Acer W3-810 tablet photo leaked online, first Windows 8 tablet to feature an 8-inch display

About a month back, we had reported about Microsoft easing the hardware requirements for Windows 8 tablets, which was an indication that there could be smaller tablets in the pipeline. A report on French blog MiniMachines now claims to have credible information that Acer will be one of the first companies to launch a smaller Windows 8 tablet.

The tablet in question is the Acer W3-810, and going by the leaked specifications seems to be a midrange tablet. It seems to sport an 8-inch (1280×800 pixels) display and is claimed to be powered by a 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Atom processor. Not much else is known about the tablet, except that the photos show the tablet featuring a rear and a front camera, a mini-USB and HDMI port and will come bundled with accessories like a keyboard dock.

For now it isn’t clear when or at what price Acer will launch the 8-inch Windows tablet.

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Asus Android Tablets at $149 on April

By the end of this month, Amazon's Kindle Fire may no longer be the cheapest "real" tablet out there. PC hardware manufacturer Asus, the brand name behind Google's Nexus 7 device, is coming out with another 7-inch tablet called the Asus MeMO Pad, which will start at $149. The MeMO Pad will launch in "selected markets" this January, and will make it to the United States sometime in April, according to Phandroid's Kevin Krause.

Here's a look at the features the MeMO Pad has that the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 don't, and what got cut to bring it in under the $150 mark.

A look at the hardware

About the same size and shape as other 7-inch tablets, the MeMO Pad is powered by an underwhelming 1 GHz single-core processor from VIA, putting it roughly in line with a budget smartphone performance-wise. It has 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of internal storage, and basic features like a front-facing webcam and a microSD card slot for expandable storage. The MeMO Pad will come in gray, white, and pink.

Jelly Bean under the hood

While the Kindle Fire runs Amazon's proprietary version of Android (which is so heavily modified as to basically be a "Kindle OS"), the MeMO Pad runs the same up-to-date version of Android as the Nexus 7, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Unlike with the Nexus device, however, which is loaded exclusively with Google apps to start with, Asus saw fit to bundle about a half-dozen of its own apps as well, like "SuperNote Lite" and "ASUS Studio."

Unlike the Kindle Fire, which can only buy apps from Amazon's store, the MeMO Pad will have the Google Play store (the former Android Market) preinstalled. It will be able to install the Amazon Appstore and Kindle app as well, just like other Android devices can.

Compared to other tablets

The device which compares closest, price-wise, to the MeMO Pad is Amazon's $159 Kindle Fire. For the price, you get half the RAM but a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, as well as another hour or so of battery life. The Kindle lacks the MeMO Pad's webcam or expandable memory, but the biggest tradeoff may be the Kindle's pure Amazon experience -- complete with ads on your homescreen -- versus the MeMO Pad's almost-pure Android.

Asus' own Nexus 7 starts at $199 and lacks expandable memory, but for the price you get 16 GB of storage instead of 8. (That's more than double when you consider that Android and Asus' apps take up part of it.) It has a much sharper screen than the MeMO Pad, and a much more powerful Tegra 3 processor, which is capable of playing "THD" enhanced games. Finally, it has (more expensive) 3G options, and is available now instead of in April.

Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008. - source

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New Tablets Expected on 2013

Last year we have seen a bunch of new tach gadgets that we’ve never seen them before, and the same we can expect from this year too. This year too will give us a lot of new tech gadgets with some amazing new technology and lots more with this. Here we are going to share about the upcoming Tablets which are going to hit the market in this new year. We’ve compiled a list of the upcoming expected Tablets with some of its key features. Let’s grab them.

Tablets to be expected on 2013 :

1. iPad Mini with Retina Display :

Last year was tremendously good for the giant Apple. Apple has launched some of the coolest devices of it, unveiled some features debut with these devices and an all new advanced os , iOS 6. And Apple stepped in in to the Tablet range with its new member Apple iPad Mini in the last year. This year Apple has the same strategy to unleash such devices with some updations.

Apple to unleash the new iPad Mini with Retina Display in this new year. Well, rumors suggesting so and thus a lot of people start expecting the new iPad Mini with Retina display. If all goes the same this Apple iPad 2 Gen-2 would have 2058 by 1536 resolution and 326ppi display with more resolution, 9.7-inch with two LED light bars on both the sides of it. This next generation iPad would be more lighter and thinner than the first generation iPad Mini.

2. Acer Tablet :

There are a lot of people expecting Tablets between the range below $ 150. This year would praised us all with such amazing new tablets which cost below the expected price. Acer’s new Tablet would be unleashed in this year for $ 99 only. Acer to reveal this Tablet in the very first quarter of the coming year. Acer plan to launch this Tablet in the Asia first than after the other regions of the whole world. There is no signs from Acer to launch it in the US first.

Apple’s iPad might to costly for many consumers and hence Acer thought to launch this low cost Tablet in the very first quarter. Acer Iconia B1 tablet, it might be called as. This Tablet would have a 7-inch display with 1024 x 600 resolution screen and 1.2 Ghz dual-core processor. This Tablet would have a better battery life than the other Tablets and Acer have done some good job to make people happy with this device.

3. HTC Windows 8 Tablet :

Surprised? Yes, HTC to launch the very first device and would start the new range with its first Tablet named as HTC Windows 8 Tablet. Rumors suggest that HTC to launch this Tablet with 7 inch Tablet which is runs on Windows 8 operating system and enough to beat the Apple iPad Mini’s new generation. HTC plans to unleash this Tablet in the fall of the current year. Sounds like too late! HTC Windows 8 Tablet made by Nvidia and it also makes ARM chips for Windows RT tablets, including for Microsoft’s Surface RT device.

About Author: David Work for robustbuy which is largest China Wholesaler web store where you can find everything from Windows Tablets to Windows smart phones and wide range of accessories for digital cameras, iPod, iPad, Android devices and for PC.

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Mini Pads Dunk & Drop Test Survivor

As is always the case with new iOS device launches, some early purchasers are interested in putting the products through drop tests and other experiments in order to test their durability. The iPad mini is no exception, and several drop and dunk test videos have already been posted.

Android Authority has a comparison between the iPad mini and Nexus 7 tablets, putting each device through a series of three drops from approximately chest high.

While the iPad mini did suffer a fair amount of damage, including a cracked screen, it did outperform the Nexus 7 in that it continued to function after being dropped.

Warranty company SquareTrade has also performed its own drop and dunk tests comparing the iPad mini to the Nexus 7 and the third-generation iPad. In the drop tests using a dedicated rig, the iPad mini held up well in a corner drop, but the screen did shatter on a face-down drop. In the dunk test, which involved placing each device in a tub of water for ten seconds, the iPad mini continued to function normally, while the iPad appeared to develop a sluggish home button and the Nexus 7 reset itself and became non-responsive. - source

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iPhone 5 vs Nokia Lumi 920

It’s that time again; consumers worldwide are going to have to make a concrete decision as to which of the new smartphone behemoths to buy. It is true to say that the world of smartphones is expanding; what once was a market ruled by Apple, in 2012 other companies have wedged their foot firmly in the door. The Android phones and Samsung Galaxy S III are all firm competitors that the common consumer may be well acquainted with…but what about the Nokia Lumia 920? This well-timed new release from Nokia could be the wild card of the deck; but will it trump the iPhone 5? Read on to find out.

Design

Apple has always prided themselves in the visual aspect of their products; utilising ‘less is more’, beauty in simplicity. The iPhone’s design exudes class and chic without being showy; and the iPhone 5 is the thinnest and lightest to date. iPhone coined (and invented according to their website) round rectangular edges and now has a 4” screen – claiming if you expand the screen too much for the sake of it; the end product is oversized and makes it awkward and difficult to use.

The Nokia Lumia 920 is made out a mixture of glass & polycarbonate and visually looks like a serious contender when placed next to the iPhone. Compared to the iPhone 5’s black and white, the Nokia deals with quirky, vibrant colours – possibly attracting a new range of consumers. However, the iPhone is actually smaller and lighter than the Nokia. Have a look at these stats:

iPhone 5 (Height, Width, Depth) 4.87 x 2.31 x 0.30 Weight – 3.95 ounces

Lumia 920 (Height, Width, Depth) 5.12 x 2.78 x 0.42 Weight – 6.52 ounces

The size of the Nokia Lumia screen is 4.5” compared with the iPhones 4”. This means that Nokia have managed to obtain a higher resolution, but not by much. What it really comes down to is which of the phones will sit more comfortably in your hand?

Technical

The new chip which Apple are using is called the ‘A6 chip’, which apparently is twice as fast the A5 in the iPhone 4S. The Nokia Lumia has utilized the use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chip. The Samsung Galaxy S III uses the very same chip; and the Samsung Galaxy S III is super-duper speedy.

Camera-wise, the iPhone still uses an eight mega-pixel camera (which is to slight dismay of the general public). However, the camera is forty percent faster and performs far better in lower light than its predecessors. All the iPhone camera’s inner workings can also be used to create seamless panorama photos also.

The Lumia 920 has an 8.7 megapixel camera which features Nokia’s PureView technology. Nokia claim that the camera can capture up to ten times the amount of light surrounding the lens through ‘floating lens technology’. Although Nokia ended up upsetting many people with a certain advert which was apparently showing the camera in all its glory…but got caught out faking the shot with a professional camera. Spot the cameraman/lights.

Other Spec

The overall spec of the phones are pretty similar, where iPhone has Siri, Nokia has TellMe; and both phones sport seemingly good battery life, 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth & storage space. A big calamity the iPhone 5 may face though is through the controversy surrounding iOS 6, which was released on September 19. Many people have suffered problems with their iPhones running iOS 6; especially with the new iOS 6 Apple Maps (Apple’s attempt to replace Google Maps), which are already renowned for being absolutely terrible and problem-ridden. The Nokia Lumia will operate using Windows 8, which will be released on October 26th – time will only tell how well it runs.

Conclusion

It basically boils down to if you can wait until the Nokia Lumia 920 comes out to make your decision. Yes, the iPhone 5 boasts a world of a billion apps and is an improvement on the phone we all have grown to love….but do we yearn for more? Has the iPhone done enough to keep the public content? The Nokia be the next smartphone you didn’t actually know you were looking for; but it could easily find its way into your pocket.

Author: Alfie Davenport works in the technology department at Ladbrokes Roulette. He has owned Nokia, Apple, and Android smartphones over the past 6 years and is currently a huge fan of his HTC One X.- source

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