Samsung Unveils The Galaxy Tab 7.0N Plus; Slightly Re-styled version of the Tab 7.0 Plus

Thanks to the patent trolling from Apple, Samsung has released a re-designed version of the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, known as the Tab 7.0N Plus.

Apple had earlier successfully managed to get the whole Galaxy Tab series banned in Germany on grounds that the tablet looked similar to the iPad 2. Samsung has thus released this slightly re-designed version of the 7-inch so as to get around with the ban in Germany.

The re-designed tablet has the same specs as its older version that includes a 7-inch PLS LCD screen with a resolution of 600×1024, an Exynos 4210 SoC sporting a 1.2GHz dual-core A9 processor, an ARM Mali-400MP GPU, 1GB of RAM, a 2MP camera at the back and a 1.3MP camera in the front, microSD card slot and 16/32GB of internal memory. All the usual features like Wi-Fi, GPS, Accelerometer are also present.

Externally, Samsung has increased the bezel size around the screen by a bit and placed the speakers there. Quite a few Galaxy Tab users out there will appreciate this design change.

However, the Tab 7.0N Plus still runs on Android 3.2 Honeycomb with Sammy’s TouchWIZ UI on top of it. The tablet should get the Ice Cream Sandwich update sometime in late Q1 of this year. This new version of the Galaxy Tab is already available in retail stores in Germany.

Intel and Motorola Team Up to Develop Intel Powered Android Devices

Until now, Intel has had exactly zero luck in the smartphone arena which continues to be dominated by ARM. However, 2012 may be the year when Intel’s fortune finally changes for good.

Intel’s Ultrabook movement seems to be a hit, judging by the reaction of the audiences at CES 2012. More than 75 new Ultrabooks are expected to be launched in 2012, with support from all major notebook manufacturers.

Intel also unveiled its Medfield smartphone processors today, and we already have a couple of phones powered by it, which are slated to launch in 2012.

Today, Intel and Motorola officially announced a strategic partnership that includes Motorola building smartphones and tablets powered by Intel’s chips. This should give it some traction in the market, and also attract other smartphone manufacturers to take the same route. Motorola’s Intel powered devices will run on Android, which is quite logical as Google recently acquired Motorola.

“When great silicon and software technology meets great mobile and design innovation, amazing things can happen. Our long-term relationship with Motorola Mobility will help accelerate Intel® architecture into new mobile market segments. We expect the combination of our companies to break new ground and bring the very best of computing capabilities to smartphones and tablets, which in turn will help to create powerful new experiences that connect and enrich people’s lives wherever they may be,” said Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini.

Intel’s processors are traditionally very powerful, but suck at power management, which makes them a really bad option for mobile devices. With its new Medfield architecture, Intel is aiming to remedy exactly that.

While Intel is trying to beat ARM in the mobile market, ARM is trying to break into the PC market. Windows 8 will support both the X86 and ARM architectures. The Microsoft and Intel exclusive alliance is now dead.

BlackBerry PlayBook and Kindle Fire Comparison

Twins with Different Interests?

Since the Kindle Fire was first announced, it has constantly been compared to the Blackberry Playbook. The hardware and design of both devices make it seem like its counterpart is just a different model of the same device. They are very different though. It’s easy to say that they are different because one can do this and the other can do that, but as a user of both tablets, I can tell you that each has a different purpose and feel to it.

BlackBerry PlayBook

In the time that I had my BlackBerry PlayBook, it was very easy to see RIM’s target audience. The device is for the upbeat worker who occasionally finds time to play games. The PlayBook is great for work use but lacks everything else. In the work aspect of the tablet, the PlayBook brings an A-game. It has some of the best multitasking to date, and all you have to do to get back to what you were doing is swipe to the corresponding window. The device also features great business apps for things such as real estate, expense tracking and time management. PlayBook’s security is also very good.

As a consumer device, the PlayBook gets a C at best. The content is very hard to find on the PlayBook. It has things like Kobo for eBooks, but nothing is native as opposed to the Kindle Fire. Content is almost non-existent without having to download apps, and even then, it is still a pain to get the content on the device. The PlayBook leaves business people all over the world cheering but leaves content consumers wanting more.

Amazon Kindle Fire

I purchased my Kindle Fire after I bricked my PlayBook, and I have simply fallen in love with the device. The Kindle Fire is basically the opposite of the PlayBook. Content on the Fire is so easy to get anyone can do it. This makes the device appeal to a much larger audience. The Fire features individual tabs corresponding to things such as music, apps, and books. When you select a tab, it shows what’s in your cloud storage and device storage, and then the option to go to the online store. One click and you’re at the store – another, and the content is on your device. Getting content on the Fire is simple and fluid.

Using the Kindle Fire for such things such as multitasking leaves users frustrated, but on a PlayBook, a user would have no problem. Multitasking is somewhat relevant on the Fire in that you can go back to something, but you have to close completely out of what you’re doing and reopen your other project. The business apps and tools are there on the Fire but don’t bring quite the quality of the ones on the PlayBook. The Fire’s security is not horrible, but is nowhere near as secure as the PlayBook.

Conclusion:

The best way to describe the PlayBook and Kindle Fire is twins that look alike but have completely different interests. The PlayBook is great as a business device but lacks consumer content. The Kindle Fire brings great content but lacks as a powerful business device. In the end both tablets are great, but they will appeal to completely different audiences.

Nokia Lumia 900 Specifications Leak

Nokia is expected to demo the Lumia 900 at CES 2012, which will begin next week. However, information about the hardware specs of Nokia’s next Windows Phone powered flagsip has already leaked out.

The Lumia 900 will sport a 4.3-inch WVGA capacitive touch-screen and run Windows 7.5 Mango. Appearance wise Lumia 900 will stay true to its predecessor’s stunning slim looks. It should be no more than 12 mm thick and weigh about 160 grams. The device which has been codenamed Eloko will have 512MB of RAM, 8 megapixel camera, and a generous 1830mAh battery. The specs are pretty much in line with what was expected, but in someways a shade below what most Android handsets offer.

The LTE compatible Lumia 900 will launch on the AT&T network as Nokia Ace. Rumored launch date is March 18, but we wouldn’t bet on that. With Lumia 900, Nokia is simply improving upon the good work done with the N9 and the Lumia 800. Will that be enough to challenge the onslaught of new Android handsets that are expected to be annoucned at CES and MWC is something that we will have to wait to find out.

Apple’s January Event Reportedly About Publishing and iBooks

Just a few hours ago, it was reported that Apple is planning a special event in New York for the end of this month. The event is reported to be for a “media-related announcement” and not for the iPad 3 or an Apple television set.

Now, TechCrunch reports that a source had independently confirmed plans for the end-of-January event, which was first reported by AllThingsD. According to this new report, the event will focus on publishing and eBooks (which are sold through Apple’s iBooks platform) rather than iAds. TechCrunch’sAlexia Tsotsis’s also noted that attendance would be ”more publishing industry-oriented than consumer-focused.”

According to the source the event will not involve any hardware at all and instead will focus on publishing and eBooks (sold through Apple’s iBooks platform) rather than iAds. Attendance will also be more publishing industry-oriented than consumer-focused.

The source also said Apple would reveal new improvements to its iBooks platform at the event, though the tipster described the announcement as not “major.” In addition, due to the original report suggesting that Apple’s Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue will play a role in the event, rumors suggested that the event would be related to either advertising or publishing. I guess we are all in for a surprise.

HTC Bootloader Unlock Tool Now Supports All Devices Launched After September 2011

It was just yesterday that HTC had updated its bootloader tool to add support for the myTouch 4G Slide and the EVO View 4G. Readers will remember that I had complained that the HTC Rezound bootloader was not unlockable using the official tool from HTC.

Now, just a day after, HTC has updated its web-based bootloader unlocking tool to add support for all HTC Android handsets announced after September 2011. Yes, this includes the HTC Rezound as well!

Below is the official statement from HTC -:

HTC Android devices launched after September 2011 are unlockable. The website will be updated accordingly to reflect this in the coming weeks. We continue to work on models launched prior to September 2011, please check back often for the status of older devices.

Thankfully, as it is evident from the above statement, HTC is also working on adding support for handsets it had launched with encrypted bootloaders earlier in the year like the Incredible S, Desire S etc.

Hopefully, this also means that the bootloader tool will be able to unlock the bootloaders of all the upcoming handsets from HTC as well, without the need for an update.