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Medialine launches the Duke of Holland, the latest in the mPad Android tablet line-- now with Android 3.2 (aka Honeycomb).

It carries a 10.1" capacitative LED backlit TFT LCD touchscreen with 1280x800 resolution.

Powering it is a dual-core 1 Ghz Tegra T20 processor, 1GB system memory and 16GB eMMC internal storage, while connections come through wifi, Bluetooth and optional built-in 3G.

One can also expand storage via micro SD slot (supports up to 32GB).

Completing the package is x2 cameras (2MP front facing and 5MP back facing), micro USB port and micro HDMI with 1080p video output.

Go Medialine

IHS iSuppli reports global Q2 2011 DRAM prices continue freefalling further-- and will continue doing so throughout Q3 and Q4.

Suppliers will also face a "dramatic oversupply" in a "turbulent" H2 2011.

The average DDR3 DRAM (in 2GB density) price will drop from $2.10 (Q2 2011) to $1.60 (Q3 2011)-- a Q-o-Q decrease of -24%, the biggest in 2011. In Q3 2010, the average DRAM price was around $4.70.

iSuppli also predicts Q4 2011 prices will drop by -22% Q-o-Q, reaching the average price of $1.25 (dangerously close to cash costs for manufacturers).

Q2 2011 saw "relatively flat, unchanged DRAM pricing compared to the first quarter" iSuppli says-- but companies failed to take advantage of healthy pricing levels by not increasing Q2 2011 shipments.

This results in bloated inventories at a time of transition to new process technologies.

However (if past trends are any indication) DRAM companies should rapidly shift inventory in H2 2011 as they move up the yield curve, iSuppli says. The analyst expects 15.9% growth in Q3 2011 DRAM shipments, together with prices decreasing further.

Such a weakening DRAM market should encourage manufacturers to optimise their product mix-- while buyers take advantage of really good prices for the rest of the year.

Go IHS iSuppli DRAM Market Brief

Razer announces the Razer Blade, calling it "the world's first true gaming laptop" to make gamers and developers "return to the PC as the primary gaming platform of choice."

It comes in a portable package-- 22.5mm thick and weighing 3.2kg-- with a 17" display, 2.8GHz i7 processor, 8GB RAM, 320GB SATA HDD and a GeForce GT555M video card.

Razer also includes its Switchblade interface-- x10 adaptive tactile keys (like the Optimus Maximus) and a multi-touch LCD panel acting as either mouse replacement or in-game information display.

But is it truly the first gaming laptop? After all, Alienware offers a range of equally capable (if not as thin or light) machines, while gamers might complain about the lack of SSD storage and the choice of video card.

There's also the matter of pricing-- ranging at around $2800.

The Blade will be available on Q4 2011. Meanwhile we're still curious about Razer's earlier announcement, the Switchblade 7" mini-gaming laptop concept.

Go Razer Blade

Go Gaming PC as a Portable Console?

Verbatim will debut its next generation SATA SSD range at IFA 2011, offering an alternative to standard HDDs with high data transfer rates and energy efficiency.

The SSDs offer data read speeds of up to 250 MB/sec and write speeds of up to 180 MB/sec, with 64GB, 128GG and 256GB capacities.

Verbatim's SSD kits include cloning software and an enclosure allowing users to turn their previous HDD into an external drive once removed from their machine.

Go Verbatim at IFA 2011