"Smaller, Cheaper" iPad Rumours Persist

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Will Apple join Google and Amazon in the fight for the lower end of the tablet market? According to Bloomberg, Apple may announce "a smaller, cheaper iPad" sometime around October 2012.

Small iPadIf the Bloomberg sources are correct, the "new" iPad will be similar to the Nexus 7 or the Kindle Fire-- a 7-8" device lacking a Retina display, smaller than the standard 9.7" iPad size. It would also (perhaps obviously) cost less.

Never mind the late Steve Jobs was skeptical (to say the least) of small tablets, saying the iPad size is the minimum for the best user experience... and that small iPad rumours have been around since the very first Apple tablet hit the market.

Currently, the chief Apple competitors are going for the opposite ends of the market. Microsoft's Surface tablets might cost even more than an iPad ($500+) as the company targets the ultrabook and enterprise markets. Meanwhile the newly revealed Asus-made Nexus 7 costs around $250.

Apple however has one big advantage (other than an immense app library) over both Microsoft and Google-- retail. So far Google sells Nexus 7 tablets exclusively through the Google Play online store, and Microsoft plans to sell Surface tablets through its 20-strong store chain. In comparison Apple owns over 360 retail outlets.

Go Apple to Plan Smaller iPad to Vie with Google Nexus (Bloomberg)

Google's Music (and Video) of the Spheres

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The Nexus 7 tablet is not the only Google-branded hardware emerging from the I/O developer conference-- Google also reveals the Nexus Q, a spherical media player or "social streaming device."

Nexus QAt first glance the Nexus Q looks like a piece of modern sculpture or the "intoxication orb" from the Woody Allen film Sleeper. A matte black, satin-finish 4.6-inch sphere, the Nexus Q streams online content and boosts audio with a built-in 25-Watt class D amplifier.

The Q pulls content from either a limited selection of online sources (Google Music, Movies and Youtube) or Android devices (no iOS support), connecting to the internet via wifi. It runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and plays MP3 files at up to 320 kbps quality.

It even has lights-- 32 RGB LEDs, glowing through a 1mm gap slicing the sphere in half.

Inside are an OMAP 4460 dual-core ARM CPU, an SGX540 graphics core, 16GB of NAND flash memory and 1GB of RaM. Connectivity comes through Micro HDMI, TOSLink (S/PDIF), Micro USB, ethernet and Banana jack speaker outputs, as well as wifi, Bluetooth and NFC.

Will Google take over the world's living rooms, or will it simply cannibalise Google TV STB sales? We will know once the Nexus Q ships on July 2012.

Go Google Nexus Q

At the RIM of Trouble

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Research in Motion (RIM) faces troubled times-- fiscal Q1 2013 revenues are down by -43% Y-o-Y (reaching $2.8 billion), the workforce gets cuts and the BlackBerry 10 launch is delayed.

BlackBerryReuters reports the RIM board is even considering a couple of "unpalatable" options-- either doing like Nokia and forming an alliance with Microsoft or selling its still lucrative network business.

A RIM-Microsoft team up would involve RIM abandoning its aging war horse (and technological independence), BlackBerry OS, in favour of Windows Phone. Its latest version, BlackBerry 10, was supposed to be available from Q4 2012... but RIM delays the launch until 2013.

Another option Reuters suggests is RIM selling its proprietary network. RIM already considered opening its network (which covers emails and private messaging) to competing devices through a plan from ex-CEO Jim Basille.

RIM should also slash its workforce by 5000 by the end of fiscal 2013, with cuts including the cutting back of management and outsourcing of "non-core functions" such as device repairs.

“The Company expects the next several quarters to continue to be very challenging for its business based on the increasing competitive environment, lower handset volumes, potential financial and other impacts from the delay of BlackBerry 10,” RIM says.

Go RIM Q1 2013 Earnings Report

Go Microsoft Tie-Up, Network Sale Among RIM Options (Reuters)

Sony Buys into Cloud Gaming

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The Sony computer gaming business heads to the cloud as the company acquires cloud-based game streaming vendor Gaikai for $380 million.

Sony GaikaiThrough the purchase, Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) hopes to combine Gaikai "engineering talent" with its own "game platform knowledge" in order to create "unparalleled cloud entertainment experiences."

Founded in 2008, Gaikai streams interactive games, demos and applications froma  number of publishers (including EA, Capcom, Ubisoft and CD Projekt) on PCs, Smart TVs and mobile devices. It gives no details on what will happen to its service distribution deals with LG and Samung.

Now one can assume Sony will make use of Gaikai technology on either the PS3, if not its eventual successor.

Go Sony Computer Entertainment to Acquire Gaikai

Go Gaikai

The Flats Panel Safety Kit

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Peerless-AV announces a universal solution for the securing of flat panel screens in your customers' homes-- the Stabilis home safety kit.

StabilisFitting 32- to 60-inch LCD and Plasma displays (with telescopic height adjustment), the Stabilis either clamps to furniture or screws directly to TV cabinets or walls.

A rotating mounting plate allow customers to swivel the screen, while the rigid design prevents displays from tipping backwards. Being "one size fits all" it is compatible with new flat panel displays as well as existing TV models.

It is also ideal for preventing accidents and can also delay theft by securely attaching TVs.

Go Stabilis Home Safety Kit for LCD and Plasma Screens

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