Acer today unveil 3 new tablet devices to challenge iPad. Two of them uses the Android OS and they come in 7″ and 10.1″ screen. The third is based on Windows 7 and uses a 10.1″ screen.

Acer joins a field dominated by Apple, which had a 95 percent share of the tablet market last quarter, according to Strategy Analytics. Samsung Electronics Co. recently released its Galaxy Tab and RIM plans to release its 7-inch BlackBerry PlayBook next quarter.

The two Android tablets will be available in April and the Microsoft device will go on sale in February. All three will offer Wi-Fi connectivity and allow users to surf the Internet using a 3G connection. Wong said the tablets would likely be in the previously stated range of $299 to $699.

Acer yesterday also released a smartphone with a 4.8-inch screen based on Android.

Singapore 9 Nov 2010 - Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (SingTel) today announced the price plans for the Samsung Galaxy Tab.  This eagerly anticipated mobile multimedia device (MMD) is available only through SingTel from 13 Nov 2010.  To cater to customers’ varied needs, the Galaxy Tab is available with SingTel’s 3G Flexi price plans, as well as an integrated fixed and mobile broadband package.

Customers will enjoy a $50 early-bird discount off the price of the Galaxy Tab when they make their purchase with a 3G Flexi plan at www.singtelshop.com /tab before 13 Nov 2010.  They will also receive a free Bluetooth headset and 16GB micro SD card, as well as a pair of tickets[1] to an exclusive Galaxy Tab post-launch party.

*Terms and conditions apply

SingTel offers a broadband package for customers who wish to use the Galaxy Tab as an internet device for the home.  The package combines fixed and mobile broadband services so that customers can enjoy seamless ‘always-on’ connectivity, even when they leave the home.

The Galaxy Tab has been pre-loaded with a wide range of innovative apps that have been developed by SingTel to bring the best out of its 7-inch display and rich multimedia capabilities.  With the De!ite app, users can download and view a selection of Singapore’s most popular magazines and charge the purchases to their SingTel bill. SingTel’s exCite Video app allows users to view the widest range of videos on the web.  The Galaxy Tab is also pre-loaded with SingTel’s award-winning AMPed social music service, MobileTV and Mobile Barclay’s Premier League video streaming service.

Nvidia has landed orders for its Tegra 2 processor from Asustek Computer, with total shipments estimated at at least 200,000-300,000 chips, according to industry sources.

Asustek will adopt Nvidia Tegra 2 for its 10-inch Eee Pad to be launched in March 2011 and then smartphones mainly for playing 3D mobile games and playback of movies and multimedia content, the sources indicated.

In addition to Asustek, Tegra 2 has been adopted for tablet PCs by Dell, Samsung Electronics, Micro-Star International and Toshiba, the sources pointed out. Nvidia has also successfully tapped the smartphone market, winning adoption from several vendors including Motorola and LG Electronics, the sources pointed out.

Tegra 2 has so far been adopted in nearly 50 smartphones and tablet PCs, with total volumes reaching one million units, the sources noted.

Source

Sony Ericsson To Unveil Windows Phone 7 Handsets In 2011
Sony Ericsson To Build WP7 Phones in 2011, revealed by CEO Bert Nordberg in it’s report of revenues for 2010.

Sony Ericsson currently holds a 19% revenue share of the total Android market but according to its CEO Bert Nordberg, the company will look to Microsoft’s new Windows Phone 7 operating system after dropping the Symbian OS for its lack of “ecosystem” when compared to Android.

Skype today announced the long-awaited release of Skype for Android. Phones running Android 2.1 and 2.2 can download the free app now, which allows users to make free Skype-to-Skype calls over Wi-Fi only in the US. Users in Europe and elsewhere will also be able to make Skype calls over GPRS, EDGE or 3G.

In addition to free Skype-to-Skype calls, users can also make low cost calls to landlines or mobile phones. The app also facilitates synchronization of Skype contacts with the native address book on a user’s Android phone. Other typical Skype functions now available to Android users include instant messaging and the ability to receive calls through a Skype account online phone number.

Skype for Android 2.1 and 2.2 has been successfully tested on a range of Android-based handsets including the HTC Desire and Legend, the Google Nexus One, and the Motorola Droid. It also supports a range of languages including English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Swedish and Russian.

Source

DOVADO Remote Control
DOVADO’s mobile app for Home Automation

Dubai Internet City, UAE / Kista, Sweden – 4th of October, 2010.

DOVADO has developed a unique mobile app that makes it possible with the help of a DOVADO 4GR router to remotely automate electrical appliances throughout the home from anywhere in the world. The mobile app is available for iPhone and Android-based platforms.

The DOVADO Remote Control mobile app is extremely easy to use. With the touch of a button, it connects you to your DOVADO 4GR and provides you with an easy means to control all your various electrically-powered appliances. The appliances can be operated individually, in groups (rooms, etc) or all at once. In short, anything that can be connected to an electrical outlet can be operated remotely by the DOVADO Remote Control mobile app.

View a demo of how the DOVADO Remote Control works

The solution itself is based on a combination of a DOVADO 4GR, a TellStickTM (www.telldus.se) and one or several wireless electrical wall-plugs, which are affordably available in most appliance retail outlets.

“Using our Home Automation solution in general can provide a reduced environmental impact as certain energy-guzzling equipment do need be operating around the clock. Our scheduler can automate when appliances should be switched on or off, however utilizing this app means that you have the added comfort of quickly taking control of appliances you may have forgotten to switch off or on.” says Erik Arthur, CEO of Dovado.

As the DOVADO 4GR can connect to the Internet via the fastest fixed or mobile broadband networks, one will not have too many issues in installing a Home Automation solution in any location, be it in a Gigabit fiber-connected urban apartment, or a mobile-connected cottage out on the countryside. Naturally, the mobile app can also be operated on the same Wireless LAN as the DOVADO 4GR itself.

Besides the ability to operate all the electrical devices, the DOVADO Remote Control app can also access the DOVADO 4GR router’s monthly Internet traffic statistics, 3G signal level, and also a map showing the router’s present location (if operating in a moving vehicle together with a USB-based GPS dongle, for instance).

Make sure to search for “Dovado” on your iPhone or Android app store!

Further information on the DOVADO Remote Control is available on www.dovado.com/apps

Tech lovers awaiting the successor to the Xperia X10 / SO-01B, DoCoMo’s fasting selling smartphone, will not have to wait much longer to see how powerful the device will be and what it will look like. The codename for the device is Cliaro

Rumour has that the successor for the X10, to be pencilled in as the X12, is to surface early November, roughly one year since the announcement of the X10, according to Sony Ericsson fan forums.

Among the rumoured specifications:

1.5Ghz TI OMAP 4 Processor
4″ AMOLED screen 1080 x 720 resolution
Gyroscope
10mm thick
12MP AF Camera

The phone will launch with Android Froyo (2.2) with a possibility it will hit the stores with Android Gingerbread (3.0) and as well as featuring further enhancements to Timescape and Mediascape, there will also be the introduction of a third custom UI, although at this stage it is unknown what this will represent.

The SO-01C will be announced as part of DoCoMo’s Winter line-up which will also feature Sony Ericsson’s first WP7 phone the X11 a slider with hard qwerty.

The Xperia X10 was the company’s first dip in the Android pool and despite launching with the relatively stale Donut (Android 1.6 OS) the phone as achieved moderately successful sales.

Sony Ericsson has emphasised that it prefers it’s own custom UI, Timescape and Mediascape, which it is fine-tuning to provide the best user experience, although some Android fans would rather it just had the very latest version of the OS.

Shipping for this device will begin Week 03 2011.

Digitimes reports that Acer is taking another step forward with the possibility of launching tablet PCs based on the Android OS to compete with iPad.

Acer is slated to introduce a tablet pc this Q4 powered by Wintel platform and an Android-enabled device in early 2011.

In addition to tablets or pads, Acer will continue to focus on Android. It intends to ship 2 million smartphone in 2010 and 5-6 million in 2011. Currently, there are no news about it’s plans on Win mobile 7 smartphones.

Google and Huawei have announced an Android smartphone that runs the Android 2.2 mobile OS. Huawei says the IDEOS phone is the first mass-market handset to be offered with the Android 2.2 OS preinstalled.

The Huawei IDEOS will carry a SIM-free price tag of between US$100 and $200 depending on where it’s bought. Huawei is currently in active negotiations with a number of carriers keen to offer the Google-branded device. The phone is set for “commercial launch” in mid-October in Europe and Asia-Pacific.

The Huawei IDEOS Android smartphone offers 3G HSDPA connectivity as well as 80.11n Wi-Fi. This, explained Nicola Philbin, Huawei’s director for terminals, UK and Ireland, offers web connection speeds up to six times faster than standard Wi-Fi. The phone also supports 3G tethering, allowing it to act as modem for a laptop to connect to the web where a Wi-Fi or Ethernet broadband connection is not available.

The Huawei IDEOS smartphone sports a 2.8in QVGA capacitative touchscreen, has a 3.2Mp camera, Bluetooth A2DP and 512MB of internal memory. Running a Qualcomm 528MHz processor, the IDEOS handset has its own media player and accepts microSD cards up to 32GB.

The Huawei IDEOS was co-developed by Google and the Chinese hardware manufacturer and is effectively a successor device to the high-end Nexus One smartphone that Google co-developed with HTC. While the Google Nexus One showcased the Android 2.1 clair version of the mobile operating system and was pitched against the likes of the Apple iPhone, the IDEOS is a mass market handset thats natural rivals are the HTC Desire and Legend.

Preinstalled applications include Google Talk, Google Maps and the Android Market app download service. Since the Huawei IDEOS is equipped with the newest version of the Android OS, it will support the ability to run applications stored on a microSD card, deftly getting around the limitations of the handset’s 512MB internal memory.

The HTC Desire handset was the first device on which the Android 2.2 Froyo upgrade was offered, having originally been sold as a 2.1 clair smartphone. HTC and its partners have come under fire for the tricksy upgrade path for the HTC Desire, caused in part by the Vodafone 360 and Samsung TouchWiz user interfaces overlaid on the standard Android interface.

The IDEOS handset will be available in blue, black, purple or yellow versions. The front of the smartphone is black, though largely dominated by its bright, responsive capacitive touchscreen, while the rear has a colourful backplate and is branded ‘with Google’. It is named the IDEOS because of its industrial design, evolutionary status and its innovative operating system. These elements, Huawei believe, fit neatly with its company philisophy of a “simple device; smarter world”.

Looking for a cheap mid range symbian phone with silder qwerty keyboard. The Nokia C6 might just suit your basic needs as a phone, social use with 5 mega pixel camera. Check out our unboxing video and upcoming review of this phone.

Nokia debuts ‘Touch and Type’ design with the latest Nokia X3

Espoo, Finland – In a move to continue driving innovation in its market leading mobile phone range, Nokia today unveils the super slim Nokia X3 Touch and Type, with a unique combination of a touch screen and traditional 12 button phone keypad.  As Nokia’s first ‘Touch and Type’ phone, the Nokia X3 allows people to tap quickly on the bright color touch screen, as well as enjoy the familiarity of the full keypad for quick fire text messages and phone calls.  Expected to be on sale in the third quarter, the Nokia X3 is expected to retail for approximately EUR 125, excluding taxes and subsidies.

“Innovation is not just a high-end game. The Nokia X3 is a great example of bringing new consumer value to lower price points,” said Mary McDowell, Executive Vice President of Mobile Phones at Nokia.

“With the Nokia X3 we are giving consumers the best of both worlds by combining a touch screen and a keypad in an affordable device. We have given people a larger screen with clear icons and menus plus kept critical keys such as the send and end keys. We’ve also added dedicated function keys for important links like music and text messaging,” she said.

“We have designed the Nokia X3 to be a touch and type device because typing is ideal for SMS and social networking where fast and frequent input is needed, while touch is ideal for functions such as setting alarms, smooth browsing and controlling applications like music and games.

“Our research tells us consumers who have invested years in becoming fast one-handed, one-thumb texters want to maintain their speedy edge for SMS, chat and instant messaging – yet enjoy the benefits of touch as well,” continued McDowell.

With its sleek and modern design coming in at a very thin 9.6mm – making it one of the slimmest Nokia phones ever – the Nokia X3 slips easily into the purse or the pocket, and looks the part with its brushed aluminum back cover which will come in five vibrant colors designed to suit any mood or wardrobe.

Despite its size, the Nokia X3 is jam-packed with features including 3G, WLAN, a music player and an FM radio.

Lovers of the snapshot and social networks will enjoy a great 5 megapixel camera with 4X digital zoom that can take both still and video images.

The Nokia X3 also features dedicated music and messaging keys allowing fast access to important Ovi services including social and entertainment applications.  In addition to Ovi Mail, people’s favorite consumer email and chat accounts can be pushed direct to the phone via Nokia Messaging. 

With a gentle glide over the touch screen people can go online and get access to many services including thousands of apps from Ovi Store. In certain markets, the new phone will also be available with Ovi Music Unlimited, enabling the owner to access a virtually limitless range of the latest hit music that can be stored on the available 16GB memory card.

The Nokia X3 – affordable and accessible touch and type which is simple-to-use and beautifully designed. The Nokia X3 Touch and Type sits alongside the Nokia X3-00, a slider with strong music functionality, which was launched in September 2009.

The Nokia Mini Speaker MD-11. Pocket-sized speakers for big sound

Music lovers can boost the Nokia X3’s inbuilt speaker with some extra ‘oomph’ with the new MD-11, a light pocket-size speaker with great audio quality.   For even more fun, you can connect two for stereo sound – a great way to get the music out of your phone and enjoy with friends.  The Nokia Mini Speaker MD-11 is estimated to retail for EUR 25 excluding taxes and subsidies.