These days, it seems like there is a new tablet for every day of the week! Continuing the CES trend, HTC released the details on its first seven-inch tablet, the Flyer, to the masses. While pricing and availability have yet to be announced (though it's been spotted on Amazon's UK site for 669 euros, which is around $900), you can get a closer look at some of the specs in this slideshow!
We got a good look at the Motorola Xoom at CES and got an even better idea of what it's capable of at the recent Android Honeycomb event at Google HQ (check out some video of the Xoom in action on our Facebook page). One thing that has remained a mystery? The price.
Earlier today at this year's MWC, Motorola finally outed the price points: $799 3G version (unsubsidized at Verizon, and upgradable to 4G), while a WiFi-only model will set you back $600.
I like what I've seen so far with the Xoom, but I hardly think that many will shell out $800 for a 3G model. Of course, I thought the same thing when the first iPad arrived, and people happily forked over similar amounts of cash for a 32 and 64GB 3G version. But does Android have the same buying power? You tell me — are you planning on picking up a Xoom tablet when it's released for sale?
Yesterday morning at this year's MWC, HTC unveiled two new phones, the ChaCha and the Salsa (no joke), which would pose as the manufacturer's first socially-focused devices. Known to us as "the Facebook phone," these devices will come with a dedicated Facebook button so you can quickly access your feed, post an update, check into Facebook Places, along with other features integrated into the HTC Sense system.
While we won't know the prices or availability dates on these phones for a while (they're set to come out in Asia and the UK in Q2 and appear in the US "later this year" on AT&T's network), I'm interested to see if you think you'd want — or even need — a Facebook-focused device. With fully-functioning Facebook apps already out there, you're pretty much covered on any OS right now. So what say you — do you love the Facebook phone or would you rather leave it?
It looks like at least one of the predicted tech trends for 2011 might be coming true. Today, during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer detailed updates to Windows Phone 7, parts of which users can expect to see next month.
Announced features include Internet Explorer 9 for faster browsing, multitasking, and built-in Twitter integration. But arguably the most exciting announcement is that the phones will connect with the Kinect, serving as a kind of controller for the device. Details are still sketchy, but based on the demonstration, the Kinect will be able to detect players using Windows phones and allow them to use the phones as controllers to enhance the game. The phone's screen will also display game play, adding another level of interactivity. No official date was announced for this functionality.
These updates, plus the recent announcement that Nokia would be ditching its own software in favor of Microsoft's mobile OS in its phones by the end of the year, could signal that 2011 is the year of the Windows Phone.
