We’re back with the next edition of Gear Chat. This time out Mike is bringing us some gaming news and Thomas and I talk tablets, apps and iPad 3.

Listen below or click here to download.

It has been over a year but Gear Chat is back and we’re talking tech. In this first episode Thomas and I talk about the Samsung Galaxy Note, the Series 7 Slate tablet and what configuration of Apple computing products is best. Future episodes will include Gaming and eBook segments and much more. We also want to hear from you! What content do you want covered? What questions do you have? Would you like us to do the podcast as a live, call-in conversation? We want to know.

Happy listening and, as always, thanks for sharing via Twitter and Facebook.

I’m going to do this in a mono-syllabic, excitable-Android-lover kinda way:

9.7″ Android tablet!  Running Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0)!  Dual-core Broadcom A9 chip!  Okay, yeah, only 8GB of memory, but goes for under $250 bucks, so it’s a tradeoff, right?

The Nextbook Elite 10 features a 1024 x 768 high-resolution screen with 4:3 aspect ratio and over the air (OTA) update capabilities for quick and easy operating system upgrades. It includes a 2.0 Megapixel front-facing camera and 5.0 Megapixel back-facing camera for easy photo and video taking. Built-in Wi-Fi allows users to research the Internet, view and email files, video chat, watch YouTube videos, and much more. The Elite 10 also features HDMI support and a

image courtesy of BerryReporter 

Clinton recently wrote an opinion piece entitled, “As RIM Writes Off The Playbook, The Pressure is on Microsoft to Make a Complete Windows 8 Tablet“, in which he says:

This morning the Wall Street Journal reported that RIM is taking a $485 million charge for their lackluster tablet, the Playbook.  The charge comes by way of a markdown in the value of the massive inventor that RIM still has of the devices.  It is a brutal and costly reminder that if you kinda-sorta-maybe-woulda-shoulda your tablet strategy, the price can be steep.  Very steep.

and

The challenge facing Microsoft is that they are behind when it comes to a tablet strategy.  Regardless of what

By all rights, Joel should be telling you all about this, because he’s way more up-to-date on this tech than I am.  But I’ll do my best.

The hot new version of Android that is imminent is called “Ice Cream Sandwich.”  Folks who have tested it and played with it say that it’s quite good, certainly the most solid and “finished” version of Android to come out yet.  Developers have had their mitts on it for a while now, and graphics boffins NVidia has announced a mobile quad-core processor, which is slated to debut in the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime tablet.  [pant pant]  Did I get that all right, Joel?

So anyway, here’s a… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Two interesting pieces of contrasting TouchPad news: one about failure and the other success.

From AllThingsD, we get a snip from the recent HP earnings report specific to Palm, webOS and the impact of folding up that business on their results. Here is their quote from the earnings report:

Non-GAAP earnings and operating profit information excludes after-tax costs of $3.3 billion, or $1.56 per diluted share, related to the wind down of HP’s webOS device business, impairment of goodwill and purchased intangible assets, amortization of purchased intangible assets, restructuring charges and acquisition-related charges.

Last month I reviewed the TruConnect ‘pay as you go’ mobile broadband solution, saying:

TruConnect absolutely delivers on their claims of a simple device, easy setup and configuration, and clear pricing of as little as $4.99 per month. Beyond that, every person needs to make their own value judgement in terms of the data fees. For light or occasional use, you can get 250MB for less than $15 a month, but once you break 1GB of monthly data you might be better off with a full access plan. The good news is that you have no contract and no termination fees – you own the MiFi (or USB access point), so you cancel

Yes, the world is simply full of Android crap tablets. The Cruz fit’s along those lines but for $74.99 shipped it offers a few features that just may get your impulse purchase juices flowing. Yes, I know this is a refurb, but look past that as just a capacitive touchscreen tablet running Android 2.2 with some expandability options. Not ever using a Cruz myself I can’t tell you what the Cruz Market has to offer but I do know that if this device surfs the web, plays music and movies, then it could easily double as a child attention magnet or some entertainment at lunch. The specs are somewhat decent but the content may be the biggest… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

The continuing saga of the ‘out of stock’ HP TouchPad with a seemingly endless supply returns! From a post at PreCentral we learn about the latest Tiger Direct ‘deal’:

Here’s the deal: buy a TouchPad and any HP laptop or desktop from TigerDirect, pay $299.99 upfront for the tablet, and get a mail-in rebate (sigh) for $150. Or just buy a 32GB TouchPad for $299.99. Yeah, that’s more than they were asking before for the same tablet with accessories that aren’t included here. Supply and demand, folks.

Here is how Tiger Direct shows it:

This week you are going to see 95% of the small tablet news focused on the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet, but there is another 7″ tablet device that we just got some more pictures of that will never hit the market – the HP TouchPad Go. … Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

From the Editorial Staff of Gear Diary: Is there someone in your life who loves music? If so, here are five gifts with which you can’t go wrong.

We have to start this list with the 11″ MacBook air. It’s small, light, under $1000 and it makes working on the go a pleasure. You’ll quickly forget that it is as small as it is. Judie has one and loves it. Dan has one and loves it. Elana has one and loves it (and she NEVER raves about technology.) Get one at Apple.com

The tech press has maligned Android tablets.  There just hasn’t been one that has caught the up to the iPad according to many people.  That may soon change with tablets like the one I have, the Asus’s EeePad Transformer.

Hardware

Much of the hardware on the Android tablet front has eerily similar specs.  Like most Android tablets that have a version of Honeycomb, the Transformer has an Nvidia Tegra 2, 1 GB of ram, 16 or 32 GB of Flash (mine has 16), WiFi (B,G and N supported), Bluetooth V2.1+EDR, HDMI out, MicroSD Slot, a 5 megapixel camera on the back and a 1.2 megapixel camera on the front.  Where the Transformer differs is in its screen and it’s… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

There is no denying that our kids are growing up in a constantly changing digital world. My two boys have developed the same connection with gadgets and digital devices as I have, only at a much younger age. I have been careful when turning them loose with my devices but often let them play with the iPad or iPhone, and they love it. Since they could barely walk, they have been able to use our IOS devices easily and without much instruction. While most of us remember the first time we used a TRS 80 or Apple IIe in school, today’s children won’t even remember a time without a touch screen and tablets. I… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

As Michael pointed out this week, pricing of some upcoming tablets has shown that the manufacturers haven’t been listening. Some people want tablets, but most want iPads, and to get the average consumer interested, the price needs to be low enough to make it an impulse buy.

Kogan’s new Android tablets look to fit the bill. Available in 8″ 800×600 (SVGA) and 10″ 1024×768 (XGA) models, the tablets come with Gingerbread 2.3 (no Honeycomb here, folks), a single core 1GHz Cortex A8 processor with 512MB RAM, 4GB built-in storage, microSD slot (up to 32GB can be added) HDMI output and a front-facing 2.0 megapixel camera.

Prices start from AU$149 for the 8″ model, and… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

On the eve of Amazon’s expected unveiling of a 7″ Kindle tablet Toshiba has announced their 7″ entry into the ever-more crowded field. It won’t be available until December but that does mean it will be available as a holiday gift choice.

The Toshiba Thrive 7” has an LED backlit multi-touch display with a 1280×800 resolution. It also has stereo speakers with sound enhancement by SRS® Labs. The tablet is powered by Android™ 3.2 and the NVIDIA® Tegra 2 platform. Other specs include a built-in Gyroscope, two HD cameras: a five megapixel camera with an LED flash on the back and a two megapixel camera on the front for video chatting. It will be available… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...