Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus review

We've already established that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a great tablet. Then, just recently, we summarily found that the 1.2-inch smaller Galaxy Tab 8.9 is an even better tablet -- at least for anyone who wants to take their slate places. So, following that logic, the even more petite Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus should be the best of the three, right?

Not so fast. We've been here before, and things weren't exactly great. The original Galaxy Tab was, of course, a 7-incher and wasn't universally well received thanks to a number of problems -- the first being a $600 MSRP. Another issue was an Android 2.2 build that tried its best but was ultimately ill-suited for tablet duties. This new 7-inch installment packs a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, a tablet-friendlier build of Android 3.2 Honeycomb and a somewhat more palatable $400 price tag.

So, it's clearly better equipped than its predecessor, but that one shipped a whopping 12 months ago. How does the newer, fancier Tab compete in this newer, fancier present? Read on to find out.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus review

Hardware
Samsung's last tablet really did look like a slate that was run through the wrong washing cycle and came out a size 8.9 rather than the 10.1 it started as. The 7.0 Plus, however, is a rather different beast, slotting in somewhere between the 8.9 and the Galaxy Note both in terms of styling and, of course, size.

Lenovo 10.1-inch Ice Cream Sandwich tablet with 1.6GHz Tegra 3 by year's end

You wouldn't think a giant like Lenovo would stop at just three (or four) Android tablets now, would you? In fact, a little birdie has informed us that said Chinese company will release a new 10.1-inch tablet by the end of the year, and unsurprisingly, Ice Cream Sandwich along with NVIDIA's Tegra 3 T33 are on the menu. Other features include 2GB of speedy 1,600MHz DDR3 RAM, a standard USB host socket (covered by a not-so-elegant pop-out flap), a back-facing camera of unknown resolution, a "Special Fusion-Skin Body" and, most interestingly, a fingerprint scanner that apparently doubles as an optical joystick on the seemingly flat backside -- only time will tell whether this layout makes sense. Our source hasn't spilled any info on the dimensions and weight, but judging by the photos in our gallery, this 1.6GHz quad-core slate should be significantly thinner than the IdeaPad K1 or LePad sitting underneath. As always, you'll hear from us as soon as we find out more.

Android Tablet Wars? The Evolving Tablet Spectrum

Android tablet devices are still struggling to define themselves in the marketplace. Unlike Apple's iPad, which has established a niche based on strong brand identity, its Android rivals are still a generic blur. Will they be distinguished by design specs or by the online stores they are associated with?

Android's tablet-form evolution is not purely a consumer-market issue. How this marketplace develops will have a major impact on Android use in the workplace. This in turn will help shape how IT at small and midsized businesses (SMBs) respond to tablet devices, mobility, and "the consumerization of IT."

Android Wars and Stores
Triggering the debate is the debut of the Nook Tablet. As noted by columnist M.G. Siegler at TechCrunch, this release coincides with early reviews of the Kindle Fire. What these devices have in common is not just that they are inexpensive Android tablets, they also both aim to leverage their association with bookstores--that is to say, with large-scale content providers.

This double development comes amid the ongoing struggle of Android tablet devices in general to gain a firm identity in the marketplace. Another TechCrunch columnist, Matt Burns, characterizes the current trend as the "PC-ification" of the Android tablet segment.

Tests Show Free Android Antivirus Programs Don't Work

A report from AV-Test, a well-known security software testing lab in Germany, says that free antivirus products for Android don't work well. In the lab's tests, many didn't find a single malware file scanned by them.
AV-Test gathered seven free products: Creative Apps Antivirus Free, GuardX Antivirus, Kinetoo Malware Scan, LabMSF Antivirus beta, Privateer Lite, and Zoner AntiVirus Free. Compared to two commercial Android AV products tested, F-Secure Mobile Security and Kaspersky Mobile Security, the free products were dismal failures.

The products had big differences in scanning capability. Some could only scan built-in storage, not SD cards. This isn't necessarily a problem because code can't execute directly off removable storage. In static scans of 83 Android installation packages (APK) and 89 Dalvik binaries (DEX), none of them more than five months old, only Zoner AntiVirus Free found more than 10% of the malware--32% to be specific. Four of the products found none at all. Zoner did much better in detection of malware at install time, finding 80%, or 8 out of 10. Three of the other six products found 10% or one in 10, and the other three found none at all. F-Secure and Kaspersky found all threats.

Some of these products are extremely popular. The Market website says one of them, Creative Apps Antivirus Free, has millions of installations. Many free antivirus products on the PC have excellent reputations and protect well, but these come from established AV companies that are using the free versions to sell pay versions with extra features. The free Android AV products might not have that advantage.

iPhone is New King Of The Enterprise

Recent survey shows that the iPhone has dethroned the long-reigning king of the enterprise, RIM's BlackBerry, for business use. Quickly catching up to the Blackberry is Google's Android OS.

Enterprise mobility provider iPass polled over 2,300 enterprise workers for its quarterly Mobile Workforce Report, and found that the iPhone now makes up 45% of phones used by mobile workers. This is up from 31% in 2010.

The BlackBerry, which was for years the preferred handset of the enterprise user, has fallen to second place. It now makes up 32.2% of the mobile worker market, down from 34.5%. According to iPass, this doesn't necessarily mean that the BlackBerry is losing its place in the sector, rather it's a testament to just how quickly its rivals are growing in popularity.

LG DoublePlay: Twice Your Android Smartphone Fun?

Android smartphones come in all shapes and sizes. But in most other ways they're very similar. Therefore bigger screens, higher-resolution cameras, and faster processors tend to be the hardware tweaks that manufacturers use to try to differentiate their newest model from both their competitors' and their own smartphones. LG's Android-powered DoublePlay takes another tack. Its unique hardware signature is dual touch displays.

The LG DoublePlay ships with Android 2.3.4 (a.k.a. Gingerbread). It is not clear if an upgrade path to Android’s latest OS, 4.0--dubbed Ice Cream Sandwich--will be available. T-Mobile’s official response is a vague "we are actively working with OEM partners to ensure that a number of eligible T-Mobile devices are upgraded to Android 4.0 in the coming months." Upgraded OS or not, the LG DoublePlay's modest screen size, display resolution, and single-core 1-GHz processor should not deter you from considering it as a combination work and play smartphone. The device combines several features, including a few unique ones, to make it an appealing choice for just about anyone.

Kindle Fire vs Nook Tablet

There seems little doubt that the Kindle Fire will prove one of the holiday season's biggest hits. At $200, the budget tablet will no doubt prove too good a deal to pass up for many consumers not ready to make the price commitment to the industry-leading iPad or a top-tier Android tablet like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Of course, the Fire wasn't the only budget Android tablet to launch this week -- heck, it wasn't even the only budget Android tablet launched by an e-reader producer. Barnes & Noble's Nook Tablet also, conveniently, hit stores earlier this week. The company took what it got right with the Nook Color, souped it up a bit internally and wound up with a solid competitor to the Fire.

So, which of these products should budget-friendly gadget shoppers pick up this holiday season? We take a look at their hits and misses after the break.

Form factor

Barnes & Noble certainly didn't go out of its way to distinguish the Nook Tablet from its predecessor, the Nook Color. The company really took an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach to industrial design -- after all, the Color was a good seller, so why reinvent the wheel here?

Sprint rides the Express to Budget Town

Do you choo-choo-choose the Sprint Express, or does it choose you? The Now Network's mixing things up this holiday season by adding its own branded device -- in reality, a reworked Huawei Boulder that Sprint slapped its name on -- to the low end of its smartphone lineup. Known simply as the Express, it's a portrait QWERTY Android 2.3 handset that will set you back $20 with a two-year contract (after a $50 mail-in rebate). What you'll get in return for that hard-earned Jackson is a 2.6-inch QVGA (320 x 240) display, 3.2MP camera, 256MB of RAM, 512MB of internal storage (with expandable microSD slot), a 1,500mAh battery and a 3G mobile hotspot that supports up to five devices. We doubt it'll be the first stop on anybody's Black Friday shopping list, but we think it may actually get penciled into the schedule somewhere.

Best Androids For Less Than $100

Android phones for less than $100 don't have to be more than two years old, and as fast as technology is moving today, you can get some decent tech for much less than $100. Pantech, a company new to the U.S. is selling a brand new device for $100 with a two year contract from Verizon. It's got a four inch screen, a five megapixel camera and runs Android 2.3 right out of the box.

For the best deal, check out AT&T's Samsung Captivate. With a new two year contract, you can grab one for a penny (online offer only)! This may be a limited time offer, but it's such a good deal. It runs on an older version of Android (2.2 Froyo) but it's got a four inch screen and comes with Swype for faster texting and typing.

Sprint's HTC Evo Design 4G can also be had for $100 on contract after a $50 mail-in rebate. It comes with a four inch qHD touchscreen, Android 2.3 and 1.2GHz processor. This is a good option because Sprint allows unlimited data on their network. If that sounds good then check out the Nexus S 4G, also from Sprint. This was Google's second phone and it's over a year old now, so it costs $100 on contract with the $50 mail in rebate. It even comes with Android 2.3 and a four inch Super AMOLED display. If T-Mobile is your flavor, there is the HTC MyTouch 4G, free with a new two year contract. It runs Android 2.2 also, but has a 3.8-inch screen and four gigabytes of on board storage expandable to 32GB with an SD card (eight gigabyte card included).

Android Phones Seeing 'Malware Epidemic'

Mobile phones running on Google's Android operating system are experiencing a "malware epidemic," with the amount of malicious software having risen nearly fivefold since July, according to a post by the security research division of Juniper Networks.

More than half of the smartphones sold worldwide in the third quarter of the year use Android software, the research firm Gartner said this week. And as the platform grows, so do its malware woes. Cybersecurity firm McAfee reported in August that Android had become the number-one target for malicious software.

October and November are expected to see the fastest growth of malware in the history of the Android operating system, according to the post by Juniper Global Threat Center. This comes after a fourfold increase in Android malware from 2009 to the summer of 2010, the company said. By Juniper's count, that means Android malware has increased a stunning 427% from July 2011 to November 10, 2011.

Juniper said hackers have become more sophisticated in the malware they create for Android, writing malicious code that allows them to take control of the phone, spy on victims and send premium-rate text messages - which can cost $2 to $3 each - from a victim’s phone to the hacker, who collects the money.

Juniper said malware on Android devices has become widespread because Google’s method for policing its mobile app store is less stringent than Apple’s system for keeping malware out of its mobile app store.

"There is still no upfront review process in the official Android Market that offers even the hint of a challenge to malware writers that their investment in coding malware will be for naught," the report said.

Malicious applications in the Android market can be removed after the fact if someone discovers it and reports it, Juniper said.

"But how many unsuspecting people are going to download it before it is identified as malicious and removed?" the post said. "This is precisely what is playing out in the mind of mobile malware developers today."

A recent report by the malware testers at AV-Test.org found that most free Android malware scanners did a poor job of detecting malicious software. "[T]he circulation of obviously near to useless security apps endangers those, who trust them and install apps from 3rd party app markets without further suspiciousness," read AV-Test's report, according to ZDNET.

Motorola Droid RAZR vs. Apple iPhone 4S

The Motorola Droid RAZR is one of the most-hyped phones in recent memory. But you don't need to think back too far to recall the months of rumors and speculation surrounding the Apple iPhone 4S. So now that the RAZR is available, how does it stack up to Apple's month-old iPhone? We've compiled specs for each phone in the table below to find out.

Priced at $299.99 with a two-year contract, the Droid RAZR is astoundingly thin, at just 0.28 inches. But it manages to pack in a dual-core 1.2-GHz TI OMAP 4 processor, 4.3-inch Super AMOLED advanced qHD display, and 8-megapixel rear camera with 1080p video recording. There's also 16GB of internal storage, along with a 16GB microSD card, expandable to 32GB. And of course, there are the numerous accessories, not included, that can transform the RAZR into other devices, such as a laptop (via a laptop dock similar to the one available for the Motorola Atrix 2 and Droid Bionic).

The RAZR is shipping with Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread), but Motorola has said that it will receive an update to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) in early 2012.

The iPhone 4S ($199.99—$399.99 with a two-year contract), meanwhile, is powered by Apple's new dual-core A5 chip, which Apple claims can deliver up to two times more power and seven times faster graphics performance than the iPhone 4. In addition, the iPhone 4S is a world phone, meaning it supports both CDMA and GSM networks. It has an 8-megapixel rear camera with 1080p video capture, and is available in 16, 32, or 64GB versions.

While the specs for both phones are relatively similar, one of the biggest differences is that the Droid RAZR taps into Verizon's 4G LTE network, while the iPhone 4S uses 3G. While Verizon's 3G network offers excellent coverage, it is no match for the blazing speeds devices can reach over 4G LTE. In testing speeds on the Droid RAZR, we saw downloads range from 3 to 16 Mbps down. That's significantly speedier than 3G, over which we saw an average of 0.76 Mbps down when we tested for the Fastest Mobile Networks earlier this year.

Then there are some features you can't compare in a spec box: like the diamond-cut aluminum accents, tapered corners, stainless steel core, and laser-cut woven Kevlar fiber that make up the Droid RAZR; or the impossibly sharp retina display and beautiful industrial design of the iPhone 4S.

So which phone is the winner? Judging by specs alone, there is no clear cut answer. Take a look at our review of the Motorola Droid RAZR, or the Apple iPhone 4S. Though we reviewed the phone on Sprint, it should give you a good idea of what you can expect on Verizon.

Will Apple iPhone 4S Lose to Top 6 Android Phones?

Apple Inc.'s iPhone 4S has generated an overwhelming response by consumers, but the smartphone has experienced battery-life problems for weeks now. Amid these continuing issues, the iPhone 4S is predicted to face tough challenges from Android devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Motorola Droid RAZR, HTC Vivid, and HTC Rezound or Vigor.

Early last month, Apple took the wraps off the iPhone 4S, instead of the highly anticipated iPhone 5. Nonetheless, the Apple smartphone officially sold 4 million units during its opening weekend.

Within a week of the device's release, however, there were persistent battery-life complaints from iPhone 4S users. And some Apple customers suggested that the iOS 5 mobile operating system has also had a negative effect on power usage by other iDevices. To rectify the issue, the company recently released its iOS 5.0.1 software update.

The iOS 5.0.1 update came more than a week after Apple first acknowledged that some users were running into problems with shorter-than-anticipated battery life after upgrading to the latest version of its iOS. The software update was designed to fix bugs affecting battery life, in addition to making three other key improvements.

Despite missing prominent specifications like edge-to-edge design, a larger display, 4G LTE, and near-field communication (NFC) technology, the iPhone 4S has some important features that were rumored to be part of the imaginary iPhone 5.

The features of the Apple smartphone include a 1GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor, PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU, Apple A5 chipset, and 8-megapixel camera. It also has a 3.5-inch TFT Retina multitouch display, and is loaded with iOS 5.

HTC Android phones can be synced with iTunes

HTC Android phone users can sync their devices with iTunes. Those who have the HTC Rhyme or HTC Sensation XL can now sync their images, music, videos in iTunes with their Android devices.

All the users need to do is install the latest version of HTC Sync and all the iTunes information of the users is detected by the software. It then asks the users which content they would want to sync on their phones.
There are other iTunes syncing methods available on web as well, but they haven't worked as smoothly as the new option from HTC has. The new feature has not been publicized by the company yet but all new devices of HTC are expected to come with this facility.

The idea behind this HTC move is to make its Android smartphones more user friendly than ever, but for the HTC Sync to work, the smartphones would still need to be connected with the computer, which might be okay for the users only because syncing with iTunes was not there before, otherwise it sounds inconvenient.
The Android smartphones from HTC, the Sensation XL and Rhyme were launched recently in Taiwan, and are soon expected to be launched in India as well.

Android App Downloads Surpass iOS App Downloads For the First Time

Android has taken the lead in application market downloads, according to reports by by market analysts. This is the first time for the platform to overtake iOS, although Apple still trumps Google in terms of revenue and per-user downloads

ABI Research recently revealed market findings during the 2nd quarter of 2011. According to the analysts, Android Market downloads have surpassed those of Apple’s App Store. During that period, Android got a 44% market share in app downloads, while Apple’s share slid to 31%.

ABI credits this trend to Google’s open approach to Android and application development, citing how the platform is open for use by multiple manufacturers, while Apple’s iOS is a closed ecosystem. Also, quarterly shipment figures point toward a decline in iPhone sales during 2Q 2011, with a 9% shipment growth compared to 15% in the previous quarter. Meanwhile, Android smartphone shipments grew 36% compared to 20% in Q1 2011.

However, ABI qualifies this trend, saying that Apple is not exactly a net loser. In terms of per-user downloads, iOS users still outnumber Android users in average, by a factor of 2-to-1. iOS is said to be a better ecosystem for developers and users. ABI attributes this to better monetization for developers and a better user experience for smartphone users. As such, Android may be overtaking iOS in terms of raw numbers, but Apple’s winning strategy is focusing its market on getting the most out of each user and out of each application.

ABI’s Mobile Applications Market Data research says the global app market is expected to reach 29 billion app downloads by end of the year, compared to 2010′s 9 billion. Meanwhile, the total smartphone install base is expected to grow 46% compared to last year’s.

BlackBerry's business problem

Addictions are tough to break, yet Research in Motion seems to be doing whatever it can to help users cast aside their CrackBerrys once and for all. Consider just a few of the reasons the Canadian maker of the BlackBerry smartphone is ailing: an international outage in mid-October; the Playbook tablet, a weak answer to the iPad; and phones with web browsing that is both laughably low-quality and slow as molasses.

All of these woes mean that RIM (RIMM) faces its greatest existential crisis yet. At a time when its product lineup and network service have never been weaker, Apple (AAPL) and Android users are fiercely attacking BlackBerry's greatest strength -- the business market. Sure, BlackBerry had its moment of hipness, when advertising built around the likes of U2's Bono helped convince kids its smartphones were cool. But "the enterprise" was always RIM's sweet spot. Selling functional e-mail devices with a proprietary -- and secure -- network is where BlackBerry has excelled. That's why its three-day service outage was such a black eye.

For a while now BlackBerry has lagged in the kind of applications that make iPhones and Android devices so popular. And recently Apple has been highlighting business applications like Dropbox and Cisco's (CSCO) WebEx in its iPhone advertising. Though Apple focuses on consumers, it frequently notes that 93% of the Fortune 500 is testing or has already deployed the iPhone -- a terrifying statistic for RIM.

Meet the top 7 app makers of 2011

At the same time Motorola (MMI), which Google (GOOG) is buying, suggests its new Droid RAZR will sell well to chief information officer buyers, who value its inexpensive but high-quality "cloud" capabilities. The cloud lets users access content on networks businesses don't have to maintain themselves. "CIOs today understand there is a shift in IT to cloud and mobilization, whether they like it or not," says Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha.

RIM still has plenty going for it. Peter Walker, the company's senior director for enterprise product management, trumpets the "BlackBerry Balance" technology, for example, which lets business customers control employees' devices while enabling the use of personal apps. It is also beefing up its offerings from independent app developers. A bevy of new phones and tablets built around a redesigned operating system is expected next year.

Most important, the company still has 70 million worldwide subscribers, and shipped some 10.6 million smartphones last quarter. "A whole lot of businesses remain BlackBerry loyalists," says Kevin Restivo, a Toronto-based analyst with market tracker IDC. He says RIM is still strong for businesses where compliance matters, like law firms. Still, he notes, "enterprise is not the exclusive domain of RIM anymore." The problem with this narcotic, it seems, is that there are many suitable replacements.

--Reporter associate Richard Nieva, This article is from the November 21, 2011 issue of Fortune.

Android & iOS Now Dominate the Mobile Gaming Market

Amid a changing mobile gaming landscape, portable gaming consoles are losing their edge among consumers. Analysts report that Apple’s and Google’s mobile platforms have surpassed the PSP and DS in terms of mobile gaming revenues.

Nintendo and Sony have traditionally led the mobile gaming market in terms of platform and revenue. But as mobile devices become more capable as gaming platforms, mobile consoles are losing their edge in the market. Figures from Flurry Analytics indicate that Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS are fast eating into the revenues of Nintendo and Sony in terms of mobile games.

In 2009, iOS and Android only had a 19% share of the market. In 2010, this grew to 34%. This year, Android and iOS are the dominant platform, with 58% of revenues from mobile games. Flurry says the entire mobile gaming industry is worth $3.3 billion this year, which fetches the iOS and Android platform almost $2 billion, distributed among game developers and the platform owners themselves.

Meanwhile, Nintendo now only owns 36% of the market it once dominated, and Sony has a paltry 6%.

Analyst Peter Farago says the mobile gaming business model is fast-changing. Portable gaming systems cost about $200, with games selling for $25 or more per cartridge. This has been supplanted by application ecosystems, with games selling for as little as $0.99. Many games even follow a “freemium” model, in which the games themselves are free, but developers earn from premium content, such as in-game items, add-on software, and the like.

As a result, companies like Nintendo are struggling. With falling Wii sales and difficulty in maintaining its market share in mobile games, Nintendo is facing a financial hardship, which is not helped by the fact that Google and Apple are also planning to take over the living room with integrated TVs and entertainment systems running their respective platforms.

With these developments, is it game over for Sony and Nintendo, at least in the mobile gaming race?

Google : Siri is a serious threat

It sounded pretty good until Eric Schmidt said it: Siri, the so-called personal assistant app on Apple's iPhone 4S, is the new face of search. Siri is threatening to sideline the tried-and-true search box that Google turned into a cross between a wishing well and the most trusted way to navigate a rapidly sprawling web. Some said that Google should be concerned. Others, predictably, overreacted and labeled Siri a "Google killer."

Then last week Google's (GOOG) former CEO and current chair released his responses to Senate subcommittees looking into Google's dominance in the search industry. In the past few years, Schmidt has transitioned from a seasoned and successful CEO to something of a loose cannon who spends most of his time retracting, or explaining or laughing away his previous statements. So when Schmidt, citing some of those commentators who saw Apple's (AAPL) Siri as a Google competitor, suggested that Siri could be a force in search, he drew a skeptical response. Some said Schmidt was just downplaying Google's prominence in search. Others pointed out that Siri's own default search engine is Google.

But how can Google be a monopoly that is about to get its clock cleaned by Apple? The truth is less certain, if equally dramatic: The search industry is in the early stages of a disruptive period of change. It will look more like Siri than Google does today -- that is, it will have a more intuitive AI feel to it. Apple and Google -- and maybe even Microsoft (MSFT) -- will play a key role in shaping it. Which means it's well past time to be worrying about whether Google is a monopoly.

Nokia’s Comeback Strategy in Smartphones

The challenge Nokia faces in the smartphone market was grimly detailed last week. In the third quarter, according to IDC, Nokia’s worldwide smartphone sales fell 37 percent to 16.8 million phones from 26.5 million a year ago.

Nokia’s retreat comes in a booming market. Smartphone shipments grew 43 percent in the third quarter.

Stephen Elop, Nokia’s chief executive, is not despairing, and he has a turnaround strategy. The game plan is coherent and ambitious, but its success is not assured.

The opening for Nokia, Mr. Elop explained, depends on Nokia’s ability to exploit the rapidly shifting market in smartphones, to profit from its new alliance with Microsoft and to develop services based on its own assets, like the company’s advanced mapping and location data technology.

“There is tremendous opportunity for differentiation,” Mr. Elop said Monday in an interview.

The difference, said Mr. Elop, who joined the Finnish phone maker from Microsoft just over a year ago, starts with Microsoft’s new Windows Phone operating system. The well-reviewed software presents the user with large touchscreen tiles, which can be tailored to collect all the communications — e-mail, Twitter, Facebook — from a person’s family or spouse, for example.

Smartphone Buying Guide

Before developing a purchasing strategy, organisations first need to understand the market including the major players and their operating system (OS) roadmaps. For example, Google’s Android platform and Apple’s iOS combined currently command 60 per cent market share.

The following guide outlines the top platforms and the roadmap issues that need to be considered prior to any significant investment.

Google

Android continues to be the platform of choice gaining 40 per cent of the smartphone market in 2011. Moreover, the platform will continue to mature driving developer interest in its ecosystem.

“The release of the Ice Cream Sandwich version will make the platform more appealing to developers, as the OS will unify user interfaces (UIs) across smartphones and tablet form factors,” according to Gartner analyst, Roberta Cozza.

Android’s position at the high end of the market will remain strong, but its greatest volume opportunity in the longer term will be in mid-to-low smartphones. Gartner expects Android to hold 50 per cent market share by 2015.

Nokia

Symbian’s appeal over the next two years will be limited to emerging markets and more price-sensitive consumers in mature markets. Following its alliance with Microsoft, Nokia is expected to retire Symbian during 2012 and to migrate to Windows Phone as its main smartphone OS.

This will impact Symbian’s market share, which is expected to drop globally to 21 per cent in 2011 and 6.6 per cent in 2012, Gartner said.

Nokia will push Windows Phone well into the mid-tier range of its portfolio by the end of 2012, driving the platform to be the third largest in worldwide rankings, ahead of RIM, by 2013.

Apple
Apple’s iOS will remain the second-biggest platform worldwide until 2014, according to Gartner. However, falling prices and increasing volumes of lower cost devices will impact Apple’s market share.

“Our assumption is that Apple will be interested in maintaining margins and profit, rather than pursuing market share by changing its pricing strategy, this will limit adoption in emerging markets,” Cozza said.

Blackberry

The transition to QNX will enable RIM to bring to market more competitive products which will mitigate an overall decline in market share during 2013, Gartner said.

With the migration of legacy Blackberry devices to QNX (the OS used on the Blackberry PlayBook in 2012), RIM will be able to offer users a consistent experience across its whole product portfolio and create a single developer community.

Gartner said organisations most interested in this platform will be those that have already deployed RIM infrastructure or have stringent security requirements.

HP

HP is currently undergoing a major transition. Earlier this year HP announced it would stop producing hardware based on the webOS with plans to explore new alternatives. The announcement came after continuing poor sales of new webOS smartphones and the TouchPad’s failure to capture consumer interest.

Although the webOS platform had potential as a modern OS with a good UI, Cozza said a lack of applications, services and content limited its appeal.

Samsung

Gartner said Bada has done relatively well at the low end of the smartphone market. But one problem with the platform is that it offers no development path for tablet devices. Users want to share applications across devices so this is likely to limit uptake.

Intel Without the support of Nokia, Gartner believes MeeGo has little potential to become a relevant platform in the smartphone market.

Intel has plans to merge MeeGo with another open source effort, the LiMo Foundation, to create a new platform called Tizen. Gartner said both MeeGo and LiMo have, as separate entities, failed to attract mind share and the support of developers.

“Gartner remains unconvinced that a combined effort will change that much,” Cozza said.

HTC Edge quad-core, Tegra 3 phone tipped

HTC is reportedly preparing the world's first quad-core smartphone, the HTC Edge.

According to PocketNow, which claims to have leaked images of the purported device, the Edge would boast a Tegra 3 processor, packing a whopping four 1.5GHz chips.

The Tegra 2 processor, made by NVIDIA, currently lives within the most powerful Android phones on the market and that boasts two 1.5GHz chips, so quad-core would represent a huge upgrade.

The HTC Edge in question reportedly has a 4.7-inch HD display, 1GB of RAM and an 8-megapixel camera with an LED flash, putting it up there with the top-specced Android devices.
MWC debut?

The first quad-core phones are expected in early 2012, so it would be a reasonable assumption to expect this device to appear at Mobile World congress in just three months time.

Given that time period, it's also likely that any new releases from HTC would arrive packing the new Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.

The NVIDA Tegra 2 processor has primarily made Android phones more of a competitor in terms of gaming and graphical capabilities.

Quad-core phones could allow users of Google's operating system to experience even more iOS-like games that require a lot of power and put greater tools in the hands of developers.

Via: PocketNow

Gingerbread Is The King for Android Platform

Google has released the latest Android Platform distribution data for the two weeks period ending on November 3, and there are three things that caught our attention.

First of all, Gingerbread has finally taken over as the top Android OS in the land of Android devices. Over 44% of devices that accessed the Android Market in the 2 week period ending in November 3 were Gingerbread devices.

This is due to the fact that pretty much all new Android devices that have launched in the past few months have launched with Gingerbread.

The second thing visible from the data is that Froyo still accounts for over 40% of phones out there. This is bad news because it means that the upgrade process to Android 2.3 is still moving at a slow pace.

The last thing that caught our attention is the Honeycomb distribution. Unfortunately, things aren’t looking so good for Honeycomb. Less than 2% of total Android devices are running a version of Honeycomb (Android 3.x). Yes, the number is climbing, but let’s be real, it’s climbing at a very slow pace.

via Android Developers

Panasonic Toughbook, Tablet Powered by Android

Panasonic’s line of Toughbook notebooks can handle a whole heap of abuse, and the company is now cleverly expanding into the tablet market with the same basic principles of durability and security. Panasonic on Monday unveiled its Toughpad family of Android-powered devices, with both 7 and 10-inch options. The first model, the Panasonic Toughpad A1, is a 10-inch tablet that features a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 16GB of storage, FIPS 140-X compliance, optional LTE or WiMAX connectivity, GPS, a drop rating of 4 feet and 10 hours of battery life. Panasonic’s tablets will also be able to withstand a wide range of temperatures and are resistant to dust and water, in addition to sporting anti-reflective and anti-glare displays. The first Toughpad, the 10-inch A1, will go on sale starting in Spring of 2012 for $1,299, and the 7-inch Toughbook B1 will go on sale later in 2012. Panasonic’s full press release can be found after the break.

Tips to Buy the Best Tablet

It's difficult to remember a time before tablets, but it's been a mere 18 months since the first Apple iPad was released, and the current tablet market was born. Since then, we've seen scores of manufacturers trying to snag a slice of the tablet pie, which so far, has been dominated by Apple, who is now on its second iPad iteration. According to a study by Strategy Analytics, of the 7.5 million tablets that shipped during the second quarter, 80 percent were iPads, well ahead of those from rivals like Motorola, Samsung, RIM, Asus, and HTC.

That's not stopping others from trying. And the result so far has been a float of difficult-to-distinguish tablets at various price points, performance capabilities, and feature sets. There hasn't really been another standout. The latest big name to throw its hat in the already-crowded tablet ring: Amazon. The company's Android-based Kindle Fire won't be available until mid-November, but it comes at a very pleasing $199—a price low that no quality tablet has been able to yet manage. It will be interesting to see what Amazon's entry means for both the iPad and the non-Apple tablet market share.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus with 4G, available for $250

We were already expecting to see the WiFi-only version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus make its American debut on November 13th, but it may be worth waiting an extra three days if you'd like to have some good old-fashioned HSPA+ connectivity on T-Mobile.

Indeed, the carrier announced its 4G-ified iteration of the tablet will be ready for your purchase on November 16th for a $250 down payment after a mail-in rebate and with a two-year contract. Oh, and that's not the only fine print: you'll need to shell out twenty monthly interest-free payments of $10 in addition to your normal data plan.

To sum up the specs, the seven-inch tablet has Android 3.2 preinstalled, runs on a 1.2GHz Exynos CPU, has 16GB of internal storage and takes advantage of a 3MP rear-facing camera and 2MP front-facing cam for video chat. Still intrigued? Read on through the press release to learn more about your potential Tab life.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus will join the recently announced T-Mobile® SpringBoard™ with Google™ and Samsung Galaxy Tab™ 10.1, as well as the T-Mobile G-Slate™ with Google, to offer an affordable and compelling portfolio of 7-, 9- and 10-inch 4G tablets with down payments ranging from $179.99 to $399.99***.

Beginning Nov. 16, customers can purchase the T-Mobile SpringBoard for a $179.99 down payment and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus for a $249.99 down payment at T-Mobile retail stores. Each require a $50 mail-in rebate, with a T-Mobile Value Mobile Broadband plan, two-year service agreement, and 20 interest free monthly payments of $10 on approved credit. Overage-free Mobile Broadband Value plans start at $29.99 per month, and T-Mobile postpaid voice customers enjoy $10 off their monthly mobile broadband service. For more information, visit http://mobile-broadband.t-mobile.com/tablets.

Barnes & Noble's Nook Tablet Hands-On

Barnes & Noble announced a $249 Nook Tablet Monday that will compete with Amazon's not-yet-launched Kindle Fire tablet; the Nook Tablet sports a customized version of the Android OS, runs Android apps, streams video from content partners such as Hulu, and (of course) can be used as an e-book reader.

Barnes & Noble's Nook Tablet

Though it officially goes on sale at the end of next week, you can preorder the Nook Tablet now, according to Barnes & Noble.

A Closer Look

The 7-inch Nook Tablet is the second generation of B&N's Nook Color platform, and with the adoption of the simple name “Nook Tablet,” the company acknowledges what we've all known for the past year: That this LCD-based platform is as much a tablet as an e-reader. The Nook Tablet will cost $50 more than Amazon's Kindle Fire, but for that, you get more than what Amazon offers. Or what any other tablet offers, for that matter.

That said, the Nook Tablet's interface looks nothing like that of the Android masses. The software is a wholly customized version of Android 2.3, with optimizations for accessing your reading material. Like the Nook Color before it, the Nook Tablet lacks access to Google services, including Android Market; to download apps, you'll have to go through B&N's own app store, which is growing daily.

Dell Inspiron 14z review

It's called rebranding, and by golly, Dell needs to do it. Once the world's top PC maker, it's ceded market share to the likes of HP and Acer and earned a reputation for bland designs and subpar customer service. So, we can see where the outfit would want to give its laptops a makeover as a way of distancing itself from its tarnished rap.

That's precisely what seems to be going on with the Inspiron 14z, a 14-incher with a slimmed-down aluminum body, available in a surprisingly staid color palette (sorry, guys, bubblegum pink isn't an option this time around). With a low starting price of $600, it's ideal for college kids and pretty much anyone looking for a good-enough laptop for the home. Then again, so are lots of reasonably priced 14- and 15-inch laptops. Is this one extraordinary enough to make your short list? Let's see.

LG's thin and mighty P330 laptop

Remember that LG 13.3-incher we covered back when it was warm? The one that had everything going for it except precise release info? Well, it's finally dragged itself out of the factory and onto the shelves of a Korean retailer. Unfortunately, the Core i7 processor has been replaced by an i5-2435M running at 2.4GHz, but that's hardly a deal breaker -- and it's possible a higher specced variant will eventually see daylight too.

The other key credentials are all intact: an NVIDIA GeForce GT555M taking care of the visuals, a 40GB / 640GB SSD and HDD combo for snappier performance, and an IPS display built into an all-metal 1.7kg (3.6-pound) chassis. The price is listed as ₩1,364,000, which converts to a hefty $1,220 -- but we wouldn't be surprised if LG takes that down to below the MBP threshold when the product comes stateside.

USB 3.0: Three Times Awesome

If you’ve ever connected a media player to your laptop to sync up a few gigabytes of music and movies, only to spend the next eight hours waiting … waiting … waiting for the job to complete, you’re the number one candidate for USB 3.0.

USB 3.0, as the name implies, is the third major version of the USB standard, perhaps the most successful, universally-adopted connector format in the history of computing.

USB is beloved for its simplicity, its ability to charge battery-powered electronics connected through it, and phenomenal availability among thousands of devices – not just computer peripherals but also consumer electronics galore.

That is, until you find yourself in the fourth hour of that eight-hour synchronization slog. Then USB becomes a pain instead of a savior.

And that’s the main issue that USB 3.0 (also known as SuperSpeed USB) was designed to address, pumping up the maximum throughput of USB from the 48Mbps of USB 2.0 to the 480Mbps of USB 3.0.
That alone solves a lot of problems, but USB 3.0 also has another trick up its sleeve: The ability to charge more power-hungry devices than USB 2.0 could. USB 2.0 could provide up to 100 milliamps of power to gadgets connected via the connector. That was fine for the cell phones of 2004, but in 2011, USB gizmos often need so much juice that they can’t charge via USB 2.0. Most tablets won’t charge at all via a USB connection, and those that do will usually only “trickle charge,” an agonizingly slow operation that can take all day.

USB 3.0 bumps power output up to 900 milliamps, providing power aplenty for just about anything you could think to throw at it.

Best of all, in keeping with USB’s history, USB 3.0 is backward compatible with USB 2.0 devices. In other words, if your computer has a USB 3.0 port, you can still plug a USB 2.0 hard drive into it – and vice versa – though in both cases the connection will operate at the slower, USB 2.0 speed.

While USB 3.0 was introduced last year, support for it remains spotty, and even computers that feature USB 3.0 ports tend to have only a couple instead of a full bank of four or more. Still, that support is coming, however slowly. USB 3.0 is on its way to everything – it’s just taking its sweet time getting there. Which, oddly, is so unlike the zippy USB 3!    (http://www.pcworld.com/article/242483/usb_30_three_times_the_awesome.html)

Steve Jobs Is Right about Android

Over the weekend I wrote an article titled "What If Steve Jobs Is Right?" As the title implies, the post was a hypothetical look at the possibility that Steve Jobs' assertion that Android is a "stolen product" is true.

Many of the comments I have received on the article itself, as well as on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ seem to be based on emotion and the personal opinion the commenter holds of Apple and Steve Jobs. Those things have nothing to do, though, with patent law or the realities of whether or not Android infringes on Apple patents.

Let's take a closer look at some of the arguments being thrown about as evidence that Steve Jobs is wrong about Android:

Android Existed Before iOS Was Conceived

I have no idea when Jobs or Apple actually conceived iOS, but Android--the company--was founded in 2003, and bought by Google in 2005. Based on that simple chronology many Android loyalists and Apple bashers jump to the conclusion that Android couldn't possibly infringe on Apple patents for iOS that wasn't made available until 2007.

There are a couple flaws in this logic. First, he who patents first, wins. There are steps in the patent-granting process designed to identify similar technologies that already exist--or "prior art". The fact is that whatever concepts and technologies Apple owns patents for made it through that process and were awarded to Apple. Even if the developers at Android thought something up first--or something that was identical to what Apple came up with--Apple appears to have won the patent race.

The second flaw in this argument is that Android as it was released by Google, and as we see it today, is different than the Android operating system that Google bought in 2005. Just because there was an Android operating system prior to iOS doesnt preclude Google from going back and dramatically retooling it to mimic iOS.

Android Isnt an Exact Copy of iOS

Nobody is claiming that it is. Apple (and Microsoft) assert that key portions of Android infringe on technologies and concepts it owns patents for.

Apple, With 4 Percent of Handset Market, Captures 52 Percent of Profits

Apple may have lost its crown as the top shipper of smartphones this past quarter, but the iPhone maker hauled in more than half of the mobile industry's operating profits during that period, according to a new research note from Canaccord Genuity analyst T. Michael Walkley.

That despite having just 4.2 percent of the global handset market.

"With Nokia in the midst of a challenging smartphone strategy transition and our checks indicating RIM and Motorola Mobility continue to struggle in North America given the increasingly competitive Android smartphone market, we believe Apple will gain further value share in the December quarter and could capture over 60 percent of industry profits," Walkley wrote in his note, according to All Things D.

Samsung shipped the most smartphones in the third quarter, according to separate reports from IDC and Strategy Analytics last week. But Samsung's margins of 17 percent on its handsets were dwarfed by Apple's 35 percent margins for the quarter. So while Samsung did capture a healthy 29 percent of operating profits in the third quarter, Apple was king with 52 percent of the profits available to handset makers from July to September (full chart below).

Apple only makes high-margin smartphones, so while it did own about a 15 percent percent share of that market in the third quarter, according to industry research, its share of the overall handset market came in at below 5 percent. Samsung accounted for nearly 24 percent of smartphone shipments in the quarter and had about 22 percent of the overall mobile phone market in the three-month period.

While Samsung was overshadowed by Apple in terms of operating profit in the quarter, other handset makers were absolutely obliterated. Nokia shipped far and away the most units in the third quarter 6 million, according to IDC—but captured just 4 percent of the operating profits during the period.

HTC and Research in Motion each had less than 10 percent of the profits reported by handset makers for the quarter, while Sony Ericsson struggled to scratch out 1 percent. LG Electronics and Motorola Mobility reported losses in the third quarter.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Active : The Rainmaker

Flick it, kick it, throw it, wet it. Drag and drop it. And watch it come back for more. The Sony Ericsson Xperia active is a survivor. The rugged smartphone has a Bravia Reality display and exchangeable covers, 1GHz of oomph and HD video, and plenty of sporty apps. It's got you - tucked under an arm strap. It goes wherever you go.

Durable smartphones are becoming an Android-exclusive niche and Sony Ericsson want in. But the Xperia active believes that an IP67-certified phone doesn't have to be all muscle and no charm.

The Xperia active is a cute little phone - the action-scene body double of the Xperia mini. Go ahead, laugh it up, Sonim. This is a phone that doesn't take much pocket space, which is a big plus in our book. And no, they don’t have to be cargo pockets either.

Sony Ericsson Xperia active

The IP67-certified Xperia active is supposed to withstand water immersion in up to a meter for as long as half an hour. It's also dust-proof and shock-resistant. Before you ask, we're not going to test it to the very limit of endurance. Like we said, some real heavy duty rugged phones can sneer all they want. It's just that a compact sporty smartphone for both urban and wilderness hikes may as well have the last laugh.

Key features

•     Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
•     3G with 7.2 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
•     3.0" 16M-color LED-backlit LCD capacitive touchscreen of HVGA resolution (320 x 480 pixels) at around 192 ppi
•     Bravia Mobile engine
•     Dust and water resistant, wet-finger tracking
•     Dual back cover design for increased protection
•     Arm case and wrist strap in the bundle
•     Android OS v2.3 Gingerbread

Galaxy S II Skyrocket and HTC Vivid : Ice Cream Sandwich

Are you excited for the new Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket?  How about the HTC Vivid?  While these hot new phones will be blazing fast at 4G speeds, They’re both going to be running on Android Gingerbread, a fact that can be viewed as somewhat disappointing seeing as the next iteration – Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) – has already been announced.


Well, no need to fret, while you will be able to pick up both of the new devices this coming Sunday, November 6 with Gingerbread, sometime in early 2012 you’ll be enjoying the goodness of the Ice Cream Sandwich flavor.  AT&T has confirmed that after going through all of the proper testing, both devices will indeed receive the upgrade.  There is sadly no time frame mentioned outside of the ballpark date that could be anywhere up to June of next year, but our suspicions are that it won’t take quite that long.

While this news shouldn’t come as that big of a surprise to anyone considering the timing of these phones being released, it’s still nice to see some confirmation of the fact.  Any Android phone coming out from here on out that isn’t going to be receiving ICS is going to have a tough time getting picked up by consumers who keep up on this sort of information, so it’s going to be essential that carriers and manufacturers get the word out about when and which handsets will receive the update.

Does this news make you any more likely to pick up the Skyrocket or the Vivid?

ASUS Transformer Prime benchmark tests

While the ASUS Transformer Prime is far from being sold at retail outlets, it looks like ASUS (or somebody with access to the tablet) has been doing some benchmark testing with the tablet. While doing a review of the original Eee Pad Transformer using the AnTuTu benchmark app, the writers at Tech2 noticed an interesting entry in the results comparison chart. Right at the very top, miles ahead of the Galaxy Nexus was the ASUS Transformer Prime. While the screenshot posted shows a quad-core 1.4GHz version of the tablet, apparently there’s a quad-core 1.6GHz Transformer Prime benchmarked with AnTuTu as well.

The 1.4GHz quad-core CPU that powers the Asus Transformer Prime sure sounds promising, but the real question is how much of a performance boost it brings. And, as it turns out, the answer is a lot. About two times, to be specific. 

Assuming that the results weren’t faked and the device wasn’t spoofed – these very positive results show us that the hype behind the quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3/Kal-el processor used in the Transformer Prime is very real. More details about the Transformer Prime will be revealed on November 9^th when ASUS officially unveils the device.

As it turns out, the Tegra 3 chipset isn’t all talk and no action – that thing is blazing fast. The Transformer Prime score appeared in the results browser of the AnTuTu benchmark and it’s more than twice higher than that of the Tegra 2-powered Motorola Xoom.


Even the Ice Cream Sandwich-running Galaxy Nexus barely achieves 60% of the Transformer Prime score. And you shouldn’t forget that the Samsung smartphone needs to handle lower resolution than the Asus tablet (even if the difference is tiny).
 
Who’s excited?

Android Coming To TV With Gesture Recognitions

TVs are about to grow some brains. Hisense Group, a leading Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer signed a licensing agreement with eyeSight Mobile Technologies, a developer of touch free interfaces for digital devices. Together the two will integrate eyeSight’s innovative Hand Gesture Recognition Technology into new models of Android based Smart TV sets. Yep, Android is coming to the TV.

The first model of Hisense Smart TV with this unique feature is Series XT710, which has been introduced to consumer markets in China to mark the October 1st National holidays. Users will enjoy a natural, new intuitive way of interacting with their TV sets. They will be able to control basic TV functions, without having to move out of their comfortable viewing position to reach the remote control. Users will also be able to play games using intuitive gestures and touchless use other applications on the device.

But how does all this work, your all too human neurons might be asking you. Well, these smart TVs will use motion monitoring cameras to read a persons hand and body gestures and in turn control various functions. Hisense will be making use of eyeSights SDK on their new XT710 smart TV, which makes use of 2D cameras to monitor hand gestures and movements. It’s back to the future, folks!
[UberGizmo via PR]

Nokia Lumia 800 review

We've now published our full studio gallery of shots with the phone ahead of our full review coming very soon - check out page two to see our in-depth photos.

Nokia has unveiled its badly-kept secret at Nokia World 2011, with the Lumia 800 finally getting an official outing.

We were big fans of the Nokia N9 when it was shown off a few months ago, but after it was sadly canned for UK shores we thought we'd never see the design again.

But it turns out the N9 was shunted to make way for the Lumia 800, which is basically the same handset, but rebooted to run Windows Phone 7.5.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

Google has taken the stage in Hong Kong to make the next version of Android OS, nicknamed Ice Cream Sandwich, a thing of reality. Better known as Android 4.0, the update offers a massive redesign to the user interface and adds a plethora of new features. Some of the highlights include an NFC-enabled feature called Android Beam, offline search in Gmail, new lock screen features and a fancy unlocking method called "Face Unlock," which uses facial recognition to ensure strangers can't use your phone without permission.

Ice Cream Sandwich also includes enhancements in almost every native app within Android itself. The SDK is already available for Android 4.0, and the update itself will make its first public appearance on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, also unveiled tonight. After the break, we'll cover all of the nitty gritty details, along with some excellent screenshots below. So come along, why won't you?

Here's some of the enhancements found in Ice Cream Sandwich:

1. Option to use virtual buttons in the UI, instead of taking up capacitive touch buttons
2. Widgets are in a new tab, listed in a similar list to apps
3. Folders are much easier to create, with a drag-and-drop style similar to iOS
4. A customizable launcher
5. New phone app with visual voicemail functionality that lets you speed up or slow down voicemail messages
6. Pinch-to-zoom functionality in the calendar
7. Gmail has offline search, a two-line preview, and new action bar at the bottom
8. Swipe left or right to switch between Gmail conversations
9. Integrated screenshot capture by holding power and volume down buttons
10. Improved error correction on the keyboard
11. Ability to access apps directly from lock screen (similar to HTC Sense 3.x)
12. Improved copy and paste
13. Better voice integration
14. Face Unlock, a facial recognition service
15. New tabbed web browser, allowing up to 16 tabs
16. Browser now automatically syncs your Chrome bookmarks
17. Modern "Roboto" font
18. Data Usage section in settings lets you set warnings when you reach a certain amount of use and disabling data when you go over your limit
19. Ability to kill off apps that are using data in the background
20. Camera app: zero shutter lag, time lapse settings, zoom while recording
21. Built-in photo editor
22. New gallery layout, organized by location and person
23. Refreshed people app with social network integration, status updates and hi-res images
24. Android Beam, a NFC feature that lets you exchange websites, contact info, directions, YouTube, etc.
25. Don't like some of those preloaded carrier apps? Disable 'em. Android Engineer Dan Morrill mentions that, among other new features, any app can be disabled, and while it will still take up space in ROM, it won't be snatching any of your precious resources or clock cycles again if you don't want it to.

Lenovo IdeaPad K1 32GB Android Tablet

In response to the rise of the Apple iPad, it seems like all the Android folks decided that $499 was the benchmark price. Just about all of the Honeycomb offerings launched at that price. Well, while it’s not as cheap as the Kobo Vox or Kindle Fire, the Lenovo IdeaPad K1 is certainly more affordable at just $349.

I spotted this price at Future Shop in Canada, but it seems that at least a few other retailers are offering variants of the K1 at that price point. This is notable for a couple of reasons. First, it undercuts the Eee Pad Transformer 16GB by a solid fifty bucks. Second, the Lenovo has 32GB of internal memory.

To get the Eee Pad Transformer in 32GB (without the keyboard dock) is still in the $499 range, so you could say that the IdeaPad K1 is undercutting by $150. Yes, this is still almost double the price of the Kindle Fire, but you are getting a real Honeycomb tablet here with real Android Market access and a peppy NVIDIA Tegra2 processor. Is that cheap enough yet? Or are you willing to pay more when the Kal-El tablets arrive?

Mac OS X Snow Leopard vs. Mac OS X Lion

The Snow Leopard version of Mac OS X released in 2009 was widely hailed by Mac users. The version was leaner, much faster and more thoroughly integrated with applications than ever before. And then Apple unveiled its plans for the Lion version in late 2010.

There were concerns that the planned changes would slow down the Mac OS. But most of all there was skepticism about Apple's intent to make the Mac OS X look and behave more like iOS, the touch firmware for its iPhones and iPads.

Lion, or formally Mac OS X 10.7, was finally released July 20, 2011, with over 250 new features. Those included multi-touch gestures, system-wide support for full screen apps, revamped Mail application, a new way to see easily all running applications and active windows (called Mission Control), the now-built-in Mac App Store (analogous to the iOS App Store for finding and downloading programs), and Launchpad, a full-screen, grid-like display of available applications, which can be re-arranged and grouped into folders.

Top 5 Android Phones That Could Beat Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Samsung Galaxy Nexus, which is the first phone running on Google's Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, is expected to arrive in the United States after Nov. 25, Black Friday. However, some Android smartphone contenders will try their best to spoil the party.

Google Inc. and Samsung unveiled Galaxy Nexus which runs on Ice Cream Sandwich, the newest version of Android, at an event in Hong Kong Oct. 18.

Ice Cream Sandwich is a combination of Gingerbread and Honeycomb in one unit. Android Head of Engineering Mike Claren announced that the new OS is Google's "most ambitious release to date."

Wi-Fi tethering : Use a smartphone as a mobile hotspot

Computerworld - Buried inside many of the latest smartphones is a capability that few people take advantage of. A feature called tethering lets a phone go beyond talk, email and Web surfing to act as a mobile hotspot that can supply Web access to nearby computers, tablets and other devices. 

"It lets [smartphone users] always have the Web with them without taking any extra equipment along," says Allen Nogee, research director for wireless technology at market intelligence firm In-Stat.

Like dedicated mobile hotspot devices, these phones connect to a mobile data network and then act as a Wi-Fi router, distributing the bandwidth to nearby clients. There is a price to pay for the convenience that hotspot phones provide: Three of the four national networks charge an additional fee to use tethering. On the other hand, you don't have to worry about finding a public Wi-Fi hotspot or having another device to buy, lug around, keep charged and accidentally leave behind.

Want to know more? After speaking to analysts, network engineers and other mobile experts, I've rounded up and answered the 12 most common questions about smartphone tethering, including options and carrier policies. Additionally, I used a couple of smartphones as hotspots in various parts of the U.S. and Europe to discover what the experience is like in real life.

Finally, I've gathered a listing of all the hotspot-capable smartphones currently available from the Big Four U.S. carriers, including how much they cost, which network(s) they work on and how much tethering services cost.

FAQ: Tethering with a hotspot phone
What is tethering?
Tethering is the ability to share a smartphone's Internet connection with computers or other devices. It can be accomplished by connecting the devices with a USB cable, a Bluetooth wireless link or a Wi-Fi connection. This story concentrates on Wi-Fi hotspot tethering because it's convenient and can service more than one client at a time -- and because just about all laptops and tablets have Wi-Fi built in these days.

Amazon Push Kindle Production

Amazon is boosting production of its Kindle Fire tablet, thanks to immense pre-order demand. Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos said the company is "increasing capacity and building millions more than we'd already planned."

The Kindle Fire is Amazon's first Android tablet device; the device launches Nov. 15 and costs $199. It's not the most tricked-out tablet -- it ships with just 8GB of memory (and no expandable memory), no camera, and no 3G, but its sub-$200 price tag and the fact that it runs Android (albeit Android 2.3) appears to be more than enough to get people riled up.

Amazon has high hopes for the upcoming holiday season. According to Bezos, "Sept. 28 was the biggest order day ever for Kindle, even bigger than previous holiday peak days."

"In the three weeks since launch, orders for electronic ink Kindles are double the previous launch," Bezos said in a statement. In addition to the Kindle Fire, Amazon also introduced the Kindle Touch 3G, which sells for $149; the Kindle Touch, priced at $99; and the Kindle, which retails for $79.

Tablets are expected to be a hot item this holiday season. According to a recent report by the Consumer Electronics Association, everybody wants a tablet for Christmas. In fact, tablets are second only to clothes on adults' holiday wish lists, and first on adults' holiday consumer electronics wish lists.

After tablets on the consumer electronics wish list, people want laptops, TVs, e-readers, and video game consoles. After tablets on the overall list of gifts, people are looking for laptops, peace/happiness, and money.

The association said consumers plan to spend, on average, $246 on electronics gifts this season -- and with the Amazon Kindle Fire tablet, that's actually a doable price.

Amazon also released its third-quarter earnings report Tuesday afternoon. According to the report, Amazon's sales are up 44 percent to $10.88 billion. However, net income is down 73 percent to $63 million, compared to $268 million in the third quarter of 2010.