HP, Acer, Lenovo eye Windows 8 tablets

Hewlett-Packard, Acer, and Lenovo, among others, are expected to bring out Windows 8 tablets using Intel's latest system-on-a-chip.

HP and Acer are working on designs, a source familiar with the vendors' plans told CNET. In addition, details leaked today about a Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2, which will also use Intel's Clover Trail system-on-a-chip (SoC).

These Intel-based Windows 8 designs are distinctly different from Windows RT tablets that will use ARMchips. Windows RT devices use a version of Windows 8 that does not offer backward-compatibility with the millions of existing Windows software programs. Intel-based systems offer that compatibility.

And this is likely just a small sampling of Intel-based Windows 8 tablets slated to hit on October 26, when Windows 8 launches. "We are... tracking more than 20 Windows 8 tablet designs based on our low-power and low-cost Clover Trail Atom SoC in addition to a number of core-based tablets," Intel's CEO Paul Otellini said on July 17.

Laptop-tablet hybrids, or so-called convertibles such as Asus' Taichi, are also expected. Taichi uses a faster but less power-efficient Intel Ivy Bridge chip, the same chip that powers ultrabooks and Apple's MacBook Air.

Throw the already announced Microsoft Surface Windows RT and Windows 8 Pro products into the mix, and it's obvious the market will get crowded quickly.

The ThinkPad Tablet 2 will sport a 10.1-inch IPS 1,366x768 display, weigh in at about 650 grams (1.4 pounds), have a thickness of 9.8mm (0.39 inches), and include an HSPA+broadband option, according to Techin5.

HP, Acer, and Lenovo declined to comment.

[Source: cnet]

Huawei to introduce 10.1-inch tablet PC in Russia and China

Huawei Technologies aims to expand its tablet PC product line. The firm plans to introduce the MediaPad 10 FHD with a 10.1-inch IPS screen that has a resolution of 1900 by 1200. The tablet PC, featuring Android 4.0.4, will be launched in Russia and China first.

Unlike most tablet PC makers that develop similar applications such as smartphones and notebooks, Huawei has been developing tablet PCs using its home appliance department. The firm hopes to integrate home appliances with the tablet PCs.

Huawei has been cooperating with Foxconn on OEM orders.

According to Huawei, MediaPad 10 FHD comes with a HiSilicon quad-core K3V2 1.5GHz processor and 2GB RAM. The product has a thickness of 8.8mm and weighs 598g. MediaPad 10 FHD will be introduced in Taiwan at the end of the fourth quarter.

Huawei has been dominating the set-top box (STB) market in India, Brazil and Mexico, an mainly focuses on cable TV and satellite STBs. The firm indicated that IP STBs are a development trend.

[Source: DigiTimes]

Sony 'Xperia Tablet' details leak - Tegra 3, splashproof glass and a keyboard cover

Since the launch of the Tablet S and Tablet P last year, little has been heard from Sony on the subject of future tablet plans. However, that changes today with the leak of a massive cache of slides detailing the company's next-generation "Xperia tablet." The slides first appeared in an XDA forum post, where the poster said the tablet would come to market in time for the holidays.The new tablet will be "positioned as part of the Xperia family," which includes Sony's range of Android smartphones. Externally, the leaked slides indicate a thinner, lighter design, while keeping the Tablet S's trademark "wedge" design and 9.4-inch screen size. Tentative specs list the thickness as 8.8mm at the bottom of the wedge, and 11.85 at the top. The device is said to weigh 570 grams, down from 598. And in contrast to the plastic chassis of Sony's earlier tablet, the new model will be constructed of anodized aluminum-magnesium alloy and splashproof glass. Screen resolution looks set to remain at 1280x800 pixels (WXGA).Internally, the Xperia tablet will apparently sport an NVIDIA Tegra 3 CPU with 16, 32 or 64GB of storage, and the camera specs have been bumped up to 1MP on the front and 8MP around the back. Battery life is estimated at 10 hours of Wifi browsing, on a 6000mAh battery. Interestingly, the OS version is marked as "ICS or later," suggesting the possibility that the Xperia tablet will ship with Jelly Bean at launch.In addition to Android 4-point-something, you can expect the full Sony Entertainment Network suite, including PlayStation support and access to the Sony Reader store for e-books. A range of third-party apps are mentioned in the slides too, including the likes of Netflix, Hulu, Picasa, Box.net, Skype and Facebook, which may be pre-loaded.A range of accessories is promised too, including stands, carrying cases, and a Microsoft Surface-style keyboard cover (though there's no indication of whether this works the same as Microsoft's offering). Tentative pricing starts at $449.99 for the 16GB version. 32GB is set for $549.99, and 64GB for $649.99.With the IFA show just around the corner, and Sony confirmed to be in attendance, we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for a possible unveiling in Berlin late next month. For more details, check the slides after the break.

[Source: Android Central]

Samsung 11.8 inch tablet revealed in court documents

Dozens of Apple and Samsung products are being leaked to the public in the blockbuster patent trial that got started in San Jose, Calif., today. The latest of these leaks comes from court documents that show Samsung might be working on an 11.8 inch tablet with Retina display, according to The Verge.Codenamed "P10," this tablet would reportedly have LTE connectivity, 2560 x 1600 resolution, and a pixel density of 256 ppi, according to The Verge. This is much bigger than the iPad tablet, which currently features a 9.5 inch screen, 2048 x 1536 resolution, and a pixel density of 264 ppi...

[Source: To read the full article visit CNET News]

Nexus 7 accessory lineup leaks, POGO dock and premium leather case coming soon

Since the release of the Nexus 7 there hasn't been all that many official accessories made available for it and those that have appeared, disappeared just as fast. There is clearly more on the way though as shown off in some leaked documents from Nordic Hardware.

As you may have noticed, there is pogo pins on the side of the Nexus 7. They were always assumed to accommodate a dock and with the leak we're now getting a look at said dock that has a microUSB charging port, a 3.5MM line out jack and is “perfectly-angled for better movie and photo viewing, browsing, and email.”  When can you get one? August 24th if the info is accurate for $50.

If you're not really feeling the current case offerings for the Nexus 7, no matter. There is apparently more on the way. A premium leather version of the official Nexus 7 cover is shown to be arriving August 31st for $39.99 in 4 different colors. That's all in addition to more color offerings for the original grey cover. If you want to see more, look below but of course given they are leaked documents, we'll have to wait and see what shows up when.

[Source: Android Central]

iPhone 5 and iPad Mini to be Announced on September 12th with iPhone 5 Release soon after

iMore reports that they have heard that the next generation iPhone, new iPod nano, and all new 7.85" iPad mini will be announced on September 12th. They also pinpoint the actual launch date for the next iPhone as September 21, 2012. iMore has heard that Apple is planning to debut the new iPhone at a special event on Wednesday, September 12, 2012, with the release date to follow 9 days later on Friday, September 21. This information comes from sources who have proven accurate in the past. The next-generation iPhone, which is frequently referred to as the "iPhone 5", is expected to have a taller 4" screen as shown in the above photo. Rumors have also suggested the inclusion of high speed LTE wireless networking.   While we generally refer to the next iPhone as the "iPhone 5", if Apple follows the example of their most recent iPad release, they may drop the numbering scheme with every new iPhone release. The 3rd generation iPad was simply called "the new iPad" in all press materials. Similarly, it seems likely that Apple will simply refer to the next iPhone as "the new iPhone".   While the 7.85" iPad mini has been long rumored, there has been a notable increase in the frequency and volume of rumors related to the product. The smaller iPad is believed to help Apple fill a cheaper price point in their tablet lineup.   iMore has been an accurate source of release date information in the past. They previously pinpointed the iPad 3 launch date as well as pre-order date for the iPhone 4S.

[Source: Mac Rumours]

Is This The 10-Inch BlackBerry PlayBook?

Photos of what could be the 10-inch version of BlackBerry’s PlayBook tablet have surfaced on Vietnamese forum Tinhte.  If real, the tablet looks very much the same as its smaller, 7-inch brother, with a simple, black design, relatively wide bezel and a BlackBerry logo on the bottom.  The device sports a SIM card slot and a sign that says “BlackBerry4G PlayBook,” which imply cellular connectivity of the fastest order. Other than that, no specifications have been revealed.  Check out many more photos of the device over at Tinhte, including a comparison with the 7-inch PlayBook and several photos of the device’s insides.

[Source: Mashable]

Huawei reveals the Mediapad 7 Lite, exact specs a mystery

What we see here is the latest Android device to emerge from Huawei, the Mediapad 7 Lite. We'd love to be able to run through the full list of specifications, but as yet very little has been revealed about this tablet. From the press shots it appears to be running pretty much stock Ice Cream Sandwich, but otherwise it's a pretty mysterious device thus far.  What we do know about the device is that the 7-inch IPS display will be capable of full HD video playback. Additionally, the Mediapad 7 Lite will be a metal unibody construction, house a rear facing camera, and be capable of 3G cellular voice, SMS and MMS. 7-inch phone anybody? Otherwise, we know nothing of the processor, the RAM, on-board storage.   It looks really well designed, and packing cellular features could potentially make it a bit of a hit. We'll have to sit tight for the time being though, as there is no indication of launch date, price, or which markets will be seeing it. 

[Source: Android Central]

Google Nexus 7 available at Carphone Warehouse from 26th of July

Wanting to get your hands on the Google Nexus 7 in the UK, but come up empty-handed so far? Carphone Warehouse sends word that it'll be stocking the highly-anticipated (and highly-demanded) Jelly Bean tablet from this Friday, July 27. Carphone's only stocking the more expensive 16GB version, which retails for £199.99 in the UK. That's also the version that's currently sold out on Google Play, so if you want to get hold of a 16GB Nexus 7 in Old Blighty, this may be your best bet.  In addition to the option to buy an N7 outright, Carphone is also offering the ASUS-made tablet on a tethered contract, which includes a Mifi and an (undisclosed) data allowance. Normally we'd say you'd have to be a bit mad to pick up a tablet on-contract with a mobile operator, but if you're after a Mifi anyway, you could certainly do worse than picking yourself up a free Android 4.1 tablet in the process. Prices on the tethered contracts are said to start at £20.50 per month.

[Source: Android Central … Click to read full story]

Asus Transformer Pad Infinity set for UK Launch August 31st

The Asus Transformer Pad Infinity, already out in the US as well as other parts of Europe, has finally been priced and dated for the UK market. It'll be available from Amazon UK on August 31st in 32GB or 64GB configurations, with an asking price of £599.99 (around $930). It's unclear what exactly you'll get for your money right now — Engadget reports the £599.99 price is for a 64GB model with included keyboard dock, while Phandroid maintains it's for a 32GB tablet.  No matter which site turns out to be correct, it's safe to say that the Transformer Pad Infinity is one of the more expensive tablets around — so what will you get for your money? Well, there's a 1920 x 1200 10.1-inch Super-IPS+ display, a quad-core Tegra 3 SoC clocked at 1.6GHz, 1GB of DDR3 RAM, and, of course, the keyboard dock accessory, which transforms the tablet into an Android-powered laptop. The Transformer Pad Infinity will arrive with Android 4.0 installed, and Asus has confirmed that its tablet will get an update to Jelly Bean in "the coming months."

[Source: The Verge]

Nexus 7 Stupid Hard to Unbox

This video is so so funny… seems that the Google Nexus 7 is in the hands of many, but takes a LOT of extra effort to actually get in your hands. Check out the video to see exactly what people are having to go through.

Google Nexus 7 Tablet Outed

Google were just about to start their Google IO 2012 Keynote and they outed their new Nexus 7 tablet early. Here it is.