Tablets

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is an 8-inch tablet that costs $399. In a world where the 7-inch Nexus 7 exists for $200 and even the 7.9-inch iPad Mini starts at $330 or lower, $399 is a tough sell. If you're looking for a simple small tablet, the Nexus 7 is still your best bet and the iPad Mini provides Apple's still unbeatable app ecosystem in a smaller, lighter, and cheaper package than the Note 8.

The Note 8 is arguably Samsung's best tablet yet, but depending on your experience with the company's offerings, the … Read more

First Apple, now Microsoft. China is again raising a ruckus over warranty policies on U.S. tech products, this time targeting the Surface tablet.

China National Radio, the government's mouthpiece, argued yesterday that the Surface tablet should follow national law by offering a one-year repair policy for the entire tablet and a two-year warranty for its major parts, Bloomberg reported. China National Radio claims that Microsoft offers a one-year warranty in China both on the device and its components.

Microsoft, however, contends that Surface is covered by a two-year warranty. A spokeswoman for the company sent CNET the following … Read more

commentary Back in 2011, Hewlett-Packard's chairman Ray Lane was photographed using an Apple MacBook Air as he was trying to turn HP around. Personal preference speaks volumes about HP and the fate of the PC industry.

Lane stepped down today as chairman of HP just after, coincidentally, Gartner released a report forecasting dim prospects for the PC industry.

Things seem to get dimmer with each forecast, as the tablet -- which means Apple's iPad for the most part -- takes a bigger bite out of PC sales.

Here's what Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner, said … Read more

If you want to take a gander at Facebook Home on your tablet computer, get ready to wait.

Facebook, which today announced a family of apps for Android phones, said a tablet version will not be ready for several months.

Smartphone users will be able to start downloading the apps April 12. In his brief appearance on stage during the announcement, Facebook's director of mobile engineering, Cory Ondrejka, did not offer more specifics about the company's timetable.

Just yesterday I told you about Ematic's new 7-inch Android tablet, which goes on sale next month for $79.99. If you can't wait, or prefer to stick with a name brand, today's your lucky day.

While supplies last (and I guarantee you they won't last long), CNET has this exclusive deal: the refurbished Amazon Kindle Fire (first gen) tablet for $69.99 (plus sales tax) when you use coupon code CNETFIRE at checkout. There's no shipping charge because the seller is Best Buy, and you'll need to visit your closest store to pick … Read more

The momentum behind tablets can't be contained, with sales expected to top the combined desktop and laptop market by 2015.

That's according to Gartner, which released a study today looking at tablet, PC, mobile device sales. Total worldwide sales of all the devices are expected to hit 2.4 billion units this year and grow to just under 3 billion by 2017.

The release of several high-profile -- but low-cost -- tablets and the expansion of their capabilities has only accelerated the adoption of tablets at the expense of the traditional laptop and PC business. By 2015, unit … Read more

Consumers looking to pick up an iPad will find discounts as high as 30 percent courtesy of Best Buy.

The retailer is offering the 16GB version of the 3rd-generation iPad $314, down from $449. The 32GB will run you $384, down from $549. And the 64GB edition is on sale for $454, down from $649.

The discounts also extend to the cellular flavors of the iPad 3, mostly with A&T but at least one with Verizon.

Consumers not interested in the iPad can also land a few discounts at Best Buy.

The first-generation version of Amazon's Kindle Fire is on sale for $99, … Read more

Microsoft's official online store has cut prices on a handful of Window 8 devices. These systems, from HP, Toshiba, and others, are all different, but each straddles the line between laptop and tablet and falls into the growing hybrid category; you can see the current discounts on the Microsoft Store site.

With these new discounts (no word on if they are temporary or permanent), our initial reviews of these specific systems deserve a second look, if only because a big knock against each one was the unrealistic asking price.

Are they much better machines at $100 to $250 off, … Read more

Dirt-cheap tablets have been around for years, but most of them have proven disappointing. Spend less than $100 and you're almost certain to get stuck with a resistive touch screen (one that requires pressure to recognize a tap or swipe), a pokey processor, an outdated version of Android, or a seriously limited app store. Maybe several of the above.

Dirt-cheap-tablet maker Ematic is looking to change all that with the Genesis Prime. Announced yesterday, this 7-inch slate promises to give users the full Android experience, complete with access to Google Play, for just $79.99.

What does 80 bucks … Read more