IBLOG SPACE

Nokia has described 2011 and 2012 as “transition years”, with Symbian gradually phasing out and the company putting its weight behind Microsoft’s platform. According to Stephen Elop, “2012 will be the year when we ship a large number of Windows Phone devices over a variety of price points.” However, it’s not only smartphones that Nokia is planning to invest in. Asked how Nokia expects to cope with the ongoing impact of low-cost device manufacturers, Elop said that the company’s engineers are already looking at new chipset and other designs which will keep them competitive. ”There’s no reason that we believe we can’t believe with the Shenzhen ecosystem in a variety of ways” Elop suggested, “[We have the] ability to do much more in the mobile phone space, but it requires more investment.”

Vodafone has announced Webbox, an internet-enabled keyboard intended to turn a regular TV into an “internet portal”. Based around a 14 x 25 cm QWERTY ‘board with an RCA connection for the TV, the Vodafone Webbox packs the Opera Mini 5.1 browser together with support for SMS and email messaging, an FM radio, photo gallery and a music player. Connectivity is via an integrated GSM/EDGE modem (no 3G), though thanks to Opera’s compression technology – which can shrink pages by up to 90-percent – Vodafone still reckons that speeds should be palatable. The carrier will preload bookmarks suited to its entry-level audience, including online news, dictionary, social networks, some games and a rudimentary application service. While we can see many users being keen on the idea, Vodafone is targeting emerging markets with the Webbox, at least initially. South Africa will get the internet keyboard first, from next week, with broader availability in 2011. It will be priced at around €75, with a free

Designer, Edward Hale, recently shared some images of an LG concept phone called the Triptych that can morph into a tablet. This sounds familiar harking back to Sprint and Kyocera’s joint announcement of the Echo dual-touchscreen phone/tablet earlier this week. But those two sure could take a lesson from Hale’s design. The Triptych makes the Echo look very very sad. Luckily for them, LG is still busy pushing their first tablet the G-Slate . More images after the cut. The Triptych concept design shows a very slim-bodied phone featuring one phone screen and two additional screens that fold out from behind to form the tablet screen. Imagine how awesome it would be if they used AMOLED technology for this. It’s also interesting to think about what OS it would use since it can switch back and forth between phone and tablet. Perhaps it can dual booth phone and tablet operating systems.

Samsung might unveil the second generation of the Galaxy Tab at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Pocket-lint says they have exclusive information about the new tablet and that it will be running on a tablet-specific version of Android 3.0 Honeycomb. The tablet will have a 10.1-inch display, 8.0 megapixel camera, and dual-core Qualcomm processor. The tablet will be thinner and lighter than its predecessor and will feature a black coloring on the back instead of white. It’s believed that the Samsung Tab 2 will be physically smaller than the iPad but have a larger screen size. A swarm of tablets are about to land with Motorola’s Xoom, Dell Streak 7, and the expected announcement of Apple’s iPad 2. Be prepared. Which upcoming tablet do you think has the best chance of dethroning the iPad as the king of tablets?

Details of Samsung’s various MWC 2011 wares have leaked, ahead of the company’s big reveal tomorrow evening in Barcelona. First spotted in a low-res press shot, the Samsung Galaxy S 2 (aka Samsung Galaxy S II) was caught at Paran along with some specs, before a higher-res version of the image was dug up. Meanwhile, partial specs for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 have emerged, and we’ve thrown in some info of our own on the slate after the cut. According to the pre-announcement info, the Galaxy S 2 runs Gingerbread on a 1GHz dual-core processor, with a 4.3-inch display – presumably Samsung’s new Super AMOLED Plus panel – and HSPA+ connectivity. There’s also WiFi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0, and the whole thing is believed to be 116g and just 8.49mm thick. As for the Galaxy Tab 2, as we heard yesterday that has a 10.1-inch screen, 8-megapixel camera with Full HD video recording, and dual surround sound speakers. According to what we’ve heard, however, Samsung is using NVIDIA’s dual-core Tegr

Of all Microsoft’s launch partners for Windows Phone, HTC led the pack from the gate with the most devices. The HTC 7 Pro has taken the longest to arrive, frustratingly given it’s the model we were most interested in, pairing Windows Phone 7 with a solid physical keyboard and a handsomely purposeful design. Worth the wait? Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut. Hardware Thanks to Microsoft’s stringent hardware requirements, the HTC 7 Pro is pretty much par for the course when it comes to specifications. Up front is a 3.6-inch WVGA capacitive touchscreen, while inside is Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon processor paired with 576MB of RAM, 512MB of ROM and 8GB of user storage. Connectivity includes dualband HSPA/WCDMA (900/2100) and quadband GSM/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900), along with WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a 3.5mm headphone jack and microUSB port. There’s also GPS, an accelerometer, digital compass and both proximity and ambient light sensors, while the 1,500 mAh battery is

As expected, Samsung has officially announced the Samsung Galaxy S II, the replacement to the much-loved Galaxy S . Based around a 4.27-inch WVGA Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen, the Galaxy S II runs a 1GHz Samsung dual-core processor in a chassis that’s just 8.49mm at its thinnest point. There’s also an 8-megapixel camera with autofocus and Full HD video recording, NFC support as on the Nexus S , and Android 2.4 Honeycomb with the latest iteration of Samsung’s TouchWiz UI on top. Up front is a 2-megapixel camera for video calls. Connectivity includes HSPA+ together with WiFi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0+HS. Pricing is yet to be confirmed, though the Galaxy S II is expected to drop in Q2 2011. We’ve heard separately that Vodafone will definitely be ranging the smartphone, and we’d guess it will quickly be picked up by most other carriers.

Sony Ericsson has officially launched the XPERIA Play, its PlayStation gaming phone, at MWC 2011 . As we’ve already seen well previewed, the XPERIA Play has a slide-out gaming keypad behind a 4-inch 854 x 480 capacitive touchscreen, and will come loaded with Sony Ericsson’s own gaming download store. Sony Ericsson has also confirmed that the XPERIA Play will be coming to Verizon as the first US carrier, sometime this spring. Power is courtesy of Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon QSD8255 CPU, paired with 512MB of RAM, 512MB of ROM, Adreno 205 graphics and a microSD card slot. There’s also Bluetooth, WiFi, and a battery good for up to 5hrs 35mins of battery life. Fifty games titles will be released at launch, from a total of 20 publishers, and Sony Ericsson is promising that titles already available on other Android phones may have extra content on the XPERIA Play. It’ll launch first in March 2011, and we’ve heard Vodafone UK has already committed to carry the smartphone. No word on pricing at

Sony Ericsson has officially announced the Neo, its photo-centric Android Gingerbread smartphone, at MWC 2011 today. Effectively an Android update to the Sony Ericsson Vivaz, with that handset’s focus on digital photography, the Neo has an 8-megapixel camera, HDMI connector, and screen technology borrowed from Sony’s BRAVIA line. Like the XPERIA Arc, there’s EXMOR R display technology, and Sony Ericsson have integrated the Neo with Sony’s remote control systems so that you’ll be able to navigate the phone’s menu and galleries while it’s connected via HDMI. A front-facing 2-megapixel camera rounds out the main specs. The Sony Ericsson Neo will launch in dark blue We’ve also been told that Vodafone will be exclusively offering the Neo in red. No word on pricing at this stage.

Sony Ericsson’s surprise smartphone for MWC 2011 was the XPERIA Pro, a business-centric handset running Android and packing a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Like the XPERIA Neo there’s a 3.7-inch 854 x 480 capacitive touchscreen, only the Pro adds a full QWERTY keyboard that uses Smart Keyboard software to automatically load up predictive messaging depending on the app you’re in when you pop the ‘board out. There’s also HDMI, WiFi, Bluetooth and the Sony Mobile BRAVIA engine for the display, an FM radio and GPS. Powering it all is a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 processor while cellular connectivity is dual or triband UMTS and quadcore GSM. The camera is a 8-megapixel unit on the back and a 2-megapixel on the front. The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Pro will launch in selected markets from the end of Q2 2011. Like the XPERIA Neo there will be three colors: red, black and silver.

Intel may have been in the dark about Nokia’s re-evaluated plans for MeeGo , but that hasn’t stopped them planning some noise about the open-source OS in Barcelona this week. A snapshot from the MeetMeego Twitter account shows an MWC 2011 banner with a hitherto-unseen smartphone and tablet along with the suggestion that it’s “a little teaser what [sic] awaits you tomorrow” at the show. It’s not entirely confirmed if these are just mockup images or actual hardware that will launch or at least demo the newest versions of the MeeGo smartphone and tablet builds. Still, Intel will need to do some convincing to get more companies onboard if they want to rescue MeeGo from mere lab duty.

Researchers at the University of Groningen, in the Netherlands, have developed the world’s largest, curved multi-touch screen. The screen, measuring 33 feet wide, incorporates 6 cameras and 16 infra red emitters to handle over 100 simultaneous touch points. But here’s the coolest part … it was created with nothing but off the shelf technologies. The screen is powered by 3 computers which translate the digital information picked up by the cameras and IR emitters and provides for a total on screen resolution of 4900 x 1700 pixels. And all the parts were purchased off the shelf and incorporated with no proprietary or new technologies. The only thing created was the software written take take advantage of off the shelf technology.

LG has officially announced the LG Optimus Pad, in effect the T-Mobile G-Slate for the non-US audience. Based on the same 8.9-inch 1280 x 768 display and dual-core 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, the Optimus Pad has a 3D camera array on the rear for recording 3D video, which can then be played back on 3D HDTVs via HDMI or uploaded to YouTube 3D. There’s also 3G, WiFi and Bluetooth, along with GPS. The Optimus Pad runs Android 3.0 Honeycomb, Google’s tablet-centric build of the open-source OS, and LG has wisely left alone and not modified the UI or software. We’ll be grabbing hands-on as soon as we can, and putting the Optimus Pad through its paces to see how it holds up against the Motorola XOOM and the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 . LG says the Optimus Pad will launch in select markets from March 2011, pricing tba.

RIM announced the PlayBook tablet a while back and modest production of the tablet started late in January. RIM is at MWC 2011 in Spain and has announced fans of RIM and the PlayBook will like. The announcement is that two more versions of the PlayBook supporting 4G connectivity are coming to market. The new models will be for LTE and HSPA+ networks and will land in H2 2011. The announcement of the two additional models brings the model total to four. We now have the BlackBerry PlayBook with Wi-Fi, BlackBerry 4G PlayBook with Wi-Fi + WiMax, BlackBerry 4G PlayBook with Wi-Fi + LTE, and the BlackBerry 4G PlayBook with Wi-Fi + HSPA+. “The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is already being widely recognized for its superior performance, rich web experience, enterprise readiness and deep support for web standards and open development tools. We are now building on the BlackBerry PlayBook’s many advantages with support for additional 4G networks that will allow enhanced business opportunities for c

MWC 2011 is underway and Motorola has made its first announcement of the show with the unveiling of the Motorola Pro smartphone. The smartphone will head to Europe to start with and there is no word on US availability at this time. The smartphone runs Android 2.2 and has lots of features for the business user and for the consumer. The device runs Android 2.2 and has a 1GHz processor with 2GB of integrated storage. The smartphone storage capacity can be increased with SD cards up to 32GB and the data on that SD card can be encrypted and remotely wiped if needed. The phone also comes pre-loaded with QuickOffice and supports email and more. The screen on the Pro is 3.1-inch and it supports multi-touch. The Pro also has a QWERTY keyboard in portrait mode for faster typing of emails and more. The Pro will support IPSec VPN networks with AuthenTec security integrated. A desktop dock station will be optional. Pricing and exact availability are unknown at this time.

Nokia has been in talks with Verizon Wireless in the US, CEO Stephen Elop has confirmed to us, and while the Finnish company has no plans to announce today, the possibility of CDMA devices is still on the table. Speaking in an interview with SlashGear at MWC 2011 today, Elop denied the long-standing belief that Nokia’s relationships with the North American carriers were poor. “We don’t have bad relationships with carriers, we spoke throughout this process with them” he told us. “We have an obligation to put competitive products into the marketplace – we had a Symbian device which co-operatively we had worked with the AT&T folks” he suggested, likely referring to the leaked Nokia X7 , “[AT&T] didn’t think it was competitive, relative to iPhone and Android; the indication from them was “you’re not going to get a lot of love, sorry” so we faced the decision, do we throw money at this or do we rethink?” In the end, Nokia axed its plans but is “considering everything” moving forwar

We have been excited about the hardware inside the Xoom tablet from Motorola and the fact that it will be one of the first Android 3.0 tablets to hit the market. We are far from excited about the prices that have turned up with the Xoom showing an $800 MSRP at Best Buy . Europeans wanting to get their hands on the Xoom will be able to do so before you know it. Motorola has announced at MWC 2011 that the Xoom will be landing in Europe in Q2 2011. That is right around the corner and as of now the specific launch date isn’t offered. Official European pricing is also a mystery. Motorola will offer both the WiFi 3G models and the WiFi only version in Europe. If you missed the Xoom so far, the tablet runs Android 3.0 and has a 10.1-inch screen with HD 1280 x 800 resolution. The tablet has a 5MP rear facing camera that can record 720p HD video and a 2MP front facing camera for video chat. It has a number of integrated sensors and runs a 1GHz processor. The battery promises the hours of video

LG has officially announced the LG Optimus 3D , the company’s 3D-capable smartphone based on a Texas Instruments 1GHz dual-core OMAP4 processor and a 5-megapixel dual-lens camera for 3D video capture. The Optimus 3D has an autostereoscopic 3D glasses-free display measuring in at 4.3-inches and WVGA resolution. There’s also HDMI 1.4 connectivity, DLNA support, up to 1080p 2D video recording and a broad range of codec support including H.264, H.263, DivX, MKV, WMV-9, ASF, AVI, 3GP and MP4. LG has thrown in 8GB of storage and a memory card slot, and there’s a new 3D UI with five 3D-dedicated UIs for the gallery, camera, game & apps, YouTube 3D and a 3D guide to the handset. The LG Optimus 3D will arrive in Europe early in Q2. Unfortunately it will be released with Android 2.2 Froyo, with a Gingerbread update “in due course”.

Acer has unveiled one of the most interesting product I have ever seen from the company at MWC 2011. Acer is more a computer firm in my mind, but the new Iconia Smart Android smartphone that has just been unveiled is very cool. The most interesting feature about the smartphone is the giant screen it uses. Acer gave the device a 21:9 aspect ratio 4.8-inch LED backlit screen that has a resolution of 1024 x 480. The phone is very thin and has a slight curve to it. The screen is large enough to view web pages without having to scroll. The smartphone also has HDMI output, Bluetooth, Support for HSPDA 14.4 networks and WiFi. The rear camera is an 8MP unit with LED flash and the phone has a front camera as well with 2MP resolution for video calling. The OS used is Android 2.3 and the smartphone uses a 1GHz Snapdragon processor. It will launch on May 1 at an undisclosed price.

NVIDIA and Atmel have announced that they will be working together on some large format tablet computers that will be coming to market. The announcement was made at MWC 2011 today. Atmel will be offering a tablet computer reference design that has the NVIDIA Tegra 2 chip inside and also use the Atmel maXTouch mXT1386 solution. The hardware will allow for Atmel touchscreen tablets with screens up to 15-inches and can be scaled to smartphones and other internet devices. The reference design uses the Android OS and has the ability for high-quality gaming and more. The touchscreen chipset being used can support up to 16 touches at one time and has the industry’s fastest response times and more. “With device entrants from across the PC, mobile, and entertainment space, 2011 is shaping up as the year of the tablet,” said Rhoda Alexander, analyst at IHS iSuppli. “Processing speed and touch performance are key elements of successful design in this highly competitive market. Joint reference de

Netgear has announced a new femtocell at MWC 2011 in Spain today. The new Femtocell is the MF100H and it is a second-generation femtocell that supports 3G and Ethernet LAN. The device has been designed to complement the Netgear broadband gateway and router line up that is used by numerous Cable TV operators. The MF100H femtocell is interoperable with the Nokia Siemens networks mobile infrastructure that is being planned for completion soon. The Femtocell is delivering a traffic carrying capacity of 1000x greater than the 3G network of most small carriers. Netgear doesn’t say when the new MF100H femtocell will hit the market or what it will cost for end users when it finally lands. “Femtocells are just now getting to the other side of the technology chasm,” said Michael Clegg, vice president and general manager, Service Provider Business Unit, NETGEAR. “Today, these nascent devices appear in tiny deployments when measured against the billions of residences and businesses worldwide wher

When does a phone become a tablet? The Dell Streak 5 blurred the boundaries with its 5-inch WVGA display, and now the Acer Iconia Smart is doing its part to make categorisation complicated with its 4.8-inch, 21:9 aspect smartphone. Powered by Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon and Android Gingerbread, the Iconia Smart seems almost tailor-made for web addicts with long, narrow pockets. It’s a slender device – the 21:9 ratio helps that – but it’s not exactly thin. Still, Acer has used the space to pack in both an 8-megapixel camera on the front and a 2-megapixel camera on the back; there’s also HSDPA, WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR. Happily Flash Player 10.1 compatibility means video can make the most of that broad display; you could even stage a miniature Philips Cinema HDTV setup. In use, Gingerbread is snappy and the phone feels well made, if a little plasticky. It’s not all that light, either, and the long screen – while making sense for web – doesn’t really work for regular-widescreen vi

Sierra Wireless has announced a pair of new WiFi hotspots at MWC 2011 in Barcelona. The two new hotspots are the AirCard 753S and the 754S . Both of the devices are about the size of a deck of cards and are made to be lightweight for portability. The hotspots are easy to use and allow the user to connect in under a minute. Both have LCD screens on them to provide a look at battery life, network strength, and the device connected. They have audible alerts for status of the device and more. The difference between the two devices is that the 754S supports 4G LTE networks and the 753s is a 3G only device. The 753S is good for up to 42Mbps download and 5.76Mbps upload on DC-HSPA+ networks. The 754S is good for up to 100Mbps download and up to 50Mbps upload on LTE networks and will operate on 3G networks as well. Pricing and availability are unannounced.