Sony announces the quad-core, 10-inch Tablet Z

Sony Mobile has announced the Android 4.1-powered Xperia Tablet Z, right as we expected them to do so. The specs also match last week's rumors, with a few extra surprises thrown in. The Tablet Z comes equipped with a 10.1-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) display complete with the Mobile Bravia Engine 2, 2 GB of RAM, 32 GB of on device storage, a microSD card slot, NFC, and an 8.1 MP Exmor R camera. Providing the juice for all this is the Qualcomm quad-core APQ8064 processor clocked at 1.5 GHz, with an LTE modem on board for the ride. As rumored, the Tablet Z is also extremely thin (6.9 mm) as well as water and dust proof like it's slightly smaller cousin the Xperia Z.

What we don't know is pricing and availability. Hopefully we get word at Mobile World Congress next month if not earlier. We'll keep an eye out and let you know when Sony has anything further to tell us all. We've got a picture of the rear after the break.

[Source: AndroidCentral]

Quad-core chips rumored for 2014 Apple mobile products

If a research note from Citigroup analyst J.T. Hsu is any indication, Apple is working with Taiwan-based chip manufacturer TSMC on quad-core chipsthat could be worked into future products such as the iPad and MacBooks in 2014.

According to a report on China Economic News Service (CENS), Hsu noted that Apple began verifying TSMC's 20-nanometer process this past August and may begin some limited-risk production in November. Full production of the more efficient, yet powerful chips would be expected in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Hsu notes that Apple began development of quad-core processors in 2010 after acquiring fabless chip company Intrincity. Apple would move manufacturing of the chip to Taiwanese supply chains consisting of TSMC, Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. and Kinsus Interconnect Technology Corporation.

This move all boils down to costs; Hsu thinks the Taiwanese manufacturers could produce the chips for about 10 percent less than Apple's main chip supplier at the present time -- Samsung. Quoting the CENS post, "Hsu ascribed Samsung's higher cost in the production of Apple processors mostly to the company's inefficiency."

[Source: TUAW]

LG phone with quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro arriving this fall

Qualcomm is announcing a partnership with LG to deliver a new quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro-based phone this fall, launching first in Korea in September. While LG hasn’t officially announced anything, this is almost certainly the rumored Optimus G; a device said to have 2GB of RAM, a 13-megapixel camera, and a 4.7-inch 720p IPS LCD display. Interestingly, LG is said to be leveraging its own subsidiaries to build a quad-core phone exactly to company chairman Koo Bon-Moo's specficiations; a phone with the same early fall release window. Judging by what we've seen from the company's recent Optimus 4X HD, our interest is definitely piqued.

AnandTech confirms that LG's as-yet-unnamed device will contain Qualcomm’s benchmark-crushing APQ8064 quad-core SoC including the Adreno 320 GPU, combined with an MDM9615 baseband chip, pointing out that this is the same combination going into Xiamoi’s China-only Mi2 smartphone. If Xiamoi sticks to its October release window, odds are good that LG's new device will be the world's first phone with the APQ8064.

[Source: The Verge]