Chinese Are Taking Over! Elephone p4000 leaked!

I've been quite impressed with all the Chinese smartphones that are coming out from... well from China. A couple of days ago a new model was leaked on the interwebs and I stumbled upon out of curiosity. I'm currently searching for a smartphone and will probably get a "Chinese" smartphone.

Here is a vid:

Some leaked specs:
CPU: MTK 6735
RAM: 1GB
Screen: 5.0" FHD
GPU: Mali t720

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer - Hands On Review

I haven't posted for a while and decided to post my thoughts on my recent purchase of an ASUS Eee Pad Transformer (16GB Wifi only, 470€). I'll explore and extend on this post about the good things and the bad things I found using it for a couple of weeks now.

Sony Upcoming Tablets?

Sony released a very interesting domino-like video for their upcoming tablets. The video doesn't offer much info on the actual products, but is very well done. Watch.

Panasonic Toughbook: The Enterprise-Grade Android Tablet

Panasonic showcased at InfoComm a new android tablet for businesses. The new Toughbook tablet will appeal to a wide variety of users, including mission critical government personnel, highly mobile field forces, SMB’s looking for a competitive edge, security conscious IT managers and bottom-line focused CFOs.

HP shows off TouchPad slate

HP published videos on Youtube about the capabilities of their brand new WebOS based TouchPad. With the July 1st release coming up and pre-orders on 19th of this month, the eager consumers can get a glimpse of the new features offered by HP's TouchPad.

New Sony Ericsson phones announced through Facebook

Sony Ericsson announced 2 new phones today through facebook. The Sony Ericsson Mix Walkman and the Sony Ericsson txt pro. Both incorporate full touch user interfaces similar to the Xperia mini smartphone. They both have features like cameras with video recording and WiFi for web browsing and chat.

The Sony Ericsson Mix Walkman is intended for those who want to hear music from their phones. It has a feature called Zappin™ that lets your browse through your songs, automatically playing the chorus of the song. It also has a karaoke mode that mutes vocals from your tracks. The external looks of the phone can be adjusted with a color band that runs around the outer edge of the phone, personalizing it for every occasion.

The Sony Ericsson txt pro is a phone targeted to heavy social network usage. With a 3" touch screen and a slide out qwerty keyboard for fast typing. It has build-in social applications for easy access to the popular networks Facebook and Twitter.

Both of them will be available in selected markets from Q3.

HP TouchPad available July 1 in the US

HP Touchpad will be available for purchase on July 1st in the United States, with UK, France, and Germany following a few days later. The much anticipated HP Touchpad will cost you $500 for the 16GB version, and $600 for the 32GB.

Pre-Orders will start in 10 days from now, on June 19th on all e-tailers.

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Coming Soon

I've ordered an ASUS Eee Pad Transformer! Once I'll get it I'll do an unboxing and hand-on review of my new gadget! :D

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Official US launch

Samsung announced the retail availability of the new Galaxy Tab 10.1. Starting June 8 you'll be able to buy it exclusively from Best Buy Union Square store in New York City. The 32GB version will be available for $599 and the 16GB for $499. On June 17th the product will be available Nationwide.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 has a 10.1" HD touchscreen with 1280x800 resolution, and runs Android 3.1 Honeycomb.

Android Smartphone are now outselling iOS smartphones in Japan

Samsung's smartphone, the Galaxy S, outsold iOS smartphones in Japan during Q1 2011. This places Samsung in the top 4 handset vendors of Japan.

Tom Kang, Director of the Handset Country Share Tracker service at Strategy Analytics, said, “The Japanese market had always been tough to crack for foreign vendors as all previous attempts had failed. With smartphones, things are changing rapidly. First, Apple shook up the market with the iPhone, and now, for the first time, Samsung, is shipping more handsets than most local vendors, such as NEC, Casio and Kyocera.”

Neil Mawston, Director, Strategy Analytics, added, “Strategy Analytics believes that the healthy demand for the Android-powered Galaxy S at NTT DoCoMo drove Samsung growth in Japan. Samsung is the main player behind surging Android smartphone sales, followed by Sharp. Japan had always had a unique competitive landscape, but is now looking more and more like any other advanced smartphone market in the world as Android has flown by iOS in just three quarters.”
“Japan was not the only market affected by changes in the handset vendor rankings,” said Linda Sui, Analyst at Strategy Analytics. “In China, Huawei surpassed most foreign brands, such as LG and Motorola. Huawei even leaped ahead of local rivals like Lenovo and ZTE, entering the top-5 vendor list for the first time. The growth from smartphones and 3G devices is a serious disruptive force in Asia right now.”

Here you can find the full report: LINK

Xoom vs. Galaxy vs. iPad2

I've recently wrote a comparison article on the Motorola Xoom vs. the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. I'm currently seeking to buy a tablet device and was aiming only at Android tablets. The conclusion on that article was, that both reviewed devices were almost identical, in terms of design, hardware/software and price tags. (Very uncompetitive in my opinion) So I'll do a follow up to that article , throwing Apple's iPad in the game. Let us see what conclusions we can draw up after that. I should also state at this point that I generally don't like Apple and their products due to bad personal experience. I'll try my best for a un-biased comparison/review.

Motorola Xoom vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab

This is more of a personal post and not a review. I'm thinking to get one of those android tablets, but can't decide which one. There is quite a buzz going on with tablet computers these days and with summer coming up, a tablet will be a great addition to have on vocations.

So let's get started.

Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy S WiFi 5" & 4" up for pre-order

The much anticipated Galaxy Tab 10.1 is up for pre-orders at J&R. The official release date is 8th June according to mobile oriented blogs. J&R lists the price tags for the 16GB and 32GB, 499.99$ and 599$ respectively. (What's up with those 9s?)

Specifications

• OS: Android 3.0 Honeycomb
• Display: 10.1" 1280 x 800 (WXGA) TFT, PLS Technology
• CPU: 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra Dual-Core
• Chipset: CP: XMM6260
• Memory: 1GB (RAM)
• Connectivity: WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1
• Camera/Flash: 3MP AF (Rear) + 2MP FF (Front)
• GPS: A-GPS
• Connectors: Proprietary 30-pin, 3.5mm earphone jack
• UI/Web Browser: Honeycomb UI / Android Browser
• Audio: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, RA
• Video: WMV9, WMV7, WMV8, H.264, MPEG4, H.263, VP8
• Other Services & Applications: GMS / Google Applications / Android Ecosystem / Samsung Hub (Social Hub, Game Hub, Readers Hub, Music Hub) / Live Panel
• Battery Capacity: 7000mAh
• Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.9 x 0.34 in. / 256.7 x 175.3 x 8.6 mm
• Weight: 1.25 lbs. / 565 g

The smaller tablets are also up for pre-orders. There are 2 models to choose from. A 4 inch and a 5 inch tablet both are WiFi only. 229$ and 269.99$ respectively.

Some specs for the smaller ones:

• OS: Android 2.2 Froyo
• Monitor: 5" & 4" WVGA
• CPU: 1GHz A8 Cortex Processor
• Memory: 512MB RAM, 8GB Internal Memory & microSD Slot

Samsung Galaxy S II updated

Samsung’s Galaxy S II may be fresh to the market, but that hasn’t stopped the company’s engineers from pushing out updates. In fact, we’ve seen two firmware updates arrive through Samsung’s Kies app in short order, bringing the GSII up to i9100XWKE2.

The first left Swype more responsive and apparently also addressed some connectivity issues, while the second fixed the Galaxy S II’s automatic brightness. The firmware is also rootable, which is good news for those looking forward to all the third-party hacks we’re promised.

Source: AndroidCommunity

New Laptop by DELL... Teaser

Dell posted this teaser video on Youtube...



More info soon...

HTC Flyer In Europe Stores Today

Today HTC throws a new competitor in the tablet market with the availability of the HTC Flyer across stores in Europe. The 7-inch tablet will come in 2 flavours. One 32GB 3G version and another 16GB Wi-Fi only version. Of course the 3G version will also include Wifi connectivity.

The price tag for the 32GB 3G model is 600£ (680€) and for the 16GB WiFi model will be at 480£ (500€).

Specs overview:

• CPU: 1,5Ghz
• Memory: Internal 32GB, RAM 1GB (incl. MicroSD expansion slot)
• OS: Android with HTC Sense
• Screen: 7 inch touch screen 1024x600
• Camera: 5mpx rear, 1,3mpx front facing
• Weight: 420 grams with battery.
• Other features: WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and more.

Complete list of features can be found here.

Chromebooks by Acer and Samsung

Google announced today the first Chromebooks by Samsung and Acer. According to Google these new devices aren't exactly your typical notebook. They are devices to browse the web, with a notebook form factor...hm... but not a notebook.

Chromebooks will be able boot up in just 8 seconds. And you will be instantly on the web. You won't be storing any data locally but rather in the cloud and it will be accessible every where you go. Even if you destroy your notebook! Um sorry. Your Chromebook.

More interesting is the claim that it will be secure without the need of Antivirus or any type of security software. The OS has been designed from the ground up with security in mind. Will see...

Chromebooks will be available online June 15 in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy and Spain with more countries following in the coming months.



Some Specs:
The Samsung Chromebook

• 12.1" 1280x800 Display
• 3.26 lbps | 1.48kg
• 8.5 hours of continuous usage.
• Intel Atom Dual Core
• WiFi & 3G(optional)
• HD Webcam
• 2 USB 2.0 Ports
• 4-in-1 Card reader
• Mini VGA port
• Fullsize keyboard
• Oversized fully clickable trackpad

The Acer Chromebook

• 11.6" Widescreen CineCrystal LED-Backlit LCD
• 2.95 lbs. | 1.34kg
• 6 hours of continuous usage.
• Intel Atom Dual Core
• WiFi & 3G(optional)
• HD Webcam
• HD Audio
• 2 USB 2.0 Ports
• 4-in-1 Card reader
• HDMI port
• Fullsize keyboard
• Oversized fully clickable trackpad

Both product specs are similar to a standard netbook but with a vital component missing. An internal hard drive. I don't know if the specs aren't finalized yet but what would you do with hard drive since saving stuff will be done over the net?

Netbook + Tablet = Awesome Product (Samsung Sliding PC 7)

Samsung Creates a New Category of Mobile PC with the Samsung Sliding PC 7 Series

Combining the Benefits of a Laptop and Tablet PC, the PC 7 Series is Ideal for Creating and Consuming Content.

Magic Word: Creating Content! Because in reality it is impossible to create even a spreadsheet on those tablets. The combination of pleasure and work will make this product a best seller.

Motorola Tablet: Xoom

Motorola unveils their tablet at CES 2011, here the Motorola's Xoom promo. It's a 10.1-inch HD Tablet with Dual-Core Processing, Google’s Honeycomb Platform, and 1080p HD Video Content Support.