Photo: davidking / Flickr

Sterne Agee Analyst Shaw Wu says that Research in Motion has been blindsided by the aggressive pricing of the Amazon Kindle Fire tablet. The Fire, which shares much of its hardware and build style with RIM’s Playbook, costs a fraction of what the BlackBerry tablet PC costs, and is selling at a much quicker rate, too.

Response

RIM recently slashed the price of the Playbook by $200 (£130), and then $300 (£195), with Analyst Shaw Wu saying that the move us likely a response to the Kindle Fire, and that it made the Playbook a loss-making device. ‘Our understanding is that RIM was blindsided by Amazon pricing its Kindle Fire aggressively at $199,’ says analyst Shaw Wu [via AllThingsD]. He continued, saying: ‘We estimate that the company is losing $50-$75 per PlayBook sold.’

Wu says even with the massive $485 million write-down RIM has taken with the Playbook, the company will need to pour more money into promoting the BlackBerry tablet PC if they are to sell the units still on hand, thereby increasing the loss made per unit sold.

2007 redux

For Research in Motion, being caught unawares by the launch of a big-deal mobile device is not a first. In 2007, when Apple unveiled the iPhone, the company was adamant that a phone with a screen that large was impossible to make without it being a heavy drain on battery. At the time, we wrote: ‘According to a former RIM employee and a commenter on a Shacknews post, supposedly the Apple smartphone “couldn’t do what [Apple was] demonstrating without an insanely power hungry processor, it must have terrible battery life”.’

The iPhone turned out to be mostly battery with a tiny logic board strapped to it, as confirmed by iFixit’s teardown of the device.

Back against the wall

2011 has been unkind to Research In Motion who has seen sales of BlackBerry smartpones spiral downwards, suffered a major outage of the BIS service and have watched their BlackBerry tablet PC struggle to make an impression on the market. There are doubts about how long the Canadian mobile devices giant can carry on like this for. Maybe 2012 is the year the BlackBerry maker returns to form.

Photo: Brian Sawyer / Flickr

On the heels of plenty of press, the Amazon Kindle Fire tablet PC is poised to become the second-biggest tablet PC before the year’s end. This is according to a survey conducted by ChangeWave, who also found that year-on-year tablet PC demand more than tripled, and that demand for Apple’s iPad remained very strong.

Triple the tablet demand from last year

ChangeWave surveyed 3,043 North American shoppers to find out how many of them planned on purchasing tablet PCs within the next 90 days. Fourteen per cent of them responded ‘yes’. This is more than double the 6 per cent of respondents who had said yes when they were asked this question back in August, and its more than triple the 4 per cent of respondents who intended on buying tablet devices in November of 2010.

iPad dominates, Kindle Fire second

Unsurprisingly, most of those planning on purchasing tablet devices had intentions of buying an Apple iPad 2. A whopping 65 per cent of respondents said they would buy Apple’s tablet. This was followed by 22 per cent of respondents who indicated their intent of purchasing an Amazon Kindle Fire. Rounding up the top three – and way off the pace set by Apple and Amazon – was the Samsung Galaxy Tab, with 4 per cent of respondents saying that was their choice device.

None of the remaining tablet manufacturers managed to get more than 1 per cent of consumer interest from those polled – a very telling stat about how one company (and now, potentially, two) has a vice grip on the space.

Early promise

For the Amazon Kindle Fire, the early demand is promising. The Apple iPad 2 is established and its dominance has been this way since day one. If this ChangeWave survey is anything to go by, other tablet PC manufacturers have plenty of work ahead of them.

Photo: HTC

Rumours that a quad-core HTC tablet PC called the HTC Quattro was in the works surfaced just a few days ago and they’ve gathered steam very fast, with Pocketnow reporting on the tablet, and outing an image of the device. The tablet device will be built on Nvidia’s recently announced Tegra 3 processor, with an impressive spec sheet to boot.

What it is

The HTC Quattro is reportedly a 10.1-inch tablet PC that has a display resolution of 1280 x 768, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of onboard storage and Bluetooth 4.0. Other notable features are a 2-megapixel rear-facing camera that is capable of shooting 720p HD video, as well as a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera.

All about the processor

Other than the rear-facing camera, the hardware specs are standard fare for most top-tier tablet PCs, but it’s in this HTC tablet’s underlying processor where all the interesting bits happen.

The Tegra 3 was officially announced a week ago. Calling it a big deal, we wrote: ‘The quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor will be the first quad-core ARM Cortex A9 CPU to hit the market. It has a 12-core GeForce GPU onboard, boasting 3x the graphical performance of the Tegra 2 – which was no slouch. Moreover, it will support stereoscopic 3D video and gaming, presumably. It also includes a new video engine that can handle high-quality 1080p HD video running at 40 Mbps.’ Pure power, basically.

Beyond specs

What will be interesting to see with the HTC Quattro is how successful it is relative to the performance of the HTC Flyer and also in the overall tablet PC market. So far sales trends in the tablet PC market indicate that ‘specs’ don’t matter as much as they used to in the heyday of the PC, and that the overall experience is what consumers are going for. How the HTC Quattro will differ from the competition when it ships early next year, Pocketnow reports, remains to be seen.

Photo: salendron / Flickr

A slightly tweaked version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is scheduled for release in Germany a few short months after Apple won an injunction that prohibited the sale of the tablet PC in the nation.

New design, kind of

The new tablet will go by the name Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N, with Samsung having to make just two changes to the design be allowed to release the device. The one change is the positioning of the speaker on the tablet PC, and the other change – a much more significant alteration – is the bezel on the tablet.

The change to the bezel is in the form of a thicker metallic outer rim, such that there is less black showing on the tablet PC’s surface. It’s a small yet visually significant change, that makes Samsung’s device easily distinguishable from Apple’s – a distinction even Samsung’s lawyers struggled to make.

How we got here?

Back in August, Apple won a Europe-wide injunction that prohibited all sales of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. While it was overturned elsewhere around the continent, Germany held firm, hence the required change. Now that Samsung’s managed to find a workaround, it’s likely Apple will put the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N under scrutiny again, new bezel or not. After all, a slight change to speaker placement and the bezel can hardly be called a case of ‘slavishly’ copying Apple, surely?

This is only the start

In the latter parts of 2010 and in early 2011, we said that the major standoff in mobile devices would be between Samsung and Apple. For smartphones, this is already the case. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N has some way to go still before it causes any stress for the iPad, but that won’t stop Apple from making life difficult for Samsung. We’ll be keeping a keen eye on developments on this front.

Photo: paz.ca / Flickr

The embargo on Amazon Kindle Fire reviews has been lifted, and the early response to the new, low-price tablet PC has been very positive. Below we have a round-up of what some of the biggest tech publications think of the tablet PC, and, perhaps most importantly, how they think it will stack up to the iPad. Spoiler: the Kindle Fire is poised to be a huge hit.

High value, but not the best

In an incredibly-detailed review, Engadget touch on various aspects of the device, from the hardware, to its display and even how well software services are integrated. They conclude their review, saying: ‘So, the Kindle Fire is great value and perhaps the best, tightest integration of digital content acquisition into a mobile device that we’ve yet seen…It isn’t a perfect experience, but if nothing else it’s a promising look into the future of retail commerce.’

iPad has a genuine competitor

Gizmodo are also very positive about the Amazon Kindle Fire saying that ‘The iPad Finally Has Serious Competition.’ They’re so confident of it, that phrase is actually the subheading for the post. They, too, talk up how the tight integration between the media services and the tablet device are a game changer, saying:  ‘Amazon isn’t just a bookstore. Nor is it a music store, shoe store, video streaming service, or newsstand. Amazon has wrapped all of these things together into a rich, easy way to suck down almost every conceivable form of media with one key: Prime.’ They say Prime is only now being allowed to shine because the Amazon Kindle Fire is the hardware conduit that links the service to a device. They call it ‘the missing piece’.

Apple has its own media solution through iTunes and the App Store platform – hence the direct comparison with Apple’s tablet – and many have argued that this integration is one of the biggest advantages the iPad has over competitors. Amazon is the first to get it right outside Cupertino, it seems.

‘Primetime’ outside the US?

The big concern with the Amazon Kindle Fire being ‘primed’ for ‘Prime’ is how much this will hobble the experience international users have. At present, Prime has limited availability outside of America, and even some the standalone services being punted here – the music store, and video streaming service, for example – are not available globally. It’s unfortunate that the primary feature being punted won’t be available for everyone.

Even then, its price alone could still be a game changer, though, with CNet saying: In the world of tablets, there are great products and there are cheap products, but very few great, cheap products. Fortunately, for those of you unwilling to shell out $500 for an Apple iPad 2, and wary of buying a piece of junk, Amazon’s $199 Kindle Fire tablet should be at the top of your wish list.’

Photo: andrewchx / Flickr

The hotly anticipated Amazon Kindle Fire tablet PC is expected to sell by the truckload in the closing months of the year, with some estimating it will sell up to five million units. Now a new report by electronic shopping guide Retrevo suggests that Amazon’s tablet could outsell even the mighty iPad 2.

Tiny poll

Having polled 1,000 customers last month, Retrevo reported that 12 per cent of the consumers polled stated they would purchase the Amazon Kindle Fire during the holiday shopping season. By comparison, only 10 per cent said that they would purchase the iPad 2. In addition, of those shoppers who already own a tablet PC, 27 per cent said that their next purchase would be Amazon’s Kindle Fire, while 20 per cent indicated they would opt for the iPad. One has to wonder though, with the second statistic, if it is not just a case of the would-be upgraders already owning an iPad.

Fire commence

Writing on the service’s blog, Andrew Eisner of Retrevo says that ‘the iPad 2 is starting to show its age and the new Kindle Fire is about to make the scene with a very attractive $199 price point.’ He is cautious to not declare the Amazon Kindle Fire as a sure-bet, though, saying: ‘As popular as the Kindle Fire appears in this study, whether it lives up to expectations on things like battery life, performance, image quality, etc, the picture could get brighter or less bright for the Kindle Fire.’

He does commend Amazon for the clever release schedule of the device, saying: ‘With the iPad 2 nearly a year old and the iPad 3 rumored to not be available until next year (missing the holiday season), Amazon may have timed the launch of their tablet just right.’

We’ll see

It takes a bold person to bet against the freight train that is Apple’s iPad tablet device but, having said that, there is a lot of excitement surrounding the Amazon Kindle Fire. Could it do what seemed unlikely just a few months ago, and actually outsell the iPad over a quarter in 2011 still? The number of people surveyed by Retrevo is perhaps too small to infer too much from, but it’s interesting nevertheless.

Photo: luca.sartoni / Flickr

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop revealed that his company has big plans to make a renewed go of the US mobile phones market in 2012. He revealed that not only did his company plan to launch with multiple carriers, they’re also open to making a Nokia Windows 8 tablet if the opportunity makes sense.

We’re coming, America

‘Our intention is to come back in the United States and grow significant share in this market,’ Elop told Bloomberg during an interview on Wednesday.

‘Our plans are to be very competitive and to go head-on with the appropriate devices at the appropriate price points,’ he added, saying: ‘We know we need to get volume moving and we need from that to develop economies of scale. And then as we do more and more differentiation, we expand gross margin.’

North America has in recent years emerged as the most important market in the smartphone industry. Not only do US smartphone users serve as global tastemakers, but the current leaders of the smartphone industry – Apple and Google – are both US companies, so much of the industry innovation stems from those two countries. What’s more the Windows Phone 7 mobile OS, which Nokia handsets run on, is made by Microsoft. They too are an American company.

Apps necessary, tablets possible

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop also touched on the importance of having the absolute best applications available for their platform – and by that, whether he means Windows Phone 7 or Nokia WP7 handsets specifically, is unclear. It’s fast emerged that apps are one of the big difference makers in the contemporary smartphone industry, and Nokia want to make sure they cover their bases on that front. While the company will continue to make Nokia Windows Phone 7 handsets, the company is also open to making Nokia Windows 8 tablets, if it makes business sense.

One step at a time, Mr Elop. One step at a time.

Photo: ramseymohsen / Flickr

Rumours of a Motorola Xoom 2 being in the works have been swirling for months now, and Carphone Warehouse appears to have become the first major retailer to confirm the existence of the tablet PC. In a new print advert, the retailer revealed that the Xoom 2 would be available throughout the UK, Ireland and Europe at a starting price of €399 before Christmas.

Engadget seems to have gotten the scoop, through an image sent to them by a tipster. The confident copy accompanying the ad says that the device is ‘everything a tablet should be’, and it talks up the ‘freedom of Android.’

According to the ad, the €399 price tag is for the 16GB WiFi Only Motorola Xoom 2. Elsewhere in the Carphone Warehouse print ad, one can clearly make out that the tablet will have an 8.2-inch display touchscreen display, Android 3.2 and the ability to ‘tether’.

Other specs

This lines up quite nicely with previous rumours and spyshots of the Xoom 2 we’d come across. When we last wrote about the tablet PC, industry chatter suggested that: ‘the Motorola Xoom 2 measures in at just 9mm in thickness, only slightly larger than the iPad 2. This is no mean feat considering the device is said to be packing an ‘unspecified dual-core 1.2GHz processor, come with 1GB of “faster” RAM, record 1080p video, and still supposedly get eleven hours of battery life compared to the original model’s.’ It’s quick, shoots in 1080p, and has an interesting form factor. What is not to like?

How about an Ice Cream Sandwich surprise?

What would surprise me, though, is if the Motorola Xoom 2 were to launch with Android 3.2, even though Google has recently unveiled Ice Cream Sandwich, which is set for release some time in November. Why not hold it back, Google, and surprise Android users with something fresh? Alas, it is easier said than done, and it’s nice to want things, too.

Keep your eyes peeled – I have a sneaky suspicion lots more Xoom 2 info will leak in the next few weeks.

Photo: leyla.a / Flickr

In their latest earnings report, Motorola Mobility reported stronger than expected numbers on the back of steady smartphone sales. The company’s tablet PC, the Motorola Xoom, is not selling well at all, with sales grinding to just 100,000 in Q3 2011.

Pitiful numbers

The Motorola tablet PC had shipments – not sales – of just 100,000 in the last quarter. This is well off the 440,000 units shipped in the previous quarter, serving as an internal cause for concern. When one looks outside to the tablet market as a whole, Motorola Mobility’s situation becomes even more dire. The industry leading Apple iPad sold 11.1 million units in the quarter – some 111 times more sales than Moto’s shipments.

Sibling rivalry

The Motorola Xoom was the first Android Honeycomb tablet released and the company talked up a big game about really giving the iPad a run for its money. The numerical comparison above proves this has not, however, been the case at all. What’s more, with more high profile manufacturers releasing Android Honeycomb tablet PCs each month, the Xoom’s profile, both in terms of technical capability and in visibility, especially in the media.

Amazon, the saviour?

The Motorola Xoom, HP TouchPad, and even the BlackBerry Playbook were thought to be legitimate competitors to Apple’s iPad dominance, and all have had a less than desirable outcome, not least of all the discontinued TouchPad.

The next iPad competitor is the Amazon Kindle Fire tablet PC and, on early inspection, it certainly has a far greater shot at succeeding in its own right than the aforementioned devices. Early analysts predictions peg Amazon at selling an incredible five million Kindle Fire units in Q4 2011, immediately making it the second-highest selling tablet device in the world. This likely means that sales of the Motorola Xoom tablet PC will worsen even further in the next quarter.

Photo: Brajeshwar / Flickr

Beleaguered mobile devices giant Research In Motion had more bad news yesterday, announcing that the long-awaited BlackBerry Playbook OS 2.0 update would be delayed to next year February. Not only that, some features that customers have long been looking forward to will not arrive in time.

OS delay

David Smith, who is senior vice president for the Playbook, announced the news in a blog post. ‘As much as we’d love to have it in your hands today, we’ve made the difficult decision to wait to launch BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 until we are confident we have fully met the expectations of our developers, enterprise customers and end-users,’ he wrote.

BBM delayed beyond OS delay

What’s more, one of Research In Motion’s big selling points, the BlackBerry Messenger chat platform, will still not be ready even by the time February rolls around. Smith says that they ‘decided to defer the inclusion of the BBM application to a subsequent BlackBerry PlayBook OS release’. He did not specify when that would be, but he cites building a seamless BBM solution for the BlackBerry tablet as the reason for the delay.

Customers growing impatient

Reports have suggested that RIM’s customers have grown impatient with the company’s recent failings, and its slowness in responding to the rapid changes in the smartphone market. Enterprise research company EMA had the most damning report, forecasting that 30 per cent of the company’s enterprise customers would switch to other platforms in 2012.

Smith suggests BlackBerry Playbook OS 2.0 will be worth the wait, saying that it will ‘deliver a great experience’ for RIM customers. ‘The software update will add advanced integrated email, calendar and contact apps, a new video store, as well as new functionality that will allow your BlackBerry smartphone and BlackBerry PlayBook to work together even better.’ All well and good, but will the benefits of waiting any longer outweigh the extra pressure this BlackBerry tablet operating system delay applies on the Canadian smartphone giant?

All we can do is check back in February.