Overall tablet sales shrink for the first time as Apple continues to dominate ...

Worldwide sales of tablet computers declined by nearly 5 percent in the first quarter of 2014 - the first such fall since tracking began - but Apple's iPad maintained its dominant mobile PC position with nearly twice the market share of the closest competitor.

Tablet shipments dropped from 59 million units in the first quarter of 2013 to 56.3 million units in the first quarter of this year, according to a new report from market research firm NPD DisplaySearch. Apple accounted for some 20 percent of the market when laptops and ultrabooks are included, compared to 11 percent for Samsung, the next-largest competitor.

Apple shipped just 16.3 million iPads in the first three months of this year compared to 19.4 million one year ago. Samsung, meanwhile, is thought to have seen a modest shipment increase of around 200,000 units to 9.9 million over the same period.

Despite the downturn, tablets still represented more than half of mobile PC shipments. The iPad accounted for over 80 percent of Apple's own sales by that definition.

Apple is widely expected to bring the iPhone 5s's Touch ID system to the iPad later this year, possibly alongside a new fingerprint-authenticated mobile payments system. Both the iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display are penciled in for updates this fall.

Even before then, the iPad may gain more powerful computing capabilities with the debut of Apple's next major iOS release, expected to be unveiled at next week's Worldwide Developers Conference. Specifically, iOS 8 is rumored to include support for split-screen multitasking on iPad Air, allowing users to accomplish two tasks at the same time.

http://ift.tt/1hgKyaM For tablet reviews of the best budget tablets

Sales of tablet computers in PH doubled in Q1

MANILA, Philippines-Sales of tablet computers in the Philippines almost doubled in the first quarter, as brands flooded the market with new models at lower price points, Singapore-based research company GfK said recently.

GfK said tech savvy Filipinos bought 270,000 tablet computers during the period, up 95 percent.

The units were valued at a total of $65.8 million, or a gain of 34 percent.

GfK said a major growth driver of the buoyant media tablet sector was the wide array of product brands and models that are available to consumers.

This year, 22 new local and international players jumped onto the bandwagon to introduce a total of 150 models into the market, offering media tablets for as low as $42 to as high as $1,012, it said.

'Competition in the media tablet market got even more exciting with the entry of relatively big global names such as Sony, LG, Lenovo, Skyworth and Cloudfone,' said Benny Villanueva, Managing Director for GfK in the Philippines.

'While major international brands have consistently played in the higher price brackets, local and Chinese brands have successfully developed the low price segment which brought down the average cost and made the device even more affordable,' he added.

GfK reported the average price of media tablets dropping by around 31 percent from last year's $356 to $246 for the first quarter of 2014.

In spite of the lower prices, total market value for media tablets still managed to rise by 35 percent attributed to the strong sales volume of the product.

GfK said Wi-Fi-only models represent the bestselling segment in the country as they are more affordable, averaging at around $42.

Its popularity is also attributed to the fact that the majority of commercial establishments are now providing free Wi-Fi connectivity to their customers, thereby making those that are equipped with the more costly 3G feature less of a necessity.

'These days, it is common to see young children using media tablets as a form of entertainment-on-the-go, proving that the product is now spanning a wider market to reach those even below 10 years old,' said Villanueva.

'With its broad ranging target market, we are anticipating the media tablet business in the Philippines to continually enjoy double digit growth for the next 3 years,' he added.

Recent Stories:

http://ift.tt/1hgKyaM For tablet reviews of the best budget tablets

Tablet Computers in School Classrooms Create Positive Learning Experience

As tablet computers slowly make their way into the school classrooms, students are learning to discover. While the social studies students in a middle school use their touch screens to read through the articles of the Constitution, another teacher sends video lessons to students as their homework. This allows her to spend more time helping the students in class and explaining the things they did not understand, while encouraging the students to become true inquirers.

Heather Blake, who is a second-grade teacher in Arlington is happy with the technology in class. Blake says that during the snow days this winter, her students were able to continue learning as she sent them their assignments, daily messages with lessons and math activities, as well as exciting experiments kids could do at home to learn more about their snow-stricken environment. Blake noted that the access to technology meant that students had to do less 'catch-up' learning than they would have in the past.

School-issued iPads are slowly becoming a growing trend. Teachers note positive changes in classroom behavior while the need for heavy and often cumbersome textbooks is reduced. Technology in the classroom also creates more time for students to learn and play when they are in school.

The idea of one-on-one computing where each student receives a computer for digital learning has begun over a decade ago. Computers have been available for student use in almost every single school, however recently the program became more widespread as the cost for tablet computers begun decreasing. In the U.S., schools are expected to purchase 3.5 million tablets by the end of 2014, this will provide students with access to a wide variety of array of modern educational tools and opportunities. The trend is not just popular in the U.S. schools. It has been reported that worldwide, the spending on tablet computers by schools has increased a dramatic 60 percent just over last year.

Schools are rushing to purchase tablets and computers as a deadline for new online standardized tests looms. The new exams are scheduled to start next year in 45 different states as well as the District. All of these states have signed up to be a part of the new national Common Core learning standards.

Meanwhile many advocates of the educational reform see the increase of classroom technology as an opportunity to rethink the way schools are currently run. The U.S. Education Secretary, Arne Duncan, believes that it is possible to untether schools from a traditional calendar system. Currently children are forced to follow a bell schedule, which tells them where they need to be at all times. This method of learning was created in the agrarian era and students were taught that teachers were the source of all knowledge. Now, students are able to direct their learning and discover new information that the teachers may not be aware of.

Computers have been praised for helping students learn at their own pace and on the already acquired knowledge of the student. This means that students are not learning whatever is taught in their class, but rather work on building upon the previously learned materials. Many experts say that this kind of learning may be helpful to those students who are struggling behind, while at the same time allowing others to speed ahead of their peers.

Although tablet computers and other digital devices are frequently dubbed as distracting and harmful, teaching children the positive ways in which they can use technology is believed to be better in the long run. It is believed that tablet computers in schools can create a positive learning environment for children. Computers have the potential to engage students through the education videos, games and social networks that captivate them during their free time.

By Ivelina Kunina

http://ift.tt/1hgKyaM For tablet reviews of the best budget tablets

Why the rich are ditching their home country - CNNMoney (press release)

via "spain" "residency" "visa" - Google News http://ift.tt/1d7vLtS

Tablet Computing Is Pushing the Technology Envelope

One critical way in which technology is benefiting humankind is in discovering methods to reduce the size of its tools, and the advent of micro-computing is answering the call. Almost across the board, industry leaders opine that the technology envelope is being pushed by the advancements made in the miniaturization of tablet computing.

February 14, 1946 marked the earliest substantially developed computer created by John W. Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert. They named it ENIAC, an acronym for Electrical Numerical Integrator and Calculator. In comparison to today's devices, which run on minuscule components that are now squeezed into tablets, the ENIAC occupied approximately 1,800 square feet. It was comprised of tens of thousands of vacuum tubes, weighed approximately 27 tons, and took nearly two-and-a-half years to build. Estimates of its clock speed were in the range of approximately 100 kilohertz or one tenth of a megahertz. It had no storage capacity and its input/output method was the introduction of punch cards pushing into the hundreds of thousands. Nonetheless, the proverbial ice was broken and the first domino had fallen. Investors and corporations became interested in the concept and progress was accelerated by competition.

Enroute to the development of today's tablet computing capabilities, and following ENIAC, came , Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE), circa 1954. This machine was designed to assist the U.S. Air Force in tracking real-time radar data. While it was more powerful than its predecessor, it was also much larger at 300 tons and helped pave the way for the advancement of software development. Significant strides were made by IBM with its system '360' in 1964 that was designed to handle a range of applications from commercial to scientific. This unit contributed to NASA's Apollo space program.

Also in 1964 Control Data Corporation, founded by computer architect Seymour Cray, developed the CDC 6600. At the time, it was the fastest computer known to man. Competition in the field continued and the title of fastest computer in the world changed hands. In 1976 Cray pushed himself again and developed the Cray-1, re-capturing the speed title once more. Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs entered the fray, also in 1976, with the Apple I. This was followed by the IBM Personal Computer in 1981, and the first portable computer, the Osborne 1, in the same year. Hewlett-Packard then developed the HP-150 in 1983 and it was the first commercially available computer with touch screen technology. Laptop computers were developed and became equally, if not more, useful and effective than their desktop sisters. The next level of innovation came to life in 2007 in the form of Apple's iPhone, which ingeniously combined the functions of mobile phone, Internet access, camera, media player, and a host of useful software applications into a single handheld device. In 2010 Jobs' brilliance developed the iPad tablet, which pushed the technology envelope even further, and arguably began the journey into the next emerging technological plateau. It demonstrated the ability to harness the power, speed, and storage capacity of full computer functionality at only a fraction of the size and weight of its predecessors.

It seems as if, almost daily, new innovations are spawning even newer innovations pushing man's limits further and further down range, showing him that he is truly limited only by his imagination. From the ENIAC to today's tablet, man has been obsessed with increasing computer power and processing speed. Examining the relationship between man and machine, the next frontier to conquer is overcoming the cumbersome and technologically slow process of utilizing conventional input / output devices to directly communicate with computers. The requirement to incorporate a keyboard, mouse, touchpad, touchscreen or microphone currently stand in the way of unimpeded access. These devices necessarily have served as the conduit between thoughts residing in the human brain and the machine. At the rate at which man continues to evolve, it can logically be postulated that the only obstacle separating the two is time. The tablet is pushing the technology envelope today, but one can only speculate as to what exciting advancements are next on the horizon.

By Mark Politi

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

Why the rich are ditching their home country - KTUU.com

via "spain" "residency" "visa" - Google News http://ift.tt/1d7vLtS

Spain's “golden visa” scheme attracts just 81 investors in first seven months - EL PAÍS in English

via "spain" "residency" "visa" - Google News http://ift.tt/1d7vLtS