Asus ZenPad S 8.0 review

Google Books PDF Test: Asus ZenPad S 8.0

First, a side note: I went to three Best Buy stores. None of them had the competing house brand Insignia Rockchip 3288-based tablet on display. Surprisingly, one did have a new Insignia eight-inch tablet out with a 1280 x 800 display, for US$99. Bleh.

Second, still only one Best Buy has the Asus ZenPad S 8.0 out on display.

Now, onto the test …

The video below was done using a Lenovo Tab 2 A10. This gives an idea of what it’s like with The People of the Abyss and Foxit Mobile PDF.

It’s acceptable.

Unfortunately, that short video took almost a freakin half hour to get up to YouTube, so I wasn’t going to try more.

But I did do more testing, without even photos — because this specific Best Buy store’s WiFi really really really sucks.

Surface Japan worked with Foxit. Page renders were generally three seconds, with an unpredictable five seconds for some. I was really surprised by that speed for a PDF that gives so many tablets — even the iPad — problems.

I was finally able to successfully download the special “iOS edition” of The American Magazine. Page render time was unpredictable, with some requiring one-to-two seconds while others popped instantly. On the whole, however, I wasn’t impressed with this PDF’s handling because the iPad does it like greased lightning.

I downloaded the free version of Mantano Reader. And that was a disaster. Page render times were tooooo long. And when I made a change to display settings, the app became unresponsive and hung up the entire damn tablet. And that was withThe People of the Abyss, which is not a huge PDF or anything extraordinary.

I’d like to try Best Buy’s competing Rockchip 3288-based tablet too. But Best Buy is so screwed up these days, who knows when — or if — they’ll ever put it on display?

There have been rumors that Samsung will announce the new powerful S2 Tabs next week. They’d have to offer some breathtaking power with an AnTuTu score that crushes the Asus ZenPad S 8.0 “Plus/Pro” edition. Because I expect the Samsung to cost US$399, versus the US$299 of the Asus.

My tablet search is not over yet, but the end is in sight.

Marshall London is the amp company’s music-focussed Android phone

Guitar amp, and more recently headphones and portable speakers company Marshall has announced its first ever smartphone – the Marshall London.

The London has some pretty neat design ideas, such as the M button that’ll take you straight to music and the wheel-style volume dial that recalls the classic days of the cassette/CD Walkman.

For music quality Marshall has incorporated a Wolfson chipset. On the gimmick front, there’s also built-in DJ software, as well as a customisable EQ.

With its pure music focus, the other stats aren’t quite up to scratch but they’re fine for mid-range. It runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 chipset and sports a 4.7-inch IPS display.

Also onboard is 2GB of RAM and 16GB storage, thankfully expandable via microSD.

It’ll launch with Android Lollipop and sports an 8MP rear camera.

The Marshall London is available to preorder now for £399 ($620)

via gizmodo

Ultrasone high-end lightweight M headphones: first details

Following on from their built-for-comfort Ultrasone 880 headphones comes the high-end and lightweight Ultrasone M cans.

The new headphones from Ultrasone weigh just 146g, which makes them a good option for those looking for lightweight option.

The three-tone design incorporates a steel headband, precious metal cups and leather cushions.

They use S-Logic Plus technology for a natural sound by reducing sound pressure levels. They also pack in ULE technology, which – surely unnoticeably – shields electromagnetic fields not created by the headphones.

Driver size, dates and price are yet to be announced, but they’ll likely cost upward of $1000.

Via soundguys

CHUWI Vi7 64-bit Android 5.1 3G Tablet Phone

CHUWI Vi7 64-bit Android 5.1 3G Tablet Phone
7 inch; 1080P IPS; SoFIA AtomX3 3G-R; Android 5.1; Bluetooth 4.0; 1GB +8GB.

Intel SoFIA AtomX3 3G-R Performance
The SoC features antiquated Mali-450MP4 graphics, manufactured in 28nm, along with support for 802.11b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, GPS and FM radio.

Android 5.1 OS
A sweet new take on Android; content responds to your touch in an intuitive way. Power for the long haul with a battery saver feature that extends your device by up to 90 minutes.

GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, Miracast...
Simplify connections to a compatible mouse, external keyboard or other accessories with the speed and convenience of Bluetooth 4.0. Or sync up some compatible Bluetooth speakers for great sound without the wires.

Details: http://www.tinydeal.com/chuwi-vi7-7-and ... 52375.html

1.55" MTK6260A Watch Phone Smart Watch

1.55" MTK6260A Watch Phone Smart Watch

Streamlined Profile
In creating UHAPPY UW1, we scrutinized every element and material. That's how we arrived at a smooth, continuous form..

Sedentary Reminder
Sedentary reminder in UHAPPY UW1 is always there to remind you of being in good shape, hence, creates a healthy living style.

Sleep Monitor
UHAPPY UW1 can also be a sleep monitor that makes sure that you sleep like a baby. Stay sober at the daytime.

Pedometer
UHAPPY UW1 works as a pedometer, which measures the distance that you have walked and helps you work out.

Details: http://www.tinydeal.com/155-mtk6260a-wa ... 52530.html

Windows Beats Android at Something for the First Time: Number of Cherry Trail Tablet Announced in a Week

We didn’t think that this day would come, but it’s here: Windows has beat Android at something. We’re talking about the number of Windows devices with Intel Atom Cherry Trail chips inside, launched over the past week.

While Microsoft has its OS on quite a few Cherry Trail devices, there’s no model with Android so far. Acer is prepping a new Switch tablet/laptop hybrid with a 10 inch screen later this year. Lenovo also announced the new ThinkPad 10 with Cherry Trail, shown above. Intel debuted this chipset earlier this year, meaning for it to work with Android or Windows without a problem.

Microsoft Surface 3 is the only available table with Cherry Trail, in the shops right now. More Cherry Trail models will be shown in a few days at the Computex trade show starting in Taipei. Most of these slates have 10 inch diagonals or more. There are also Android tablets with Bay Trail CPUs out there, so the previous gen Intel CPU got traction in the Android world, but somehow Cherry Trail doesn’t tempt Android slate makers.

The new chip delivers two times the graphics performance o

Acer Switch 10 (2015) Hybrid Tablet Will Bring an Intel Atom X5 CPU

Soon, at the Computex 2015 show is also expected that Acer to show up with some new products like the 2015 Acer Switch 10 2-in-2 device. Apparently, this hybrid tablet will include the Intel Atom X5 processor that in spite of the upgrade, we’ll get just some small improvements in graphics performance and efficiency.

In the same time we get to know that the Switch 10 will remain pretty similar in terms of design as the actual generation available on the market. As you may know, the Atom X5 CPU that will be found on this tablet is a 64-bit capable one that supports 64-boot loaders.

Also, once announced, the Acer Switch 10 2015-edition may bring Windows 10 operating system from factory. If you are willing to wait more, Acer could bring on the market a high-end variant of it with 4 GB of RAM memory and Atom X7 processor. Does this sound good enough for you?