iPad Air vs Lumia 2520 vs Surface 2 vs Galaxy Note 10

iPad Air vs Lumia 2520 vs Surface 2 vs Galaxy Note 10

iPad Air vs Lumia 2520 vs Surface 2 vs Galaxy Note 10

Apple unveiled the fifth-generation iPad, the iPad Air at a special event on Tuesday. The new iPad Air is much thinner, lighter and sleeker than the previous generation iPad, and packs in the latest hardware - including the 64-bit Apple A7 processor.

Interestingly, ailing smartphone maker, Nokia also unveiled its first Windows RT tablet, the Lumia 2520. Microsoft had already refreshed its Surface tablet earlier this year, improving the device's hardware. The 10-inch tablet segment is seeing some action, with Samsung also unveiling the 2014 edition of its Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet. We take a look at what each one of these large tablets brings to the table.
iPad Air vs Lumia 2520 vs Surface 2 vs Galaxy Note 10

iPad Air vs Lumia 2520 vs Surface 2 vs Galaxy Note 10

The new iPad Air sports a 9.7-inch Retina display with a resolution of 2048x1536 pixels and a pixel density of 263ppi. The Nokia Lumia 2520 on the other hand, comes with a 10.1-inch full-HD IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, and a pixel density of 218ppi. The Microsoft Surface 2 tablet comes with a 10.6-inch display with 1920x1080 pixels resolution and 206ppi pixel density. The Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) tablet features a 10.1-inch WQXGA (2560X1600 pixels) Super clear LCD display and 298ppi pixel density.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) display has a higher resolution and packs in more pixels per inch, followed by the iPad Air, Lumia 2520 and the Surface 2.

iPad Air vs Lumia 2520 vs Surface 2 vs Galaxy Note 10

The iPad Air is powered by a 64-bit A7 chip which also powers the new iPhone 5s, offering up to two times faster CPU and graphics performance than the previous generation iPad. It also features the M7 motion coprocessor that takes care of measuring motion data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass sensors, sending them to apps without waking up the A7 processor, leading to improved battery life. The Nokia Lumia 2520 is powered by a 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, while the Surface 2 sports an NVIDIA Tegra 4 (T40) 1.7 GHz Quad Core chip. The Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition in India is powered by a 1.9GHz Exynos 5 Octa processor, while its other variant is powered by a 2.3 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, along with 3GB of RAM.

It's hard to compare performance since the four tablets run on different platforms but each one comes with the latest hardware specifications.

The new iPad Air features a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 1.2-megapixel front facing one. It supports 1080p HD video recording. The Nokia Lumia 2520, on the other hand, features a 6.7-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. The Surface 2 sports a 5.0-megapixel rear-facing camera and 3.5-megapixel front-facing camera. The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition boasts of a high-end 8-megapixel rear camera with BSI sensor and autofocus accompanied by an LED flash, and a 2-megapixel BSI sensor.

iPad Air vs Lumia 2520 vs Surface 2 vs Galaxy Note 10

We're not sure if everyone uses the camera on a tablet, so a high-end rear camera might not make sense for everyone. The Surface 2's front-camera sensor has the highest resolution. All of the tablets would be good for making video calls.

The iPad Air comes in 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB storage variants, while the Nokia Lumia 2520 comes offers 32GB built-in storage memory expandable via microSD card. The Surface 2 comes in 32GB and 64GB variants and also features a microSD card slot for expansion. The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition comes in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB built-in storage variants, with a microSD card slot for expansion.

Coming to software, the iPad Air runs iOS 7, the latest version of Apple's mobile OS. The Nokia Lumia 2520 and Surface 2 run Windows RT, the tablet optimised stripped down version of Windows. The Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.

In terms of apps, the iPad Air has an edge over Windows RT and Android based tablets as a large number of iOS apps have been optimised for the iPad. Apple now also offers its iLife and iWork suit of apps free of charge, to new customers, The tablet-specific app scene is pretty dismal on Windows and Android, though the Surface 2 and Nokia Lumia 2520 tablets come with Microsoft Office 2013 RT office apps.

It's worth pointing out that barring the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition, none of these tablets are available in India, at this point in time. Samsung launched the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition, at a price point of Rs. 49,999. The iPad Air starts at $499 and the Lumia 2520 is also priced similarly. The Surface 2 starts at $449.

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BBM for Android and iOS makes download record

BBM for Android and iOS makes download record

BBM for Android and iOS makes download record

After BlackBerry resumed the rollout of its popular messaging app, BBM or BlackBerry Messenger to Android and iOS users, it reported that the app has been downloaded over 10 million times by Android and iPhone users, one of the best single-day openings for a mobile app to date.

Announcing the milestone, BlackBerry added that BBM had also become the number one free app in iTunes App Store in more than 75 countries in the first 24 hours, including the US, Canada, the UK, Indonesia and most of the Middle East. It also announced that user ratings in both the iTunes App Store and Google Play were mostly positive, earning BBM 60,000 five-star reviews on Google Play from about 87,000 reviews.
BBM for Android and iOS makes download record

"This has been an incredible launch for BBM across Android and iPhone devices. The mobile messaging market is full of opportunity for BBM. We intend to be the leading private social network for everyone who needs the immediate communication and collaboration of instant messaging combined with the privacy, control and reliability delivered through BBM," said Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice President, BBM at BlackBerry.

BlackBerry's popular instant messaging platform, BlackBerry Messenger or BBM finally landed on non-BlackBerry OS platforms, Android and iOS, on Monday, after a delay of more than a month.

The app allows users to exchange texts, voice notes and pictures with each other. It also offers group chat. Users need to sign-in with a BlackBerry ID following which a PIN is allocated to them, in a manner similar to BlackBerry Messenger on BlackBerry.  Users can then add friends by sharing their PIN with friends via SMS, email and social networks in addition to QR codes.

It's worth pointing out that one BlackBerry ID can only be used on a single device, at a given time.

On its native BlackBerry OS platform, BBM offers voice calling through BBM Voice and video chat through BBM Video (only on BlackBerry 10).

BlackBerry has reiterated that BBM Voice (voice chat) will also be introduced to BBM for iOS and Android, in the future, in addition to BBM Channels (broadcast groups) and BBM Video (video chat).

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Acer Iconia W700 Review

These days, tablet manufacturers usually consider it very important to offer consumers the sleekest and lightest devices when it comes to tablets. After all, a slate should be synonymous with portability and flexibility. Well, not always: meet the Acer Iconia W700, which can be said to be a bit of a beast.
If you are one of those people who want a tablet that can be jiggled around in one hand, then this is definitely not for you. With this piece, you will most likely have to use both hands to handle it properly. Nevertheless, there’s a good excuse for its bulkier design, it packs an Intel Core i5-3317U Ivy Bridge processor, which makes it more powerful than your average tablet.

Acer Iconia W700 Review

Also on the positive side of things, this is a sturdy, resilient device with a nice aluminum unibody, so it won't get damaged easily.
Design
As stated above, the Acer Iconia W700 is quite chunky and its weight makes it feel more like a regular notebook. It’s 295 mm / 11 inches in length, 191 mm / 7 inches in height , 11.1 mm / 0.43 inches thick and weighs a hand-breaking 942 g / 2.07 pounds.
So, it’s definitely not a casual couch companion. The laptop comparison is not so far-fetched considering that the slate comes with a detachable Bluetooth keyboard cover.
The Iconia W700 is pretty heavy by itself, but the keyboard cover wraps around it pretty neatly, so you’ll be able to carry it around like a book, a heavier book of sorts. The cover allows you to prop the tablet up on your desk and, despite my initial doubts, it does a good job.
The only problem I stumbled upon at first was that it was actually complicated to get the slate into the cover wrap. I couldn’t slide it gently, but as I repeated the procedure, the plastic gave in and I eventually managed to glide it in smoothly.
The wrapping also covers the power and sound buttons, and at times you really have to forcefully press them to get them to work.
On the left side, the device features a micro HDMI port, a USB 3.0, A/C charging port and the promise of Dolby Home Theatre audio experience, which basically means that users are going to enjoy surround sound.
The right side is home to the audio output jack. The speakers are located on the bottom, so it’s impossible to miss them as they are outlined in zingy red, and it turns out they do a very swell job.
At the top of the screen, there’s the cooling fan that will protect the Iconia W700 against getting overheated. If you're going to be browsing around the web or reading an eBook, the fan is going to keep pretty quiet, but that will change if you start toying with a more advanced application like Photoshop.
Display
In terms of display, we can acknowledge that Acer has done an awesome job here, packing a 1080p IPS screen coated with a nice layer of Gorilla Glass.
It comes with a reasonably slim black bezel and boasts an 11-inch display with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, which basically means we’re dealing with a full HD screen here. If you're not happy with the default screen brightness, it can be easily adjusted from the Settings charm.
Even tiny text on some web pages we’ve browsed was perfectly visible and prolonged exposure to the screen didn't pose any fatigue problems. Video content was also beautifully displayed with full, sharp colors adding to the experience.
Power and Performance
The Acer Iconia W700 packs an Intel Core i5-3337U processor under the hood, coupled with 4GB of RAM and integrated Intel HD 4000 graphics. The chip is basically the same that can be found in most Ultrabooks nowadays, so you won’t be wrong if you expect everything to run smoothly.
The W700 ships with Windows 8 out of the box and swiping through the interface was quite breezy and smooth. However, some hours later, I started to notice some lagging issues when trying to access certain apps. Heavy multi-tabbed Web browsing posed no problem and moving through tabs was surprisingly easy, even with those that had HD videos running.
Acer claims booting time can be achieved in a meager 6.7 seconds, which is darn fast.
With 128GB SSD and 4GB of RAM, the slate offers plenty of room for everything you might want to add to it.
Keep in mind that the device offers the full Windows 8 experience, rather than the limited Windows RT one. This is definitely an improvement from other hybrids like the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11, Microsoft's own Surface RT or Asus VivoTab.
With a powerful processor like that, the Acer Iconia W700 can pretty much handle everything you throw at it in terms of multimedia playback.
This includes videos streaming with full and rich audio. Thus, you won't have any problem viewing content from services like Netflix, Hulu or Amazon's Prime Instant Video.
Camera
The slate features a pretty capable front 1MP camera/webcam with built-in microphone, that takes reasonably bright 720p videos.
The 5-megapixel camera on the back yields rather mediocre pictures, so we were not overall impressed with its performance, as it has a tendency to flatten shots with poor light management.
Video shooting in broad daylight proved to provide smooth frames with bright colors, though.
Software
The machine is running Windows 8, which obviously means you can get Windows desktop applications, Windows 7 applications and everything you find interesting in the Windows store.
Browsing through the Metro interface is extremely easy and intuitive; unfortunately, doing stuff while in the traditional desktop environment is not as much fun since most text and icons are too small. Clicking on icons proves to be super fiddly and Acer should have probably set the default scaling to 125 or even 150%.
The Iconia W700 comes with a lot of pre-installed applications (which some people might consider bloatware) from Acer's extensive library of offerings, such as the Acer Power Button, Acer Crystal Eye Camera or Acer Power Management.
A convenient tool called Acer Ring has been added, which basically allows users to shuffle through everything found on their device like photos, videos, documents and apps.
But that's not all you get; you'll also find a lot of other stuff on board, some of it useful, some of it not so much. Yet, we have newsXpresso, TuneIn, Kindle, Skitch Touch, HP Printer Control, Fresh Paint, Skype. eBay, Amazon and a bunch of games like Shark Dash.

Acer Iconia W700 Review

And of course you further get Microsoft's own apps like Games, Music, Video, Sports, Reader, Maps, Messaging, Bing Search, WeatherBug – some of which redirect users to their specific webstores.
There are two versions of Internet Explorer, one accessible through the Metro interface, and one available in desktop. We preferred using the first version, because in live tile mode IE runs in full screen, so everything has been scaled to make things look bigger and the text more readable.
The whole range of Microsoft Office 2013 has also been bundled with the tablet.
Connectivity
In terms of connectivity, the Acer Iconia W700 bundles Atheros Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0. There's no LAN, NFC or GPS or 3G. A second USB port and a microSD/SD card might have been a nice addition.
Battery
The Iconia W700 features a 4,850mAh battery, which Acer claims will last for up to eight hours of intense use. And that's about right. We used the Iconia W700 for playing games, using apps, browsing online and streaming video without running out of battery.
Unlike most slates, however, the Iconia W700 doesn't allow charging to be made via USB, which might put a damper on things if you were hoping to get more mobility out of the slob. The charging kit is also super bulky, and I don’t know how much fun it will be to carry that around.
The good
Acer is offering some sort of hybrid here; the Iconia W700 is a machine that can be used as a standalone tablet, but when coupled with the keyboard, it can turn into a powerful laptop. It offers a long battery life and an amazing screen. Actually, we think that the screen is the biggest selling point along with the powerful hardware packed under the hood, thanks to which you can probably do anything.
The bad
As we mentioned before, the Iconia W700 is very bulky and one can easily get tired while holding it for playing a game. The best way to work with the W700 is keeping it propped up in its keyboard cover. Then, there's the price, which is pretty impressive to say the least. Even if Acer is offering some extra accessories with it, you might find something sleeker and nicer looking in today's market for the same amount of cash.
Overall Impressions
It appears that the Acer Iconia W700 was built more with an ultrabook / laptop framework in mind, meant to be used for both work and play, rather that of a real tablet. Mobility feats, which make people love slates so much, simply lack here. Surely, you can use it at the office or at home, but forget about taking it with you, if you're planning a hiking trip.
Nevertheless, if you're looking for a laptop replacement, the Acer Iconia W700 might be the right answer. However, with a price starting at $1,249 / €912, you'd probably be able to stumble upon some interesting cheaper alternatives.

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