• 

• PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY
• JANUARY 27, 2011

What's on the Table for Tablets This Year

• By WALTER S. MOSSBERG

Lots of consumers are planning to buy tablet computers this year, and lots of companies are hoping to sell them. Apple managed to sell around 15 million of its ground-breaking iPads last year in only nine months, and, for many users, the iPad has replaced the laptop, at least for some uses. So it's no surprise that consumer appetites for tablets have been growing and tech companies are planning to roll out as many as 80 iPad competitors in 2011, by some estimates.

Walt Mossberg presents a roadmap of the tablet market for this year, attempting to clear up the wealth of reports and rumors that may be confusing potential tablet buyers.

But the tablet mania can be confusing. The coming devices will be heavily defined by a variety of operating systems they'll use. They will be offered in different screen sizes, with attendant pluses and minuses. And they'll come from very different kinds of companies—major computer makers like Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba, Acer, Lenovo and Dell; phone makers like Motorola and Research in Motion; multi-faceted electronics giants like Samsung; and even Vizio, which is largely a TV manufacturer.
And, of course, a second generation of the iPad is expected to be announced in the next few months.
So here's a guide to what to expect in the tablet market in 2011, and some key factors that could affect your choices. As it's early in the year, the road map is necessarily incomplete. For instance, prices aren't generally known, though many rivals will be trying to undercut the iPad's $499 base price. Some will be sold on a subsidized basis through phone carriers, others won't. And there will surely be surprises as companies adjust their strategies.

Apple's Next Move

Given the quality and success of the iPad, it makes sense for tablet buyers to hold off until they see what Apple has up its sleeve for the second version. One big reason: The iPad has a huge head start in third-party apps designed for tablets—more than 60,000 of them, plus the 350,000 or so iPhone apps that the iPad can run.

The Motorola Xoom

But Apple is more secretive than the CIA, so we know little about this product. I believe it will almost certainly have one or two cameras, and be able to make video calls. And there's widespread speculation that it will be thinner and lighter, since even the original's 1.5-pound weight was a bit too heavy for extended use for some people. There's some evidence it will have at least one added port, perhaps for a camera memory card or connection to a bigger display.

The Android Army

Just as in the smart-phone market, the bulk of Apple's tablet competitors will rely on Google's Android operating system, which is provided free to hardware makers. Most of the hardware companies mentioned above are counting on Android to allow them to undercut the iPad on price, add different features, and attract third-party apps.
The big question mark here is the tablet-specific version of Android that's code-named Honeycomb, which hasn't been publicly unveiled. The first Honeycomb tablet is likely to be a 10" model called the Motorola Xoom, which is expected to show up in the early spring. The others will mostly emerge in the summer. If Honeycomb succeeds, the Android tablets could be a very attractive alternative, though it will take awhile for large numbers of third-party tablet apps to become available. Honeycomb will support Flash video on the Web, while the iPad doesn't.
One big issue will be how these Honeycomb-powered products will be differentiated from each other. Here, price and hardware features could be decisive. Speed, size, screen quality, connections to TVs, and support for fast, 4G wireless networks are all possibilities. For instance, the Xoom will work with "smart dock" accessories, and will eventually support 4G. The Vizio Via will have a big speaker and a built-in TV remote control.

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BlackBerry

BlackBerry PlayBookRIM and H-P

BlackBerry maker RIM plans a light, thin, 7" tablet called the PlayBook, likely in the next few months. In demos, it looks handsome and colorful—nothing like a BlackBerry phone. That's because it runs on an entirely different operating system.
One unusual feature of the PlayBook is that, in key respects, it's more of a companion to a BlackBerry phone than a standalone tablet. It draws its cellular connectivity from a BlackBerry, rather than having it built in. The first model will lack its own email, calendar and contact apps, and instead merely view and interact with those in a user's BlackBerry. This reliance on a BlackBerry could be a plus for BlackBerry users. But it could be seen as a downside for users of other phones.

Mossberg's Mailbox

• Working With AirPrint

H-P plans to unveil a 10" tablet on Feb. 9 based on Palm's sleek webOS operating system, which H-P now owns. Based on trademark filings, it's likely to be called the HP TouchPad. While the computer giant has said little or nothing about the device, it's likely to ship this summer and feature, out of the box, integrated video calling and document editing. A big question is whether the software scales well to a tablet size and whether third-party developers, who mostly shunned webOS when Palm launched it, will write enough apps for the HP tablet.

Windows Tablets

Unlike the other players, Microsoft seems to be planning to cram a full PC operating system into a multi-touch tablet. The first Windows tablets, which will be out soon, will be based on Windows 7, use styluses, and be aimed mainly at corporations, not consumers. Even their makers privately express little enthusiasm for them. However, later in the year, Microsoft is expected to roll out a new Windows-based multi-touch tablet platform better designed to go head-to-head with the iPad and Android tablets.

Size Matters

One big decision for consumers will be whether they like the 10" size of the iPad, and of many of the new Android tablets, or the smaller 7" size of some other models. A 7" screen actually has less than half the surface area of the iPad's display. But 7" tablets—like the existing Samsung Galaxy Tab—are lighter and easier to hold in one hand than 10" models. They also can cost less. Some companies will be trying even smaller tablets, despite the poor sales of Dell's 5" Streak tablet in 2010. One big-name PC maker has been working on a 4.8" tablet.

Keyboards and Ports

Since the iPad lacks a built-in physical keyboard, and common PC ports like USB connectors, many of the competitors will try to outdo it with these things. Lots of them will have some form of USB port, and a few will come with hidden keyboards that slide out or fold out somehow. Lenovo plans to ship an Android tablet that can optionally be used as a slide-in screen for a Windows laptop.
All this tablet competition is good news for consumers, but I urge you to study the landscape carefully and weigh your options before plunging into the new category.
—Find all of Walt Mossberg's columns and videos at the All Things Digital website, walt.allthingsd.com. Email him at mossberg@wsj.com.

FOOD: Best of SMOKED PHEASANT

NOBODY EVER TOLD ME

OSCARS SMOKEHOUSE, Warrensburg, NY
http://www.oscarssmokedmeats.com/

I will almost BET you have NEVER had SMOKED pheasant.  We have - out of a happy accident.  From visiting Oscars near lake George, NY.  It is worth it.  $8.00 each for 4 portions per person plus shipping = $32 per bird plus.  Pre cooked and just heat and serve.  I found an on line recipe that uses figs and Marsala wine sauce.  Yum.

Not on their regular on-line menu, contact them about getting the pheasant.  By the way, EVERYTHING they have is VERY good.
JA


By email:
oscars@nycap.rr.com
By telephone:
1-800-627-3431 (8AM to 6PM Eastern, 7 days a week)
By fax:
1-518-623-3982
By mail:
Oscar's Adirondack Mountain Smoke House
22 Raymond Lane
Warrensburg, NY 12885-1108

WINE: The Recession and Pricing

Self explanatory.
JA

• 

• BUSINESS
• JANUARY 20, 2011

Snooty? Not Today's Wine Drinkers

By DAVID KESMODEL

Bloomberg News

After trading down in the recession, many consumers are staying with lower-priced wines. The fastest-growing segment is $9-$12 a bottle. U.S. wineries are toasting improved health. But a rebound in the number of bottles sold is being undercut by the lower prices many consumers are paying.

Wine makers big and small have faced challenges since the 2008 financial crisis. Distributors and restaurants slashed inventories as business slowed and credit seized up. Many wine enthusiasts curbed spending as unemployment rose and home values and retirement accounts shrank.

The economic downturn was toughest for the U.S. wineries that sell wines for $20 a bottle and up. After switching to less-expensive wines in the downturn, many consumers are staying at those lower prices because they liked what they found, industry executives and analysts say.

Mid-priced bottles are the life of the party. Last year, unit sales of wines priced at $9 to $12 a bottle rose 12% in food, drug, convenience and other stores, a faster growth rate than in other price segments, according to market-research firm Nielsen Co.

"The market is looking for fairly priced wines," said Chris Howell, general manager at Cain Vineyard & Winery in St. Helena, Calif. Consumers "have woken up to the fact that there are a lot of choices out there." He said he doesn't expect consumers to pay the kinds of prices they paid before the economic downturn. "It's not ever going to be what it was," he said.

Nodding to the new mentality, the winery recently reduced the retail price of its Cain Five brand, a Cabernet blend, to $100 from $125 a bottle.  By volume, wine sales rose roughly 3% last year, improving on a 2% increase in 2009, according to preliminary estimates by industry consultant Jon Fredrikson of Gomberg, Fredrikson & Associates. Still, many small and mid-sized wineries in the fragmented market continue to sell labels at lower prices to woo consumers, squeezing revenue and profits.

"Things are picking up, but they are against terrible numbers," Mr. Fredrikson said.
Industry giant Constellation Brands Inc., whose stable includes the Robert Mondavi and Estancia labels, noted that the level of sales promotions in the industry was a bit higher in its third quarter ended Nov. 30 than it originally anticipated. Constellation disappointed investors earlier this month when it reported that its third-quarter U.S. sales volumes to retailers rose only 2%. In the second quarter, volumes were up 4%.
Constellation Chief Executive Rob Sands said in an interview that volume growth slowed because the company shifted holiday promotions to higher-priced brands like Mondavi from lower-priced brands. The core higher-priced brands have better profit margins, he said.

Mr. Sands said consumer demand for wine is "pretty robust," especially in supermarkets and club stores. But "you are seeing more discounting as you go up the price scale," especially in wines priced above $20 a bottle. "The consumer is seeing a lot of bargains."

Some wine shops say demand over the holidays was healthy. "Corporate gift-giving came back in a big way to us versus the last two years," said Daniel Posner, owner of Grapes the Wine Co. in White Plains, N.Y., which carries about 2,000 wines. Mr. Posner said his store's revenue increased about 25% last year, but the boost came against 2009 figures that were "way down."

Several industry executives said they're encouraged by a modest uptick in sales in restaurants. Restaurant-consulting firm Technomic Inc. projects wine sales in restaurants, bars and casinos to rise 1.4% this year, accelerating from growth of 0.8% in 2010.

Jordan Vineyard & Winery, whose wines are often found at high-end steakhouses, enjoyed a 5.5% increase in overall sales last year, and projects an increase of 6% to 7% this year, according to Chief Executive John Jordan. The Healdsburg, Calif., vintner's wines retail for between $28 and $55, and run anywhere from $65 to $125 per bottle in restaurants.

Mr. Jordan said he was so pleased by his company's performance last year that he bought each of his 100 employees an iPad tablet computer.  Industry-wide, though, restaurants are selling more wines by the glass and have cut some bottle prices on their wine lists.

The new year "will be a better year, but we are still going to stay lean," said Rick Small, owner of Woodward Canyon Winery, in Lowden, Wash., which sells most of its wine for about $50 a bottle.
Revenue at the 30-year-old winery, which employs about a dozen people, rose 10% last year after two straight years of declines.

But, Mr. Small said, "Until I see more people wanting to buy my wines, I'm not going to hire anybody." 

TV MUSIC - NEW BIG LOVE THEME

Just a quick one:  HBO's BIG LOVE had the Beach Boys Theme "God only knows" for the first three seasons.  Last year they turned to Anton Sanko to revise the music on the show.  The new theme is a REALLY infectious tune called "Home" by a group called the Engineers.  Just got it from iTunes.