SK Telecom to launch Seven 4G Smartphones

South Korea's top mobile carrier SK Telecom has announced it would this year offer seven smartphone models and one tablet device running on ultra high-speed network technology.

SK launched its super-fast 4G wireless services, based on Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology, in Seoul in June and plans to secure national coverage by 2013.

LTE promises fast data traffic and quicker access to applications such as television programmes, movies and video conferencing.

The company said it would this month launch two phones, from Samsung Electronics and Taiwan's HTC Corp, for its LTE service.

Samsung will offer two additional LTE smartphones through SK Telecom in October and November. Its tablet PC, the Galaxy Tab 8.9, will hit the local market before December with LTE technology.

LG Electronics will release its first LTE smartphone next month, while Pantech will provide two LTE smartphones in October and December.

The carrier said it aims to lure 500,000 LTE subscribers by December, five million next year and 15 million by 2014.

With global technology giant Apple expected to unveil its upgraded version of the iPhone next week, others are in a rush to attract users by pushing out new smartphones armed with faster network technology.

Official data showed gadget-mad South Korea had 15 million smartphones at the end of July. The figure is expected to hit 20 million by the end of this year, about 40 percent of the country's overall wireless market.

According to a study released this month by Pando Networks, South Korea already has the world's top Internet download speeds.

Apple to unveil iPhone 5 next week

Apple Inc looks set next week to unveil its much-awaited new iPhone, which analysts say will have a bigger screen and work better with remote computing services.

Apple on Tuesday invited media to a "special event" called "Let's talk iPhone" on October 4 at its Cupertino, California headquarters, an unusual location for a company that typically introduces major products at larger venues in San Francisco.

"This is the iPhone 5," ThinkEquity analyst Mark McKechnie said of the event. The new iPhone would be the first major product launch under Tim Cook, who took over full-time as chief executive after co-founder Steve Jobs resigned last month.

Though a good product, the current iPhone 4 could use some improvements, McKechnie said. "We talked about it having a bigger screen, a dual core processor, and probably integrates pretty well with the iCloud."

The iPhone - introduced in 2007 with the touchscreen template now adopted by its rivals - remains the gold standard in the booming smartphone market.

The new model, which some have dubbed the iPhone 5, will have a bigger touch screen, better antenna and an 8-megapixel camera, one source with knowledge of the matter said in August.

Hon Hai Precision Industries Co Ltd and Pegatron Corp of Taiwan will make the new phone, and have been told to gear up capacity for up to 45 million units in total, the source said.

Toshiba unveils Thrive 7- the new Android tablet

Toshiba has unveiled its second tablet: the Thrive 7. Joining the original 10.1-inch Thrive, the new 7-inch tablet looks identical to its older brother, and internally is pretty much is the same. It has the highest resolution we’ve seen in a 7-inch tablet yet, cramming an 1280×800 pixel screen into its compact shell. In addition, it runs on the same dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, Android Honeycomb operating system, and 1GB of RAM that power the original Thrive.

At just about a half-inch thick, it’s the most sturdy looking 7-inch tablet since the BlackBerry PlayBook. Though it is styled almost identically to the Thrive, the rugged rubberized backing feels quite firm and the silver camera area looks more natural in this diminished size. The cameras are identical too, with a 2MP front and 5MP rear. Unfortunately, there are no full-size ports on the Thrive 7, but Toshiba has included a microSD card slot, Micro HDMI port, headphone audio jack, and a Mini USB port. And like rival PC-maker Acer, Toshiba has chosen to compete on its hardware instead of modifying Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) itself.

The big difference is in audio. Toshiba has moved the speakers and proprietary charging port to the bottom of the unit when held vertically. This makes sense as most people will be holding it more like a book than a computer, due to its size. This new default orientation has the added benefit of making the shiny silver camera look like a better design choice, as it has remained in the same location. The speakers aren’t going to fill a room, but thanks to SRS technology and a boost from some custom Toshiba software, sound was pretty loud compared to other tablets we’ve used.

The only big downside to the Thrive 7 is the same one that afflicted its predecessor. Like the 10.1-inch model, the Thrive 7′s screen is a fingerprint magnet. The tablet will hit shelves in December and will be priced “competitively”.

A good online cell phone store

Recently I came across an online store about electronic gadgets and new technology. It offers a line of electronic products like cell phones, iPads, and smartphones from manufacturers like Motorola, Samsung, HTC and other big players from the industry. One of the latest addition to the store is Motorola Droid Bionic, which is a 4G phone.

Well I am talking about wheretopurchase.com, which has come forward as a good online store to Buy Cell Phones. Some of the latest innovations from the mobile industry which can be purchased from the store are Samsung Infuse 4G, which is the newest smartphone to join the AT & T line up.

Here you can pick phones according to the careers as well. For example, one can purchase phone from Sprint, which is operates on exceptional 3G and 4G networks. One can buy from Verizon also. One of the good choice from verizon is to Buy Motorola Droid Bionic 4G. Running on Verizon 4G LTE network, it coms with Android 2.3 Gingerbread network.

There are also LG made smartphones on offer. Cell phone lookers can Buy LG Thrill 4G here. The store also brings Sprint phones.

Over and all, the store comes with a wide range on cell phones from different manufacturers combined with different careers.

Amazon to launch a 7-inch tablet

After much anticipation, Amazon is expected to unveil its own tablet on Wednesday. Many believe an Amazon tablet stands the best chance of stealing some of the popularity thunder from Apple’s iPad.

On Friday, Amazon invited select media outlets to a mysterious event, which will be held this Wednesday, September 28. The company did not say why they are holding the event, or what will be launched. But it doesn’t take a genius to deduce that a tablet is in the pipeline – we’ve been hearing quite a few details about the device for some time.

According to earlier reports, Amazon will release a 7-inch tablet, which is expected to be an extension of its Kindle e-reader line, but one that runs on Google’s Android operating system. A 10.1 inch version will reportedly be released sometime next year. MG Seigler of TechCrunch, describes the “Amazon Kindle” tablet as “very similar” in look and “form-factor” to the BlackBerry PlayBook.

The timing of Amazon’s event is telling. If the rumors are true, Apple will unveil the iPhone 5 on October 4 – a little less than a week after the Amazon event. By holding an event this week, Amazon positions itself to steal the tech press spotlight in the lead-up to the alleged Apple event. After that, it’ll be all Apple all the time.

ZTE to roll out 4G handphones in 2012

ZTE Corp, the world's No.5 cell phone maker, plans to launch 4G handsets in the second quarter of 2012, aiming to grab more market share by expanding its product range.

ZTE, which competes with Nokia Oyj , Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd , sees its mobile phone shipments rising 30-40 percent annually over the next three years.

The Shenzhen-based company shipped 35 million handsets in the first half, on track to achieve its target of 80 million units for the year, which would be a third higher than last year.

"We will be rolling out 4G phones in advanced countries first. We are talking to more than one overseas network carrier now," Ding Ning, president of ZTE's handset division, said in an interview.

4G, which refers to the fourth generation of cellular wireless standards, succeeds 2G and 3G technologies currently used in most mobile phones globally.

ZTE, which is due to launch its Skate smartphone on Hong Kong running Google Inc's Android 2.3 and sporting a Qualcomm Inc chipset, has been grabbing market share from more well-known global names with popular products such as Blade.

ZTE ranks behind Nokia, Samsung, LG Electronics Inc and Apple Inc with a 3 percent share in the global mobile phone market in the second quarter, research firm Gartner said.

Ding said the company had seen good sales in emerging markets, such as Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia, and was unfazed by economic doldrums in the United States and Europe.

ZTE plans to introduce handsets that run on Microsoft Corp's mobile operating system later this year, Ding said.

With top Chinese Internet companies such as Baidu Inc and Alibaba Group recently launching mobile operating systems, Ding said ZTE had no immediate plans to come up with its own platform.

HTC unveils new SmartPhone, Rhyme

Taiwan's HTC has unveiled another smartphone called the Rhyme which features a blinking "charm" that attaches to a bag to let a user know if they have received a call or a message.

The Android-powered Rhyme will go on sale in the United States on September 29. It will cost $199 and will be available through Verizon Wireless.

The device has a 3.7-inch screen, a single-core 1 GHz CPU, a 5-megapixel camera, 768 MB of RAM and 4 GB of storage space.

It runs Android 2.3 with Sense 3.5 and comes with the usual extras, including WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and a microSD slot for memory expansion. What makes it a bit different from all the Androids on the market is its tiny case and purple color.

Also, the device is coming with a host of accessories, including the HTC Rhyme Charm, a gizmo that attaches to the phone and glows when you receive a call or text message.

The Rhyme, which runs the latest version of Google's Android software known as Gingerbread, will go on sale in Europe and Asia in October.

Taiwan's leading smartphone maker stressed the "style" and accessories for the plum-colored device at a launch event in Manhattan.

"Like your glasses, your wallet, your belt or that special bag, the smartphone or the phone expresses who you are as an individual," said HTC's vice president of design, Scott Croyle.

"You want a phone that's handcrafted with style, you want it to be intuitive, you want it to be less than a device and more of a companion," Croyle said.

The Rhyme comes with a tethered accessory called a "charm" that blinks when a user receives a message or a call. "It's more respectful than a ring and more noticeable than vibrate," HTC said.

Apple to announce iPhone 5 on October 4

Apple's new CEO, Tim Cook, will hold a big media event Oct. 4 to announce the iPhone 5, reports All Things Digital, citing sources familiar with the matter.

If true, the launch date of the next generation iPhone is consistent with the recent wave of rumors claiming it will be released in early October.

Sources say that Cook will preside over the announcement - with the help of other key executives such as Phil Schiller, who participated in such events in the past - which would give this event even more significance. Cook must convince the shareholders, the audience and Apple fans all over the world that he can sure-handedly take over the role of Apple CEO and company showman. And the expectations for that particular job are enormous, for sure.

It is not known whether Steve Jobs, who resigned from the role of Apple CEO in August, will be present at the event.

The newest iPhone will reportedly be available in the few weeks following the announcements.

Nikon unveils first Mirrorless Cameras

Nikon has unveiled its first mirrorless cameras, beating its arch rival Canon to the nascent market for small, interchangeable-lens cameras, where other manufacturers have met with mixed success.

Priced at around 70,000 yen ($915) and 105,000 yen, the long-rumored Nikon 1 J1 and Nikon 1 V1 will go on sale on October 20, the company said.

"A new market is developing among people who feel a compact camera is not quite good enough," said Yasuyuki Okamoto, head of the company's imaging division, adding that he saw the camera's small size as one of its main appeals.

Nikon and Canon dominate the market for the hefty single-lens reflex cameras used by professional photographers and enthusiasts, and mirrorless cameras pack many of the benefits of those high-end models into smaller bodies.

They have large sensors, giving good picture quality, but no optical viewfinders, enabling manufacturers to keep the camera body smaller and lighter by leaving the mirror out of the structure.

The new format is popular in Japan, where consumers tend to value easily portable products, but has so far sold less well in North America and Europe.

Mirrorless cameras accounted for 31 percent of all interchangeable lens models sold in Japan in 2010, but only 10 percent in the United States, according to research firm IDC.

Global mirrorless shipments reached 2.1 million units in 2010, but IDC is revising its forecasts for 2011, which it says will depend on new entrants and economic conditions.

TATA unveils NANO Jewellery Car

Volkswagen to buy SUZUKI

Samsung to sue Apple as soon as iPhone 5 arrives

Although the next generation of Apple's iPhone hasn't yet been released, and no details about the device have been given, Samsung already plans to try to ban its sales in Korea, the Korea Times reports.

The legal battle between the two companies has been raging for months, with Apple managing to ban the sales of Samsung's Galaxy Tab as well as some variants of the Galaxy S smartphone in several countries, including the Netherlands and Australia.

The companies also sued each other in Korea: Apple on the grounds of Samsung copying the iPhone and iPad product range, while Samsung's countersuit has been more technology-based.

"For as long as Apple does not drop mobile telecommunications functions, it would be impossible for it to sell its i-branded products without using our patents. We will stick to a strong stance against Apple during the lingering legal fights," said a senior Samsung executive.

For now, Apple is winning the patent lawsuit war, but the next generation iPhone is one of the most anticipated gadgets of the year. If Samsung manages to delay its launch - even only in Korea - it would be a nasty setback for Apple.

BlackBerry's UK service to be closed if required

BlackBerry said it would work with mobile operators to switch off its popular messenger service if they were ordered by authorities to do so during civil unrest, after police singled out the system as a key tool used in last month's riots.

Appearing before politicians investigating the large-scale disorder that swept Britain in early August, executive Stephen Bates of BlackBerry-owner Research in Motion said the company would comply with orders given in special circumstances such as threats of terrorism or mass criminality.

"From our perspective we comply with the law and if the instruction would be to close down the mobile networks which is the method by which that would be enacted, we would then comply, we would then work with those mobile operators to help them meet the obligations as defined by that act," Bates said.

Police and parliamentarians said at the time of the unrest that social media, in particular BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), had been used by rioters and looters to incite and coordinate violence.

BBM appears to have been preferred over Twitter and other social media sites because its messages are encrypted and private.

Speaking when police were still grappling with nights of violence in London and other major English cities, Prime Minister David Cameron said Britain could consider disrupting online social networking during civil unrest, a move which is widely condemned as repressive when used by other countries.

Bates said the company had a strong view that communications and social media were a force for good and it didn't see it "being a good way forward" to suspend social networks during periods of large-scale disorder.

Alexander Macgillivray, responsible for public policy at Twitter, told the committee it would be an "absolutely horrible idea" to do so, and quoted police as saying they used it for good during times of crisis.

Richard Allan, director of policy in Europe at Facebook, said social media allowed families and friends to know they were safe.

RIM has previously said it cooperates with local law enforcement and regulatory officials, but it has declined to say whether it would hand over chat logs or user details to police.

Sprint to get its own iPad

News of an Apple iPhone for Sprint has been making the rounds online. But now there’s new news about an iPad for the Sprint data network.

It could happen before the Xmas shopping season. In the beginning, there was just Apple iPhone and AT&T. And iPad was added to the mix.

Then Apple knighted Verizon Wireless with its own iPhone and iPad.

No. 3 carrier Sprint’s day has arrived. A Sprint iPhone is expected by Oct. 7, though it could be a bit later. Pre-orders for the phone may be taken by the end of September.

MobileBeat pointed out that the timing could make sense: “It wouldn’t be too surprising to see the iPad on Sprint once it does get the iPhone. When the Verizon iPhone was officially announced earlier this year, the carrier was quick to confirm that it would be offering iPads compatible with its network as well.”

Mark Gurman said in 9to5Mac that a Sprint iPad could be good news for consumers: “What’s perhaps most enticing about the Sprint iPad (besides the possibility of 4G) is that Sprint is a lot more generous with its data plans, perhaps offering iPad users once again a truly unlimited data option.”

HTC Sensation XE comes with Beats Audio

HTC's recent partnership with Beats Audio has produced its first result: a revamped version of HTC Sensation called HTC Sensation XE.

The device is aimed at music lovers, and comes with several software and hardware enhancements to provide a better audio experience. Besides shipping with Beats by Dr. Dre in-ear headphones, the Sensation XE also features a special audio profile that automatically turns on when you use the headphones, as well as a remote control which allows you to pause, play or skip through tracks as well as answer and end calls without touching the phone.

Some of the other specs have been bumped too, so the new Sensation now comes with a 1.5GHz dual-core processor as well as an extended battery pack which will come handy for those long music listening sessions.

The device will be available in EMEA and Asia Pacific from late September.

Intel teams with Google on smartphone chips

Intel Corp and Google Inc launched a development partnership, the latest effort by the world's dominant maker of PC microprocessors to break into the booming smartphone market.

The two companies will work together to optimize future versions of Google's Android mobile software for Intel's "Atom" processors, hoping to speed the development and time-to-market of future Intel-powered smartphones.

The move could jump-start Intel's efforts to expand into the market for mobile phones and touchscreen tablet devices at a time when sales of PCs are slowing.

The first Android phones featuring Google chips should be available in the first half of 2012, Intel executives said at the company's annual developer conference in San Francisco.

Intel is allying itself with one of the biggest players in the mobile industry. In August, Google announced plans to acquire mobile phone maker Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion.

And Android software, which Google licenses free to manufacturers, is currently the most popular smartphone software, ahead of Apple's iOS as well as software by Microsoft and Research in Motion.

While Intel is the world's No. 1 maker of PC microprocessors, it has struggled to gain a foothold in the new class of mobile gadgets such as smartphones and tablets.

Today's crop of smartphones, from the iPhone to devices based on Android software, use chips from companies like Texas Instruments and Samsung which in turn license technology from ARM Holdings.

Those chips are considered more power efficient than Intel's - a key factor for handheld, battery-powered devices.

While Android technically already could support Intel chips, the new partnership will make it much easier for a manufacturer to bring an Intel-based Android phone to market.

Until now, it has been up to phone manufacturers to make their Android phones compatible with Intel chips, whereas future versions of the Android software will work with Intel chips right out of the gate, and will be optimized to take advantage of Intel's technology.

AT&T becomes First US Carrier for Mango Phones

AT&T has announced it will add new Windows Phone 7.5 phones to its lineup, becoming the first in the U.S. to offer devices using the Mango version.

AT&T also said all Windows phones handled by the company would be updated to the Mango version of the Windows Phone operating system this fall. Two of the new 4G devices are from Samsung, and one is from HTC.

Focus S, Focus Flash, Titan:
The Samsung-made Focus S updates its earlier Focus phone, which AT&T described as the biggest-selling Windows phone in the United States. It offers a 4.3-inch Super-AMOLED-Plus display, a 1.4-GHz processor, 4G-capable speeds, a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera and a rear-facing 8-megapixel, and a width of only 8.55 millimeters.

The Samsung Focus Flash has a 3.7-inch Super0-AMOLED screen, a 1.4-GHz processor and a 5-megapixel camera. The HTC Titan has the largest screen of any AT&T phone, 4.7 inches. It features a 1.5-GHz processor and an 8-megapixel camera with dual LED flash. Pricing and ship dates have not yet been announced.

AT&T said other Windows phones that would be updated to Mango included the HTC HD7S, the HTC Surround, the LG Quantum and the Focus.

The Mango update to Windows Phone 7 offers a variety of improvements that Microsoft hopes will help it gain footing in the current mobile market, which is dominated by Apple and Android phones.

Multitasking, Local Scout and Office:
Except for the "live tiles" interface that provides an updateable, simplified way of organizing one's apps and data, the original Phone 7 platform did not receive a whole lot of praise. Mango, however, is intended to correct that, with the addition of features such as multitasking, so that a user can move between apps without having to quit and reboot any of them.

There is also native support for Internet Explorer 9 and 4G high-speed wireless, and a new feature called Threads allows users to conduct a conversation while moving between Live Messenger, Facebook, and text messages. The various threads of the conversation are displayed on one screen.

A feature called Local Scout, tied in with Microsoft's Bing search engine, offers local results for shopping, entertainment, and restaurants, and Scout knows where you are via GPS. Microsoft is also expected to enable its Mango phones with Skype, which will help to accelerate the downward spiral of voice services even as data needs increase. The software giant has not yet issued a timetable for that to happen, but since it is buying Skype for $8.5 billion, the only question is when.

And then there's the Office tie-in. With Mango, users can get access to the Office 365 productivity suite in the cloud, meaning access to using Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files.

Sprint offering Unlimited Data Plan for iPhone 5

The financially ailing Sprint Nextel may offer consumers a solid reason to use its services this fall - an unlimited data plan for the iPhone 5.

Sprint will become the U.S.'s only wireless carrier to offer unlimited data for the iPhone 5. Sprint currently offers unlimited data and voice for $99 a month for some smartphone models.

AT&T and Verizon will offer the phone with tiered pricing plans. AT&T's plan ranges from 200 megabytes of data for $15 a month to 4 gigabytes for $45 a month. Verizon's plans range from $30 for 2 gigabytes to $80 for 10 gigabytes. Both offer unlimited voice plans for the iPhone for $69.99 a month. AT&T scrapped its $30 a month unlimited data plan in June 2010. Some veteran AT&T customers were grandfathered in under the unlimited data plan.

Offering a competitive advantage could surely boost Sprint's fortunes. The carrier lost $847 million in its most-recent quarter as customers flocked to its two larger rivals to access the iPhone, the best-selling smartphone on the market. But Sprint and its investors have lately had reason to be optimistic. In addition to getting the iPhone, Sprint is also seen as a beneficiary of the Justice Department's lawsuit to block the AT&T/T-Mobile merger.

Apple iPhone 5 available on pre-order from Deutsche Telekom

While Apple hasn't officially announced any details about the iPhone 5, German customers can now reserve theirs through Deutsche Telekom AG. This is yet another confirmation of the impending release of Apple's new iPhone.

While Deutsche Telekom isn't making big moves to advertise the pre-order capability, Apple fans are sufficiently excited to spread the news by word of mouth. The pre-order is available to customers who specifically request the iPhone 5, but Deutsche Telekom isn't sharing the exact release date of the phone even to those customers.

Apple has made no official announcement about the iPhone 5 yet, but plenty of rumors have surfaced already. Shipping pre-loaded with iOS 5, the iPhone 5 will provide wireless syncing between the iPhone and its partner computer. The iPhone 5 could see an upgraded 8-megapixel camera to coincide with iOS 5's new photography features. The A5 processor, which already powers the iPad 2, is the new powerhouse for iPhone processing.

We also expect to hear about the rumored iPhone nano at the same time as the iPhone 5 release. Apple remains quiet about the much-anticipated release details.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 pulled from IFA

This week’s IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin is one of the top places for manufacturers to showcase technology as they gear up for the end-of-year holiday buying season and now Samsung isn’t able to show off what it hoped would be one of its hot products. The South Korean electronics giant has been forced to remove demonstration units of its Galaxy Tab 7.7 Android tablet from the show floor as Apple got a second injunction barring sales and marketing of the product in Germany.

Numerous reports from the show floor note that while the tablet was initially on display and labeled “not for sale in Germany,” the sample units and all mention of the Galaxy Tab 7.7 have been removed from Samsung’s exhibits.

The move follows a German court upholding a ban on the sale and marketing of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany late last month. Apple claims the Galaxy Tab tablets are essentially copies of its popular iPad line; Samsung denies the charges. Apple is pursuing the matter across several jurisdictions, including South Korea and the United States.

A Seoul-based spokesperson for Samsung says the company respects the court’s decision although it believes the ruling “several limits consumer choice in Germany.” The spokesperson indicated Samsung intends to continue pursuing the case.

The withdrawal of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 demonstration models increases scrutiny on Samsung’s Tablet efforts. Although Apple discloses its iPad sales every quarter, Samsung has yet to reveal how many tablet devices it is actually selling. According to Strategy Analytics, Samsung accounts for 16 percent of the tablet market, compared to 69 percent for the Apple iPad.

iPhone 5 to have a 4-Inch Screen

As we get closer to the rumored release date of the iPhone 5 in October, yet another clue about its true nature has surfaced.

Here's a new set of extrapolations, taken to a speculative conclusion at MacRumors. When they snagged a couple of publicly available third-party cases that purport to fit the iPhone 5, they noticed that the case is so much wider that it strongly suggests a 4-inch screen on the new iPhone, larger than the iPhone 4's 3.5" display.

MacRumors did more precise measurements with this particular case, noting that while the iPhone 4 is 2.31 inches wide, with its 3.5" screen measuring 1.95 inches wide, an iPhone fitting into this case would have a display measuring a significantly wider 2.24 inches. So if this indeed is the final case design, the iPhone will have a 4-inch screen.

However, given the secretive nature of Apple and the possibility of fake case specifications passed around to various manufacturers accused of leaks in the past, we can't be sure of the dimensions of the iPhone 5 just yet. This is just one piece of info, but add this to all the other iPhone 5 clues, and most are pointing to the same thing: As the evidence mounts, it points to a wider, thinner iPhone 5 with a larger screen and tapered bottom.

We'll have to wait till later this month for the alleged introduction of the iPhone 5, with the rumored release in October.

HTC unveils Windows Mango phones: Titan and Radar

HTC came on big with Windows Phone 7 devices last year, and now the Taiwanese handset maker is doing a repeat performance with Windows Phone Mango. HTC just unveiled the Titan and the Radar smartphones.

Although Microsoft and Nokia have a strategic alliance, HTC may be first to market with devices carrying the new operating system. The Titan has a 4.7-inch display - HTC's largest phone screen ever. The Radar is designed for consumers who are hyper-focused on people, news and entertainment.

"Phones were originally designed for communication, but they haven't kept up with the way consumers are actually communicating today," said Andy Lees, president of Microsoft's Windows Phone Division. He called the designs of HTC's Titan and Radar "sleek" and "modern" in his best effort to promote the new phones.

Lenovo announces IdeaPad A1: $199 Android Tablet

Lenovo has announced at this year's IFA conference in Berlin that it will be making a new tablet - Lenovo IdeaPad A1 - which will be priced starting at $199. And while most Android tablets at that price point come from no-name manufacturers and are saddled with plastic, resistive touchscreens, this one comes from the maker of the ThinkPad, and uses an iPad-style glass screen.

The IdeaPad's screen is only seven inches across, roughly the same as the Barnes and Noble Nook Color's and about as big as an iPad split across the middle.

The budget IdeaPad sports a single-core 1 GHz processor, plus a basic rear-facing camera and a VGA front-facing one. Video chat will apparently be possible, but don't expect the quality to be very good.

The device brings the "Gingerbread" version of Android, the top of the line version for smartphones.

Besides its external color schemes, the IdeaPad A1 will come in three different varieties, based on how much flash memory they have. The 8 GB version is the one that'll cost $199, and it won't be available in the States. It's $249 for the 16 GB model, and $299 for the 32 GB one. That'll make it the cheapest way to get a 32 GB tablet, at least until the next shipment of HP TouchPads comes in.

Amazon's 7-inch Android tablet coming in November

We have been hearing rumors about the upcoming Amazon tablet for months, but now we finally have some solid information according to TechCrunch. They have had hands-on contact with a 7-inch tablet which resembles BlackBerry’s PlayBook that is simply called the Amazon Kindle, no fancy code names here. The tablet is reported to be released sometime in November for just $250.

The $250 price point will put it in direct competition with Barnes & Noble’s Nook Color, and come in at half the price of Apple’s cheapest iPad. Both devices have 7-inch screens and highly modified versions of Android. The Kindle does not have a camera, or any buttons on the front of the device.

The version of Android on the Kindle is based around Android 2.2 Froyo, but is completely done-over by Amazon. The whole interface has been changed, and there is no sign of any Google applications on the device. Services go through Amazon for your reading, music listening, and app shopping needs. It also sounds like if the tablet receives any software updates that the end user most likely wouldn’t be able to notice due to how much the interface has been changed.

All rumors to date have predicted that Amazon would be releasing both a 7-inch and a 10-inch version as early as October. The fate of the larger tablet will be based on how well the first one sells, and if it matches Amazon’s expectations they will release the 10-inch tablet in early 2012.

HTC unveils 4G tablet, Jetstream

Taiwan's leading smartphone maker HTC has unveiled its first tablet device with 4G telecommunications technology.

Fourth generation - 4G - technology provides high-speed broadband wireless services and higher quality image and data services.

The HTC Jetstream is due to hit the US market on coming Sunday, offered by telecom giant AT&T for $699.99 with a two-year contract.

The tablet will be equipped with a 10.1-inch (26 centimetre) screen and use Google's Android 3.1 platform.

Analysts are not expecting big sales as the next generation telecommunication technology, Long Term Evolution (LTE), has yet to penetrate the market significantly.

BlackBerry PlayBook price slashed by $150 at Best Buy

Last month Best Buy appeared to be complaining that its stockrooms were full of unsold Hewlett-Packard TouchPads. A few days later HP announced it was ending tablet and smartphone production. The price of the TouchPad was then slashed to virtually nothing, resulting in the devices flying off the shelves in a matter of hours.

Could it be that all the space taken up the TouchPads has now been filled with similarly slow-selling BlackBerry PlayBooks? The reason fir this suggestion is because Best Buy knocked $150 off the cost of the 64GB version in a sale, bringing it down to $550 from a hefty $700.

The 16GB and 32GB versions have been discounted too, by $50, giving them price tags of $450 and $550 respectively. The 32GB PlayBook is now at the same price as the 64GB device – $550. It’s hard to believe there’s anyone out there who won't prefer the 64GB version.”

Research In Motion’s PlayBook has had something of a rough ride since its launch in April this year. Reviews have been mixed, while just a month after appearing on shelves, almost 1,000 of the tablets had to be recalled due to unspecified faulty hardware issues.

The Canadian company has also been having a hard time persuading networks to carry the device. Just last month Sprint announced that it was scrapping plans to bring the 4G PlayBook to its network. It is currently with no major US carriers.

RIM will be hoping the sale price will shift a few more of the devices. And Best Buy will certainly be happy to have some more stockroom space available.

Samsung announces Galaxy Note

Besides its new tablet, the Galaxy Tab 7.7, Samsung used the podium at the IFA trade show in Berlin to officially announce another interesting gadget: the Galaxy Note.

The Note is a 5.3-inch, Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) smartphone which in many ways doubles as a tablet - for example, it comes with a pen for drawing and note-taking, for those who still prefer it over the good old fingers.

It also has an impressive array of features: a 1.4 GHz CPU, a WXGA Super Amoled display, 1 GB of RAM, 16/32 GB of storage memory and an 8-megapixel camera as well as a 2-megapixel one for video calls.

All of this is stuffed into a 9.65 mm thin and 0.39 pounds heavy case, which seems reasonable for a 5.3-inch device and actually makes us want to consider using this behemoth as a phone.

Samsung plans to release two versions of the device: one supporting HSPA+ and the other with LTE. Price is pending and the release date is "in the coming months".

Sony Tablet computer to hit Japan this month

Sony's first tablet computer will hit the Japanese market on September 17 as the company looks to take on Apple's popular iPad, the electronics giant said.

The Sony Tablet will be powered by Google's Android software, allowing users to download content such as books, movies and games.

The Sony Tablet "S" series with a 9.4-inch (23.8 centimetre) touchscreen display is expected to have a price tag of 45,000 yen ($580) for a 16-gigabyte data storage model and 53,000 yen for the 32-gigabyte version.

The product will also become available in US and European markets later this month, with a price tag of $499 and 479 euros for the 16-gigabyte model.

Competitors have rushed to cash in on soaring demand for tablets since the iPad was released in April last year, but Sony's devices will arrive well behind those of its rivals.

The devices will have access to Sony's cloud of online content such as movies, music, digital books, PlayStation games and other entertainment.

Sony has focused more on pushing its content such as games and music through hardware platforms including game consoles, smartphones and tablet computers.

It will release the dual-screened "P" series with a folding design, incorporating two 5.5-inch screens in Japan between October and November. The series will be launched in November in Europe and sometime later this year in the United States.