Gadgets, Tablet Computer | featured news

Google says the Nexus 7, its hotly anticipated new tablet computer, is shipping to customers who preordered it this week, amid reports of heavy demand.

Apple has paid $60 million to settle a dispute in China over ownership of the iPad name, a court announced Monday, removing a potential obstacle to sales of the popular tablet computer in the key Chinese market.

Anticipating huge demand for the Apple iPad mini – a device that the company has yet to announce – Pacific Crest analyst Andy Hargreaves today upped his EPS forecast for the September 2013 fiscal year to $55 a share from $53.

Right after the keynote address at the I/O conference in , loaned me a Nexus 7 tablet and, while a couple hours isn?t enough to put it through all of its paces, I have had a chance to try out several of its features. My first impressions are positive.

As Microsoft announces a new tablet, technology experts offer their first impressions of the device, as well as insights into what the product could mean for Microsoft and its rivals. The BBC has compiled a round-up of what some of them are saying.

For decades, the tablet computer was like a mirage in the technology industry: a great idea, seemingly reachable on the horizon, that disappointed as hopeful companies got closer. Microsoft has experienced this cycle of hope and disappointment many times....

In its biggest-ever push into the hardware business, Microsoft unveiled a tablet computer called Surface that is designed to challenge Apple’s iPad. At an event here, the company showed off the device, which is about the same weight and thickness as an iPad, with a 10.6-inch screen. The tablet has a built-in “kickstand” that will allow users to prop it up for watching movies, and a detachable cover that will serve double duty as a keyboard.

Microsoft is expected to make a "major" announcement Monday. Speculation about the Los Angeles media event is that the company plans to unveil either a tablet computer or a system that uses an upcoming version of Windows to help people access TV shows and movies across a range of devices.

The device, running a new version of the Windows operating system, would be the first computer of the company’s own design — and would be aimed squarely at Apple’s iPad.

Co-founded in 2009 by Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey, Square enables people to accept credit card payments on iPhone, iPad or Android devices... In a move that positions the company for a potential initial public offering, Square has hired former Goldman Sachs and Salesforce.com executive Sarah Friar as chief financial officer.