News

• Microsoft may take on Kindles and Nooks

  Microsoft is investing $300 million in a Barnes & Noble spin-off that has agreed to create a free Metro style Windows 8 application so customers can shop at the spinoff's store, but Microsoft reserves the right to compete against Barnes & Noble with its own e-reader hardware presumably based on Windows 8.

• In Pictures: The best Android tablet apps for communication

  From tablet-based texting to social media management, these Android tablet apps are at the top of their class when it comes to communication.

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  VEC develops tablet-based e-voting system

  The Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) has flagged plans to develop a free open source e-voting system for the next state election in November 2014, doing away with the touchscreen-based kiosks it used in 2010.

• iFixit on new iPad display: "Oh goodness! It's so beautiful! "

  The new iPad's display screen has the normally-reserved teardown specialists at iFixit gushing.

• iPad 3 could blow away competitors

  There has been wide speculation on what Apple's next iteration of its tablet will look like, feature and be named. Network World editor John Cox even is able to write a weekly story on the wild rumors surrounding the next iPad.

• A tablet for under a Benjamin?

  Product names are tricky, there's no doubt about it. If you're not going to use a meaningless string of characters such as "X77-P73" then you've got your work cut out for you because it's hard to find a good name that isn't already taken by some other company. Even internal project names have to be researched, checked that they are OK to use and vetted by lawyers for liability.

• Monday Grok: PlayBook was a half a billion buck pup, who'da thunk it?

  BlackBerry PlayBook was a terrible idea that was rushed to market too early by a company still shell shocked by the lead it had surrendered to Apple in the smartphone sector.

• Will Amazon Kindle Fire burn up the enterprise?

  Watch out, CIOs! The Kindle Fire may be coming to a cubicle near you.

• 10 best Android tablet apps for news junkies

  CIO's gadget guru Al Sacco spotlights 10 great applications for your Android tablet that will keep you up to date on news, sports, entertainment, stocks and much more. These apps look great and perform even better -- and most are free.

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  Demand for netbooks slumps as tablets continue forward march

  The Australian netbook market has slumped, dropping 30 per cent in first quarter compared to the same period last year, according to IDC. The culprits, according to the analyst firm, are the rise of tablets, half a million of which were shipped in Australia last year, price drops of fully fledged notebooks and increased demand for larger-screened laptops in educational institutions.

• iPad 2: Jobs calls rivals copycats, dismisses tablet wars

  The iPad 2 is finally here (well, actually shipping March 11). The tech industry, which has been keeping a sharp eye on the rise of the disruptive tablet, as well as making smart predictions about the iPad 2 for months, was pretty much on the mark. The iPad 2 runs faster and sports two cameras.

• Apple's iPad 2 in pictures

  Apple has introduced its next generation iPad, the iPad 2. The device features a new design that is 33 per cent thinner and up to 15 per cent lighter than the original iPad, with the same 9.7-inch LED-backlit LCD screen.

• HP's new WebOS smartphones, tablets in pictures

  HP has updated the mobile operating system acquired from Palm and unleashed two new smartphones.

• Dell, Asus, Motorola offer previews of tablets

  Here come the iPad competitors of 2011

• New Avaya device takes on Cisco (Apple, too) in tablet war

  Avaya is introducing a powerful Android-based touchscreen tablet that supports new communications software in a package to rival Cisco's recently announced Cius communications tablet.