Retailers get Samsung's latest Android tablet on Thursday

Samsung this morning announced that the Galaxy Note 8.0 -- the latest in the Galaxy Note line that we saw unveiled at Mobile World Congress -- will be available in the United States this week, starting Thursday, April 11.

The Note 8, as it's informally known, very much resembles an oversized Galaxy S3 smartphone, but it's definitely all-tablet. As a refresher, it's got a 8-inch display at 1280x800 resolution, for a not-all-that-impressive 189 pixels per inch. It's running Samsung's TouchWiz user interface atop Android 4.1.2 (at least that's what it was running back in February), powered by a 1.6 GHz quad-core Exynos processor with 2 GB of RAM. This one's only got 16GB of total storage, but you can augment that with up to a 64GB microSD card.

More: See our hands-on with the Galaxy Note 8.0 from Mobile World Congress

The hardware's just half the story, of course. Samsung's loaded up the Note 8 with its excellent suite of tablet-optimzed apps, including Awesome Note, along with other features we've become accustomed to on Samsung smartphones, including AllShare. Plus, it's got the S Pen for proper stylus use. One change from the European version of the Note 8.0 we played with in Spain -- this one can't make phone calls.

The Note 8 runs $399, and Samsung says you'll be able to pick up the Note 8 at Amazon, Best Buy, h.h. gregg, Newegg, P.C. Richard & Son, Staples and TigerDirect.com. Accessories -- including the book cover and the stand pouch -- should be avaliable later this month.

Samsung's 8-inch stylus-toting tablet arrives today at flagship London store

Samsung has announced that the latest member of the Galaxy Note family, the Note 8.0, has today gone on sale in the UK. The tablet is initially available at the Samsung Experience Store at the Westfield Stratford City shopping center in London, the same flagship Samsung store at which the Galaxy S3 and Note 2 first launched.

The Wifi-only Note 8 goes on sale today for £339.99, and the version with cellular data is expected to follow shortly. Besides cell data, you've got a 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos CPU running the show, 2GB of RAM and 16 or 32GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD. There's also a 5MP rear shooter and 1.3MP front-facing camera. On the software side, you're looking at Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean wrapped in Sammy's TouchWiz UI.

To sweeten the deal, Samsung's offering a pack of software goodies worth £60 to buyers who pick one up before Apr. 15. This includes a £20. Samsung Learning Hub voucher, a two-month subscription to The Times newspaper, AVG Pro, a month of Samsung Music Hub access, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit and Sonc 4: Episode 2. Being a Samsung device, the Note 8.0 also lands you 50GB of free Dropbox storage for two years.

More: Hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0

Budget 7-incher gets Android 4.1.2, with users in Austria first to report update

The humble Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus has come a long way since its launch in late 2011 on Android 3.2 Honeycomb. And today it seems the budget tablet is getting its promised Jelly Bean update, as owners in Austria are said to be receiving Android 4.1.2 in an over-the-air update.

According to SamMobile, the new firmware version XXMC3, build on Mar. 25, is currently rolling out to Austrian Wifi-plus-3G Tab 7.0 Plus models (GT-P6200) ahead of a wider launch. So anyone with the Wifi-only GT-P6210 variant may have to wait a little longer. In any case, Jelly Bean should give Tab 7 Plus owners a lot to look forward to -- aside from the obvious performance improvements, there's Google Now, re-vamped notifications and improved text-to-speech capabilities.

Shout out in the comments if you're getting the update on your device this morning.

Source: SamMobile

During today's Facebook event, it was mentioned that though tablets wouldn't be supported at Home's launch, they would be available in the coming months. 

For those unfamiliar, Facebook Home is a collection of Android apps that integrate deeply into the OS, though it's not an operating system of its own. 

What do you guys think of Home? The emphasis on Facebook pictures seems like the experience will lend itself well to tablets. 

The Kobo Arc has been updated to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but has it made a difference?

Flash back to our review of the Kobo Arc a moment. On the whole, the 7-inch tablet from Canada impressed, but was left lacking on the software front. Despite a Jelly Bean update in the works at launch, the Arc came to market on Ice Cream Sandwich, with the custom Tapestries UI on top. While a decent performer generally, if you've ever used Jelly Bean, going back to ICS is a tough ask. 

The Jelly Bean update for the Arc is now available though, thus removing a potential barrier to purchase. So, has it made a difference? Is the Kobo Arc now a serious contender in the tablet space? Well, we got one back in the office to take a look at how they did. 

TF700 to join its little brother on the latest version of Android

The ASUS Transformer Pad 300 was the first non-Nexus device to get Android 4.2 just a month ago, and now its larger cousin the Transformer Pad Infinity (TF700) is set to join on the latest version of Jelly Bean. An image posted to the official ASUS Facebook page reveals that the update should be landing today -- though there's no mention of which territories will be included in this initial roll-out.

If the Infinity's 4.2 update is anything like that of the TF300, owners can expect updates for ASUS's App Locker, Virtual Keyboard, Lock Screen and Setup Wizard applications alongside the new OS.

Transformer Pad Infinity owners, hit the comments and let us know if you're seeing the update on your device yet.

Source: ASUS on Facebook

"Power reasons" force the switch from NVIDIA's Tegra platform to Qualcomm according to the source

A report from Reuters earlier says that come July, we'll have a new version of Google's popular Nexus 7 tablet. ASUS will still be the manufacturer, but a few key things will have changed. Expect a higher resolution screen with smaller bezels, and concerns over "power" (we take that to mean battery power) have forced a switch to Qualcomm for the CPU.

Pricing is said to still be in limbo, but the $199 figure has been mentioned. This is the same base price as last year's Nexus 7, and a key to its success. 

If this rumor turns out to be true, a July release would work well with an unveiling at Google I/O this May. ASUS sold an estimated 4.6 million Nexus 7s in the second half of last year, and updated specs at the same price will draw plenty more interest. We're keeping an eye on this one.

Source: Reuters

7-inch Android tablet finally available directly from Kobo in North America alongside range of e-Ink devices

The Kobo Arc is a fine tablet in its own right, despite not quite matching the Nexus 7 in the grand scheme of things. There are several reasons that one might choose the Arc over the Google offering -- the screen, speakers and 64GB version but a few. But, a couple of issues plagued the Arc from launch -- the software, and availability issues. The software was rectified back in March, and now it seems, in North America at least, that the availability has been solved too. 

Part of the problem was the lack of any way to buy one direct from Kobo. While available through retail partners worldwide, they weren't exactly plentiful, and the 64GB version proved somewhat elusive too. Kobo however, has today announced that their full range of eReaders -- including the e-Ink devices -- are available to buy from Kobo.com in Canada and the U.S. Good news for anyone tempted that struggled to get hold of one. The full press release can be found after the break. 

ASUS settles class action suit, settlement class members get a GPS dongle and $17 for their troubles

The ASUS Transformer Prime looks beautiful with it's thick spun aluminum back. It also has an issue with weak Wifi and GPS signals because of it. In April of last year, they offered a dongle to improve the GPS signal to anyone who wanted one, but apparently that wasn't enough to satisfy everyone as a class action suit was brought against ASUS. Today, ASUS has settled it.

If you're in the US, and can prove that you bought a Transformer Prime between December 1, 2011 and February 19, 2013, and didn't return it for a refund, you can join the settlement class and get a GPS dongle and $17 US. ASUS is quick to remind everyone that they agree there were GPS issues, disagree with any Wifi issues, and that this is in no way an admission that they are liable for anything, they just settled rather than continue:

The lawsuit claimed that the Asus Eee Pad TF201 Transformer Prime tablet GPS and WiFi signal quality is diminished based on the design of the tablet. Asus denies all allegations regarding WiFi but Asus acknowledges that GPS performance did not meet the expectations of all customers, which Asus addressed by offering the Dongle to Asus Eee Pad TF201 Transformer Prime tablet owners. Asus is entering into this proposed settlement to avoid burdensome and costly litigation. The proposed settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing.

If you fit the criteria, follow the links below to find out more information.

Source: Fraser vs ASUS; via Facebook

A new contender has entered the ring in the fight for your budget dollars. Weighing in at only $79.99, the 7-inch Genesis Prime is the company's first certified Google tablet. Apps like Chrome, GMail, Maps, and YouTube will come preinstalled thanks to the tablet getting Google's approval. The specs you get are definitely in line with the price: 1.1 GHz processor, 4GB storage memory, VGA front facing camera, and a battery life of 4.5 hours.

The scale reflects this tablet's featherweight status, with an official listing of just 0.59 lbs -- more than 2 oz less than the Nexus 7. The device comes with an HD video player, however the actual resolution of the screen itself is not listed. On-board storage gets supplemented with an included 5GB of cloud storage.

It doesn't get much cheaper than this for a certified Android 4.1 tablet. You can pick one up at Amazon, although there is quite a wait for shipping at this time. Hit the break for the full press release.

Source: Ematic