BlackBerry PlayBook OS version 2.0 has been released to the public, according to a Research In Motion press release that was posted today. The new OS version introduces features meant to close the feature gap between it and competing tablets, and to address some of the criticisms voiced in reviews of the device (including ours).
First and foremost, PlayBook OS 2.0 introduces an email client to the platform, addressing a key issue with the platform as it was at release – the client supports a unified inbox, as well as integration with Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn messages. The calendar and contacts apps can also make use of information pulled from these social networks. The BlackBerry Bridge app has also been updated, and alongside generic promises that it makes things “quicker and easier,” it adds a feature that allows the keyboard on a BlackBerry phone to be used to control the PlayBook.
Other, smaller features include a Print To Go app, an updated touch keyboard with auto correct and predictive typing, an improved browser, and a new BlackBerry Video Store for US users. RIM also announced the availability of a program called BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, which will allow for management of BlackBerry phones and tablets in an enterprise environment. The version released today is a preview, with availability of the final version scheduled for late March.
The BlackBerry PlayBook had a starting price of 9.99 when it launched, but that has fallen by about half at many retailers. If you’re interested in trying some of these new features, getting into a PlayBook is considerably less expensive than it was even a few months ago.
Source: RIM
Intel 313 Series SSDs (also known as "Hawley Creek") were originally scheduled for Q4'11 release but obviously they were delayed. VR-Zone is now claiming that the release will take place alongside the Ivy Bridge processors and the 7-series chipsets. That could mean an April release, though there are also rumors of a delayed IVB launch. Either way, here's a quick rundown of the upcoming 313 SSDs.
The 313 Series is the successor of the 311 Series (or Larson Creek if you prefer codenames), which is a 20GB SLC NAND SSD meant for caching with Intel's Z68 chipset with Smart Response Technology (SRT). SRT will be even more useful with the Ivy Bridge platform because there will be widespread support among the 7-series chipsets: two of the three consumer desktop chipsets (Z77 and H77) will feature SRT, along with one of the business chipsets (Q77). We will also finally see mobile chipsets with support for SRT.
The major change with the 313 Series is that it will switch to 25nm SLC NAND and offer a 24GB model, but otherwise we are looking at a product very similar to 311 Series. The controller is Intel's own, but that's all we know for certain. Most likely the controller is the same as in 310, 311, and 320 Series, i.e. Intel PC29AS21BA0, because Intel's roadmap shows no plans for any other SATA 3Gb/s SSDs. It wouldn't make much sense to make a new SATA 3Gb/s controller just for one product, or to create a new SATA 3Gb/s controller in general at this point. Unfortunately we don't have any performance figures but given that the controller should be the same, the performance should be on par with 311 Series—the 24GB model should have slightly higher write speeds as it uses six NAND channels while the 20GB model uses only five.
| Comparison of Intel 311 Series and 313 Series | ||
| NAND | Intel 25nm SLC | Intel 34nm SLC |
| Capacities | 20GB, 24GB | 20GB |
| Interface | SATA 3Gb/s | SATA 3Gb/s |
| Controller | Intel PC29AS21BA0 (?) | Intel PC29AS21BA0 |
| Form Factors | 2.5", mSATA | 2.5", mSATA |
| Sequential Read | N/A | 200MB/s |
| Sequential Write | N/A | 105MB/s |
| Random Read | N/A | 37K IOPS |
| Random Write | N/A | 3.3K IOPS |
As for pricing, VR-Zone is claiming a suggested retail price of (20GB) and 9 (24GB). For comparison 20GB 311 Series had an MRSP of 0 and retails for ~0 now, so a ~ price drop sounds plausible. A few German retailers have already listed the 24GB model and it's selling for around €104 without tax, which translates to ~8, but Euro prices tend to run higher than USD. Moreover, one of the sellers is listing availability as 2-3 weeks so 313 Series may hit the retail channel sooner than April. However, some of the retailers are listing the SSDs as OEM models, which explains the early availability and possibly high pricing as well.
We don't get a lot of projectors for review, but ASUS sent us their P1 Portable LED Projector and so we wanted to do a short write up of the device. It's a small projector primarily intended for portability and business use–something that you could easily carry with you as you travel to meetings so that you know you'll have a viable projector for your presentation. Tipping the scales at less than a pound, there are many projectors where the lens alone is larger than the P1.
So how does the ASUS P1 fare in our short look? While we don't have the necessary equipment to test many aspects of the projector, for the intended purpose it delivers what ASUS has promised. Read on for our thoughts on the device.
Earlier today, we promised a reference review of the two Media Pad tablets that Huawei released last year. This is a look at the Huawei Media Pad, the anchor model of the pair.
Overview
One of the highlights of this compact tablet is that it has GSM voice communications operability built right into the mobile device. Along with that are the SMS and MMS features.
The screen resolution in the Media Pad closely rivals the high-selling Asus Transformer Prime TF700T with its 10-inch screen and 224 ppi specification.
The Media Pad has an aluminium back panel that lightens the carry load and slides the model in ahead of even the Kindle Fire, and it has a far greater array of features and capabilities to back up its
“better than”
…boast.
Specifications
MobilePhones.org.uk staff try our best to find accurate information on your behalf, but the information provided may not be current or accurate. Whenever possible, we mention if its based on rumours or unofficial information.
Dimensions: 190 x 124 x 10.5 mm / 390 g
Display: 7.0 inches / IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen / 1280 x 800 pixels at 216 ppi.
Operating System: Android 3.2 Honeycomb, upgradeable to Android 4.0 ICS.
Speed: 1.2 GHz / dual-core Snapdragon
Memory: 1 GB RAM / 5 GB internal, expandable with 32 GB microSD slot.
Battery: 4100 mAh / Talk: up to 6 hours / Standby: up to 200 hours.
Camera: Reaer: 5 MP / auto-focus / 2592 x 1944 pixels / Vdeo: 720p at 30 fps. / Front: 1.3 MP, video calling, recording at 720p at 30 fps.
Connectivity: 2G: GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 / 3G: HSDPA 900, 2100 – S7-301u AND HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 – S7-302u or HSDPA 900 / 2100 / AWS – S7-303u / Data: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot / HSDPA / HSUPA / EDGE / GRPS
Features: Voice communications! (It feels odd typing that in a tablet review!) Stereo speakers have SRS sound enhancement. MP3 / WAV / WMA / eAAC+ / FLAC audio player; MP3 / WAV / WMA / eAAC+ / FLAC video player. Video playback at 1080p. Google Search, Maps, Talk and Gmail. HDMI port. GPS with A-GPS support.
Additional comments: The dual-camera recording is a great feature!
Overall opinion: We can see why the Huawei Media Pad is a popular model! What do you think?
NVIDIA has just posted GeForce graphics driver 295.73, its latest WHQL-certified driver package for desktops and laptops running 32-bit and 64-bit flavors of Windows Vista and Windows 7. The drivers, NVIDIA's first non-beta driver package since last October, improve performance in a number of high-profile games, add a few new features, and fix a number of bugs.
NVIDIA's benchmarks for the new drivers showcase measureable improvements in performance for Skyrim for users of GTX 500-series cards (though some of these improvements may well trickle down to owners of older GPUs), as well as the addition of Ambient Occlusion support for that game, the Diablo III beta, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. NVIDIA also highlighted performance improvements for SLI users running the Mass Effect 3 demo.
The new driver also adds SLI and 3D Vision profiles for a number of games, updates the PhysX driver to 9.12.0209, fixes some graphical bugs in Battlefield 3, and enables WHQL support for NVIDIA Surround on Intel X79 motherboards certified for SLI. The drivers support all GeForce 6000-series and newer cards on desktops, and most GeForce 8000-series and newer chips and DirectX 10 and 11-capable Quadro chips on laptops. Links to the driver downloads and to the NVIDIA release notes have been posted below.
Source: NVIDIA
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