Tablet Operating Systems

The tablet is a device between a Notebook and a smartphone. Because of this positioning, the operating system used to support it is coming from both worlds: Mobiles and Notebooks.


1. Mobile operation systems:

Those operating systems are adapted from the smartphone to bigger screens. They are all using a walled garden environment which allows the development of third party applications under the control of the OS vendor. Except of iOS, all the other operating systems are under development to be compatible with bigger screens.

iOS (Apple)

iOS is the adapted version of the iphone software. It's built for ARM processors, allows touch screen, and operate in a walled garden environment. Apple has been able to leverage the success of its application store and open it also for its tablet. iOS is only available with iPad.

Android (Google)

Android is a Linux based software developed by Google for smart phones. Like the iOS, it's built for ARM processors and operate in a walled garden environment. In their hurry to catch up with Apple iPad, some vendors like Samsung have used the Android 2.2 Froyo on their tablet but with a mixed results. In fact, this Android version is not adapted for tablets. Today, Google is preparing an new version of its Android software for tablets called Gingerbread. Many vendors are waiting for it to launch their tablets in the first quarter of 2011.

WebOS (HP)

After the acquisition of Palm in 2010, HP confirmed the development of the famous Palm WebOS for their future tablets. The first release is expected in the first quarter of 2011.

BlackBerry tablet OS (RIM)

BlackBerry tablet OS is based on QNX system acquired by RIM early in 2010. The OS will be launched in the first quarter of 2011 on the new RIM PlayBook.


2. Notebook operating system:

Windows 7 (Microsoft)

Microsoft is going against the flow in the OS market for tablets. While all the other vendors are using their mobile OS to make a compatible version for tablets, Microsoft is refusing to use its Windows 7 Mobile for the same purpose. Instead, it's proposing Windows 7 for Notebooks which is compatible with a traditional PC architecture (x86) with additional touch feature. This option has the disadvantage of being expensive for tablet manufacturers, heavy comparing to the other mobile based OS, and doesn't have the application base to attract third party developers.

Tablet World - Introduction

Even though the tablet computer was introduced initially by Microsoft in 2000, it didn't really attract  consumers until the successful launch of the Apple iPad in the beginning of 2010. Thanks to its marketing strategy, Apple has made an interesting segment out of the tablet.

This renewed enthusiasm around this product, created a new gold rush for all the PC makers who want to get their share of the tablet pie. That's why, we have been so overwhelmed this year by tons of announcements, that we are unable to get a clear picture about what is really happening.

Whether you are an informed reader or a novice, you deserve to get a concise summary about this fast growing market without wasting your precious time surfing from a website to an other, or chasing information from different sources. 

To satisfy this need, we have decided to start publishing regular posts on our blog about tablet computers.

Don't hesitate to contact us if you have any comments or suggestions.

Happy reading.

Start asking, start saving !

Kids are good teachers.

Whenever my 3 years son is asking for something and I refuse, he will keep asking until I surround and give him whatever he wants. Am I weak? Maybe, but so are so many other people around us.

What children are doing is called persistence. They simply keep asking until they get what they want. Unfortunately, we loose this skill with age.

You should be wondering what all this has to do with IT products. In fact, 3 months ago, I have decided to apply my son's tactic with sales people on the ground. I started asking for a discount whenever I go shopping. It was scaring in the beginning but I got used to it with time. Today, I don't buy anything without asking and insisting to get a discount.

You will be surprised, but most of the stores can give between 5 to 10% discount on their IT products, or at least some free items. All you need to do is ask for it. This applies of course to all the other products and services, so don't buy anything blindly without asking.

You will see how much you can save if you get back your ''childish'' attitude.

Happy shopping !

How to get your Kindle to your doorsteps in the UAE

After my last post yesterday regarding the new Kindle from Amazon, I received many emails asking to explain how we can get a Kindle from the US if it's not available for the Gulf countries. It's true that if you go to Amazon.com and you select UAE as your country of origin, you will not be able to buy your device.

Fortunately for Kindle fans, there is a way to get it to your doorsteps with a hassle free process:
1) Open an account with a shipping company which can give you a US address. Personally I use Aramex. It will cost you 35 $ for a life account and 2 addresses, one in the US and the second in UK
2) Open an Amazon account with your new address in the US
3) Order your Kindle and ship it to your Aramex address
4) Aramex will take care of the delivery to your local address for 39 AED


Once you have your Kindle, you will get access to the Amazon US store which has 630,000 ebooks at competitive prices.

Please share with us your personal experience, so everybody can benefit from it.

Are you books or ebooks?

I love reading books and I buy 4 to 5 of them on monthly basis. One year ago, there was a lot of discussions about Amazon Kindle and ebooks. As a puritan, I was rejecting the idea of loosing the pleasure of holding and turning the pages of my paper book. But after the launch of the iPad,  I started reading my first ebooks on its Amazon application.

The experience was good especially that I was able to carry as many books as I want wherever I go. Few months ago, Amazon who is the leader in the ebook market, responded to Apple by launching the new kindle. I saw the reviews on Internet and all of them were very positive about the new device. I immediately ordered one from the US to try it myself and I must agree that I am impressed by its reading quality.

Even if I still enjoy a traditional book from time to time, I have definitely shifted to ebooks after I got my Kindle.

Having ebooks on your Kindle has so many advantages:
1) You can carry up to 3500 ebooks, which is enough for a lifetime reading for most of us
2) The e-ink technology is comfortable for the eyes
3) The new kindle is very light : 241 g
4) The battery can last for up to 1 month
5) ebooks are cheaper than the normal books. If you read a book from time to time, this is not a strong argument, but if you buy 4 to 5 books per month, you can easily see the difference
6) Kindle price is cheap : starting from only 139 USD for the wifi version
7) Your wife or husband will not complain anymore about your growing stock of books which is taking a lot of place at home

Some people are still considering the Kindle, with its black and white screen, as archaic comparing to the iPad, which is true if you are looking for a multi-tasking device. But if you are looking for a pure ereader, the new Kindle is the best.

iPad - not a competitor to the usual newspaper

''Should I buy my notebook and camera during Gitex?''

I was on my way to the airport few days ago, when the taxi driver asked me about my job. I told him I was working in the IT industry. Then, he started immediately talking about Gitex and asked me a very simple but tricky question: ''Should I buy my notebook and camera during Gitex?''

This question reminded me that there are still so many people who believe in Gitex offers, which is good for the industry, so I decided to publish this post in order to answer this question for the taxi driver and for so many other UAE residents.

First of all, the IT industry is one of the rare markets where price inflation doesn't exist and where competition is very high. So, you can predict with high accuracy to get equivalent or better prices for any future purchase.
Second, suppliers margins used to be high in the past and they were able to cut them during Gitex in order to make their offers more attractive to the customers.

Today, the first idea remains the same but the second one is less accurate. Suppliers margins are very limited and they can not afford anymore to give important discounts.

So my answer is yes, you can get a better offer in Gitex but you can also get a much better offer after Gitex, especially from retailers who want to liquidate their Gitex unsold stocks.

To summarize, my advise is the following:
1) Select now the product you want to buy
2) Watch the actual prices next week in the retail shops: Carrefour, Sharaf DG, Jumbo and Jacky's
3) Check prices also on online shops
4) Go to Gitex shoppers and verify the prices

If you find a big difference, buy the product. If the price is the same, wait until the end of Gitex because you may get a better offer.