Nokia’s Windows RT Tablet to Have Surface-esque Unique Cover?

Microsoft’s first foray into hardware manufacturing, the Surface tablet, brought about a novel idea of a tablet with a cover that also doubles as a keyboard. It was the first of its kind, and deservedly received praise for the ingenuity of Microsoft’s engineers. While there has been some questions over its durability, there is no doubt that many manufacturers will be inspired by the design.

Enter Nokia. The Finnish company has toyed with the idea of a tablet long before it was mainstream, and in March the company’s head of design, Marko Ahtisaari stated that he spends a third of his time at work is used for working on the company’s upcoming tablet. Some days back, rumours began circulating that the company will be announcing a tablet running Windows RT in next year’s Mobile World Congress – and now, there appears to be more leaks for the device that’s making us quite excited to see it.

According to The Verge, Nokia is focusing on refining a special cover for the tablet that “envelopes it like a book”. While incorporating a keyboard and kickstand just like the Surface tablet, Nokia is also adding a secondary battery that kicks into gear once the main tablet’s battery is low. In addition, the cover will also have two USB ports for added connectivity.

As for the tablet itself, the ARM-based Nokia Windows RT tablet will sport a 10.1-inch screen with HDMI and USB ports, as well as cellular connectivity from the get go. Also, the built-in battery for the tablet is slated for 10 hours of use, and will have a fast charge feature capable of charging the battery to 50% “in a short period of time”.

ZTE Launches Nubia Z5; It’s Possibly the Best 5 Inch Smartphone Right Now

As was previously reported earlier this month, ZTE’s flagship Nubia Z5 has been launched in China late last night with specs that rival most Android flagships currently in the market. Boasting similar specs as the other 5-inch Full HD smartphones in the market such as HTC’s Butterfly or the Oppo Find 5, ZTE manages to add more features that puts the Nubia Z5 one step above the competition.

To recap, the Nubia Z5 has a 5-inch Full HD screen, and is powered by the same 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor that is found in the HTC Butterfly and Oppo Find 5. There’s also 2GB of RAM, a large 2300mAh battery as well as 32GB of internal flash storage encased in a super slim 7.6mm aluminium body. In addition, ZTE also fitted the Nubia Z5 with a f2.2 13MP camera whose optics are made by Konica Minolta, and a 2MP front-facing one. Also, the Nubiz Z5 doesn’t just have Dolby Digital Plus audio enhancements – users can also choose to use enhancements by Yamaha as well.

Not only that, but ZTE has also mentioned that the Nubia Z5 was designed by Italian designer Stefano Giovannoni, who also designs for Alessi and Herman Miller. Besides the January release of the standard aluminium edition of the Nubia Z5, there will also be a premium titanium edition – with retail prices for both set at a fun ¥3456 and ¥7890 (RM1700 and RM3882) respectively. Also, those who decide to purchase the Nubia Z5 can pay upon delivery of the device, and there’s also have a 7-day no-questions-asked return policy. Finally, ZTE will send a replacement unit if users send theirs for repairs.

Although currently only available in matte black or glossy white for the Chinese market, it may actually be used internationally due to Qualcomm’s modem module – although it may not support Malaysia’s LTE radio frequency. Nevertheless, ZTE’s going down an interesting path with the Nubia Z5, and depending on international interest just like Oppo’s Find 5, we may just be seeing it soon.

Malaysia’s Nokia Lumia 920 and 820: Truly Global Phones

Here’s a little bit of news that should delight Lumia 920 owners craving for faster Internet speeds: the Lumia 920 released for the Malaysian market not only supports quad-band GSM (2G) and pentaband WCDMA (3G), but also has support for nine 4G LTE frequencies, including the 2600MHz spectrum that will be used in Malaysia. In comparison, the US variant only supports three LTE bands, and five for the UK version.

This comes about after My Nokia Blog revealed that India’s variant of the Lumia 920 also supports the same amount of LTE bands as ours. More pertinently, Nokia Malaysia’s webpage for the Lumia 820 also shows that this smartphone also supports the same nine LTE bands, which makes them two of only three smartphones (the other being the ASUS Padfone 2) in Malaysia that are LTE-ready. The numerous supported frequencies also mean that they can be used basically on any network in every country in the world.

In comparison, Apple’s iPhone 5 does have an LTE radio installed, but it does not support our 2600MHz spectrum, which looks to be ready sometime next year. Samsung’s Galaxy SIII and Galaxy Note II for the Malaysian market, on the other hand, do not have LTE radios at all – in contrast to Singapore’s LTE-friendly versions. Speaking of which, Singapore’s LTE spectrum is the same as ours, meaning that Malaysian Lumia 920/820 owners can theoretically use their locally-purchased Lumia in Singapore on their LTE networks. Theoretically, because the LTE radios on the Lumia 920 and 820 are currently disabled – probably until the LTE infrastructure in Malaysia is in place. Once that is ready, we may well see a patch for the Lumia phones that will enable the LTE radio.

This piece of information was earlier revealed by our friends at SoyaCincau shortly after the local launch for the Lumia 920 and 820. Almost one week after these phones are available, we are still very surprised that Nokia Malaysia have not come out and market their new Lumia phones as being LTE-ready for Malaysia, especially when there is growing interest in LTE as the local infrastructure nears completion.

Acer To Launch USD 99 Iconia B1 In 2013, Adds Budget Intel-Based Win 8 Tablet While At It

While low-priced tablets are nothing new in the market, they are consisted of non-branded or also known as white box tablets that usually originated from China. Apparently, Acer is planning to change that early next year with its upcoming Android-based Acer Iconia B1 tablet which will be priced at RM 303 (USD 99).

According to a recent report by The Wall Street Journal which cited an anonymous industry source (as usual), the tablet will be powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and features a 7-inch display with a resolution of 1024×600. The source has also confirms the authenticity of Acer Iconia B1’s pictures that were leaked into the net recently.

If you already felt allured by Acer Iconia B1’s rather affordable price tag, hold your horses – the report also pointed out that the tablet’s actual pricing will be determined on country-by-country basis. In addition to that, WSJ also reported that Acer is also planning to release a low-priced Intel-based Windows 8 tablet at around the same time but didn’t elaborate much on it.

It is hard to say much until we actually see the real thing but if Acer is able offer Iconia B1 tablet at around the same price range here in Malaysia, it is needless to say that the tablet will surely grab some attention from local consumers.