Video Post: New tablet a recipe for success?

At CES in Las Vegas, a lot of tablets were unveiled. Steve takes a closer look at a particular tablet called the Qooq. The Qooq was designed specific for use in the kitchen. Tablet trends are showing a growth in niche markets like this, but time will tell if they can last:

Not a pretty picture for Polaroid's tablet debut

As I watched the steady stream of CES updates flood my RSS feed last week, I went through my yearly mix of jaw-dropping enthusiasm and eye-rolling condescension. Tech bloggers who make the trek to Las Vegas love to highlight some of the ridiculous devices and gizmos that make it on to the showroom floor.

And while I understand the appeal of cheap, gimmicky gadgets that are everywhere at CES, they tend to come from the same companies that push those kinds of tacky products out year after year. It's another thing entirely for an established company to venture into cheap products.

This brings us to Polaroid. The former camera company announced its entry into the post-PC world with a lineup of tablets and e-readers. Before I go any further, there are 3 general principles I think any company should stick to when getting into the tablet business:

1. Make sure a tablet fits with your general company image and that it makes sense in your company portfolio.
2. Give yourself an advantage. It can be either be quality hardware or solid software are a must, but tablets have come a long way and you need to stay competitive.
3. Don't price yourself out of the market. Unless you're Apple, a $500 16GB tablet is a tough sell. 

Okay, back to Polaroid.

Whether or not Polaroid violated the first aforementioned principle is debatable. While I understand that Polaroid is trying to be a consumer electronics company and not a camera company, the name "Polaroid" just doesn't scream tablet computing.

That point aside, Polaroid could have made it a moot point by adhering to the second principle and delivering quality devices with a competitive edge. Unfortunately, critics across the board have said all of Polaroids new devices are underwhelming at best. Granted, the devices haven't been tested beyond the look and feel of the exterior, but that alone will enough to deter most consumers.

The question that has yet to be answered is price. Given the lack of quality here, these prices will have to be dirt cheap to give them an edge. Anything over $150 will probably be too much for consumers given the Kindle Fire is sitting at $200.

Polaroid is diving headfirst into the tablet and e-reader waters, but unfortunately for them they may be jumping in with proverbial anchors tied to its feet.

When PR stands for "Papal Relations"

The was an article recently on The Verge about the Pope using a Sony Tablet S, Sony's answer to the iPad, to light a Christmas display in a city a hundred miles away from the Vatican.

Obviously, this could very well turn into a post about technology adoption by atypical demographics.

However, the more important part of this equation to me is that the significant emphasis on the Sony Tablet's role suggests this was purely a PR move. If that theory holds true, then it's an interesting strategy on Sony's part.

Despite fairly positive reviews of its performance and unique design, the Sony Tablet S hasn't made waves in the increasingly-crowded tablet market, failing to dethrone the iPad.

Some may question the relevance of using a religious figure to promote a tablet, seeing as how the Pope's influence doesn't necessarily extend to a tech-heavy audience and most of the early adopters the tablet appeals to aren't influenced by the Pope.

But because of that overcrowding of the tablet market, the talking points for Sony can't revolve around the device itself. Tech readers have become inundated with specs and require alternative means of grabbing their attention.

That's where PR comes in.

One of the most basic goals of public relations is to generate conversation and get people talking, and there's no denying this story did the trick. They were able to combine an interesting story with the timeliness of the holiday season, without it coming across as a cheap stunt.

Video Post: iPads Taking Surveys to New Heights in Marketing

In public relations, it is important to reach influencers that consumers will listen to. One tactic we have found particularly effective is the use of surveys, but it goes beyond simply handing out sheets of paper with boxes to check. 

Will Amazon Take a Bite Out of Apple?

Last week's announcements from Amazon absolutely rocked the tablet world. But it wasn't because they introduced 2 new e-readers, or because they dropped the prices of their other e-reader, or even the release of their new Kindle Fire tablet.

The reason Amazon's announcement was so huge is that the 7" Kindle Fire will retail for just $199.

This led to a firestorm (pun intended) of activity as companies like HTC and Blackberry slashed the prices of their 7" tablets, the Flyer and Playbook respectively, by hundreds of dollars. Other companies like Samsung and Toshiba, who have similarly-sized tablets set to debut before the end of the year, are rumored to be adjusting their prices as well because of what Amazon did.

So, even though not one Kindle Fire has been shipped yet, it has already shaken the Android tablet market to its core...and rightfully so. We haven't seen any Android tablet claim that mythic "iPad killer" title, mostly due to the fact that none of the premium tablets undercut the iPad on price.

The Kindle Fire takes a different approach. Instead of trying to beat the iPad on local storage size or unique design, Amazon made a physically different device (7" versus the iPad's 10") with a different purpose (heavy cloud streaming versus heavy app usage) aimed at a different consumer (casual media consumption versus heavy media consumption and mobile computing).

While it's a different strategy, Amazon is going with the basically the same approach as Apple when it comes to tablets. Both Apple and Amazon have spent years building up services like iTunes and Amazon Cloud Services before releasing their tablets.

This means that while existing Android tablets continue to deal with a fledgling OS in Honeycomb, Amazon will have an extensive media library at its disposal.

More importantly, while those other tablets continue to appeal to more technically-inclined people who don't want to be "stuck" in the Apple world, Amazon will appeal to those who like the ecosystem approach that has made Apple successful.

The end result is that Amazon, regardless of intent, may have put itself in line to go head-to-head with Tim Cook and company.

Video Post: Amazon Sets the Tablet Market on Fire

Amazon just unveiled its 7" tablet device called the Kindle Fire. Steve walks us through why this tablet might be a "hot" ticket item by the year's end.

Rumors of Amazon's Tablet: A Student's Perspective

It seems as though you can't go a day without hearing about how great tablets are. There are commercials galore, not to mention all the personal testimonies from owners of tablets. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, I'm just stating a fact. Tablets deserve all the hype they get because they are just that great. We have two iPads here in the office and it is always a treat when you get a chance to use one!

As a college student these moments can be bittersweet, however, because I know it will be a very long time until an iPad fits into my budget. Tuition, books, and rent tend to take over. Not that it isn't tempting to try and swing such a big purchase, trying to validate buying an iPad with the fact that my laptop is on its last leg.

With these thoughts running through my mind, I was excited when I read rumors of Amazon releasing a tablet that directly competes with the iPad, but at half the cost! Along with the tablet, Amazon is also creating an app for students that will allow students to buy and sell books, electronics, and other helpful things. The app includes a barcode scanner, making it simple to find exactly the correct product you're looking to buy or sell.

After my initial excitement cleared I thought about such a purchase more rationally. Would I really need a tablet instead of another laptop? Is a tablet going to fill all of my computer needs? Will it be fast enough and as easy to navigate? These are just some of the questions that come to my mind. Yes, it is prettier, smaller, lighter, and easier to bring to the library. But does it fill my needs as a student? That is debatable.

I am a Communication major and Economics minor. Most of my assignments are writing papers. I can type quickly on a keyboard, but when it comes to a touchscreen keyboard typing is slow. Obviously I could find a keyboard that I could connect to the tablet, but that negates the easy portability that draws me to the product in the first place.

There is no need to come to a decision yet. Amazon's tablet release is still only rumors. For now I'll just be crossing my fingers that my laptop makes it through my senior year. As for Amazon's app, that would be incredibly useful right now as I am ordering my books for the semester. The app would take a lot of the guess work and searching out of the book-buying process. I think the rumored tablet has the potential to attract many students, but their new app is most appealing.

Video Post: Employment benefits include insurance, 401K and...an iPad?

Companies are buying up ipads and other tablets for their employees, or plan to in the near future. However, a recent report shows that those companies don't exactly have a plan for how to use for them. So is this just a case of technology for the sake of technology? Steve discusses this and more in today's Daily Axioms video post.

A Week With The "New" Nook Color

Having owned a Barnes & Noble Nook Color since December, you can be sure I wasted no time in downloading last week's major update.

The update promised an OS update to Android Froyo with flash support and a curated app store, which had many wondering if the update would turn the Nook Color from a e-reader/tablet hybrid to more of a full-fledged tablet.

And now that I've had the update for a week, here are my thoughts:

• As someone who used the Nook Color mostly as a mobile web browser, the flash support is fantastic.
• The app store is actually much stronger than I thought it would be at launch. While most of the apps cost money (and some of them are downright pricey), there are a couple of free apps that are definitely worth checking out. My biggest recommendation is Pulse, a great news feed that is perfectly-suited for the Nook Color.
• However, there are still some kinks to work out with the apps, because I've had trouble getting Angry Birds to install. I'm still looking into it, but at this time there is still a noticeable lack in my ability to launch virtual birds into pigs and various structures.
• The OS jump to Froyo seems effective, but it's a little harder to notice to casual users because there are so many other updates. On the other hand, the fact that there isn't a noticeable increase in lag despite the addition of more apps and other features is a sign that the OS update is doing its job.
• The e-mail feature is nice because you can now sync your account to get notifications and actually send emails. Before the update, I could view messages through the web browser but I couldn't compose new messages.

Overall, I'm happy with the Nook Color update. However, I hope Barnes & Noble doesn't rest on its laurels and continues to develop what could be the best value-based Android tablet on the market right now.

Adobe Photoshop Pictures a Future in Tablets

Adobe Photoshop has been a part of every designer or photographer's tool belt for years now. In fact, programs like Photoshop are the main reason I still keep my laptop close by (in case of a photo-editing emergency).

But as tablets become more and more commonplace, there's a noticeable lack of quality touch-friendly photo editing programs.

Sure, you have Photoshop Express or more niche programs like Instagram, but neither have the performance or utility to make it appealing in a more professional design setting.

Adobe is hoping to remedy that with their 4 latest releases. The first three are the trio of iOS apps that Adobe has released for the iPad and iPad 2. All three apps are meant to interact with the desktop version of Photoshop.

Adobe Color Lava for Photoshop lets you mix custom colors and swatches that instantly transfer to the desktop. Adobe Eazel for Photoshop is a paint-like programs that lets you "paint" on the iPad and transfer it to the desktop. Lastly, Adobe Nav for Photoshop is more of an organizational tool for heavy Photoshop users that lets you browse and keep track of up to 200 open Photoshop files as well as customize the Photoshop toolbar.

The fourth release is the launch of the Photoshop Touch SDK, allowing developers to create touch-based Photoshop apps for all platforms. This is great news for PC-based Android users that have the large developer community that they do, because this means we should start to see Android versions of these apps before long.

The most interesting part about all of this is the role that Adobe sees tablets playing. They seem to see tablets as complimentary devices to laptops or desktop computers rather than a replacement. It's a smart move, and could be the selling point to a tech-savvy designer community that likely has both types of devices.

Apple's iPad 2 Announcement Spoiled by iPad 3 Rumors

Apple revolutionized and dominated the tablet market with the iPad, prompting a wave of competitors trying (unsuccessfully) to knock Apple off its tablet throne.

And despite the fact that no one has created that "iPad killing" device, Apple still announced out an improved iPad 2 yesterday. With Android Honeycomb-enabled tablets like the Motorola Xoom right around the corner, it was definitely time for Apple to step up their game.

But did they maybe step up too much?

The iPad 2 does answer some of the complaints people had about the iPad, and does show marked improvement of its predecessor:

• The iPad 2 is 33% thinner, and only weighs 1.3 lbs.
• It sports a custom A5 dual-core system that should make it twice as fast (with graphics speeds up to 9 times faster)
• It features built-in front and rear cameras
• The iPad 2 also has a pretty cool magnetic case available.
• It's HDMI compatible.

However, those specs aside many tech bloggers are saying they're holding off. That's because even though the iPad was just announced yesterday, there's already rumors of an iPad 3 being released as early by the end of this year or early 2012.

Those tech pundits are claiming that the iPad 3 will address some of the issues that neither the iPad or iPad 2 addressed:

• No SD card slot available
• No USB port
• It lacks the Retina Screen that was such a big hit with the iPhone 4.
• No Gorilla Glass like most competing tablets.

So while it makes no sense to me why Apple would release the iPad 3 so soon after the iPad 2 (essentially cannibalizing the iPad 2 unless there's a steep price difference between the the iPad 2 and iPad 3), they have successfully refocused the tablet spotlight back on the original poster-boy for this emerging tech market.

Archos Climbing Its Way Out Of Tech Obscurity

Archos has been around a long time, but unfortunately was cast into the shadows of the technology world from line after line of disappointing products hitting the market.

But over the last year, things have started to turn around for the once-struggling tech company. There was an article today about Archos' financial growth in both the U.S. and Europe. And we're not talking small, steady climbs, because the revenue increases are over 200% here in America and over 110% overseas.

The Archos turnaround boils down to two things:

1. Archos bet early and bet big on tablets. Before all of the talk right now about Honeycomb, Samsung's Galaxy Tab garnered all of the press. But even before that, Archos was trying to make waves in the budding tablet market with several budget models.
2. Archos tried to carve out their own niche in the tablet market by offering a lower price point without sacrificing too much quality. While obviously not the best, Archos tablets are a fairly solid budget option.

Taking that Wal-Mart style approach paid off for Archos, because despite being the butt of many jokes (like Wal-Mart) they successfully sold many lower-end products (like Wal-Mart) for a substantial profit margin (like Wal-Mart).

Honeycomb Conference on Heels of Android's Strong Q4 Performance Report

Yes, as of right now Android tablets are basically enlarged smartphones. That is the biggest differentiator between the Apple and everything else on the market. However, that dynamic should be put to the test when Google releases its tablet-optimized Honeycomb OS.

And although Honeycomb has been announced and is expected to be integrated into tablets this year, we haven't seen too many of the specifics. That's why I'll definitely be keeping an eye on Google's Honeycomb press event this Wednesday.

Even though many Android fans are holding off jumping into the tablet waters until Honeycomb's release, Android tablets continue to close the market share gap on the iPad, according to a recent Q4 sales report.

Android tablet share increased from 2.3% in Q3 to 22% in Q4, largely due to the success of the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Granted, the iPad still accounts for 75% of tablet sales, but that it is a significant drop from their 96% market share in Q3.

Either way, the tablet fever that we saw hit last year should continue to grow and evolve in 2011.

Facebook Friday: Facebook Finds Tablets App-etizing

For those who don't follow the ever-changing stream of tablet news, I'm here to help. When it comes to existing social networks/websites releasing tablet-optimized apps, there's a definite pattern.

1. First, the social network/service creates an Apple app meant only for the iPhone and iPad.
2. Third-party developers create unofficial apps for the Android platform because there is nothing being offered by the social network itself.
3. Depending on the success of the iOS app, the social network will release an official Android app a few months later.

Yes there are exceptions, but by and large that's the dance that we inevitably see from most social media channels. 

However, Facebook is taking the road less travelled and developing an official app optimized for tablets across operating systems.

This upcoming app could further cement Facebook's online dominance, and more importantly could be a big feather in the cap of the often-debated HTML5 (which should allow easier coding for developers across platforms).

A New Year is Here, and it Looks to be the Year of the Tablet

Now that we've all shaken off the cobwebs from a weekend of ringing in the new year, it's time to look at what's ahead for social media and technology in 2011. First up is the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show, which is just 2 short days away.

From January 6-9, tech geeks and gadget fans will swarm to Las Vegas, only to ignore the flashing lights of the Vegas Strip for the dull glow of backlit tablets. And trust me, there will be a lot of tablets.

If you've followed the tech world at all the past couple of months, that isn't breaking news. My RSS feed has been inundated with story after story about upcoming tablets being previewed this weekend at CES. In fact, I've heard rumors about 14 or 15 different companies who will be in Las Vegas looking to bet big money on this emerging tablet trend.

Some of the tablets have definitely peaked my interest (like Vizio's announcement yesterday), while other tablets aren't getting much more than a yawn (sorry, Acer).

However, the tablet innovation I'm most excited for this weekend isn't a tablet at all. Google is expected to unveil their latest, tablet-optimized version of the Android OS (codenamed "Honeycomb") in March, and I'm hoping that they'll have some sneak peeks available at CES.

The 2 main reasons why I'm more excited for Honeycomb than the actual tablets are:

• Most of the upcoming tablets are going to run Android. 
• The lack of tablet-ready apps for Android is, in my opinion, one of the major reason the iPad has maintained its dominance in the tablet market.

Obviously, we'll have to wait until this weekend to see whether or not these rumors will lead to anything substantial. But if you're a fan of tablets, there's a lot of reasons to be hopeful for the future.

Will the Dell's Duo be Dynamic or Disastrous?

Last week Dell released a short teaser video for their upcoming Dell Inspiron Duo tablet, which should hit the market by the end of the year.

Obviously, Dell faces the same challenge that every tablet has faced since the iPad was launched. They are trying to not only separate themselves from Apple's hugely popular tablet, but from the sea of other tablet that have dominated technology headlines in recent months.

And what is Dell bringing to the table?

For starters, the Inspiron Duo sports a full QWERTY keyboard in addition to the standard tablet touchscreen. And to get to that keyboard, the Inspiron Duo has a really cool flip lid that turns the touchscreen 180 degress. So what you end up with is a combination tablet/netbook.  It's hard to explain, so I recommend checking out the video for yourself.

The number one question facing technology developers today concerns multifunctional capabilities like this. Do people want a device that does a little bit of everything, or a device that does one thing really well?

The prime example is the tablet vs. e-reader debate. Many feared that the iPad would kill off the Kindle because it could do a lot more in addition to functioning as an e-reader. However, despite a very successful tablet release by Apple, the Kindle is still going strong as well.

Given the success of both product categories, I think that, assuming the Inspiron Duo performs well as both a tablet and netbook, it has a real chance to gain ground in this very competitive tablet market.

The Apple of Tablet Market's Eye

Weeks ago, I wrote about the swarm of new tablets that were on the verge of being released in hopes of challenging the iPad's dominance in this emerging market, and now that Apple has hit the 1 million sales mark for the iPad, this issue becomes more pertinent than ever.

However, the two most promising tablets (the HP Slate and Microsoft Courier) have both been scrapped and won't go into production, and whether or not the companies are working on new ones has yet to be seen.

While this is great news for Apple, this is a huge blow to tablet technology as a whole. The iPad now defines the market for tablets, and that means there will be less innovation. Why would Apple need to innovate if there's no viable competition?

We've discussed the computer industry's failure to change and innovate before, and the same lesson applies here: the technology as a whole will suffer if no one is there to push for newer and better designs.

This leaves the Dell Streak as the last big-name company with a tablet device still in the works. Hopefully it won't succumb to the same fate as the HP Slate and Microsoft Courier, because as exciting as tablet technology appears to be, it will require innovation and competition to stay that way.

Opening the Floodgates

Technologically speaking, we live in a copycat world. If a company has even a small amount of commercial success with a new device, you can be sure its competitors will follow suit and ride the wave of momentum.

And over the past few weeks, it's been a wave of iPad news soaking into almost every blog and media outlet.

But now that it's been a week since Apple's tablet has launched and the waters have settled slightly, it seems like the tide may start to turn in this budding tablet market over the coming months.

That's because there's a steady stream of new tablet releases expected to launch in the next year, and each one is looking to offer its own unique spin on the tablet device (The HP Slate with its 2 cameras and USB ports or the Microsoft Courier, which has 2 screens and folds in half).

The list of companies that have tablets in the works is long one, including Dell, Acer, Lenovo, Nokia, Asus, Compal, Notion Ink, MSI, Quanta and ICD.

The latest news is that Google is testing the tablet waters as well and confirmed it's partnering with HTC to develop an Android-based tablet device, but hasn't even released so much as name yet.

Regardless, what is abundantly clear is that companies across the board obviously feel that the tablet market is a strong one with a lot of potential, and that should lead to more innovation and design.

And whether you love the iPad or hate it, it's hard to argue that it hasn't opened the floodgates for more and more tablets in the future.