An interesting snippet emerges from the Nvidia annual stockholders' meeting-- the company is working on Kai, a "strategy" (if not a reference design) for cheaper, more powerful tablets carrying Tegra 3 processors.

As VP Rob Csonger says "Our strategy on Android is simply to enable quad-core tablets running Android Ice Cream Sandwich to be developed and brought out to market at the $199 price point."

A means for vendors to beef up the Kindle Fire competitors, then? Perhaps. But back at CES 2012 Continue reading...

Lenovo refreshes the ThinkPad series with Ivy Bridge processors and revamped keyboards, but one model catches the eye-- the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, an ultrabook Lenovo claims is the thinnest and lightest yet.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a 14" ultrabook with a carbon fibre rollcage, making it thin, light and stiff. It weighs 1.3kg and is 18mm thick at the thickest point.

The display handles 1600x900 resolution with 300 nits of brightness, "wide" viewing angles and a hinge allowing the screen to backwards Continue reading...

HP introduces not only a number of new ultrabooks, but also what it calls "Sleekbooks"-- thin-and-light laptops that are not quite thin-and-light enough to fit Intel ultrabook standards.

Sleekbooks cost less than ultrabooks and carry either Intel or AMD processors. Both kinds of laptop are less than 19.8mm thick, weigh around 1.8kg and have batteries lasting 7-9 hours.

New HP ultrabooks include the premium 13.3" Envy Spectre XT (with Intel Ivy Bridge CPU and 128GB SSD within an all-metal body) Continue reading...

According to Canalys European tablet adoption is lagging behind other territories, as EMEA shipments reach 4.7m units in Q1 2012 with 180% Y-o-Y growth.

In comparison global Q1 2012 tablet shipments triple from Q1 2011, reaching 20.3m units.

"The challenging economic conditions in Europe are affecting the market," Canalys says in explanation of the EMEA totals, echoing concerns from other analysts.

Content availability is also a problem-- the combination of different languages and digital rights Continue reading...

Sony reveals its take on the ultrabook format with the VAIO T series-- a 17.8mm-thick model inside a brushed metal body, available in 11- or 13-inch options.

It carries an Intel Core i3 Sandy Bridge processor (no Ivy Bridge yet), 4GB RAM and integrated Intel HD 3000 graphics. Handling storage is either SSD or hybrid HDD-SSD.

Connectivity options include HDMI, VGA, RJ45, wifi, Bluetooth and SD/MMC media slot.

Sony says battery life (for SSD-only models, at least) reaches 9 hours, with an energy-efficient Continue reading...

Tablet accessory maker iHome promises "office quality accessibility" with the iDM5-- a Bluetooth-enabled workstation for mobile device users with a full-sized QWERTY keyboard.

It comes complete with x2 USB ports, ideal for keeping devices charged while working, and a built-in microphone for speakerphone functionality.

The ergonomically angled keyboard is coupled with a sound system, allowing users to stream music through either Bluetooth or universal 3.5mm aux line-in jack.

Being Bluetooth-enabled Continue reading...

News on Intel's plans for tablets starts emerging from IDF 2012, Beijing-- including an Ultrabook-tablet hybrid design and a specification list for future Windows 8 tablets.

First, the Ultrabook-tablet hybrid. Named "Cove Point" (or Letexo, depending on who you ask) the design is similar to the Asus Transformer and its ilk, using both touchscreen and a keyboard.

However unlike the Transformer (which uses a clamshell design), the Cove Point display slides out of the keyboard, and has a number of Continue reading...

Toshiba expands the Excite tablet family with 3 models in different sizes-- including the Excite 13, probably the biggest tablet in the world.

The Excite 13 has a massive 13.3" display, nearly twice the size of the smallest new Excite model, the Excite 7.7 (7.7"). Completing the tablet trio is the Excite 10, with a 10.1" display.

All 3 tablets have similar specifications-- Nvidia Tegra 3 processors, Gorilla Glass displays, 5MP back-facing cameras, stereo speakers with Toshiba and SRS Labs sound Continue reading...