News

Asus Windows 7 Eeepc Tablet arrives through the backdoor

Asus has quietly launched a new 12.1″ Windows Tablet. I remember reading a review some months ago on Cnet and they were quite favourable of the device noting it as having  powerful specs, plenty of features  and a huge screen, which I sure you could have worked out yourself. However they also noted that it was difficult to use and hold because of it’s weight and the huge screen and the battery didn’t last as long as expected at only 3 hours.

The EP121 features a beefy Intel i5 processor, 32GB/64GB of storage with 2GB/4GB of RAM respectively. Complete with USB ports, Mini-HDMI, and memory card slots, the device also has a virtual keyboard hardware button, and an orientation lock also. The device weighs in at 2.6 pounds, which you had to expect with the 12.1? inch screen. This is been the Achilles heal for Windows 7 tablets, and I am sure something Microsoft and Intel want to change with Windows 8 devices.

Posted by Gareth

Vodafone to sell the other Samsung Galaxy Tab 10 1

Vodafone seems to be changing their tune as the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1″ goes on sale in the US. An email has gone out to interested customers alerting them to a change of plans. Vodafone is switching out the thicker Galaxy Tab 10.1v and its 8MP camera in favour of the “slim” version unveiled at CTIA.

“An important update regarding the Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1v

We’ve decided to add the slimmer Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1 to our range, which will now take the place of the Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1v.

The Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1 is packed full of cutting edge technology but is one of the world’s slimmest Honeycomb tablets, measuring 8.6mm thick and weighing just 599g. We’ve updated our website with more details, which you can see here

We’ll be in touch again soon with more information on pricing and availability.

Thank you”

The slimmer Tab 10.1 was created in response to the announcement of the iPad 2, and was designed to compete at a better price point with a more appealing 8.6mm-thick form factor. I mention the 8MP camera above because this is one are where Samsung downgraded, moving to a 3MP camera. The 10.1v will not be available. Vodafone has updated their product page to reflect the change.

Source Phandroid

Posted by Gareth

Orange set to launch ‘Signal Boost’

Next Wednesday (June 15th)  sees the launch of the Orange signal boost. Subscribers to the new service will be able to get full signal on their Orange mobile using their existing W-Fi connection.

Whether there are costs involved I don’t know at this stage but it will be a god send to many users and will more than likely drum up some new business for Orange where customers have not previously had an Orange signal at home.

This concept is nothing new as many users of certain handsets can already take advantage of a similar technology in the form of UMA. All BlackBerry devices are UMA supported and when the Orange signal is weak the phone will automatically use a Wi-Fi connection to route all calls and data.

This new service sounds pretty neat if you ask me. We have been invited to the lauch event so we will report back with full details next Wednesday/Thursday.

Posted by: James

FaceBook for BlackBerry PlayBook gets an update

Not only did we get an update for the BlackBerry Tablet OS today, but the Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet app has been updated as well! The update is available as part of the OTA (over-the-air) BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.5 update and will also become available for download from the BlackBerry App World storefront over the next 24 hours. Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet users are sure to love the new features that have been added since the initial release last month, including:

. Video uploading
. Facebook Search enhancements
. Improved access to Pages
. Message deletion
. News Feed improvements

If you have a PlayBook go grab the update.

Posted by: James

HTC ChaCha Gets a Quiet CPU Boost

The sneaky people over at HTC have quietly updated the ChaCha’s processor by 33% from 600MHz to a nice and solid 800Mhz one and by my remedial calculations, this increase should equal an improved user experience. The ChaCha is one of two handsets from HTC that sport a dedicated Facebook button but it is the only one in their fleet of Android devices that have a portrait QWERTY keyboard.

You can pre-order the ChaCha from clove.co.uk for £252 including VAT and they expect first stock on June 9th, so it will be not long to wait if you wish to have this handset in your possession.

Apple’s WWDC 2011 Keynote – Mac OS X Lion, iOS 5 & iCloud!

Apple’s World Wide Developer’s Conference has kicked off with a keynote presentation and what a keynote it was! We saw Mac OS X Lion, all the brand new features that will be in iOS 5 when it comes out later this year and we saw the full details of Apple’s iCloud that has been rumoured since time began (well almost).

Read on for everything announced by Steve Jobs and the team over at Apple!

WWDC 2011: Rumour Roundup!

WWDC is less than a day away and as usual, the rumour mill has churning out everything imaginable to do with this keynote presentation. For those who are to busy or for those who simply forgot to catch up on what the rumour mill has pumped out over the past few months, here is a guide to what will probably happen at this years World Wide Developers Conference.

Apple WWDC 2011 – what’s coming?

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference gets under way in San Francisco tomorrow and runs all week. It’ll kick off with a Keynote address which starts at 5pm UK time tomorrow.

So what are we expecting from the keynote?

Apple has already confirmed that Steve Jobs will be there along with his team to speak about Mac OSX 10.7 (Lion), the upcoming iOS 5 and their own cloud services, iCloud.

Rumours continue to circulate about possible new iPhones including ‘leaked’ images of iPhones with hardware keyboards and 4G variants.

Personally I’m not expecting to see any new hardware touted just yet but with Apple you never can tell. We shall be coving the event here on the site and hope to be live blogging along with detailed coverage after the event. Be sure to tune in tomorrow!

Posted by: Matt

Toshiba Tablet is alive, called Thrive and ready to arrive!

That familiar electronics brand will be putting out their second attempt at an Android tablet this July. Toshiba has announced that the Thrive will go on sale in July with pre-orders starting June 13th. Pricing is also pretty impressive as well. It will come in three models: 8GB, 16GB and 32GB. The 8GB model will run $429, 16GB – $479, and the 32GB will cost a modest $579. Those are very competitive prices.

Looks like the Thrive will be hitting the American market first, however no details have been released about the other territories.

Other features that come with the Thrive:

• Android 3.1 Honeycomb
• Full sized HDMI, USB and SDCard slots
• Customizable back plate: You will be able to choose from 5 colors
• Removable battery
• 10.1" HD touchscreen running at 1280×800 resolution
• 2MP Front-facing camera, 5MP rear-facing camera
• nVidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor

Posted by Gareth

Vodafone reduce roaming charges

From today (June 1st), all Vodafone customers can use up to 25MB of data per day in 35 European countries. Regular travellers can opt to pay £10 a month, while customers travelling out of Europe can enjoy the same 25MB data allowance for £5 per day.

Heavier business users on the Vodafone Euro Traveller tariff (£36.50+VAT per month) will get 1GB of data, per month, to use in Europe. For other users, it will cost £8 for up to 100MB of data a day in Europe, or £25 a day outside Europe.

In addition, to eliminate the chance of shocking bills, Vodafone is introducing a £100 monthly cap on data usage for customers outside of Europe (users within Europe already receive these warnings), with a text alert when 80% of their monthly spending limit is reached. The automatic bar can then be removed only by sending a text (‘STOP’ to 40209) or calling customer services.

Vodafone is also reminding users to make sure they opt-in to Vodafone Passport, which allows customers visiting European countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand, to call back to the UK (or make call within the visited country) at their standard home rate for a fixed connection fee of 75p. Vodafone Passport users can even use their inclusive minutes if they are on contract.

Finally, the network is introducing daily text allowances. Customers on a price plan of £40 or above, and with 900 or more minutes per month, will receive a free allowance of 10 texts per day to use within Europe. Customers on lower price plans can opt in for £10 a month.

Posted by: James