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Apple has pushed iOS 5.0 beta 5 out to developers, the latest test release of the company’s upcoming OS upgrade. Although many of the features are already known – having been announced back at WWDC 2011 - the new software includes some well-hidden extras, like the well-rumored Nuance-powered speech recognition believed to be called Apple “Assistant”. The full change log, shared by BGR, suggests that users can register multiple iCloud accounts to a single iOS 5 device, while wireless synchronization – which allows you to avoid plugging in via USB and instead sync with iTunes over WiFi – is now enabled to Windows users as well as Mac. There are also various bug-fixes and tweaks, with developers having reported issues from previous betas, though plenty of places where Apple is still doing work prior to the official release later in the year. As for Apple Assistant, the company has gone to great extents to keep it from being spotted by prying eyes. A new microphone button has been added ne

HP has offered TouchPad early-adopters a $50 App Catalog credit, in an attempt to stem the tide of ill-feeling after the company discounted the webOS slate so soon after it went on sale. The voucher is available to anybody who bought their TouchPad in the US between July 1 and August 4. Meanwhile, the first feedback on the success of TouchPad price cuts has emerged, with the news that Woot’s sale – which saw the 16GB versioncut down by $120 - saw 612 tablets sold. That’s perhaps fewer than might have been expected; back in mid-July, when Woot offered the 32GB Motorola XOOM, it shifted 2288. Still, it’s not as though Honeycomb slates are a guaranteed best-seller: when the XOOM went back on sale again the following day at the retailer, a less impressive 98 were shifted. [via Carrypad] HP is unlikely to reveal full sales statistics for the promotions through Staples, Best Buy and its own web store, and with no official numbers as to how many TouchPad units are in the wild, it may be diffi

The Vizio Tablet is a pleasant surprise. Vizio is known more for affordable TVs and it has entered the tablet market with a similar value-oriented mindset, offering an 8-inch Android slate that delivers a well thought out consumer-centric experience along with unique features that even the most discriminating tablet enthusiasts can appreciate. It has its drawbacks, but if you’re budget-conscious and want to find your first tablet that’s the best bang for the buck, then do read on for our full review. Hardware >When it comes to the hardware specs, the Vizio Tablet isn’t going to blow your mind given its cost constraints. But, what’s there has been thoughtfully selected for the least amount of compromise. The 1GHz Marvell Armada 600 Series single-core processor, along with 512MB of RAM, offers enough performance power without the battery drain, but we’ll get into the benchmarks and battery life later. The tablet measures 6.6” x 8.1” and is about 0.48” thick, weighing 1.2lbs. The edges

Earlier this week, I was talking to a friend about an HDTV he was planning to buy. He told me that he went down to Best Buy and looked over all the products the store had on display. After talking to a salesperson and looking at the pictures of all the televisions, he decided on a 55-inch Sony LCD. I was somewhat surprised by the decision. Although Sony delivers relatively nice HDTVs, it’s by no means a leader in that market. As far as I’m concerned, consumers would be far happier with a Panasonic plasma or an LCD option from Vizio or Samsung. Whenever I’m asked for my recommendations on televisions, I never mention a Sony product. However, my friend’s decision to buy a Sony set got me thinking. I remember a time when Sony was arguably the most innovative and quality-conscious company competing for the consumer’s dollar. But as of late, I haven’t seen much of that when it comes to the firm’s products in the living room. As mentioned, I’m not too keen on Sony televisions. And anyone wit

How much did you pay for your tablet? If you picked up an HP TouchPad in the past day or so, you could have shaved anything up to $200 off the list price for the webOS slate, as HP and its retail partners kick off a round of aggressive discounting. It’s a risky way to boost sales: the TouchPad is a mere month into the market and met with mixed reviews, and it would be easy to see this as HP’s tablet project falling flat on its touchscreen face. Reactions from industry watchers and consumers were mixed, with plenty seeing the negative in HP’s strategy. Comments to the discounting included suggestions that even $299.99 would be $299.98 too much for the TouchPad, that webOS had shown its inherent shortcomings, and that HP had spat in the face of early-adopters by running price promotions so soon after launch. "Comparable deals suggest this was strategy, albeit one fueled by desperation" This wasn’t some spare pallet of TouchPad refurbs Woot was offering, though, quickly burned t