Small slate shoppers have a new option to choose this week: Hisense debuted a tablet that looks like a Nexus 7. The Sera 7 Pro tablet uses the same basic hardware as Google's own tablet –with a few improvements, even — but costs $50 less. WalMart is the exclusive retailer for the Android 4.2 slate, which is priced at $149.
The Hisense model only comes with half of the storage capacity as the Nexus 7 — 8 GB vs 16 GB — but does include a microSD card slot for storage expansion. Both devices have front facing cameras while the Hisense model adds a rear, 5 megapixel camera. It also supports mini HDMI out for external displays while the Nexus 7 doesn't.
I'm planning to check out the Sero 7 Pro at my local WalMart and compare the build quality to a Nexus 7. Assuming it's comparable, I could see many people picking up one of these tablets at this price.
My other concern would be software updates going forward. Since Hisense isn't known for Android devices, I'm wondering how quickly the tablet will see Android upgrades in the future. You definitely some piece of mind with this for the Nexus 7 since Google provides the updates directly and quickly.
That same question comes to mind when talking about "Google Edition" phones. Samsung has already announced a $649 version of its Galaxy S 4 that will run stock Android without Samsung's customizations. Now sources suggest that an HTC One handset will be offered in a "Google Edition" as well. Since Google is selling such devices in the Google Play Store, my guess is that Google itself will push future updates. That hasn't been made clear, however.
With Samsung, and possibly HTC, offering "pure" Android devices, Google's Nexus line will be interesting to watch. I have a feeling the new Nexus devices will be kept at lower prices with fewer cutting edge features and components if these "Google Edition" phones sell well.
All Android devices saw the Chrome beta browser get a substantial update this week. Note that the beta version is different from the generally available version of Chrome and both can co-exist on your Android smartphone. The beta edition gained full-screen browsing, a new graph showing bandwidth savings when using Google's data compression feature and automatic language translation when browsing pages in non-native languages.
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It's been six years since we first laid eyes on Apple's iconic vision for the smartphone home screen, and after dozens of iterations and imitations, it looks like it's all about to change. With the public unveiling of iOS 7 just around the corner, we thought we'd make a list of all the things that we hope to see unveiled at WWDC. We're pretty sure we left no stone unturned, but if we forgot anything, feel free to let us know in the comments below.
Customers of Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon will soon be able to receive Passbook tickets, coupons and gift cards via MMS instead of email, allowing easier installation. The announcement was made by mobile marketing company Skycore on Market Wired.
The recipient of an MMS is instantly alerted on their home screen. An MMS pass recipient simply has to tap an image to view and install it. [...] MMS is ideal because the recipient instantly knows when they've received it, and they don't need to open their email client to find the pass.
Apple on Thursday evening began running a new iPhone 5 ad titled "Music Every Day." The ad shows iPhone users in a variety of environments using music on the iPhone for inspiration, fun, work, and as a means to bond with friends.
"Every day," the narration reads, "more people enjoy their music on the iPhone than any other phone."
The ad is a cousin of sorts to Apple's most recent ad, appropriately dubbed "Photos Every Day."
Apple runs new iPhone ad, dubbed "Music Every Day" originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 24 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
