Will the Apple iPad Pro herald an era of "pro" use of tablets?
A look by RuggedPCReview's Editor-in-Chief Conrad Blickenstorfer at the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, what the extra size means for productivity, split-screen use, what to make of the Apple Pencil, and what impact the new big iPad might have on the future of tablets. [read more] -- Posted Friday, November 20, 2015
iOS and Android command 97.8% of all smartphone sales
Gartner reports that worldwide smartphone unit sales were 352 million for Q3/2015, up from 305 million Q3/2014. Samsung sold the most smartphones with 84 million, followed by Apple with 46 million and Huawei with 27 million. In terms of operating platforms, Android and iOS commanded 97.8% market share, with Microsoft fading from 3% to 1.7%. [See Gartner media release] -- Posted Thursday, November 19, 2015
RAM Mounts reveals new and improved website
RAM Mounts, the company that makes our preferred mounting solutions, has totally rebuilt its entire website and the result is extremely impressive. While we've seen a number of less than optimal website makeovers during the last year (usually on Wordpress), RAM's new site is terrific. [See new RAM Mounts site] -- Posted Thursday, November 19, 2015
Handheld Group reveals ultra-rugged Algiz RT7 Android tablet
Handheld Group announced the launch of its new Android tablet, the ultra-rugged Algiz RT7. Based on Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop) and a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, the 1.44 pound Algiz RT7 has a 7-inch WSVGA capacitive multi-touch display, excellent onboard connectivity, and impressive ruggedness. [See description, analysis and specs of the Handheld Algiz RT7] -- Posted Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Xplore announces XSlate D10 rugged Android tablet
Xplore Technologies announced the XSlate D10, a much more powerful version of its compact, lightweight, and well-connected rugged Android tablet platform. The new 10.1-inch XSlate D10 runs Android 5.1 (Lollipop) on an Intel Bay Trail E3845 chip and replaces Xplore's older RangerX. The IP65-sealed XSlate D10, which starts at US$1,649, can handle 5-foot drops, offers broad expansion options (including NFC, HDMI-in, 1D/2D scanning, 4G LTE), and benefits from Android 5.1's enterprise-oriented security and device management features. [See description, analysis and specs of the Xplore XSlate D10] -- Posted Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Panasonic announces fully detachable rugged 2-in-1 Toughbook 20 as replacement of Toughbook 19 convertible
Panasonic announced the Toughbook 20, a 2-in-1 device that the company calls the world's first fully rugged detachable laptop. Powered by an Intel Core M "Skylake-Y" m5-6Y57 processor, the IP65-sealed Toughbook has a 1920 x 1200 pixel 10.1-inch glove-capable 800-nits procap display. The tablet part weighs 2.1 pounds, the (100%-scale) keyboard part, which can accommodate a second battery, another 1.8 pounds. The Toughbook 20 starts at US$3,099, will be available February 2016, and replaces the Toughbook CF19 convertible. [See description, analysis and specs of the Panasonic Toughbook 20] -- Posted Monday, November 9, 2015
Digitimes Research forecasts Q4 2015 tablet shipments
According to Digitimes, 58.7 million tablets will ship globally in Q4 2015, decreasing 22.6% from Q4 2014. This breaks down to 14 million iPads, 24.5 million non-iPads and 20.2 million white-box units. Of 38.5 million non-white-box tablets, 30.3% will be 7-inch, 18.3% 7.9-inch, 5.3% 8.x-inch, 26.2% 9.x-inch, 10.6% 10.x-inch and 9.2% 11-inch and above. Android, iOS and Windows models will respectively take up 56.8%, 36.4% and 6.9% of the shipments. -- Posted Wednesday, November 4, 2015