Acer will launch a $99 Android tablet and lower-priced Windows 8 slates in 2013

Acer will launch a $99 Android tablet and lower-priced Windows 8 slates in 2013

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Acer will launch a $99 Android tablet in 2013. The sub-$100 slate will go head to head with the numerous low-cost Chinese tablets which are offered in developing countries under a plethora of different brands.

The budget-friendly Acer Iconia Tab B1 will sport a dual-core 1.2GHz CPU (likely a Mediatek unit), a 7″ display with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels, and 512MB of RAM. Built-in memory is reported at 8GB with a microSD card slot available as well. The OS on tap will be Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. The above press image of the upcoming tablet has been confirmed as the real deal by the WSJ sources.

Curiously, ASUS has told the WSJ that it will not be threading into the sub-$100 tablet category, which is in line with recent rumors. The manufacturer is apparently satisfied with the Nexus 7 success and doesn’t feel the need to enter significantly lower price points.

Acer will also introduce lower-priced Windows 8 tablets next year. The tech giant has conceded that its current Windows 8 tablet lineup is a tad pricey.

Source 1 | Source 2 (in Serbian) | Via

Gametel's portable Bluetooth games controller to support iOS devices by CES 2012

Gametel's portable Bluetooth games controller to support iOS devices by CES 2012

We had some fun testing Gametel’s Portable Games Controller last month and were impressed with its performance, offering Android devices far better gaming prospects than with touchscreen only controls (Xperia PLAY aside).

Now, in the lead up to CES, makers Fructel have revealed that the hardware gaming goodness is no longer exclusive to phones that favor Google, with iOS getting in on the action in the coming days.

This means iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches running iOS 4.0 and up will be good to go, out of the box and with their App Store app waiting in the wings alongside the number of games already available and more importantly, compatible with the Gametel, it could be a match made in heaven for iOS gamers everywhere.

In the meantime, check back at our review to see what the experience is all about and if you’re heading to CES, you will have the chance to try the Gametel out for yourself.

Here’s the full press release:

Gametel announces support for Apple iOS devices

Wireless gaming peripheral now compatible with iPhone and iPad

CES Unveiled, Las Vegas, 8th January 2012. Fructel, a gaming peripheral company, announces the Gametel now supports iOS devices. Previously only compatible with Android smartphone and tablets, the Bluetooth controller now transforms your iPhone and iPad into portable games console, delivering a level of gameplay accuracy and immersion never experienced on Apple devices.

Compatible with Apple iPhone running iOS 4.0 or later and Apple iPad running iOS 3.2 or later, Gametel supports hundreds of arcade titles from the iCADE suite, including classics like Missile Commander, Asteroids, Centipede, Pong, Super Breakout, Lunar Lander and Warlords.

Alongside these retro titles, other selected iOS games, such as No Gravity, Silverfish, Super Crossfire HD and Terra Noctis, are also available to download from Apple��s iTunes App Store.

Bo Nyman, CEO of Fructel says: ��Gametel has proved popular among Android users but we��re pleased to bring support for the Apple iPhone and iPad. Now users can experience even more immersive gameplay using the Gametel��s console-style controls �C freeing the touchscreen from fingers.��

Gametel connects to the device via Bluetooth while a built-in adjustable spring-loaded clamp allows secure docking of any Android handset and iPhone. Once paired the Gametel automatically connects to the device every time it is powered on.

With a familiar controller design, Gametel��s D-pad, quartet of buttons and two shoulder triggers replicate console-style gaming controls; an impressive nine hour battery life provides more than enough playing time for long journeys and weekly commutes.

Please visit www.gametel.co.uk for further information.

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iPhone owners spend more time on their phone than Android users

iPhone owners spend more time on their phone than Android users, talk as much as they text

Experian Marketing Services has studied how Americans use their smartphones and has uncovered some curious differences between Android and iOS. On average, a smartphone owner would use their phone for 58 minutes each day.

This is where the first difference between the two platforms comes in – iPhone users spend an hour and 15 minutes on their phone on average, while Android users spend less than 50 minutes.

There are differences in how phones are used too – iPhone owners text as much as they call, while Android users spend about twice as long in voice calls than texting, voice calls account for nearly a third of the time an Android phone is used each day.

iOS users snap more photos and spend more time on social networks than Android users, who browse the web more.

There are some fairly neglected features of smartphones – only 2.3% of users watch videos (those who do, spend 5 minutes on average doing that) and GPS accounts for only 2% of a smartphone’s daily use. Reading is an even less common activity, scoring only 0.5% (not a big surprise, considering how small smartphone screens are and how cheap eReaders are).

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Tablets shipments are predicted to overtake notebook shipments this year

Tablets shipments are predicted to overtake notebook shipments this year

Tablets killed the netbook star, but are notebooks next? According to analysts at NPD DisplaySearch, tablets shipments will overtake laptop shipments this year and will start building a gap to push them out in the following years.

What’s more interesting is that according to NPD‘s projections, the most popular screen size by the year 2017 will be 7.9″ and not the currently popular 7″ or 9.7″/10.1″.

This year, an estimated 207 million notebooks will be shipped, but tablets will grow 64% year-on-year and will reach 240 million sales. The second half of 2013 might see laptops reversing their decline a bit thanks to new processors that will bring the laptop experience closer to that of a tablet (the instant-on, always connected nature of tablets has so far eluded notebooks).

Right now, Apple’s iPad and its 9.7″ screen dominate the market, though it lost some ground last year and will be overtaken by tablets with a smaller screen this year. Curiously, the cheap 7″ tablets that have flooded the market will lose ground too – the analysts are predicting that the 7.9″ screen size will experience an explosive growth and become the dominant screen size for the years to come.

It’s no coincidence that the Apple iPad mini is just about the only tablet with a 7.9″ screen. The 11.6″ tablets are expected to grow too (we’ve seen it mostly on Windows 8 based tablets) and the mostly forgotten 8.9″ screen size (used in several Android tablets).

Keep in mind that such predictions can’t be trusted too much – with the price of 7″ tablets falling practically every day, seeing them lose ground seems unlikely.

Source | Via