Dell XPS 18 review: A massive tablet that doubles as an all-in-one desktop

CNET Editors' Rating

4.0 stars - Excellent

The good: The Dell XPS 18 combines an all-in-one PC with a lightweight 18-inch tablet, making it a flexible system for at-home entertainment and productivity.

The bad: You're paying a premium for a relatively small screen. Less expensive configurations cut too many corners to be a good deal.

The bottom line: It's the best of the small handful of current tablet/all-in-one hybrids, with a subtle, sophisticated design and good battery life, but this new genre is still in its early days.

Read the Full Review

HP Envy x2: Tablet and laptop meet again on a Windows 8 hybrid

 

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CBS Interactive)

 

CNET - Take a tablet; add a keyboard. Turn it into a laptop. Do it with full Windows 8. This is the dream of the HP Envy x2, and the dream, it seems, of Windows 8 in general. Break down the barrier between tablets and PCs. Create progressive computing. The future is now. Well, the future was also over four months ago, when HP first started showing off the Envy x2 in public, including at CNET.

We marveled then that the device was well-built, comfortable to hold, and, when you think about it, pretty shockingly practical. After all, theoretically, this is the best of both worlds: a laptop and a tablet in one. This is what I dreamed about going back to the teased-but-never-real Lenovo U1 Hybrid three years ago.

The Envy x2 is finally available, and we've got our review unit here at CNET. But, can it rise above our previous concerns? As Eric Franklin said back in August, "A lot of the Envy x2's success will rest on what Microsoft does with Surface, especially its price. Right now I can't see the Envy x2 costing less than $1,000, which would make it a direct competitor to the Macbook Air. From what I've seen it would be a worthy competitor, but is anyone ready to pay more than $1,000 for a tablet?"

Slide a little tab, and the whole upper lid does, indeed, undock and becomes its own multi-touch tablet. But, at $849, it's more expensive than most ultraportable laptops and tablets...and far more expensive than those little, non-touch, non-detachable-screened 11-inchers of old. You're paying for style, and also for that clever split-function feature. And the concern about the x2 versus the MacBook Air, or x2 versus the Surface Pro, still stands.

 

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

 

Style vs. substance

Depending on your perspective, you’ll either love what HP's trying to do with the Envy x2, or you'll hate it. But, it’s hardly the only innovator: detachable-screen laptop/tablet hybrids have been kicking around in a similar form across several manufacturers, including Acer, Lenovo, and Samsung. It's an official mini-trend in Windows 8 launch PCs.

More
 

Google Nexus 10 review: Android's most promising iPad alternative

 

 

CNET Editors' Rating

4.0 stars Excellent

$399.00

The good: The Nexus 10 has a beautifully sharp screen, is light, durable, and has the fastest processor of any Android tablet. Photo Sphere is an incredibly cool concept. Google's content ecosystem is only getting better.

The bad: The included charger isn't fast enough to power the battery while playing a game and even while idle charges painfully slowly. There's no storage expansion option and apps that take full advantage of the screen are currently few and far between. Navigating isn't quite as seamless as on the Nexus 7.

The bottom line: The Nexus 10's superior design and swift performance make it one of the best Android tablets to date. We expect post-launch updates from Google to make it even better.

Read the Full Review

Asus Transformer Pad Infinity Review

 

 CNET -

The good: The Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700's high-resolution screen rivals the new iPad's display in sharpness and clarity. Also, apps launch quickly, GPS works well, and its rear camera is the best I've seen on any Android tablet. The tablet's body has the same great thin and light design as the Prime.

The bad: So far, not enough Android apps take advantage of the TF700's higher pixel count. Also, its battery life isn't as good as the Prime's.

The bottom line: The Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 is one of the fastest Android tablets out there, combining an already proven design with a better camera, a faster processor, and a beautiful screen.

Read the Full Review!

Hands-On With the Toshiba Excite 7.7 Android 4.0 Tablet

PCWorld - Long before the Toshiba Excite 7.7 got its name, its prospects were cause for excitement. The tablet's beefy Nvidia Tegra 3-powered specs, its slim and lightweight design, its Android 4.02 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, and its high-resolution AMOLED display all made it a front-runner challenger on paper.



Now that it's here, I can report that this model fully lives up to its potential. The only disappointment lies with its steep price: $500 for the 16GB version--the same as the larger-screen third-generation iPad costs--and $580 for the 32GB model.

Next to the iPad's pricing, the Toshiba Excite 7.7 (previously seen at Mobile World Congress as the Toshiba AT270) feels astronomically expensive. That said, it comes in priced just 11 percent higher than the next closest competitor, the Verizon Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7, which is $450 with a two-year contract. Granted, the Verizon model handles 4G LTE wireless communications, but that tablet is also stuck on last year's Android 3.x Honeycomb operating system. And its dual-core CPU performance is notably slower than that of the Tegra 3-based Excite 7.7.

At least the design of the Excite 7.7 matches its premium price. Aesthetically, it pleases the eye, and it's in keeping with the design of the 10.1-inch and 13.0-inch models in the Excite lineup, sporting a bronze-colored, textured aluminum back with matching plastic edges and well-defined buttons for the volume rocker, power, and rotation-lock slider.

The design is deceptive: Though the Excite 7.7 lacks the contour of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7, the two models are of identical depth, 0.31 inch. The Excite 7.7 is slightly larger than the Tab, standing 8.1 inches tall to the Tab's 7.7 inches; and at 12.3 ounces (or 0.77 pound), it's a bit heavier than the Tab, by 3.2 ounces (or 0.2 pound). Interestingly, the Toshiba tablet feels lighter in the hand, probably due to the balance of the components inside.      More

E3: Nyko's PlayPad and PlayPad Pro Android tablet controllers (hands-on)

Engadget - There's a great video game land rush happening on the mobile front, as developers and hardware manufacturers work map out precisely how users will play with their smartphones and tablets. We've seen plenty of peripheral makers give it a shot, hoping to transform decidedly clunky touchscreen gameplay into something more akin to devoted consoles. Some, like Ion, have taken a fairly whimsical approach to the process, giving the world the iCade, a tablet controller shaped like a small arcade cabinet.

Nyko's going a much more straight forward route with PlayPad and PlayPad Pro, Bluetooth controllers that intend on bringing console gaming over to the mobile side. The PlayPad is the smaller of the two devices. It ships in a spring loaded eyeglasses-style case. Also inside is a small stand that you can unfold to prop up your Android tablet in portrait or landscape. The controller itself is quite small and fairly light. It has two circle pads on the front, a d-pad, four face buttons, shoulder buttons and a giant home button in the center.       More