Mi Pad 2 and Redmi Note 3 now officially launched

Xiaomi has officially taken the wraps off the tablet Mi Pad 2 and the smartphone Redmi Note 3, both with new build, materials and specs. The Mi Pad 2 is the most notable as it now has a version featuring Microsoft Windows 10. A variant with Android is also available. This proves Windows 10 has been successful product for Microsoft.

Xiaomi going to release Mi 5, Redmi Note 2 Pro and Mi Pad 2 on Nov 24th

Xiaomi is prepping up for the launch of their next line-up of  smartphones and tabet the Mi 5, Redmi Note 2 Pro and Mi Pad 2 on November 23. The Redmi Note 2 Pro has been teased by  Xiaomi's President Lin Bin. He has posted an image on Weibo showing the rear of the device with fingerprint scanner and metal finished body.

NVIDIA unveils Shield K1 tablet, priced $200

NIVIDIA has unveiled a new variant or a new package of Shield Tablet. The Shield K1 is same as predecessor but priced lower by about 100$ at 200$. This is because the package contains only the tablet, the stylus,charger and the USB cable has been omitted to reduce the price.

Huawei introduces MediaPad M2 with 8-inch FHD display

Huawei has added a new tablet to its product portfolio in the form of the new MediaPad M2. Introduced in France recently, the tablet is expected to go on sale in early-June starting 349 euros.

It is a successor the company’s MediaPad M1 slate and sports an aluminium frame. On the specs front, the tablet features a 8-inch IPS full HD display, 4800 mAh battery, Android 5.0 with EMUI, and 2GHz octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 930 processor. It also comes with 8MP primary camera with LED flash, 2MP front shooter, 2GB of RAM, 16/ 32GB of internal storage, microSD card slot.

In terms of the connectivity options, Huawei has packed Wi-Fi support, Bluetooth, NFC and optional 4G LTE in the MediaPad M2.

There is no word on the release outside France at this moment, but we are hoping to hear from the company soon.

Alleged specs of Huawei-made Nexus smartphone leaked:

There have been some rumours that Google is working with Huawei for the next-gen Nexus smartphone, but we are yet to see any credible leaks. Now, joining these unconfirmed reports are the alleged key specs of the Huawei-made Nexus smartphone, which recently appeared online.

Shared by an analyst on Weibo, these specifications include 5.7-inch Quad-HD display and Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor. No other details are available at this point.

Take both the possibility of Huawei as the next Nexus smartphone manufacturer and the leaked specs with a pinch of salt, as there is no shred of clear-evidence to suggest the same, just some random rumours coming from not-so-credible sources.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 LTE gets Lollipop too

After both the Wi-Fi-only and LTE versions of its bigger sibling, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 got Lollipop updates a while back, now is the time for the LTE-enabled variation of the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 to receive the same treat.

Its Wi-Fi-only iteration has been enjoying the taste of Lollipop since last month. But now the rollout for the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 LTE seems to be in full swing.

The update is currently rolling out over-the-air in Hong Kong, where it's also available to download and install using Kies, Samsung's desktop app. Now that the ice has been broken, we expect to see the Lollipop release making it to Galaxy Tab S 8.4 units sold elsewhere too in the near future.

By the end of this month, we should see a much wider rollout. If you are among the lucky ones to get the update, after applying it you'll be running Android 5.0.2, and firmware version T705ZHU1BOD3.

It brings with it a new look for Samsung's TouchWiz UI, one that's infused with Google's Material Design principles. You also get a new lock screen, new Recent Apps menu, new notification panel, and an improved multi-window mode, along with updates for built-in apps, bug fixes, and performance enhancements.

Acer Adds New Tablets, Features To Iconia 10 And Iconia 8 Series

There are seven different tablet series from Acer, each with its own number of models. Today the company announced two more devices; another model of the Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30, and the Iconia One 8 B1-820.

The new A3-A30, which uses Android 5.0 Lollipop, is considered to be the high-end 10-inch model for the series. However, Acer built it exclusively for educational purposes, so unless you're a student you won't be able to get your hands on it. It still has the same 1920 x 1200 resolution and IPS screen as the previous high-end model, the A3-A20FHD-K0CQ.

This new model also features a Gorilla Glass 4 screen, and it runs on an Intel Atom Z3735F quad-core processor (1.83 GHz). It has 2 GB of RAM, and there's a 2 MP camera on the front and a 5 MP camera on the rear. Storage starts at 16 GB of eMMC, but it can be upgraded to 32 or 64 GB. The tablet's battery is expected to last up to 7.5 hours.

On the other hand, the new 8-inch Iconia One 8 B1-820 is more of a mid-tier model within the Iconia One 8 series. Running Android 5.0 Lollipop, the tablet also has an IPS display.It uses an Intel Atom Z3735G quad-core processor (1.83 GHz) and has 1 GB of RAM. Like the A3-A30, it also has two cameras, but the front camera is only 0.3 MP, while the rear camera is 5 MP. Storage starts at 16 GB of eMMC with the option to upgrade to 32 GB. Battery life is slightly longer on the B1-820 at 8.5 hours.

Both tablets also includes what Acer calls Precision Plus technology, which supposedly provides a "highly accurate touch experience." This is because the touch panel for both tablets has a higher density of touch sensors. According to Acer, most styluses (stylii?) today detect tips as thin as 5.5 mm. Precision Plus technology goes even lower, allowing tips as thin as 2 mm.

I saw a quick demo of this with a stylus provided by Acer on two tablets – one with Precision Plus and one without it. The stylus worked on the former, while it wasn't even detected on the tablet without Precision Plus. An Acer rep told me that Precision Plus will eventually become the standard for its tablet lineup (although not for its low-end devices).

Acer also showed off another feature on both tablets, a special coating that prevent smudges. I was shown another demo comparing the new coating to the old version, where a red marker was used to draw on both screens. The older version had a clear smudge of the marker, but with the new coating, it only appeared a small dots. It might not exactly be smudge-free, but at least it'll be easier to clean.

Of the two new tablets, the A3-A30 will arrive first, in May, and will cost $299.99. The B1-820 will come in July for $149.99. With these new devices, Acer expands its lineup across different price points. The Iconia Tab 10 series now has tablets from $199.99 to $299.99, while the Iconia One 8 models range from $129.99 to $159.99.

The variety of tablets means that customers can easily find a tablet that matches performance to budget, and with Precision Plus and the new anti-smudge coating, these new tablets will not only work with more writing utensils, but will also be (more) free of those annoying finger smudges.

Source

Asus announces Intel powered Fonepad with SIM calling

The 7 inch Android tablet runs on Android 4.1 and offers 1 GB RAM, 8 GB ROM and 3G connectivity with voice calling support.

Asus has announced Fonepad, a 7 inch Android 4.1 Jelly Bean based tablet powered by Atom Z2420 processor. The tablet has all the features of a smartphone including voice call and 3Gsupport.

The tablet 7 inch display is an IPS panel with HD 1280 x 800 resolution. Fonepad has 1 GB of RAM and comes in 8 GB and 16GB inbuilt storage variants. It also has a micro SD card slot for up to 32 GB of additional storage.

The Asus Fonepad also comes with a front 1.2 megapixel camera and a 3 megapixel autofocus rear camera with 720p HD video recording capability. The tablet can also be used for voice calls using the built-in noise-cancelling digital microphone or a Bluetooth headset.

The tablet will be available in Europe and USA by March at retail price close to $249 (Rs 13500), given that Intel is focused on markets like India and China and Asus Fonepad is an affordable offering we believe the tablet will be launched in India soon. Asus is launching its Memo pad tablet in India tomorrow.