Tablets surpass smartphones in e-commerce traffic

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It was bound to happen. With larger, easier-to-view screens and their sheer portability, tablets have now overtaken smartphones as devices for shopping, according to Monetate, a provider of cloud-based technology for online marketers. As reported by Gigaom, tablets drove more traffic to retail sites than smartphones during the first quarter of 2012, 6.52 percent vs. smartphones 5.35… Read More…

As Google touts Nexus 7, Amazon reportedly preps new Kindle Fire models

Amazon says that the Kindle Fire is its bestselling product.

There’s been a lot of chatter (not to mention crazy PR stunts) this week around Google’s unveiling of the Nexus 7, a 7-inch tablet computer which by all accounts will rival Amazon.com’s Kindle Fire. But Amazon doesn’t appear to be sitting back, with BGR reporting today that the company plans to release two new tablets… Read More…

Gates: Tablets in the classroom won’t work without keyboard

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Will Microsoft’s Surface tablet computer be better for students than the iPad? Bill Gates didn’t say that explicitly, but he did talk about the importance of giving students devices with keyboards when asked about the subject during one portion of an extensive interview with the Chronicle of Higher Education. “Just giving people devices has a… Read More…

Microsoft’s Surface tablet: A bold and necessary risk — and some very long odds

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Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer didn’t display any of his trademark over-the-top energy as he unveiled the company’s new Surface tablet computer yesterday at a hipster Hollywood photo studio. There was no fist-pumping, or bellowing, or excited repetition of words. His language was enthusiastic, but his tone was that of a person with a lot of serious stuff… Read More…

Video: Microsoft Surface keyboard/cover in action

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Microsoft’s new Surface tablet computer, unveiled during a press event here this afternoon, will work in conjunction with a cover that attaches via magnets and doubles as a keyboard. Two versions will be available: one with a touch-sensitive surface, dubbed Touch Cover; and another with slightly raised keys for better typing, dubbed Type Cover. The… Read More…

Report: Amazon touting ad space on the Kindle Fire home screen

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We’ve known for some time now that Amazon.com wants to get a bigger chunk of the high-margin advertising business, a counterweight to its low-margin e-commerce business. And here’s one very interesting method to do it. According to AdAge, Amazon.com is currently pitching the home screen on the Kindle Fire to potential advertisers, offering a two-month… Read More…

This M&A expert predicted Microsoft’s tie-up with Barnes & Noble 4 months ago

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So often in the tech industry, industry pundits make predictions and get things dead wrong. But Nat Burgess, president of Seattle area M&A shop Corum Group, certainly was on the right track earlier this year when he went on CNBC and suggested that Microsoft should consider buying Barnes & Noble. “Just a thought. But if… Read More…

Forecast: Microsoft third in tablets through at least 2016

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The launch of Windows 8 later this year will give Microsoft a boost in the media tablet market, making Windows-based machines a viable competitor against Android tablets and the iPad, but the company is still destined to be the No. 3 player through at least 2016, according to new projections from the Gartner research firm… Read More…

Will a $199 Google tablet hurt or help the Kindle Fire?

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Next to politics, perhaps no industry loves speculation more than tech. We may couch it as “analysis” or — if we’re being especially honest with ourselves — as “commentary” or “opinion.” But at its best, even when fact-based, it’s informed guesswork. Which leads me to the latest rumor of a Google Nexus tablet. Digitimes was… Read More…

Chart: The iPad is making inroads with corporate buyers

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There’s been a lot of chatter recently about whether we’re living in a post-PC era dominated by tablet computers and powerful smartphones. Well, a new study out today by ChangeWave Research indicates that the tablet market is already having a big impact with corporate IT buyers, something that Apple CEO Tim Cook alluded to in… Read More…