Dell Latitude ST tablet PC launched

There's a new Windows 7 tablet PC on the block courtesy of Dell, and it's aimed right at the bunch of squares that most people like to call businessmen. The Dell Latitude ST tablet PC (pictured above) is hardly anything to get excited about. It packs a 1.5GHz Intel Atom Z670 processor, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 128GB SSD for storage and a 1366x768 pixel resolution 10.1-inch touchscreen display. Wi-Fi connectivity will be present as standard but that's about all you can rely on as far as wireless connectivity options go (it won't even have Bluetooth). Other features include a USB port, an HDMI port, an SD card slot and an 8-hour battery life (or so we're told).

The Dell Latitude ST tablet PC puts business first because it is intended for enterprise computing. And as such, it will come pre-loaded with all sorts of business-centric software. It will be fully compatible with Citrix and VMWare virtualization technology as well as remote management software that will connect it to any IT database. It will go on sale starting on November 1, for a price that will probably be below the $1,000 mark (based on currently available alternatives in the market).

[SOURCE]

Seagate GoFlex Satellite external hard drive launched in the Philippines

Fact: some of the most popular mobile devices being sold in the market nowadays simply have no way of interfacing with traditional USB-compatible external hard drives. Case in point: Apple's iPad, RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook, Samsung's Galaxy Tab, etc. That's a bummer considering the fact that internal storage on devices such as these usually cap off at halfway to the 100GB mark. The solution: Wi-Fi enabled external hard drives such as the Seagate GoFlex Satellite. So far, I think it's the only one of its kind in the market.

With a capacity of 500GB, a single Seagate GoFlex Satellite drive will enable you to carry up to 300 full-length high-definition movies wherever you go. Support for both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 is included, but the real highlight is on the fact that it can connect to compatible devices wirelessly via Wi-Fi with a range of up to 150ft. You can browse the contents of a Seagate GoFlex Satellite drive on devices like the iPad and any Android tablet with the use of a downloadable GoFlex Media app. One Seagate GoFlex Satellite Drive can accommodate to up to three different devices wirelessly at the same time (tablet, smartphone, laptop, you name it) and can last up to 5 hours on a single charge.

Seagate hosted a launch party for the Seagate GoFlex Sattelite earlier tonight at the SM City North EDSA Annex Cyberzone wherein the general public was invited to join in games and raffle draws. Having no idea that an official launch event was going to take place, I was unprepared and so I had to leave early. But I was assured by the lovely ladies who were accommodating the guests at the event that the Seagate GoFlex Satellite was now indeed officially available here in the Philippines, for a mere 10,000 Pesos ($233 USD) a pop. Who knew cutting off wires could be so expensive?

Nokia Kinetic device prototype with flexible screen demoed at Nokia World 2011

Although the world may still be a ways from seeing fully usable transparent screens on mobile devices, Nokia seems to be making good progress on flexible screen technology (an alternative that's just as interesting), as evidenced by a prototype device showcased at the recently concluded Nokia World 2011 expo in London. Pictured above is a so-called Nokia Kinetic device, a thin touchscreen-only contraption that you can operate simply by twisting and turning it on its sides. You can bend it back slightly to zoom in, bend forward to zoom out, squeeze a bit on the sides to navigate menus. It's like something that's straight out of the future. And the future is indeed the only place where it will be available for now because as Engadget points out, this device probably won't be starring in any Nokia trade shows until 2021. Can you think of anything that could make this device cooler? Catch a video of it in action after the break.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich software update: No to Google Nexus One, yes to Nexus S

Good news, everyone who owns a Google Nexus S! Google's Hugo Barra has just confirmed that an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich software update will be provided to owners of the Google Nexus S smartphone absolutely free of charge. Although Barra didn't specify a date, he did mention that it will be made available 'in the coming weeks' so stay tuned for that.

Meanwhile, owners of the Google Nexus One will unfortunately not be able to enjoy the same software update. The Nexus One, the world's first Google Android 'reference' phone, has been deemed too old to run Ice Cream Sandwich. So it will be stuck on Google Android 2.3 which is as far as the official updates roll for it.

To be fair, the Google Nexus One is nearly two years old. It just isn't on the same level, hardware-wise, as the majority of the phones that will be rocking Ice Cream Sandwich in the next couple of years. So perhaps Google's decision to exclude it from the list of devices that will be updated to Ice Cream Sandwich is for the best.

[SOURCE]

HP doing internal testing of Windows 8 on TouchPads

Can you imagine the HP TouchPad running anything other than WebOS? Currently, the world's top Android hackers are hard at work in fine tuning Android for the originally webOS-powered HP TouchPad. And there are some who have even managed to make Microsoft's Windows 7 run on it, which is pretty impressive. But right now, the folks at HP care about one operating system more than any other to put on the HP TouchPad. And that is none other than Microsoft's upcoming Metro style tablet-optimized Windows 8.

HP is reportedly doing some internal testing of Windows 8 on HP TouchPads as a way to possibly bring it back to market without the help of webOS. It seems a bit weird to me how HP will go out of its way to tweak a device for a certain operating system (that they then would have to pay for in the end, by the way) instead of using what it already owns since it made the initial investment to the tune of $1 billion USD (by buying Palm) recently. But I digress.

It is also reported that HP is looking at companies such as LG, Nikon, HTC, and Amazon as possible buyers of webOS. It really is such a promising mobile OS; here's hoping that whoever gets it from HP next won't let it go to waste.

[SOURCE]