Updated: Jolla wants you to help build its new Sailfish tablet

Jolla wants your input

Update: When we originally posted this story at 10:00 GMT, the Jolla Tablet had so far raised $64,067 of its $380,000 goal. Less than an hour and a half later it has raced past its goal and is now at $418,497, and is likely to go even higher.

Original story follows…

Jolla has started an Indiegogo campaign to create the world's first ever crowdsourced tablet and in only a few hours managed to surpass its goal of raising $380,000.

People can pledge as little as $10 on the Jolla Tablet's Indiegogo page to help create the tablet. Pleding this amount gets your name on the Jolla The First Ones webpage. Pledging $20 effectively covers the postage for when you buy the Jolla Tablet.

The first 1,000 people to pledge $189 will get a Jolla Tablet when it's launched. After that the second wave of 1,000 people can pledge $199 to get a Jolla Tablet.

If the Jolla Tablet reaches its goal and gets sold at retail then the expected price is $249 (around £159, AU$287), so if you get your pledge in early you could get a nice discount.

Pledging money not only helps fund the production of the Jolla Tablet, but will also let you have your say in the direction you want the final product to take. If you have a strong idea of what you'd like to see in a tablet, you might be interested in signing up.

The Jolla Tablet will run Jolla's own open source operating system Sailfish OS 2.0. It will sport a 64-bit 1.8GHz quad-core Intel processor, 2GB of RAM and come with 32GB internal storage along with an SD card slot.

The display is only slightly smaller than the iPad Mini 3 at 7.85-inches but matches the resolution at 2048x1536 for a pixel density of 330ppi.

The Jolla Tablet will also come with a 5 megapixel rear camera capable of recording 1080p video at 60fps and a 2 megapixel front camera.

It's set to weigh less than the Nexus 9 and slightly more than the iPad Mini 3. It has a smaller capacity battery than the Nexus 9 and iPad Mini 3 at just 4300 mAh compared to 6700 mAh and 6471 mAh respectively.

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Google's Project Tango tablet has hit the Play Store, but you can't buy it yet

You know when you've been Tango'd

Google's gone a bit quiet regarding news on its Project Tango tablet, leading us to wonder if we might not see a 2014 launch after all.

But lo and behold, the development kit tablet has just shown up on the Google Play Store. The bad news - you're not allowed to buy it. Yet.

For the uninitiated, Project Tango is Google's interesting take on the future of tablets, which uses cameras and sensors to map its surrounding environment - and the things in it - in 3D.

The potential applications are exciting, but for now all we know for sure is that the tablet packs an Nvidia Tegra K1 processor, a 1920x1200 7-inch screen (at 323 ppi) a 1MP rear sensor, 1MP front-facing camers, 4GB of RAM, and an impressive 128GB of storage.

Unfortunately there's no word on pricing or availability, but hey, the fact it's there at all is a good sign, right?

Via Android Central

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Dell's new Venue 8 Pro 3000 is another affordable Windows tablet

Behold the underwhelming majesty of the Dell Venue 8 Pro 3000

There always seems to be more room for high-end Windows tablets like the Surface Pro 3, and the same may be true for the other end of the spectrum.

Enter Dell's new Venue 8 Pro 3000, an affordable Windows 8.1 tablet with zero bells and whistles.

The Dell Venue 8 Pro 3000 starts at $200 (about £125, AU$230), which is more expensive than some of its contemporaries, but it also has slightly better specs.

These include an 8-inch 1280 x 800 display and 32GB of storage.

Unfortunately the Dell Venue 8 Pro 3000 has little in common with the svelte Dell Venue 8 7000, an Android tablet with an impressive screen and camera.

The rest of the Venue 8 Pro 3000's specs are exactly what you'd expect: an Intel Atom processor, just 1GB of memory, microSD expansion up to 32GB, Bluetooth, microUSB, and 5- and 1.2-megapixel cameras.

You can certainly do worse at that price, but better is always an option as well when you're shooting this low.

Via PC World

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Ashton Kutcher and Lenovo CEO star in 'Two Men and a Tablet'

A new ad for Lenovo's Yoga Tablet 2 Pro features the famous actor and Yang Yuanqing, Lenovo's CEO, in an interesting work conversation.

Ashton Kutcher and Lenovo CEO "YY" make for an interesting buddy duo in Lenovo's new ad. Lenovo/YouTube screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET

I don't know what to feel about Lenovo, principally because Lenovo never got around to making me feel anything.

But then it hired Ashton Kutcher.

Yes, the company's new product engineer -- or should that be "product engineer"? -- is the man to lift the brand into full human consciousness.

Here, then, is a new ad featuring Kutcher and his new buddy. Well, it's his new boss. Or should that be "new boss"?

In a shtick that purports to show Kutcher's daily life -- the memorably named Yoga Tablet Pro 2 always at his side -- Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing ("YY"), appears halfway through to pretend that he's Kutcher's boss.

He quickly sniffs that Kutcher is at the beach. Or at least, that's how it seems. He's paying Kutcher all this money and all his "product engineer" can do is loaf around? Welcome to Hollywood.

Will this mean an official reprimand? A two-week suspension? Will Kutcher's purported $10 million fee be docked a few thousand? I will leave you to enjoy the tension.

At heart, though, the ad shows off the Yoga Tablet Pro 2 very well, even managing to find a role for its nifty built-in projector.

As to what roles Kutcher and YY will have in future ads, I see cultural misunderstandings, personal revelations and perhaps even a soiree with vodka shots.

Lenovo has a long way to go before its brand image catches up to the interesting nature of its products.

Will this Kutch and YY sitcom run and run? Who can wait for episode two?

Chris Matyszczyk Chris Matyszczyk is an award-winning creative director who advises major corporations on content creation and marketing. He brings an irreverent, sarcastic, and sometimes ironic voice to the tech world. See full bio

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Get a refurbished Asus VivoTab RT 10-inch tablet for $139

Even if you don't love RT, at this price you almost have to consider it. Don't you?

Asus

Cheapskate regulars know my feelings about Windows: bloated, buggy, overpriced, outdated piece of...

Whoops, sorry, I forgot: family blog. Anyway, for all my complaining about Windows, the reality is that it gets the job done for most folks -- and you can forgive a lot when staring at a deal like this.

Today only, and while supplies last, DailySteals has the refurbished Asus VivoTab RT 10.1-inch tablet for $139, shipped. Let me repeat that: a 10...inch...Windows tablet...for $139.

What's not immediately clear is whether the VivoTab comes with a keyboard. In most configurations it does, and many of the listing page photos show one -- but it's not mentioned anywhere in the description. I've reached out to DailySteals for clarification and will update the post once I get it. For now, I'm assuming there's no keyboard.

Update: There's no keyboard.

And that's OK, because even without one, this is a 10-inch Windows tablet for $139. And let's check the rest of the specs: 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 32GB of solid-state storage, a microSD slot for adding more, dual cameras (including an 8-megapixel rear camera with flash), Bluetooth 4.0 and even NFC. (Full specs here.)

The 10.1-inch touchscreen runs at 1,366x768 -- more than sufficient for this size. (Anyone who says you need 1080p or higher on a 10-inch display is just plain silly.) That's an IPS+ display, by the way, which is "noticeably brighter than the Surface," according to CNET's very favorable review.

Like other Windows RT tablets, this one comes with Office 2013. Also like other Windows RT tablets, it can't run Windows 8 software; only Windows apps. That leaves out programs like Google Chrome and iTunes.

Remember, though, this isn't meant to take the place of your desktop or laptop. It's a tablet in much the same way the iPad is a tablet -- except it's priced at $139. And you can use it for Netflix, Evernote, Web browsing, email and all that other tablet-y stuff. At this price, I find it easy to overlook the handful of things Windows RT can't do. Your thoughts?

Bonus deal: Hey, don't forget, today is your last chance at winning a sweet set of A-Audio headphones. Of course, if you want to hedge your bets, consider buying a sweet set outright. For a limited time, StackSocial has the AIAIAI TMA-1 DJ Headphones for $159, shipped. List price: $200. (Just to clarify, there are a couple different TMA-1 models out there; this one includes the three-button in-line remote with microphone.) Check out CNET's review (five stars, Editors' Choice award), which called the TMA-1 "ideal for traveling DJs who need tough headphones with an up-front, bass-slamming sound profile."

Bonus deal No. 2: Mea culpa: The MacBook Air deal I shared the other day wasn't fabulous. In fact, I made a few mistakes in describing it, for which I apologize profusely. Here's a much better configuration that's just $100 more: For a limited time (possibly very limited), Newegg Flash has the refurbished MacBook Air MC969LL/A for $599, shipped. Specs include an Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD and an 11.6-inch screen. It comes with OS X 10.9 Mavericks.

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Asus Memo Pad 7 is a tablet that looks like a clutch bag (pictures)

The new Asus MeMo Pad 7 is the latest to bear the name, but the most stylish so far.

September 3, 2014 4:15 AM PDT Photo by: Andrew Hoyle/CNET / Caption by: Andrew Hoyle

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IFA 2014: Acer joins cheap Windows 8 tablet fray with Iconia Tab 8 W

Keeping the costs down

Acer has added a new Windows 8.1 tablet to its line-up, the Iconia Tab 8 W, which complements rather than replaces the Iconia W4.

The device has surfaced at IFA 2014 and, like many of its competitors, uses Intel's Reference platform.

It comes with familiar components: a quad-core Intel Atom BayTrail-based Z3735G processor clocked at 1.33GHz, an 8-inch IPS display with a 1,280 x 800 pixel resolution, two speakers, microSD, microHDMI and microUSB ports plus a 9.75mm profile and weight of 370g.

Acer hasn't provided details about the tablet's system memory and storage but since it carries a suggested retail price of €149 (about £125, $200, AU$ 210), it would be surprising to see anything more than 1GB of RAM and 16GB onboard storage.

Expect the Iconia Tab 8 W to last up to eight hours. Acer will also sell a keyboard called Crunch that weighs under 200g and features a full size layout.

Acer's latest Windows tablet will go on sale in Europe in October and across America in November. The Taiwanese company also unveiled a number of other products like the Aspire R13/R14, the Switch 10 and 11, the Revo One and the Acer Iconia One 8 and the Acer Iconia Tab 10.

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Bargain basement 7-inch Toshiba Encore Mini Windows 8.1 tablet announced

The Encore Mini parties like it's 2012

As part of its big IFA 2014 reveal, Toshiba has announced a little Windows 8.1 tablet, the low-cost Toshiba Encore Mini.

While there's currently no price information available, we bet – or hope – that the Toshiba Encore Mini is heading for a bargain-price future.

It's a 7-inch Windows tablet with a rather low-res 1,024 x 600 pixel display. That's lower in resolution than most of the Android tablets you can get for £100-120 today, such as the Asus MeMO Pad HD 7.

Aside from a low-end screen, the Toshiba Encore Mini offers an Intel Atom Z3745 SoC processor and 1GB RAM. That's the same processor used by the Acer Iconia Tab 8.

The tablet's outer hardware is kept pretty basic too. There's a microUSB port and microSD slot, but no video output for connection to a monitor and no full-size USB to let you attach a mouse or keyboard.

This is a simple tablet, whose core feature seems to be a one-year subscription to Microsoft Office 365, worth £60 on its own.

On the rear of the Toshiba Encore Mini sits a 2-megapixel camera, while the front offers a simple VGA-resolution one.

Toshiba boasts battery life of up to 72 hours, but this is presumably if it's left in your sock drawer and not used. At all.

The Toshiba Encore Mini will be available in the UK within the last few months of 2014. We don't yet know exact pricing details, but fingers crossed it'll be cheap.

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Archos to kickstart cheap tablet revolution at IFA with £129 model

The 80 Cesium is likely to be very similar to the 80 Titanium, pictured above

Archos will unveil a new Windows 8.1 tablet at IFA called the 80 Cesium and will be launched alongside the company's first Windows Phone, the 40 Cesium.

The 80 Cesium will cost £129 (about $200, AU$ 220) making it the cheapest Windows tablet ever launched (although we don't expect that to last for long). Perhaps even more significant is that it is the cheapest Windows computer on the market and it even comes with a display.

Simply plug in a keyboard and mouse and you have a fully functional computer. Not only does it come with Windows 8.1 (with Bing) but it will also almost certainly come with a 1-year license for Microsoft Office 365.

Not much is known about the specs. Archos only confirmed that it will be running a quad-core Intel processor (probably the popular Baytrail-based Atom Z3735D) with an 8-inch 1,280 x 800 pixel resolution.

The rest of the specification, I believe, will be made up of a front and a rear camera, a microSD card slot, 2GB of RAM, 32GB onboard storage, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a micro-HDMI and a micro-USB port.

In other words, the same components that power many other - more expensive - Windows tablets on market.

Expect many similar-priced tablets sharing almost the same configuration to hit the market pretty soon. A number of little-known Chinese brands are already selling Windows 8.1 tablets for around £100 (about $160, AU$ 180).

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Lenovo A10 Tablet

Pros Affordable. Above-average front-facing speakers.

Cons Heavy Android skin. Chunky build. Bottom Line The Lenovo A10 Tablet is a budget-friendly choice for watching videos on a large-screen Android tablet.

By Eugene Kim

The 10-inch Lenovo A10 Tablet has two things going for it: its $299 (16GB) price and better-than-average front-facing speakers. It's essentially a Yoga Tablet 10, but without the aluminum chassis or unique hinge. Luckily for Lenovo, the market for budget-friendly, large-screen tablets isn't all that competitive these days, and the A10 is fine for media consumption. But if you can deal with a smaller display, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9" has a sharper resolution and more polished software for the same price. Spending $80 more gets you the even-better Kindle Fire HDX, while the Google Nexus 7 is still our Editors' Choice thanks to its great performance and value-driven price. And if you can afford it, the Apple iPad Air is still our top choice for large-screen tablets thanks to its lightweight design and unbeatable app ecosystem.

Design and Features
Lenovo seems to have devoted all of its design muscle to its Yoga Tablet lineup. The A10 is completely devoid of character, and at 10.4 by 7 by 0.4 inches (HWD) and 1.23 pounds, it's on the chunky side. The soft-touch plastic back provides plenty of grip, but the whole package creaks and flexes under pressure. Volume and Power buttons occupy the upper left hand corner, while a 3.5mm headphone jack, micro USB port, and microSD card slot line the left side.

The 10.1-inch, 1,280-by-800-pixel IPS display is disappointingly low-res by today's standards, and the resulting 149 pixels per inch looks choppy, especially with text-heavy websites or apps. Viewing angles are wide and maximum brightness is solid, but colors look oversaturated and contrast is on the low end of where it should be. Flanking the display to the left and right are front-facing stereo speakers that get quite loud and sound better than most tablet speakers by virtue of their position alone. Still, don't expect much in the way of bass response

This is a Wi-Fi-only slate that connects to 802.11b/g/n networks on the 2.4GHz band only. Also onboard are Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS radios. There's a single 16GB model, and our 64GB microSD card worked fine in the memory card slot for storage expansion.

Performance and Android
The A10 is powered by a quad-core 1.3GHz MediaTek MTK8121 SoC with 1GB RAM. It's a relatively modest setup that performs on par with low-to-midrange tablets like the Galaxy Tab 4. That means mostly smooth performance for light tasks like Web browsing and casual gaming, but more intensive titles like Asphalt 8 cause the A10 to choke and sputter. There's some noticeable lag when launching apps and switching between multiple running apps, but nothing outside the normal bounds of entry-level Android devices.

Unlike the recently acquired Motorola, Lenovo has a very different vision for Android than Google. Lenovo employs a heavy skin on top of Android 4.2.2, which completely changes the look and feel of the system on the A10. It looks overly cartoonish, and simplifies things by nixing the app drawer in favor of an iOS-like home screen populated with every installed app. This is the same skin we saw on the Yoga Tablet 10, complete with the slide-out Smart Side Bar feature that houses customized app shortcuts.

Of the 16GB of storage, 12.32GB is available out of the box. There's some bloatware here, including some useful apps like Kingsoft Office and Evernote, as well as some redundant apps like Route 66 Nav and Maps.

In our battery rundown test, which loops a video with Wi-Fi on and screen brightness set to max, the A10 lasted for 5 hours, 35 minutes. That's on the low end for a large-screen tablet, especially one with such a low-resolution display. The higher-res Kindle Fire HD lasted 7 hours, 14 minutes in the same test.

Cameras and Conclusions
You get a 5-megapixel, rear-facing camera and 2-megapixel, front-facing camera. Images look washed out in bright light and overly noisy in low-light, making it very difficult to reliably capture useful pictures. Video tops out at 1080p, albeit with waxy details, inaccurate exposure, and no image stabilization.

The Lenovo A10 Tablet fails to excite in a meaningful way, but that's not really the purpose here. While affordable small-screen Android tablets are a dime a dozen, the larger screen format has fallen to the wayside for many budget-minded manufacturers. As such, the A10 comes in at a very palatable $300, and at the time of this writing, Lenovo is offering the A10 for $250 with an instant rebate. If your primary concern is watching videos on a portable device, the A10 is a nice option that's light on the wallet, especially if it's on sale. Spending $80 more can get you the year-old Amazon Kindle Fire 8.9", which has a sharper display, while the even-smaller Google Nexus 7 is $30 less expensive than the A10 and offers better performance and a more familiar Android experience. If you have the money, though, the Apple iPad Air trumps all of these options with its unrivaled selection of tablet-optimized apps. 

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