Chip Insider Apr11

YOUR GUIDE TO TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
Supplement to CHIP April 2011
A look at how tablets have revolutionized the world of mobile computing
TABLETS GO BEYOND THE HYPE
THE PORTABLE COMPUTING SHOWDOWN

Tablets vs smartphones vs netbooks: Who will come out on top?
10 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN BUYING A TABLET

Important features to look for and traps to avoid
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR iPAD

Make a great device better with some handy apps and tricks
PLUS: BUILD AN EXCITING CAREER IN INTERACTION DESIGN AN INNOVATIVE SYSTEM TO MAKE VEHICLES EMISSION-FREE
FOREWORD
evolution is a strong word, and one that gets thrown around a lot in the tech world. When used to describe a new technology, it has to be something that impacts our everyday lives, similar to how the introduction of television made the radio irrelevant for so many years. More recently, smartphones completely changed the way we perceive mobile communication. Phone calls and text messages are only two of the now near innite features that smartphones afford, from networking to multimedia. Tablets are very much on same path in the portable computing space. While laptops, notebooks and netbooks made computers smaller and more portable, they didnt quite change the way they worked or how we used them. It was more like an adaptation to the changing needs of users. But with tablets, the keyboard and mouse are thrown out of the window in favor of multitouch interfaces. With the competition heating up, tablets now offer everything you and I need; a non-stylus based touch screen that is accurate and responsive, a fairly long battery life, portability like never before, and wireless connectivity. While the tablet concept is a refreshing one, it also opens up many avenues for innovation in hardware components and software development. Using the tablet phenomenon as a catalyst, many other technologies have received greater prominence and exposure. Some new and many future tablets boast 3D displays and cameras, and use the latest tablet-optimized iteration of Android version 3.0 or Honeycomb. The tech world has been captivated by the tablet phenomenon, but whether it will revolutionize portable computing or go the way of e-book readers or netbooks and decline in popularity down the line, only time will tell.
Using the tablet phenomenon as a catalyst, many other technologies have received greater prominence and exposure.
KAMAKSHI S
insider@chip.in
CONTENTS
TABLE TS REVOLUTION
TABLETS: REVOLUTIONARY OR OVERHYPED?
A look at the rise and growth of tablets, and how they have changed the face of portable computing.
DO I T YOURSELF
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR IPAD
Tips to maximize your iPad's potential.
MANAGING EDITOR
30
Hatim Kantawalla
DEPUTY EDITOR
Jamshed Avari
SENIOR FEATURE WRITER
THE PORTABLE COMPUTING SHOWDOWN

A comparision between tablets netbooks and smartphones.
HOW TO JAILBREAK THE APPLE IPAD

Jailbreak your iPad to get access to apps that aren'y on the app store.
32
Kamakshi S, Priyanka Tilve

FEATURE WRITER
Kushal Mamoowala
COPY EDITOR
12
TIMELINE: TABLET PC
CONVERTING PDFS INTO EPUB FILES

Make your PDF e-books e-reader friendly.
34
Sameer Desai
PROJECT COORDINATORS
We trace the origins of the first tablet and bring you up to date.
Rajesh D'Souza, Gautami Chalke

SENIOR ART DIRECTOR
14
TEGRA-POWERED
Nvidia tells us about the extra juice that the Tegra processors bring to tablet PCs.
SECURE YOUR ANDROID TABLET

Ensure data security on your tablet even when it is lost.
36
Nirmal Biswas
SENIOR DESIGNER
Hemali Limbachiya
SHOPPERS ' S TOP

IN FOCUS: WHAT'S ON THE SHELVES
Here' are the best selling tablets that you can look to add to your gadget list.
T ECH TALK
GETTING UNDER THE HOOD
A look at what powers your tablet's performance.
ILLUSTRATORS
Sachin Pandit, Chaitanya Surpur
16
38
COLOR CORRECTION
Sanjay Shelar
HEAD OFFICE
Intelligent Computing CHIP, Infomedia 18 Limited, 'A' Wing, Ruby House, 2nd Floor, J.K. Sawant Marg, Dadar (W), Mumbai - 400 028. INDIA Phone: (91 22) 3024 5000, Fax: (91 22) 3003 4499
10 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN BUYING A TABLET

Features to look out for when buying a tablet.
20
HOW A MULTI-TOUCH SCREEN WORKS

Understanding the technology behind the tablet touch screen.
40
ADD-ONS FOR YOUR TABLET

Accessorize you tablet with peripherals to suit your needs.
22
42
E-BOOKS IN COLOR
SMS US
Technologies that help bring color to e-book reader displays.
FOR YOUR READING PLEASURE

A look at e-book readers that let you catch up on your reading on-the-go.
24
INTERACTION DESIGNER: THE USERS ADVOCATE

A career option that helps you provide seemless experiences to the tech users.
44
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26
TABLETS IN THE PIPELINE
MAKING THE WORLD EMISSION-FREE

An innovative exhaust system for your vehicle to keep it pollution free.
48
A list of devices which will hit the market soon.
TABLETS REVOLUTION
FLEXIBILITY WITH ANDROID
TABLETS: REVOLUTI
Tablets have breathed new trends into the mobile computing segment. With the competition in this space heating up swiftly, can they really live up to the hype?
BY KAMAKSHI S
he year 2011 is being touted as the year of the tablet. The Consumer Electronics Show 2011 at Las Vegas earlier this year showcased over 75 tablets running on various platforms. While tablets have most certainly breathed a new life into mobile computing, can they really create enough damage to revolutionize the PC space, which has been dominant since the 1970s?
REPLACING E-BOOK READERS

The rst gadget that died a sudden death with the inux of tablets is the e-book readers. Although the sales gures for the Amazon Kindle for 2010 stand at a feisty 8 million units as opposed to the Apple iPads 10 million units, the popularity of the e-ink devices has been on the decline. IT analyst rm Gartner predicted the global e-book reader sales may hit the 11 million mark in 2011. However, looking at the increasing popularity tablets and apps on sale in the market, the gure does seem like a distant possibility.
affected by the tablet revolution is that of portable media players. Although the dent may not be as severe as that in netbook sales, the tablets are all set to be as big as MP3 players. Sarah Rotman Epps of Forrester Research states, Tablets will grow as fast as MP3 players and winning tablet product strategies will exploit both apps and browsers. Tablets offer additional storage space with expandable SD card slots, which let users carry not only music, but also videos and movie les to enjoy a fuller multimedia experience on the go.
NETBOOK KILLERS
The years 2009 and 2010 were widely celebrated as years dominated by netbooks. However, there has been a sharp fall in the netbook sales space. A report from Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty shows that the growth of netbooks dropped to 68% in January 2010 and crashed to a meager 5% in April 2010 when the rst generation iPad launched. However, this does not mean that the netbook market is dead; it just shows that its once phenomenal growth has slowed down. The Morgan Stanley blue paper on Tablet Demand and Disruption adds, We view netbooks as an evolutionary step in the traditional notebook form factor, one that comes with a lower price tag, while we view tablets as a revolutionary step in computing.
MOVE OVER, PMPS

Another major device industry that has been
SALES & PROJECTIONS AT A GLANCE

Year Sales (millions) Desktops Notebooks Netbooks Tablets Total 2009 136 135 34 -305 2010 146 164 36 16 362 2011 152 189 29 55 425 2012 157 210 26 85 478 2013 159 232 27 102 520
STUNTING PC GROWTH
However, tablets may not have such a drastic effect on the PC segment. Gartner has predicted PC shipments worldwide to hit 409 million units, which is a 15.9% increase from 2010, which is lesser than
Source: Morgan Stanley Research, IDC
APRIL 2011
INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP INSIDER SUPPLEMENT
TABLETS REVOLUTION
ONARY OR OVERHYPED?
chaitanya surpur
Gartners earlier estimate of 18.1%. Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner says, Media tablets are expected to displace around 10% of PC units by 2014. Having said that, gamers and professionals, who use computers for content generation, may not completely agree. Keeping aside portability issues, PC offers the best of peripheral support, hardware upgradeability and software compatibility. George Shifer, research director at Gartner adds, PCs are still seen as necessities, but the PC industry's inability to signicantly innovate and its overreliance on a business model predicated on driving volume through price declines is nally impacting the industry's ability to induce new replacement cycles. The Morgan Stanleys blue paper also considers tablets to be a revolution in the world of mobile computing. Fundamentally, tablet computing represents the natural evolution of computing from a graphical, keyboard, and mouse user interface to
a touch user interface. A tablet is ultra-mobile and always connected and the signicant amount of applications and content designed for these devices increases functionality well beyond netbooks and traditional PCs. As a result, we expect the tablet adoption curve to ramp faster than any other mobile device in history. At his CES keynote speech, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said, With more than 15 million iPads sold, iPad has dened an entirely new category of mobile devices. After one look at the CES 2011, research rm Forrester readjusted tablet sales projections from 8.4 million units to 24.1 million for 2011. With big names like Asus, Microsoft, Intel and AMD trying to get the tablet jigsaw puzzle to t in place and looking at the kind of customizations available for tablets today, the next level looks like upgradeable rmware, which will make tablets more desirable even for hardcore computing professionals.
APRIL 2011
TABLETS REVOLUTION
MOBILE COMPUTING DEVICES
THE PORTABLE CO
The electronics market is littered with mobile computing devices, many of which have become essential accessories to the average user. Tablets, smartphones and netbooks each serve a different purpose, of course, but they show a great deal of overlap in features and capabilities.
BY KUSHAL MAMOOWALA
obile computing makes it possible to do just about anything on the go - work, learning, banking, communicating and entertainment. With the growing number and types of mobile computing devices like netbooks, smartphones and tablets available for both consumer and business use, guring out which device suits your needs requires some important consideration. Here we compare the performance, capabilities and ergonomics of different mobile computing devices and what they are best suited for.
SMARTPHONES
Smartphones are mobile phones that offer more advanced computing capabilities and features than contemporary phones. In fact, smartphones are often more like handheld computers that come with mobile telephone capabilities. The latest smartphones usually have a touch screen interface and sometimes offer even a QWERTY keypad for input. Smartphones run on various operating systems. They are the most portable computing device and are great for basic Web browsing, email access, and communication. But with screen sizes averaging around four inches, they are pretty small and not very comfortable for extended reading.
NETBOOKS
Netbooks are classied as personal computers designed for mobile use. They are relatively smaller and cheaper than notebooks, but they have limited scope of usage, such as basic wireless internet access and limited operating system options. Most netbooks are equipped with lesser storage capacity, RAM and weaker processors than notebooks in order to improve battery life and portability. All of these features make netbooks ideal only for basic computing tasks and Internet browsing with the use of a full keyboard, touchpad and 10-14 inch screen.
TABLETS
Tablets or tablet computers are complete personal mobile computers that are designed for portability. They are generally larger than mobile phones
APRIL 2011
TABLETS REVOLUTION
MPUTING SHOWDOWN
Sachin Pandit
and feature a at touch screen that is its primary means of operation. The screens, ranging in size from 7 to 10 inches, offer multi-touch capabilities, and tablets are compatible with hundreds of thousands of mobile apps or software for different functions. With a long battery life and a large touch screen that includes a virtual keyboard, tablets are perfect for reading, writing, Internet browsing, mobile communication and entertainment.
SIZE AND FORM FACTOR

The most obvious and noticeable advantage of a smartphone over netbooks or tablets is that it is small enough to t in your pocket. However, in comparison to netbooks and even tablets, smart-
phones are the least productive. Typing out mails on a netbook is far easier than using your thumbs on even the best QWERTY keypad. It also has less processing power, which means it cannot handle more intensive tasks that a netbook or a tablet can. Tablets in general are not as powerful as netbooks. Ranging is size from 7-10 inch touch screens and sometimes even sporting a keyboard, they are lightweight and easy to carry around in a backpack or briefcase. Netbooks, on the other hand, are heavier and bulkier than tablets or smartphones, which means they are less portable. However, they possess faster processors and a full keyboard, which means they are perfect for long periods of typing and multitasking.
APRIL 2011
10
TABLETS REVOLUTION
OPERATING SYSTEM
Smartphones are produced by a range of developers using their own technologies and operating systems. Currently, the most popular operating systems for smartphones include BlackBerry OS, Windows Phone 7, iOS and Android. Whatever the operating system, developers are looking to develop apps that are simple and cheap to download on smartphones to increase their use and functionality.
to perform almost the same amount of tasks that a netbook can perform. Windows 7 and Android can be modied to run on netbooks as well, but the powerful hardware such as dual core processors and up to 2 GB RAM of netbooks allows them to use full-edged operating systems that allow the user to perform almost any task on the move. However, netbooks can be twice as heavy and bulky when compared to a keyboardless tablet.
BATTERY LIFE
Battery life is a major issue when using a smartphone. Most of the manufacturers implement batteries that are mostly just designed for making and taking calls. Receiving emails and powering an always-on data connection tend to drain the battery very fast. These batteries are not as durable when running multiple applications and applications that are always running in the background, such as GPS. Simultaneously swapping between Wi-Fi and a data network for long periods of time also takes its toll on the battery life. The batteries in netbooks and tablets are similar. Both provide a backup of up to eight hours. Tablets do require a lot of power for the large touch screen interface, but this is compensated for by the comparatively lower powered hardware as compared to a netbook.
Tablets, however, have integrated a different sort of OS as compared to the one youd expect on a netbook. Android has the biggest presence in the tablet space, with most devices running one of many Android versions. Apples iPad runs its own iOS and some tablets like the Viewsonic Viewpad 10 utilize the touch-screen features of Windows 7. Whatever the operating system, a tablets larger display and better hardware gives them the ability
TABLET
Products Apple iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Dell Streak, Viewsonic Viewpad 7& 10 Touchscreen, Slate
NETBOOK
Asus 900HA, Acer Aspire One, Dell Inspiron Mini, Lenovo IdeaPad, Samsung, Toshiba netbooks Foldable
SMARTPHONE
HTC Desire, Samsung Galaxy S, LG Optimus, Apple iPhone, BlackBerry smartphones Touchscreen Bar, Slide 2" to 4" LCD, AMOLED Displays 3 to 12 hours Android 1.6+, Symbian, Apple OS, Palm WebOS, BlackBerry OS, Windows Phone 7 Wi-Fi, 3G Upto 1 GB RAM Upto 1 GB RAM + external card Present 0.3 lb to 0.5 lb
Style Screen Size Battery Operating System Wireless Memory Storage Bluetooth Weight
7" to 12.1" WXGA LED/TFT/ 7" to 12" WSVGA LED, LCD LCD Displays Displays 3.5 to 10 hours Android 2.2+, Windows, Apple Mac OS Wi-Fi, Wireless LAN Broadband, 3G 256 MB to 2 GB RAM 16 GB to 250 GB Present 0.9 lb to 4 lb 4 to 8 hours Windows XP/Vista, Windows 7, Linux 3G through MiFi, Wi-Fi, Broadband, USB Modem 512 MB to 2GB RAM Upto 160 GB Optional 2.2 lb to 7.0 lb
APRIL 2011
TABLETS REVOLUTION
11
MULTITASKING AND PROCESSING POWER

Although many smartphones are capable of multitasking, some of which include Blackberrys, Android devices, and handsets running Windows Phone 7, they still are not powerful enough to perform them smoothly and they consume more battery and also slow the phone down. Tablets and netbooks are usually designed to run like regular notebooks, so they are much more capable of running more than one program or app at a time without being bogged down. Processor speed is the main thing to consider here. You will obviously get a much higher speed from tablets and netbooks thanks to a full-edged processor. Whether you opt for Intel, ARM or any other processor, it will always be faster than a smartphone, and can also offer speeds up to 1.6 GHz.
STORAGE
Tablets and smartphones have a long way to go as far as storage space is concerned. Mostly using ash drives, they offer a maximum of 16 GB storage as compared to the 160 GB hard drives in netbooks. Most smartphones and tablets come with enough space so you can always store every document youve ever written, in addition to music and video. Although they have the option of adding up to 64 GB of additional storage in the form of a memory card, its still not enough to match the memory of netbooks, which can be extended to more than 320 GB. Netbooks are also compatible with external hard drives of up to 1 TB via a 2.0 USB port.
PRICE
The price range for a smartphone is variable depending on the level of performance and features it offers. However, for a smartphone that can compete with a netbook or tablet, the price
is in the range of Rs 20,000-30,000. As a rule of thumb, tablets are more expensive than netbooks. The higher cost is attributed to the touch screen technology and the compact form factor. However, the tablets that have been on the market have not reached their full potential yet. With technology evolving so quickly, theres no stopping the portable technology sector. Netbooks offer the best features at the moment, and provide an excellent choice for those who need access to full laptop features in a small form factor. Tablets, however, are catching up. Although smartphones may seem hindered by their relatively lower powered processors and smaller screens, they are actually quite powerful. The introduction of features such as multi-touch go a long way towards enhancing the smartphone user experience by allowing users to use more than one nger for certain tasks. Nevertheless, the smaller screen size is a signicant stumbling block. Although it is likely that such devices will continue to improve in the future, even the most advanced smartphones equipped with 4-inch screens and dual-core processors simply cannot compare with tablets and netbooks at present. The main advantage of tablets lies in their exibility. Unlike netbooks, which require a stable, at surface to place them on, you can use one hand to hold a tablet and the other to operate it. This is one of the reasons why tablets are preferred by people who are always on the go. Note-taking is one use where tablets excel considerably over notebooks. Tablets also have their drawbacks though, in terms of the price. For a given specication, tablets cost considerably more than netbooks. But if you were to analyze all three devices on the basis of functionality, portability and ergonomics, the tablets do come out on top.
APRIL 2011
12
TABLETS REVOLUTION
10-inch
1993
Newton: Apples
PDA with type recognition flopped due to technical problems, amongst other things.
Dynabook: Computer scientist
1972
Alan Kay invented the first Tablet. The device, however, remained a concept.
5-inch
Jeff Hawkins, who founded Palm Computing Inc., brought the first Tablet into the market.
1989 GridPad:
1993
6-inch
EO Personal Communicator:
The device by EO is the ancestor of Kindle, since it has a transreflective display and hence does not require any background lighting.
800 BC
1960
1970
1980
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
800 B.C.
Slate: A few
companies use the term slate for their tablet projects.
HP 95LX: The
Pocket PC with MS-DOS has a keyboard.
1991
1993 Zoomer:
The Palm device on which the Palm OS operating system runs is produced by the Tandy and sold by Casio.
3-inch
5-inch
TIMELINE
TABLETS
2011 is the year of portable computers operated only with the finger. We trace the development of the slate to the iPad.
BY DOMINIK HOFERER AND KAMAKSHI S
T
APRIL 2011
hin, light and handy this is what Alan Kay imagined the Tablet to be. It should be able to set up a wireless connection to a network and should cost less than $500. With very easy operation, Kay wanted to reach out to the masses, provide them fun in learning and teach them how to deal with technical devices. The result was anything but the iPad, because over forty years of research and development lie between Alan Kays design,
which he named Dynabook, and the Apple tablet. Alan Kay was ahead of his time and had already designed the concept of at computers in the 1960s. The display of these computers would also serve as the input medium, but at that time, one had to also use an additional keyboard. The capacitive displays, which are used in many Tablets today and which enable operation with ngers, were non-existent then.
TABLETS REVOLUTION
13
2010 ipad
Apple revolutionizes the device class with its Tablet.
9.7-inch
10.4-inch
4.3-inch
2001
Via Tablet: The first device
on which the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system by Microsoft runs.
2007
iPhone: The Apple
smartphone exists rather due to coincidence, but replaces PDAs.
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
FSC Lifebook:
4-inch
The Convertible unites the functions of a notebook with the handling and the touchscreen of Tablets.
2003
2010
Galaxy Samsung brings out the first serious competitor for iPad. The Galaxy Tab runs on Android .
6-inch
1999
Rocket eBook:
The electronic book by NuvoMedia should revolutionize reading.
12-inch
7-inch
2007 Kindle
Amazons e-Book reader presents books with the E-Ink technology and requires very little power.
Dynabook remained only a concept, but it certainly left a strong mark on the successor devices. It was Jeff Hawkins, the computer scientist, who gave the users a stylus to operate the GridPad in 1989, one of the rst to implement Tablets. The portable computers ran the DOS operating system and it had a 10 MHz 80C86 processor. Hawkins device was quite a revelation in its time, because the technology was embedded in a casing that was only 3.5 cm thin. But there were disadvantages too. The operation was complicated, and the battery life was too short. Hawkins came to the conclusion that a computer with the size of a handheld could function better. He founded Palm Computing Inc. and built Zoomer, a small computer that t in one hand. It's true that the device opped, but it established the product class of PDAs. Personal Digital Assistants stored contact data and appointments and offered Ofce applications.
APPLE iPHONE AN ACCIDENTAL SUCCESS

Apple also pushed into the new PDA market and built MessagePad on the Newton operating system; a synonymous
name for Apple devices. Newton sold badly because the built-in type identier, a technique that came from Palm, had weaknesses and did not function as desired. Steve Jobs initially ceased development of the device, but at the turn of the millennium, Apple began developing a new Tablet. When Apple engineers presented the concept of the iPad to their boss, the smaller device got a go-ahead instead. Steve Jobs was convinced that a device that one could control by just using ngers would be an ideal smartphone. From that moment onwards, the computer manufacturer concentrated on the development of the iPhone and placed the iPad design on the shelf for the time being. Apple achieved its breakthrough in the mobile market with iPhone. Smartphones became all-rounders and nally replaced mobiles such as PDAs. It was in 2010 that the Tablets market was truly established and it had one device to thank for it the iPad. The success of the device is seen in the way Apples competitors have ocked to the tablet space. This year, at least 35 tablet devices with Intel technology will hit stores. 2011 is the year of the Tablet.
INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP INSIDER SUPPLEMENT APRIL 2011
14
TABLETS REVOLUTION
IN PERSPECTIVE
TEGRA-POWERED
We spoke with Vishal Dhupar, MD Sales and Marketing, South Asia, NVIDIA about the importance of the processor in Tablets and how Tegra takes portable computing to the next level.
BY KAMAKSHI S
he Nvidia Tegra architecture is the base for processors used in many tablets currently available in India and many upcoming tablets as well. The efciency and capacity of the proVishal Dhupar, MD Sales and cessor determines Marketing, South Asia, NVIDIA the speed at which a device can operate, so having a good processor at the heart of the device is imperative for a smooth and efcient user experience.
other mobile Internet devices (MIDs). With a system-level design built upon more than 10 generations of proven Nvidia GPU technology, Tegra enables intuitive 3D user interfaces, advanced HD multimedia features, and access to full Web browsing, all while delivering battery performance that leaves the competition far behind.
What unique features does Tegra bring to tablets?

Most mobile device architectures are designed around a general purpose CPU. The CPU, primarily designed to handle general purpose operations, is very inefcient in handling specialized audio-visual tasks such as decoding HD video, 3D gaming, and Flash video playback. The CPU not only underperforms, but also consumes excessive power for todays mobile use cases. Relying on a power-hungry CPU either compromises battery life to offer good performance or delivers substandard experiences. We call this the powerperformance paradox. The Nvidia Tegra processor resolves this paradox with a new purpose-optimized processor architecture that delivers a responsive experience for full-resolution Web pages, full HD 1080p video playback, and days of battery life for typical use. Processing capabilities of computers and the Internet connection bandwidth available to users have increased by several orders of magnitude over the last two decades. Consequently, there has been explosive growth in the amount and variety of content that is available on the Internet. Web pages now include complex Java elements, high denition video content and Flash based games. There are over hundred million websites on the
How does Tegra help boost the performance of a tablet?

The purpose-oriented multi-processor, multicore architecture of Nvidia Tegra is de ned by the philosophy of the right tool for the job. Dedicated, high-performance processors deliver snappy Web browsing, awless streaming HD Flash video, and an exceptional mobile gaming experience. Additionally, because only the processor needed for a particular task is powered up at any one time, this design delivers ultra low-power capabilities that provide extended gaming, audio and video playback times. The revolutionary multi-processor architecture and power management features of Nvidia Tegra deliver an exceptional mobile visual computing experience with uncompromised battery life. The Tegra system on chip (SoC) technology will be used in a wide range of very capable and enjoyable mobile platforms, including tablets, e-readers, and
APRIL 2011
TABLETS REVOLUTION
15
Internet and over six billion videos are being viewed on Youtube every month. Farmville, a Flash-based game has alone attracted over 78 million new players on Facebook. Users today want to access and enjoy this rich content not only on their PCs but also on their mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. Users expect their tablets to not only deliver long battery life but also provide the same full high denition Web experience that they get from a PC. In addition to Web browsing capabilities, users expect their tablets to handle a variety of use cases such as gaming, audio playback, navigation and photo/video capture. Current mobile devices are unable to offer both the performance and the battery life required for users to enjoy a high denition Web experience.
available for Android thats built on Unreal Engine 3; Samurai II: Vengeance; and Galaxy on Fire 2 THD. In terms of operating systems, Tegra is currently very focused on supporting the Android OS. Tegra was chosen by Google as the hardware reference platform for Honeycomb, the tablet-optimized version of Android, and right now, were seeing the rst Honeycomb devices from Motorola, LG and Samsung causing huge waves in the tablet market. It will be very exciting to see what other manufacturers bring to the table once Honeycomb is publically released later this summer.
How does NVIDIA plan to support the constant OS and portable device updates?
We work very closely with Google and device manufacturers to ensure that their software is fully optimized to run on Tegra. Nvidias heritage in the PC business means were very used to providing regular driver and software updates to our users. As the mobile device market becomes more PClike, both in terms of the more frequent software updates and the increased cadence of hardware advances, Nvidia is perfectly positioned to bring our background as a leader in the PC space to mobile.
Is it advisable to overclock the tablet for better performance?

One of the key features for which Tegra has been optimized is exceptional power management. We have seen overclocked versions of Tegra, but by denition, the overclocking process means that additional performance is likely to come at the expense of battery life.
What kind of apps/games/operating systems can be used with a Tegra configured system?
Tegra Zone app is now live on the Android Market, providing a one-stop destination for consumers seeking the richest games for their super phone or tablet powered by the Nvidia Tegra 2 mobile super chip. The free app delivers a curated selection of Tegra processor-optimized games, as well as professional game reviews, high-res screenshots, HD video trailers, gameplay videos and behindthe-scenes featurettes. Sale and delivery of users selected games are completed using Googles Android Market. Games on Tegra Zone apps are especially enhanced for Tegra 2 super chip-powered devices, and are more realistic and interactive. Among those selected as launch titles are Dungeon Defenders: First Wave Deluxe HD, the rst game
What kind of peripherals can a tablet support on a Tegra powered system?

Peripherals are something, which will be de ned by individual manufacturers. However, the great computing power of Tegra is opening up huge potential for manufacturers to innovate and take mobile computing to the next level. For example, Motorola has released a dock with its Tegra-powered Atrix 4G phone, which transforms the device into a netbook. The phone simply plugs into the back of an exceptionally thin and light netbook-like docking station. This design very clearly highlights the fact that mobile devices are approaching performance levels that will soon put them alongside conventional notebooks. It will be very exciting to see how these capabilities reshape our ideas about what a computer looks like in the future.
APRIL 2011
16
SHOPPERS' STOP
POPULAR TABLETS IN THE MARKET
In Focus: What's on the Shelves

If you have been longing to get hold of a tablet for sometime now, there are enough options that you can pick from across brands, configurations and operating systems. Here are some of the most popular tablets available today.
BY SHAYNE R ANA
ith the Apple iPad recently making its ofcial debut in the Indian market, things are heating up for the competition. Its not dying down anytime soon, and thats a good thing. With more and more tablet devices making their way onto to Indian store shelves, consumers are getting spoilt for choice even in this segment. For those wondering whats out there right now, here are your tablet choices.
W
Price:
prices that could make Apple sweat. But Apples going nowhere, and the iPad still remains a favorite amongst quite a few of todays tablet consumers. The 3G version will require you to have a micro SIM for connectivity with a 3G plan.
GALAXY TAB
Price: Rs. 24,900
The Galaxy Tab was supposed to be the iPads biggest competitor in 2010, offering quite a bit of functionality over Apples offering. It was the rst to make it out in the country with what was then Androids very latest version of the OS i.e. version 2.2 aka Froyo. The device, like all Android-based tablets that came before it, was also equipped to be a fully functional mobile handset as well, offer-
APPLE iPAD WI-FI + 3G

Wi-Fi + 3G: 16 GB Rs 31,900 32 GB Rs 36,900 64 GB Rs 41,900 When the iPad launched, even with its aws and initial raw feedback from the community, it was considered the de nitive tablet/mobile computing device. With the sudden explosion of Android-powered devices, Apples device faces quite a bit of competition. Newer tablets are being launched with interesting USPs and Wi-Fi: 16 GB Rs 24,500 32 GB Rs 29,500 64 GB Rs 34,500
APRIL 2011
SHOPPERS' STOP
17
The Olive Pad is also available with Froyo out of the box. Olive is also shipping the Olive Pad with a customized user interface that offers quite a bit of unique functionality.
VIEWSONIC VIEWPAD 7 AND VIEWPAD 10

Price:
ViewPad 7 Rs. 32,000 ViewPad 10 Rs. 38,000 ing 3G connectivity, with Adobe Flash 10.1 support for browsing and all the goodies that Googles OS has to offer. It also has a 3 megapixel camera and a secondary camera for video calling. The Tab can be used with a standard sized SIM and although available with 16 GB of onboard storage, it allows for more memory via microSD cards. Sufce it to say that the ViewPad 7 is the OlivePads twin, only higher priced and lacking a custom UI. From the processor to OS version, dual camera resolutions, and even touch-sensitive button place-
OLIVE PAD
Price: Rs. 20,999
The Olive Pad was an unlikely candidate to usurp the tablet throne from Apples iPad. Not that it did. It was, however, the rst tablet device to ofcially make it to Indian shelves. The Olive Pad offered a simplistic design with stereo speakers, a 3 megapixel AF camera (plus secondary VGA in the front), external memory support, and full mobile handset functionality for calls and text messages.
ment the ViewPad 7 is simply the same device with different branding. The ViewPad 10 is the rst Windows-based dual boot tablet to be released in India. It offers users the exibility of using Android 1.6 or switching over to a Windows for a Windows 7 tablet experience. Its the best of two worlds of mobile computing. Thanks to its Intel Atom processor running the x86 architecture, it should even be possible to
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run other 32 Bit OSs on this device. The 16 GB SSD ensures that you have enough space for your data, but that too can be boosted via a microSD card. You can also access data stored on pen drives since it supports USB on the go. Its a fully functional netbook in tablet form.
DELL STREAK
Price: Rs. 33,000
Were still confused about whether this should even be considered a tablet. A hybrid sounds a little more appropriate, but that too is a little far fetched. Its de nitely something in between though. No one can argue that the Streak is not a good looking piece of hardware. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 1 GHz processor is designed to make this a speedy device for your regular needs. With an updated OS version, the Streak is as good as any high-end mobile. The only difference is it still looks a bit silly holding it up to your ear. Thank goodness for A2DP, right?
LACS MAGNUM TABLET

Price:
4.3" 5" Rs. 13,999 Rs. 15,999
thrown in. Unlike most tablets, the Magnum doesnt allow for SIM Card insertion. This means youll need to tether the device to a Bluetooth-enabled handset for internet connectivity. Its devoid of Wi-Fi, which puts the pricing a little bit on the steeper side. It runs on a Windows CE 6.0 OS and requires the use of the bundled stylus for some apps. Unlike typical tablet devices were used to these days, the Magnums OS and 500 MHz processor doesnt offer the best multitasking experience, but it manages to do some. External memory is all you have to work with via microSD cards.
WESPRO EPAD
Price: Rs. 6,999
The Epad from Wespro is said to be one of the cheapest tablets. While the touch UI seems to lag, it does offer SIM support, 3G and Wi-Fi support. You can turn off the gravity sensor to set the tablet in game mode. Even when the sensor it turned off, you can change the screen orintation manually with the shortcut key on the top left of the screen. Youll need a stylus to calibrate the touch screen, but it works just ne even without it. The tablet offers 2 GB of internal storage and an external SD card slot. The tablet is powered by Android 1.6 and is a good enough option if you want a tablet on an extremely tight budget.
The Magnum could be considered Indias lowend tablet. Its more like a large media player with a few extra connectivity functionalities
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TOUCH SENSITIVITY
The biggest advantage of using a tablet over laptops is the touch interface that gets rid of the keyboard. However, there is no point of having the convenience of a touch screen if its sluggish and requires you to repeat actions multiple times before they register. While this mostly has to do with the processor, its always good to check how responsive the device is by using the touch interface.
MULTI-TOUCH
Most touch screen devices tend to work quite well with a single touch input, but tend to lag with the pinch-and-zoom functionality. Moreover, if you are using a device with a relatively smaller screen, the lack of a responsive multi-touch will bother you, especially if you like playing games.
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Things To Consider When Buying A
TABLET
Tablets are making waves around the world for many reasons. If you are planning to join the tablet bandwagon, here are ten things you should consider and check for before making a final decision.
BY KAMAKASHI S
OS SUPPORT
DISPLAY SCREEN
Tablet screens get smudged very easily, especially if you have a screen guard applied to protect it from scratches. Nowadays, quite a few touch devices sport Gorilla glass display screens. These include a thin, clear and lightweight yet strong glass lm that protects the screen from scratches and other rigors of everyday use. It also keeps the screen relatively smudge-free.
With tablet operating systems being updated frequently, youll need to be sure that your device can support the next update and that your tablet manufacturer makes those updates available for your device in a timely manner. While you can jailbreak, root, or tweak your devices, you run the risk of damaging the hardware if done incorrectly. This could void the warranty, which is something you may not want after spending so much on a tablet. Even though there are ways to tweak devices within connes of the terms of the warranty, updating the operating system is a complicated process.
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HARDWARE SUPPORT
Even if you do decide to go through all the grind of upgrading your device, the hardware should be robust enough to help you make the necessary changes. It should also be well backed to support additional accessories like a higher memory SD card, and USB devices, if the device supports USB. Having said that, tablets come with a low power consumption processor, to ensure longer battery life, and overclocking these devices may not be such a bright idea.
WARRANTY
Tablets are relatively new in the market, and therefore demand a high price. If you have decided to go the tablet way, you should read the warranty details carefully. You can also ask around in online forums, which can be a great way to understand the terms, better know what lies inside the box, and read about other users experiences with customer support. If you plan to source your device from another country, the warranty agreements may be void.
ACCESSORIES AND PORTS

The iPad made many frown when it was launched without USB ports. Whether you intend to use your tablet for work or for movies and music, a USB port that supports portable storage devices is a handy option to have. It is good to have multiple connectivity ports so you can attach peripheral devices. Some tablets let you combine input devices like a mouse or keyboard if you are not comfortable with the touch interface.
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FORM FACTOR
Tablets are available in various sizes and in different configurations. Some run two operating systems, while others are sleek enough to t inside your pocket. Firstly, you must decide the purpose of the device, and where you plan to use it. If you want to use it in while traveling, opt for a smaller device, which is easier to carry around. However, if you want to use it as a business communication aid, creative tool or portable gaming device, a tablet with a large screen would be ideal.
APP SUPPORT
While there are many free and paid apps available for every tablet available today, a tablet with low specs may not be able to install certain resource-hungry apps. Moreover, if the apps require you to tweak your device and void the warranty, it might not be worth the risk. You will also have to consider if apps can be installed on to external memory like SD cards, and if the data backup process for apps is smooth.
COMMUNICATION STANDARDS
Most tablets offer Wi-Fi for a good Internet experience, which becomes essential if youd like to download apps from online stores. However, if you need to transfer data from one device to another, check for Bluetooth support. If you cannot arrange for continuous Wi-Fi connectivity, you could look for a tablet with SIM card support for GPRS. With 3G services hitting the market, a tablet that supports the highspeed connectivity standard would have you covered for years to come.
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Chaitanya Surpur
TABLET PERIPHERALS
Add-ons For Your Tablet

Tablets are a compact, more portable, more versatile version of notebooks, mostly due to their touchscreen, one-piece design. However, there are some peripherals you can add to your tablet to make it even more productive and easy to use.
BY KUSHAL MAMOOWALA
ith all this talk of exciting new tablets, its no surprise that the tablet peripheral market is starting to take off as well. Apple has already introduced a range of peripherals for its iPad, and other manufacturers are also taking note of Apples success with their own peripherals. From add-on input devices to nifty carry cases and sleeves, there are loads of
peripherals to choose from to improve your tablets productivity and give it some protection.
INPUT DEVICES
There are many foldable and exible USB keyboards that you can attach to your tablet if it houses a USB port. The Fellowes USB Folding Keyboard is a full-sized keyboard with a standard
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plug & play USB connection for Tablets as well as notebook computers. When not in use, the keyboard folds up for quick storage. There is also the Menotek Flexible Wireless Keyboard, which is a lightweight, durable 108key QWERTY keyboard that can roll-up and t into your pocket. If your tablet does not have a USB port like the Olive Pad or iPad, you can use a Bluetooth keyboard like the Menotek Flexible Bluetooth Waterproof Mini Keyboard, which is compatible with the iPad as well as other tablets. You can also get a wireless mouse to attach to your tablet via USB or Bluetooth. The Microsoft BT 5000 mouse works with rooted Android tablets via Bluetooth or you can get a simple plug & play USB mouse for a tablet that has a USB port. Apple has made a wireless Bluetooth keyboard for its iPad and also has a keyboard dock to which you can attach your iPad to turn it into a netbook of sorts. The Apple trackpad can also be used with your iPad with a little bit of tweaking.
Bluetooth. You can even use a Bluetooth headset like the Nokia BH-216 Bluetooth Headset to make and answer phone calls on tablets with SIM card support. Apples iPad dock has an audio line out to help connect it to powered speakers. You can also check out the iXtreamer dock, which can have an internal hard drive as well as two USB drives. The iXtreamer hybrid media player can stream HD movies or user-generated videos, and play high quality digital music and high-resolution slideshows on your TV. The iXtreamer is equipped with one 3.5-inch drive capacity of up to 3 TB and the iPad dock that will allow you to enjoy your iTunes collection on TV. Samsung and Motorola also offer a multimedia docking stations and speaker docks respectively for their tablet devices. These docks can be used to play music from your tablet while it recharges and also features audio out ports to attach externally powered speakers to your tablet.
CARRY CASES STORAGE

Storage has been a key issue with the initial range of tablets in the market, offering not more than 32 GB of inbuilt storage, although most of them do provide an option of extending your memory with a memory card. In case you want even more storage, there are external drives and USB pen drives that you can use. Archos offers a 20 GB external portable hard drive called ARCDisk. With its ultra-fast USB 2.0 interface and extremely small size, the ARCDisk is a handy portable hard drive, smaller than a 1.44 MB oppy disk. Usable without an external power supply (powered directly from the USB 2.0 port), it is ideal for traveling or carrying to and from work. The HyperDrive HDD is an external USB hard drive that is compatible with all tablets, including the iPad. It can store up to 750 GB of data and even has a card reader compatible with 12 types of memory cards. Most manufacturers make carry cases specic to their tablets. The most important thing to look out for when buying a carry case is to ensure that it does not hinder any of the ports on your tablet device, including the camera. Some carry cases also double up as stands to hold your device vertically and use with a keyboard or to display images and photos. For the iPad, there is the Aida Keycase Folio Deluxe with an integrated Bluetooth keyboard. The case itself is made of leather and can double up as a stand to give you the perfect viewing angle when using the Bluetooth keyboard. There is also the Otterbox Apple iPad Defender series case that turns into a desk stand and protects all ports with silicon plugs. For the Samsung Galaxy Tab, there is the Duragadget Black Leather Protective Case with an adjustable stand for multiple viewing angles and place on the back for storing credit cards, business cards and cash. There is also the Gel cover case with screen protector and stylus, which leaves all ports accessible as well as gives you a stylus for hand writing and note taking apps. There are a variety of cases, stands and pouches for every tablet and nding one isnt very hard. However, it is important to ensure that your carry case or sleeve does not reduce the functionality or usability of your tablet.
AUDIO
If you intend to use your tablet as a media player, you can nd Bluetooth headsets to use with your device. You can even use a headset with a microphone for voice commands and voice recognition on your tablet. The Jabra HALO Bluetooth Stereo Headset from Dell can connect to most tablets via
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POPULAR EBOOK READERS
For Your Reading Pleasure

E-book readers may not enjoy the same popularity as more multi-purpose tablets, but a major shift in technology has ensured that they are not completely out of contention.
BY KAMAKSHI S
hile e-book readers hit the markets well before the tablet phenomenon took over the world of portable computing, they have not been adopted as rapidly as tablets have. Down but not out, e-book readers today take the competition in their stride and inch closer to providing a tablet-style reading experience. Here are some of the popular e-book readers.
AMAZON KINDLE 3 WI-FI AND 3G

The Amazon Kindle remains the top choice among e-book readers. The newest version on the block is the Kindle 3 and it supports both Wi-Fi and 3G, taking a cue from the Nook e-book reader. The new Webkit browser, more prominent QWERTY keypad, better contrast, quicker response time, and a comfortable sixinch e-ink screen all work in the favor of the Kindle 3. The device also comes with a memory capacity of 4 GB that can store 3,500 books, blogs, e-papers and magazines. The Kindle also boasts amazing battery life. The only let down is that it doesnt support the ePub format, but it does support PDF and lets you make notes and zoom into pages, so there isnt too much to complain about. The Kindle 3 is The Amazon Kindle 3, can get better by priced at $189, which adopting the ePub format. is around Rs 8,400 (the
The closest competitor to the Kindle is the Nook Color from Barnes and Noble.
non 3G version is priced at $139, which is around Rs 6,300) and is yet to be launched in India ofcially.
BARNES & NOBLE NOOK COLOR:

Taking the e-book experience to the next level is the Nook Color from Barnes and Noble. The seveninch tablet is powered by Android 2.1, but doesnt feature the Android Market. This e-book reader with built-in Wi-Fi connectivity also supports MP3 les and plays videos too. However, being a full touchscreen LCD device, the battery life takes a
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However, lack of Wi-Fi or 3G connectivity makes it difcult to download content from Sony's Reader Store. The Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-650 is priced at $229, which is approximately Rs 10,500.
ASUS EEE READER DR900:

ASUS seems very keen to ensure its presence in every form of portable computing, including the e-book readers market. The Asus Eee Reader DR900, which is currently targeted at the European markets, offers the largest reader screen with a 9-inch SiPix e-paper display. The device offers 2 GB built-in memory, a 3.5 mm audio jack, a microUSB port along with Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity and four days of battery life. The DR900 is priced at 319, which is approximately Rs 20,000.
INFIBEAM PI
The rst e-book reader from India is the Pi from Inbeam. The 6-inch device supports Indian languages and English with le formats like TXT, DOC, PDF, HTML and EPUB, and it can play music too. But with a 3 mm jack support, you may not enjoy the multimedia experience too much. The reader uses e-ink, but theres no backlighting, so reading in the dark may not be such a good idea. The reader comes with a 512 MB memory, which you can expand up to 4 GB. You can directly load e-books from your computer, so the lack of Wi-Fi or GPRS connectivity doesnt hurt that much. The Inbeam Pi is priced at Rs 9,999.
ASUS Eee Reader DR900 is currently available in European markets.

beating. The screen makes up with a layer of laminate to cut down the glare and offer a better offaxis view. The tablet e-book gives easy access to the Barnes and Noble Nookbook store, which has over two million titles to choose from. There is no limit to the books you can store as the device comes with 8 GB built-in memory and a microSD expansion slot for more. Moreover, the device supports a variety le formats, including PDF, Word, and ePub. The Nook Color is priced at $249.99, which is around Rs 11,300.
WINK
Competing with the Kindle in looks at least is an Indian e-book reader by Bengaluru based-EC Media, called Wink. What sets this one apart is that it offers 15 languages with le support to TXT, PDF, RTF, DOC, HTML, WOLF, CHM, FB2, DJVU, MP3 and AAC. Prices start at Rs 11,490, and you can opt for a 6-inch or 9-inch screen. The reader also offers Internet powered by GPRS using Quadband.
SONY READER TOUCH EDITION PRS-650:

A touch variant of the Sony Reader Pocket Edition, this six-inch-screen reader offers touch screen comfort to help you read with ease, thus eliminating the extra space that is occupied by a QWERTY keypad. The reader offers high-contrast display, making it easy to read even in sunlight. You can even listen to music as you read as the reader offers support for MP3 and AAC le formats. The e-book reader comes with a stylus, and offers two memory card slots, one for SD and another for a Memory Stick Duo, which offers up to 34 GB of storage space.
Sony Reader Touch Edition offers two memory card expansion slots.
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UPCOMING TABLETS
Tablets in the Pipeline

With the success of tablets in the Indian market, manufacturers are looking to upgrade their initial offerings and other manufacturers are also looking to flood the market with their own tablets. With a multitude of chipsets, dimensions and operating systems, tablets are taking over the mobile computing market.
BY KUSHAL MAMOOWALA
t is hard to argue that tablets are the future of computing. Since the success of Apples iPad and a few Android-based tablets like the Dell Streak and Samsung Galaxy Tab, a ton of tablets are scheduled for release in 2011. With HP, RIM, Motorola and LG preparing to enter the tablet market and the development of dedicated tablet operating systems from Google and Microsoft, there is a lot to be excited about. Weve listed some of the most promising tablets that are expected to hit sometime later this year along with a rundown of what you can expect from them. For manufacturers to get ahead in the tablet race, they must embrace newer technologies in connectivity and hardware to rival the unprecedented success of the iPad. The arrival of 3G in India and 4G technology on the horizon means connectivity plays a vital role in the success of a new tablet. On the hardware side, tablets built for speed with dual-core processors seem to be the norm, while screen size still remains the most varying feature. A 10-inch display gives the user greater on-screen real estate, while a 7-inch screen makes the tablet more portable.
frames per second and the front camera is a VGA quality camera for video conferencing. Apple has also made the iPad 2 thinner (8.8mm thick) and lighter (680 g) than its predecessor. Under the hood, the iPad 2 is armed with a faster processor, Apples custom-designed 1 GHz dual-core A5 chip, which is twice as fast as its predecessor, the A4. The RAM has also been doubled from 256 MB in the iPad to 512 MB in the iPad 2. Apple claims that the new graphics processing is up to nine times more powerful than the A4. Although the new processor is much more pow-
APPLE IPAD 2
Apples iPad 2 is by far the most anticipated tablet. Apple took heed of the threat they faced in the tablet market since the development of Android-based tablets and within the span of the year, have developed a thinner and faster tablet to follow the iPad. The biggest addition to the iPad 2 is rear and front facing cameras. The primary camera is capable of recording at 720p at 30
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erful, its power consumption is the same as the old one, which keeps the iPad 2s battery life at 10 hours. On the software side, the iPad 2 runs on the new iOS 4.3, which boasts the new Home Sharing feature. With restrictive storage at a maximum of 64 GB, syncing your iPad 2 with your media library can be quite arduous. Apple has overcome this obstacle with Home Sharing, which allows you to stream media from a Mac or PC wirelessly on the same Wi-Fi network as your iPad 2. The App Store also contains about 60,000 apps compatible with the iPad 2. The lack of a USB port and Adobe Flash support still remain the biggest drawbacks for Apple tablets, and while the iPad 2 is already on sale in other markets, we still have no conrmation on when it will be available in India.
BLACKBERRY PLAYBOOK
Following the widespread success of its smartphones, RIM has ventured into the tablet market with the Blackberry PlayBook. At 7 inches and 0.9 pounds, the PlayBook is smaller and lighter than the iPad 2, and at a resolution of 1024x600, it promises better screen clarity. Running Blackberrys own tablet operating system based on QNX technology called Blackberry Tablet OS, the tablet supports most popular standards like SMP, Open GL, Blackberry 6, WebKit, Java and Adobe Flash, which means theres serious potential for graphicintensive and Flash-based games and apps. The PlayBook is armed with a dual-core 1 GHz processor and 1 GB RAM, which will make tabbed
browsing and multitasking a breeze. It also houses a rear 5 megapixel camera and a front facing 3 megapixel camera for high quality video chat, as well as HDMI and microUSB ports. Most importantly, however, the PlayBook will be capable of pairing with a Blackberry phone so that you can use the tablet to look at anything on the phone, like e-mail, calendar and Blackberry Messenger. It is currently scheduled for an April 2011 launch in the US and a second quarter launch in the rest of the world, with 3G and 4G models scheduled for the future.
MOTOROLA XOOM
The Motorola Xoom is the rst tablet running on Googles Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) operating system to hit the market. Honeycomb is the rst Android OS designed specically for tablets, which is part of the reason why the Xoom is so eagerly anticipated. It is the rst really powerful Android tablet with a dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 1 GHz processor and 1 GB of RAM. The 10.1-inch display is the same size as the iPads and its hardware includes a 5 megapixel rear facing camera with ash and zoom, a 2 megapixel front facing camera, 32 GB of local storage and 10 hours of battery life. The Android
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OS itself is very promising, with a complete new tablet-oriented interface and 3D support. The tablet houses connections for microUSB and microHDMI as well as a port for a SIM card. The processor can handle multitasking, tabbed browsing and streaming quite easily and connecting your Xoom to a television via the HDMI port or the HDMI dock gives you the entire Android 3.0 interface on your TV screen. Although there are only a few Android 3.0 apps currently available on the Android Market, there is no doubt that most Android apps will be made Honeycomb-compatible and new apps that exploit Honeycombs 3D capabilities will be developed soon. The Xoom is expected to release in the US in April, with the 3G version following in May, and is priced at equivalent of approximately Rs 35,000.
WebOS App market, which hasnt really taken off the way Googles or Apples app markets have. One unique feature though is the syncing between the TouchPad and a WebOS smartphone. Although the TouchPad does not have a SIM card slot, you can use it to receive and reply to text messages as long as both the devices are on the same home network. Another feature is the touch-to-share technology with which you can share URLs between your TouchPad and WebOS phone by placing one on top of the other. There is still no con rmation on a price or release date for the HP TouchPad.
HP TOUCHPAD
HP Palm recently announced the new TouchPad tablet running HPs WebOS 3.0. It has a 9.7-inch XGA capacitive display with 18-bit color depth and is exactly the same size as the Apple iPad. In terms of internal hardware, it houses a dual-core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8060 processor, which is fast enough to make the upcoming WebOS 3.0 for the tablet y. The TouchPad has a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera for video calls and strangely, no camera on the back panel. The tablet will have Bluetooth 2.1, and a microUSB port for charging and for connecting the tablet to a PC. One issue is the HP
MSI WINDPAD 110W

MSI is readying a tablet running AMDs dual-core C-50 processor with the Windows 7-based slate expected to make its debut at CeBIT 2011. The 10-inch WindPad 110W has a low power CPU and an AMD Radeon HD 6250 graphics chip. The MSI WindPad 110W has a USB port, an HDMI port, a rear-facing camera, and a SIM card slot. It runs on the Windows 7 Home Premium operating system and features capacitive touch buttons on the side, and an optical touchpad. MSI claims the tablet will run for up to 8 hours on a charge and it will be armed with a 32 GB SSD unit, a G-sensor, light sensor and Wi-Fi connectivity. There is currently no information on a price or release date for the MSI WindPad 110W.
NOTION INK ADAM

The Adam from Notion Ink sports a 10.1-inch Pixel Qi display, which can be used in full color mode or in a black and white e-reader-like mode when the
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backlight is off, which can offer you days of use. The Android 2.2 (Froyo)-based tablet will have a 3.2 megapixel camera that swivels 90 degrees, ports for USB and HDMI and a SIM card slot. In addition, it will also have a microSD slot, a docking port, 3G compatibility and Wi-Fi connectivity. The processor is an Nvidia dual-core Tegra 250 processor, which contains two Cortex A9 cores along with processors to accelerate audio and video, and a Geforce GPU. The Adam houses 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of ash memory. Although the Notion Ink Adam was launched for preorders in December 2010, the unit has faced repeated delays and there is still no conrmation on availability.
also 3G and Wi-Fi, as well as 32 GB of storage. The LG Optimus Pad features an 8.9-inch display in a form factor that's comfortable to use with one hand. With a 15:9 aspect ratio and Full HD 1080p video support, the LG Optimus Pad offers users an immersive multimedia environment with a 1280x768 resolution widescreen display. It also has a built-in 3D camera in the form of dual 5 megapixel rear cameras, enabling users to capture vivid image and video content to be viewed on a 3D TV or shared on the web via YouTube 3D. While one of the cameras can record video at 720p, the 3D video recording is not in HD. You also get a 2 megapixel camera on the front for video calling. There is still no information on a release date or price for the Optimus Pad.
HTC FLYER
HTC have also joined the tablet bandwagon with the unveiling of their HTC Flyer tablet at the MWC 2011. The Flyer features a 7-inch capacitive multi-touch display with 1024x600 resolution. Although most of the latest Android-based tablets are expected to run on Android 3.0 Honeycomb, the Flyer is powered by the 2.3 version of the Android OS called Gingerbread with HTC Sense 2.1 on it. The hardware behind the Flyer includes a 1.5 GHz Snapdragon processor and 1 GB RAM, which promises a smooth running interface without any lag. The hardware also includes 32 GB of internal storage, a rear-facing 5 megapixel camera, and a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera. The HTC Flyer supports GSM calling, Wi-Fi connectivity and supports Adobe Flash 10.1 and HTML 5, but surprisingly does not support 3G connectivity. The tablet is expected to hit shelves by the end of the second quarter, but there is no word on pricing yet.
LG OPTIMUS PAD
LG has announced that its new LG Optimus Pad will feature 3D capabilities. The tablet runs on a 1 GHz Tegra 2 dual-core processor for unmatched performance and power management. There's
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DO IT YOURSELF
TWEAKING YOUR iPAD
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR iPAD

While the iPad has been a great success, it seems to lack in a few departments, the most obvious being the absence of a camera. Here are a few tips to get the most out of your iPad.
BY KUSHAL MAMOOWALA
here have been a few complaints from users of Apples iPad pertaining to both hardware and software drawbacks. Although the iPad 2 will address some of these issues, there are ways to tweak your iPad to get the best out of what you already have. We spoke to Apple enthusiast and avid iPad user Ralf Itzwerth, who helped us with
some of tips and tricks to improve the iPads user experience and functionality. Itzwerth is a social researcher with qualications in Medical Sociology and Computer Science and has found the iPad to be quite helpful in his workplace and home.
WHAT DOES THE IPAD LACK?

Well, the most obvious are USB ports and a camera, and the iPad 2 at least sorts out the camera. Having said that, the port adapter, which is currently available, allows for seamlessly downloading of photographs to the iPad, which works well. Other document types can easily be moved between an iPad and PC using FTPs like OntheGo, Dropbox, iDisk, and Connect, which works will with Google Docs or Box.net, which also does what all of these are good at - allowing for editing and syncing with a cloud environment. I use them all, depending on what the respective co-workers prefer.
USE YOUR IPHONE CAMERA ON YOUR IPAD

There are two ways to do this. Firstly, it's easy to download pho-
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tos from the iPhone to the iPad using the interface mentioned before. Just connect the iPhone using the USB cable and the iPad starts the photo-import app. The other app I found very intriguing is EZ Cam; this app is a bit ddly, but once you get it rolling, it's a gem. It allows you to capture pictures with the iPhone, have it linked in real time to the iPad via either Bluetooth or online and show the pictures immediately on the iPad. Imagine holding the iPhone cam over a high wall where you can't look, and watch the people behind the wall on the iPad. The app also allows you to e-mail the photos taken with the iPhone from the iPad.
OTHER USES FOR YOUR IPAD

Of course, I use Skype on the iPad. It works well even right out of the box without requiring earphones or a headset. TuneInRadio is also great; it gives me thousands of radio stations on the Web, but gobbles up my data allowance when not in a WLAN.
THE BENEFITS OF SIM CARD SUPPORT

I use the SIM card support all the time. As I could not get the micro-SIM, I just got the knife out and made the SIM card t. Instructions for this are available online. The benets are immediate. For a low monthly fee, I get 500 MB of data, which I use to get email anywhere and anytime, read my favorite newspapers on the go, and have cloud access to back-up documents when I write notes in aNote, which syncs to Google Docs. Being on the Web anywhere is really great.
The EZ Cam app allows users to access the iPhone camera from their iPad in real-time over a common Wi-Fi network.
USING THE IPAD WITH OTHER APPLE PRODUCTS

I use Remote and Air Video, to connect to my iMac and to watch movies on the iPad when sitting in bed. The Mac acts as a video server. I have also used iTeleport, which gives remote access to PCs and Macs; good for quick troubleshooting. I think a must-have is also a password vault such as 1Password, which syncs across to a PC or to the iPhone. MobileMe is great, especially when you are prone to misplacing your iPhone. It is a subscription-based service by Apple, which shows a map and where your device is on it. For word processing, I have Pages installed, which can easily be synced into the cloud. It syncs directly to iDisk, WebDav and e-mail and allows for quite a nice set of layout options, so the letter or report you write looks good and can even contain embedded URLs.
The iMac Bluetooth keyboard is compatible with the iPad and is easy to use for extensive typing needs.
MUST-HAVE IPAD ACCESSORIES

I have an iMac Bluetooth keyboard, which works well on the iPad, but I think ZAGGmate would be nicer to run around with. The Magic Trackpad is also very good.
The iPad Camera Connector Kit includes a Camera Connector that features a USB port as well as an SD Card reader.
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DO IT YOURSELF
GET NON-APPLE APPS ON YOUR iPAD
HOW TO JAILBREAK THE APPLE iPAD

The iPad can only do the things Apple wants you to do. Functions and applications not supported or omitted by Apple are therefore inaccessible. Heres how you can help yourself to a world of possibilities free from Apples restrictions.
BY KAMAKSHI S
pple had sold about 6.2 million iPads by the end of 2010. A reasonable chunk of this gure made its way to India, rst via the grey market, and now ofcially via Apple. Naturally, each buyer is happy in the beginning with all that Apple has offered. However, soon one lands on the borders of this beautiful world. Perhaps you want to store YouTube videos on the device or you have heard of another app device that has the exact application you want. Apple lets this App down through the certication process and thus it is never seen in the App store. Such situations make a strong case for jailbreaking. This procedure skips or removes Apple's barriers and opens the device to additional functions and applications. It does this without affecting the normal functions of the iPad, including access to the App store.
Plug in your iPad and start the tool. Click Jailbreak and complete the process. Quit the application when done.
and ten minutes of your time. You will nd all the necessary tools easily on the Internet. The following workshop shows you not only a step-by-step guide on how to lift the Apple restrictions from your iPad, but it will also show you what you can do and where you can nd the Apps that Apple wanted to keep away from you. To do the job really well, we will reapply all the Apple norms at the end of the process. This way, you can see that the jailbreak is not a one-way x and you can return to the security of the closed Apple world whenever you like.
LIMITED RISK, MANY REWARDS

The jailbreak that is introduced here does not create any irreversible changes to the hardware or to company ware and is easily tracked for each person. All you need is an iPad, a PC
Start by syncing your iPad with your PC and set up the Sprint tool on your machine.
DOWNLOAD
The jailbreak requires an iPad, a PC, and the
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Spirit tool. As this software is compatible with Mac OS and Windows, it will work with almost all computers. Download Spirit from http://spiritjb. com. Prepare a backup of your iPad contents using iTunes.
START OFF
We will be using Spirit for Windows here. Doubleclick and install the saved EXE le. Plug in your iPad and wait for it to sync. Once recognized, it is directly visible in the utilities screen. The message Ready: iPad (3.2) connected is displayed, and you are ready. Now select Jailbreak.
SUCCESS!
On the iPad, the message restoration completed is displayed and in the Spirit window on the PC, you will see the message Jailbreak succeeded! Click Quit to close Spirit.
After you have jailbroken your iPad, explore the virtual world to get apps outside of the Apple cloud.
TEST RUN
After restarting, look for the installer Cydia on your iPad. With this, you can also install other applications on your iPad that do not have the ofcial blessing from Apple. Intrusions at the system level are simply impossible.
INSTALL APPS
Along with several free applications, you will also see Buy-Apps at Cydia. A further source for apps not authorized by Apple is http://rockyourphone. com.
There are several resources available to help you go app shopping outside iTunes.
ITUNES DOES IT
In order to restore your personal contents, you must play back/copy back the previously backed up data. For that, open iTunes, click on the iPad with the right mouse key and select in the menu Recreate from backup.
YOURE DONE
Youve just jailbroken your iPad with all your personal data intact and extra features to play around with.
REVERSE
The jailbreak action carried out can be undone with the latest version 3.2 using the Restore function. At the end of this procedure, the device is once again in Apple- compliant status.
If you need to get the iPad serviced, you can undo the jailbreak using version 3.2 of the Sprint tool.
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MAKING PDFS COMPATIBLE WITH EBOOK APPS
CONVERTING PDFs INTO EPUB FILES

If you enjoy reading on-the-go, your tablet can be your best friend. Here is a way to convert all your PDF e-books into the tablet-friendly ePub format.
BY KAMAKSHI S
f you are an avid book reader and have a vast collection of PDF e-books, you can read them using a PDF reader on your tablet. However, if you want to enjoy them on the iBook app on your iPad, the Amazon Kindle, or the Android Kindle or Aldiko Book Reader apps, youll need your e-book to be in the ePub format.
We will be using the Calibre e-book management tool to convert the PDF les. To download the tool, visit http://calibre-ebook.com/download and pick the OS version of your choice. We will be using the Windows version for this workshop. Save and execute the .MSI le to set up the program.
WHAT IS EPUB?
Just like PDF or Portable Document Format, which is a uniform standard for un-editable documents, ePUB or electronic publication is a free and open e-book standard that has been created by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) for e-book readers and similar devices. The les with the .EPUB extension support vector images, resizable font size, and word wrapping options, making them usable on devices of various screen sizes. The format supports embedded metadata, gigital rights management (DRM), and is compressed in size and extremely customizable due to XML support and styling functionalities like CSS and XPath. Moreover, all the les are stored inside in a ZIP archive for convenience.
SETTING IT UP
Once Calibre has been installed on your machine, start the application. If the setup wizard isnt displayed, go to the Preferences option and start the wizard. First, set the folder where you would like the ePub books to be saved. Click Next to set a target device; Leave it at Generic if you dont want the le to be device-specic. Click Next and nish the wizard settings.
ADD METADATA AND CONVERT

Click the Add Books button and add all the books that you want to convert. Click the Convert button. You will be directed to an edit page, where you can edit every aspect of the nal e-book. If you want more details of the book such as authors, ISBN, and covers, click the Edit metadata button before converting. Click Download metadata and covers options to update the le details. Once that is done, proceed to converting the le.
THE TOOLS
The rst thing that you need is the PDF e-books. You can download free e-books from many sources, like www.free-ebooks.net, but this site requires a VIP membership for the ePub format. Save the PDF les of your choice that you want to read in your target device to move to the next step.
MAKING THE E-BOOK TABLETWORTHY

The Look and Feel settings help you customize
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the nal package based on the target devices form factor. Next is the Heuristic processing setting. The setting will look for common errors and x them to suit the device that handles the nal output. This setting will help you unwrap text lines, look for unformatted chapter breaks, add scene breaks, remove unwanted hyphenation marks, and delete blank lines and other such formatting issues in the e-book. In case you have not set the target device during the setup wizard, you can use the page set up settings to select it. This is a better way to select target devices because you can customize settings as and when you convert the e-book. Here, you can also change page margins based on the size of your device screen. The Structure Detection settings help you set up the XML XPath le, which is similar to a CSS for an HTML page. If you have little knowledge about XPath, it is better to leave the settings untouched.
The wizard helps you set a device that helps you create optimized ePub files specifically suiting your devices settings and form factor.
TYING UP THE LOOSE ENDS

The Table of Contents is an amazing feature, as it enables you to create a contents page if it is missing from the original le. Moreover, if you are unsure if the e-book has a contents page, you can create it by enabling the Do not add detected chapters to the Table of Contents and Force use of auto-generated Table of Contents options. If the book is intended for children and you nd some objectionable words or phrases, you can search and replace such terms before you create the ePub book. If you want the PDF to be free of images, go to the PDF option and check the No Images option. Next, go to the ePUB Output option, and set the options as per your requirements. If the nal le is larger than a particular limit, it will be automatically split into smaller parts.
Along with editing the metadata, you can also generate a cover to identify the e-book in the target device.
HAPPY READING
Finally, go to the Debug option and set a target folder location to monitor the conversion. Click OK to convert the le. Depending on the size of your le, the conversation time will vary. Once it is done, you can go ahead and transfer the e-book to your device and enjoy reading your favorite books on the go.
Although you have selected the target device, you can further customize the readability of your e-book as you convert to ePub.
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PROTECT DATA ON A LOST DEVICE
SECURE YOUR ANDROID TABLET

With the increased portability that tablets offer, the chances of threat or loss are also higher, so data loss is a real possibility. Besides that, even a faulty firmware update can wreak havoc with your data. With so many risks, its important to protect the data on your tablet. Heres how you can secure the data on your Android-powered tablet.
BY KAMAKSHI S
ith the ability to perform nearly all computing tasks on portable devices, the amount of sensitive data on devices like tablets is always increasing. Many of us tend to shop, bank, pay bills, and access sensitive work documents on-the-go. But due to the highly portable nature of tablets and the risk of data loss due to incorrect rmware updates or faulty app installations, you could lose vital data, or worse, have it fall into the wrong hands. Its not very difcult to break into these devices. There are apps and utilities designed to extract data quite easily. So when you know for certain that your missing device cannot be retrieved, its a good idea to backup your data so you can restore it on any device in the future, or be able to wipe out your data remotely should you lose your tablet. While there are several paid tools available for the popular Android tablets, we will look at a few of these that help you to keep your device clean of malware, help backup and restore contacts and messages, locate your device when lost, and in dire circumstances, wipe out critical data remotely.
sages, contacts, pictures apps and related details remotely and permanently. A unique feature of the app is the Privacy Advisory that tells you which apps can access your critical data. These include location trackers, apps that can read your identity details, and apps that can access messages. You can also check what apps appear in each of the lists. Once installed, upgrade the app to the premium version, which activates the Privacy Advisor. Click the option to scan your Android device and click the Scan button to complete the process. Once done, you can go through the track location, read identity info and access messages lists to see which apps are accessing these details.
WAVESECURE
This app from MacAfee helps you secure not just your Android-powered devices, but also Blackberry smartphones and phones running on the Symbian OS. After installing the app and creating a pin, set two additional notication numbers so that your phone can be returned. Visit https:// www.wavesecure.com and sign in with either your cell number or email id and selected pin. Go to the Lock section and click the lock button to enable locking of your device.
LOOKOUT
Lookout is an app that helps you scan apps that are downloaded on your device in real-time. The paid premium version also lets you track your phone, and if it cannot be located, it helps you lock your device or even wipe out your data like mes-
TRACKING YOUR DEVICE

Tracking your device can get tricky if it has been
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stolen and the original SIM card has been discarded. In the case, go to the Track section and click Not your mobile number? Refresh link. To ascertain the location of your device after you have identied the SIM card in the device, go to the Location section and click the appropriate links to nd the location of the device.
REMOTELY WIPING DATA

If your device is deemed unrecoverable, it is advisable to wipe out critical data off your device. Before doing that, it is advisable to back up all your data. Start with the backup section, check the data you wish to back up and click the Backup My Data button. However, it is advisable to take periodic updates from your phone directly. Once done, go to the Wipeout section. Check the details that you want to delete from your device and click the Wipeout Now button. After you have moved to a new device, install the WaveSecure app and restore the backed up data.
If your SIM-powered device is locked, you can unlock it remotely from the Lock section of the WaveSecure website.
TITANIUM BACKUP PRO

You dont really need to lose your device to lose your data; an incorrect OS or rmware update can be just as destructive. While most of the data like media les, contacts and settings can be easily backed up, your game scores and levels achieved will take a beating. That is when a powerful app like Titanium Backup Pro can come to your rescue.
PREREQUISITES
The rst thing you need to sort on your Android device is get superuser rights. In our previous issue, we have dealt with rooting of Android devices. Once you do that, grant root access to the app. Start the app and back up the data. The app also backs up and restores apps, data, and market links. You can also schedule backups and back up data via cloud tools like Dropbox.
You can find out if the SIM in your device has been replaced and track its location from the WaveSecure website.
SETTING PREFERENCES
Click the menu button to set the preferences. Here you can sync your Dropbox app, market links, even back up protected apps. Then proceed to Backup/ Restore and back up all the data on your device. Then you can proceed to upgrade your devices OS. Once you have upgraded your rmware, reroot your device, reinstall the Titanium Backup Pro and restore the data.
If you cannot trace your device, you can wipe out all critical data, including media files, remotely through the WaveSecure website.
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TECH TALK
WHAT POWERS A TABLET
GETTING UNDER THE HOOD

The tablet features specialized hardware that is designed to keep the device compact yet provide enough power for on-the-go computing. We cracked open two popular tablets to see what lies beneath.
BY KAMAKSHI S
ince tablets are light and compact, their primary purpose is mobile computing. This means that they must have sufcient battery life despite the large display screens and touch interface. Heres the hardware that helps manufacturers make that happen.
200 MHz (ARM9E). The architecture is licensed to a host of companies to develop their own processors, including the Qualcomm Snapdragon, the Samsung Hummingbird, Nintendo, Nvidia Tegra and the Apple A4. Intel has developed the Atom processor based on its x86 architecture. The Atom Z6xx codenamed Lincroft, offers GPU speeds of 1.6 GHz.
PROCESSORS
The brain of any tablet is the processor that powers the core working of a tablet. Since most devices are touch sensitive, and need to connect to the Internet and offer long battery life, the processor should be light on the system. Most tablets today are powered by the processors from ARM or those based on Intels x86 architecture. A typical chipset based on the simple ARM architecture can handle 4 million instructions per second at 8 MHz (ARM1) to a maximum of 220 million instructions per second at
OPERATING SYSTEMS
The heart of the tablet is the operating system. There are several OSs that are device and vendor specic, while others are multi-platform. The most prominent OSs for tablets include the iOS (a proprietary OS for Apple devices), Windows Phone 7 and Android. More OSs are expected to come up in the future, which include Blackberry Tablet OS for the Playbook tablet, the Maemo operating system based on Linux, which is being developed by Nokia, and the webOS, originally developed by Palm, which would now power tablets and smartphones from HP. There are also talks of Chrome OS for Google tablets being developed by Google and HTC.
GET TING INSIDE THE APPLE IPAD

ELEC TRO - MAGNE TIC INTERFACE SHIELD LITHIUM POLYMER LOGIC BOARD BAT TERIES WITH APPLE A 4 CHIP
STORAGE SPACE
Tablets come with varying memory capacities, starting from 2 GB (Wespro Epad) to as much as 64 GB (Apple iPad) built-in storage space. Tablets usually come with an SD card slot to increase storage space, but that is of limited use if the device is powered by Android 2.1 or lower, as those dont let you install apps on external storage. Moreover, if your tablet offers USB ports, you can attach an external hard drive to get extra storage space for your data.
TOUCH SCREEN UI
Sachin Pandit
DOCK CONNEC TOR , WITH WI - FI C ABLE AND BLUE TOOTH C ARD
SPEAKER ASSEMBLY WITH T WO SPEAKERS
A touch screen user interface is a bit different from the graphical user interface primarily due to the
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touch-based inputs. While this kind of interface is useful to make the command selection via text more accurate, they offer extended features like adding widgets and live wall paper to make your device more interactive. The iPad features a proprietary UI developed by Apple, there is the TouchWiz UI from Samsung, and the Sense UI by HTC.
The temperature sensor intimates you of your battery heat levels.
CONNECTORS
Most of the tablets offer several ports like the USB and HDMI, a plus audio connectors and SD card and SIM card slots. However, the iPad is one of the few tablets that sports only one outlet that doubles as a charging port for the device.
SENSORS
The touch screen in a tablet is not pressure-based, relies on several sensors. The high-end tablets include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor and temperature sensor. The accelerometer or the gravity sensor helps to change the orientation of the screen in terms of how it is held. The ambient light sensor adjusts brightness and contrast of your tablet screen with respect to lighting conditions.
CAMERA
Tablets usually feature a front camera for video calls on-the-go. The camera quality ranges from VGA quality right up to 8 megapixels. With the introduction of the Android 3.0 OS, which supports 3D, tablets are likely to sport dual cameras to help capture 3D pictures and video.
CRACKING OPEN THE SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB
SECONDARY CAMERA MODULE TOUCH SCREEN ANTENNA C ARRIER
ANTENNA
BAT TERY DISPL AY MODULE
AUDIO INTERFACE PCB*
PRIMARY CAMERA MODULE
BUT TON PCB*
MAIN PCB*
TOP ENCLOSURE LED PCB* CENTER ENCLOSURE LOUDSPEAKER DISPL AY INTERCONNEC T PCB* LOUDSPEAKER C ARRIER
BOT TOM ENCLOSURE
*NOTE :
PCB = PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS
Sachin Pandit
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TECH TALK
INNOVATIONS
HOW A MULTI-TOUCH SCREEN WORKS

Multi-touch and pinch to zoom are fast becoming household terms that any moderately tech-savvy person would know of.
BY KUSHAL MAMOOWALA
here are two major types of touch screen technologies used in multi-touch screens. The rst is a resistive system, which consists of a normal glass panel that is covered with a conductive and resistive metallic layer separated by spacers. An electric current runs through the layers and when a user touches the screen, the two layers make contact. The change in electrical eld is noted and the co-ordinates of that point are determined by the computer. The drag of a nger or multiple ngers is also calculated this way and the touch screen driver converts the data into an input that the operating system can understand. In a self capacitive system, a layer that stores electrical charge is placed on the glass panel of the screen. When a user touches the screen, some of the charge is transferred to the users nger and the charge on the capacitive layer decreases. This is measured by the circuits at the corners of the layer. The computer determines the point of touch by the relative differences in charge at each corner and relays the information to the touch screen driver. The processor on a touch screen device detects your ngers and where they move once you've placed them on the screen. You can slide your ngers from place to place, or you can make pinching or spreading motions to zoom in and out. The device matches what your ngers are doing with what's happening on screen. First the processor determines the size, shape and location of your nger or ngers on the screen. This information is then relayed to the gesture recognition software in the memory to classify your touch depending on your action and what is being displayed on screen. The instruction is then sent to the display, software and hardware based on the data your touch creates.
SELF CAPACITIVE SCREEN
PROTEC TIVE ANTI - REFLEC TIVE COVER
BONDING LAYER
CAPACITIVE SENSING CIRCUIT
GLASS SUBSTRATE
LCD DISPLAY LAYERS

Sachin Pandit
APRIL 2011
WHAT GOES ON INSIDE
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PROCESSOR
SIZE
SHAPE
LOCATION
MULTIPLE MATCHES? YES GROUPING NO
MOVEMENT DETEC TION?
YES NO MOVEMENT
GESTURE SOF T WARE
APPLICATION DATA
INSTRUC TIONS
DISPLAY
Sachin Pandit
SOF T WARE AND HARDWARE

INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP INSIDER SUPPLEMENT APRIL 2011
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TECH TALK
ELECTROPHORESIS (Kindle, Sony Reader)
Transparent electrodes with red color lter Transparent electrode with red color lter
Colored carrier medium
Colored carrier medium
Lower electrodes
White particles
Lower electrodes
White particles
REVOLUTIONIZING EREADERS
E-BOOK IN COLOR
Caught in the iPod wave, even Kindle and co. are treading the same path of color. CHIP shows you the technologies that are being developed for e-reading devices.
BY THOMAS LIT TSCHWAGER AND KAMAKSHI S
E-book readers are the talk of the town thanks to the popularity of Amazons Kindle and Apples plans to introduce a book store for the iPad a la iTunes. However, devices such as the Kindle or Sonys reader series PRS can only show a couple of gray scales with the E-Ink technology and colorful LCD displays with background lighting like the iPad have a battery life of only eight to ten hours. Thus, a colorful e-book reader comes across as an interesting idea for magazines, videos or photos. At present, there are three important technologies for reading devices in color. However, not everybody can manage to combine an attractive color experience with low power consumption, with enough power to play videos. Today, almost every e-book has the E-Ink technology, which is based on the principle of electrophoresis i.e. the migration of electrically charged particles through a medium. E-ink contains a dark colored liquid which can be seen in what is known as microcapsules. They
contain electrically charged tiny particles, which reect strongly to light and hence appear white. The microcapsules are situated between two conductive plates of which the visible upper plate is made of transparent material. If the plates are forced close to each other, the particles migrate electrophoretically to the oppositely charged plate. If they oat upwards, the incident light is reected and the point appears to be white. If the particles oat downwards, the light is absorbed by the dark colored carrier uid and the point appears black. The advantage of using this technology is that the particles remain at their position as long as the voltage applied to the plates is reversed, and so, the display of an e-book page does not require electricity; all you need to do is change the page to activate the bistable particles. This technology can be easily implemented for colors as well. A color lter can be attached to the upper side of the plate through every microcapsule colored in red, green or blue. The reected light no longer appears white now, but picks the color from
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Hydrophobic insulator Capsule wall Water
Hydrophobic insulator Capsule wall Water Glass substrate Glass substrate
White reection Transparent electrodes layer
White reec- Transparent electrodes tion layer
Reective membrane Gap lled with air
Reective membrane Gap lled with air
Sachin Pandit
the lter. This way, you can display color variations, just like in an LCD screen. However, electrophoresis has a critical disadvantage; the particles migrate rather slowly, so the transition time of a pixels is considerably long. Thus, the ipping of pages in an e-book takes a little bit longer. Moreover, the technique does not suit videos and the brightness and contrast of the displayed picture is affected because just one third of the pixels are used to make up one color.
speeds of less than 50 milliseconds, which is almost equivalent to smooth video display at 25 frames per second. The hitch in electrowetting is that the technology is not bistable. You need to apply a bit of voltage continuously for the oil drops to keep it shrunk, which eventually affects the battery life.
INTERFERENCE: MOVING PLATES

One of the most promising technologies for colored e-paper is the Mirasol display (a so-called IMOD, Interferometric Modulator Display) developed by the cell phone company Qualcomm. The Mirasol system doesnt contain a colored liquid or a color lter. In fact, the color is created using interference modulation. Here, the light falls on a reective membrane only through a glass substrate. The distance between the glass and reective membrane changes the wave length of the light. The emergent light appears in a particular color, red for instance. The entire element thus appears red. The reection layer can use the electric voltage at the membrane. The reduction in the distance reduces the wave length of the light even more till it is situated in the ultraviolet area and is no longer visible to the naked eye, making the point appear black. This technology also creates colors using an array of different-colored sub-pixels. The IMODs are bistable, extremely fast (switching time of a few nanoseconds) and consume very less electricity for switching in spite of the minimum plate distance. Pages of a book as well as videos can be displayed using them. Only prototypes are available as of now, but the rst fully colored IMODs should be available in the market soon.
ELECTROWETTING: OIL IN MOTION

Electrowetting technology uses a mixture of water and oil, just like the Liquavista displays. It is made of a capsule with a bright white background. It contains water at the base and transparent electrodes at the top of the capsule, just above the background. A hydrophobic (water-repellent) insulator is located between the lower electrode, the water isolator and the colored oil mix. Without any voltage, the oil covers the entire lower surface of the capsule and any reected light appears colored because of the oil. When the right voltage is applied, the oil shrinks into a tiny drop at the edge, and the white reection layer is visible for the most part, making the capsule appear white. By combining different colored oils in sub pixels that are lying around, you can obtain a variety of color combinations. A three-layered variant was also developed, in which the color capsules lie on top of each other and the color is thus created by subtraction. Displays having the electrowetting technology are economical to produce, have an extremely sleek design, and reach switching
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TECH TALK
CAREERS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
INTERACTION DESIGNER: THE USERS ADVOCATE

When browsing a website or using an application, be it on a computer, laptop, smartphone or a tablet, what counts is the ease of use and navigation. Providing you with a seamless experience is the job of an Interaction Designer.
BY PRI YANK A T ILVE
here are millions of websites and apps vying for your attention. So what makes some popular while others slip under the radar? Apart from content and design, an important factor that plays a crucial role is the ease of use and navigation. With the evolution of touch interfaces, interaction design has gained a whole new meaning. It determines how an individual interacts with any computing device, be it computers, laptop, smartphones or tablets. Gone are the days when a single Web designer would do everything from designing to coding. These days, you will nd that the roles are well organized and there is a specialist onboard for every aspect of development. There are those who specialize in design, there are specialists for coding, there are research specialists, and lastly, there are specialists in interaction design. With current evolution of touch interfaces, there is a growing demand for an interaction design specialists.
ROLE OF AN INTERACTION DESIGNER

Interaction designers design the interfaces and they need to make user-friendly applications, which could be from the Web, mobile or tablet perspective. Interaction on each of these platforms is different. If I were to give you an example, when you browse a website on your desktop or laptop, you use your mouse, but when you use it on your iPhone, you use your ngers. As the interaction between the two platforms is different, its the responsibility of an interaction designer to ensure that the interaction on both the platforms
is smooth, explains Ashish Tibrewal, Principal Interaction Designer at Oracle Financial Services Software Ltd. He states further, When I design, I need to keep in mind which platform and which device I am designing for. For instance, if I am designing for the iPhone, I need to make sure that my controls over the website are large enough so that my ngers can accommodate easily. A lot depends on the screen size because a screen of a laptop differs from a screen of a Blackberry or the iPhone. On a device like the iPhone, I can present very limited amount of information, whereas on an iPad, I have a much bigger screen size, so I will have to design in a completely different format. For instance, on any bank website, if you see the website on the iPhone, you will nd only four buttons due to the limited screen size, whereas on the iPad it will be in a completely different format as there is more space. So we have to scale down the site according to the size of the device and it has to be a logical decision. Its not that you can show whatever you feel like. While you are on the mobile phone, you may not be interested in the additional products and services that the bank is selling. You would be more interested in just checking your balance or transferring funds. So thats the kind of decision that we have to take a call on. This knowledge comes from a deep understanding of what the users want. We do extensive user research wherein we try to understand the end users who would be using the application. We try to understand their needs, what they are look-
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ing for, what is their primary purpose, etc. So we do a lot of user research before getting into the design and we do a very high level wire framing after which we reach to the technical design. So we interact a lot with the end users to come up with the actual design. Its primarily from the end users perspective, Tibrewal explains.
CHALLENGES INVOLVED
The biggest challenge, he says, is the evolution of newer mediums of interaction. First, it was just the PC, then came the laptop, and then we moved to small screens like the iPhone, and recently came the iPad and the other tablets. So we need to ensure that whatever application we develop is compatible with almost everything. For instance, if we design an application for the iPhone, it may not necessarily function on the Blackberry or Android. Each of these devices has their pros and cons, features and functionalities, which we need to keep in mind when designing applications for each of them. The objective is that the end-user should get the information that it is trying to give and that should be uniform across any platforms or any device.
POTENTIAL AND GROWTH PROSPECTS

Tibrewal believes that there is tremendous potential for the prole of an Interaction Designer. With the current trend of touch devices, most compa-
nies want their devices to adopt the new interface. There is huge potential. Companies are looking for new talent because there are so many things that are coming up, including different ways of interacting, as we have seen in the past couple of years. This includes the types of devices as well as the OS they run on. Apart from this, there are also many companies that are constantly experimenting in ways to communicate information. Today it is the iPad, tomorrow it might be something else. We asked Tibrewal about the keys to success in this profession. You need to be the users advocate. You need to listen to the users, and you need interactional and communication skills so that you can talk to the users and can understand their psychology. You must possess skills to probe and get information from the users. Apart from all the technical skills that may be required, having good interactional skills is very crucial. His advice to students wanting to establish a career in interaction design is to gain a proper education in the eld and spend a couple of years working closely with senior interaction designers. What I have seen in the last ten years is that people just come in and they want to do everything, but they have to be focused. There are various mediums to work on so they need to have a clear focus on what they need to do and what they want to achieve. But a good education is vital, he concludes.
Neha Mithbawkar
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TECH TALK
PRODUCERS
CONSUMERS
Experience
OVERVIEW OF THE PROCESS OF INTERACTION DESIGN
DATA
INFORMATION
KNOWLEDGE
WISDOM
Stimulus
Understanding
Research Creation Gathering Discovery
Presentation Organization
Conversation Storytelling Integration
Contemplation Evaluation Interpretation Retrospection
Global Local Personal
Context
Chaitanya Surpur
GET A HEADSTART
There are a few institutes in India that offer fulledged courses in interaction design with the Industrial Design Centre (IDC) at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Bombay) being at the forefront. We spoke with Anirudha N Joshi, Associate Professor at IDC to gain an insight into the course offered and the aptitude required. The Interaction Design course being offered at IDC covers user studies, design, prototyping, and evaluation with a user-centric approach to products and services. At times, this profession overlaps with the professions of humancomputer interaction, information architecture, and usability analysis. It is a multi-disciplinary eld with inuences from computer science, design, cognitive psychology and library sciences. Other inuences come from elds of ergonomics, anthropology, ethnography and technical writing. People in any of these disciplines with an aptitude for design can pursue a course in interaction design (or related) and practice in the eld. The core aptitudes required to be good in this profession are sensitivity, creativity, analytical ability, holistic thinking, problem solving ability, attention to detail, and rigor. Having skills in drawing,
spoken and written communication, and ability to understand and use technology help, Joshi explains. He states further that the ever growing number of people adopting interactive products, many of whom are new to technology, calls for new approaches to design of products and services for them. He believes the growth potential is huge. In his advice to students who wish to pursue interaction design, he says, Be knowledgeable about what is happening in the world, but also be sensitive to the problems around you - the real needs of the people. Be creative in synthesizing solutions; be broad, multi-disciplinary and open minded. Don't be afraid of technology, but don't get carried away by it either. Be enthusiastic and rigorous, but also brave to try out new things. Joshi believes that the scope for an interaction designer in the creation of interactive products is vast. These include Websites, mobile phone apps, desktop software, entertainment devices (such as MP3 players and gaming devices), public devices (such as ATMs or ticket vending machines), medical equipment, machine tools or almost anything that can be called an interactive device (including lifts and electronic voting machines).
APRIL 2011
48
TECH TALK
INNOVATIONS
MAKING THE WORLD EMISSION-FREE

Although most vehicles are regularly serviced, the amount of pollutants they emit is still quite alarming. Scientists Adess Singh and Rajan Tiwana have come up with a cost-effective solution to this environmental problem.
BY KAMAKASHI S
otor vehicles, no matter how well maintained, pollute the air with the harmful emissions. Whether theyre powered by diesel or petrol, with the sheer magnitude of vehicles on the roads today, keeping pollution levels under check is a tough task. While vehicle emissions are just one of the many air pollutants, major cities suffer the most due to this menace.
THE PROBLEM
Adess Singh from Mohali, is the brains behind an innovation that hopes to bring this problem under control. The fact that particulate matter (smoke) emitted by internal combustion engines is a serious pollutant has now been empirically established. It is a grave threat to the bio network and must be addressed on top priority. Internal combustion engines burn fossil fuels. In the
recent past, many innovations have taken place to improve the quality and efciency of fuel ignition. These include, amongst others, the use of super chargers to force more air into the cylinder, and the use of sensors and onboard microprocessors to constantly vary the air-fuel mixture in an attempt to maximize efciency under varied conditions. These attempts have been ably assisted by petroleum reneries striving to produce cleaner and greener fuels. All attempts to minimize particulate pollutants have been directed to the pre-igniting stage of combustion. Once fuel is ignited, the end products must be exhausted into the environment.
THE SOLUTION AND HOW IT WORKS

Singh explains the basic functioning of the system.
Ad Adess Singh hails from Mohali, near Chandigarh. He holds B.Sc (Hons School) Physics, de degree. He has authored several technical papers and holds patent for the Wave-Powered Bu Buoyancy Engine to Generate Energy, an Indian-patent for Magnetic Attraction Electric M Motor with Conductor less Rotor technology and has applied for a patent for his A Pump Su Suitable for Inflating Balloons project as well. The Removing Smoke and Particulate M Matter from Engine Exhaust project has been co-created by him and Rajan Tiwana.
APRIL 2011
TECH TALK
49
The system removes smoke from the exhaust of internal combustion engines (both diesel and petrol) irrespective of the age of the engine or its state of maintenance and repair. Besides removing smoke, remarkably, it also reduces the work done by the engine in venting the exhaust gases. This leads to an increase in fuel efciency by over 15%. The device is tted in place of the conventional mufer. The proof of concept stage is complete and many prototypes have been tested at the Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh. A patent for the technology has been applied for and the business now consists of developing the device for specic engines, getting the technology certied by the appropriate certication agencies, and selling the rights to manufacturers. Since the patent is pending, Singh has not shared the mechanical make up of the device with us. However, he does add, The mufers in use currently on internal combustion engines only reduce the sound of the engine to acceptable levels. The presently used mufers do not trap or reduce the particulate matter produced by the engine. The particulate matter is exhausted into the environment. The ne and ultra ne particulate matter is a serious risk to our health and to the environment.
The exhaust has to first be cleaned off any particulate deposits before the system is installed.
ADVANTAGES OF THE SYSTEM

This innovative device has multiple advantages, not only to the environment and for our health, but also for the automobile industry. The device has a dual impact. Firstly, it eliminates smoke emission in vehicles and diesel generator sets, thereby greatly reducing the threat of exhaust pollution and its adverse effects on environment and health. Secondly, it enhances fuel efciency by over 15%, signicantly contributing towards preservation of non-renewable energy sources. He further goes on to say, Currently, there is no organization or business that produces a similar device. The mufers used by internal combustion engines are made by a host of ancillary industries. All internal combustion engines can use this product irrespective of how old they are
TESTING THE DEVICE

A working prototype of the device has been successfully tested. The device has been tested at the Heat Engine Lab of Punjab Engineering College and worked well on petrol and diesel engines. Certicates to the effectiveness of the product and video footage of the experiments that show the entrapment of particulate matter and the reduction in backpressure are proof that it works.
Rajan Deep Singh Tiwana holds an MBA with experience in conceiving establishing and running successful businesses in the fields of real estates, garment exports and corporate interiors. His flag Ship company, M/s Exquisite Decors Pvt. Ltd. Is a well established name with prestigious projects like The Parliament Library New Delhi, Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Indian Cultural Centre Mauritius and Indian Embassy Abu Dhabi to its name.
APRIL 2011
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TECH TALK
or the type of fossil fuel they consume. Therefore, the size of the market is all internal combustion engines, static or mounted. Once the awareness of this device spreads in the concerned groups, the demand for the device will rise very sharply. In India alone there are over 69 million vehicles. Adds to that the engines attached to generator sets, and the number could be close to 90 million. Singh seems very excited about the commercial viability of the venture. It would be simply wonderful if vehicles and diesel engines stop throwing out smoke into the environment. The device makes engines smokeless and also increases fuel efciency by reducing the load against which the engine has to work to push out the spent gases.
A look at the glass wool that is used to cover the exhaust of the vehicle.
SETTING UP THE SYSTEM

The project is being backed by DeGroup, DeConseil Pvt. Ltd., an investment banking rm specializing in life cycle management of start-ups. Gaurav Shah, the Group MD & CEO of the rm says, Mr Singh has developed a couple of very interesting technologies in the cleantech sector. We have been consulting with him in terms of commercializing his technologies and bringing them to the market. We would like to bring the Engine Exhaust System to the forefront and let the world know about it and help the scientist get his due respect for the invention. As we know, the world has been under constant pressure to reduce carbon footprints and providing a better place for people to live in. This would be one of the most useful technologies in doing so as it can work on all new and old engines with minimal engineering required at the auto companies and genset manufacturers end. There are plans to make the project commercially available as well. The concept can be leased either as license, for a given period of time in return for minimum annual fees coupled with a percentage of sales, or it can be sold to the highest bidder. Since it is such a revolutionary concept and since it has obvious nancial viability, either model will generate very attractive returns at maturity, Shah elaborates. Both Shah and Singh agree that bringing this innovation to a commercial level would require co-operation. Key partnerships for the further development of this device and its marketing would include funding agencies, certifying and accrediting organizations, engine manufacturers and automobile manufacturers, NGOs involved in environment protection, renowned experts in particulate pollution, legislators and advertising agencies.
The glass wool covers up the exhaust of the vehicle.
The exhaust is then replaced into the system along with other components.
APRIL 2011

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