Computer Support Blog

HP, long expected to be one of Apple’s main competitors in the tablet market, has fired its first shot at the competition, and it’s an interesting one.

With little fanfare, the company released its Slate 500 tablet, running Microsoft’s Windows 7 OS.  Since HP acquired Palm earlier this year, it had been widely speculated that the company’s first tablet release would feature Palm’s WebOS.

HP has now announced that a WebOS tablet will be released sometime in 2011. Read more »

Verizon has become the first of the major U.S. carriers to announce pricing for Samsung’s Galaxy Tab.

In a somewhat surprising move, Verizon has priced the Tab at $600, just $30 less than the Apple iPad bundle the carrier will put on sale on October 28.

Neither device will require a contract with Verizon, allowing users to purchase the device on its own. Read more »

As long swirling rumors of a Verizon iPhone heat back up, Apple announced today that it has finally reached a partnership agreement with a carrier other than AT&T.

Staring later this month, Verizon retail stores will sell the Apple iPad.

The iPad will be both the first Apple product and the first tablet sold through Verizon stores when it hits shelves on October 28^th.  While this announcement is certain to add some fire to the iPhone rumors, the Apple-Verizon iPad partnership already seems like a victory for both sides. Read more »

As Apple continues to aggressively market the iPad, one of its expected competitors has dropped from the race.

This past summer, LG announced plans to build and release a tablet device running Google’s Android OS.  LG’s Android tablet was expected to be released this year, as a competitor for the iPad.

LG announced today that will not happen. Read more »

Research in Motion (RIM), the company behind the BlackBerry line of products, has announced the impending release of a tablet style device known as the PlayBook.

The PlayBook will feature a 7 inch touchscreen, front and rear facing HD cameras, and will run on a new OS developed around QNX’s Neutrino software.

While RIM has yet to announce a firm release date or price point for the PlayBook, the announcement of the device’s specs was major news.  Unlike the recently released BlackBerry Torch, which featured a touchscreen but still ran the BlackBerry OS, the PlayBook is being viewed as a major step for RIM. Read more »

Samsung has debuted their Galaxy Tab, one of the first of the so-called “iPad Killers” from a major manufacturer.

The Galaxy’s specs will vary slightly from carrier to carrier, but all versions will run Google’s Android 2.2, the same OS that has helped propel some smartphones – including Samsung’s Galaxy class devices – into direct competition with the iPhone. Read more »

After release date delays, Dell’s Streak is finally ready to hit the market.

The smartphone-tablet hybrid will be available to customers who pre-ordered on Thursday, with general online availability on Friday.

The Streak is Dell’s first entry into the smartphone/tablet market and is the first contender to directly attempt to compete with Apple’s iPad.  Read more »