As videogames shift from physical to online sales UK retail chain GAME spices up its product offering by adding a slew of tablets on its market shelves.

GAME already sells the Nexus 7, but soon 150 stores will offer 9 more tablets-- including the Archos Gamepad, the Acer Iconia B1-A71 and the obligatory 4th generation iPad and iPad mini.

"Tablets are an increasingly popular gaming platform so it's a natural step for us to be at the heart of providing these to the UK gaming community," the retailer Continue reading...

Microsoft lowers the requirements partners must meet in 7- or 8-inch Windows 8/RT tablets-- such devices must handle minimum resolutions of 1024x768 instead of the previous resolution requirement of 1366x768.

"This doesn't imply that we're encouraging partners to regularly use a lower screen resolution," the March Windows Certification Newsletter says. "In fact, we see customers embracing the higher resolution screens that make a great Windows experience... partners exploring designs for certain markets could find greater design flexibility helpful."

The move no doubt points towards the popularity of inexpensive, smaller tablets currently on the shelves, such as the Nexus 7, iPad mini and the Kindle Fire.

The lower display resolution does sacrifice one Windows 8 feature-- snap, the handy multitasking option allowing users to run x2 apps next to each other. However one would still be able to snap apps if a tablet is attached to an external display supporting resolutions of 1366x768 or higher.

The 2nd generation of Asus-made, Google-branded Nexus 7 tablets will hit the market on July 2013 Reuters reports, with the search giant aiming to ship as many as 8 million tablets from H2 2013.

The anonymous sources claim the tablet sees a change of innards-- an unnamed Qualcomm CPU (possibly the APQ8064 S4 Pro) replaces the Tegra 3 inside the first Nexus 7, as mentioned in earlier Nvidia-related rumours. Reportedly the Qualcomm option offers both power and cost savings, providing a fully pin-compatible Continue reading...

Intel tells OEM partners its 3rd generation ultrabook plans, DigiTimes reports-- dividing the high-end laptops into 3 price levels to satisfy different consumer segments.

The next ultrabook generation carries Haswell-based processors, WiDi technology and 4GB DDR3 memory as a standard, within pricing tiers ranging from $599-798 to $799-998 and $999+ and display sizes ranging from 11.6- to 15-inch.

The first pricing tier should feature a clamshell industrial design, Core i3 processors, Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU, 500GB hybrid HDD/SSD storage and a battery providing around 8 hours of use and 1 week in idle mode.

The 2nd category includes either convertible or detachable designs complete with Core i5 processors, 5100 GPU and 128GB SSD storage. Further options include HD cameras, speakers, dual-array microphones and sensors.

A recently published patent application from Amazon might give a glimpse at the future of tablets-- one where such devices are reduced into remote displays lacking in storage, processors or batteries.

Listed the two inventors on the September 2012 patent are no other than Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and VP Greg Hart.

The patent describes a tablet-style "remote display" receiving content via wireless from a base station handling user input (including gestures and, weirdly enough, voice commands) as well as processing duties.

The displays operate "for substantially longer periods and may not need to be recharged," since the base station would provide enough wireless power to feed a device lacking in processing power.

Intel aims to for the budget-conscious customer at the Intel Solutions Summit (ISS) 2013-- the company promises lower-price ($599) Haswell-powered Ultrabooks will start shipping by the holiday season.

The next Ultrabook generation will be more than "just a retrofit of what was already in the market," as Intel PC Client Group senior VP Kirk Skaugen puts it. Together with lower prices, the company promises next-gen Ultrabooks will include touchscreen support, faster SSDs, slimmer yet more durable chassis, higher-resolution displays, voice and facial recognition technology and "all-day" battery life.

"We designed [Haswell] from the ground up for the Ultrabook," Skaugen claims. "You'll truly be able to leave your battery pack at home."

Intel insists such initiatives are not about "a race to the bottom"-- instead executives at ISS 2013 say lower component prices allow Intel and OEM partners to make more affordable, more feature-rich premium notebooks.

IDC increases its 2013 tablet shipment forecast from 172.4 million to 190.9m units, thanks to a predicted surge of smaller, lower-priced devices.

"One in every two tablets shipped this quarter was below 8-inch in screen size," IDC says. "In terms of shipments, we expect smaller tablets to continue growing in 2013 and beyond... Vendors are moving quickly to compete in this space as consumers realize that these small devices are often more ideal than larger tablets for their daily consumption habits."

According to the analyst WW tablet shipments will reach over 350m by end 2017, with a CAGR of 11% during the 2013-2016 period.

Following MWC 2013 Fujitsu goes for a more business-oriented approach at CeBIT 2013-- with announcements including the availability of PalmSecure security technologies and new premium laptops.

PalmSecure technologies use contactless palm readings (specifically the "unique pattern of oxygen-depleted veins") to confirm user identity, a biometric means of identification Fujitsu claims is more both more secure and easier to use than chip & PIN alternatives.

The technology was shown off by means of Continue reading...