Allview

A selection of Allview devices.

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BARCELONA: Although most manufacturers were focused on smartphones at this year’s Mobile World Congress – and we’ve seen some amazing ones, such as the HTC One X or the LG Optimus 4X HD – there was no shortage of tablets in Barcelona.

The problem with tablets, of course, is that they all look the same, so some manufacturers tried to ruffle things a little bit. Fujitsu showed a waterproof tablet, for example, while LG introduce an smartphone/tablet hybrid called the Optimus Vu, featuring a 5-inch screen with an unusual 4:3 aspect ratio.

However, this year’s conference – perhaps more than ever – showed that, when it comes to smartphones and tablets, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. With most major manufacturers having access to similar technology, such as Nvidia’s Tegra 3 chip, it’s the software and the apps that make the difference.

There’s another interesting point that I’ve argued during the conversations with the journalists and the developers at the MWC – the simplicity of today’s smartphones and tablets may be a good thing, as it makes manufacturers focus on the details. Having a device that’s just a little lighter than the others, or is slightly better built makes a difference, which ultimately results in very polished, almost perfect smartphones and tablets.

We’ve created a gallery of the tablets we’ve encountered at the Mobile World Congress this year. Now that the iPad 3 is around the corner, we’ll soon find how well these stack up to the current king of the tablet market.

More About: fujitsu, Mobile World Congress, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Tablet, tablets, tegra 3, ViewSonic

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Apple has sold over 3.3 million iPads so far, but Microsoft is still waiting for those Windows-based tablets to start capturing the hearts and minds of users. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, however, is confident the company has a bright future in this space.

Speaking to analysts on Thursday, Ballmer said Microsoft is hard at work to make Windows 7 a great OS for tablets. “We have got to make things happen. We’re in the process of doing that as we speak. We’re working with our hardware partners. We’re tuning Windows 7,” he said.

Ballmer also recognized the success of Apple’s iPad, saying the company has “sold certainly more than I’d like them to have sold.” However, at a later Q&A session he took a jab at one of iPad’s drawbacks. “When you get your Windows 7 machine, it will print. Some people actually like to print every now and then,” he said.

Ballmer is right: printing on iPad is a problem. But Microsoft might encounter far more problems adapting Windows 7 for tablets. Apple’s iOS was designed for a touch screen device from grounds up, while Windows 7 was primarily created with a regular keyboard-and-mouse-equipped PC in mind. And while Windows 7 was a clear win compared to the disaster that was Vista, Microsoft’s track record of late – remember Kin? – tells us that a great Windows 7 tablet, while not an impossibility, might not be right around the corner just yet.

[via CNET]

More About: microsoft, Steve Ballmer, tablets, Windows

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