Tablet Computer, 4g | featured news

The Seattle-based Web retailer said the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD with 4G wireless capability will start at $399, down from $499. Amazon reduced the price of the Wi-Fi only version by $30 to $269.

Wow, tomorrow’s the big/little day when Apple will hopefully unveil the long-rumored iPad mini. Alongside the smaller tablet it’s speculated that we’ll see a few updates to the Mac lineup and a UI update to the popular iBooks app. What has been quietly whispering in the background is the possibility that Apple would tweak the current full-sized iPad by expanding 4G compatibility and swapping out the old 30-pin dinosaur dock in favor of the new Lightning connector debuted at the iPhone 5 launch event last month.

Verizon and AT&T will sell a version of the upcoming iPad that runs on their newest fourth-generation wireless networks, as the battle to cash in on big investments in mobile broadband heats up.

You want it. You want it desperately. You want it desperately, but you don't even know what it is. Such is consumer desire for 4G data connectivity in mobile handsets. Call it proof positive that the phone carriers' marketing efforts have paid off -- this despite slow 4G infrastructure roll-outs, and actual 4G data rates that fall far, far below the promise of the 4G spec.

After six months of delays by Motorola, the company jointly announced with Verizon late this afternoon that the much-touted first 4G tablet upgrade will begin tomorrow, with new device availability in Verizon stores on October 15. Starting on September 29, Xoom customers can log into Verizon for complete instructions on how to return their 3G units for the required LTE hardware changes.

Sprint Nextel abandoned plans to sell a 4G version of the BlackBerry's PlayBook, meaning the 4G tablet currently isn't supported by any of the three largest U.S. wireless carriers.

Bidding to differentiate itself in the increasingly competitive tablet-computer market, Samsung Electronics plans this year to launch an Android-based tablet running on fourth-generation network technology.

The first portable devices announced for Verizon Wireless' new, high-speed wireless data network are a smart phone and a tablet from Motorola, both designed to take advantage of network's speed with cameras for videoconferencing....

When Sprint Nextel introduced its first tablet in November, some were disappointed that the device was only compatible with 3G instead of the faster “4G” flavor of mobile broadband. After all, Sprint has offered 4G service since 2008 and devotes much of its marketing to linking its brand to 4G and the superior service it can provide.

iPad watch out: Samsung is gunning to take over the tablet market. The company announced during a press conference late Thursday that the recently announced Galaxy Tab would be launching on all four major US cellular networks—Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile—and a WiFi-only option will be available soon. There won't be any 4G-capable devices at launch, however (only 3G), and Samsung is remaining mum on pricing.