Samsung promises 4G Android tablet later this year

Current generation Galaxy tablets 8.9-inch and 10.1-inch continue to remain absent from retail chains.

Following the success of its Galaxy S and Galaxy S II smartphones, Samsung is now eying an Android tablet supporting fourth generation network technology.

Samsung's mobile division president JK Shin has hinted that the tablet will be released later this year. 

"The race for 4G (fourth-generation) has already started," Shin said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

The next big thing in feature phones: Cloud

Users will benefit from the low cost of phones because they won't need to store apps on their phone and will be able to access apps from a cloud server.

We keep hearing about new smartphones, but it appears Samsung and Motorola are going to surprise us with a new concept — cloud based mobile phones.

These are cheaper phones that will run on software stored in a remote server, or cloud. Usually, the data accessed by smartphones resides on the phone itself, thus raising the cost of the device. Cloud phones, on the other hand, will have no need to carry data with them. Rather, users can just pluck data from the cloud and use it as per their convenience.

Global spotlight: Motorola Droid X2 & GoFlex Satellite

Motorola Droid X2 

The CDMA Droid X2 features a dual core 1Ghz Tegra 2 processor with 512MB RAM and runs Android 2.2. You get a huge 4.3-inch Gorilla Glass touchscreen display with a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels-higher than most smartphones. The phone has 8GB onboard storage expandable via microSD cards (32GB supported), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, FM Radio and also a micro HDMI video out port. Just 9.9mm thick, the X2 comes with an 8MP autofocus camera with image stabilization and dual LED flash that records videos in 720p HD resolution. The only unfortunate oversight is the lack of a front-facing camera for video calls. 

Acer Iconia — a tablet with a difference

The device has come with several new innovations, especially the use of second screen which can be used as virtual keyboard, that too in several languages.

In this world where new technology is being produced and discarded at a rapid pace, Acer has some time back come out with a tablet named as Iconia Tab A500, a product which really stands apart from the rest for many different things it allows the users to do.

The makers call this Android 3.0 based tablet a 'touchbook' simply because there is no keyboard in the device. It has a screen on the normal place with another one where the usual keyboard is placed in other devices. 

Mobile operating systems are influencing desktops

The dividing line between the mobile and desktop operating systems is getting finer, and the two worlds are expected to merge eventually.

The mobile operating systems have been derived from their desktop counterparts. That's the reason the email application on the smartphones look very much like the desktop version. 

But, as the mobile operating systems maturing, they are in turn influencing the appearance of their desktop peers. 

Take the Mac App Store for example, in which the apps run full screen and it supports multi touch gestures (with the help of Magic trackpad) too — these two properties essentially originated in smartphones and now have made their ways to Mac computers.

The other companies also intend these two worlds to merge eventually. 

The WebOS operating system of Hewlett Packard was designed for mobile use, but HP is now trying to bring it for desktops and notebooks. And then there always is our favourite Windows 8 smartphone operating system, which is now proposed for the tablets as well. 

Best mobile phone gift for Mother's Day

Mother's day is just round the corner and here are some Mobile phones that you can gift your mother, which she will like and find easy to use.

Mothers are truly special, and with Mother's day round the corner, it is best time to show our appreciation for what they have done for us. Here are some mobile phones that you can gift your mother, which she will like and find easy to use.

iBall Senior

Generally mothers are not very keen on tech, and like simple to use devices. The iBall Senior is precisely the phone that you can gift your mother who is technology shy. 

The phone sports large keypads, and simple call and SMS function without unnecessary clutter. Additionally, iBall Senior has large fonts, amber colour, enhanced sound and comes with feature of SOS button. Within 7 seconds of pressing the SOS button, the handset sends a siren to alert the surrounding people know that the person is in trouble and should be immediately attended to. It also sends SMS to five pre-defined numbers and starts dialling those numbers automatically one after another till one call is attended.

Due to large keypad, it is easy to dial a number and large fonts make it easy to see the numbers. The phone also comes with wireless FM to keep your dear Mom entertained and an easy to switch on Torch to help her in dark. 

The price of the phone is Rs 3,249, which isn't that costly considering its special purpose and design. 

If your mother is very aged and has trouble seeing or hearing you can go for a very similar phone Intex Vision which has the same design but slightly tweaked with Braille letters on the keypad.

Intex Vision is even priced cheaper at Rs 2,600.

NSN buys Motorola operation for $975m

Nokia Siemens Networks has acquired Motorola’s network equipment business for $975 million.
Rajeev Suri, CEO of NSN, said: “The people, customers and technology we’ve acquired greatly complement our existing business by taking us into new markets and broadening our market share.”
The deal was originally set to close before the end of 2010, before the split of Motorola into two operations. The sale was held up by objections from Motorola’s partner, Huawei Technologies. The partner was concerned that its business secrets would be transferred to NSN after the deal.
NSN will now be responsible for supporting customers of Motorola Solutions’ GSM, CDMA, WCDMA, WiMax and LTE products and services.
NSN will support Motorola’s 50 operators across 52 countries. Nearly 6,900 Motorola employees will be moved to NSN as part of the transaction.

Can ZTE become a Top 5 Smartphone Manufacturer by year end?

That sounds pretty optimistic to me. Being in competition with the likes of HTC, Motorola, Samsung, Sony, LG, and Erricson, I say they have a long hard road ahead of them. Either way, why not shoot for the stars right? They take on this challenge, by showing their first quarter sales being up 51% over this time last year. And i like their new term “smart terminals”. Which would seem to refer to all devices, be it a smartphone, or a tablet. Hit the source for more on the story.