Seasoned tech blogger. Host of the Tech Addicts podcast.
At the end of 2011 Google introduced their third Nexus phone and second collaboration with Samsung. Making headlines this device has proved to be one of the important phones of the year and yet another contender to know the iPhone from the mantle. Has Google and Samsung hit a home run or is this their a lacklustre hardware attempt to unleash the latest version of Google’s mobile phone platform, Android?
It’s Gareth, Matt and James this week looking at the Blackberry Curve 9380 and the HTC Explorer. Also a bunch of new updates for tablets, a new JCB phone and Matt impresses all with his knowledge of OLED TV’s.
LG has been really stepped up their game on OLED technology. Apparently, Google sees some potential here. A new report from Bloomberg suggests that Google and LG are in talks to potentially partner up on a Nexus-style TV. Basically they are considering developing a Google TV-powered HDTV together in order to compete directly with Apple if Apple does indeed come out with some type of Apple TV. This would also be a boon for Google’s fledgling Google TV efforts, as it would provide a Nexus-style Google branded piece of hardware that consumers could identify with, like the Nexus phones for Android.
In fact, LG just showcased a brand new OLED 55-Inch TV at CES recently that features some Google software powering it. This is something to watch out for!
Posted by: Gareth
Now, here is some exciting news for Xoom owners… Motorola has begun pushing a new update out to the Xoom for users in the soaktest, and it isn’t just a series of bug fixes and feature improvements like a typical update. This is the full on Android 4.0/Ice Cream Sandwich update! Soon, these lucky folks will be running with the latest and greatest from Google, and then, barring any big issues, they will be sending it out OTA for everyone else too! It won’t be long now!
Source: XoomForums via AndroidPolice
Posted by: Gareth
According to their press release, Huawei is sticking to a fast Android OS upgrade special for their MediaPad Android tablets. They indicate that starting toward the end of the first quarter all new MediaPads will come pre-loaded with Ice Cream Sandwich, and all older ones will receive the ICS update not long after that, still during the first quarter. They also added that their new line of MediaPad tablets will add shadow black, classic brown, and passion pink to their current colour scheme. Here’s the full press release below:
Razer have shown off a concept at CES that will easily excite a few PC gaming fanatics out there. Call Project Fiona, this is the first gaming tablet. Despite the fact that Project Fiona is a concept, Razer does plan to release the product. Reports suggest that it is targeting a Q4 2012 launch, priced under $1,000 (£650). Razer said that other gaming tablets are suitable for casual titles, but the limited navigation and control capabilities make them "impossible for hardcore PC gaming".
"Adapted from a full featured PC gamepad, Project Fiona’s integrated dual controllers coupled with its advanced multi-touch screen are designed to make complex game navigation ergonomic and intuitive without compromising on the portability of the tablet," said the firm on its website.
"You’ll be able to carry out headshots and command troops in-game with ease. This first-of-its-kind PC gaming tablet with integrated dual controllers is definitely not for playing casual games about unhappy birds or zombie-killing flora."
Check out the videos below:
Asus certainly isn’t slowing down with their Android tablets. Not only have they been hard at work to bring ICS to their line-up, they are also going to be adding more to their line-up. They just revealed at CES that they will offer a higher-end version of the new Transformer Prime, called the Tranformer Prime TF700T. (The illustration picture is simply the regular Transformer Prime since Asus has not provide any different pics for this new version.) Many of the specs are similar, but their are some notable exceptions detailed below:
Gareth and Tracy share in James’ excitement as he reveals the details of the latest update for the Blackberry Playbook OS. A new tablet from Orange raised some concerns and ZTE’s first Windows Phone 7 phone makes it’s debut.
Toshiba has pre-announced plans to release two new tablets at CES this year. One is going to be the exact opposite of their previous outing. The Toshiba Thrive is super-packed with tons of features, but those extra features came at the price of making the tablet notoriously thick. One of the new Toshiba tablets debuting at CES this year will go the opposite route. We have shared a few rumour articles previously about the Excite AT200, but now we have a few more interesting details about the device. Here’s a breakdown:
Supposedly, they will also be unveiling a second tablet that is even more mysterious. This other tab will reportedly be waterproof (or water-resistant), will have a 7-inch OLED display, and use a Qualcomm processor. Above is a screenshot of the back of the super-thin Excite. Intriguing.
Posted by: Gareth
This is an interesting rumour, in which Google’s own Eric Schmidt let slip the possibility of a Google branded Nexus-style tablet. According to this latest rumour, Google really is working on some form of a Nexus-Style Google branded tablet, and it may be coming to market as early as the end of Q1 2012. The tablet will be a 7-inch product and is actually designed to offer up an alternative to the Amazon Kindle Fire instead of compete directly with Apple’s iPad series. The rumour-mill further suggests that the pricing will be competitive with Amazon’s product as well, and should retail for around $199.99 in American Dollars, from America.
Right now, this Intel is highly speculative, and in fact, Google Taiwan already released a statement indirectly refuting it. They indicated that Google Taiwan has "never heard about plans of launching an own-brand tablet PC". Of course, this isn’t an outright denial, but we should still take this "news" with extra seasoning. If Google does go this route, they will likely be selling the device at an even greater loss than Amazon, since they would probably make the specs more competitive. It’ll be interesting to see how this pans out.
Posted by: Gareth
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