Samsung is aiming to make your decision regarding which tablet OS to choose, much easier. The electronics giant announced the Samsung ATIV Q which combines Android (Jellybean 4.2.2) and true Windows 8 (not RT) on the same device.
It comes just over a fortnight after Asus unveiled its own laptop-tablet hybrid which also runs both Microsoft and Google’s systems.
The Samsung ATIV Q features a razor-sharp 3200×1800 qHD+ display. It measures 13.3 inches on its diagonal — meaning the Q going to be a tad more bulky than the Galaxy Note 10.1. While you might normally be concerned about the Windows performance of a device like this, you don’t need to worry about the Samsung ATIV Q. It’s not running an Atom like some other dual-booters. It’s running Intel’s latest silicon, a Core i5 Haswell with HD 4400 graphics and 4GB of RAM. That should provide the Ativ Q with brilliant battery life in Windows and equally brilliant performance while running Android. And yes, that also means that you’re getting the full Windows 8 experience — not the confusingly limited Windows RT.
As for storage, it has a 128GB SSD which is considered large in the tablet segment.
The hinged Samsung ATIV Q allows users to lay the display flat over the keyboard for tablet mode; raise the display upright to type as on a laptop; ‘float’ and adjust the display to a comfortable viewing angle; or flip the display to place in the stand mode to watch movies. A stylus is also included to enhance the tablet experience.
Users will not only get access to Android apps via Google Play but also be able to transfer files, to share folders and files from Windows 8 to Android, truly marrying the mobile and PC experiences”.
The two distinct operating systems are individually hosted but provide strong, seamless file and data transitions work together well, quietly and behind the scenes.
Whether or not people will warm up to the idea of dual boot devices remains to be seen, but it is surely a step in the right direction.
Pricing and availability details have not been revealed yet!
During a Lumia 925 briefing in the UK, Nokia revealed that they’ve tightened its ever-growing bond with Redmond-based Microsoft, makers of the Windows 8 (mobile and desktop) platform. Nokia UK’s Ray Haddow stated that the Finnish company has been “working even closer” with Microsoft and we can expect to see new collaborative efforts in the near future. Engadget reports that Nokia and Microsoft will work to raise Nokia’s profile.
Nokia and Microsoft first entered into a “broad strategic partnership” that made Windows Phone OS its “primary smartphone strategy,” but there have been rumours of Nokia coming to market with a tablet for years now.
The company went on to discuss marketing opportunities it’s seizing upon as a result of its Microsoft affiliation, so we very well might just be talking about plans for a new promotional blitz. What was less clear is if all that might be focused on a particular product (and we certainly expect the EOS to be a big win for both Nokia and Microsoft) or if it could be more broadly Lumia- or WP-focused in general.
Could this mean that Nokia might be ready to enter the Windows-powered tablet space? No telling what these two have in store but we should know in the next few weeks.
Samsung has been pounding us with so many devices that look so identical to each other that it has almost become impossible to keep up. The Korean portability giant is expected to launch two new Galaxy Tabs for its third year cycle called the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 and Galaxy Tab 3 8.0. While the design remains almost identical to recent launches by the company, the matte back with a golden brow finish may be a big welcome.
The leak on the 8.0 inch Galaxy Tab 3 shows a Samsung Galaxy S4 sort of UI, so expect HD display, and Android 4.2 where as the 7.0 could possibly be running 4.1 Jelly bean. No details on any of the hardware just as yet, but stay tuned for updates.
A new upcoming device the GT- N5110 is now confirmed to be the alleged Galaxy Note 8 thanks to a filing at the FCC. But here is the catch, the device has only WiFi and Bluetooth radios and is described as a “personal tablet”. The company has been kind enough to show the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 2 Screen dimensions to confirm that this is indeed a Galaxy Note device.
The Galaxy Note 8 is said to be powered by a Exynos 4 Quad SOC which has a processor clocked at 1.6 GHz. The image filed at the FCC clearly shows the S-Pen housing and the rear facing camera as even spotted in the Galaxy Note 8 leaked images.
Will Samsung peg the Galaxy Note 8 in the low budget tablet market space or the upper middle segment is yet unknown. But, the fact that the company is only filing for a WiFi only device indicates that there indeed may be a a Sub US$ 300 Galaxy Note 8 tablet after all. Translating to roughly 18000 Indian Rupees, the tablet would really attract eager buyers, thanks to the S Pen functionality.
David Chang, ASUS’ CFO, stated last month that shipments of the Nexus 7 were initially slow, popping in around “500K units a month, then maybe 600, 700K.” He then declared October was a breakout month with shipments getting “close to one million.”
With the recent release of the 32GB Nexus 7 and 32GB 3G version you can expect interest to peak, especially at their low-cost price points. News today from an overseas report in DigiTimes claims that their supply chain sources believe that Nexus 7 shipments – all models – will reach 5 million units by year end. That’s not to hard to imagine as the above numbers total 2.8 million, so another 2.2 million in the next couple months is certainly possible.
It’s no secret that a lot of the tablet’s success is down to it’s brilliant pricing. For what you get with the Nexus 7, it’s incredible value for money and a price that no other Android tablet has yet matched. At it’s current pricing, you can get the Nexus 7 with 16GB of storage for $199 and the 32GB model for $249. As of last week there’s the addition of the 32GB Nexus 7 with 3G connectivity for $299, which is pretty cheap for a tablet of its specs with 3G, often the premium for 3G is a lot higher on tablets.
The tablet comes with 7-inch IPS display screen with a 1280×800 resolution and is powered by 1.3GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 processor. Other features of the tablet include 1GB RAM, 1.2-megapixel front camera and 4325mAh battery.
Intel’s roadmap for bay trail processors for future tablets has been leaked, just like their previous details of bay trail processors. A roadmap uncovered by Mobile Geeks has shown off the details of the tablet-oriented Bay View-T and its Valleyview-T processors. Intel hardware can output to as much as a 2,560 x 1,600 display and record stereoscopic, 1080p 3D video to include support for 3D camera laden Tablets.
We are also seeing details for less power consumption in the same sort of performance factor, adding an additional 2 hours of video playback for at least some of the 1.6GHz to 2.1GHz processors in the lineup.
Dont stop your tablet purchase just as yet, because unlike previous generation of processors these wont be available until 2014, so you still have one year to enjoy what you invest in, before the processors are announced and another few months before they are implemented into hardware.
Apple has just sent out invites for a “Special Event” to be held on Oct 23rd, supposedly announcing the new iPad Mini. While its only been a couple of weeks since when the iPhone 5 was launched Apple has still got a lot more up its sleeve.
While the iPad Mini has been leaked all over the internet, there are more rumors of various other products being launched. Alongside the iPad Mini, Apple will also reportedly update the Macbook Pro 13 inch and offer a retina version of the laptop. A new Mac Mini, revised Cinema displays and iMac are also long overdue.
But its unlike Apple to announce so many products at a single event. While the iMac and revised Cinema display may have to wait, a new Mac Mini is reportedly being worked on alongside the fully confirmed Retina Macbook Pro 13. While speculations will continue to go on, we wont let down the coverage come Oct 23rd, So stay tuned.
The iPad Mini apparently has a 7.85-inch display powered by an A5 processor and 512MB of RAM, priced starting anywhere from $250 to $350, available in a week or two. It will probably come in both Wi-Fi and 3G versions, and will look like, well, a smaller iPad. The event will be held at 10am PST/1pm EST at the California Center in San Jose.
iPad Mini is all set to launch on the 23rd of this month according to a report by AllThings D. The Apple iPad Mini is said to be a stab at success stories behind the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 type tablets. The iPad Mini will be, if at all, Apple’s first foray into this size segment. Weather or not the tablet will fit the size bill is unknown.
You might want to take this news with a pinch of salt as there is really no confirmations surrounding it. Recent reports have been in agreement that we should expect a 7.85-inch iPad with Apple’s new Lightning connector, and an “ultra-thin” design.
Micromax has just announced plans for a new Funbook Tablet, the P350 Funbook Talk, which features the same specs of the P300 with phone call ability and a dedicated sim card slot for GSM networks.
All other features remain the same, with a 1.0 GHz Cortex A8 Dual Mali 400 chipset, Android 4.0.4 and a 7 inch capacitive screen. You do have a front facing 0.3 MP camera and a microSD card slot, along side a 2800 mAh battery and a 3G dongle support.
The Tablet has been announced for a price of Rs. 7250, expect full video soon.
The latest version of Android, 4.1 codenamed Jelly Bean, is slowly making its way towards tablets, and as before, ASUS is one of the companies rushing to update its products. The Transformer Pad 300 received the update at the end of August, so now it’s time to update the premium Transformer Prime TF201 and the Infinity TF700T. The former can be updated right now, over the air, while for the latter you’ll have to wait some more, as ASUS said it had to perform a last hour update to the keyboard app, to play nicely with the new Facebook app. Don’t despair, as the update was delayed just a few days, which means it will arrive over-the-air sometime at the beginning of next week.
Asus is doing well in the U.S. mobile market and recent tie-up with Google even resulted to better sales. Being one of the tablets that come packed with quad-core processor, Transformer Prime TF201 has actually garnered massive following from both average users and tech enthusiasts.
The Jelly Bean update for Transformer Prime is believed to bring hundreds of improvements on top of JB stock features. TP has been a subject of criticisms shortly after its release because there were software-related flaws. The Ice Cream Sandwich fixed most of them including poor GPS performance and Wi-Fi problems.
It has already been reported a few months ago that Adobe will not support Android 4.1, so that means flash support will be gone for good. But Asus said owners can still be able to download and install Flash Player to play typical videos found on the web. Moreover, the company didn’t provide information explaining why Wi-Fi Direct feature will be removed from Jelly Bean but whatever the reason is, owners cannot be able to connect their devices to other Wi-Fi Direct-supported devices after the update.
View the Change Log Below :
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Asus Transformer Prime Jelly Bean Change Log
Upgrade OS from Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) to Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
Samsung will Launch the new Galaxy Note 2 in India at 2:00 PM IST at an even that will be held in Hyderabad. Make sure you bookmark this page to get the latest updates and watch the Live Video stream.
The rumoured iPad mini shell that was leaked earlier has gotten a new life thanks to new images prior to the 12th Sept 2012 iPhone 5 launch. The shell appears to be thicker in size and the claimed iPad mini will not have a sim card slot, making a stab at the success of the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 tablets. The tablet also touts dual speaker arrangement and the new style dock connector that is seen in the leaked mockups of the iPhone 5 as-well.
Google has let out a sly update to their Google+ apps on Android and iOS. The biggest addition is now allowing, Android phones to join Hangouts on Air, a feature we might use as soon as Today.
For iOS the app, it now allows you to open links in Chrome instead of Safari, making the dreams of a default chrome browser more real than ever.
What’s in this Android version:
– Teens can now create and join Hangouts from mobile – Join Hangouts on Air from mobile – Floating timestamp in photos view – Shortcuts for post creation – Ability to report abuse in Events
What’s in this iOS version :
? Web links in posts now open in Chrome (if installed) ? Teens can now join and create Hangouts ? Instant Upload bug fixes to improve performance
Two weeks left for the Galaxy Note 2 Unpacked event, and after a rumoured picture of the “Phablet” came up yesterday, another one, this time a Bezel, has come up today!
In addition to showing us what a small bezel on the Galaxy Note 2 looks like, the image above also seems to confirm the fact that the new phablet’s display will be 0.2-inch longer than its predecessor, just as currently rumored. The use of a smaller bezel is surely a reason for Samsung’s rumored decision to go with a 5.5-inch Galaxy Note 2 instead of the regular 5.3-inch panel used by its predecessor.
Stay tuned, for we will be covering IFA 2012 Live from Berlin.
HCL Infosystems Ltd., launched its latest 3G enabled tablet –HCL ME Y2 priced competitively at Rs 14,999. This third generation tablet from HCL is a trendy and stylish device, based on the latest OS and designed specially to suit the needs of the Indian consumers.
The HCL ME Y2 is packed with applications and special offers. The Hungama Application comes with a special offer for HCL ME Y2 customers – free three months subscription to download and play unlimited music, videos and ringtones. Bigflix again offers unlimited streaming of movies for a month for just Rs. 1. The Y2 also has the ThinkFree Office Mobile that enables the user to create, view, edit or share MS Office docs. The HCL tablet also has useful applications like LinkedIn, Twitter, 3D Digital Weather Clock, Games, Sweet’ N ‘Spicy (huge collection of Indian Foods and Recipe), iBrowser (makes downloading and browsing on the tablet easy and smooth), ICS Browser (to view multiple open pages at once), Bollywood Hungama and Saavn (to listen to Bollywood and Indian music).
[quote]Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Gautam Advani, EVP & Head, Mobility, HCL Infosystems Ltd. said, “The HCL ME Y2 is yet another value product from our company. This third generation tablet delivers enhanced experiences to our customers through advanced connectivity and innovative features. With the growth in tablet market and increasing adoption, on-the-go connectivity has become vital and the ME Y2 promises seamless connectivity with great user interface. The Y2 is yet another innovation from HCL and we expect it to meet the growing demand of our diverse customers to meet their specific use cases on the tablet.”[/quote]
The new HCL ME Y2 offers 3G connectivity with its in-built SIM slot. Based on Android OS 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich), the device is equipped with a 2-mega pixel rear camera and a 0.3-mega pixel front camera which enables video chatting with HD display. The tablet sports a 7-inch multi touch capacitive screen with a 1024*600 pixel display. The tablet runs smoothly on a powerful Cortex A9 and 1 Ghz processor. It comes with a 1 GB RAM and 8 GB internal memory, along with a memory card slot that can add another 32 GB. HCL ME Y2 also has a mini USB, mini HDMI and a Micro SD card slot. It has a robust 4000 mAH battery to deliver long hours of high definition audio and video playback. The Y2 is enabled with bluetooth and also provides for wi-fi connectivity.
The HCL ME Y2 will be supported by an integrated back up service – HCL Touch, a 24X7 one touch service facility. HCL ME Y2 tablet will be available in stores in Delhi and across the country from today onwards.
Specifications
Check out the Press Release below :
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HCL Infosystems launches its 3G Tablet – the HCL ME Y2
Attractive Pricing of Rs.14,999/- & 3G enabled with in-built SIM slot and Wi-Fi connectivity
Powered by Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS and equipped with Dual camera
Stylized with full HD, enhanced performance and rich entertainment features
Special Offers on Pre loaded and handpicked applications for the Indian consumer
Backed by the unmatched HCL support and service infrastructure spread over 4000+ cities, the Y2 also loaded with a one touch service application on the tablet – HCL Touch
New Delhi, August 13, 2012: HCL Infosystems Ltd., India’s premier hardware, services and ICT Systems Integration and Distribution Company, launched its latest 3G enabled tablet –HCL ME Y2. Combining unique features, content and connectivity, the HCL ME Y2 promises an exciting experience to its users. This third generation tablet from HCL is a trendy and stylish device, based on the latest OS and designed specially to suit the needs of the Indian consumers.
The HCL ME Y2 is packed with applications and special offers to suit the requirements of the Indian consumer. The Hungama Application comes with a special offer for HCL ME Y2 customers – free three months subscription to download and play unlimited music, videos and ringtones. Bigflix again offers unlimited streaming of movies for a month for just Rs. 1. The Y2 also has the ThinkFree Office Mobile that enables the user to create, view, edit or share MS Office docs. The HCL tablet also has useful applications like LinkedIn, Twitter, 3D Digital Weather Clock, Games, Sweet’ N ‘Spicy (huge collection of Indian Foods and Recipe), iBrowser (makes downloading and browsing on the tablet easy and smooth), ICS Browser (to view multiple open pages at once), Bollywood Hungama and Saavn (to listen to Bollywood and Indian music). Along with the pre-loaded apps, The Y2 also has an exclusive access to the ME App store which has over 15000 applications capturing the latest and the best android apps in the world for the tablet users.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Gautam Advani, EVP & Head, Mobility, HCL Infosystems Ltd. said, “The HCL ME Y2 is yet another value product from our company. This third generation tablet delivers enhanced experiences to our customers through advanced connectivity and innovative features. With the growth in tablet market and increasing adoption, on-the-go connectivity has become vital and the ME Y2 promises seamless connectivity with great user interface. The Y2 is yet another innovation from HCL and we expect it to meet the growing demand of our diverse customers to meet their specific use cases on the tablet.”
The new HCL ME Y2 offers 3G connectivity with its in-built SIM slot and is priced competitively at Rs 14,999. Based on the super fast Android OS 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich), the device is equipped with a 2-mega pixel rear camera and a 0.3-mega pixel front camera which enables video chatting with HD display. The tablet sports a 7-inch multi touch capacitive screen with a 1024*600 pixel display. The tablet runs smoothly on a powerful Cortex A9 and 1 Ghz processor. It comes with a 1 GB RAM and 8 GB internal memory, along with a memory card slot that can add another 32 GB. HCL ME Y2 also has a mini USB, mini HDMI and a Micro SD card slot. It has a robust 4000 mAH battery to deliver long hours of high definition audio and video playback. The Y2 is enabled with bluetooth and also provides for wi-fi connectivity.
The HCL ME Y2 will be supported by an integrated back up service – HCL Touch, a 24X7 one touch service facility. HCL ME Y2 tablet will be available in stores in Delhi and across the country from today onwards.
About HCL Infosystems:
HCL Infosystems Ltd, with revenue (LTM) of US$ 2.4 billion (Rs.10,754 crores) is India’s premier hardware, services and ICT systems integration company offering a wide spectrum of ICT products that includes Computing, Storage, Networking, Security, Telecom, Imaging and Retail. HCL is a one-stop-shop for all the ICT requirements of an organization. India’s leading System Integration and Infrastructure Management Services Organization, HCL has specialized expertise across verticals including Telecom, BFSI, eGovernance & Power. HCL has India’s largest distribution and retail network, taking to market a range of Digital Lifestyle products in partnership with leading global ICT brands, including Apple, Cisco, Ericsson, Kingston, Kodak, Konica Minolta, Microsoft, Nokia, Toshiba, and many more. HCL today has India’s largest vertically integrated computer manufacturing facility with over three decades of electronic manufacturing experience & HCL desktops is the largest selling brand into the enterprise space. With India’s largest ICT services network that reaches to every corner of India, HCL’s award winning Support Services makes it the preferred choice of enterprise and consumers, alike. For more information please visit us at www.hclinfosystems.in
