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[haven]

Autodesk releases 3D viewer for Android

http://gigaom.com/mobile/autodesk-inventor-publisher-viewer-app-brings-3-d-instructions-to-android/

Autodesk, the 3D modeling software company, has released an Android version of its 3D viewing software. The free software is called Autodesk Inventor Publisher Viewer (whew!). The Viewer software allows you to rotate a solid model in three dimensions, zoom in and out, and see the step by step process of assembling the model.

This sounds like a great way for auto manufacturers to distribute their parts manuals. Instead of looking at a 3D line drawing in a manual on your workbench and then crawling under the car, Viewer allows you to take the Android tablet right to the vehicle and rotate the view to match what you're seeing in front of you.

Autodesk Inventor Publisher Viewer was first released for iPhone and iPad a couple of months ago. Adding the Android version makes it that much more useful. Autodesk makes it possible to import the 3D model in several formats, including that of some competitors, and render in a format that the Viewer can display.

 

[Amontgomery]

I'm loving "inventor publisher viewer".

I'm just hoping a bunch of manufacturers get on board, I would love to be able to check the routing of a serpentine belt if I have to replace one in a pinch on an unfamiliar vehicle, or see the order of bearings and spacers when working on an axle.

 

[haven]

I'm starting to think there will be a meltdown of Android tablet prices in the next few weeks. There are several reasons.

First, retailers were quick to jump on the Android bandwagon, but sales were disappointing this Summer. So the retailers are holding large inventories of tablets.

Second, ARM processor manufacturers like Nvidia, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments have models in the pipeline that run faster without a penalty in battery life. These processors will arrive in Fall, maybe as early as September. Android manufacturers won't be able to charge much more for the faster models than Apple does for the iPad today. So prices for the current Android models will have to fall to make room for the new models.

Third, it looks like the coming Ice Cream Sandwich version of Android may require more memory than older tablet designs have. (Ice Cream Sandwich may run in 512 MB, but 1 GB RAM will make for better performance.) Retailers will want to clear their inventory before this becomes an issue.

Here's one example. Staples stores are offering $100 off of the price of mosts tablet in the store when you present this coupon
http://reg.e.staples.com/c/s/tagfrm/hBOJnz1B7SHGCB8ca0OCYWUNv53/coupon.html?n=927
The coupon is good through the end of July, but popular models like the $400 Asus Eee Pad Transformer will sell out quickly.

 

[haven]

Visio, the LCD TV company, has jumped into the Android tablet game with a model called, simply, the Visio Tablet. It's available from several online sources for $300.

Costco.com $290 plus $10 shipping. http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11663717
Amazon.com $298 with free shipping http://www.amazon.com/VIZIO-8-Inch-Tablet-WiFi-VTAB1008/dp/B005B9G79I

This tablet uses a single core 1GHz processor and 512 MB of RAM, so it's slower than the $400 tablets. The tablet ships with Android 2.3. Visio promises an upgrade to Android 3.x sometime in the future.

The Visio Tablet screen has an unusual size. It measures 8 inches diagonally, with 1024x768 pixel count. So the tablet is similar to an iPad in shape, just smaller.

If you want to use the tablet for navigation while driving, you'll need an external bluetooth GPS device. The tablet has no GPS built in.

[Update: Amazon.com says the tablet _does_ have a GPS chip. Amazon lowered the price by $10 to $290, including shippinghttp://www.amazon.com/VIZIO-8-Inch-Tablet-WiFi-VTAB1008/dp/B005B9G79I.]

Visio has included two features that make its tablet a candidate for use in your living room. First, the tablet has an infrared emitter and software that turns the tablet into a programmable remote control for most TVs and home entertainment systems. Second, the tablet video software handles HDCP copy protection. This allow you to send copy-protected material from the tablet to an external display like your home HDTV. Not all tablets have this capability.

 

[haven]

Your friend is correct. Today, there are less than 300 apps that are formatted for the larger screen of an Android tablet. Here's a list.
http://forums.androidcentral.com/mo...fficial-optimized-honeycomb-list-n-292-a.html

A similar number of tablet apps exist for HP's WebOS. Compare that with around 90,000 iPad apps. That said, as long as you can find an app that does what you need to do, then it doesn't matter how many apps exist. For example, I spend 90% of my iPad time using the web browser, so I don't care how many games are available.

It's true that apps written for a small screen (generally a mobile phone) don't scale well to the larger tablet screen. There are relatively few Android apps specifically written for the larger screen, in part because there is more than one large screen layout. That problem was addressed in the original Notion Ink tablet, which ran several small screen apps in windows tiled on the larger screen. HP's tablet, which runs WebOS rather than Android, uses a card metaphor. Apps scaled for the small screen are arranged in a stack on the larger desktop.

The Ice Cream Sandwich version of Android (maybe 4.0? 3.6?) is supposed to address the scaling problems and make it easier for developers to make one version that runs on several display sizes.

This is similar to the problem Apple had when the iPad was first introduced. It took a while before many iPhone apps were available in a larger format for the iPad. There is no question that Apple is way ahead in the number of apps for a large screen.

 

[evldave]

Just talked to a friend with a Xoom. She was complaining that very few of the apps on the Android Market will scale for the tablet. She's debating selling it and getting an Apple. Comments?

My interests are mostly mapping, browsing, gallery and word processing.

Backcountry Navigator works great on my 7" Nook Color. Scales nicely and doesn't pixelate. Other than reading books + some occasional web browsing, that's primarily what I use it for.

 

[haven]

apple's iPad outsells all other tablets by a 24 to 1 margin by some estimates. (http://daringfireball.net/linked/2011/07/25/android-tablets) But that's not enough for Apple. Courts in Germany and Australia havec issued preliminary injunctions that keep Samsung from selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Why? Apple has a patent, issued in 2010, that gives them rights to a computer design that is shaped like the iPad.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/apples-patent-could-prevent-all-oems-from-building-tablets/14175

Since other tablets look basically the same, Apple can sue them all. Next manufacturer with a date in German court is Motorola, maker of the Xoom tablet.

While Apple has other patents involved in the lawsuits, the patent over the shape is silly. Other manufacturers sold tablet computers long before the iPad was introduced. It's like Sony patenting the basic shape of a TV and saying Panasonic and Sharp TVs infringe on that shape. Or General Motors telling Ford that it has a patent on a vehicle that uses four wheels.

Interesting that Apple sought injunctions in other countries before USA. Maybe they are looking for quick victories that can be used to intimidate other manufacturers into settling out of court.

 

[evldave]

Interesting that Apple sought injunctions in other countries before USA. Maybe they are looking for quick victories that can be used to intimidate other manufacturers into settling out of court.

x2...very similar to Microsoft either suing or settling with handset manufacturers using Android. It isn't about winning in court, it's about convincing companies with deep pockets they would be better to settle out of court.

 

[haven]

Applications written for the Android smartphone, which typically has a 800x480 display, don't display well on tablets with a larger screen. The iPad has the same problem displaying apps written for the iPhone.

The release of Android 3.2 addresses this problem with a new "compatibility zoom" mode. Now Android tablet owners can choose to scale the small screen app to better fit the tablet's larger screen. The effect is far from perfect, but it's better than just doubling the pixels. Under Android 3.2, the hundreds of thousands of apps written for Android smart phones suddenly look a lot better on Android tablets.

Compatibility zoom works to best effect (i.e., looks better) on the smaller 7 inch screen. Partly for this reason, the Android tablet news for the next 6 weeks will focus on devices with 7 inch screens. Later this Fall, perhaps in time for holiday shopping, we'll hear about 10 inch models with faster dual and quad core processors.

7 inch devices on the market already include
-- the original Samsung Galaxy Tab ($350)
-- the HTC Flyer ($500 with stylus)
-- the Nook Color ($240)
-- Dell Streak 7 ($260)

The RIM Blackberry Playbook ($500) has a 7 inch screen, but runs a version of QNX rather than Android.

7 inch devices on the way include
-- Acer Iconia Tab A100
-- color tablet from Amazon.com
-- updated Dell Streak 7
-- Huawei MediaPad
-- second generation Samsung Galaxy Tab

 

[haven]

Acer Iconia Tab A100 announced

Acer announced its Iconia Tab A100 tablet today. The press release is here
http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/press/2011/23046
Pricing is pretty reasonable. The A100 model with 8 GB internal memory will cost $330 at first, the 16 GB $350.

Acer's 7 inch tablet specs are similar in many ways to Acer's 10 inch model, the Iconia Tab A500. Specifications for the A100 include

** Acer Iconia Tab A100
7 inch 1024 x 600 capacitive touchscreen display
1 GHz Tegra 2 dual core processor
1 GB RAM, 8GB or 16 GB storage memory
micro USB slot
micro SD slot
Android 3.2
5MP rear, 2MP front cameras
HD video 720p 30 frames per second
HDMI port
dimensions 7.7″ x 4.6.” x 0.5″
weight 0.9 pounds

The 7 inch form factor poses a challenge to manufacturers. The size doesn't allow enough room for a good size battery. This means the device has to be thicker than the current crop of 10 inch tablets, or the battery has to be smaller. Smaller means shorter run time.

In the case of the A100, Acer chose to use a smaller battery. It's a 1530 mAh Li-polymer battery, compared to 3260mAh in the A500. Acer says the A100 battery will last for 4 to 5 hours.

I can't find information about a GPS chip in the A100. The A500 does include a GPS chip that works independent of Wifi or 3G service, so there's hope.

 

[haven]

Target $100 gift card with Acer Iconia Tab A500 purchase

Merchants continue to unload Android tablets released this Spring.

For the week Aug 14 - 20, Target is offering a $100 store gift card when you purchase an Acer Iconia Tab A500 16GB for $399. The deal is good while supplies last.

http://liliputing.com/2011/08/deal-...d-with-399-acer-iconia-tab-a500-purchase.html

Last Spring, the 16GB model was announced at $499, then released at $449 in June.

Update: The Target $100 gift card deal with the purchase of a 16 GB A500 has been matched by WalMart and Best Buy.
Costco has lowered their price for the 32 GB A500 with case to $349, no gift card involved. This appears to be in-store only.

 

[Cody1771]

Applications written for the Android smartphone, which typically has a 800x480 display, don't display well on tablets with a larger screen. The iPad has the same problem displaying apps written for the iPhone.

The release of Android 3.2 addresses this problem with a new "compatibility zoom" mode. Now Android tablet owners can choose to scale the small screen app to better fit the tablet's larger screen. The effect is far from perfect, but it's better than just doubling the pixels. Under Android 3.2, the hundreds of thousands of apps written for Android smart phones suddenly look a lot better on Android tablets.

Compatibility zoom works to best effect (i.e., looks better) on the smaller 7 inch screen. Partly for this reason, the Android tablet news for the next 6 weeks will focus on devices with 7 inch screens. Later this Fall, perhaps in time for holiday shopping, we'll hear about 10 inch models with faster dual and quad core processors.

7 inch devices on the market already include
-- the original Samsung Galaxy Tab ($350)
-- the HTC Flyer ($500 with stylus)
-- the Nook Color ($240)
-- Dell Streak 7 ($260)

The RIM Blackberry Playbook ($500) has a 7 inch screen, but runs a version of QNX rather than Android.

7 inch devices on the way include
-- Acer Iconia Tab A100
-- color tablet from Amazon.com
-- updated Dell Streak 7
-- Huawei MediaPad
-- second generation Samsung Galaxy Tab

me and the wife have the 10.5" version of this tablet and LOVE it, imo its much better than the ipad, faster, lighter, easier to use, NO ITUNES, upgradeable HD via mini SD, can plug in periferal USB devices... the list goes on

 

[RobRed]

Applications written for the Android smartphone, which typically has a 800x480 display, don't display well on tablets with a larger screen. The iPad has the same problem displaying apps written for the iPhone.....

While technically true the iOS SDK provides developers an easy route make universal versions and or easily have an iPad and iPhone version of the app. While this may cost some inconvenience to developers to add the extra graphic files most of the significant iOS apps have an ipad version or a universal version.

As you ellude to the iPad can run iphone apps at native iPhone size or use pixel doubling if and until the developer creates the alternate or universal app.

 

[haven]

Google announced plans to purchase Motorola Mobility, Motorola's division that makes phones and tablets. This could give Google the potential to better integrate hardware and software, just like Apple does. But Google said that it plans to keep its Android software environment open to all.

The real reason Google bought Motorola's division is to gain control of Motorola' deep collection of patents for mobile devices. Apple is threatening the entire Android community through patent litigation. Motorola's patents will give Google some ammunition to fight back.

Still, the prospect of a true Google phone and Google tablet is intriguing, and very worrisome for companies like Samsung, HTC, Asus and others who make Android products.

 

[haven]

Dell's plans in the Android tablet arena are unclear. Dell recently discontinued sales of the Streak 5, a five inch Android tablet/phone that had been on the market for more than 12 months, an eternity for an Android phone.

Now the Dell Streak 7 is getting the discount treatment. NewEgg is offering the Streak 7 WiFi for $269 with free shipping. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834200283

It's unknown if the price reduction is to adjust to market conditions, or is an attempt to clear the shelves to make room for a new version of the Dell Streak.

The Streak 7 has a 1GHz dual core processor and a GPS chip, but its screen resolution is only 800x480. Other 7 inch models like the Samsung Galaxy Tab WiFi and Acer Iconia Tab A100 have a 1024x600 screen. The 800x480 resolution works well with apps written for Android 2.3.