The top 11 tablets you can buy today

Unless you've opted for a pocket-busting phone, you can probably still see the utility of having a tablet to handle books, movies or even a bit of on-the-go productivity. There are plenty of options for different budgets, and we've lined up our top picks to help you find your next. Dell's sharp new Venue 8 7000 nails the visuals with its high-res OLED screen and RealSense 3D camera, while the obvious choice for powerful, portable computing is still Microsoft's Surface Pro 3. Apple retains a top spot in the tablet world with its slim and speedy iPad Air 2 (we're still championing the last-gen iPad mini 2 over its higher-priced successor). Gamers have an option too, with NVIDIA's powerful Shield Android tablet. You can check out the full rundown in our complete buyer's guide, but if you just want to quickly flip through some of the best tablets on the market, head to the gallery below.

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Microsoft Band update lets you type replies and track your cycling

Thanks to a big update, Microsoft's Band just got considerably more useful -- whether or not you're a fan of the company's push into health. For a start, there's a swipe-capable predictive keyboard that lets you type out replies at those times when you'd rather not use voice or reach for the phone in your pocket. There's also a new cycling mode that optimizes the fitness tracking for your two-wheeled adventures. Studying your performance after the fact is easier, too. The Microsoft Health web front end provides both more data and better summaries of what you're looking at, and Band will sync to both Microsoft's own HealthVault and MapMyFitness if you prefer either of them.

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Google Wallet to come pre-installed on phones for major carriers

In an ironic turn, Google is now partnering with AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile to bring its Google Wallet mobile payment app to their Android phones later this year. Yes, those are the same carriers who made life pretty difficult for Google with their own payment solution, Softcard (formerly called Isis). The real point of this deal: Wallet will be pre-installed on Android phones running KitKat or higher, which makes it far more likely that people will actually use it. Google's also acquiring some technology and intellectual property from Softcard, though it's unclear what exactly it's getting. Sure, it feels as if we're in the mobile payments Twilight Zone -- Softcard was the main reason Google couldn't bring Wallet to every single Android phone. But now that Apple Pay is taking off (even the US government wants in on the action), and Samsung is gearing up for its own wallet by buying LoopPay, Google has to do something to rev up its own mobile payment action. And that starts with making Google Wallet a default feature, rather than being an app people have to discover and install on their own.

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