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).

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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.

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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.

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Firefox with Bing

All throughout history, we humans have been bombarded with seemingly unlikely collaborations that apparently have the ability to stand the test of time. We have Batman and Robin, Tom and Jerry, Ludacris and Justin Bieber. On the Web, something similar is currently happening with Microsoft and Mozilla. The products involved? Firefox and Bing.

In a post published today on the Bing community blog, Bing's Tor Steiner made the official announcement of Firefox with Bing, a special flavor of the Mozilla Firefox Web browser that comes with Microsoft Bing as the default search engine both on the search bar and on the AwesomeBar. You can either download an official release version of Firefox with Bing through firefoxwithbing.com or just run the Firefox with Bing add-on if you want to use an existing Firefox installation.

Using Firefox with Bing will also set Bing as your default home page. No doubt Bing enthusiasts will be thrilled.

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ARM set to challenge Intel's dominance in server market in tie-up with HP

Already giving Intel a run for its money in the booming smartphone and tablet PC markets of today, ARM is set to get in a position to go toe-to-toe with Intel in the server market as well. This could happen with the help of HP, which reportedly plans on selling ARM-based servers instead of going with the traditional Intel route. Calxeda, Inc., a company that's partly owned by ARM, is said to be currently working on the chips with HP. Perhaps HP sees an opportunity to lower power costs by using low power ARM-based solutions, typically found in high-end smartphones and tablet devices these days. Currently, Intel commands about 90% of the worldwide server market. But if ARM can have its way, things may be in for a change.

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BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 launch delayed

If you've been waiting for the official release of the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 software update, prepare to keep waiting a little more. By "keep waiting" I mean suffer as you see Android tablet and iPad users happily enjoying their own official software updates, and by "a little" I mean up to four months or more, since RIM isn't promising a release date for the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 software update that's earlier than February 2012.

The cause of the delay? According to a blog post on Inside BlackBerry, the official BlackBerry blog, RIM's just not ready. The software apparently has not yet met the expectations of developers, enterprise customers, and end-users (not unlike yourself and yours truly). So RIM has decided that it's going to take its time to make sure that the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 software is just right.

But even after making its customers wait four months for this upcoming tablet software update, RIM still won't include the BBM application; it will instead be included in a later release. With that said, the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 software update will add other niceties such as advanced integrated e-mail, calendar and contact apps, a new video store, and better integration between the BlackBerry PlayBook and BlackBerry smartphones.

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Nokia N9 white variant and software update coming in Q4 2011

Although it looks like Nokia is now going to shift its weight to fully develop and promote Windows Phone Mango devices such as the recently announced Nokia Lumia 800, owners of older devices like the Nokia N9 aren't going to be left hanging on to dead weights from here on in. In fact, Nokia plans to roll out a software update for the Nokia N9 before the year ends. The upcoming software update includes usability improvements such as the addition of music control keys on the lock screen, NFC tag reading, and a simple way of closing apps by swiping down on them. And that's not all that you can look forward to regarding the Nokia N9.

Also coming in this quarter is a glossy white-colored Nokia N9, something that a lot of people have most certainly been pining for. The white color option took a while to become available because as Nokia N9 product marketing head Frank Zillikens explains, "The manufacturing process for beautiful white products is quite complex and we wanted to make sure we deliver the best possible quality for our consumers."

The Nokia N9 will be available in a white color option for those who wish to purchase the 64GB version. This brings the available color options to a total of four, with white joining black, magenta, and cyan. This is great news and all, but would anyone still consider buying the N9 with the Lumia 800 on its way? 

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Nokia Lumia 800 hands-on preview and live pictures roundup

You can place your pre-order now and wait all of one to four weeks for your brand new Nokia Lumia 800 to arrive just to see how well (or poorly) it actually performs, or you can use the links I've collected and lined up below to find out what some of the biggest names in the blogosphere think about it after having used it today. The consensus seems to be that the changes made to the Nokia N9 that are present in the Lumia 800 are mostly welcome ones, although some people are bound to see some of these as "downgrades" (i.e. the lack of a front-facing camera, the screen going down in size from 3.9- to 3.7-inches, etc.). Feel free to draw your own conclusion by reading any one of the articles below.

With New Smartphones, High Hopes for Nokia and Microsoft (via NYT)
Nokia's first Windows Phones: What's there, what's not (via All About Microsoft)
Nokia Lumia 800 pictures and hands-on (via Pocket-Lint)
Nokia Lumia 800 pictures, video, and hands-on preview (via ThisIsMyNext)
Nokia Lumia 800 hands-on (video) (via Engadget)

Nokia World 2011 news roundup: Announcement of Lumia 710 and Lumia 800 Mango smartphones, S40 Asha Range, Monster Purity HD Stereo headphones, and more

October 25 just might go down in history as the day that Nokia took the power back from Apple, Google, and all Android device makers in the worldwide smartphone arena. This year's Nokia World expo in London saw the introduction of not one, but two Windows Phone Mango powered smartphones from Nokia. These are the Nokia Lumia 710 and the Nokia Lumia 800. Meanwhile, Nokia also took the time to launch a total of four new Series 40-powered feature phones, an entire range of new handsets, and these are the Nokia Asha 200, Nokia Asha 201, Nokia Asha 300, and Nokia Asha 303. Also announced were two new headphones from Monster as part of a new Purity HD Stereo headphone line.

So now that the proverbial cat is out of the bag, what's next for Nokia? Since virtually none of the products that were just announced are going to make it market until next month at least, you and I are going to have to wait for a bit to see what happens next. I've seen Windows Phone Mango in action, and I know it's a platform that holds a lot of promise. I think Series 40 has evolved in the right direction, so it deserves to be kept alive in more Nokia feature phones in the future. As far as tech specs go, the new Nokia devices announced today could have been better. But slightly tweaking the N9 to have a smaller screen, better processor, and switching to Windows Phone Mango instead of MeeGo... this might actually be the right move after all.

Anyway, it's really too early to say for sure whether or not Nokia will succeed with its new strategy. I side with what Neil Mawston (an analyst at Strategy Analytics in Milton Keynes, England) said in a recent interview with the New York Times: “One thing I have learned in this business is to never say never.” (Funny guy, he just said 'never' twice.)

Nokia debuts new S40 line: Asha 200, Asha 201, Asha 300, and Asha 303 officially launched

With the launch of the high-end Lumia 800 and the slightly more affordable Lumia 710 Windows Phone Mango smartphones at its most recent trade show in London, it's evident that Nokia has been trying to make major strides to compete with Apple's iPhone and the many Google Android-powered devices that flood the market today. But what about Nokia's bread-and-butter, the mass market category of cellphones that made the Finnish giant a household name? Doesn't Nokia have anything to offer for the people? Why, yes, of course it does. Nokia took the opportunity it had today to launch a total of four new Series 40 feature phones, each with a special feature going on in order to entice consumers to put them into their pockets.

All four of the new Series 40 feature phones announced at the Nokia World expo today belong to a new line of phones: the Nokia Asha range. These are the Nokia Asha 200, Nokia Asha 201, Nokia Asha 300, and Nokia Asha 303. These not-quite-high-end but far-from-basic handsets from Nokia are intended for the everyman. Read on for a detailed run-down of what makes each of them so special.

Nokia launches on-ear and in-ear HD Purity Stereo headsets by Monster

To go along with the two new Windows Phone Mango smartphones (Lumia 800 and Lumia 710) that were launched at the Nokia World Expo in London today, Nokia has launched two new headsets in cooperation with Monster, the company famous for making the ubiquitous Beats headphones.

The first one is an on-ear model called the Purity HD Stereo Headset by Monster, while the second one is an in-ear model called the Purity Stereo Headset by Monster. The difference is in the presence of the 'HD' in the name of that first on-ear model, and of course, the form factors of the two.

Tech specs weren't specified in the official Nokia press release, but you can bet on one thing for sure: these are going to be pretty expensive once they finally hit the market some time before the year ends or in early 2012. Read on for a photo of the in-ear Purity Stereo Headset (highlighting the inline volume/remote control).

Nokia announces Lumia 710 with Windows Phone Mango

Nokia may have just announced its first serious competitor to the Apple iPhone and many current high-end Android devices available in the market today in the form of the Nokia Lumia 800, but it's not about to leave the rest of us gadget-hungry consumers behind. In true Nokia fashion, the recently concluded Nokia World Expo in London also saw the launch of the Nokia Lumia 710, sort of a Nokia Lumia 800 for the rest of us. It features the same Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC (1.4GHz processor, Adreno 205 GPU, etc.) and even the same 3.7-inch 800x480 curved ClearBlack touchscreen display. It also has a very minimalist design, much like most of what's been coming out of Finland recently.

What's interesting about the Nokia Lumia 710 is that it's going to be available for only €270 or $375 USD (about 16,000 Pesos). It's scheduled to become available around the same places and at the same time as the Nokia Lumia 800, which means it probably won't be in the Philippines until early 2012. But don't fret, 2012 is only a couple of months away now, and once these new Lumia smartphones from Nokia become available in Taiwan and Singapore before the year ends, it shouldn't be hard to get a unit or two imported over the usual channels. That is of course if you feel that these handsets are actually worth waiting for.

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Nokia Lumia 800, the 'first real Windows Phone' now official

Nokia has just finished officially unveiling one of its most leaked handsets in recent memory at the recently concluded Nokia World Expo in London, England. Pictured above, the Nokia Lumia 800 is referred to by Nokia as the world's first real Windows Phone. Now I know what you're thinking, it looks like a bar of soap. Well, perhaps it does, but this bar of soap just might be the kind of thing that Nokia needs to rub down its long streak of bad luck in the smartphone arena of today.

The Nokia Lumia 800 features a 1.4GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 SoC, the same chip that powers mobile heavyweights such as the HTC Desire HD, Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, and Acer Iconia Smart. It also comes with an Adreno 205 GPU as standard for its configuration as part of the Snapdragon family. The body of the Nokia Lumia 800 is made out of a thick piece of durable polycarbonate plastic, and its design is reminiscent of the Nokia N9. It's a bit on the chunky side at 12.1mm thick, but I wouldn't hesitate to pick this baby up even if it were truly a bar of soap (if you know what I mean).

Up front, there appears to be nothing but the curved 3.7-inch 800x480 ClearBlack AMOLED touchsreen display (standard with most Windows Phones nowadays), and around the back, the only thing you'll find is an 8-megapixel snapper with Carl Zeiss optics. There will be only one version of the Nokia Lumia 800 for sale and it will offer 16GB of internal storage (plus 25GB of free SkyDrive storage from Microsoft).

If you head on over to Nokia's web site right now, you'll find a list of select countries where it's already available for pre-order. Come November, it will be officially available in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK under leading telecom operators and select retailers. Meanwhile, Hong Kong, India, Russia, Singapore, and Taiwan will see each see a local release of the Nokia Lumia 800 before the year ends. Availability in other countries (read: rest of world) is scheduled to follow in early 2012.

Impressive hardware as always. But will Windows Phone be enough to salvage what remains of the former champion of Symbian? If you're thinking of bagging one of these for Christmas, expect to pay €420 or about $585 USD (~25,000 Pesos) Read on for a few more photos and the official press release of the Nokia Lumia 800 smartphone.