Amazon Kindle Fire Review

Amazon sent a wave crashing through the mobile industry when it announced that its Android based tablet, the Kindle Fire, would land with a price of $199. Its custom UI looked good, Amazon promised tons of available apps and media content, and it seemed poised to steal some thunder from even Apple's vaunted iPad 2, which costs more than twice as much.

And now it's here. Do the expectations mesh with the reality of the device, now that we've been using it? Yes and no. It's still likely the best value in a tablet on the market, and will make tablet computing accessible to many people that either couldn't afford Apple's iPads or couldn't tolerate Android Honeycomb based tablets. While somewhat restricted compared to other Android tablets when it comes to apps and content providers, nobody can argue that Amazon doesn't provide a great self-contained ecosystem. Amazon's streaming services, books and other "print" media offerings, and Appstore - all backed by its cloud storage - give users plenty of opportunities to find stuff to purchase and pass the hours with.

Hardware

In an obvious attempt to keep manufacturing costs down, the Amazon Kindle Fire sports one of the most basic hardware designs ever seen on a tablet. Not only are the typical Android home, back, and menu buttons missing (replaced by on-screen controls), but you will also find a lack of volume controls and cameras. The only interesting bits on the Fire's exterior are a very poorly placed power button, a micro-USB charging/data port, and the 3.5mm headphone jack - all of which sit in a cluster on the bottom edge of the tablet.

The rear of the device is covered in a soft-touch black paint that hides prints well enough, but offers nothing at all in terms of style. Powering the Kindle Fire is a dual-core 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage. There's only 6.5GB of storage available to the user, and there's no microSD expansion slot, but Amazon's cloud-based storage for apps and media softens that blow since things can be deleted and re-downloaded from the cloud as needed.

The 1024 x 600 pixel resolution, 7-inch touchscreen display works well, and is both bright and adequately sharp, though it is perhaps somewhat lacking in the viewing angle department. The Fire's 190mm x 120mm x 11.4mm (7.5in x 4.7in x .4in) and 413g (14.6oz) weight make it easy to hold for extended periods, too.

Amazon's cost saving design could drive some consumers to consider the Barnes and Noble Nook Tabletinstead, as the Nook offers a more interesting look, real hardware controls, and microSD storage expansion for only a little more money.

Acer Iconia Tab A500 Review

Google’s Android Honeycomb OS was the talk of the town as the calendar rolled over to 2011. Billed as Android’s first true tablet OS, most got their first look at Honeycomb during CES where it was loaded on the Motorola Xoom. Since then we have seen numerous Honeycomb-based tablets find their way to market, including the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the T-Mobile LG G-Slate, both products we’ve since reviewed.

Today we’ll be looking at another tablet built around Android, this time coming from a traditional PC maker, meet the Acer Iconia Tab A500.

Acer has been one of the leading netbook manufacturers in the past few years, a position that gave them the chance to grow sales in North America and in Europe. With tablets eating up on netbook sales at an accelerated pace, we can clearly see where Acer is headed with the Iconia offerings. We intend to figure out what’s Acer proposition with the Iconia Tab A500, not only from a value perspective -- a driving force of netbook sales -- but in terms of features, design and overall experience.

Powering the WiFi-only Iconia Tab is typical current-gen tablet hardware which includes an Nvidia Tegra 2 dual core 1 GHz processor, 16GB of internal storage, 1GB of DDR2 system memory, front and rear facing cameras, 802.11 b/g/n WLAN and a 10.1” WXGA HD Multi-Touch Display operating at 1280 x 800.

Our unit shipped running Android version 3.0.1 with a retail price of $449. Since then the tablet has received an upgrade to Android Honeycomb version 3.1 and a price cut to $395. A 32GB model is available for a $50 premium. This pricing sets the Iconia Tab to be $100 and $150 cheaper than Apple’s iPad 2 for the same storage capacities.

If one were to compare Acer’s Iconia Tab A500 to other options on the market, it would most closely resemble Motorola’s Xoom both in fit and finish, which isn’t a bad thing though months have passed since the introduction of the Xoom, meaning there’s a lot more competition among tablets than before.

On the front of the tablet is the 10.1” display with a black bezel that stretches from left to right edge and terminates at a 90-degree angle. The top and bottom of the bezel are a rounded extension of the brushed aluminum surface found on the back of the unit. The front facing webcam is a 2 megapixel unit that is positioned on the left bezel.

The display caught our attention as you can actually see the gridlines under the screen that the touch sensors use. In similar fashion, you can see the same grid on the Motorola Xoom although it isn’t as prominent. TheApple iPad 2 uses a different display panel where there are no visible touch sensitive grids. We will return to this topic while evaluating the tablet’s outdoor performance.

  

On the left side of the tablet we find a power/sleep button, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a mini-HDMI jack. On the right side of the Iconia Tab is a pinhole reset button, a full size USB port, mini USB port and the power connector.

Across the top edge of the tablet is a volume rocker, orientation lock switch and a micro SD card slot under a hidden compartment. Then at the bottom is a proprietary docking connector that works in conjunction with the optional docking station.

The docking station allows for two different viewing angles, works as a charging station and features an external speaker connection. Also included is a wireless remote control that allows you to adjust media playback.

The backside of the A500 is similar to the iPad 2, featuring a beautiful brushed aluminum finish. A 5 megapixel camera resides at the top right side of the panel with a small LED flash above it. Two stereo speakers flank the bottom corners with the Acer logo centered in the middle. I really like what Acer has done with the back panel; I think it looks better than both the iPad 2 and the Xoom.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Review

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, in its current form, was born out of a response to Apple's sleek and thin iPad 2 tablet. The original Galaxy Tab 10.1, which hadn't reached market yet, just couldn't compete, so Samsung went back the drawing board and turned out this beauty of a tablet in record time. And this one can compete.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 features a large, wide-screen display that looks sharp and bright, and it rests inside a body that is incredibly thin and light. This 10-inch tablet weighs less than a number of smaller tablets on the market, yet it still packs a dual-core 1GHz processor and the latest version of Android 3.1 Honeycomb.

There still aren't very many tablet-specific Android apps, and those that exist are not that easy to find in the Android Market, but the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is still a desirable piece of kit.

Hardware

As is the case with all 10-inch tablets, Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a large device. Its face measures 256.6mm x 172.9mm (10.1in x 6.8in), but the entire tablet is only 8.6mm (.3in) thick. Pair that with a low 565g (19.9oz) weight and you have a device that is much easier to wield than one might expect.

On top of that, the Tab's build quality is really good. The glossy back, which is white and silver on our unit, feels good on the finger tips, and all of the parts fit tightly together. The Tab also feels very strong in spite of its low profile design.

There are no buttons to be found on the front of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, only the 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 pixel display and the forward-facing 2 megapixel camera. When held horizontally, the volume and power controls are found on the left end of the top edge of the tablet, while the 3.5mm headphone jack is a bit over to the right. A stereo speaker port can be found on the left and right edges, one each, and the proprietary charging/data port can be found on the bottom edge.

Samsung installed a 3 megapixel camera with both autofocus and flash on the rear of the Tab 10.1. Apart from the Samsung logo in the middle of the rear cover, though, nothing else of note can be seen on the tablet's exterior.

The interior is home to an NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core 1GHz processor and 16GB (or 32GB) of internal storage. I was testing the Wi-Fi only model, but 3G-capable models are expected soon.

Synology DiskStation DS2411+ NAS Review

Hardware

The DS2411+ is powered by a 1.80GHz Intel Atom D525 Pineview (45nm) processor. Although this is a dual-core chip, it supports four threads through HyperThreading. The processor is passively cooled using a small aluminum heatsink that looks much like something you would find on a southbridge motherboard chip.

Rather than soldering the memory chips directly to the PCB, as was the case with earlier Synology NAS devices, the DS2411+ features a pair of SO-DIMM slots. One of these slots comes preloaded with 1GB of DDR2-800 memory.

The other slot -- found on the back side of the motherboard -- is easily accessible by removing the left side case door. Synology sells 1GB and 2GB modules for the DS2411+ and with 2GB priced at just $25, it might be a worthwhile upgrade.

The PCB also features two Intel 82574L network controllers that have been utilized by a number of recent Synology products. The Intel 82574L controllers provide the DS2411+ with dual gigabit LAN using the PCI Express 1.1 x1 (2.5GT/s) interface. These tiny 9x9mm controllers have a 90nm fabrication and a maximum TDP of just 0.727 watts.

Accompanying the Intel Atom D525 processor is Intel's ICH9 southbridge. Released in May 2007, the ICH9 launched with the P35 (Bearlake) chipset, and it was the first Intel desktop chipset to remove PATA support entirely. There are numerous versions of the ICH9 and the Synology DS2411+ uses the 82801IR I/O controller, otherwise known as the ICH9R. This high-end version of the chip supports AHCI and RAID.

Although the ICH9R supports six SATA ports, the DS2411+ doesn't use them. Instead, Synology has opted for three Marvell 88SX7042 controllers that utilize the PCI Express bus and provide four SATA 3Gb/s ports each. There's also a fourth 88SX7042 controller used to connect the DS2411+ with the DX1211 expansion enclosure.

Although the ICH9R supports a total of 12 USB 2.0 ports, the DS1511+ only provides four, while a fifth is used to connect an internal micro drive. Sitting over the Silicon Image controller is a small PCB that is connected to the mainboard via USB.

This tiny PCB features a USBest UT165-L46 controller that's often featured in thumb drives. The controller is connected to a single Samsung K9F1G08U0C-PCB0 128MB memory chip, which is designed to house the operating system.

It's worth mentioning that Synology has gone with a 100% solid capacitor design, making the DS2411+ a more durable product.

There's one more obvious ingredient: storage drives. The DS2411+ compatibility list is quite broad, supporting a wide range of Hitachi, Maxtor, Samsung, Seagate and Western Digital HDDs -- including 3TB models with the latest firmware.

Google Nexus 7 Tablet Review

Google has released a number of Nexus branded "hero" smartphones in the past, but the new Google Nexus 7 is the first ever tablet to bear the Google Nexus name. Built by Asus, the Nexus 7 also has the distinction of being the first device to run the Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean" operating system.

While the Nexus 7 offers nothing to consumers that can't be found elsewhere - save for Jelly Bean - it offers a number of refinements to the Android tablet experience in terms of both software and hardware. And it does it all at a sub-$200 price point that is meant to dethrone Amazon's Kindle Fire as the reigning Android tablet of choice for consumers.

With specs like a quad-core processor and a 1280 x 800 pixel display, that seems possible and likely.

Hardware

From a hardware perspective, the Google Nexus 7 by Asus is not very different from existing Android tablets, like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0. It measures 198.5mm x 120mm x 10.45mm (7.8in x 4.7in x .4in) in size, weighs 340g (12.0oz), and features a 7-inch ~IPS display that is protected by scratch-resistant glass.

Unlike most other 7-inch tablets, though, Google's low cost flagship tablet offers users a fairly dense 1280 x 800 pixel grid to gaze upon. It's not as sharp as an Apple Retina display, but it's very crisp indeed, and it is easy to view both indoors and outdoors alike.

The unit I reviewed is the limited edition Google I/O 2012 version that features a white back cover that is dimpled like a golf ball. The normal retail version features a backplate that matches the front's dark color; it also receives a metallic band around its edge. Both versions run the same quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor and 1GB of RAM, but the I/O version is limited to 8GB of internal storage while the retail version can be had in 8 or 16GB configurations, for $199 or $249 respectively. There is no ~microSD expansion slot, so Google is expecting Nexus 7 users to make good use of its cloud-based Google Play services.

Google and Asus decided to leave out a rear-facing camera on the Nexus 7, instead opting for a lone forward-facing 1.2 megapixel camera for use in video chats. A micro-USB port on the bottom edge of the tablet is used for charging and PC cable access, and it sits next to a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The only other hardware features on the Nexus 7 are the power/standby key and the volume rocker, both of which are located on the upper right hand edge of the tablet.

The main Android back, home, and task switcher controls are provided entirely on-screen, just as they have been by default since Android 3.0 Honeycomb. It makes for a very clean design, and the texture of the rear panel makes it a comfortable design to hold. Add to that a rock solid build and you have a real winner - save for that lack of microSD expansion.

Usability

From a usability perspective, the most interesting aspect of the Google Nexus 7 and its Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system is that everything on this tablet works much more like an Android smartphone than other Android tablets. The notification area has been moved up to the top of the screen, the main app tray button is found on the bottom of the screen, surrounded by shortcuts that are available from every home screen. On the 7-inch Nexus 7, at least, the device operates only in portrait mode when on the home screen, whereas most previous Android tablets where expected to be used primarily in landscape mode.

All of those changes make the device much more user friendly in my opinion. The exception, of course, being the fact that the home screen is locked into portrait mode. That makes things awkward when using an app in landscape mode, since you have to physically rotate the device when you jump back to home. I see no obvious rationale for this design decision.

Otherwise, the Jelly Bean OS on the Nexus 7 feels by and large like an over-sized smartphone - think Samsung Galaxy Note on growth hormones. I was never a fan of the Honeycomb user experience, and feel that this more unified experience between tablets and smartphones is a good thing. I'm just not sure I'll still think that when I finally get around to using a 10-inch Jelly Bean tablet...

Other changes to the notification area can be found on phones and tablets alike. For example, there are no longer Honeycomb style configuration buttons for things like display brightness and Wi-Fi. All that is left is the link to the general Settings app and a screen rotation lock.

But what we gain is a new set of notification features. New style notifications can be expanded with a two-finger swipe to reveal more information, and some notifications can even include on-screen buttons for direct actions. The "call" and "message" buttons for missed calls are a perfect example.

Google Now is Google's response to Apple's Siri - of sorts. It can respond to voice queries and will, depending on the request, respond with a "card" of data and, potentially, some very well-crafted artificial speech, or with standard Google search results. The system will also try to figure you out, offering cards based on what it perceives to be your needs. For example, it will show you the time at home when it thinks you are traveling, and it will warn you of traffic issues for what it believes to be your morning and evening commutes, even going so far as to warn you when extra travel time is required to make appointments.

It's all kinda cool, but does not seem to work all that well for me, at least.

The home screen's widget system has received a bit of an overhaul. Unneeded widgets can now be tossed off of the display, obviating the need to drag them to the trash can icon. When moving widgets from home screen panel to panel, existing widgets will attempt to reorganize themselves to make room, and the widget being dropped on a new panel will reduce its own size, if possible, to make itself fit. It's a smooth process.

In fact, smooth is a good way to describe the Nexus 7 in general. Google claims to have spent a great deal of time increasing the frame rate of animations and user interactions on Android 4.1, and it shows. Everything moves more fluidly, and the Tegra 3 processor proves itself to be both cool-running and fast in the Nexus 7

Galaxy MDT GeForce GT 520 Review

Given the affordability of high-res, big-screen displays, people are increasingly adopting multi-monitor setups for gaming and productivity. Although it's easier than ever to outfit your home office with several 27" screens, it wasn't long ago that such a setup required pricey specialized hardware. Nvidia released its TwinView dual-display architecture back in 2001 and ATI followed with HydraVision on the dual-head Radeon 7500 and 8500.

Cheaply enabling more than two displays with a single card, however, is only a recent luxury for consumers. It wasn't until 2010 that ATI Eyefinity (now AMD-branded) shipped with the Radeon HD 5000 series, supporting three to six displays on one card. With Single Large Surface (SLS) technology, the cards can group together multiple monitors, which the operating system recognizes as a single ultra-high-resolution screen.

Nvidia responded to Eyefinity with Vision Surround on the GeForce GTX 400 series, supporting up to three monitors for a max resolution of 7680x1600 (2560x1600 per screen). In other words, Nvidia's single-GPU multi-display support is limited to half of AMD's. This isn't a major concern for gamers, who likely wouldn't want to run more than three displays on one card anyhow, but it's a limitation for productivity applications.

In fact, multi-monitor technology was originally designed for productivity and it's still the driving force behind such technology today. Graphic designers, video editors, stock traders and other professionals greatly benefit from several screens, but they don't necessarily demand the raw GPU power high-end gamers do. Hoping to address those needs, Galaxy has begun offering Nvidia's cards with enhanced multi-display support.

The board partner recently launched its Galaxy MDT GeForce GTX 580, supporting four screens for a maximum resolution of 7680x1200. However, being based on Nvidia's flagship single-GPU card, the solution is still a bit beefier (and pricier) than someone might need to view Photoshop or stocks across four screens. Thus, the company has introduced an affordable MDT X4 card based on the low-end GeForce GT 520.

Samsung Focus S Review

The Samsung Focus S is one of the two new Windows Phone 7.5 smartphones for AT&T that succeed last year's Focus that was build around WP7. The second model is called Focus Flash (reviewed here), which is a more compact Windows Phone that is also more affordable. Of the two, the Focus S can be considered the spiritual successor to the Focus as it has a number of upmarket features over the smaller Focus Flash.

Where the original Focus had a strong familiar resemblance to the Samsung Galaxy S running Android, the Focus S is as close to a Windows Phone 7.5 version of the Galaxy S II as one can get.

Despite a nicer display and a much better camera, the Focus S shares the same processor and RAM as its lower-cost stablemate, which means that the everyday experience is largely the same. Still, the Focus S is an impressive smartphone, with fast performance and the familiar Windows Phone interface – flawed as it still may be. Read on to find out whether the Focus S is worth the extra $150 on-contract price over its Flash sibling.

Hardware

If you were to remove the Windows Phone branding and hide the capacitive buttons below the display, you would not be faulted for mistaking the Samsung Focus S for a variant of the Galaxy S II line of Android smartphones. The design cues are very close and the only exterior hardware differences are the requisite capacitive buttons and physical camera key that is required by Windows Phone 7.5. While the Focus from last year had a couple of differentiating factors in its physical design, the Focus S does not break any industrial design ground and fits right in line with Samsung's other smartphones.

That means that the Focus S is exceptionally thin and light, measuring only 126mm x 66.8mm x 8.5mm (4.96in x 2.63in 0.33in) and weighing in at a feathery 111g (3.9oz). Unfortunately, that also means that it is rather cheap feeling, since it is made entirely of plastic - save for the display, of course.

The display is the same 4.3-inch, WVGA (480 x 800 pixel) resolution Super AMOLED Plus unit seen on the global and AT&T versions of the Galaxy S II. The 'Plus' part of the display is an upgrade over the displays on the Focus and Focus Flash and refers to its use of a standard RGB pixel layout as opposed to the much-derided PenTile layout. Colors are extremely vibrant, viewing angles are infinite, and its inky blacks complement the Windows Phone Metro interface well. I did not have any issues viewing the screen outdoors in bright light, which can be a point of difficulty for AMOLED displays.

Below the display are three capacitive buttons for back, Start, and search, as seen on all Windows Phone smartphones. Above it are the earpiece, light sensors, and a new 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera. The sides of the phone are home to a dual-stage camera key, power/sleep/unlock key (right side), and volume rocker (left side). All the buttons have good travel and feedback, but I noticed that they protrude out from the side of the phone a bit farther than most smartphones, which made them prone to being pressed while in a pocket (especially the camera key).

The Focus S features a patterned back that provides a modicum of grip when holding the phone. It's not as texture deep as the Galaxy S II, but it is better than a smooth, glossy back. Inset into the battery cover is the same 8 megapixel autofocus camera and flash that the Galaxy S II sports. However, due to the limitation of the Focus S' single-core processor, it does not record 1080p HD video, but maxes out at 720p resolution.

Usability

The Samsung Focus S is powered by a 1.4GHz, single-core Qualcomm processor. The phone performs swiftly, and Microsoft's attractive Metro interface scoots around with ease. The new processor doesn't make too much of a difference in every day use, but apps open up a tad quicker than on the 1GHz Focus, and processor-intensive games don't hold the phone back at all.

Windows Phone 7.5 offers a number of performance and usability enhancements over previous versions, including a form of multitasking and live tile support for third-party apps. Microsoft's vision of quick, glance-able information works as the company promises, but when apps are opened, it still takes longer than I would prefer for them to update with new information and be ready for use.

Surprisingly, the on-screen keyboard on the Focus S did not perform as well during my tests as it does on other Windows Phone smartphones. Instead of keeping up with my quick-tapping thumbs, the keyboard had a tendency to lag and then catch up, as if it were always two steps behind. I have a feeling that Samsung could address this with a software update, but it was quite frustrating.