Acer has announced the Iconia, a dual-screen laptop/tablet hybrid. Imagine a laptop, where the bottom panel that usually hosts a physical keyboard and touchpad is now replaced with another screen, where you could call up a virtual keyboard. Both screens will be capacitive touchscreen, which with the right applications, could make things really interesting. As far as specifications go, this device will be running Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) equipped with an Intel Core i5-480M, 560M or 580M CPU, up to 4GB of DDR3 memory, two 14-inch capacitive multitouch displays (1366×768 resolution), integrated Intel HD graphics (128MB RAM), VGA and HDMI outputs, inbuilt microphone and a S/PDIF interface. Harddrive options range from 320GB to 750GB depending on how much porn data you have. In addition, the Iconia will come with Acer’s CrystalEye webcam (1280×1024 resolution), connectivity through WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0+HS, integrated 3G broadband SIM reader, gigabit Ethernet, a four-cell battery and a total weight of 2.8kg (6.18 lbs).
Source: CrunchGear
Hot on the heels of yesterdays 
A new iPad clone tablet without a brand has emerged from the depths of China, managing to copy the iPad’s almost exact dimensions, being only a tiny bit thicker. Powered by an Atom Z510 1.1 GHz CPU, this tablet comes with 1GB RAM memory, 16GB of flash SSD storage and a 9.7-inch LCD screen with a 1024 x 768 resolution. The screen is said to come from LG, which is also the supplier of the iPad screen. The device’s li-ion battery is said to be rated at 3200 mAh, and this iPad clone weighs in at 640 grams (1.4 pounds). This Windows 7 tablet will measure in at 243 x 190 x 13.9 mm, and as far as connectivity goes, it will feature WiFi, a 30-pin interface for file transfers and a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack.
…and it’s official. ASUS has now released the official details of their Eee Note EA800 e-reader with support for note-taking. The Eee Note EA800 will come with a 8-inch anti-glare 768 x 1024 monochrome display and support handwritten notes with a Wacom digital stylus with 256 levels of pressure sensitivity that can be stored in a slot on the top of the device. As far as connectivity is concerned, there is support for WiFi, microUSB, a 3.5mm headphones and microSD cards. A 2-megapixel camera is included, which ASUS suggests could be used by students to snap photos and then directly annotate them directly on the Eee Note’s display. According to ASUS, battery life for the EA800 be around 10 hours of continuous use with WiFi turned on, or 14.5 hours without WiFi. The battery is rated at 3,700 mAh and the device also comes with an on-board memory of 4GB along with a mono speaker and an inbuilt microphone. As for file formats, the EA800 supports PDF, ePub, MP3, JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG, txt, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt and pptx files. Pricing is yet to be announced.
Apple’s PR machine has begun rolling! The long awaited and highly anticipated iOS 4.2 update is finally here, serving us a slew of updates to the iPad that iPhone and iPod touch users will already be used to, namely folders, multitasking and the brand new AirPrint feature, offering the ability to print files wirelessly to select printers that support this. Other minor features that iOS 4.2 brings to the iPad include the ability to rent TV episodes directly on the iPad, the ability to highlight words in Safari and enhanced enterprise security. According to Apple, the update will be available on iTunes at 10am PST today. iOS version 4.2 is compatible with all iOS devices except the original iPhone and 1G iPod touch. However, the iPhone 3G and the 2G iPod touch will only be offered a limited feature-set. For us European users, this update also brings the long awaited support for international keyboards on the iPad with all the umlauts and whatnot supported by the virtual keyboard
Windows 7 hasn’t really taken off as a viable OS for tablet computers, but LG aims to change this with it’s newly announced E-Note H1000B tablet running on Windows 7 Starter. The LG E-Note H1000B comes with a 10.1-inch 1366 x 768 pixel capacitive screen and a 1.6GHz Atom Z530 processor with 16GB of SSD storage and 1GB of memory. Powered by a 4-cell battery, this 14.5mm thin tablet weighs in at 850 grams, packing two USB 2.0 ports, a SD card reader, WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0. Over in Korea, this tablet will retail for a mighty expensive 961,000 won which is approximately €621 Euro or $850 USD. Do we smell a flop here?
Today’s news come straight from Twitter-town. It seems that Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has gone against the stream of world leaders using iPads and gotten himself a Samsung Galaxy Tab instead. Medvedev was recently in South Korea with his trade delegation to ramp up business between South Korea and Russia, so it’s not super surprising that he picked up a Galaxy Tab while he was there. However, he doesn’t seem to enjoy the Galaxy Tab’s GT-P1000 camera. According to a recent tweet made from his official Twitter account, the Samsung Galaxy Tab’s camera’s “quality isn’t great.” Hats off to Medvedev however, it’s great to see presidents becoming early adopters of tech. One step closer to world domination by geeks.
Having trouble with the ladies? Why not pick up a new Dell Inspiron Duo netbook tablet hybrid? That’s right, the Inspiron Duo can be used both as a netbook and a tablet. By pushing the screen backwards, spinning it, locking it into place, and then pushing the lid down, you’ll have transformed your netbook into a tablet! Dell will begin taking pre-orders soon and start shipping early December. As for pricing, the base model will start at $549 USD, and will pack a 10.1-inch, 1366×768-resolution, capacitive touchscreen, dual-core Intel Atom N550 processor, 2GB of RAM, a Broadcom Crystal HD accelerator, 250GB of storage, and Windows 7 Home Premium. The more demanding (and rich) will be able to configure it with better specs. The Dell Inspiron Duo will be available in the colors Marlin Blue as well as in Foggy Night (black) and Fastback (red). Video after the break!
BYD, the Chinese automaker where uber-investor Warren Buffet has a stake, is now announcing an upcoming tablet computer; the BYD Alice. The BYD Alice is said to run on NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 (Tegra 250 CPU) chipset with a 8.9-inch WSVGA capacitive touchscreen. BYD Alice will support up to 1GB of RAM and a microSD card slot (32GB max), WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 and a mini-HDMI port. This Android 2.2 Froyo tablet will also include support for microUSB, a headphone socket, a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video calls, an accelerometer, a digital compass, and finally a light sensor that adjusts display brightness. According to BYD, the Alice’s 2,200mAh battery will manage around 8 hours from a single charge, and there appears to be a kickstand on the back for comfortable movie watching. Unfortunately, BYD has no intention of releasing Alice to the market directly. Instead, they are looking for a partner to rebrand the device and sell it under their own name.
