Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet is world's thinnest and lightest

Sony has announced the new Xperia Tablet Z2 that it claimed the world's thinnest and lightest waterproof tablet.

It's a lighter, thinner version of the older Xperia Tablet Z, which has been given a thorough upgrade in order to help it take on the iPad Air and larger Samsung. By comparison, the iPad Air weighs 478g and measures 7.5 mm in thickness.


World's thinnest and lightest. My current iPad 3 weighs 662g; it's a monster!



Sony Xperia Z2 tablet Specifications

OS and Processor	Google Android 4.4 (Kitkat)
	2.3 GHz Qualcomm APQ8074+MSM8974AB Quad-core
	Adreno 320
Weight	439 grams
	15.49 oz
Dimensions	172 x 266 x 6.4 mm
	6.8 x 10.47 x 0.25 inches
Camera	8.1 MP
	16 x digital zoom
	Front-facing camera (2.2 MP 1080p)
Display	10.1" TFT
	16,777,216 colours, 1920 x 1200 pixels
Memory	RAM: 3 GB
	Flash memory: Up to 16 GB
	Expansion slot: microSD™ card, up to 64 GB
Durability	IPX5/IPX8 (waterproof) & IP5X (dust resistant)

Availability and price

The new Xperia Z2 Tablet is scheduled to go on sale in Europe in March 2014. No news on wider availability yet, so, we may not be able to see this in Malaysia anytime soon.

The older version was selling for RM1,499 and RM1,999 depending on model. That means you are looking at a starting price of not less than RM1,499 when it lands here.


TheGreenMechanics: Some say the iPad is overrated price-wise. There may be some point to such argument, but I think user experience also play a big part in selecting the suitable tablet. I've tried both iPad and Android-run tabs and I still prefer my current iPad 3.

The Xperia Z2 looks decent though, and it could be a game changer, especially now that Sony has stopped producing laptop and putting more effort in refining its mobile devices.

Malaysia introduced digital textbook that can be accessed online

I posted an article regarding mobile devices such as tablet to replace the heavy textbooks (thus getting rid of the back-breaking schoolbags) in 2012. Back then, using Tablets as the solution for heavy schoolbags was seen a long shot.

Fast forward to yesterday. The Education Ministry hinted a move that would solve not one but two issues with printed textbooks - accessibility and health (ergonomic) of students.

Sure, there would be pros and cons to using digital/online textbooks after using the printed versions for generations but I have confidence we will be able to find ways to get around them.


Textbook survey done in the US in 2012 by Bookboon.com. By now, the percentage would have skewed further towards digital.


Digital textbook to take national education system to greater heights
Bernama, February 7, 2014

The Education Ministry today introduced digital textbook that can be accessed online as an alternative to the printed version in a bid to take the national education system to greater heights. Second Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said the use of the digital textbook, with flippable pages of text and graphic, would be implemented at all schools in stages beginning this year.

"This is a process of developing and improving our national education system to be the best in the world. We are now among one-fourth of the countries in the world that had implemented it.

"We are emphasizing on self-education where pupils and students can refer to the textbook at any time and place based on their respective levels," he told reporters after launching the digital textbook here today.

Idris said in the first phase of its implementation (2013-2015), the ministry had uploaded 313 textbooks that could be accessed free of charge through the 1BestariNet portal using the ID provided to all teachers and students.

However, he said, right now, the printed textbook was still being used. For the record, the digitalisation of school textbook is being done in three phases as stipulated in the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025.

For the second phase (2016-2020), the ministry is planning to produce interactive textbook for selected subjects, which will contain elements of text, graphic, audio-visual and animation, to help students understand the subject better.

The third phase (2021-2025), on the other hand, will see the publication of digital textbook for all subjects, including for students with special needs.

Idris said when the time comes, schoolchildren would be allowed to bring their own electronic devices, such as tablet and iPad, to access the digital textbook at school to replace the printed version.


TheGreenMechanics: Few issues that needs to be addressed are accessibility/affordability of electronic gadgets to store and access the digital textbooks, connectivity, control of access to the internet, and abuse of the electronic media, to name a few.

We cannot run away from this change, but it doesn't meant it is not worth looking at.

Tablets that are loaded with both Android and Windows operating system

Mobile devices running on either Android or Windows are already more flexible, and they can be connected with other peripherals easier compared to Apple's. But manufacturers are not stopping there.

Chinese manufacturers are coming up with tablets that would be loaded with both Android and Windows 8. And they will come cheap; that's according to what was revealed during the International CES 2014 last week.

Tablet will load either one of the OSes on reboot and switch between them during operation.

Tablets running on both Windows and Android to cost $250

Four companies, all based in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, said at the show they'll start releasing the devices this quarter, with prices at around $250 (RM800).

Bmorn Technology displayed one such tablet, the W102, that it said can switch between the operating systems on reboot. It has a 10-inch, 1280 by 800 resolution screen, uses a 1.46GHz Intel Bay Trail processor, and comes with different storage and memory options.

Cheng Fong Digital-Tech is planning a tablet that can easily switch between the operating systems with a simple swipe of the screen. The upcoming tablet will use an Intel Bay Trail quad-core processor and has a 10-inch screen.

Bmorn and Cheng Fong sell their tablets to customers in Europe and the US.

Taiwanese PC maker Asus showed a PC convertible that can be used as both a tablet and a laptop, but also comes installed with both operating systems. An on-screen button lets users switch between Android and Windows with only 5 seconds wait in between.


TheGreenMechanics: Chinese manufacturers are flooding the market with cheap Android tablets, under little-known brand names. But they definitely have their market because when the price-and-quality is right they will have buyers.

The new trend of having tablets with both operating systems will sure give consumers more options and flexibility.


Source: MIS-Asia

Tablet computer sales losing steam?

Says who? Says IDC, a research firm tracking the market of tablet computers globally.

Although tablets have been one of the hottest items in tech in recent years, growth is 'likely' to slow in the coming years.

My iPad: I prefer the bigger 9.7-inch full sized ipad to its 8-inch mini variant

IDC said global tablet sales are expected to hit 221.2 million units this year, up 53.5% from last year but below IDC's latest forecast of 227 million. It said tablet sales are still growing but the pace is slowing.

For 2014, the firm projects growth of 22.2% to a total of 270.5 million units and single-digit growth by 2017.

"In some markets consumers are already making the choice to buy a large smartphone rather than buying a small tablet, and as a result we've lowered our long-term forecast," said IDC analyst Tom Mainelli.

Meanwhile, in mature markets like the US where tablets have been shipping in large volumes since 2010 and are already well established, we're less concerned about big phones cannibalizing shipments and more worried about market saturation.

IDC said it is watching the mix of small versus large tablets.

While the market has trended toward small tablets over the last 24 months, the rise of large phones could push consumers back toward larger tablets -- the difference between a 6-inch smartphone and a 7-inch tablet isn't great enough to warrant purchasing both.

IDC has previously said it expects tablet sales to outpace that of traditional computers by 2015. Source: AFP


TheGreenMechanics: Losing steam or not, tablet computers will be here to stay. If they can be powerful enough to be able to do most things the traditional laptops do, I will consign my old trusty PC and notebook to the 'substitute bench'.

I'd like the tablet to be my workhorse.