HTC working on 5-inch display smartphone: Sources

While Dell was the first tolaunch the Dell Streak to bridge the gap between atablet and a smartphone,it was Samsung that successfully put the idea to work with the Galaxy Note. Now, HTC plans to enter the 5-inch ‘phablet’ space with a flagship model equipped with a 5-inch display, featuring a resolution of 1794x1080 pixels, reports DigiTimes . Further, this flagship 5-incher from HTC is likely to hit markets by September or October this year. This unnamed device by HTC is already set for some competition as Samsung plans to launch a sequel to its successfulGalaxy Note at an event on August 29, about two weeks before the possible debut of Apple'snew iPhone. The two archrivals are bracing for a full-blown battle with the expected rollouts of the two key models launchingas they lock horns in a high-stakes patent trial in the United States. South Korean media reports speculate the new Galaxy Note may feature an unbreakable, 5.5-inch display - slightlylarger than the current one - as well as a fasterprocessor and a much better camera. Samsung, once a laggard in the smartphone market, overtook Apple last yearto become the world's largest smartphone maker. The South Korean firm is looking to defend its supremacy by refreshingits line-up ahead of the launch of the fifth version of Apple's iPhone, widely expected to be released in Octoberthis year. LG has also tested waters in this screen size by flaunting the 5-inch display clad Optimus Vu . In May this year, the company had announced a 5-inch, full HD LCD panel for smartphones – the highest resolution mobile panel to date, giving a clear indication that the 720p display on current top-end smartphones won't reign supreme for long. This new, 5-inch Full HD LCD panel appeared to be a step forward from the existingmobile display technology, based on AH-IPS (Advanced High Performance In-Plane Switching) technology. The display featured a 440ppi and a resolution of 1920x1080 pi8xels, providing for the first time, Full HDTV quality ona smartphone. It ropes ina new generation of In-Plane Swtiching for better colour accuracy, which in turn, allows it to reproduce the original colour without any distortion. In addition to this, it provides greater light transmission, which translates to lower power consumption, whiledelivering exceptional picture quality, thereby making it ideal for use in outdoor settings. It also provides for better viewing angles with morestability. If you look at the existing display technologies, the iPhone 4S has an IPS panel with a 326 ppi (pixels per inch) resolution. The HTCOne X has a resolution of 312 ppi with a super IPS screen and a 720p display. The Galaxy S III comes with 306 ppi, whilethe popular Galaxy Note has 285 ppi.

UK retailer offering 32GB PlayBook tabletfor Rs. 13,000 approx

Playbook, the tablet made by Research In Motion (RIM), the manufacturer of the BlackBerry line of phones, hasn't seen much success. There have been several drops in its price over the past few months, andit now seems as if the 32GB version is selling at as low as 150 pounds (around Rs. 13,000) in the UK. It's being sold by PC World, an online store. When RIM had introduced their BlackBerry PlayBook last year, they had made the tablet available in three storage capacites - 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB. Towards the end of 2011, RIM slashed the rates of their slates and the lowest model, the 16GB version was available for as low as Rs. 13,490, as part of a limited time offer. The PlayBook tablet sports a 7-inch display and runs on a 1 GHz dual-core processor. Some of the other specs of the PlayBook tablet include: 7-inch LCD, 1024 x 600, WSVGA, capacitive touch screen with full multi-touch and gesture support Wi-Fi - 802.11 a/b/g/n Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR Connectors: microHDMI, microUSB, charging contacts Dual HDcameras (3 MP front facing, 5 MP rear facing),supports 1080p HD videorecording, Video playback: 1080p HD Video, H.264, MPEG, DivX, WMV In March this year, Research in Motion officially slashed the prices of the 64 GB version of their BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in India by a whopping 18 percent, taking the price all the way down to Rs.19,990. Late in November last year, we had also reported about all units of the PlayBook tablet being sold off on Best Buy, after stunning BlackFriday promotions. Back then, RIM had re-priced the tablets to $199.99 and $299.99 for the 16 GB and 32 GB models respectively, which manybelieve to have triggered the massive sales figures. However, RIM killed off the 16 GB version of the BlackBerry PlayBook, disappointing several hopefuls. The Canada-based company recently pushedback the launch of BB10 to early next year. The picture of the future for the company continues topale, as the delay would mean missing out on boththe crucial back-to-school and Christmas shopping periods - a time when its competitorswill continue to bring out more phones. The company also had to cut down prices of their PlayBook tablet. RIM has a 4G LTE versionof the PlayBook in the pipeline, and as per reports, the Canadian company is set to launch it soon.

Microsoft may sell Surface tablet for as much as $2,150

Towards the end of June, the possible pricing of the highly anticipated Microsoft Surface tablets was revealed. These prices were on the higher side but were comparable to that of theiPad, the tablet Microsoft is aiming to dethrone when they launch their own version of the slate.However, a recent reportby WPCentral details the pricing of these tablets. Itis a stark contrast of what the price was initially supposed to be. The new prices clearly shatter the older projected prices with the base model being priced at $1,000 whereas the top of the line version ofthe Surface is priced at$2,150. In a related report CNET states, “The cheapest of the four models has the price tag of 6,990 kroner, which is $1,002, and the most expensive is 14,990 kroner, equaling $2,150. Of course, the tablets could cost less in countries with a lower cost of livingthan Sweden. However, the iPad is significantly cheaper in Sweden; in the online Apple Store, the most expensive iPad is 7,195 kroner or$1,032 but the cheapest is 5,395 kroner or$773”. As of now, there is no official word available on the pricing of the Surfacetablets but Microsoft has said, “Suggested retail pricing will be announced closer to availability and is expected to be competitive with a comparable ARM tablet orIntel ultrabook-class PC. OEMs will have cost and feature parity on Windows 8 and Windows RT.” If Microsoft does intend to launch this tablet at these prices, only the most die-hard Microsoft fans would opt for it. Upon converting the price of the most expensive Surface tabletinto Indian Rupees, we see that it is priced slightly above Rs. 1,20,000. The most expensive iPad is available for a lot less, and this would definitely prompt potential consumers from sticking with the tablet market leader than opting for the newly announced Surface tablet. The report by CNET alsostates, “The Surface will be different than tablets that just run Apple's iOS and Google's Android, since Microsoft is adding in a special keyboard accessory with tactile keys and a full version of Windows. However, it is still slated to compete with the iPad. That meansthat besides being slick, pretty, and hi-tech, it also needs to be in a similar price range.” Here are the hardware specifications of the two tablets: Surface for Windows RT OS: Windows RT Weight: 676 grams Depth: 9.3 mm Display: 10.6-inch ClearType HD Display Energized: 31.5 W-h Connectivity: microSD, USB 2.0, Micro HD Video, 2x2 MIMO antennae Productive: Office ‘15’ Apps, Touch Cover, Type Cover Practical: VaporMg Case and StandConfigurable: 32 GB, 64 GB Surface for Windows 8 Pro OS: Windows 8 Pro Weight: 903 grams Depth:13.5 mm Display: 10.6-inch ClearType Full HD Display Energized: 42 W-h Connected: microSDXC, USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort Video, 2x2 MIMO antennae Productive: Touch Cover,Type Cover, Pen with Palm Block Practical: VaporMg Case and StandConfigurable: 64 GB, 128 GB Do share your thoughts on the possible pricing ofthe Surface in the comments below.

Huawei MediaPad 10 FHD – Promo Video

Announced earlier this year at MDWC 2012, the Huawei MediaPad 10 FHD tablet is expected to hit the shelves next month, but before that to happen, the MediaPad 10 got its first promo video. Check the promo video.