iPad Air Spec Comparison With Other Tabs in the Market

Tim Cook with the new iPad Air during the launch event of iPad Air during last week.

Apple’s much-anticipated iPad Air comes with several new performance and design boosts, plus a new name but is it the best tablet on the market? We check that out via a spec sheet.

To make things interesting, we even threw a Surface Pro 2 which, many will argue, is a full-fledged PC and that’s true too.

	iPad Air	Nokia Lumia 2520	Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014)	Sony Xperia Tablet Z	Surface Pro 2
OS	iOS 7.0.2	Windows RT 8.1	Android 4.3 Jelly Bean	Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean	Windows 8.1
Dimensions	240 x 169.5 x 7.5 mm	267 x 168 x 8.9 mm	243.1 x 171.4 x 7.9 mm	266 x 172 x 6.9 mm	275 x 173 x 13.5 mm
Weight	469g	615g	540g	495g	907g
Design	Aluminum Unibody	Polycarbonate Plastic	Plastic and leather-like finish	Matte Plastic	VaporMg
Display	9.7 inches	10.1 inches	10.1 inches	10.1 inches	10.6 inches
Resolution	1536 x 2048 pixels	1080 x 1920 pixels	2560 x 1600 pixels	1200 x 1920 pixels	1080 x 1920 pixels
Processor	64-bit 1.3Ghz Apple A7	2.2Ghz Qualcomm SnapDragon 800	2.3Ghz Qualcomm SnapDragon 800	1.5Ghz Qualcomm SnapDragon S4 Pro	1.6Ghz Intel Core i5-4200U Haswell
RAM/Storage	1 GB; 16/32/64/128 GB	2 GB; 32 GB expandable	3 GB; 16/32/64 GB expandable	2 GB; 16/32 GB expandable	4/8 GB RAM; 64/128/256/512 GB expandable
Rear-Camera	5 mp; 1080p video at 30 fps	6.7 mp; 1080p video at 30 fps	8 mp; 1080p video at 60fps	8.1 mp; 1080p video at 30 fps	1.2 mp HD
Front-Camera	1.2 mp HD	2 mp HD	2 mp Full HD	2 mp Full HD	1.2 mp HD
Connectivity	MIMO Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, USB 2.0, Lightning Port	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, USB 3.0, NFC	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0,microUSB 2.0, IR Blaster, USB-OTG	Wi-FI, NFC, microUSB 2.0, Bluetooth 4.0, IR Blaster	MIMO Wi-Fi, USB 3.0, microSDXC, MiniDisplay Port,Bluetooth 4.0, USB 2.0
Water-proof	No	No	No	IP57-certified	No
Battery	32.4 Whr	8000 mAh	8220 mAh	6000 mAh	48 Wh
Price	Starts at $499	Starts at $499	Starts at $549	Starts at $499	Starts at $899

The iPad Air, at least on paper, is lagging behind the competition in several aspects but again, Apple has never tried to compete in a numbers race and that is the best part. As usual, the iPad Air is perfect in doing the basic things, plus, it is unmatched when it comes to ecosystem.

It may not be the most productive but the free suite of iWork apps has drastically improved that too. With a competitive price and a strong backing from the App Store, it remains the tablet to beat (at least when it comes to sales).

Again, its better to look for only the things which are important to you before making a decision regarding buying anyone of these.

The Lumia 2520 isn't Nokia's First Tablet, Check Out the Lost Ones Here

Last week, Nokia announced its “first” Windows tablet, the Lumia 2520. (Not many would’ve even given that aspect attention.) This means that while the Lumia 2520 is the company’s first tablet in years, it is far from being the first one.

If you’re a Nokia fan, you already know about following devices that were marketed by Nokia as “Internet tablets”; these lost products started coming to market during 2005 with the 770. The last one (N900) came in 2009.

What’s more interesting is that all of them came with a resistive touchscreen, two years before Apple popularised the technology in portable devices.

Nokia 770 (2005)

Nokia’s first Internet tablet ran on Maemo, the Linux-based OS and had a 4.1 inch resistive touchscreen which got input from a stylus. Apart from that, it had a 252Mhz processor, 64 MB RAM and 128 MB expandable memory.

The resultant was a slow device which got scathing reviews. Long forgotten.

Nokia N800 (2007)

The next attempt came just days after the original iPhone came. Despite this, the N800 is probably the most neglected Nokia product from the top-end N-series.

Having a 4.1 inch resistive touchscreen again, this time it came with an underclocked 330 Mhz processor, 128 MB RAM, 64 MB expandable storage and upgraded Meamo OS. At least the thing worked this time, getting 3.5 stars out of 5 from Cnet.

Nokia N810 (2007)

The N810 was the last Nokia product which got marketed as an Internet tablet and this time, it came with several big changes. Nokia N810 featured a more pocketable design plus a slide-out backlit keyboard.

The 4.1 inch resistive touchscreen display was still there, but it had 2 GB expandable memory, newer Maemo OS and a VGA camera this time. It was powered by a 400 Mhz processor on top of a 128 MB RAM. This product too got forgotten, however.

Nokia N900 (2009)

The N900 wasn’t an internet tablet only, it was a phone and it ran on the same Maemo OS. In my opinion, that telephone functionality is the reason why the N900 is a reasonably popular device because you see, a Nokia product without a SIM card slot isn’t quite Nokia enough. Therefore, even the Lumia 2520 and the Nokia Booklet 3G come with with SIM card functionality.

The touchscreen was smaller at 3.5 inches and it borrowed the same bizarre keyboard from the N97 but the N900 came with a Cortex A8 processor, 256 MB RAM, 32 GB storage and a 5 megapixel front camera. At the time of its release, it was among the most powerful phones on the market.

But its greatest legacy was its ability to run almost everything you threw at it. From Android to Windows Mobile, everything you throw at it runs. Hell, there are even tutorials of full-fledged Windows running on the device. This amazing capability will keep the N900 alive for a long time to come.

These all internet tablets are obsolete and discontinued now and the future lies in Lumia 2520 and Windows. Pretty much all of these “lost” devices were failures and it will be worth watching whether the 2520 will change that.

Apple Announces the New iPad Air, More Sleeker, Powerful and Fresh Than Ever!

Apple has announced the 5th generation iPad last night, which doesn’t just bring a major change on its feature set, but also in its name. The latest iPad is called the ‘iPad Air’. The inspiration for this possibly came from the MacBook Air, another Apple product acclaimed universally for its design.

Statistically, the new iPad is 28 percent lighter than before, weighing 469g compared to 653g before, and is 20 percent thinner at 7.5mm. The bezels are also an incredible 43 percent lesser than before. These statistics make this tablet the lightest full-size tablet in the world.

The screen remains at the standard 9.7″ inch size and comes with a Retina Display of 1536 x 2048 pixels. The tablet comes with iOS 7.0.2 pre-installed.

On the hardware side, as expected, it comes with Apple’s 64-bit A7 processor (8 times faster than before, 72 times faster graphics) which debuted on the on the 5s, along with M7 motion co-processor. PowerVR G6430 Graphics are used, while the storage options are set at 16/32/64 or 128 GB.

The iPad Air comes with a 5 megapixel camera on the back, capable of shooting Full HD video at 30 fps, along with a 1.2 mp camera on the front and dual microphones.

Perhaps a disappointment for many could be the lack of Touch ID, which hasn’t made its way to any of the iPads.

Connectivity options with iPad Air include Bluetooth 4.0, Lightning Port, Wi-Fi (twice faster with MIMO 802.11) and optional LTE. A 32 Whr battery powers the tablet for up to 10 hours.

Finally, the price. The new iPad Air will start at $499 for the base 16 GB model when it will go for sale on November 1.

The 32, 64 and 128 GB models can be obtained for $599, $699 and $799 respectively. Color options will be either Silver/White or Space Grey/Black. The new Smart Covers, which feature the ability to get folded backwards, will come for $79. iPad 2 will be kept alive at $399.

The iPad Air’s not the cheapest tablet in the market, by far. What you do get is the brilliant ecosystem which is second to none and that, according to most, will be something which will give it an edge over others. That justifies the extra price too.

Nokia Announces Three Asha Phones, Two Lumia phones and a Tablet

Today at Nokia World in Abu Dhabi, Nokia unveiled six new devices alongside new accessories, Nokia experiences and third-party developer applications.

Nokia introduced its first ever Windows tablet, the Nokia Lumia 2520, along with two other Lumia devices – both offering 6 inch large display –  the Lumia 1520 and 1320.

Nokia today also unveiled three new Asha models namely the Asha 500, Asha 502 and Asha 503.

With about half a dozen new devices, Stephen Elop, Executive Vice President, Devices & Services at Nokia said,

“Today we’re inviting people around the world to switch to Nokia. With our latest range of Lumia and Asha products, we’re delivering industry leading design and imaging innovation to bigger devices at more accessible prices.

The quality and value that Nokia products deliver continues to grow as we partner with developers to introduce app experiences that are unique to Lumia and Windows Phone.

And clearly, with Lumia and Asha smartphones enjoying quarter-on-quarter volume growth in Q3 2013, that quality and value is resonating with consumers around the world.”

Lumia 2520

Nokia has finally stepped into the tablet market. With Lumia 2520 the focus is mainly on the mobility. The Stephen Elop said that they specifically made sure that the first tablet from Nokia with 10.1 inch HD display works amazingly well in the outdoors, in burning sun particularly.

Lumia 2520 boosts both 4G LTE and Wi-Fi connectivity, a 6.7MP camera, and for the first time ever on a tablet, ZEISS optics, letting people take beautiful pictures – even in low light.

The Lumia 2520 runs on Windows RT 8.1, and also features multiple color choices and fast-charging capability – providing up to an 80% charge in one hour.

The Lumia 2520 also comes with a number of unique software experiences that are exclusive to the Lumia family, including the exclusive “Dragons Adventure” interactive game developed in partnership with DreamWorks Animation.

Additionally, the Lumia 2520 includes Nokia Storyteller, a Nokia developed application that introduces a new way to curate and relive images and videos as a story on a map, as well as Nokia Video Director, which offers the ability to edit and get even more creative with videos shot on the Lumia 2520 – as well as content from Lumia smartphones.

The tablet also includes an exclusive version of Nokia Music with Mix Radio preinstalled.

The Lumia 2520 pairs with the Nokia Power Keyboard. Offering up to five extra hours of battery life and two built-in USB ports, the Nokia Power Keyboard makes battery life worries a thing of the past. A protective and wraparound cover, the Nokia Power Keyboard includes a fully functional keypad with gesture trackpad, so typing feels as natural as on a laptop.

With Microsoft Office and Outlook preinstalled, getting more done on the go is easier than ever.

The Nokia Lumia 2520 will be available in red and white in a glossy finish as well as cyan and black in a matte finish, and is expected to start shipping in Q4 2013 with an estimated price of USD499 before taxes or subsidies.

Lenovo Outs its First 8 Inch Windows 8 PC for $299

People who thought that Windows 8 portables couldn’t possibly be shorter than 10 inches can put their minds at rest: they’re coming and many more are in the pipeline.

Lenovo’s 8 inch Miix 2 tablet is another one of these and runs on Intel’s latest Bay Trail platform.

Having an 8 inch display with resolution of 1280 x 800, the Miix 2 is 8.35 mm thick and 350g heavy. Under the hood, it comes with 2GB worth RAM and Intel’s quad-core Bay Trail processor. A duo of 2mp front and 5mp back cameras are included in the package. A card slot can be used for expanding the memory.

The tablet runs on full Windows 8.1 and comes with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013 out-of-the-box.

As for the pricing, the base 32 GB model starts at $299.

Optional cover and stylus will cost $20. There will be a top-of-the-line 128 GB model too. It will be available for sale later this year.