Laptop`s World and Guide

SAMSUNG UNVEILS GALAXY TAB 2 10.1 ANDROID TABLET

Samsung has finally officially unveiled its Galaxy Tab 2 (10.1). As the name itself indicates, it has a 10.1 inch display.

Samsung is no newbie in the tablet space. The company has already launched several tablets with 7 inch, 7.7 inch, 8.9 inch, 10 inch and 5.3 inch displays. So what exactly is new in the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (10.1)? Here is a quick overview.

The Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 has a 10.1

VIEWSONIC ANNOUNCES THREE NEW TABLETS

ViewSonic will reportedly introduce three new tablets at the Mobile World Congress next week. The machines sport 7, 9.7 and 10 inch displays. Here is a quick overview.

The 7 inch model is the ViewSonic ViewPad G70 we have already heard about. It has a 1024 x 600 pixels display, 1GB of RAM and 4GB of storage. It will run the Google Android 4.0 operating system.

The 9.7 inch ViewPad E100 has a

IS LENOVO EXITING THE NETBOOK MARKET?

Lenovo did introduce a couple of netbooks at CES in January. None of them have started shipping yet, but it looks like the company isn’t betting big on them and that is hardly surprising. Netbooks don’t offer good profit margins. Dell has already exited the netbook market. Acer has also hinted at a similar exit strategy. Lenovo could be the next.

The company’s older netbooks in the IdeaPad S

SAMSUNG LAUNCHES QUAD CORE EXYNOS PROCESSOR

Samsung has built a new quad-core processor. The Samsung Exynos quad-core processor is designed to compete with NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 chip which has already started showing up in tablets and smartphones.

The new Samsung Exynos processor has four ARM Cortex-A9 processor cores with clock speeds ranging between 200 MHz and 1.5GHz. The 32nm chip also comes bundled with ARM Mali graphics. Samsung is

HP MINI 210 GETS CEDAR TRAIL ATOM PROCESSOR

The HP Mini 210 has been updated with Intel’s third generation Cedar Trail Atom processors. The Mini 210 is now available with a choice of the 1.6Ghz Intel Atom N2600 or the 1.86GHz Intel Atom N2800 processor.

The new HP Mini 210 will have the same $299.99 starting price as the previous models. For that price, you will get an Intel Atom N2600 processor, Windows 7 Starter OS, 1GB of RAM and a

HAIPAD LAUNCHES ANDROID 4.0 TABLETS

Chinese company HaiPad has already launched a few Android tablets. None of these machines had particularly impressive specs, but they were cheap. And now the company has launched a new crop of Android 4.0 tablets which seem to have better specifications than their predecessors.

Haipad A10A10
The HaiPad A10A10 has a 7 inch display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. It is powered by a

HYBRID STORAGE TO MAKE ULTRABOOKS CHEAPER

Ultrabooks are ultra thin and light laptops sporting Intel’s latest processors and super-fast solid state disks. At least that is how Intel defines this new breed of laptops. While SSDs are fast, they are also pricey and that is one of the reasons behind the high price tags of ultrabooks. But high prices have never boosted sales. Needless to say, PC makers are trying innovative techniques to

ASUS EEE PC 1025C CEDAR TRAIL NETBOOK UP FOR PRE-ORDER FOR $300

Retailer J&R has started taking pre-orders for the Asus Eee PC 1025C for $299.99. This is one of the first netbooks on the market to sport the third generation Intel Cedar Trail Atom processor.

Precisely speaking, the laptop has a 1.6Ghz Intel Atom N2600 dual core processor, 1GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive. The 10 inch display has a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. Other specifications

BLACKBERRY PLAYBOOK GETS OS 2.0 UPDATE; STILL SELLS FOR $199

RIM has already rolled out the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 update for its PlayBook tablet. And as you would expect, the update has certainly made the tablet more useful. It now has the capability to run select Android apps. The update has also added email, contacts and calendar apps to the tablet.

RIM launched the PlayBook last year with a starting price of $499. However, the tablet had few

ASUS EEE PAD MEMO 171 PRODUCT PAGE GOES LIVE

Asus introduced a new 7 inch tablet called Eee Pad MeMo at CES in January. It had a 1280 x 800 pixels display, a NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad core processor and a $249 price tag.

Recently Asus added a product page for another tablet called Eee Pad MeMo 171. It also has a 7 inch display, but it looks like it is the MeMo tablet the company introduced at CES in 2011.

The MeMo 171 has a 1.2GHz Qualcomm

UNANNOUNCED VIEWSONIC VIEWPAD G70 MAKES AN APPEARANCE

An unannounced tablet called the ViewSonic ViewPad G70 has showed up at some retailers. The device runs Android 4.0 operating system.

Few details are available at the moment but the device seems to have a 7 inch 1024 x 600 pixels display, 4GB of storage and 1GB of RAM. It has also got an HDMI output port and front and rear facing cameras. The supported connectivity options are WiFi, Bluetooth

8GB NOOK TABLET NOW AVAILABLE FOR $199

The 8GB version of the Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet is now available for purchase. This is a cheaper version of the original 16GB Nook Tablet. While the 16GB version has 1GB of RAM, this model has only 512MB. The difference in specs also reflects in the price. The 8GB model is priced at just $199. The 16GB version runs $249.

Like the Amazon Kindle Fire, the Nook Tablet too has a 7 inch display.

LENOVO IDEAPAD U300E UP FOR PRE-ORDER

The budget-friendly Lenovo IdeaPad U300e is now up for pre-order. It is a cheaper version of the IdeaPad U300s. While both laptops have identical specs, they differ in the processor and storage options.

The IdeaPad U300e is available with a choice of Intel Core i3-3467M or Core i5-2467M processor. The U300s is also available with a Core i7-2677M processor. While the only storage option

ASUS X54C-BBK7 15 INCH LAPTOP AVAILABLE FOR $350 FROM BEST BUY

The Intel Pentium based Asus X54C-BBK7 is now available for purchase for just $350 from Best Buy. The 15.6 inch laptop has a 2.2Ghz Intel Pentium B960 dual core processor. It is the fastest mobile Pentium CPU available at the moment. While it is not fastest processor out there it has enough power to handle every day computing needs.

In some benchmark tests this processor performs better than

7 INCH EDENTAB WITH MIUI ANDROID HITS JAPAN

MIUI built by a company called Xiaomi is a custom version of Google Android with its own home screen design and a number of unique apps. In a sense it is similar to Samsung’s TouchWiz and HTC Sense. The OS isn’t all that popular with the general public because few devices ship with it right now. Nonetheless, hackers have been using it for a while. And now the first tablet with MIUI is going to

UPCOMING ASUS NETBOOKS TO HAVE 'INSTANT ON' FEATURE

One of the most impressive features of the ultrabooks is their ability to quickly resume from sleep. But Asus feels that this feature shouldn’t be specific to ultrabooks. The company is working on bringing a similar feature to its Intel Atom-powered netbooks.

The upcoming Eee PC 1025C and 1025CE both have an ‘Instant on’ feature which allows the laptops to resume from sleep in just 3 seconds.

GIGABYTE LAUNCHES D1080 MULTIMEDIA DOCK FOR ITS WINDOWS TABLETS

Gigabyte has introduced a new multimedia docking station for its tablets S1080 and S1081. The D1080 dock will add speakers, a DVD drive and a range of ports to the tablets.

The Gigabyte S1080 and S1081 run Windows 7 operating system. The S1080 has a 10.1 inch display with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. It is powered by a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N570 dual core processor. The S1081 has a speedier

FUJITSU'S TABLET AND LAPTOP PLANS FOR 2012 REVEALED

Fujitsu’s tablet and laptop plans for 2012 have been revealed, thanks to a leaked slide. In May, the company is expected to launch two new ultrabooks. In June, they will be followed by what is called a ‘Slimbook’ and a mainstream Android media tablet.

The company also plans to launch ‘a performance slate’ with a detachable keyboard in September. That model will probably be similar to the Eee

SAMSUNG NP900X3B AND NP900X4B SERIES 9 LAPTOPS UP FOR PRE-ORDER

The Samsung Series 9 NP900X3B and NP900X4B thin and light laptops are now available for pre-order in the US. While the NP900X3B has a 13.3 inch display, the NP900X4B sports a larger 15 inch panel.

Retailer J&R have started taking pre-orders for both models. The specifications include 1.60GHz Intel Core i5-2467M processor, 128GB SSD, backlit keyboards and higher resolution 1600 x 900 pixels

ASUS TF300T SPOTTED IN THE WILD: COULD BE A CHEAPER EEE PAD TRANSFORMER PRIME

A new Asus tablet bearing the model name TF300T has been spotted in the wild. It is expected to be a cheaper version of the Eee Pad Transformer Prime.

The new tablet seems to have the same 10 inch, 1280 x 800 pixels display and optional keyboard docking station as the original Transformer Prime. However, there are a few differences as well.

The TF300T has a slightly slower 1.2GHz Tegra 2

LENOVO DISCONTINUES THINKPAD X120E

Lenovo has pulled the plug on its ThinkPad X120e thin and light laptop. The company has already replaced the X120e with the X130e.

The ThinkPad X120e was introduced last year. It was the first ThinkPad laptop to sport an AMD Fusion processor. It is no longer available for purchase from the Lenovo website. The ThinkPad X130e has the same semi-rugged case as the X120e. It is also available with

ARCHOS LAUNCHES ARNOVA 8B G2 ANDROID TABLET

Archos has made yet another addition to its Arnova line of low-cost tablets. The new Arnova 8b G2 is only slightly different from the Arnova 8 G2 which has been available for a while. The new tablet doesn’t have physical buttons for home, back, menu or search buttons.

The tablet runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system at the moment. But the fact that it doesn’t have physical buttons is

ACER ICONIA TAB A100 AND A500 TO GET ANDROID 4.0 IN APRIL

Acer has announced that its Iconia Tab A100 and A500 will get Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update in April. The Iconia Tab A100 has a 7 inch display while the A500 sports a larger 10 inch panel. The Iconia Tab A200 has already started getting the Android 4.0 update.

The Iconia Tab A100 and A500 both run Android 3.2 Honeycomb OS at the moment. The Android 4.0 is the latest version of the

BLACKBERRY PLAYBOOK OS 2.0 COULD LAUNCH ON FEBRUARY 21

Research in Motion is expected to launch its BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 on February 21st. This major software update will bring a lot of features that the BlackBerry PlayBook doesn’t have at the moment. For example, it will bring native email, calendar and contact apps to the tablet. It will also give PlayBook the capability to run some Android apps. Of course, it won’t be able to run all Android

AMAZON COULD HAVE SOLD 3.9 MILLION KINDLE FIRE TABLETS IN 2011

Amazon has always maintained that its Kindle line of tablets and ebook readers have been best sellers. The company has never released exact sales figures so we don’t know exactly how many Kindle devices have been sold so far.

Now the folks at iSuppli have done some math and released the estimated sales figures of the Amazon tablets / ebook readers. According to them, Amazon may have moved

ARCHOS G9 TABLETS WITH ANDROID 4.0 UP FOR PRE-ORDER

Archos usually shipped its tablets with Android 2.3 or earlier versions of the OS. The Archos G9 tablets were the first tablets from the company to launch with Android 3.2 Honeycomb operating system. They also had access to Google Android Market. Now they are getting even better.

The 8 and 10 inch tablets will soon get Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Dynamism has already started taking

ATOM-POWERED SMARTPHONES AND NETBOOKS SHOULD COST $199 TO $299, SAYS INTEL

Intel only makes processors. Of course, its chips power the vast majority of laptops and desktops out there. That, however, doesn’t mean that Intel gets to decide what price device makers will charge for their products. Nonetheless, Intel can set guidelines.

Intel is expected to launch its first line of processors for phones and tablets later this year. The company’s Cedar Trail processors for

ZTE LIGHT TAB 2 7 INCH TABLET NOW AVAILABLE IN THE UK FOR 235 POUNDS

Chinese company ZTE has been making phones and tablets for a while. But up until now its devices were only available in China. Of course, some of them were sold in the West under different brand names, but it was not easy to sport a device carrying the name ZTE. But that is changing. ZTE has started selling its products in western countries under its own brand name. In the US it is offering the

SAMSUNG COULD LAUNCH 10 INCH GALAXY NOTE WITH STYLUS SUPPORT

It looks like the stylus is making a comeback. They have been around for decades. However, in recent years device makers have been favoring finger input instead of the stylus. The digital pen or the stylus, however, has a few advantages over finger input. For instance, if you want to make precise writings or drawings, you need a stylus. If you have ever tried drawing using your fingertips, you

ARCHOS ARNOVA G2 NOW AVAILABLE IN THE US

The Archos Arnova G2 is a budget-friendly 9.7 inch tablet running Google Android 2.3 operating system. The tablet was introduced a few months ago. Right now it is available for purchase from several retailers in the US. Prices range between $230 (PC Richard & Son) and $250 (B&H).

The Archos Arnova G2 is powered by a 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 single core processor. It has a 1024 x 768 pixels display

BLACKBERRY PLAYBOOK MARKET SHARE RISES DUE TO PRICE CUTS

The Blackberry PlayBook is nifty little tablet with decent hardware. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite selling well until RIM dropped its price. Word is that 15 percent of tablet owners in Canada now possess a BlackBerry PlayBook. We don’t know the exact figures; still it doesn’t look bad.

The same thing happened with the HP TouchPad tablet. $499 tablet had few takers until HP dropped its price to

IVY BRIDGE ULTRABOOKS COMING AND THAT COULD MEAN CHEAPER SANDY BRIDGE MODELS

Second generation of ultrabooks is coming and that could mean a drop in the price of the existing ones. Right now ultrabooks cost anywhere between $800 and $1900. Almost all of these machines sport second generation Intel Sandy Bridge processor.

Digitimes report that Intel will launch its next-generation Ivy Bridge platform in April. That could mean price cuts of up to 30% for the Sandy Bridge

APPLE IPAD 3 TO HAVE RETINA DISPLAY; WILL SUPPORT VERIZON AND AT&T 4G NETWORKS

The iPad 3 will be able to run on Verizon’s and AT&T’s 4G data networks. This was confirmed through the Wall Street Journal. The tablet will not support Sprint’s LTE infrastructure, though.

It has also been confirmed that the tablet will have an incredibly high-resolution display called Retina Display. It will also have a quad-core processor. Apple is expected to officially unveil the tablet at

HUAWEI TO LAUNCH 10 INCH MEDIAPAD ANDROID TABLET

Huawei is all set to launch a new tablet. The company is expected to showcase the device at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

The new tablet is the 10 inch MediaPad. It is expected to be a sequel to the original 7 inch MediaPad tablet. It will run the Google Android 4.0 operating system.

The company is also expected to launch a quad-core smartphone called Ascend D1 Q. It is also

OREGON SCIENTIFIC LAUNCHES MEEP! TABLET FOR KIDS

Oregon Scientific has launched a new tablet for kids. The 7 inch machine has a rugged case capable of withstanding the kind of abuse that only little hands can inflict.

We still don’t know how much the Oregon Scientific MEEP! tablet will cost, but if you sign up for more information at the MEEP! website, you will be notified when more details emerge.

The tablet has a 7 inch color touchscreen

SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB 2 GET OFFICIAL

Samsung has launched yet another tablet. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 has a 7 inch display and Google Android 4.0 operating system.

In terms of looks, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 isn’t all that different from the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. It has a 1024 x 600 pixels display, 1GHz dual core processor, 1GB of RAM and front and rear facing cameras. The supported connectivity options are Bluetooth, WiFi and

TOSHIBA LAUNCHES DYNABOOK N301 10 INCH NETBOOK IN JAPAN

Toshiba has launched a new 10 inch netbook in Japan. The Toshiba Dynabook N301 has a third generation Intel Cedar Trail Atom processor. Precisely, it has a 1.86Ghz Atom N2800 dual core processor, Intel GMA 3650 integrated graphics and Harmon Kardan speakers.

The laptop has also got 1GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive and a 10.1 inch display with 1024 x 600 pixels. The Cedar Trail Atom processors

ACER ICONIA TAB A510 TO HIT EUROPE IN MARCH

The Acer Iconia Tab A510 will hit French streets in March, Acer has announced. The tablet has a third generation NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor and Google Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. In France, it will retail for 399 Euros.

The Iconia Tab A510 was on display at CES in January. The tablet has a 10.1 inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. It has also got 1GB

BEST BUY SELLING ASUS X44H-BBR5 14 INCH LAPTOP FOR $400

The Asus X44H-BBR5 is perhaps the cheapest Intel Core i3-powered laptop available at the moment. Best Buy is currently selling this 14 incher for just $400.

The X44H-BBR5 has a 2.3GHz Intel Core i3-2350M dual core processor. It isn’t everyday that you find a processor of this caliber in a $400 notebook.

The Asus X44H-BBR5 has also got 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive and a built-in DVD burner.

GATEWAY LAUNCHES LT4004U NETBOOK WITH CEDAR TRAIL ATOM PROCESSOR

Gateway, which is a subsidiary of Acer, has launched its first netbook with Intel’s Cedar Trail processor. The new Gateway LT4004u is now available for purchase from Best Buy for $280. The Acer Aspire One D270, which has the same processor and similar internals, also sport the same price tag. Incidentally, the Aspire One D270 and Gateway LT4004u are the cheapest Cedar Trail Atom netbooks on the

MOTOROLA XYBOARD ANDROID GETTING VERIZON 4G LTE UPDATE

The Motorola XYBOARD 8.2 and 10.1 tablets have started getting 4G LTE roaming updates from Verizon. What this means is that XYBOARD users will be able to connect to the internet over 4G from anywhere in the world provided that there is a supported network. Bear in mind that you will have to pay a hefty roaming fee.

Right now XYBOARD is the first 4G LTE device from Verizon to support

ARCHOS 101 G9 ANDROID TABLET NOW AVAILABLE WITH 1.5GHZ PROCESSOR

The Archos 101 G9 Android tablet with a 1.5GHz dual core processor is now available for purchase. The Archos 101 G9 is a 10 inch tablet running Android 3.2 Honeycomb operating system. It has been available since last year. The original model had a 1GHz TI OMAP 4 processor.

Archos recently launched a 1.2GHz Turbo model. And now a 1.5Ghz version too is available. Curiously this model is not yet

ACER ASPIRE ONE D270 CEDAR TRAIL NETBOOK UP FOR PRE-ORDER

The Intel Cedar Trail Atom powered Acer Aspire One D270 is now up for pre-order. This is one of the first 10 inch netbooks to sport the third generation Atom processor. The laptop has an Intel Atom N2600 Cedar Trail processor. In Germany and Taiwan it is already available for purchase.

In the US, retailer Adorama has started taking pre-orders for the netbook for a starting price of $279.99.

HP ENVY SPECTRE WITH 15 INCH DISPLAY COMING

The HP Envy Spectre is an expensive 14 inch laptop with excessive glass finishing. It has scratch resistant Gorilla glass covering its lid and palm rest area as well as its display. The laptop has regular ultrabook internals, but it starts at $1400. And now word is that HP is working on a 15 inch model as well. It is not exactly clear whether this model will be available in all parts of the globe

SAMSUNG SERIES 7 NP700G7C UP FOR PRE-ORDER

The Series 7 Samsung NP700G7C is now up for pre-order in the US. The 17.3 incher sports Intel’s third generation Ivy Bridge Core i-series processors.

Apparently the Samsung NP700G7C is the first laptop announced with an Intel Ivy Bridge processor. We first heard about the laptop when Best Buy uploaded a product page in January by mistake. The retailer promptly removed that page, but now Samsung

MICROSOFT TO LAUNCH WINDOWS 8 CONSUMER PREVIEW ON FEBRUARY 29TH

Microsoft will reportedly offer the first ‘consumer preview’ of Windows 8 at an event scheduled to be held on February 29th at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

The company launched the developer preview in September 2011. This is still the pre-release version of the software and will probably be available as a free download. In that case, it might come with an expiry date. This version is

ENSPERT IDENTITY TAB E201 NOW AVAILABLE FOR JUST $150

The Enspert Identity Tab E201 launched in the US last year with a starting price of $349. Today the same model is available from Dynamism for just $149.

The Identity Tab E201 has a single core processor and a 7 inch display with a resolution of 800 x 400 pixels display. Nowadays most 7 inch tablets sport higher resolution displays. On the bright side, it has a 3 megapixel camera, an HDMI

HP ENVY 14 SPECTRE NOW SHIPPING FOR $1400 AND UP

With Corning’s sturdy, scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass covering its lid as well as its display, the HP Envy 14 Spectre is a winner in the looks department. The notebook has also got a glass touchpad and a glass plam rest area.

All that glass finishing, however, makes the laptop a little heavier than most ultabooks. The 14 incher weighs about 3.9 pounds and measures 0.8 inches in thickness.

TOSHIBA INTRODUCES SATELLITE U840 ULTRABOOK

Toshiba has introduced yet another ultrabook. The new Toshiba Satellite U840 has a 14 inch display. It will soon start shipping in Australia where it will have a hefty $1499 Australian (around $1699 US) price tag. Computers tend to be pricey in Australia. It should be cheaper when it makes its debut in the US

The Satellite U840 isn’t the first ultrabook from Toshiba. The company has already