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Canalys: Android Dominates Smart Mobile Devices

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Global smart mobile device (combined notebook, tablet and smartphone) shipments total 308.7 million units with 37.4% Y-o-Y for Q1 2013 according to Canalys, with Android devices making 59.5% of shipments.

When it comes to other OS vendors, iOS has 19.3% market share thanks to strong smartphone and tablet market presence, while Windows share totals 18.1% through "relative" PC market strength.

Tablets continue to show the fastest growth of the three market segments-- Canalys reports WW Q1 2013 tablet shipments are up by 106.1% Y-o-Y to 41.9m units. Apple controls 46.4% of the market, even if it continues to lose share for the 3rd consecutive quarter to the Android-based competition.

Canalys Q1 2013

"The commoditisation of the tablet market has happened far quicker than that of the wider PC market," the analyst says. "Profit margins are being squeezed and vendors without a low cost structure will find it hard to compete. A solid range of must-have accessories and a software and services strategy are vital as vendors will increasingly need to make revenue around their devices."

World’s First Android Tablet with Built-in Projector

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lumiTabPromate launches the lumiTab, the world’s first Android tablet with an built-in projector.

Using its one-button projection system, all the customer has to do is push the button and point the lumiTab to view their tablet screen on an up to 100-inch projected display.

Powered by DLP technology, the tablet delivers 35 lumens and WVGA resolution.

The tablet runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and has 1GB of RAM.

lumiTab is equipped with Google Mobile apps and services (Gmail, Google Maps, Google Talk, Google Search and Youtube) as well as Micro USB, Mini HDMI, twin (2-megapixel each) front and back cameras, Micro SD card reader, Bluetooth 4.0 and 16GB flash storage.

Go lumiTab by Promate

Adobe Steps into Making Creative Hardware

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Photoshop maker Adobe makes first steps into the hardware business with "Project Mighty" and "Project Napoleon"-- a pressure sensitive stylus and a small digital ruler designed for use with the company's tablet applications.

Project MightyThe Project Mighty is a so-described "cloud pen" with sleek, Apple-style industrial design. It connects to tablets and the internet via Bluetooth and allows one to not only draw more naturally on tablets, but also bring up content from the cloud (such as drawings, colour swatches or settings) with the press of a button.

Adobe does not provide exact specs for the pen, but says it includes a rechargeable battery, Bluetooth LE connectivity and an unspecified amount of built-in storage.

Meanwhile the Project Napoleon looks like a 3-inch ruler (hence the name) but is actually more of a digital protractor. It creates a digitally projected edges, making the accurate drawing of shapes and lines on the display easier.

The Android Monitor Opportunity?

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According to TrendForce WitsView, while the LCD monitor market declines vendors and retailers might find an oppurtunity in what it calls Android monitors, the somewhat simpler siblings to All-in-One (AIO) PCs.

Android monitorMaking an Android LCD monitor involves little more than adding an ARM CPU and wifi radio to an LCD monitor. The hardware is futher bolstered with touch functionality, adjustable stand and the Android as OS, making what amounts to either a stripped-down AIO/oversized tablet capable of meeting customers' email/video/game needs.

Such devices also have more attractive pricing-- the analyst says a 21.5-inch touch-capable AIO PC costs around $600 while an Android monitor identical in size costs as low as $400.

"LCD monitor makers have to develop new niche products, and Android LCD monitors have chances to be more than an accessory to PCs," WitsView concludes. But will consumers warm up to such devices? After all, earlier examples of the form factor (such as the 20-inch Sony Vaio Tap or the Acer DA220HQL Smart Display) have failed to create much of a splash in an already highly stratified market.

Go Android LCD Monitor, a New Opportunity for Brands (TrendForce WitsView)

Intel Goes for Mobile with Silvermont

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Intel unveils its latest take on low-power, high-performance CPUs-- Silvermont, an x86-based architecture using the 22nm Tri-Gate manufacturing process, designed for applications ranging from smartphones to data centres.

Intel"Silvermont is a leap forward and an entirely new technology foundation for the future that will address a broad range of products and market segments." Intel says. "Early sampling of our 22nm SoCs, including "Bay Trail" and "Avoton," is already garnering positive feedback from our customers."

"Bay Trail" quad-core SoCs aimed for tablet and entry-level PC use will be the first products on the market featuring the architecture, followed by dual-core "Merrifield" smartphone SoCs. By H2 2013 Intel should also release the microserver-targeted "Avoton" and the "Rangeley" network/communications infrastructure chips, as well as an unnamed SoC optimised for in-vehicle applications.

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