On CE - For Dealers, Distributors and OEMs of Consumer Electronics throughout EMEA

It's official-- the 2018 Pixel Slate is the last tablet from Google, as the search giant confirms it is shifting all hardware team efforts on building laptops, even if it promises to continue supporting the Pixel Slate.

The announcement comes via Twitter from Google Devices & Services SVP Rick Osterloh, who adds the Android and Chrome OS teams are still "100% committed" to working with partners on tablets for all segments of the market, namely consumer, enterprise and education. A number of media outlets also received an official statement stating the exact sentiment, specifically "for Google's first-party hardware efforts, we'll be focusing on Chrome OS laptops and will continue to support Pixel Slate."

Xiaomi sets aim at youth demographic with the Mi CC, a smartphone brand the Chinese company describes as nothing less than "a trendy mobile phone for global young people."

The "CC" part of the Mi CC name stands for "camera+camera," although the announcement press release says it can also mean "chic, cool, colourful and creative." Either way the phones promise "trendy design and camera features," although so far Xiaomi has only points out the camera capabilities of the devices.

The company says the Mi CC will be a flagship for photography and selfies with both front and back cameras, and photographs will be further enhanced through the inclusion of an algorithm powered by the recently founded Xiaomi x Meitu Beauty Lab. Furthermore, the team working on Mi CC is one of the youngest at Xiaomi, and half of it are art majors dedicated to "creating a trendy design for young customers."

Samsung announces a pair of notebook offerings-- the Notebook 7 and Notebook 7 Force, both promising "serious speed and power" within a design more than a little reminiscent of the latest MacBooks.

“The new Notebook 7 and Notebook 7 Force blend elegant design with impressive power and top-notch speed to give consumers an unparalleled experience,” the company says. “These devices expand our portfolio in new directions, giving consumers the opportunity to pick the device that perfectly suits their lifestyle.”

The Notebook 7 comes in 13- and 15-inch sizes, and features a glass HD display within a durable solid frame with minimal bezels. Internal specifications include an 8th gen Intel Core processor, up to 16GB RAM and up to 512GB of SSD storage. The 15-inch model can also carry an Nvidia GeForce MX250 and a spare M.2 slot for further storage.

Wacom launches a Bamboo Ink Plus-- a stylus for use with Windows 10 tablets featuring a rechargeable battery and a choice of 3 different nibs, all within a triangular barrel.

The stylus supports both Microsoft Pen Protocol (MPP) and the Wacom Active ElectroStatic (AES) protocol, making it compatible with devices with a broad range of devices, from the MPP-support Microsoft Surface laptops to the AES-supported Lenovo Thinkpad tablets. Switching between protocols simply involves holding both side buttons.