Kindle has taken many shapes since the original little e-reader, now we have the Kindle fire and the kindle fire HD, both 7″ full android tablets, and then the original kindle was a huge success, but ama on aren’t a company that likes to sit on it’s laurels and they have improved the kindle ebook reader to include a back light to its paper-like screen, helping you to read in the day and at night. Read the full review here
Back in April of 2010, when Apple’s iPad was first released, the industry response was somewhat tepid. Although Apple’s competitors regarded this new contraption higher than its spiritual predecessor (Microsoft’s eponymous ‘Tablet PC’ from the early 2000’s), they still weren’t sure about it.
Many pundits predicted doom for Steve Jobs and co, but even amongst the uncertainty, early adopters were hard at work reverse engineering the iPad or rapidly enhancing existing smartphone designs.
Soon, a major new market had emerged. It was big, it was clever and it was thriving. Inevitably, smaller companies wanted to get in on the action and it wasn’t long before a new range of Cheap Tablet PC models permeated the formerly exclusive sales charts. These ‘affordable’ models were, well, to be polite, a big giant load of arse. Cobbled together from cheap plastics, faulty circuitry and seemingly ready-scratched screens, these listless lumps of plastic were unresponsive, unreliable and clearly held together by happy thoughts and string.
For a while at least, it seemed as if the Cheap Tablet PC was little more than an oasis in the desert. The very idea that you could get a decent quality machine for less than top dollar amused some developers and offended others. However, tablet PCs have proved to be a great leveller and this is demonstrated by the sheer amount of manufacturers and models there are right now. In reality, it was only a matter of time before a viable and Tablet PC that actually resembled value for money was developed.
Last year saw a slew of tablet PCs (priced at just under or just over the £100 mark) that were well made, reliable and relatively high spec. Tablets like the CloudNine Neuropad, the Onda Vi40 and the NATPC M1OS came with features like the latest Android OS, Multi Touch screens, full HDMI output and SD-compatible memory. In addition to that, the new generation of Cheap Tablet PC stars boasted an attention to detail and careful design that, at times, was downright impressive. In 2012, tablets made with cheaper materials smacked of ‘making the best of it’ instead of simply ‘making a few bucks’. This was a good thing.
At the dawn of 2013, we can only hope that the Cheap Tablet PC revolution continues to pick up speed, as the newest batch of Windows 8 models are commanding prices that make the iPad look cheap. Basically, as the tech comes down in price, more and more new developers will enter the fray. As tablets become more prevalent, so, then, will a need for cheaper tablets increase.
Apple have demonstrated their commitment to the 7” format with last year’s ‘iPad Mini’…Let’s hope that the next Apple innovation will be a reduction in price as well as si e.
iPad Nano anyone?
What is 4K? The term 4K refers specifically to the hori ontal resolution of any screen that can display 3,800 pixels or more. By showing around 4,000 pixels, this technology can be used to increase picture quality, colour contrast and depth of field. TV screens are the best examples of this improved HD quality picture, although it is being developed in laptops and tablets.
OK, so What is 4K being used for?
Panasonic have released a 4K tablet, but it is a 20” screen, making it roughly twice the si e of the original iPad. As for the laptop version, Toshiba are currently working on this particular problem. Despite the technology’s availability, the industry as a whole has been slow to standardi e 4K output (particularly with regards to HDMI) and this serves as something of an impediment to its overall adoption. However, the incredible visuals provided by 4K and the positive customer response to ‘Ultra HD’ as a whole will almost certainly prove to be catalysts for change in this regard.
4K resolution is there to give you the best picture quality money can buy (at least until 8K becomes more widely available). Using 4K TV, your streamed content will look better than ever before (as will your Skype calls) and movies on Blu Ray will be simply astonishing. Such incredible picture will lead to a more immersive gaming experience as well, with the large-scale synthetic worlds of games like ‘Assassin’s Creed’ or ‘Grand Theft Auto’ taking on a new (and jaw dropping) level of realism. Even your old DVDs will sparkle when played on your Blu Ray Player, as 4K brings out the best in absolutely everything it touches.
With thousands of pixels, hundreds of colours and a picture so sharp it could draw blood – what’s not to love about 4K?
As I write this, I am reminded of that episode of ‘Futurama’ when Fry refused to leave his new house. Unless I’m mistaken, Leela scolded him, saying something like “you’re wasting your life watching TV, get out there and see the real world!” to which Fry responded “But this is HD TV, it has better resolution than the real world”. It is a conversation that will soon hit far closer to home than any jokes about robots or flying cars. That’s actually a shame; I really want a flying car robot.
The future is here, which works out well because, thanks to 4K resolution, it looks fantastic.
