News on Intel's plans for tablets starts emerging from IDF 2012, Beijing-- including an Ultrabook-tablet hybrid design and a specification list for future Windows 8 tablets.

First, the Ultrabook-tablet hybrid. Named "Cove Point" (or Letexo, depending on who you ask) the design is similar to the Asus Transformer and its ilk, using both touchscreen and a keyboard.

However unlike the Transformer (which uses a clamshell design), the Cove Point display slides out of the keyboard, and has a number of Continue reading...

Toshiba expands the Excite tablet family with 3 models in different sizes-- including the Excite 13, probably the biggest tablet in the world.

The Excite 13 has a massive 13.3" display, nearly twice the size of the smallest new Excite model, the Excite 7.7 (7.7"). Completing the tablet trio is the Excite 10, with a 10.1" display.

All 3 tablets have similar specifications-- Nvidia Tegra 3 processors, Gorilla Glass displays, 5MP back-facing cameras, stereo speakers with Toshiba and SRS Labs sound Continue reading...

Intel announces an addition to the Classmate education-aimed product family-- the Studybook, a tablet it describes as "a student's rugged window to the world."

Currently available as a reference design, the Studybook has most of the features one expects in a device for younger customers. It is a 7" (1024x600) Atom-powered tablet running on either Android 3.0 or Windows 7 with 1GB of RAM. Storage ranges from 4-32GB to a 128GB SSD.

Construction is in plastic with a rubber band reinforcing the bezel, Continue reading...

According to Gartner 2012 WW tablet sales will grow by 98% Y-o-Y to total 118.9m, as the Apple iPad continues dominating the market.

In comparison 2011 tablet sales total 20m units.

The analyst projects iPad global market share will reach 61.4% in 2012-- with non-Apple vendors finding limited success in the market, despite the international Amazon Kindle Fire launch.

Making things worse for the competition is Apple resetting "the benchmark for the product to beat" with the new iPad.

What are Continue reading...