Coby announces five new Ice Cream Sandwich tablets for Q1 2012

Coby Electronics has made known its plans to be among the first few companies to release Android Ice Cream Sandwich tablets onto the market next year. Today the company announced not one - but five brand new tablets that will enter the market in the first quarter of 2012 and yes, all of them will be running Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

The five tablets will all feature the same specs except for the display sizes. They will pack a 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 CPU, 1GB of RAM, expandable memory of up to 32GB, WiFi, HDMI 1080p output, and a streamlined experience when it comes to core features (browsing the web, playing games, email, viewing media). The tablets will be available with 7″, 8″, 9″, 9.7″ and 10″ displays - with the 8″ and 9.7″ models featuring a 4:3 aspect ratio.

Other than the aforementioned details, nothing else is known at press time, but the tablets are expected to go on sale “at incredible prices” starting Q1 2012.

Motorola's Tablet Do-Over Is Ready for Pre-Order

Look familiar? The Xyboard tablet is not all that different from the Xoom. Photo courtesy of Motorola

“Those who cannot remember the past,” George Santayana wrote, “are condemned to repeat it.”

Motorola must have a very short memory. This much is apparent in the impending release of the Xyboard, Motorola's successor to the Xoom Android tablet. The Xyboard is up for pre-order on Verizon's web site, but by most measures, the device isn't all that different from its predecessor.

For one thing, it boasts markedly similar specs. The Xyboard comes with a slightly more powerful dual-core processor (1.2GHz instead of 1GHz), a 10.1-inch screen (same as the Xoom), and front and rear-facing cameras with the same resolutions as those in the previous tablet (5 and 1.3 megapixels, respectively). The only major difference that we can discern thus far is that the Xyboard will measure in slightly lighter and thinner than the Xoom.

And for those who want more than just Wi-Fi, built-in 4G LTE connectivity on Verizon's network is also an option. That's an update to the Xoom, which required sending the device back to the manufacturer for a 4G upgrade (sheesh).

But here's the ugly kicker: Motorola is selling the Xyboard at premium (read: pricey) rates, starting at $530 for the 16GB version, and stepping up gradually to $630 for 32GB and $730 for 64GB. And those prices are after signing a two-year Verizon Wireless contract.

To be fair, these prices represent a $100 price cut relative to comparable iPad 2 models, and the Xyboard includes 4G instead of 3G. So it would seem that you're getting a deal by choosing Android over iOS.

But as the past year has vividly shown us, customers don't want to buy Android tablets at premium prices. We've only seen non-iPad tablets fly off the shelves when hitting bargain bins, and even then the parent companies have been forced to sell premium components at a loss. That's no way to run a business.

So why not learn from previous mistakes? And further, why release another device — one that is, for all intents and purposes, identical to the previous flop of a tablet launch — when both quad-core processors and a new version of Android are on the horizon?

Maybe the company knows something we don't? Or maybe not.

The Xyboard goes on sale nationwide on Monday, with pre-orders currently available on Verizon's web site.

Motorola Xoom 3G finally gets updated to Android 3.2 in Europe

In November, Wi-Fi-only Motorola Xoom tablets sold in Europe got their update to Android 3.2 Honeycomb. And now it's finally the 3G-enabled version's turn. That's right, if you own a 3G-capable Xoom in Europe, the Android 3.2 update is on its way.

As for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich… expect to be waiting a few months for that, if it ever arrives.

The Android 3.2 update is now rolling out for T-Mobile branded tablets in Germany, and for those bought unlocked and SIM-free in Austria, Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

To download the update, head over to motorola.com/myxoom or motorola.com/update.

Toshiba's Excite Honeycomb tablet confirmed for Canadian launch in January

We've already heard a fair bit about Toshiba's forthcoming 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet, but the company has only now finally confirmed a name — Excite, previously seen in a trademark filing — and a launch date (or month, anyway) for the tablet outside of Europe. You can look for it to roll out for an as yet unspecified price sometime in January — in Canada, at least. It will come in both 16GB and 32GB versions, each of which pack a 1.2GHz dual-core OMAP 4430 processor, a 2 megapixel front-facing camera, a 5 megapixel cam 'round back, and a microSD card slot and a micro HDMI port. Toshiba also boasts that it's the “world's thinnest, lightest tablet,” with it measuring just 7.7 mm thick and weighing in at 558 grams (or 1.23 pounds).

Nook Tablet shipments total 1 million units, report claims

Barnes & Noble's manufacturing partners have now shipped a total of 1 million new Nook Tablets according to a recent report. Unveiled early last month and released shortly thereafter, the new Nook Tablet features a 7-inch "Vivid View" display built by LG, 16GB of internal storage, 1GB of RAM, a dual-core 1GHz processor and the Android 2.3 operating system. According to sources at component suppliers speaking to DigiTimes, more than a million new Nook Tablets have been manufactured and shipped to Barnes & Noble so far. The report also claims Barnes & Noble had to increase orders recently due to strong sales; the bookseller initially ordered 800,000 Nook Tablets to be built through the end of 2011, DigiTimes noted.

Amazon Kindle Fire users complain about WiFi issues

Some strange issues have cropped up with Amazon's debut tablet, the Kindle Fire. According to reports online, and even Amazon's own Kindle forum - quite a number of users have complained about their tablets having trouble connecting to WiFi networks. Other people have complained about the tablet being able to connect to WiFi networks, but they weren't able to access the internet.

However it looks like all hope is not lost. Apparently quite a number of forum posters have reported that installing the latest Kindle Fire update (6.2) solves the issue. And if you're wondering how the tablets installed the update without any internet connectivity, you'll need to update it via the tablet's USB port and restart your router to get it to work (though some posters have mentioned that it didn't work for them).

In our review of the Kindle Fire, it didn't exhibit such issues so we can't say for sure what the cause of this WiFi issue is. Amazon has yet to publicly address the issue but let's hope they don't take too long to come up with a proper solution to the problem.

Asus Eee Pad Transformer now just $299.99 at Best Buy

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Android tablet can now be had for only $299.99 from Best Buy online. This is the original Transformer tablet, which will soon get a shipping successor in the form of the Transformer Prime. Still, the Transformer is a very capable device even to this day, and it's now cheaper than ever (well, except Black Friday).

So if you'd like to purchase a tablet this holiday season and think the iPad is too expensive and the Kindle Fire too limited, here's your perfect choice. The Asus Eee Pad Transformer comes with the added bonus of a promised update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which should happen really soon. We say that since the Taiwanese company has the best track record with regard to tablet OS updates so far in the Android world.

Hail The MIPS Android 4.0 ICS Tablet, It's Just $99 Without Contract!

The MIPS Android 4.0 tablet may not sport a dual-core processor like you'd expected, but it does pack some decent specifications under the hood, and it somehow seems worthy of that price.

Without doubt, it's from Chinese manufacturers, but that did not stop Google's CEO Andy Rubin from cascading some words of appreciation on its release. And why not, it's touted as the world's first Android 4.0 tablet under $99. Interestingly, without any contract.

Under the hood, the tlabet sports a 1GHz MIPS-based XBurst CPU, a gigabyte of rAM, a powerful battery claimed to last for about 30 hours on standby or about 8 hours on video playback, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, a microSD card slot for expandable storage and much more.

For now, the tablet is available only in Chinese markets, but of course, you can order one online if you are too desperate to wait until it hits stateside sometime later. And oh, we are likely to see 8-inch and 9-inch versions of the same, if the first offing turns out to be successful.

We will keep you posted as more details surface. Stay tuned!

Click here or here to know more.

Acer Iconia Tab A200 officially announced, will get Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in 2012

That Acer Iconia Tab A200 which we've been seeing around in the last few weeks has been officially announced today. Presented as a tablet that "comes at a very affordable price", the new A200 is currently running Android 3.2 Honeycomb.

According to Acer, shipments of the Iconia Tab A200 have already started "in select countries." There's no word on its exact price, though.

Measuring 260 x 175 x 12.4 mm and weighing 720 grams, the Iconia Tab A200 features a 10.1 inch display with 1280 x 800 pixels, 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth, 3.5mm headset jack, Acer SocialJogger (with Facebook and Twitter integration), full-size USB port, 2MP front-facing camera, 1GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, 1GB of RAM, MicroSD card support, and 8GB / 16GB of internal memory. It looks like the new tablet has no rear camera at all.

Starting January 2012, the A200 will be shipped with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Users who are buying the tablet with Android 3.2 Honeycomb will obviously be able to update it to ICS.

Acer announces Iconia Tab A200 packing Tegra 2 CPU, Ice Cream Sandwich on the way

Today, Acer's Iconia Tab A200 has finally received official status, courtesy of an announcement obtained by Netbook News. Powered by NVIDIA's 1GHz Tegra 2 processor, the company's latest Android slate comes with 1GB of RAM and boasts a “generous” 10.1-inch display, with 1280 x 800 resolution. Available in either Titanium Gray or Metallic Red, the slate also features a two megapixel front facing camera and, as we observed earlier, comes packed with Acer Ring — a multitasking manager that provides shortcuts to Google Maps, screenshot functions and other apps. Acer says it began shipping Honeycomb-laced models to select countries in November, but promises that an Ice Cream Sandwich version will be available worldwide in January (along with a free update for early buyers). No word yet on pricing or current availability though.