Most people use their tablets for gaming and in domestic environments, in contrast to the notion that they are used as mobile devices, a Google survey has found.

The survey found that most people use tablets at night.

A whopping 82 per cent of people use their tablets in domestic environments, according to the survey, which did not investigate the tablet brands people tend to use, but predicts that iPads might be the most popular device. Samsung Galaxy Tab may also be present in the sample in sizable quantity.

The survey says 38 per cent people use tablets for more than two hours; whereas 30 per cent use these devices for between one and two hours. Only 11 per cent of respondents said they use tablets as mobile devices.

By that logic, tablet use during weekends should have been high, which is not the case. Tablets are left alone during the weekends.

The notion that tablets are known to be made for consuming rather than creating content is likely to change as these devices evolve and their market size increases. The situation right now suggests that tablets serve as toys for bigger kids. Most people haven’t replaced their personal computers with tablets yet. At the same time, mobility seems to be the reason why people buy tablets.

About 43 per cent of respondents said they use tablets more than laptops, so tablets definitely have their own space in people’s lifestyles.

Gaming companies have to work hard to sell their gaming devices to users. The same cannot be said about Apple, which has already sold close to 15 million iPads since its launch last year. Hard core gaming is more advanced than tablet gaming, as people are more in favour of convenience than quality.

The tablet trend has caught on with Acer too. The company’s new management has decided to shift its focus to the segment. Acer had previously focused its attention on boosting shipments of laptops to generate more revenue.

Acer’s chairman JT Wang also said that the company will concentrate on creating more value for customers instead of driving volume. For users it means products will be better, but that they will be more expensive as well. Going forward, Acer also intends to recruit more research and development talent.

Due to the razor thin margins that Acer operates on, market observers are concerned that the company may not be able to afford more research and development expenses. Acer, on the other hand, believes the growth in its revenue will offset the increased R&D expenses.

“It is no longer meaningful for Acer to pursue growth in sales volumes. The company should from now on focus on upgrading its profit margins,” Acer’s founder was quoted as saying in the Financial Times.

Acer will manufacture a Windows 8 tablet in association with Microsoft, and sees in it a huge opportunity for growth.

The movement of Acer in the tablet market has been slower than expected, especially considering the response of Dell and Hewlett-Packard. These two companies are not that directly affected by reduced personal computer sales, but have still responded well to the challenge thrown by Apple.

The situation has not always been the same at Acer. The company, which was an impressive success once, was caught off guard by the arrival of tablet PCs, and by the decreasing sales of netbooks. The resignation of its chief executive officer Gianfranco Lanci in March this year only underlines the problems the laptop maker is facing.

Following the recent launch of the Galaxy Tab 8.9 tablet computer, Samsung has unveiled the WiFi version of its Galaxy Tab 7.

The WiFi only version of the Galaxy Tab 7 has all the features of the normal 3G version tablet with a seven inch display, Android 2.2 Froyo operating system, a three Megapixel rear camera and a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera for video chats.

With the addition of another variant, the Galaxy Tab 7 customers have now the much needed choice to choose from.

As of now this tablet is only announced for the US market but can be launched in India in the coming months. The tablet would cost around $350 or around Rs 18,000 in India.

Intel has unveiled its Atom processors designed for tablets PCs which includes Intel AtomTM Z670 Processor and Intel SM35 Express Chipset platform, formerly codenamed “Oak Trail,”.

A range of tablets and form factors were also unveiled at a function in China.

In total about 35 tablets are expected to become available with Oak Trail chips starting in May from companies like Lenovo, Fujitsu, Samsung and Motion Computing. Oak Trail tablets are expected to be shown at the Intel Developer Forum show in Beijing this week.

The devices will ship with Android, Windows 7 and MeeGo operating systems.

Intel claims that the new Atom family is also suited for a range of portable embedded designs such as mobile clinical assistants, ruggedised industrial tablets and portable point-of-sale systems.

Intel, which is the biggest in the laptop and PC processor space, has been a laggard in rapidly growing tablet and smartphone space, which is currently lead by ARM, Nvidia and Qualcomm.

The main reason cited for this was the higher power consumption of Atom processors. With this launch Intel claims to have addressed the issue. In the recent past Intel has also bought some start ups to bolster development of its tablet and smartphone chips.

Intel is also said to be developing another next-generation chip for tablets, Cloverview, as part of its on going strategy to make its Atom processors more power-efficient.

The chip will be built using a 32-nanometer manufacturing process, which will lower power consumption.

There are two more 32 nm Atom-based chips that Intel is developing. The company’s “Cedar Trail chip” is being built for netbooks, while Medfield is meant for low-end smartphones and tablets.