Review: RTÉ JuniorPad tablet computer

It's just a few weeks before Christmas and all through the land children diligently write 'tablet' onto their letter to Santa. The tablet computer is the must-have toy de jour and as seen on last night's Late Late Toy Show even broadcaster RTÉ is getting in on the action with its own JuniorPad tablet computer aimed at 2-7 year-olds.

Kids are clever enough to tell the difference between a toy tablet and the real thing. They are growing up intuitively 'connected' and using technology in this multi-screen world is now as natural as using pen and paper, to borrow a phrase from RTÉ Digital managing director Muirne Lafffan.

While parents often now have to wrest their own tablet computers back from the steely grip of tiny hands making a decision on a piece of technology for their kids that will benefit their education, won't insult their intelligence and ultimately keep them entertained and safe are top of their list of concerns. The hope is Santa brings the right tablet computer down the chimney and all will be peaceful over the holidays.

With the RTÉjr JuniorPad, RTÉ has given families not only a potential solution to the tablet computer dilemma, but also a glimpse into the future of how it intends to engage with various demographics in society. More about that later.

RTÉjr JuniorPad Specs

The JuniorPad is a pretty simple and straightforward Android tablet that comes pre-loaded with five hours of RTÉjr content including Meet the Animals, Musical Families and Tell Me a Story from RTÉjr Radio, and Hubble, The Clue Crew, Storytime, Tell Me a Story, The Curious World of Professor Fun & Dr Dull from RTÉjr Television.

Working with German manufacturer EasyPix, RTÉ has developed a 7-inch device that also gives parents peace-of-mind about what their kids might be doing online - it comes with parental controls as well as a kids' tailored desktop.

The JuniorPad is powered by a 1.4GHz dual core processor and has 1GB of RAM as well as 8GB of memory. It runs on Google's Android 4.2 (Jesllybean) OS.

It comes with a 0.3MP front-facing camera, supports Flash, has a G-sensor for gaming and RTÉ has thoughtfully bundled in a protective pouch. Proving that this is for kids - adults must ask permission to use it - the device is painted a garish mustard/orange colour.

First and foremost this is a full strength Android tablet capable of doing most things other Android tablets running Jellybean are capable of doing - surfing the web, sending and receiving email, social networking, Skype, etc. Which means that if the kiddies do grant the oldies permission to do use the device it won't be lacking in any way.

However, parents do have the power to ensure that the kids can stay on the Kids Desktop as a PIN code is required if the kids wish to leave that desktop.

The device comes with a number of other useful parental controls such as the ability to decide which apps or web pages they are allowed to use (ie to make visible), create profiles for family members and - very useful - manage the time that kids are allowed to use the device as in how many hours per day they can use it, how long they can use it before taking a rest, etc.

Parents can even create a book of audio, video and web content to curate content for their little darlings and keep them entertained

Verdict

At just under €150, the device is affordable as a toy and at the same time can be used also as a proper tablet by the rest of the family.

As computers go it is powerful enough in its own right and cable of doing anything pricier Android tablets are capable of doing.

However, a few of the specs jar with the perfectly adequate Wi-Fi capabilities, speakers, battery life and processor. For example the camera is just 0.3MP - that's circa 2003 early stage camera phone - and the screen is pretty low-resolution at just 800 x 480 pixels.

But remember, it's a tablet aimed at 2-7 year-olds, get your own iPad Retina or Sony Xperia tablet if you want bigger and better.

Ultimately the device is value-for-money and as well as kids, it's a tablet all the family can use to live their digital lives.

While the JuniorPad is limited edition I can see RTÉ potentially branching out in new digital directions with low-cost tablets pre-loaded with its own content. For example, if it so wishes - and if it made business sense of course, it could bring out a tablet for teens or senior citizens pre-loaded with links to the kind of content that suits people of these respective age groups as well as the RTÉ Player.

For a nation endeavouring to bridge the digital divide, RTÉ's role as public broadcaster could get a whole lot more interesting.

The RTÉ JuniorPad is an inspired and surprise move by our State broadcaster and could certainly add to many a families Christmas cheer.

The RTÉjr Juniorpad is available on www.RTÉ.ie/shop and in all major retailers and costs €149.99.

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Kids Tablets: Consumer Reports

November 27, 2013 -- The market for kids' tablets is growing dramatically. Just two years ago, only 8 percent of children had access to a tablet at home. Today, it's 40 percent!

Consumer Reports tested six tablets especially designed for children costing between 70 and 230.

What's better for little fingers that can't yet navigate a keyboard than tablet computers? But which is best for the kids in your life? Consumer Reports called in the 'experts' to help find out.

A group of kids, along with Consumer Reports testers, put six kid tablets to the test, checking touchscreen response and color accuracy.

'If you're in the market for a kid tablet, you want to keep in mind how many kids are going to be sharing it, the ages of the kids, what kind of screen size you want. They come in phone size and they come in full 10 inch tablet size,' said Carol Mangis of Consumer Reports.

The $230 KD Interactive Kurio 10 with its large 10-inch screen and wide viewing angle is good for two kids to watch at a time. And it has a healthy battery life --averaging more than seven hours.

All the tablets tested include pre-loaded, kid-appropriate content, a Wi-Fi connection, and a camera.

And all have parental controls, but these vary.

'Parental controls can let you determine how long your kid can play on the tablet. You can also set access to the Internet, whether you want them to be able to go to the web or not, and if so which sites they can access,' said Mangis.

The Ematic FunTab Mini 2, for $70, allows parents to set up individual profiles, so different kids can have age-appropriate experiences. But one drawback, its battery averages just four-and-a-half hours.

Most of the kid tablets come with a little extra protection-- graspable frames that make them extra kid-friendly.

Consumer Reports also tested a tablet from Toys R Us. The $150 Tabeo e2 has nearly eight hours of battery life and comes loaded with 30 child-oriented games and apps.

All Consumer Reports Material Copyright 2008. Consumers Union of U.S. Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Consumer Reports is a not for profit organization which accepts no advertising. It has no commercial relationship with any advertiser or sponsor on this site. For more information visit consumerreports.org. Get more Consumer ' www.best-budget-tablet.com For tablet reviews of the best budget tablets

Deputies Investigate Thefts of School Ipad's

Lexington County, SC (WLTX)- A Lexington High School student has been arrested in connection with thefts of Apple iPad tablet computers. According to the Lexington County Sheriff's Department.

The Apple ipad computer was reported stolen from the locker room that is used by the high school varsity football team. Deputies also have obtained arrest warrants for two additional Lexington High students who are wanted in connection with the tablet computer thefts.

Lexington County Sheriff's Dept. said detectives are continuing to investigate the thefts. Deputies have determined that some of the stolen tablet computers were taken to a Game Stop store on Sunset Boulevard in Lexington, where students obtained cash or store credit in exchange for the computers.

Lexington deputies arrested Garvin Jerome Jackson, Jr., 18, on Friday at his home at on Millwright Drive, in Lexington. Arrest warrants were one count of receiving stolen goods and two counts of obtaining property under false pretenses.

Jackson was being held on Friday at the Lexington County Detention Center while awaiting a bond hearing.

Jackson, who was a starting running back on the Lexington High varsity football team, was booked at the county Detention Center just after 1am on Friday.

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The best tablets for under £200

If the hype is to be believed, 2013 is going to be a tablet Christmas and, over the next few weeks, these handheld devices are set to outsell personal computers for the first time.

Google, Amazon, Samsung and even Tesco are vying to grab a big slice of the sales action - a market long dominated by the Apple iPad.

Once dismissed as a product that would never catch on, tablet computers have transformed the way households access the internet and entertain themselves.

Want to catch up on a missed TV programme or watch a downloaded film on the go? It's now possible, and on a screen whose quality puts many TVs to shame. Then there's email that you can talk to rather than type, a web-surfing experience done by touch rather than mouse, and more games and apps than you can shake a stick at.

With the countdown to Christmas starting in earnest, Guardian Money decided to check out the non-Apple market - ie, the options for those who don't have the minimum £250 it costs to get your hands on the smallest iPad. We've weighed them up, checked the camera quality and surfed a thousand websites, so you don't have to. We also talked to the experts who live and breathe this stuff.

Aiming at the lower end of the market, we have been largely restricted to seven-inch screens, and ones that use Wi-Fi rather than connecting via a phone network. But having weighed them up, we reckon the sub-£200 market will, for most people, come down to a choice of two.

In the £120 price bracket, the one to go for - somewhat to our surprise - is the Tesco Hudl. However, if you can find an extra £60 - and we'd urge you to, if you can - the Google Nexus 7 (from £180) is Money's top pick. Technology comparison website TechRadar.com's expert Gareth Beavis says that pound-for-pound it is the best - and it's hard to disagree. The smallest iPad Mini is £249 at Currys, though you can get £20 cashback, as long as you don't forget to claim it afterwards.

If you haven't tried a tablet, it's worth giving it a go. It's not much of an exaggeration to say many users would rather go on a near starvation diet than hand their tablet over, so dependent upon them have they become!

The fact they are always on - albeit in sleep mode - and can be fired up in a second to end the dispute over which actor starred in a certain film, has helped make them indispensable.

New voice recognition software is a boon to those who find typing difficult. A few swipes of the screen and you can dictate your email. It's not perfect but pretty damn good.

Simon Lawrence at Carphone Warehouse predicts 2013 is going to be 'a huge Christmas for tabs', adding: 'Last year was supposed to be big, but while that might have been a little overstated, this is going to be the year.'

He says the big change is the range of products that have come on to the market. 'There are now some fantastic tablets that can be picked up for less than £120. They have the advantage that they can do as much, or as little, as you want.

'Those looking to just watch the odd film, surf the web and send emails can do so on an easy-to-use level. If you're more technically advanced, they have the capacity to meet your needs, too.'

Tesco Hudl: £119 (less with Clubcard vouchers)

Following in Amazon's footsteps, Tesco surprised a few people when it launched its seven-inch tablet (it's pronounced huddle) - and it's fair to say it has wowed a sceptical press that probably hoped it wouldn't be very good.

For £119 this can't be beaten. The screen is sharp and offers good TV/film watching. It's well made and feels as though it will probably take a bash or two and carry on working. It has the tried and tested Android operating system, and a fast-ish processor that allows users to whizz around pretty smoothly.

This tester actually thought the keyboard was better than the one on our iPad 2, and the voice recognition system works surprisingly well given its price.

It comes with a standard memory of 16GB, which will be more than enough for most. But it has the major advantage that this can be increased by adding a micro SD card (to be bought separately). Other more expensive tablets, including Apple, don't offer this.

If you want to connect it to your TV to watch films bought from Tesco's LoveFilm equivalent, Blinkbox, you can do so via its micro-HDMI slot, although again you'll need to buy an extra lead.

Tesco, which can't be making much money (if any) on the price, pre-loads the Hudl with Clubcard points and its shopping channels, but these can be removed.

The only real downside we could find was its weight, at 370 grams. It feels pretty heavy in the hand - substantially heavier than its expensive rivals. This might be a problem if you plan to use it a lot as an e-reader.

Battery life is fine - some have said it is slow to recharge but, given most people do this overnight, we don't see it as a problem. The built-in camera isn't amazing but it is good enough.

The processor occasionally struggled to keep up, the built-in speakers could be better, and the screen could be brighter, but this is nitpicking.

If you want a simple tablet to browse the net, read the occasional book on the go, or for younger kids to use, it is a great choice that beats the others at this price.

Money score: 8/10 Kindle Fire: HD £119, HDX £199

When Amazon launched the original Kindle Fire tablet there wasn't a lot of competition, but there is now. The latest version uses a slightly different operating system to other Android tablets, and our impression is that, unlike the others, it has been designed primarily to access the media bought from Amazon - films, music etc. It feels nice to hold, the screen is good, and the speakers better than the Hudl's.

Amazon shoppers will enjoy the fact that everything they have bought is stored and easily accessible. Shopping is a doddle. However, the cheaper Kindle Fire HD only gets an 8GB memory - the 16GB version costs £139 - and you can't extend it. On the downside, Amazon's Appstore still lacks many of those on Google Play. For us, the fact there is no camera is a major omission.

If you're happy to be limited to using Amazon's services for apps, games, books, music and videos, then you won't be disappointed.

The previous model is now just £99, but for everyone else it probably makes more sense to opt for the Hudl.

The same is largely true of the more expensive Kindle Fire HDX. For the extra £80 you get a significantly lighter tablet. The processor is faster and the screen and sound are great. There is only a front-facing camera, which means taking anything other than a 'selfie' is tricky.

The major advantage it offers is the 'Mayday' button, which you may have seen advertised. It's aimed at those who struggle with technology and can be dialled day or night. Amazingly, it works well.

Overall, the HDX is outdone by the Google Nexus, which is cheaper.

Another option to consider is the larger Kindle Fire HD with the 8.9-inch screen. It normally costs £229, but is currently £179 - a great price for the bigger screened version.

Money score: Fire HD 7/10, Fire HDX 8/10 Samsung Galaxy Tab 3: £139

If you crave the iPad look and feel, but can't afford Apple prices, the Samsung comes the closest - in looks, at least. It's a similar design and the way it is set out has an Appley feel - superficially, at least.

The trouble is that it all feels a tad slow and clunky in comparison to the other tablets tested. It is difficult to type quickly or accurately if you have anything bigger than a child's fingers. That said, it does the job and has a classier feel than, say, the cheaper Hudl. It has sold in big numbers.

When looking at websites, the screen feels smaller than it should be as the taskbar is quite big.

Gareth Beavis at TechRadar.com says that while Samsung produces fantastic smartphones, its tablet range is 'too expensive for what they are, and there are better ones out there'.

Money score: 6/10 Google Nexus 7: 2012 model £119, 2013 model £180-£200+

The Nexus 7 was one of the best last year, offering buyers at the time a great tablet for £159. This is now available for £119, and is still great value, despite being eclipsed by the Hudl. However, the 2013 model, which is also built by Asus for Google, is our top pick.

It now starts at £180 (at Amazon) for the 16GB version - the 32GB costs over £200. Out of the box it has a quality feel akin to the iPad. It's slimmer and lighter than last year's model, and now comes with two cameras - the front is 1.2 megapixel while the rear camera is 5. It's fast to use and the screen is brilliant. Watching BBC iPlayer this week, the programmes looked amazing. The battery has a long life and it is light enough to use as an e-reader.

The only downsides are that there isn't a micro SD card slot to allow you to expand the memory, and the speakers aren't as good as the Kindle Fire HDX.

Gareth Beavis says that, pound-for-pound, there isn't a better tablet out there. Having played with the main contenders this week, it's hard to disagree. The iPads certainly have more fans, but this tablet, in our view, offers incredible value for money.

Money score: 7.5/10 for last year's, and 9/10 for 2013 model www.best-budget-tablet.com For tablet reviews of the best budget tablets

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Convertible PCs: Why The Sun Won't Shine For Microsoft, HP

HP and Microsoft Microsoft haven't entirely seen eye to eye in recent years. First, HP went off and tried to make a go of things in mobile with its ill-fated acquisition of Palm. Lately, it's been hawking a low-end Android tablet. So it should come as music to Microsoft's ears that HP CEO Meg Whitman believes her company's big product for the holiday quarter is something Microsoft itself loves too: the combo tablet-notebook device. 'We've got a lot of convertibles in the market,' Whitman said on yesterday's earnings call. 'So do our competitors, and we're advertising behind those because we think that's a really innovative form factor that's the best of the tablet and the best of the PC.' Microsoft couldn't have said it better, though it often tries with its own Surface, calling it 'the one device for everything in your life.'

The problem, of course, is that these Swiss Army-knife computers haven't proved to be a hit with consumers thus far. And the great mystery is why either company thinks anything is likely to change. Let's start with HP. On the plus side, the company has some attractive-looking computers, including the Spectre x2, one of the machines Whitman was referring to. The new Spectre has some nifty features, like the ability to use a current-generation Intel chip without a fan, 1920 x 1080 HD resolution, and up to 12 hours of battery life. Oh, it also lets you remove the screen from the keyboard to use it as as a tablet. Here's the thing, though, it's a terrible tablet. At 2.18 lbs., it's heavier even than the too-heavy Surface Pro 2 (which clocks in at 2 lbs.) To get a sense of those weights in tablet terms, the new iPad Air is 1 lb. and it replaced a device many felt was a bit too heavy yet came it at under 1.5 lbs.

The Spectre isn't especially nice as a laptop either. Its 4.4 lb. weight isn't awful, but it's far from state of the art for a Windows Ultrabook. Sony's Vaio Pro, for example, tips the scales at under 3 lb. even when equipped with its optional extra battery, which allows it to exceed the Spectre's time unplugged. The Vaio isn't a convertible or detachable, but you could carry it and an iPad with nearly half a pound to spare. And you'd literally be able to work on the two of them all day long before your power ran out. On top of that, you would not only get access to all your Windows apps, but the thousands of tablet-optimized apps that run on the iPad. It's certainly true you'd have to juggle two devices for all this convenience, but evidence so far suggests that's exactly what people are choosing to do. The vast majority of iPad sales are going to people that already own a PC. Surely, everyone understands this by now?

Yet if that were true, why does Microsoft keep spending effort marketing Surface against the iPad? And why does it think the 'one device to rule them all' message has any chance of resonating with consumers? Apple has already sold 170 million iPads. The vast majority of those run apps, games and media purchased through Apple and not easily moved to a Surface. (Music, which started all this for Apple, is ironically the easiest content to move.) This puts Microsoft in a quandary: The people with iPads are very unlikely to want a Surface. The people without any tablets are not, at this point, what you'd call early adopters. In addition to all those iPads, remember, millions of Android tablets have already been sold, too.

But the idea of a two-in-one, jack-of-all-trades computing device appeals very much to the techie, early-adopter types. The folks who still find they need a computer most of the time but also would like to have a tablet on hand regularly. For more and more 'ordinary' people, that scenario is fading into the background. The computer is the thing gathering dust in a home office somewhere, turned on only occasionally. Of course, it's still ubiquitous at the office but most people don't bring that device home. To Microsoft's credit, they seem to get that tablets in the home are about more than running Office. Two new promo videos ( here and here) show Surface as a cooking aid and a family device. They point out legitimate weaknesses in iPad: It lacks hands-free gestures and it lacks multiple user accounts. The lack of the latter in particular is a mystifying omission at this point on Apple's part.

But they also highlight something Microsoft probably doesn't want you to think about. Even with these apparent 'shortcomings,' millions of iPads are being used in people's kitchens this Thanksgiving to provide recipe assistance and millions more will be used by children to entertain them while the turkey is cooking. It's hard for Microsoft to understand this and must frustrate the company to no end, but fixing these 'flaws' of the iPad is not going to make the Surface a hit. And worse still, trying to sell it against the iPad based on such narrow features has about as much chance as the television campaign based on pointing out the iPad has no USB port or SD card slot. No one cares! If they did, well, Apple wouldn't have sold 170 million iPads.

Right now, the products that are successfully competing with iPad come mostly from Samsung, which sells slightly less expensive tablets that happen to run Android. Samsung does offer a stylus, something Apple refuses to do, but mostly it's competing on price and on not running iOS. Market share figures that show Apple losing ground to sub-$100 tablets should be dismissed. Neither Apple nor Samsung is chasing that market. Ironically, despite being on the second-generation of Surface and spending hundreds of millions to market it, Microsoft still isn't really chasing Apple either. It keeps wanting you to believe Surface is better because the iPad is just too limited while Apple keeps selling the iPad precisely because it is limited.

HP should learn a lesson from all this. Microsoft has been super excited about convertible PCs for a long time too. Outgoing CEO Steve Ballmer was touting them months ago as he talked up the latest features of Windows. Yet even with attractive products like the Lenovo Yoga line, PCs that are bad at being tablets and only decent at being notebooks have failed to re-energize PC sales. Why things would suddenly change for HP at this point is anyone's guess. 'I think it's too early to tell how the demand for convertibles is going ... this Christmas season,' Whitman said. Is it? The selling season is over in 3 weeks. If convertible PCs are the hot product of 2013, she should know by now. More than likely, demand for computers will again slump as Windows 8 leaves people befuddled and holiday budgets get spent on tablets, game consoles and smartphones. HP and Microsoft, at least, can commiserate with one another.

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Black Friday doorbuster deals: The TVs, phones, and PCs that aren't total ripoffs

Legitimate Black Friday deals are notoriously difficult to snare-and finding them seems to be getting harder every year, as store opening times creep closer and closer to Thanksgiving dinner.

To make things worse, many of the purportedly great doorbuster deals advertised on Black Friday are of dubious value, what with questionable hardware and one-off Black Friday 'exclusives' that have never undergone independent critical evaluation.

And yet these deals bring eager consumers out in droves. Even the name 'doorbuster' implies a certain level of potential danger, as the prospect of saving a few bucks sometimes brings out humanity's ugly side.

[Related: Black Friday: The truth about its dubious deals]

If you must brave the weather and the crowds, at least make your journey worthwhile. Here are some doorbuster deals worth targeting on Black Friday (or Thanksgiving Thursday, if you must)-along with some gotchas to avoid.

Cheap HDTVs: Buyer beware

Sometimes you can tell at a glance which deals in a Black Friday ad are going to start a fight.

In the case of Best Buy, it's LG's 55-inch, 1080p TV (model number 55LN5100), selling for $500. The price sounds good, especially since Best Buy cites a 'regular' price of $1000. But the store listing raises some red flags: This TV includes a measly two HDMI inputs, it has no smart TV features, and the listing for it doesn't mention brightness or contrast ratio.

It might be the cheapest 55-inch TV you'll find, but it certainly won't be the best.

The 50-inch Element TV's $229 price tag at Target is low enough to start some fights, even though its specs aren't spectacular.

For a better TV deal on Black Friday, look to Walmart and its Vizio lineup. The Vizio E601i-A3E is a 60-inch TV with four HDMI inputs, Internet apps, and a slim design. It'll be on sale for $688 instead of $1000. Walmart also plans to offer a 70-inch model, the E701i-A3E, for $998 instead of $1698.

If you want to go cheap, try for the Element 50-inch TV for $229 at Target. You shouldn't expect great things from this set, especially at its skimpy 60Hz refresh rate, but the price is as low as it gets.

Smartphones deals galore

If you can beat the crowds, Black Friday is a good time to pick up a new phone, with several retailers offering big discounts on popular handsets.

Best Buy has good deals on a few Android phones when you sign a two-year service agreement: The Samsung Galaxy S4 will be free, the LG G2 will cost $25, and the HTC One will cost $30. ( Sam's Club members can get an even better deal: You can get either the Galaxy S4 or the HTC One on Sprint for just a buck with a two-year contract.).

Walmart will practically pay you to take a Moto X: It costs $50 and includes a $100 gift card.

Walmart has its share of respectable smartphone deals as well. The store will practically pay you to take home Motorola's Moto X, throwing in a $100 gift card after the $50 purchase price. The same goes for the iPhone 5C, which Walmart is offering for $45 on-contract with a $75 gift card. And Walmart will sell the iPhone 5S for $189 with a $75 gift card thrown in.

Apple products: Surprisingly decent deals

Historically, deals for Apple products on Black Friday have been weak, but this year the savings look to be better. Best Buy, for instance, is offering $150 off its regular price for all MacBook Air models. (Last year, Apple's own store offered $101 discounts on MacBooks.)

The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display gets an even bigger discount at Best Buy, selling for $1100 instead of $1300.

Target and Walmart sweeten their Black Friday tablet deals by offering gift cards with the purchase of an iPad.

Target, meanwhile, includes a $100 gift card with the purchase of an iPad Air, discounted from $499 to $479. The store opens at 8 p.m. on Thursday. For the best deal on an iPad Mini, head to Walmart, where you'll get a $100 store gift card when purchasing the tablet at its regular $299 price.

Laptops: A sea of mediocrity

Retailers love to lure crowds on Black Friday by offering dirt-cheap laptops, but as more people turn to tablets for their basic computing needs, the value of junky notebooks is iffier than ever.

Consider, for instance, the $178 Dell Inspiron 15.6-inch laptop that Best Buy will offer for sale at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

It combines a weak Intel Celeron processor and a meager 320GB of storage-and yet it weighs a hefty 5 pounds. Best Buy won't even say how much battery life you can expect from it.

Even more insulting is Radio Shack's $250 Asus 'Ultrabook' which, despite the thin-and-light branding, weighs 4 pounds and measures 1.3 inches thick. You should also skip Staples' HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook (offered for $180), as the new HP Chromebook 14 is a much nicer machine.

Lenovo's IdeaPad S510 comes with a powerful processor, a roomy hard drive, and a touchscreen for $500 during the OfficeMax Black Friday sale.

You might find better laptop deals that aren't explicitly marked as doorbusters. OfficeMax, for example, has a great deal on Lenovo's IdeaPad S510p, a touchscreen laptop with a fourth-generation Intel Core i5-4200U processor and a 1TB hard drive, for $500 instead of $700.

Or you can spend $500 at Best Buy for HP's Envy Split X2 (regularly priced at $730), a 13-inch laptop that detaches to function as a tablet.

Tablets: Beware the no-names

Cheap, no-name Android tablets are everywhere these days, and it's no surprise that many retailers use them as doorbuster bait. For instance, Walmart will sell a 7-inch RCA tablet for $49, while Toys R Us will have one from Polaroid for $50.

Don't fall for the low price tags. These tablets are marred by low-resolution screens, weak battery life, and so little internal storage that you can hardly install any apps.

Target's $79 price for Barnes & Noble's Nook HD is one of the better Black Friday tablet deals.

If you're looking for a cheap tablet that won't be a major disappointment, consider the 7-inch Kindle Fire HD, which Best Buy is offering for $99. This model comes equipped with last year's hardware, but it carries 16GB of storage and is $70 cheaper than at Amazon. Staples, meanwhile, will have the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD for $169, versus $229 at Amazon.

The other hot tablet deal happens at Target, where Barnes & Noble's Nook HD will sell for just $79. That's $50 off the device's regular price-and unlike Amazon's tablets, the Nook HD gives you access to Google Play and Google apps such as Chrome and Gmail.

Store opening times

Unfortunately (or fortunately, if you prefer a full night's sleep on Thursday night over a leisurely meal with family), Black Friday's invasion of Thanksgiving is now complete, with most major retailers opening their doors on Thursday.

Best Buy and Walmart will kick off their sales at 6 p.m. on Thursday. Staples, OfficeMax, Office Depot, and Target will open their doors at 8 p.m. This year, to get in on the opening rush of the holiday season, you don't have to be an early bird-just one who's resistant to tryptophan.

www.best-budget-tablet.com For tablet reviews of the best budget tablets

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Kids Tablet Computer Model for Kids

Date : 27 Kasım 2013 Çarşamba - 10:43, Category : SCI/TECH

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Kids Tablet Computer Model for Kids Samsung had a tablet computer for kids new. This tablet computer is equipped with special functions in children.'Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Kids' model of education they want for their children and families with safety features will have been endowed with a tablet computer. 3 Kids Samsung Galaxy Tab will be available in mid-December.

Children are now very quickly get used to the technology and are constantly intertwined with technology. Removal of products for them to make it even easier to learn. Moreover, when they receive the education they want and both will use their tablet computers safely.Galaxy Tab 3 Kids (Children's Version of the Galaxy Tab 3) containing custom applications to support their children's education to include children's store. Children's Store; educational games, entertainment, and e-book contains applications. Tablet, families using Application Manager the ability to select the applications they want for their children will be giving away.

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Windows 8 buying guide: How to buy the best laptop, desktop, tablet, or hybrid

Buying a new Windows 8 device isn't as simple as, say, picking up a new Android tablet. The device-spanning nature of the overhauled operating system means Windows works on a vast array of hardware, from laptops to tablets to desktops to genre-straddling hybrids. Saying 'I want a Windows 8 device' is just the first step of this particular purchasing journey.

Our guide will clue you in to everything you need to know while you're on the hunt for a new Windows 8 device, from design differences to the little details you need to consider once you've settled on a device type. Heck, we'll even toss in a few buying recommendations-and you can find more in our chart of the best Windows 8 devices available right now.

Got it? Good. Let's get educated.

Buying a Windows 8 laptop

The first decision you have to make is easy: Do you need a desktop or a mobile device?

Skip to the end if you're looking for a desktop. Settle in if you're shopping for a portable PC: Going mobile takes a bit more thought, since Windows 8 calls laptops, tablets, and hybrids home.

The Lenovo IdeaPad U430 Touch is a finger-friendly $700 Ultrabook.

Laptops are a good option if, well, you need a laptop. Typing accessories for Windows tablets-including Microsoft's own Touch Cover and Type Cover-simply aren't as comfortable for long-term typing sessions as a proper laptop keyboard is, and even cheap laptops tend to have more potent hardware than Windows tablets. You can find 'laptop-first' hybrids with the same advantages and the ability to transform into a tablet on the fly, but they carry a price premium over traditional notebooks. (More on hybrids later.)

If you're in the market for a Windows 8 notebook, PCWorld's laptop buying guide has all the info you need to make a smart decision. One Windows 8-specific thing to keep in mind: Touchscreen notebooks are nifty, but finger-friendly displays cost more and reduce battery life. If your machine's endurance is important to you, go for a standard laptop and check out PCWorld's guide to eliminating Windows 8.1's touchy modern interface.

Before you buy a Windows tablet The Acer W700 is a first-gen Windows 8 tablet.

What, laptops aren't portable enough for you? A thin-and-light Windows tablet might be calling your name-if you're certain that you wouldn't prefer an Android slate or an iPad. That's a very important factor to consider before you plunk down your cash.

Windows tablets, being the new kid on the block, have a few pain points. The Windows Store-which supplies the modern-style apps that power all those glittering live tiles-is still comparatively lackluster. The Nokia Lumia 2520 is the only current model that supports LTE connectivity for on-the-go usage. Windows-powered tablets are far more expensive than Android devices. And while 8-inch Windows slates from the likes of Acer, Dell, and Lenovo are starting to trickle into stores, the vast majority of Windows tablets available have 10-inch or larger displays.

All are valid reasons to consider competing tablets. But Windows tablets have killer features of their own that help them excel at portable productivity:

SkyDrive-powered syncing features make it easy to hop from PC to tablet to laptop and back again without skipping a beat. Internet Explorer 11 is a full-blown, desktop-class browser, unlike the mobile versions of Chrome and Safari. Yes, that means it works with Flash and Silverlight sites. Virtually all Windows tablet models have optional keyboard accessories. Many Windows 8 tablets ship with a free copy of Office Home & Student preinstalled. Once you've used the Snap multitasking feature, going back to one app at a time on Android or iOS just plain hurts.

And of course, only Windows 8 tablets offer full access to the traditional Windows desktop and its vast horde of software-though mouse-oriented menus don't always work well on touch-focused tablets.

Buying a Windows tablet The Surface 2's kickstand now supports two different angles, for tabletop and laptop usage. But you still don't want a Windows RT device.

Notice I said that Windows 8 tablets rock the desktop. You'll also find tablets running the neutered Windows RT operating system. Powered by long-lasting ARM mobile processors, they can run only modern-style apps-not desktop software. Given the still-early state of the Windows Store, it's hard to recommend a Windows RT tablet except for highly specialized use cases.

Yes, the Nokia Lumia 2520 looks great and supports LTE, and yes, Microsoft's own Surface 2 is a stunning piece of hardware. For the most part, however, you should still avoid them. All other PC makers have discontinued their Windows RT tablets, though you may be able to find some at fire-sale prices.

Intel's 'Bay Trail' Atom chips have made Windows 8 tablets much more competitive with ARM-based slates, thanks to their extreme endurance.

You'll want to stick to a tablet running Windows 8 proper, at least until the Windows Store matures. At the heart of virtually any Windows 8 tablet, you'll find Intel's last-gen Intel Atom Z2760 processor or one of the company's current-gen 'Bay Trail' Atom processors. Both deliver all-day battery life, but Bay Trail-based tablets offer far smoother performance. You may be able to pick up an older Atom Z2760-based slate at a great price this year, but definitely try before you buy one of those.

Some 'tablets,' such as the Acer Iconia W700 and HP Pavilion 13 x2, feature more-powerful Core i5 processors, but they're more hybrids than proper slates. More on convertibles later.

While current Atom-powered Windows tablets max out at 4GB of RAM, most pack 2GB. Get as much memory as you can! Many Windows 8 tablets also have 1366-by-768-pixel screens-a resolution that looks ugly and fuzzy on a laptop but holds up well enough on an 8- to 10-inch display. Pricier slates sport sharper 1080p displays, but be warned: The higher you crank up the resolution, the smaller those already-diminutive desktop menus become.

Stylus users, make sure the Windows tablet you're considering supports digital pens.

Beyond that, look for tablets that have the bells and whistles you need. For example, scope out the port selection, and find out whether a keyboard comes bundled or as an optional accessory, and whether styluses are supported. If you plan to store a lot of files or to install several desktop programs, consider buying a tablet with more storage, as 32GB won't get you far with Windows 8 installed. (Most Windows tablets offer expandable MicroSD storage capabilities, though.) And as always, try before you buy if at all possible.

A wave of 8-inch Windows 8 tablets is a-coming, but we haven't had a chance to review any of them formally yet. The 10-inch Asus Transformer Book T100 stands out from the pack, and its $400 price tag includes a keyboard accessory. The Surface Pro 2 is another star performer, with a laptop-grade Core i5 processor rather than a weaker Atom chip-but we'll talk more about that intriguing beast in a bit.

Keep reading to learn about the Surface Pro 2, Windows 8 hybrids, and Windows 8 desktops and all-in-ones.

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Councillors to fund own purchase of iPad or other tablet computer

Apple iPad

By Matthew Gooding Tuesday, November 26, 2013 8:12 AM

Councillors will be equipped with iPads under new measures agreed by a council.

South Cambridgeshire district councillors will be asked to purchase an iPad or other tablet computer to replace the laptops they currently use, the software on which became obsolete in April.

An outlay of £41,000 would have been needed to bring the computers up to scratch, but plans agreed by the council's cabinet last week mean councillors will now have to provide their own device, or fund the purchase of a new one from their existing allowances.

Cllr David Whiteman-Downes, South Cambridgeshire District Council's cabinet member for corporate and customer services, said: 'The fact is that in April we would have needed to invest over £40,000 in updating laptops and the software on machines as it becomes obsolete. To save taxpayers money councillors will now be asked to fund their own computers which will mean money is not diverted away from providing front line services.'

New software also being introduced for the tablets will mean reports and documents can be created, highlighted and annotated on the device so paper agendas - which currently cost over £2,000 each year to print and post - would no longer be necessary for councillors.

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Half Of All PCs Shipped in 2014 Will Be Tablets; Android 65%, Apple 30% And ...

The growth of tablet sales has been outstripping that of more traditional desktop and laptop personal computers for a while, and now it looks like we are finally approaching the tablet/PC tipping point, where the cheaper, more portable tablet is becoming the de facto PC: 2014 will be the year that tablets account for 50% of all 'PCs' shipped globally, according to researchers at Canalys. Leading the charge will be tablets built on Android - which collectively will account for 65% of all tablets shipped (185 million units) with Samsung at the helm. Apple, with its growing line of iPad devices, will remain the single-biggest tablet brand, taking 30% of the market - and, significantly, the most profitable.

That, in fact, takes priority for Apple over market share, Canalys argues. 'Apple is one of the few companies making money from the tablet boom,' writes Tim Coulling, a senior analyst with Canalys. 'Premium products attract high value consumers; for Apple, remaining highly profitable and driving revenue from its entire ecosystem is of greater importance than market share statistics.'

All well and good, but longer term, the company that keeps market share is the one that keeps mindshare. Consider Microsoft, which currently has only about 5% of the tablet market (and similarly low figures in smartphones). 'To improve its position it must drive app development and better utilize other relevant parts of its business to round out its mobile device ecosystem,' notes Canalys research analyst Pin Chen Tang.

Canalys notes that 50% tablet share in PCs works out to 285 million tablets shipping in 2014. By 2017 that number will rise to 396 million units.

To chart how quickly the market is shifting to tablets, consider that in February 2013, Canalys noted that tablets accounted for only one-third of all personal computers shipped. For all of 2013, Canalys had predicting originally predicted that tablets will account for 37% of all PCs shipped, with some 182.5 million tablets out of a total 493.1 million units, although today it is revising that up to 40%. (I'm sticking to Canalys numbers, by the way, to keep it like-for-like, as other researchers will probably use different data sources and come up with different numbers.)

Given that Apple was an early mover and arguably established the very concept of a tablet market, what has happened to put Android in the lead? For the answer, look to trends in smartphones: Android tablet OEMs will control the market by sheer force of numbers (there are dozens of OEMs building devices on Google's free Android OS), but also because they are being sold at a number of different price points, thereby tackling many different market segments in the process.

That is having a mixed effect in the PC market. Canalys notes that new tablets like the iPad Air and new iPad mini have helped Apple keep its market share up, and 'will strengthen that position in Q4″, in contrast to other vendors who have seen their PC numbers tumble. However, longer term, its market share will decline because of the company's focus on higher margins with premium-priced products. 'Apple's prioritization of protecting gross margins will see its PC market share continue to decline,' Coulling writes. 'Apple's decline in PC market share is unavoidable when considering its business model.'

This is already happening in some markets. Canalys notes that Samsung overtook Apple in PCs in the EMEA region in Q4 of this year, 'and Apple will lose its position to competitors in more markets in the future.' Canalys notes that in Q3 2013 Samsung took a 27% share of all tablet sales. (And note, too, that a recent study released earlier this month from JD Power, the consumer sentiment researchers, put Samsung ahead of Apple in tablets for the first time, with a key focus on price.)

So where is Windows and historic PC king Microsoft in all of this? Canalys believes that Microsoft will account for 5% of the tablet market next year, with its acquisition of Nokia helping to push it closer to turning that market share around by turning the company into 'a fully-fledged smart mobile device vendor.' Part of that will be about Microsoft removing some of the fragmentation in its own walled garden. 'A critical first step is to address the coexistence of Windows Phone and Windows RT. Having three different operating systems to address the smart device landscape is confusing to both developers and consumers alike,' writes Tang.

If 5% sounds small, consider that in 2012, it took only 2% of shipments. Still, that's very slow growth - with the question being whether we should consider this strong, oak-like slow growth, or just a general lack of interest in the product.

Longer term, we may be consolidating on a few platforms, but Canalys believes that price competition will cause further fragmentation when it comes to vendors and device makers.

'With the cost and time-to-market advantages afforded by their Chinese supply chain... small-to-micro brand vendors are eating up tablet market share. Vendors such as Nextbook in the United States, and Onda and Teclast in the People's Republic of China ship more units than some of the major international top tier vendors in their home countries. The rise of small-to-micro brand vendors has proved that there is a demand in for entry-level Android tablets in every country and in every region,' writes Shanghai-based Analyst James Wang.

He believes that brands like Acer, Asus, HP, and Lenovo, with entry-level products at sub-U$150 price points, 'have all entered the price war' but will find it hard to compete against smaller, local vendors.

That fragmentation will also spur consolidation. With companies like BlackBerry and Barnes & Noble already rethinking their place in the tablet market, 'expect 2014 to bring a flurry of acquisitions, mergers, and failures as PC hardware vendors of all sizes struggle to maintain their desktop and notebook business while attempting to capitalize on a tablet market that will see great volumes driving limited value.'

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Office Depot Black Friday 2013 ad leaks: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals

Summary: The office superstore is offering sales on Google Nexus 7 tablets and a Lenovo Ultrabook for $529.99.

Image: BlackFriday.com

Office Depot can't offer the Apple Black Friday deals that other retailers are advertising, since it doesn't sell iPads, iPhones etc. Instead, its leaked Black Friday ad relies on a variety of other tablet, laptop, and good ol' desktop deals.

Black Friday 2013 Black Friday 2013 update: More Apple iPad mini, Microsoft Surface RT tablet deals OfficeMax: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals Staples selling HP Pavilion Chromebook laptop for $179.99 Office Depot Black Friday 2013 ad leaks: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals Dell ad leaks: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals Best Buy: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals Staples Black Friday 2013 ad leaks: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals Black Friday 2013: BJ's, Costco, Sam's Club deals on tablets, laptops, desktops

Unfortunately, it doesn't have one stand-out deal that will cause long lines to form when locations open at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving. It will have the Lenovo IdeaTab A1000 7-inch Android tablet for $69, but Lenovo is already selling it for $99 on its website, so it's not that dramatic a price plunge. Likewise its $199.99 Black Friday price on the IdeaTab S6000 10.1-inch tablet is the same as Lenovo's site is currently selling it for. Office Depot has a $30 discount on the Google Nexus 7 with 16GB for $199.99 (currently selling for $229 on Google's own site) and is slashing $20 off the 32GB model (currently $269).

Its Kindle Fire HD sales are nothing out of the ordinary, with the 7-inch model at $139.99 costing more than at Best Buy ($99.99) and Staples ($79.99) even after you throw in the $25 Visa gift card Office Depot is giving you for the purchase. Its deal for the 8.9-inch version ($169.99) basically matches OfficeMax's deal, not surprising given that it recently merged with OfficeMax. The retailer's Black Friday pricing for Samsung Galaxy Tab models is similar to other stores' prices, with the white 7-inch version going for $159.99, the 8-inch version for $249.99, and the 10.1-inch model for $299.99.

Office Depot can't match the sub-$200 laptop specials we've already seen for select models, but it is offering a pair of sub-$300 notebooks. There's a 15.6-inch Toshiba with AMD E1 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 500GB hard drive for $259.99, and the HP Pavilion TouchSmart with an AMD A6 quad-core procesor, 4GB of RAM, 320GB hard drive, and 11.6-inch touchscreen for $269.99. For a little more ($349.99), you can grab a Dell Inspiron 15 with Intel Core i3 CPU, 4GB of RAM, 500GB hard drive, and 15.6-inch touchscreen, or if you need a little more power and don't need a touchscreen, there's a 15.6-inch Toshiba with Core i5 processor, 6GB of RAM, and 500GB hard drive for $379.99.

Ultrabook deals have been few and far between so far this Black Friday, but Office Depot has the Lenovo IdeaPad U310 Touch with 13.3-inch touchscreen, Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, 500GB hard drive, and 24GB solid-state storage for $529.99. There isn't a powerhouse portable available here, but the most powerful model appears to be a 15.6-inch Toshiba with Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 750GB hard drive for $579.99.

Desktop sales start with a Lenovo tower with Core i3 processor, 6GB of RAM, and 1TB hard drive (but no monitor) for $329.99; the other tower special -- again with no monitor bundled -- is an HP Pavilion with AMD A10 quad-core processor, 12GB of RAM, 2TB hard drive, and Beats Audio for $499.99. There are also a pair of all-in-one PC deals: a 20-inch Lenovo with AMD E2 processor, 4GB of RAM, and terabyte hard drive for $349.99, and an HP Pavilion TouchSmart with AMD A4 processor, 4 gigs of RAM, 1TB hard drive, and, most importantly, a 23-inch touchscreen for $529.99.

With Black Friday almost two weeks out, we've heard from most of the major retailers, but we'll continue to scout for more laptop, desktop, and tablet deals as they are made available.

www.best-budget-tablet.com For tablet reviews of the best budget tablets

Staples Black Friday 2013 ad leaks: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals

Summary: The retailer offers sales on Windows 8.1 tablets using Intel's Bay Trail processors, and has Microsoft's Surface RT with keyboard discounted to $249.99.

We already learned that Staples was selling the HP Chromebook 14 ( not the one that's been pulled from shelves) for $179.99 on Black Friday, but now we can see the rest of the office superstore's deals with the leak of its full ad.

Black Friday 2013 Black Friday 2013 update: More Apple iPad mini, Microsoft Surface RT tablet deals OfficeMax: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals Staples selling HP Pavilion Chromebook laptop for $179.99 Office Depot Black Friday 2013 ad leaks: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals Dell ad leaks: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals Best Buy: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals Staples Black Friday 2013 ad leaks: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals Black Friday 2013: BJ's, Costco, Sam's Club deals on tablets, laptops, desktops

One bubble the ad bursts is on another deal the retailer leaked early. It turns out that the Kindle Fire 7' model that Staples will sell for just $79 is not the HD version, but the generation before that. In other words, it turns out to not be such a great deal after all, especially since Best Buy will sell the HD edition for $99.99. For its part, Staples is selling the HD 7' for $139.99 with a $25 store gift card, and like OfficeMax and Office Depot, it's selling the Kindle Fire HD 8.9' for $169.

More interesting are the other tablet specials, including the first Black Friday deals we've seen so far on the latest 8-inch Windows 8.1 tablets that make use of the new Atom Z3740 processor based on Intel's Bay Trail platform. These include Dell's Venue 8 Pro for $279.99, $20 less than what Dell is currently sellling it for, and the Toshiba Encore at $299.99, which is $30 less than the original price Toshiba announced, though it's selling through the Microsoft store now at $299.99 as well. This is also the second ad we've seen where Microsoft's Surface RT is discounted; while Staples' $249.99 is $50 more than Best Buy's price, it throws in a keyboard accessory that Best Buy does not.

Android tablet deals range from an 8-inch $99.99 Acer Iconia to the Google Nexus 7 for $199.99, which matches the price Office Depot will sell it for (and $30 than the current price). There's also the 10.1-inch Asus Memo Pad ME102 for $179.99, or $100 less than what Staples is selling it for today.

While the HP Chromebook deal takes care of the sub-$200 laptop space, Staples has a few sub-$300 notebooks, too. A 15.6-inch Toshiba with AMD A4 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 500GB hard drive is $249.99 after some rebates, and there are also a pair of 15.6-inch portables for $299.99: another Toshiba with Intel Core i3-3120M Ivy Bridge processor, 6GB of RAM, and 750GB hard drive (it requires an 'easy rebate' of $250, however) and a Gateway with Intel Pentium 2117U CPU, 4 gigs of RAM, 750GB hard drive, and touchscreen capabilities.

Other laptop deals include a Dell 14-inch touchscreen model with Intel Core i5-3337U Ivy Bridge processor, 8GB of RAM, and terabyte hard drive that runs $579.99, a 15.6-inch Toshiba with Core i7-3630 Ivy Bridge chip, a sizeable 12GB of RAM, and 1TB hard drive for $649.99 after rebate, and a Lenovo Flex 'dual-mode' laptop (meaning the screen can flip over to work in 'stand mode') with 15.6-inch touchscreen display, Core i5-4200U Haswell processor, 8GB of RAM, and 500GB hard drive.

Staples has a few more desktop deals than some other retailers, although none is a real powerhouse system. For $329.99, you can grab either an HP Pavilion tower with AMD A6 quad-core processor, 8GB of RAM, and terabyte hard drive or a Gateway One all-in-one model with AMD E1 processor, 4GB of RAM, 500GB, and 20-inch (non-touchscreen) display.

Other tower options include two Dell PCs with 8GB of RAM and terabyte hard drive -- one with a Core i3-3240 Ivy Bridge CPU and running Windows 7 for $399.99, the other with Core i5-3330M Ivy Bridge processor (and Windows 8) for $429.99. Finally, other all-in-one deals are a 23-inch HP Pavilion with AMD E2 processor, 6GB of RAM, and 500GB hard drive and a Dell io2020-4668BK with Pentium G2020T CPU, 4 gigs of RAM, 500GB hard drive, and 20-inch touchscreen for $499.99.

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Tablet computers

NOKIA is going out with a flourish. In Abu Dhabi on October 22nd, at its last launch party before the sale of its mobile-phone division to Microsoft, the Finnish company showed off its first tablet. Like Nokia's smartphones, the Lumia 2520 uses a version of the American firm's Windows operating system. New models of Microsoft's own Surface tablets, announced last month, went on sale the same day.

Microsoft and Nokia are aiming at the dearer end of the tablet market, which is dominated by Apple's iPad. Microsoft has already had a false start. In July it wrote off $900m to reflect poor sales of the Surface RT. As if to remind Microsoft of what it is up against, a few hours after Nokia's launch Apple unveiled the iPad Air, which is thinner and lighter than its predecessors, and an upgraded iPad mini.

Just as remarkable as the iPad's success, however, is the proliferation of cheaper imitators. A mere three-and-a-half years after the first iPad was sold, the market for tablets already has a premium and a budget end, like that for cars. The cheap models, most of which have seven- or eight-inch screens against the standard iPad's ten, use Google's Android operating system (which is free) and are sold for as little as $100 or less. The least expensive iPad Air and the Lumia 2520 will be sold for $499 and Microsoft's Surface 2 for $449.

In the second quarter of this year, according to IHS, a research firm, 43.6m tablets were shipped (see chart). Of those, 14.6m were iPads, which use Apple's operating system for mobile devices, iOS. Only 1.7m ran Windows. Almost all the others were Android machines. Some bear well-known brands. South Korea's Samsung had the biggest single share. Amazon, a giant online retailer whose tablets use a customised version of Android, Taiwan's Acer and ASUS, and China's Lenovo also had fair slices. But 13.9m out of the 27.2m Android tablets shipped were made by dozens upon dozens of others.

Entry at the bottom is as easy as it is hard at the top, with margins that reflect perfect competition rather than near-monopoly. Rhoda Alexander of IHS reckons that smaller manufacturers will 'feel really flush' if they scrape a margin of $4 a unit.

Some sellers of cheap Androids in any case expect to make their money in other ways. Amazon makes little if anything from its tablets. Its aim is to sell stuff online. The same will surely apply to Tesco, Britain's largest supermarket chain, which recently started selling its own tablet, the Hudl, for £119 ($193)-or less if you use loyalty points. The Hudl is preloaded with Tesco's shopping apps and with blinkbox, its pay-as-you-go film-and-TV service.

Ben Wood of CCS Insight, another research firm, reckons that North America already has two tablets for every five people. Cheap devices, he thinks, are often bought for children who covet a parent's iPad. The two-car family took decades to arrive. The two-tablet family has taken three years.

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Dell Black Friday 2013 ad leaks: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals

Summary: Specials include the new Venue 8 Android tablet for $129.99, and an Inspiron 15 notebook doorbuster for $199.99.

Image: BlackFriday.com

Tech lovers have mostly been teased so far on the run-up to Black Friday this year, with retailers like Best Buy and Staples dropping word on a deal here or there. But finally a full ad was been leaked that's of interest to computer buyers. Dell's 10-page circular has surfaced on the Black Friday aggregation sites, and while it obviously lacks iPads and Chromebooks, it offers a range of deals on the company's desktops, laptops, and tablets.

Black Friday 2013 Black Friday 2013 update: More Apple iPad mini, Microsoft Surface RT tablet deals OfficeMax: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals Staples selling HP Pavilion Chromebook laptop for $179.99 Office Depot Black Friday 2013 ad leaks: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals Dell ad leaks: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals Best Buy: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals Staples Black Friday 2013 ad leaks: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals Black Friday 2013: BJ's, Costco, Sam's Club deals on tablets, laptops, desktops

Let's start with the tablets, where Dell is trying again with its new Venue slates. The budget-minded Venue 8 Android model, using a new Intel Atom processor and coming with 16GB of storage, was launched at $179.99, but starting on Thanksgiving at 6 p.m., it will be on sale on Dell's website as a virtual doorbuster for $129.99, or $50 off. A different tactic is being used with the Venue 8 Pro, which runs Windows 8.1 instead of Android. Its price on Black Friday remains $299.99, but you get a folio and a year of accidental damage service thrown in.

For those dwindling numbers still buying traditional PCs instead of tablets, Dell has multiple specials for both laptops and desktops, including a doorbuster price of just $199.99 (starting at midnight of Black Friday) for the Inspiron 15 notebook with Intel Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM, 320GB hard drive, and a 15.6-inch display. At 2 p.m. on Black Friday, you can get the same laptop with a more powerful Intel Core i3 CPU and 500GB hard drive for $100 more. An even more robust version with Core i5, 6GB of RAM, and 750GB hard drive will also be available for $499.99.

Those looking for something smaller can find the Inspiron 11 for $299.99 starting at 8 a.m. on Black Friday. That model includes a Celeron processor, 500GB hard drive, and 11.6-inch touchscreen, but a mere 2GB of RAM. The Inspiron 15R comes with a larger touchscreen, 8GB of RAM, 1TB hard drive, and a much higher price tag of $699.99 (though Dell claims that's $390 off the regular price). You can even get some modest savings on the Alienware 14 gaming laptop, though it's just $100 off the regular price of $1,099.

Dell is likewise lopping $100 off the Alienware X51 slim gaming desktop, though at $599 you're only getting lower-end components like a Core i3 CPU and Nvidia GeForce GTX 645 graphics card. Other PC sales include a 12 a.m. Black Friday doorbuster price of $199.99 on an Inspiron 660s with Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM, and 500GB hard drive, and a 2 p.m. Black Friday doorbuster combination of Inspiron 660 desktop (Core i5, 8GB of RAM, 1TB hard drive) and 21.5-inch LCD monitor for $549.99. Finally, if you are in the market for a low-priced all-in-one PC, the Inspiron One 20 with Celeron chip, 4GB of RAM, and 500GB hard drive built into a 20-inch touchscreen will be available $349.99 starting at 8 a.m. on Black Friday.

The Alienware specials aside, it's notable that most of the Dell Black Friday deals promoted are valued-priced systems. Of course, budget buyers are the most price sensitive, but it will be interesting to see if Dell winds up having some unadvertised specials on PCs with more impressive performance specs on Black Friday.

[Via BFAds.net]

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Dell Black Friday 2013 ad leaks: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals

Summary: Specials include the new Venue 8 Android tablet for $129.99, and an Inspiron 15 notebook doorbuster for $199.99.

Image: BlackFriday.com

Tech lovers have mostly been teased so far on the run-up to Black Friday this year, with retailers like Best Buy and Staples dropping word on a deal here or there. But finally a full ad was been leaked that's of interest to computer buyers. Dell's 10-page circular has surfaced on the Black Friday aggregation sites, and while it obviously lacks iPads and Chromebooks, it offers a range of deals on the company's desktops, laptops, and tablets.

Black Friday 2013 Black Friday 2013 update: More Apple iPad mini, Microsoft Surface RT tablet deals OfficeMax: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals Staples selling HP Pavilion Chromebook laptop for $179.99 Office Depot Black Friday 2013 ad leaks: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals Dell ad leaks: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals Best Buy: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals Staples Black Friday 2013 ad leaks: Laptop, desktop, tablet PC deals Black Friday 2013: BJ's, Costco, Sam's Club deals on tablets, laptops, desktops

Let's start with the tablets, where Dell is trying again with its new Venue slates. The budget-minded Venue 8 Android model, using a new Intel Atom processor and coming with 16GB of storage, was launched at $179.99, but starting on Thanksgiving at 6 p.m., it will be on sale on Dell's website as a virtual doorbuster for $129.99, or $50 off. A different tactic is being used with the Venue 8 Pro, which runs Windows 8.1 instead of Android. Its price on Black Friday remains $299.99, but you get a folio and a year of accidental damage service thrown in.

For those dwindling numbers still buying traditional PCs instead of tablets, Dell has multiple specials for both laptops and desktops, including a doorbuster price of just $199.99 (starting at midnight of Black Friday) for the Inspiron 15 notebook with Intel Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM, 320GB hard drive, and a 15.6-inch display. At 2 p.m. on Black Friday, you can get the same laptop with a more powerful Intel Core i3 CPU and 500GB hard drive for $100 more. An even more robust version with Core i5, 6GB of RAM, and 750GB hard drive will also be available for $499.99.

Those looking for something smaller can find the Inspiron 11 for $299.99 starting at 8 a.m. on Black Friday. That model includes a Celeron processor, 500GB hard drive, and 11.6-inch touchscreen, but a mere 2GB of RAM. The Inspiron 15R comes with a larger touchscreen, 8GB of RAM, 1TB hard drive, and a much higher price tag of $699.99 (though Dell claims that's $390 off the regular price). You can even get some modest savings on the Alienware 14 gaming laptop, though it's just $100 off the regular price of $1,099.

Dell is likewise lopping $100 off the Alienware X51 slim gaming desktop, though at $599 you're only getting lower-end components like a Core i3 CPU and Nvidia GeForce GTX 645 graphics card. Other PC sales include a 12 a.m. Black Friday doorbuster price of $199.99 on an Inspiron 660s with Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM, and 500GB hard drive, and a 2 p.m. Black Friday doorbuster combination of Inspiron 660 desktop (Core i5, 8GB of RAM, 1TB hard drive) and 21.5-inch LCD monitor for $549.99. Finally, if you are in the market for a low-priced all-in-one PC, the Inspiron One 20 with Celeron chip, 4GB of RAM, and 500GB hard drive built into a 20-inch touchscreen will be available $349.99 starting at 8 a.m. on Black Friday.

The Alienware specials aside, it's notable that most of the Dell Black Friday deals promoted are valued-priced systems. Of course, budget buyers are the most price sensitive, but it will be interesting to see if Dell winds up having some unadvertised specials on PCs with more impressive performance specs on Black Friday.

[Via BFAds.net]

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Black Friday 2013 deals on laptops, tablets, desktop computers: Best deals list

Examiner.comBlack Friday 2013 deals on laptops, tablets, desktop computers: Best deals listExaminer.comBlack Friday 2013 is the time to save on laptops, tablets and desktop computers. Walmart, Best Buy, Staples and Office Max, along with other stores, are offering some great deals on these electronic favorites for the 2013 Black Friday shopping season. www.best-budget-tablet.com For tablet reviews of the best budget tablets

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