If you think that the largest display for the tablet is 10.1 inches, just wait till the MWC 2012 in Barcelona this coming end of February - 11.6 inches!

However, this was still rumours flying around in the Web. The details speculated is that this new Samsung Galaxy Tab's resolution could be 2560 x 1600 pixels - 4 times as many pixels! The processor might be the new Exynos 5250 chipset with dual core processor at 2 GHz. 

All this are based on a Samsung tablet shown off at some event in January in Germany; but it was merely a concept.

It would run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for sure, which also implies that there would be fewer ports. It would apply the S Pen stylus for handwriting. The camera could either be 5 or 8 MP, the memory 16 or 32 GB. 3G is so blase these days with LTE in the works. WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth would be present as expected as standard these days. Other features could include NFC and DLNA.

A virtual unknown DMD Mobile Sdn Bhd mere hours ago, has launched a Malaysian made Android smartphone with built in Near Field Communications (NFC) capability in a QWERTY type form factor - all that for less than RM500. DMD was established in 2010.

According to Dato’ Dr. Mohammed M. Daud, DMD’s executive chairman, it plans to start selling the M3 Communicator (the first flagship model) locally by April and in Sri Lanka by May. It will be officially launched at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. DMD has plans to sell the M3 in other South Asia and Middle East markets as well.

According to Herve Jegou, Founder and CTO of DMD, the total investment for R&D and optimisation of the device is RM10 million. He also says that DMD will eventually have Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on the M3. DMD is also planning to launch a model with a 1GHz processor sometime by middle of the year.

On the question whether the NFC is a full blown version or just a simple information sharing version, Jegou says that the NFC in the M3 can support RFID, secure transactions and services such as Touch & Go. 

 Deputy minister of information, communications and culture, Dato' Jospeh Salang was also present at the launch.

Prepaid services

To make the phone usable and affordable, DMD has announced that it will provide affordable online communication package along with the phone, starting at just RM10 per month. In its press release, DMD says that mobile operators can start providing more innovation to prepaid users with a mobile communications platform that is bandwidth optimised, so it does not require more infrastructure investments.

First Looks

The DMD M3 Communicator has a nice solid feel when held, although it doesn't seem heavy at only 98 grams. The black version had a matte rubberised finish. The white one seemed smooth glossy plastic. When briefly testing out the phone it seemed surprisingly responsive for an Android device powered by a 650MHz processor. Jegou claims that this is thanks to the graphics accellerator doing its job. Even pinch zooming on the capacitive screen was smooth enough. The middle navigation pad however is not an optical trackpad - you need to click down on the directional bezel; easier still, just use the touch screen instead.

The units available for demo at the launch seem to be running on a stock version of Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread with no real tweaks or changes save a social-centric hub interface. We need to wait for a loan review unit to sure about all this though. Until then, these are the specifications so far: 

CPU: 650MHz (416MHz baseband)

OS: Android with Hub Interface

Memory: 512MB Flash memory, 256MB SRAM and 2GB microSD card (32GB maximum)

Dimensions: 113 x 63 x 11.5mm, 98 grams

Display: 2.6-inch, 320 x 240 pixels, capacitive screen

Network: 3.75G HSPA WCDMA, 850/2100MHz, GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 850/900/1800/1900MHz

Connectivity: 3.5mm audio jack, micro USB, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi (a/b/g/n), GPS, FM, NFC

Cameras: 3MP with Extended Depth of Focus (EDoF) and LED flash, VGA front camera

Battery: Lithium-ion, 1,150 mAh. 

Samsung's bestselling 5-inch phone-or-tablet the Galaxy Note now has a competitor in the form of the LG Optimus Vu:, also 5 inches in display. (The colon is not a typing error)

This device also uses a stylus or the  Rubberdium pen to write onto its 4:3 aspect IPS screen. Its 8.5 mm thin body houses a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 8 MP camera with flash and a frontal 1.3 MP lens, 32 GB memory and a 2,080 mAh battery. 

Right now it is running only Android 2.3 Gingerbread, but LG promises an Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade. Also, it has LG's advanced LTE technology for speedy connection. It utilises  QuickClip hotkey to capture screenshots and memos.

The Optimus Vu: will start selling in Korea in March. 

The Optimus Vu: will be exhibited at the LG Stand (Hall 8) at MWC 2012 from February 27 to March 1.

From 17 - 19 February 2012, at the Malaysia IT Fair at Mid Valley Convention Centre, at booth 104, Fujitsu is offering the LIFEBOOK LH531 for RM1,299.

In Garnet Red and Shiny Black, the LIFEBOOK LH531 has a high-gloss back cover wrapped within a silver lining.

The word is out - at least from the Wall Street Journal - that Apple's suppliers are already testing the components for an 8-inch iPad. The resolution will not be retina display, just the same as the iPad 2.

The most probable reasoning behind making a smaller iPad is to compete with Samsung's and Amazon's bestselling 7-inch tablets.

The speculation is that the price of the smaller iPad will be cheaper than the current iPad 2. This would help Apple to compete with competitors like Amazon's Kindle Fire, which is cheaper.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 is to be the first Samsung tablet to run the Ice Cream Sandwich Android operating system.

It will not be 10.1 inches but smaller, 7 inches and the resolution has not increased, still 1024 x 600 and LCD, not AMOLED. It will not house any quad core processor, still 1Ghz dual-core processor. The rear camera is no 5 MP but 3 MP.  

Also, it will not be competing for slimness. Its 10.5 mm depth is thicker than any of Samsung's other tablets, including the 7.7, 8.9 and 10.1-inch models.It will come in either 8, 16 and 32 GB, with WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 and optional HSPA+.

Because of these lower specs, the Galaxy Tab 2 is expected to be priced a little lower. It will be unveiled in the coming Mobile World Congress.

Acer's first ever cloud phone the Acer CloudMobile has won the iF design award 2012 from International Forum Design of Germany for outstanding achievement in design.

This smartphone uses AcerCloud technology to push and receive documents, photos and music to and from Acer's CloudMobile server. Users can also print wirelessly with Acer Print.

The Acer CloudMobile is less than one centimetre deep. Its Sleeve DNA design has soft, wrapping contours. The receiver in front is made of stainless steel, and the speaker plate on the back is Dolby. The screen is a 4.3-inch fully laminated HD display.

Right now there is not much more details about this award-winning Acer device, not until the end of February when it is officially unveiled at the Mobile World Congress exhibition in Barcelona, Spain. The news is that it will start selling in Q3, 2012.

Meep! is what the cartoon about a roadrunner says. And that's also what Oregon Scientific is naming its just-for-kids tablet.

The makers are unveiling the Meep! at Toy Industry Association's (TIA) 109th American International Toy Fair this weekend.

However, the 7-inch Meep! is not a toy when it runs on Android, has WiFi, music and movie players, ebook reader, G-sensor, SD slot, and some apps from - yet unnamed - leading developers.

As this tablet is geared towards rough and tumble 6-year-olds, it is built to withstand rough play, scratches and drops. For added protection it comes with an enhanced rubber silicon sleeve.