Asus Eee PC 1015PN updated for CeBIT re-launch

An updated version of Asus’ Eee PC 1015PN netbook has been spotted, featuring an even faster processor than before.

The 1015PN was launched last year and sported a dual core 1.5 GHz Intel Atom N550 processor; this has now been bumped up to the new Atom N570 processor.

The Atom N570 is still a dual core chip and has been clocked at 1.66 GHz, a marked improvement on the 1.5GHz of its predecessor.

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Tablet market will top $35bn by 2012, say analysts

Market analysts, JP Morgan have predicted that the tablet market will be worth $35.2bn by the end of 2012.

As if there wasn’t enough speculation into the demise of the netbook already, the research also identified netbook and notebook PC devices as the major fall guys of the tablet’s continuing success story.

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TazTag ready new NFC-enabled tablet for a possible unveiling at CeBIT

French firm, TazTag are rumoured to be planning an unveiling of their new tablet at the CeBIT event that begins tomorrow in Hannover.

The device – known as the TazPad – will support near field communication (NFC) technology; a new innovation in connective technology, that experts expect to replace card transactions for low value purchases.

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Asus Eee Pad gets a UK release date

Asus have announced UK launch dates for a raft of new tablets, including the Eee Slider and Eee Memo.

The announcement, made ahead of the CeBIT event in Hannover, revealed that the 12.1-inch Eee Slate would be first to drop, landing in the UK in early April. The 10.1-inch Slider and Transformer tablets will follow close behind in mid April.

So it will be left to the dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon packing, 7-inch Eee Memo tab to bring up the rear when it arrives in the third quarter of 2011.

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Sony jump on the Fusion bandwagon with new Vaio YB laptop

Sony have released their new Vaio YB laptop in the US.

The Vaio YB sees Sony become the latest tech company to embrace the possibilities of AMD’s Fusion range of processors; and it is the Zacate processor in particular which can be found under the device’s hood.

AMD’s Fusion initiative sought to conserve power consumption and space by combining a standard dual-core chip with a graphics processor, all in one tiny piece of silicon.

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Intel chips come out on top in Q4 slump

Chip giant, Intel emerged from a slump in processor sales in the fourth quarter of 2010 with the edge on their competition.

While computer chip shipments experienced a 0.4% decrease on the previous quarter, Intel’s shipments actually increased in Q4, earning the company an 80.7% market share.

The figures, released by analysts, IDC, showed that full year shipments of computer chips had increased by 17.1% on 2009, with chip companies receiving a collective revenue of $36.3bn for the year.

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OpenSuse 11.4 to rollout in March

OpenSuse is preparing to rollout version 11.4 of its Linux based operating system in March of this year.

As well as being ported for larger PC units, v11.4 of OpenSuse will include Smeegol, a derivative of Intel’s MeeGo OS, aimed at mobile devices.

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Toshiba plan new Android tablet

Toshiba have announced plans to release a new tablet onto the market, supporting Google’s Android Honeycomb OS.

The as yet unnamed, 10.1 inch tablet will feature Toshiba’s Adaptive Display technology, which reacts to lighting conditions and adjusts settings such as brightness and contrast accordingly.

The next-gen device will be powered by a dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, allowing the slate to produce hi-definition, 1280 x 800 pixel resolution.

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RIM’s PlayBook tablet rumoured to support Android apps

BlackBerry makers, RIM are rumoured to be entering into a partnership with Google to produce apps for RIM’s upcoming PlayBook tablet.

The slightly bizarre move could turn out to be a masterstroke on the part of the Canadian firm, whose App World app market has been criticised for not offering users enough choice.

To understand these criticisms it is worth noting that, while RIM is currently offering over 20,000 apps to its customers, Google’s Android Market now offers their customers over 200,000. A merger would certainly prove attractive to prospective PlayBook consumers.

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Splashtop Operating system now available for all Windows based PCs

Californian software company, Splashtop have announced a wide release for their operating system, Splashtop OS. The platform should theoretically run on any Windows based PC.

Previously compatible with just a few Windows notebooks and netbooks, the OS is now considered stable enough for a Windows-PC-wide release, placing it in direct competition with Google’s lauded Chrome OS.

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