Japan Display ships samples of a 10.1-inch LCD display offering resolutions of up to 3840 x 2160 (aka "4K") and 438 ppi pixel density for use in larger mobile devices.

The panel builds on an earlier 12.1-inch 4K panel from the company-- and, more crucially, promises to sip as much power as the 10.1-inch 2560 x 1600 displays already found in a number of tablets.

Customers wanting notebooks able to withstand most situations might be interested in the Dell Latitude 14 Rugged Extreme notebook and the Latitude 12 Rugged Extreme convertible.

Both are built for worst-case scenarios, with magnesium alloy and impact-resistant ultra-polymer construction and IP-65 dust- and water-proof certification. Sealed doors and compression gaskets protect data, keyboards are sealed, backlit and customisable, and QuadCool thermal management handles performance during high temperatures.

The Latitude 12 Rugged Extreme also features what Dell claims is the first rugged "flip-hinge" convertible display, with a resistive multi-touch display allowing operation with gloved hands.

According to ABI Research global 2013 Chromebook shipments total 2.1 million units, and are set to reach 11 million with a CAGR of 28% by 2019 as the market remains favourable towards budget-friendly products.

“ABI Research tracked Chromebooks across 6 regions and found the ASP to be $338,” the analyst says. “This truly budget-driven device is a disruptive force to the portable PC market.”

As well as the consumer market Chromebooks also attract the attentions of the education market vertical.

However Chromebook growth does not reflect the rest of the portable PC market-- ABI says the Windows 8-powered ultraportable segment (including hybrid 2-in-a devices) sees "minimal" Q4 2013 growth, while 2013 ASPs are down by -7.4%.

Samsung announces a trio of lower-tier tablets-- the Galaxy Tab4 7.0, 8.0 and 10.1, all featuring WXGA resolution (1200x800) displays, 1.2GHz quad-core CPUs, 1.5GB RAM and 16GB storage (expandable via microSD slot).

Shockingly enough the tablets come in 7-, 8- and 10.1-inch sizes, with designs claiming less weight and thinner bezels than the previous Galaxy Tab 3 series. Also included are 3MP rear-/1.3MP front-facing cameras and LTE Cat4 connectivity.

According to IDC tablets might be a victim of their own success-- the analyst forecasts 19.4% market growth for 2014, down from 51.6% in 2013 due to customers buying less replacements, particularly in mature markets.

Earlier 2014 IDC forecasts are down by -3.6% to 260.9 million units globally.

Also on the slowdown is ASP decline-- from -18.3% compared to 2011 in 2012, to -14.6% Y-o-Y in 2013 and just -3.6% Y-o-Y in 2014. This is chiefly due to higher-price commercial shipment growth and consumer preference shifting away from ultra-low cost products.

"After years of strong growth, we expect the white-box tablet market to slow in 2014 as consumers move to higher-end devices that work better and last longer,"IDC says. "In mature markets, where many buyers have purchased higher-end products from market leaders, consumers are deciding that their current tablets are good enough for the way they use them. Few are feeling compelled to upgrade the same way they did in years past, and that's having an impact on growth rates."

Samsung reveals a second wave of ChromeOS-powered laptops-- the Cromebook 2 series, a pair of laptops in 11.6- and 13.3-inch sizes sporting an unusual faux leather (complete with stitching) finish similar to the Galaxy Note 3.

Both carry Exynos 5 Octa CPUs (1.9GHz in the 11.6-inch, 2.1GHz in the 13.3-inch), 4GB RAM, 16GB internal storage and batteries promising up to 8.5 hours of use. The 11.6-inch model features a 1366x769 display, while the larger model handles 1920x1080 resolutions.

The 13.3-inch version also carries two 2W speakers and a noise-reducing array microphone.

On the software side Samsung includes Air Droid Premium smartphone access and data management, Wunderlist Pro task management and LittleBridge English learning.

Global tablet sales grow by 28% to 195.4 million units in 2013 Gartner reports, with lower-end smaller screen devices driving growth and making Android #1 tablet OS for the first time.

According to the analyst Android 2013 tablet share totals 61.9%, up from 45.8% in 2012. On the other hand Apple sees a decline of 16.8 percentage points with iPad share dropping from 52.8% in 2012 to 36% in 2013.

Microsoft tablet volumes see improvement (from 1.2m units in 2012 to 4m in 2013) but 2013 share remains small at 2.1%.

"In 2013 tablets became a mainstream phenomenon, with a vast choice of Android-based tablets being within the budget of mainstream consumers while still offering adequate specifications," Gartner says. "As the Android tablet market becomes highly commoditised, in 2014 it will be critical for vendors to focus on device experience and meaningful technology and ecosystem value-— beyond just hardware and cost-— to ensure brand loyalty and improved margins."

Sony launches what it claims is the slimmest and lightest waterpoof tablet in the world at Mobile World Congress 2014-- the Xperia Z2 Tablet, a 10.1-inch number weighing 426g and 6.4mm fat.

Featuring what Sony calls "OmniBalance" design (making it feel "slim yet reassuringly solid"), the Z2 Tablet carries a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 CPU, 3GB RAM and Android 4.4. A 6000mAh battery promises up to 10 hours of multimedia usage, with Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 technology promising faster charging speeds.

The Triluminos LED display handles 1920 x 1200 resolutions and, as typical of Sony devices, features the X-Reality engine to push optimal colour, sharpness and contrast. Audio also gets a boost with Front Surround and Digital Noise Cancelling (kicks in with an included headset) technology.