has also confirmed that all pre-orders from the Vega’s last sales availability earlier in the week have been processed, so if you were lucky enough to punch in your credit card details in time you should have a present winging its way through the post soon. More details on the slate in our hands-on unboxing; we’ll have a review of the Vega very soon.

SlashPIRACY
I’ll just leave this here and you tell me what you think about it. This is a quote from a spokesperson from the BPI (essentially England’s music industry, similar to USA’s RIAA) responding to Google’s recent tweaks to its search service like removing words associated with piracy from appearing on autocomplete: “It is encouraging that Google is beginning to respond to our calls to act more responsibly with regard to illegal content, … However, this package of measures, while welcome, still ignores the heart of the problem – that Google search overwhelmingly directs consumers looking for music and other digital entertainment to illegal sites” – these words basically repeated by Richard Mollet of the Publishers Association: “We hope that the measures announced today take effect quickly and that Google could then consider going further, so that illegal sites don’t appear in general free search results.”

[Via BBC]

R3 Media Network

SlashPhone
Google Planning on Their Own online eBook Store
PSP Phone Spotted in Greece [caught on video]

Android Community
Pocket God hits Android, has issues
Speck launches new cases for Galaxy Tab and Galaxy S
Spotify for Android update suits tablets, speeds performance
Verizon’s 4G LTE Network Initial Impressions
Business Insider Ranks Google TV and Nexus One Among Top 15 Biggest Tech Flops of 2010
Google Doodles Now Available on Mobile Devices
Android Flash Player Updated 10.1.105.7
Galaxy S Android 2.2 Delay Addressed by T-Mobile – Maybe Due Next Week?
NOOKcolor Receives Full Teardown
Android 2.3 Gingerbread User Interface Demonstration [in Cantonese] [GINGERBREAD YAY]

SlashGear
Malcolm Fontier outs iMojito hybrid iPhone case and wallet
Verizon 4G LTE contract-free options confirmed
NASA find new lifeform: arsenic microbe widens likelihood of extraterrestrial life [BIGGEST NEWS EVER, EVER]
OnLive PlayPack $9.99 flat-rate gaming plan debuts as MicroConsoles ship
iPad bests Galaxy Tab in perceived value; neither live up to RRP
RIM adds The Astonishing Tribe to its team
Apple TV HD movie streaming delays frustrating owners
Samsung develops highest density LPDDR2 DRAM in industry for mobile devices
HTC watching tablet market and will focus on Android rather than Windows Phone 7 for now
ThinkGeek ships uber geeky Electronic Music Synthesizer shirt
XIM3 gadget breaks cover to let you bring other controller types to your Xbox 360
PeeWee launches new PeeWee Power 2.0 laptop for kids
Sanus outs new basic TV stands and no-drill TV mount
Amazon yank WikiLeaks hosting amid first-amendment furore [FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUU]
Motorola wireless STB streamer due at CES 2011 to take on Slingbox [Updated]
Apple 3D patent details glasses-free display
UK to lead in 4G LTE roll-out, regulator Ofcom predicts
Advent Vega tablet back on sale [Update: all gone!]
Apple fiber-optic MagSafe cable patent tips potential Light Peak support
Fifty Percent of Xbox LIVE Users Are Gold Subscribers, So Says Microsoft
Wii Speak Phased Out by Nintendo …Maybe
New Right-Click Menu item for YouTube Allows Instant Time Link
NASA: The Definition of Life Has Just Expanded [A WHOLE NEW WORLD]
Concept Design Shows Smartphone Floating in Mid-Air to Charge Battery
Sony Aims for Life-Size 3D Holographics by 2022
Just admit it: We all want bigger HDTVs [COLUMN]
Logitech Revue Promoted by Kevin Bacon’s Biggest Fan
Apple Patent Application Suggests Pop-Up Radial Menus Could be Included in iOS 5
Angry Birds Seasons Expansion Now Available in Apple App Store [WEEE]
Advent Vega unboxing & hands-on [Video] [FEATURED]
4G Motorola devices in early 2011; tablets imminent & Verizon iPhone tipped for Q1

To see more Daily Slash posts, click here: [The Daily Slash] or here: [SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up]

Video after the cut

Advent’s retail bundle isn’t exactly overflowing with accessories, but then again it’s just £249 ($389). Aside from the wall-wart AC adapter you get a USB cable and a quick-start guide, together with an SD card adapter for use with the included 4GB microSD, but if you want a case you’ll have to wait for Advent to offer one separately (which we’re told is imminent).

The Vega itself is a hefty slate, with a considerable bezel around its 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen. It’s longer and thicker than the iPad, though a little narrower, and the wide-aspect screen is noticeably thinner. Compared to the Galaxy Tab it’s obviously larger, and though both slates use a 1024 x 600 panel the higher pixel density on the Samsung makes it look crisper. More worrying are the poor viewing angles on the Vega, with odd colors and inversions visible when you’re not far off-center; they’re even more noticeable in portrait orientation. We’ll be keeping an eye on how much that affects usability overall.

Advent Vega unboxing & hands-on:

Performance, meanwhile, is slick and we have no complaints on that front. Apps boot quickly and pinch-zooming in the browser is swift and scrolling lag-free. It’s worth noting that, in its pure form, the Vega lacks Android Market access and, indeed, any of Google’s own custom apps, such as Gmail, Google Maps or the like. There are custom ROMs out there which will address that, however, and you can download and install .apk files as normal.

We’ll be putting the Advent Vega through its paces to see if you’re getting a bargain or a whole lot of cut-corners ahead of the full SlashGear review, so let us know if you have any specific questions in the comments!

R3 Media Network

SlashPhone
Google Planning on Their Own online eBook Store
PSP Phone Spotted in Greece [caught on video]

Android Community
Pocket God hits Android, has issues
Speck launches new cases for Galaxy Tab and Galaxy S
Spotify for Android update suits tablets, speeds performance
Verizon’s 4G LTE Network Initial Impressions
Business Insider Ranks Google TV and Nexus One Among Top 15 Biggest Tech Flops of 2010

SlashGear
Malcolm Fontier outs iMojito hybrid iPhone case and wallet
Verizon 4G LTE contract-free options confirmed [COSTLY]
NASA find new lifeform: arsenic microbe widens likelihood of extraterrestrial life [MIND BLOWN]
OnLive PlayPack $9.99 flat-rate gaming plan debuts as MicroConsoles ship
iPad bests Galaxy Tab in perceived value; neither live up to RRP
RIM adds The Astonishing Tribe to its team
Apple TV HD movie streaming delays frustrating owners
Samsung develops highest density LPDDR2 DRAM in industry for mobile devices
HTC watching tablet market and will focus on Android rather than Windows Phone 7 for now
ThinkGeek ships uber geeky Electronic Music Synthesizer shirt
XIM3 gadget breaks cover to let you bring other controller types to your Xbox 360
PeeWee launches new PeeWee Power 2.0 laptop for kids
Sanus outs new basic TV stands and no-drill TV mount
Amazon yank WikiLeaks hosting amid first-amendment furore [FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUU]
Motorola wireless STB streamer due at CES 2011 to take on Slingbox [Updated]
Apple 3D patent details glasses-free display
UK to lead in 4G LTE roll-out, regulator Ofcom predicts
Advent Vega tablet back on sale [Update: all gone!]
Apple fiber-optic MagSafe cable patent tips potential Light Peak support

To see more wrap-up posts, follow the following tags: [The Daily Slash] or [SlashGear Morning Wrap-up]

Meanwhile Advent has confirmed that there will be an official case for the Vega soon, though it’s unclear if this is the first in a range of accessories for the slate. More hardware details in our hands-on report.

Update: That was quick – looks like all the stock has gone again.

Bizarrely, this means it’s easier to get access to the Android Market than it is to pick up a retail Advent Vega; the tablet is still out of stock at PC World, Dixons and Currys, though we’re told it’s expected to return to shelves – in limited numbers – by the end of this week. More details on the tablet itself in our hands-on report.

[via Android Community]

There’s no telling what, exactly, drives a person’s desire for a product. Some want functionality. Some want a clean User Interface. And some want all of it, all bundled up in a nice package. Some would argue that Apple has that, while others would say that the Galaxy Tab does all of that and more. In the case of the second generation iPad, which is starting to hit the limelight more and more as we reach the first quarter of 2011, there are so many rumors about what that device will feature, it’s getting ridiculous. From a front-facing camera for FaceTime calling, to being reinforced with Carbon Fiber for better protection, the rumors are painting quite the interesting, and high-end device. Of course, the software will play a major role in the device, which is still not officially announced, so it will be interesting to see what Apple does indeed have in store for the next iteration of their tablet device.

And now, with rumors that the second generation iPad will be a world-based device, featuring both GSM and CDMA, the tables would certainly get more interesting. If the iPad can launch with that sort of technology, with more hardware features (like a USB port), and other features that people are clamoring for, it would be hard to suggest that the second generation iPad wouldn’t see the same, if not better, adoption rate as the first one. And, with the suppliers of the device supposedly made official now, we know there’s only a matter of months before we get to see what, exactly, Apple has in store for the tablet market.

What about the Galaxy Tab from Samsung? Samsung hopes to sell millions of the tablet device by the end of the year, but one analyst believes that Samsung has been forced to pull back on manufacturing of the device. Why? Because of low sales. While Samsung still hasn’t commented on the analyst’s claims, it would be tough to believe that, considering the adoption rate of the Samsung Galaxy S smartphones, that the tablet version isn’t seeing anywhere near the same pick-up rate. Of course, with its larger display, but many of the same functions and features as its smartphone counterpart, perhaps it’s just too similar to what people already have. (But, couldn’t the same argument be made for the iOS-based iPad?) In the end, if the analyst’s report is accurate, and Samsung is indeed pulling back manufacturing of the Tablet, the globally-available device may be a hard thing to come by this holiday season, which would ultimately affect the sales numbers for Samsung in a huge way.

And then there’s the brand new, also Android-based Advent Vega tablet. The new device officially went on sale today, and in a matter of hours, was already sold out. There’s no word on how many tablet devices were originally manufactured, but we can safely assume that it was more than 10. There’s also no word, as of the time of this writing anyway, as to when people can expect to get their hands on the tablet device. Does this, working in perfect counter-point to the analyst’s claims regarding Samsung, show that tablet devices are still a hot market property, and that if there is indeed a slump in purchases, that it’s quickly fading away? Will this holiday season show that tablets are the device to have, or will consumers focus on another part of the market? In the coming weeks, we should have our answer, and either way, the results should be interesting.

Of course, we don’t know exactly how many of the tablets were on hand in this first shipment, so it’s hard to say whether the Vega is a runaway hit or simply under-supplied. We’re checking with PC World to see what they have to say, but given the disappointing debut of the Toshiba Folio 100 it looks like budget tableteers have turned their attentions elsewhere.

[Thanks sgruffalo!]

Update: PC World has given us the following statement:

“The first shipment of Advent Vega tablets was made available at the start of business today on the Currys and PC World websites, and sold out nearly as quickly as ‘Take That’ tickets. We are expecting more stock and bigger shipments over the coming days which we will be rolling out as quickly as possible to all our stores in time for the busiest Christmas shopping weekends in December, starting with Currys and PC World megastores at the end of next week.”

Part of our interest is because you’re getting NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 chipset – complete with 1080p HD support and an HDMI port – for such a relatively cheap price. Contrast it with the smaller Samsung Galaxy Tab, for instance, which retails for almost twice as much.

Your money gets you WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and a 4GB microSD card. There’s more detail on the Vega itself over at the hands-on report at Android Community, but we’ve a feeling this is one cheap Android tablet that will see very strong demand.

Update: That was quick! Only a few hours on sale and already sold out.

[via Android Community]

There’s also USB, a webcam and microphone, together with a battery which Advent reckons is good for up to 16hrs of audio-only music playback, 6.5hrs of video playback, or four days of standby. The 10.1-inch WSVGA capacitive touchscreen supports multitouch gestures, and Advent have made some mild tweaks to the UI to suit the larger display.

We grabbed some hands-on time with the Vega last month, and came away tentatively impressed with what you get for the price. More information in the video below.

[via Android Community - Thanks Brett]

Jobs laid into Android as a “fragmented” platform and 7-inch displays as “too big to compete with a smartphone, and too small to compete with an iPad.” Nonetheless, Android appears to be the horse on which most Apple rivals are betting. Reviews of the first new batch of Windows 7 slates proved less than positive, with models like the Tega v2 criticized for shortfalls in usability. While Microsoft’s latest version is certainly stronger than Windows XP Tablet Edition ever was, gauged against finger-centric platforms like iOS and Android it lacks the immediacy and intuitiveness users have come to expect.

In response, we’ve seen a gradual distancing of manufacturers from Windows 7, fleshing out vague rumors of reluctance over Wintel slates reported for the past few months among OEMs. MSI has apparently frozen its Windows 7 tablet development, and Lenovo has dismissed the platform as too tied to the keyboard/mouse paradigm as to be suited to pure slates. The question now is not so much whether Android, but which Android, and that’s a thick vein of confusion which even Google itself seems mired in. “What does it mean when your software supplier says not to use their software in your tablet?” Jobs asked, referring to Google’s apparent guidance to manufacturers to wait until at least the next Gingerbread release of Android for tablet use. The first Gingerbread models are expected to arrive at CES 2011 next January – including the new Android model that MSI is supposedly focusing on in favor of Windows 7 – but other manufacturers are even more wary. Lenovo, while eschewing Microsoft’s OS, has said it intends to wait until Honeycomb, the version of Android beyond Gingerbread, before making its play.

On the flip side, Android 2.2 Froyo models are reaching store shelves now, or are expected to in the next few weeks. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab is perhaps the best known, already on sale in some mainland European markets and hitting the UK on November 1st and the US through that month. As well as being one of the 7-inch models Jobs was so eager to dismiss, the Galaxy Tab has found itself mired in controversy over the apparent premium price Samsung – and its carrier distributors – is charging. In the UK, pre-orders have currently settled at around £530 ($830), the same local price as a 16GB iPad WiFi + 3G; in the US, meanwhile, Verizon has been the only network to announce solid numbers, prompting an outbreak of surprise by asking $599.99 for the unsubsidized slate.

Leaked figures from T-Mobile USA, meanwhile, have previously suggested the GSM carrier will be offering the Galaxy Tab at $399 with a two-year data plan, still an expensive option. It seems a risky strategy on Samsung’s part (though carriers set the final subsidized numbers, they’re obviously dependent on the manufacturer’s RRP and wholesale cost), when many had hoped they would significantly undercut the iPad in an attempt to secure market share (and for what is a significantly smaller device).

What must be remembered is that Samsung doesn’t intend to echo Apple’s market approach: a single model with what will probably be a yearly refresh cycle. Instead, as we’ve seen with their Galaxy S family of Android smartphones, the company is planning numerous more Galaxy Tab family slates, both with smaller and larger touchscreens than the 7-inch original. The likelihood is that we can expect the middle-ground between 4-inch Galaxy S and 7-inch Galaxy Tab to also occupy the middle-ground in pricing, to avoid stepping on the toes of either. Samsung’s play is to capitalize on the inherently niche nature of tablets, offering more targeted models built around a core platform and, presumably, hoping the combined sales are enough to sustain the project.

At the other end of the scale there are cheaper slates such as the Advent Vega, a 10-inch Tegra 2 based Froyo tablet headed to the UK market at the start of November, and priced at a mere £250 ($390). In return there’s a barely tweaked version of Android, rather than the custom apps Samsung has worked on, and the assumption that the target audience will prioritize affordability above all else. The company tells us they’re looking to put Gingerbread on the slate when it becomes available, potentially making the Vega both a cost-effective and functional option, though we’ll need to wait until the reviews filter through before knowing for sure.

Android isn’t the only platform; RIM has been gradually drip-feeding us with more information on their BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, expected to reach the market in early 2011. Earlier this week the Canadian company confirmed they would be matching the iPad’s 16GB, 32GB and 64GB SKUs, while co-CEO Jim Basillie took time to rail against Steve Jobs’ tablet commentary. “7-inch tablets will actually be a big portion of the market” he insisted, suggesting that was common knowledge “for those of us who live outside of Apple’s distortion field.” Still, the PlayBook will likely reach the market around the time Apple’s second-gen iPad does, something we can guess will answer most of the criticisms of the first model while at the same time biting away at the BlackBerry slate’s impressive feature set. RIM’s play will be the enterprise market so traditionally enamored with their smartphone line though, as we’ve seen with the iPhone, Apple has proved itself adept at taking an initially consumer-focused device and adding enterprise functionality. Anecdotal evidence has already suggested that business users are eyeing the iPad and finding ways to integrate it into their workday, leaving Cupertino a primed audience.

There are, of course, a few outliers. The HP Slate 500, for instance, finally made its official debut this week, stubbornly sticking with Windows 7 (HP’s webOS slates aren’t expected until 2011). The company has refined its targeting for the 8.9-inch tablet, no longer positioning it as a device for everyone but instead playing on its corporate skills. There’s also a significant advantage in its touchscreen technology, pairing the capacitive touch layer which the iPhone/iPad has made popular with an active digitizer for more precise stylus use. As we know from previous Windows 7 tablets, it’s something business users come to expect as well as something which significantly improves the OS experience. HP’s pricing is also strong – $799 including a desktop dock – perhaps not in comparison with consumer models, but against other Windows 7 slates (like Onkyo’s three model range, now available in the US via importers) and convertible notebooks with hybrid touchscreen displays. As ever, the target is vertical markets like healthcare, though HP will need to prove the Slate 500′s battery life first and then convince corporations that consistency in platforms is worthwhile.

Sharp, meanwhile, has taken a more unusual step and abandoned its traditional PC business in favor of chasing the tablet ereader market with its Galapagos range, though beyond talk of a carrier partnership with Verizon the US details are still scarce. Barnes & Noble are tipped to be augmenting their NOOK range of ereaders with a low-cost tablet – believed to be around the $249 mark – again predominantly focused on ebooks but with the addition of internet browsing. Both companies have turned to Android for the OS.

With his reputation for guiding the tech industry by Apple’s example, it’s easy to overlook that Steve Jobs is preaching one single vision of how tablet computing might pan out. To assume that his sole justification for bypassing 7-inch or similar models is usability, however, is naive. His job is to sell users on the Apple/iOS/iTunes/App Store ecosystem, and to put into place the best range of high-profile devices to suit; keeping that range tightly focused is in the best interest of the Cupertino company’s cachet. That needn’t mean another company shouldn’t carve its own niche; 7-inch slates have portability benefits, for instance, while Android’s arguably fragmentary nature – as evidenced by the variety of approaches manufacturers have taken with it – could potentially be reframed as a positive sign of the OS’ flexibility. Unfortunately, with manufacturer confusion seemingly at an all-time high, it’s unsurprising that consumers are similarly bewildered by the products they see hitting the market today and in tomorrow’s pipeline.

From Around the Web

Sony PS3 Surround Speaker Bar Ships Next Week for $180: Sony originally unveiled their Surround Sound System for the PlayStation 3 back at E3 this year, and since then, those who could remember its announcement have eagerly been anticipating its launch. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen all that quickly. But Sony’s about to fix that, as they’ve announced today that the Surround Sound Bar is heading to the market beginning next week. The speaker features an integrated subwoofer, and has plenty of different sound presets, including night, vivid, or standard. You can even change the bar into night mode, so that some sounds are accented and others are not, based on how loud the volume is turned up. The Surround Sound Bar should hit retail shelves next week, and it will come with a price tag of $180. [via Electronista]

R3 Media Network

SlashGear

Steve Jobs Hands Out iPods to Chilean Miners
Apple is Awarded Limited Patent for Pinch-to-Zoom on Multitouch Displays
Redbox Extends Video Game Rentals to More Kiosks
Apple’s “Lion” of an Event is October 20th
Apple Acquired Patent for Anti-Sexting Text Messages
Nokia N8 Costs $187 to Make

Android Community

Motorola’s Tegra 2 Device Heading to AT&T First
Advent Vega Tablet Hands-On

SlashPhone

Motorola DEFY Lands in Germany
Vodafone Spain Offers the Galaxy Tab for 199 Euros

Video demo after the cut

You’re getting plenty of hardware for your money: 1080p HD support with an HDMI output, a capacitive touchscreen and decent build quality too.  No integrated 3G – though Advent is planning a second Vega version with 3G built-in – but WiFi and Bluetooth are perhaps all we can reasonably expect for the price.

Unfortunately, as a prototype there are a couple of bugs still evident, particularly around screen rotation, and hopefully Advent will iron those out prior to the early November UK launch.  More first impressions over at Android Community.

Update: We’ve spoken to to team responsible for the Vega about the screen-rotation issues, and it seems one of the unlabelled switches was in rotation-lock position.  The homescreen is always shown in landscape orientation, but when we tried any of the apps they were locked to portrait.  Advent are now working on a new build of the OS which will add a rotation-lock indicator into the toolbar, so that sort of confusion won’t occur for buyers of the slate, but of course by the time it reaches stores it’ll also have printed legends for all of the physical controls too.

The smaller slate runs Android 2.1, while the Tegra model gets the newer Android 2.2.  Full specs aren’t known, but the Amico has WiFi, a webcam and is 15mm thick.  The Vega, meanwhile, is 14mm thick, has WiFi and a 1.3-megapixel webcam, together with multitouch support and a battery apparently good for an iPad-matching 10hrs use.  A 4GB SD card will be included in the Vega as standard.

Both Advent tablets will be arriving in UK stores from November 1st 2010.  As far as we can tell, there’s no relation to the ICD Vega 15-inch tablet we played with back at CES 2010.

Right now he’s managed to flip the display around and fit the touchscreen layer, as well as add some custom shortcut buttons that allow him to more easily choose between the dual-booting Windows 7 or OS X 10.6.2 installs.  Unfortunately there’s no sign of the sliding mechanism as yet, but it’s working as a regular slate instead.

c0ff33 has extended the LCD connectors in preparation, and is now looking for suitable sliding hinges.  We’re not entirely convinced this is the ideal form-factor for a device of this size – especially considering how far up the touchscreen will have to slide in order to reveal the keyboard – but we’ll withhold judgement until the final results.

[via Netbooked]

Your money gets you WiFi and Bluetooth, together with a multitouch-capable trackpad and fingerprint reader.  A built-in webcam and 120GB shock-proof hard-drive round out the main specifications, while ports include a single USB 2.0, an HDMI, audio out and a “multifunction connector” which can be used to hook up an external port replicator.  Bizarrely, though, the replicator has just two USB 2.0 ports of its own.

A second version of the ultraportable, the Elite, stepping up to an Intel Core 2 Solo processor and with a “premium flush glass finish” to the display will also be on offer, priced at £800 ($1,316).  Each will come with Windows Vista, but be eligible for free Windows 7 upgrades.  Both the Advent Altro and the Advent Altro Elite will hit shelves in the UK from August 24th.

[via Register Hardware]

According to Geekbench and Xbench, the G4 and the Atom processors are pretty much on a par; the N270 even edges ahead of the 1.33GHz G4 in some tests.  Flicking over to some more real-world usage examples, it’s not so clear.  The Atom CPU sees apps boot faster, with one of the more extreme examples being loading the GIMP photo-editing package which takes 49 seconds on the iBook and 7 seconds on the Advent netbook with 1GB of RAM, but the G4 often does in-app tasks quicker.  Converting an album in iTunes, for instance, takes 264 seconds for the G4 and 397 for the 1GB Advent, while applying a coffee stain filter in GIMP takes the G4 almost half the time of the Atom.

It’s worth checking out the full benchmarks – which go on to cover battery life and power consumption, together with more apps – if you’re considering putting together your own Hackintosh netbook.  Still, it’ll be interesting to see how these figures change once the first NVIDIA Ion platform machines hit the market.

[via GottaBeMobile]

The specs of the two machines are, unsurprisingly, identical.  Both have the 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM, an 80GB hard-drive and run Windows XP Home.  PC World are asking £279.99 ($556) for the 4211.

MSI have previously blamed industry-wide battery shortages for the delay in shipping the Wind to pre-order customers.  It’s uncertain whether the battery pack in the 4211 is sourced differently.

[via Engadget]