The Federal Communications Commission wants to know what kind of internet speed you’re getting. Is it close to the speeds your ISP advertises? Are download and upload speeds different in different parts of the country?

The agency has a web-based speed test at Broadband.gov. But you’ll need to install Java and enter your home address to use that app. Or you can download the FCC’s Broadband Quality Test app for iPhone, iPod touch, or Android and run the test in a matter of seconds.

I took both mobile versions for a spin at mobiputing and they’re actually pretty handy mobile apps, especially if you want to see if your router is giving you different speeds in different locations, or if your mobile phone provider offers better service in some parts of your home town than others.

I’d recommend running the app a few times though. I’ve never met an internet speed test that didn’t give dramatically different answers each time you ran it. The image above shows the same test running on the same home network just seconds apart.

via Engadget

Ruslan Kogan is more than just an Australian with an electronics company named after him. He’s the guy who brought us the Kogan Agora netbook based on community input, and who didn’t quite bring us the Kogan Agora cheap, unlocked Android-powered smartphone. So what’s net for Kogan? a $200 tablet running Google Android that looks like it’s set to undercut the Apple iPad (on pricing, if not necessarily features).

And that’s $200 Australian, we’re talking about, which means that the Kogan tablet could sell for as little as $180 US, if it ever comes to the US. Although to be honest, it’s not entirely clear if it will even be released in Australia at this point.

Kogan is showing off a prototype with a 600MHz ARM-based processor, a 7 inch, 800 x 480 pixel capacitive touchscreen display, 2GB of storage, and 512MB of RAM.

The tablet also has an HDMI output. Kogan tells APC Magazine that the demo unit can run Android, Ubuntu Linux, or Windows — although I’m assuming he means Windows CE, since you can’t run the desktop version of Windows on an ARM-based processor.

via Engadget

The Loongson processor isn’t exactly common in the west. But this CPU developed in China is likely to start showing up on a growing number of Chinese notebooks — not to mention the Emtec Gdium Liberty netbook. Right now, most Loongson-based notebooks run Linux. But China’s Lemote Technology is working on porting GOogle Android to run on the platform.

Yes, I know Android is based on Linux too, but it’s not exactly typical Linux distribution. It’s designed for smartphones and has its own software infrastructure which means it can’t run common Linux Apps such as OpenOffice.org or Firefox. But it does have a speedy Webkit-based web browser and a growing marketplace of applications, even if you typically don’t get access to the full Android Market unless you’re using Android on a smartphone.

Computer World reports that Lemote already has a demo version of Android that people with Loongson-powered netbooks can download to test.

BYD is showing off a series of netbooks and tablets at CeBIT in Germany, and jkkmobile shot a little video with a few of the most interesting models. You can check out his videos below, but here’s a quick rundown of what he found:

BYD M09AS netbook

On paper, this netbook looks a bit like a throwback to 2008. It has an 8.9 inch. 1024 x 600 pixel display and an Intel Atom Z5xx series processor and GMA 500 graphics. It’s available with either a 16GB/32GB SSD or a 1.8″ hard drive, and it has a 2 cell, 3200mAh battery.

But the M09AS is very thin and has a nice looking metal case and keyboard. It also packs 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth, and a 3G module.

Instead of a standard touchpad, there’s an optical mouse which takes up less space.

BYD Alice tablet with Tegra

This tablet features an 8.9 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display and NVIDIA’s Tegra chipset, which combines a low power ARM-based processor with a graphics processor capable of handling HD video and some 3D graphics.

The BYD Alice runs either Google Android or Windows CE. The tablet has Bluetooth and WiFi built in, plus a PCIe interface for a 3G modem or other components. It will be available with either 8GB or 16GB of flash storage.

BYD T10BPT tablet

The T10BPT is a 10.1 inch tablet with a 1024 x 600 pixel multitouch display. It has a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 2.5″ hard drive. The tablet supports 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth, and 3G mobile broadband and has a 4 cell, 47Whr battery.

There’s also an HDMI output, which is odd for a computer with GMA 3150 graphics. This tablet runs Windows 7.

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The Skytone Alpha 400 was one of the dirt cheap mini-laptops with an Xburst processor and a choice of Linux or Windows CE. We’ve seen dozens, if not hundreds of these little guys with Xburst or ARM-based CPUs over the past few years. But Charbax from ArmDevices spotted one of the most intriguing models I’ve seen to date at CeBIT.

The new Skytone Alpha from MAG Digital has an ARM11 processor and runs Google Android 1.6. It has a 7 inch, 800 x 480 pixel display. But the cool part is that there’s a swivel that lets you rotate the screen 180 degrees and fold it down over the keyboard. So you can use the computer as a tablet or a laptop.

The device has WiFi, 2 USB ports, an SD card slot, mic and headphone jacks, and a TV output (although I didn’t recognize the connector, so I can’t say what kind of video out you get).

The battery is only good for about two hours, and the touchpad is rather tiny and features buttons on the left and right sides. What’s a bit unusual is that unlike other Android computes I’ve seen, the touchpad isn’t just good for scrolling through Android menus — there’s actually a cursor that shows up on screen.

On the sides of the touchscreen display, there’s also a directional pad and four buttons that you can use for playing games.

There’s no word on the final pricing, since Skytone is the OEM, not the end distributor. Theoretically it could sell for $200 to $250, but it has to come to market first.

You can check out charbax’s hands-on video after the break.

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Chinese PC maker HiVision has a tendency to pump out cheap mini-computers that we never see in the US. But that doesn’t stop them from showing up at trade shows. The company is on-hand at CeBIT in Germany this week, and jkkmobile spotted an interesting 7 inch tablet that could sell for as little as $100… in China anyway. No word on whether any Western distributors plan to pick this little guy up.

The tablet runs Google Android and has a 7 inch, 800 x 480 pixel resistive touchscreen display and an 800MHz ARM11-based processor. It comes with 2GB of storage, 256MB of RAM, 802.11b/g WiFi. You can add Bluetooth, 3G, and GPS support with USB peripherals. The batter is 4200mAh which should provide up to 6 hours of run time.

Spec-wise, it’s hardly the most exciting tablet we’ve seen. But it’s one of the cheapest.

Video after the break, courtesy of jkkmobile.

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The Archos 5 Internet Tablet is the first Google Android powered tablet from Archos, a company best known for making MP3 players and portable media players. And at it’s core, the Archos 5 Internet tablet is a pretty good media player. It offers all the features you would expect including excellent audio and video playback capabilities and access to online media and files stored on your home network. It even has a built in FM radio tuner.

But what makes the Archos 5 Internet Tablet special is the underlying operating system which allows you to run thousands of Android applications. Out of the box, the tablet has a few Android apps installed including the Android web browser and the eBuddy instant message client. A few hundred more are available from the AppsLib app store. But with a little tweaking you can install the full Android Market, granting you access to many of the 16,000+ applications available for Google Android smartphones.

All this without the need to sign up for a contract with a mobile broadband provider. The lack of a service plan alone would make the Archos 5 one of the cheapest devices to run Google Android, since most Android Smartphones will end up costing you thousands of dollars over a 2 year contract. But with prices ranging between $250 and $500, this Android powered WiFi slate is truly one of the most affordable internet tablets around.

The folks at Archos were kind enough to lend me an internet tablet to review. The demo unit I received has 32GB of storage, an 800MHz ARM Cortex-A8 CPU, 256MB of RAM, 802/11b/g/n WiFi, a USB port, and runs Android 1.6 plus some custom Archos software. You can read the complete review at mobiputing.

2010 is shaping up to be the year of the tablet. And by tablets, I generally mean 5 to 10 inch computers with touchscreen displays and no keyboard. Some run Windows. Others run Google’s Android operating system or custom Linux distributions. And the elephant in the room is the upcoming iPad which will run a version of the iPhone operating system.

But I don’t mean to imply that 2010 will be the year of the tablets the way 2009 was the year of the netbook. Because that would imply that this is going to be a hugely popular product category and that sales will be through the roof. We don’t know if that’s going to happen yet. The truth is, there aren’t very many tablets available for purchase at the moment. Many won’t be out until mid-year. And it’s not at all certain what people are looking for in a tablet — or if they’re even looking for devices in between a smartphone and netbook/notebook at all.

What I do mean is that dozens, if not hundreds of companies are busy pumping to new products to compete in this space. There’s a huge variety of tablet-style products making the rounds at trade shows and other events. It’s not clear how many will see the light of day, but here’s a roundup of a few new tablet-style devices I’ve spotted in the last few days:

Huawei SmaKit S7 Android tablet

This 7 inch touchscreen device showed up at Mobile World Congress recently, where Charbax from Armdevices.net got a chance to check it out. You can watch his video overview after the break, but the hardware looks pretty decent, and the Android operating system has been skinned and customized to give you access to several different home screens for entertainment,web, communications, and so forth.

The tablet can handle 720p HD video playback on its 800 x 480 pixel display or on an external display with an HDMI output. It has integrated 3G capabilities allowing it to function as a phone, and you can use a Bluetooth headset with it. You should also be able to access the Android Market to download and install pretty much any Android app. It’s currently running Android 1.6, but a version with Android 2.1 should be available later.

There’s also a docking station for connecting external devices through USB and audio/video ports.The SmaKit S7 should be available toward the middle of the year… somewhere.

Video after the break, as well as details on two other new tablets.

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The upcoming Dell Mini 5 has all the makings of a great smartphone. It has a powerful 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, 3G connectivity, a multitouch touchscreen display, and the ability to last most of the day on a charge, and Google’s Android operating system. There’s just one catch: It’s kind of huge for a smartphone, thanks to the 4.8 inch, 800 x 480 pixel display.

You can hold the Mini 5 like a phone and make calls. And at 8 ounces, hopefully you won’t strain your arm while doing so. But it will look a bit like you’re holding a small book up to your head rather than a phone.

The folks at Engadget got a chance to spend some time with a pre-production version of the Mini 5, and they were pretty impressed with the form factor and performance.

But there are still a few issues to work out. Right now it’s running Google Android 1.6, which is starting to look a bit dated. And the Mini 5 has very limited support for video codecs… even more limited than other Android devices at the moment. Both of those things could change by the time the Mini 5 is available for purchase.

The bigger question is whether people are going to buy the Mini 5 instead of a smartphone, or in addition to one? Or would you rather just pick up a WiFi-only dedicated internet tablet with Google Android like the Archos 5? Archos is expected to launch two new tablets at CeBIT in March, including a 7 inch tablet and… something else.

Charbax at Arm Devices has posted a video review of the Hivision PWS700CA, an ARM-based min-laptop running Google Android. The device has a 600MHz ARM-based CPU, 128MB of RAM, and a 7 inch, 800 x 480 pixel display. It supports WiFi and Ethernet connections and can handle 720p HD video playback. It also weighs just about 1.4 pounds.

The Hivision netbook is designed to be dirt cheap. But I think Charbax gets a bit carried away when he hears the prices of OEM devices from Chinese manufacturers like Hivision. Just because Hivision is charging distributors about $98 for the equipment doesn’t mean we’ll ever see the mini-laptop sold for under $100. Still, the PWS700CA could certainly be rebranded and sold for under $200.

The browser seems pretty responsive. But the user interface is clearly designed for a touchscreen device like a phone, not a laptop with a touchpad or mouse. Out of the box there’s no support for the Google Android Marketplace for third party applications. But Hivision has created their own app store with access to a handful of programs that can run on the device.

You can check out Charbax’s video after the break.

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