Even though the Kindle Fire was launched in the middle of the quarter, it still managed to steal approximately 2 million units in sales away from the iPad. The original projection was for 16 million units during the whole quarter, but the analysts now think they’ve only sold 13 million, which is 3 million short, out of which they think 2 million were lost to the Kindle Fire and about 1 million to regular Android tablets.

Apple has said before that they don’t believe Kindle Fire will affect their sales at all, but apparently they’ve just been proven wrong. Also, some Apple analysts have even said that Kindle Fire will only crush other Android tablets, and may even increase iPad’s sales, which obviously seems crazy.

If that were true, and no other tablet posed any threat to iPad, no matter its price, then people wouldn’t have gotten out in droves to get the HP Touchpad. The HP Touchpad was the first to show that people want a “good enough” tablet for web, e-mail and some games as long as the price is right.

Even Nook Color proved that a bit more than a year ago, but it was still considered mainly just a reader, and it didn’t even have an app store in the beginning. The Kindle Fire was a lot closer to a real tablet, although still too closed in the Amazon ecosystem. Even so it managed to not only steal sales from iPad, but also expand the market, and sell to people who wouldn’t have bought an iPad in the first place, because of its high price.

This proves there’s a huge market under iPad’s pricing, and it shouldn’t be surprising. Most people don’t want to spend $500, which as as much as some laptops, for a tablet, iPad or otherwise. I only wish Android manufacturers realized this a lot earlier, and by now they would have a market share of at least 50%, just like they do in smartphones.

Fortunately, it may not be too late, and we’re already seeing companies like Asus with their upcoming $250 7″ Android 4.0 tablet, or like Ainovo with their $100 MIPS Android 4.0 tablet, and some others, who are ready to take advantage of this market. If you’d ask me whether I’d choose the Kindle Fire or the Asus tablet, I’d definitely choose the Asus one.

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One of the reasons why the Kindle Fire became overhyped when it was first announced was the Silk Browser feature added by Amazon. Even though the browser was perceived to have a substantial improvement on loading speeds, it quickly lost interest with Android users because it was exclusive to the Kindle Fire. Thankfully, some XDA Developers were able to tinker around with the browser and get it to run on rooted devices.

After being able to use the browser, the end result is actually based on personal preference. But yes, a number of users have mentioned that the browser is by no means any faster than the rest. Many discovered that the cloud-based caching of the browser resulted to more lags which only resulted to a down time of 1-3 seconds. Ironically, one way to make this faster is to switch off its accelerated page loading. We did, however, discover that the new browser is able to reduce bandwidth consumption; an advantage for users of a tiered data plan service.

If you are interested to install Silk Browser on your tablet, you just have to follow instructions located in the System folder. Or you can check out XDA website for the step by step instructions. Take note, however, that the browser does not work well with all ROMs and devices.

If you have used this browser already, let us know how your experience went by posting on the comments below.

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To all the Kindle doubters beware Amazon’s Kindle family is here to stay. This morning Amazon announced that they have had the best holiday sale season ever, selling over one million Kindle devices per week throughout the month of December, so that is over four million devices that Amazon has sold in just thirty days. The top seller of the Kindle Family? The Kindle Fire of course, who else would it be. I must say when the Kindle Fire first came out about 13 weeks ago I was pretty doubtful, but with the price and the specs that come with that price it’s a pretty nice deal.

So if Kindle had an awesome Holiday season, then eBook authors must have had one too right? Of course, that is the main purpose of the Kindle’s. Amazon also stated that their best selling book and number 4 on their bestsellers list of 2011 were published independently from Kindle Direct Publishing -the retailer’s portal for independent publishing of books.

Congratulations to Amazon for achieving such a great accomplishment. Personally I can’t wait to see what Amazon does in 2012 with their Kindle line, and perhaps a refresh of the Kindle line? Maybe a newer Kindle Fire with higher specifications? What do you expect to see from Amazon and their Kindle devices in the coming year? Let us know in the comments.

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A while back, we told you guys about XDA Developers hacking Kindle Fire to port the super famous Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS. The most recent reports of this is that the hard working hackers have made a breakthrough in making the device run the actual version of Android’s latest OS. They refer this stage as ‘pre-alpha,’ considering it is based from CyanogenMod 9.

The reason why the hackers decided to use CyanogenMod 9 is because it is fundamentally not that different from the standardized stock edition of the AOSP of ICS. However, this does not mean that CyanogenMod 9 will be that noticeable on the ICS. It’s just really the coding has very small differences. Meanwhile its previous developer, g1011999, built the hack from CyanogenMod 7.

Ever since JackpotClavin, an XDA developer, released this ‘pre-alpha’ stage last week, it has taken the XDA community by storm. However, there are some bugs that need to be worked out on the Fire. These issues include video and audio playback. Another issue that has been reported is saving some files on the SD card. But compared to the previous hack, the most important feature, Wi-Fi connectivity, is now working on the gadget.

As of this time, the ‘pre-alpha’ stage is not built for public use. If you are a developer who would like to help jumpstart ICS on the Fire, you can join the IRC or XDA Forums where you can volunteer to showcase your knowledge.

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If you’re still scrambling for some last minute shopping, you may want to rush off to the nearest Archos retailer. Last Tuesday, the company announced that they will be putting their Google Android Honeycomb tablet 70b at a suggested price of only $199. This is the very first Honeycomb tablet being sold at a price less than the typical $200 mark. Moreover, other tablets that are priced below this margin still carry the earlier versions of Android.

Even with this price for a Honeycomb tablet, it may be hard for Archos to see their sales improving. Considering that these devices had a poor report this year, users may want to find something more powerful. One of the issues people had with the Honeycomb is the interface of the OS which was not entirely spot on. As such, Google succumbed to debuting their most recent OS, the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

But if you’re just looking for a gift under $200, you can make use of this opportunity and get the device. Apart from using Android 3.2, you also get improved specifications such as:

• 1024 X 600 capacitive touchscreen resolution
• 512 MB of RAM
• 1.2 GHz processor

Another option is to get the new Amazon Kindle Fire, which boasts of a powerful dual-core processor. For just about the same price, you can get the almost similar specifications with the Archos 70b. However, the Archos 70b has a webcam and a microphone. On the other hand, the benefit of getting the Kindle Fire is that it makes use of a more intuitive user interface as well as an impressive ecosystem for different types of media files.

Still, the Archos 70b is not a bad option for those looking for a low-cost tablet that’s already equipped with Android 3.2 interface. After all, Archos is among the earliest tablet makers.

[Source: Giga Om]

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If you still think the iPad is the best thing since sliced bread, you might have to rethink this notion. As presented by Millenial Media, an immensely popular independent mobile ad network, a new device has taken over the iPad. Millenial Media has taken a liking for tracking impressions across platforms iOS, RIM, Windows Phone 7, and the Android. The newcomer to join the list is none other than the Kindle Fire by Amazon.

Ever since the tablet was released in the middle of November, it has received a remarkable number of ad impressions having an average 19% daily growth rate. And according to Millenial, the tablet has only been running for a month yet it has already received impressions reaching up to hundreds of millions already. This is reason to believe that the Kindle Fire has slowly outpaced the iPad, considering that the Kindle Fire was already introduced to a tablet market more mature than the ones who greeted the original iPad back in 2010. This may have been the result of Amazon’s lower price and entertainment focused platform.

More Power to Android

This is already the 12th consecutive month in which Millenial’s Connected Device and Smartphone OS Mix count was led by an Android. With regards to their ranking, Android impressions reach up to 50%, iOs with 37% and RIM having only 17%.

As for the ranking of smartphone manufacturers, Apple still continues its regime as Millenial’s leading device manufacturer, having 26% impression share on the list of the Top 15 Manufacturers. The number two spot has been taken by Samsung, having 17% impression share. The third spot belongs to HTC, which is represented by 13% impression share ranking.

[Source: Tech Crunch]

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In line with the desktop version, Mozilla also released the latest update of their browser for Android smartphones and tablets. The mobile browser, known as Firefox 9 for Android, has been redesigned by the company to have an optimal look and functionality on tablets. In addition, Mozilla has done its part to ensure that the overall size of the app only consumes a minimal space; taking only 128 KB when moved to its SD card.

Apart from the difference in memory space, the app has allowed an integration with Firefox Sync so that the user’s browsing history, bookmarks, saved passwords and open tabs can be accessed between desktop computers and mobile devices. This gives its user less necessity to type and instead, browse more.

In this new latest update, Mozilla attempted the app to produce a visual, much similar to a magazine’s outline. One of the most noticeable changes is the left hand thumbnail column, an area normally tucked away, has been converted to provide a tab-like feel which connects an actual page with a thumbnail. In addition, Mozilla has put in an additional Action Bar menu beside the Awesome Bar. This allows its user to access Add-ons, Firefox Preferences, downloads and more.

For HTML5 developers, the launch of the new Firefox app also means more functionality. Mozilla has included some tools such as the HTML5 Input Tag for Camera Access, a feature in which tablet owners get an ability to take pictures or scan bar codes on their browser without loading the device’s external camera app. Moreover, the updated browser supports HTML5 Form Validation API that validates website form fields automatically in order to get information such as email, number, or URL. Contrary to old browsers, developers no longer need to make use of a third party library or write a custom code for this functionality.

Feedback

Sadly, Android users have not shown a liking for the new release and even give it terms like ‘still not ready for prime time,’ ‘flaky when going back and forth between landscape and portrait,’ and ‘sluggish, unresponsive, and essentially unusable.’ This may have something to do with the updated UI not appearing on Kindle Fire users. We’ll still have to look out for later versions that have addressed these issues.

To download the new browser, click here.

[Source: Toms Guide]

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For a tablet, 7 inches seems like the perfect size. At that size, a tablet can fit comfortably in the palm of a single hand, in a large pocket of your pants or jacket, and in your bag. With a whole slew of 7-inch tablets coming out, there’s a world to choose from. Today we’re pitting the Amazon Kindle Fire and the Viewsonic ViewPad 7e against each other to see which of these tablets provides the most bang for your buck.

Design and Display

The Amazon Kindle Fire runs on a heavily modified version of Android 2.3. It’s 7.5 inches tall, 4.7 inches wide, about 0.45 inches thick, and weighs 14.6 ounces. Amazon’s stores have been integrated into the OS so that they come right out of the box and there is no need to install them as separate apps. It packs 1024×600 pixel display resolution on a wide-angle IPS screen.

The Viewsonic ViewPad 7e, in turn, is 7.6 inches tall, 5.16 inches wide, and 0.6 inches thick. It weighs 15.87 ounces–definitely heavier than the Kindle Fire and maybe a little difficult to hold in a single hand for a long period of time. It comes with 800×600 display resolution and a resistive touchscreen, which may annoy users. The display is also appears washed out, which disappoints a lot of users. Like most Android products, the ViewPad 7e has 4 physical buttons running along the bottom of the screen: Home, Menu, Search and Back.

Performance

Amazon’s Kindle Fire boasts a dual-core processor. Its multitouch screen doesn’t register more than 2 fingers at a time, although typing or scrolling and flipping through pages don’t really show this limitation. The Kindle Fire also boasts good audio quality, though it doesn’t come with headphones. Video playback on it is also quite good.

The Viewsonic ViewPad 7e runs on a single-core 1 GHz processor, which is not as impressive anymore by today’s standards.

The battery on the Kindle Fire seems to perform better. It can provide up to about 8 hours of reading time, with Wi-Fi turned off. The ViewPad 7e can last only up to about 5 hours.

Software and Services

To make up for the Amazon Kindle Fire’s budget price tag, you’ll need to get all your entertainment from Amazon’s services. You’ll also need to download your apps from the Amazon app store. Though it has an Android OS, a lot of the key Android apps are missing. The Kindle Fire’s native Web browser called Silk splits the work of loading Web pages between the device and Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) system. Not only does this lead to faster page loading times but also to predictive loading of content and websites you access often. Silk also supports Adobe Flash Web content and can force webpages into desktop view, if you dislike mobile-optimized websites.

Although the ViewPad 7e runs stock Gingerbread, it does not come with the useful Google mobile apps that we’ve come to expect from most Gingerbread devices. So, there’s no Android Market, YouTube, or Gmail. Instead, it comes with the Amazon App Store preloaded to supply ViewPad users with their Android app needs. The tablet uses Viewsonic’s custom ViewScene 3D UI, which is a visual pleasure in itself, especially with its 3D carousel.

Storage

The Amazon Kindle Fire has 8 GB internal memory but no microSD slot for extra memory, which can be a rather large point against it if you’d like to carry much more storage space around with you.

The Viewsonic ViewPad 7e, on the other hand, only has 4GB of internal memory but can be expanded up to 32 GB using a microSD card.

Connectivity

Because of its budget price, the Amazon Kindle Fire has none of the following: GPS, Bluetooth audio or keyboard support, cameras, microphone, gaming graphics engine, video output, compass, gyro sensor, and calendar. Rather disappointing, in terms of functions.

On the Viewsonic ViewPad 7e, Bluetooth 2.1 support is included. There’s also GPS support that works with the included Navigation app. The ViewPad 7e’s calendar and e-mail apps can readily connect users to their Gmail and Exchange accounts. ThinkFree Office comes pre-installed, which allows for viewing and editing of Microsoft Office documents.

Camera

The Amazon Kindle Fire does not have a camera. Certainly winning this round, the Viewsonic ViewPad 7e boasts two cameras; a front facing 0.3 megapixel camera which is compatible with chat applications such as Fring, and a 3-megapixel camera at the back. Though the rear camera lacks flash, two cameras are certainly better than none.

Verdict

The Amazon Kindle Fire Amazon sells for about US$200, an agreeable price for users who’d like to watch videos and to read. Though it doesn’t have a number of hardware functionalities that the VIewPad has, its faster Web page loading makes web browsing convenient.

On the other hand, the Viewsonic ViewPad 7e is priced at about the same price point and has a wider range of hardware capabilities than the Kindle Fire provides.

Between these two wallet-friendly tablets, which one is the better pick for you?

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I’m not an advocate of cheap electronics, I’m picky and I’d rather pay a bit extra and get something I know can satisfy my ever-growing demands. However, when it comes to tablets, studies say that many potential customers are looking at cheap slates, despite the iPad 2 being still the most popular tablet out there.

If you’ll take a look at the best sold such devices right now on the big webstores, like Amazon.com or BestBuy.com, you’ll see that many of the slates listed there towards the top are in fact inexpensive. But, is it really wise to buy a cheap tablet these days? Well, that’s a question I get a lot lately, and I’m going to share my view on the subject with you today.

To put it in just a couple of words, the answer is simple: it depends. But it depends on a multitude of factors.

How about a slide out keyboard?

First, you have to think about why do you need a tablet and what are you going to do with it. Do you want to read books, go online sometimes, listen to some music or watch some movies when traveling? Do you want to play games? Do you need to be always connected to the Internet? Do you need it for fun? Do you need it for work?

Then, you must consider how much value you put on aesthetics. Furthermore, ask yourself where are you going to use the tablet? At home, in bed? Or on the road? Or perhaps somewhere else?

And these are just some of the criteria you must have in mind when picking a tablet.

Now, let’s get back to those cheap tablets. It’s obvious you wont’ get an iPad or Galaxy Tab like experience from a $200 bucks slate or cheaper. There’s a reason why such tablets are that cheap; they usually come with poorer hardware, looks, build and display quality. Overall, they make for a poorer everyday experience, but as long as you’re aware of that and don’t have many expectations from such devices, you’ll actually find them satisfying.

So, what are cheap tablets good for? Well, the good ones usually come with Android 2.2 and 2.3, older ARM processors, 256 to 512 MB of memory and decent storage (2 to 16 GB, that can be extended with microSD or SD cards in most cases). This platform allows them to run basic tasks, like a browser, a chatting program, a movie and music player, an ebook reading app and such stuff. You’ll hardly be able to play HD video content, 3D games or multitask smoothly between several apps, and the slate will get sluggish quite often, but hey, that’s something you have to deal with if you want a cheap tablet.

They usually come with 7 to 8 inch displays and while they are not as responsive and don’t offer the same image quality as the screens you get on premium slates, they’re not that bad either. The battery will usually last for a couple of hours (but not 10+ like on the iPad 2) and some of the features found on more expensive slates are usually missing here (like cameras, Bluetooth, 3G, some of the sensors). As for the exterior and the case, cheap slates aren’t as fancy or as solid built as their more expensive counterparts.

There are plenty of decent inexpensive tablets out there

Those being said, I see cheaper tablets as good travel companions and devices targeted towards a younger crowd. When you get a slate for $100 or similar, you won’t care that much if it scratches or gets broken, thus you’ll be more comfortable grabbing it along when traveling or commuting, throw it in your backpack, in your car or in your boat.

Now, there are actually plenty of tablets that offer a good bang for the buck in stores. I’ve recently put together a list of my favorite tablets you can get for under $200, so you might want to check it too. If not, check out the posts on the Coby Kyros, the Pandigital Nova , the Amazon Kindle Fire and the Lenovo IdeapAd A100 here on the site.

Just don’t expect them to be flawless, you do get what you paid for in the end. If that’s going to be enough is only up to you and your needs, that’s why I advise anyone to go online and look for reviews on the slate they’re planning to buy, especially reviews from other buyers that got one and shared their views on it. This way, you can really see if that device is going to give you what you need or not.

That’s about it for now, but I’m really curious for your input. Did you buy a cheap tablet already? Would you buy one? Why? Please let me know, as I’m looking forward to reading your comments.

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September 23, 2008, Android 1.0, the first commercial version of Android is released. Just over 3 years later, October 19, 2011, after evolving from Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, and Honeycomb, not including Astro and Bender, Ice Cream Sandwich was announced. Along the way, Android put out loads of features and took in some 200+ million users. Today, we’re going to be breaking down two of the newest, and arguably best, Android versions (Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich). Obviously, a winner has already been chosen for this Versus Match. However, look at the competition as more of a comparison and evolution of Android.

UI (User Interface)

It is hard to miss the fact that Google was going for an improved User Interface with Ice Cream Sandwich. Just from taking a look at the search bar, you can tell that Ice Cream Sandwich is much sleeker than Gingerbread. Mainly, Ice Cream Sandwich will make it easier for users to find those common buttons and actions that were always playing hide and go seek in older Android versions. Furthermore, the animations and “typeface” have been refined to play nicely with your new 720p HD display. Furthermore, Ice Cream Sandwich introduces the new font “Roboto”. This Google creation will make reading easier and give Android a more modern feel.

By far, the most visible interface on any device is the font you read everything from websites, to emails, to SMS’ on. With Android 4.0, Google has designed a font completely from the ground up, and it looks exceptional. Dubbed Roboto, it’s a font built with modernity in mind, and looks great.

With a heavy dose of the use of intuitive gestures, and the ability for developers to add them too, Ice Cream Sandwich really is as silky smooth as its name implies.

Multitasking, Widgets, and Folders

Two of Android’s most notable and original features are Multitasking and Widgets. Therefore, Ice Cream Sandwich will be bringing new meaning to both of those features with some key upgrades.

First, the Recent Apps button lets users jump instantly from one task to another using the list in the System Bar. The list that pops up should be very familiar to Honeycomb users. Furthermore, the list will show you a thumbnail image of whats going on inside of that app for easy app-switching. If you want to get rid of recent app, just toss it away with a finger swipe.

Note! this swiping feature also works with browser tabs and notifications.

In addition, Ice Cream Sandwich now enables users to re-seize their widgets. Want a full page dedicated to Gmail? Go for it! Finally, Android 4.0 borrows iOS’s folder creation method of drag and drop. Therefore, all you have to do to create a folder is pick up and app, and throw it onto another one.

Network Data Manager

Wireless providers are starting to charge their customers an arm and a leg for less and less data. Thankfully, Google has provided us with a solution. The new Data usage controls allow for constant monitoring of your total usage by network type and application. In addition, it adds the ability to set limits on those data-hungry apps.

This is one of the more welcome additions to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich as it gives you the complete breakdown on what your most data hungry apps are, which can end up saving you a lot of money. Definitely not something the carriers are looking forward to, but consider this a win for you, the consumer. Plus, it displays all of the info an easy to understand and beautiful graph, too.

Sharing

Now that Social Networks are destined to completely take over our lives, Android has adapted to make sharing a heck of a lot easier. First, Ice Cream Sandwich will introduce a whole new way to look at your friends.

Android 2.3′s contact list was known for being extremely boring. The new People app in Android 4.0 offers richer profile information, including a large profile picture, phone numbers, addresses and accounts, status updates, events, and a new button for connecting on integrated social networks.

But what happens when you want to send something to the person sitting right next to you instantly?! Well, with Gingerbread, you email it to them. In Ice Cream Sandwich, simply touch phones, and given that you have an NFC-capable device, voila! The guy next to you is watching the exact video or playing the same game as you are. Furthermore, Google has left this feature open to developers. Therefore, passing game scores, initiating a multiplayer game or chat, and more just got a lot easier.

Camera and Video

Live Effects are a collection of graphical transformations that allow you to turn your friend into an alien, put them on the moon, or more all from the Camera app. For example, users can change the background behind them to any stock or custom image, for just the right setting when shooting video. Also available is “Silly Faces”, a set of morphing effects that transform facial features. For example, you can use effects such as small eyes, big mouth, big nose, face squeeze, and more. Into video chatting? All of this can be done in the Google Talk app as well.

Do you hate it when friends get into your phone? But at the same time, setting a password stops you from getting into your phone fast. Google has come to the rescue with a new revolutionary feature called Face Unlock. It is exactly what you think it is, face recognition lets you unlock your phone with your face.

Improved Speed

Although at the time, Gingerbread was a huge update to older android versions in terms of speed, Google somehow managed to make Ice Cream Sandwich faster. And we’re not just talking about minor speed improvements. “In benchmarks run on a Nexus S device, the Android 4.0 browser showed an improvement of nearly 220% over the Android 2.3 browser in the V8 Benchmark Suite and more than 35% in the SunSpider 9.1 JavaScript Benchmark. When run on a Galaxy Nexus device, the Android 4.0 browser showed improvement of nearly 550% in the V8 benchmark and nearly 70% in the SunSpider benchmark” (Android Developers).

Furthermore, Ice Cream Sandwich makes email better by adding improved auto-completion, quick responses, an integrated menu, nested mail subfolders, and as mentioned before, a resizable Email widget.

Other Goodies

Wi-Fi Direct: will make instant sharing of files, photos, or other media; streaming video or audio from another device; or connecting to compatible printers or other devices all possible for Ice Cream Sandwich devices.

Bluetooth Health Device Profile (HDP): will allow for connecting to wireless medical devices and sensors in hospitals, fitness centers, homes, and elsewhere with some help from third party application developers.

Developers: 

Key Android 3.x developer features, now for phones too

Core UI

• Fragments and content loaders
• Resizeable home screen widgets
• Rich notifications
• Multi-selection, drag-drop, clipboard
• Improved screen-support API
• Hardware-accelerated 2D graphics

Graphics and animation

• Property-based animation
• Renderscript 3D graphics

Media and connectivity

• HTTP Live streaming
• Bluetooth A2DP and HSP devices
• Support for RTP
• MTP/PTP file transfer
• DRM framework
• Input from keyboard, mouse, gamepad, joystick

Enterprise

• Full device encryption
• DPM policies for encrypted storage and passwords

Wrap-Up

As you can tell, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich has added quite a large amount of new features. With that being said, Android 4.0 will be eliminating many of the problems that users had with older versions while also adding loads of new features, and innovation for developers. Ice Cream Sandwich made its debut on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. However, it is far from limited to this device. Any device that comes out after, or relatively close behind, October 19th 2011 (ICS Release Date) is almost guaranteed the upgrade to 4.0. Furthermore, tons of Gingerbread devices will be getting the call for an upgrade in the near future.

Also, let’s not forget it’s already starting to trickle into all sorts of devices like the Kindle Fire, the Asus Transformer, and many, many more. Google has released the source, and it’s likely this will herald an entirely new generation of useful devices in the near future.

For a full list of new Android 4.0 features for users and developers, click here.

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