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EC Proposes Radio Spectrum Sharing

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The European Commission (EC) pushes for "more dynamic sharing" of licensed and unlicensed frequencies in the radio spectrum-- a proposal potentially bringing more capacity to wifi and other wireless technologies.

EU Parliament"Meeting the growing spectrum needs resulting from the exponential growth in wireless data traffic and the increasing importance of wireless connectivity in the economy is limited by the absence of vacant spectrum," the EC proposal says.

Wifi devices operate within the unlicensed 2.4GHz (802.11 b/g) and 5GHz (802.11a, 802.11n) space, which will get more capacity should the proposal be successful. Frequences in use by short range devices (such as 863-870MHz) might also be expanded.

The EC demands national EU regulators to encourage spectrum sharing, all while offering "guaranteed rights" and "investment incentives" to providers and incumbents sharing licensed frequencies.

The initiative kicks off once it goes through the European Council and Parliament, meaning it still has a long way to go-- but it should be an important step towards more harmony within European radio spectrum.

Go Digital Agenda: Maximising Radio Spectrum Efficiency by Sharing it

VidaBox Intros Media Extenders

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VidaBox launches the vPlayer and vStreamer-- the 4th generation Media Extenders with "the richest and most robust feature set to date."

vStremaerThe two devices have a compact, stackable design and handle 1080p video, 7.1 surround sound and 3D upgradability via a "dual-core processor."

The vPlayer carries a Blu-ray drive while the vStreamer lacks an optical drive-- but both can access Blu-ray, DVD and music content stored on VidaBox servers as well as online streaming content (sources include Netflix, Cinemanow and internet radio stations) through a single CAT5e/6 cable.

RS-232/Serial support allows 2-way integration with most home automation platforms (including Crestron and AMX) .

The vPlayer and vStreamer start shipping from September 2012.

Go VidaBox vPlayer and vStreamer

IFA 2012: All About the Windows 8 Hybrids

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Fact-- Windows 8 tablet-laptop devices are big news at IFA 2012. So far Toshiba, Samsung, HP and Dell have hybrid devices at their stands, all to be available after the official Windows 8 launch.

Toshiba SatelliteOne device at Berlin even reminds us of "Cove Point," (aka Letexo) the slick Intel Ultrabook-tablet hybrid reference design first seen at IDF 2012 back in April 2012.

That device is the Toshiba Satellite 925t-- a 12.5-inch hybrid device with a sliding mechanism holding display and keyboard instead of a more simple hinge. It allows users to either "fold" the display against the keyboard or slide it out and and bend it into a laptop-style standing position.

Galaxy Note "Phablet" Gets Bigger

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Sometimes big is just not big enough-- Samsung announces the Galaxy Note II at IFA 2012, an even bigger successor to the massive 1st-generation Note phone-tablet hybrid device.

NotesWhile the Galaxy Note has a 5.3-inch display, the Galaxy Note II carries an impressive 5.5-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen. Looks-wise it resembles the Galaxy S III, complete with rounded edges, thin display bezel and similar physical button configuration.

The internals include a 1.6GHz quad-core processor and 2GB RAM, making the Note II the most powerful Galaxy smartphone according to the company. It is also the first Samsung device running on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) skinned with the TouchWiz UI.

The S Pen stylus makes a return (together with Note-specific apps), together with the Samsung sharing features (S Beam, ShareShot, AllShare Play, AllShare Cast) seen in the Galaxy S III and Note 10.1 tablet.

Samsung has other offerings at IFA 2012, such as the Galaxy Camera-- a 16MP digital camera with a 4.8-inch touchscreen identical to the one found on the Galaxy S III. It runs on Android 4.0 and comes complete with integrated wifi and 3G connections.

Go Samsung Galaxy Note II

Go Samsung Galaxy Camera

ABI: Tablets to Reach 100m

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Global tablet shipments "set a new record" in Q2 2012, reaching around 25 million units with 77% Y-o-Y (or 36% Q-o-Q) growth according to ABI research-- leading the analyst to forecast shipments will reach over 100m in 2012.

tabletsIt is good to note only 27% of tablets shipped in Q2 2012 carry mobile broadband (3/4G), a -12% Y-o-Y decline as consumers prefer to stick to wifi in order to keep device costs down.

Apple continues to lead the WW tablet market, surprising exactly noone with 69% Q2 2012 shipment share. Total iPad shiments total 17m units, nearly matching the 2010 WW tablet shipment total of 17.3m units.

ABI also estimates iPad ASPs are down by -19% Y-o-Y.

Samsung retains the 2nd place in the vendor rankings, with market share reaching 8.1%. Amazon and Asus follow.

One can expect an even more interesting tablet arena in H2 2012-- Nexus 7 tablet shipments will start counting in the analyst totals, Microsoft will launch the Surface and other vendors will be releasing a bevy of devices running on either Android or Windows 8.

Go Tablet Market on Track to Exceed 100m Shipments in 2012 (ABI Research)

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