Freescale launches a 15W Qi-compliant wireless charging solution-- one the company claims is suitable for the cable-free charging of larger devices, such as tablets and handheld medical devices.

Current wireless charging solutions handle just 5W, meaning the Freescale system would also enable faster charging for smartphones, as well as tablets armed with a 4000mAh battery.

The Freescale solution comes in the shape of two 15W ICs-- the WPR1516 receiver and the MWCT1012 transmitter chips. It supports several industry standards, including the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) and the Power Matters Alliance (PMA), and is complemented with "flexible enablement technologies" such as a pair of evaluation board options for different output power topologies.

According to IDC the 2014 global tablet market sees "massive deceleration" with growth slowing down to 7.2% (from 52.5% in 2013) as tablet lifecycles stretch further, becoming more like those of PCs than smartphones.

The analyst also says 2014 is the year where the iPad sees its first full year of shipment decline, making a reflection of the market as a whole.

"The tablet market continues to be impacted by a few major trends happening in relevant markets," IDC remarks. "In the early stages of the tablet market, device lifecycles were expected to resemble those of smartphones, with replacement occurring every 2-3 years. What has played out instead is that many tablet owners are holding onto their devices for more than 3 years and in some instances more than 4 years. We believe the two major drivers for longer than expected tablet lifecycles are legacy software support for older products, especially within iOS, and the increased use of smartphones for a variety of computing tasks."

The Nokia Devices & Services division might belong to Microsoft, but that doesn't mean the Finnish company can no longer make hardware-- such as the just announced N1, a Nokia-branded Android tablet reminiscent of the iPad mini.

How reminiscent? It is a 7.9-inch device featuring a rounded chassis crafted out of a single block of aluminium. In other words, very much.

Inside are a 64-bit 2.4GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3580 CPU, 2GB RAM, 32GB storage and 8MP rear-/5MP front-facing cameras. Connectivity comes through wifi and a reversible USB Type-C port.

The OS is Android 5.0 as reskinned with Z Launcher, a Nokia Technologies pet project turned actual product. In fact Android device owners can also download and check it out from the Google Play app store.

Jolla, the Finnish mobile developer formed by ex-Nokia employees, presents its take on tablets-- the Jolla Tablet, a 7.9-inch device claiming to offer "the world’s best, state of the art multitasking experience."

It is powered by an Intel 64-bit 1.8GHz quad-core CPU, 2GB RAM, 32GB storage (expandable via SD slot) and a 4300mAh battery. The display handles 2048 x 1536 resolution, while connectivity comes via wifi. In other words, it is fairly similar to the recently announced Nokia N1.

Differing the Jolla Tablet from other devices is Sailfish, Jolla's MeeGo-based open source OS. According to the company the OS features an innovative multitasking view showing all running apps on a single view, and users can control individual apps directly from the multitasking view without need to open them in full.

Linux news site Phoronix reports a device named "UT One" is in the works-- an Ubuntu 10.1-inch tablet powered by an Intel Atom processor, to launch sometime on December 2014.

Hardware details include a quad-core 1.3GHz Atom Z3735D SoC, Intel HD Gen7 graphics, 2GB DDR3L RAM, 16GB storage, 2MP front/rear facing cameras and a 7900mAh battery. Connectivity comes through 802.11b/g/n wifi and Bluetooth, while the display handles 1280x800 resolution. The operating system is, of course, Ubuntu Touch, specifically the 14.10 release.

Leaking the information is one Andrew Bernstein, a developer with a history in Linux and open source development.

Not content with being the maker of Google's Nexus 9 tablet, HTC has plans to launch own-brand tablets on 2015, Focus Taiwan reports-- but it will not make any low-end devices, not when profit margins are so thin.

"It's not a profitable market," HTC N. Asia president Jack Tong tells Focus Taiwan. "There is actually a bit more room for growth and product differentiation in the high-end and mid-tier tablet segments."

Tong adds the 7-inch tablet market is also under threat, as market share is being devoured by phablets and oversized (5.5-inch+) smartphones such as the iPhone 6 Plus and the Nexus 6.

Acer launches its first 4K laptop-- the Aspire V Black Edition, a premium model featuring a 15.6-inch 3840 x 2160 resolution display designed for intensive applications such as gaming, photo and video editing.

Inside are an Intel Core i7-4710HQ quad-core CPU, Nvidia GeForce GTX860M graphics, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD and dual-wifi antennas supporting both 2.4 and 5GHz frequencies.

Further features include 4 built-in speakers (with 8W total output) and Dolby Digital Plus Home Theatre for powerful surround sound in games, music and movies.

According to IDC the global tablet market sees shipment growth of 11.5% Y-o-Y in Q3 2014, with shipments reaching 53.8 million units as back-to-school promotions and US tablet demand drive shipment growth.

Apple continues to lead in the vendor rankings with 22.8% Q3 2014 market share, even if it sees declines of -12.8% Y-o-Y on shipments reaching 12.3m units. IDC accounts such declines to an extending iPad lifecycle, as well as consumer anticipation and the release of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

Samsung follows with 18.3% market share and 5.6% Y-o-Y growth through its focus on markets like MEA and N. America, while Asus beats Lenovo to 3rd place via Windows-based 2-in-1 devices.