Pocketables

Android is being used more and more on all kinds of devices, including business tablets and smartphones. However, sometimes you just need to have a full operating system to get something done. While Windows 8 is certainly looking promising for mobile users who need that kind of functionality, SDG Systems has already announced a rugged tablet with a full desktop operating system that is based on Ubuntu.

The tablet, called the Trimble Yuma, is actually a slight redesign of a previous Windows 7 business tablet, but with slightly updated specs. Its hardware matches up nicely with netbooks, as it includes a 7-inch display, 1.6GHz Atom processor, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a 32GB or 80GB SSD. It does have some additional consumer/business oriented features, like GPS, dual cameras, and SDHC and ExpressCard slots.

As far as ruggedized goes, the Yuma looks very good compared to some other "ruggedized" hardware we have seen. It has a magnesium alloy case to protect everything, is water and dust-resistant, meets the United States Military Standard for durability, and has an Ingress Protection rating of 67.

Last year, we heard of Canonical's (Ubuntu's parent company) plans to bring the Ubuntu OS to mobile devices, and while it doesn't appear that SDG Systems is affiliated with Cannonical, they have done just that. Unfortunately, their device has been designed strictly for the business side of things, with a consumer shocking $3695 a device sticker price.

Still, the Trimble Yuma is pretty cool simply for being a practically indestructible tablet with a unique OS, and something that I would own if I could afford it. The KDE Spark tablet may be a better fit for consumers, this might serve as a good baseline example what Ubuntu and Linux can be on a full fledged Micro PC, and get people interested in full featured operating systems on tablets.

[PCWorld]

In just three days, the Nokia and Microsoft partnership will be one year old. A lot of good things have come out of it already, like the three (official) Lumia Windows Phones from Nokia. 

However, it might be working a little too well. Nokia VP Victor Saeijes told a Swedish newspaper that the only future option for the company is Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system. In fact, Nokia doesn't even have a true plan B! "Plan B is that Plan A must succeed," said Saeijes.

Here's more of the interview, which gives a good, in-depth look at how Nokia views Windows Phone:

“It’s like starting all over again. But we must succeed in the U.S. if we are to succeed in the world.” 

Granted, Nokia is still dishing out Symbian updates for existing phones, but this is a pretty clear indication that it's a platform that will be abandoned quite soon. In any case, I'm happy that Nokia has a set path that it's going to take for the foreseeable future, as I'm a huge Nokia fan and I would hate to see the company perish. 

[Dagens Industri (Translated)]

Updates to any operating system are great. They bring fixes, refreshed looks, and numerous great additions for the end user. Unfortunately, updates are usually kept quiet until the release date, and there is no company known more for secrecy than Apple.

The latest leak of information from the Cupertino, California, based company is about iOS 5.1. We haven't heard anything about the update for iOS 5 yet, and even though we now know the alleged release date, we're still in the dark about exactly what 5.1 will bring. 

Anyway, that date is March 9th. While that's still a month away, it's definitely a very plausible date; although we don't cover it, the iPad 3 is rumored to be announced later this month and released in March, so a coinciding release of 5.1 and the iPad 3 would make sense.

An incremental release would not usually be such a big deal, but given the problems that the iPhone 4S and iOS 5 in general have had, it's nice to know roughly when some of those problems should go away. 

[Your Daily Mac]

If you couldn't already tell, I'm really excited for Windows 8. Besides the few changes Microsoft is making that aren't exactly for the better in my opinion, it still looks to be a good upgrade from Windows 7 — especially since it will be able to run on ARM processors. 

I haven't yet played with Windows 8, but today's announcement from Microsoft should make that change at the end of February. The company today sent out invitations for an invitation-only event in Barcelona, which just happens to coincide with MWC.

Mobile World Congress is already going to be one heck of a big show, and now that Microsoft is doing this, it just got a whole lot bigger. And holding the event at an event that's dedicated to mobile devices means that we will probably see some prototype Windows 8 tablets alongside the announcement of the beta-like software release. 

I'm really excited to see what Microsoft will have put into Windows 8 on the desktop side, particularly in the settings. Earlier this week, I reported on the company's removal of the Start button and was pretty disappointed that it happened. Hopefully, that can be changed with a simple setting, but we'll have to wait until the end of the month to find out. 

[ZDNet]

For quite a while now, people have been speculating that Google might bring the full version of Chrome to Android to replace and improve the default browser. While they did open source the stock browser last year, when Android 4.0 shipped with a newer version of the Android browser instead of full-on Chrome, many gave up hope in the rumored Chrome for Android.

However, it turns out the stock browser was only intended for temporary use, as today the Chrome team announced a limited availability beta of the full version of Chrome for Android. It only runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, but luckily I had my Galaxy Nexus handy today, and was able to take it for a spin.

Join me past the break to see what Google's idea of mobile browser innovation looks like.

The company Cowon has long been associated with very high-quality portable music players, and it hasn't slowed down with its releases.

The last time we posted about a Cowon device, it was the R7 Windows CE tablet. Since then, however, things have stayed relatively quiet. Thankfully, the tech space moves quickly, and companies need to keep up—Cowon has done so by announcing and launching its new Z2 Plenue PMP today. 

The device runs a highly-customized version of Android. It also features an 800 x 480 3.7-inch AMOLED screen, WiFi and Bluetooth wireless connectivity, and 8GB to 32GB of internal storage that you can expand with a microSD card. Other specs include a 1GHz Cortex-A8 processor and support for 1080p HD video. 

If you live in Korea, you can pick a Z2 Plenue up for just $230 at the low end, or $300 for the highest. Unfortunately, nothing has been said about a release for anywhere else, but there's a similarly-specced Cowon device, the D2 Plenue, available on Amazon for $220. 

[Anythingbutipod]

While Nokia has understandably been going all out with their Windows Phone releases, LG has been surprisingly quiet on the Windows Phone front. They have been trying to become a high end Android manufacturer, but their first device to run Windows Phone 7 was merely okay. 

According to today's leak from PocketNow, LG is now aiming to get back in with the Windows Phone crowd, and is betting on a Miracle to do it. All joking aside, "Miracle" is actually supposed to be the codename for LG's latest Windows device, which doesn't look too bad for a mid-range smartphone. It will be packed with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 4-inch 800 x 480 NOVA display, 5MP 720p capable camera, and VGA front facing camera. 

Windows Phone 7.5 is powering the Miracle, and should be sufficient, at least for now. There is no information about possible updates, but the presence of a currently unsupported NFC chip suggest that LG plans to upgrade the device to Windows 8, which would certainly earn it points from Windows fans.

The Miracle is also rumored to support HSPA cellular networks, which means it will probably launch on either AT&T or T-Mobile. However, no further launch details are known, and the only timeframe we have is that the device should launch sometime this spring.

[PocketNow via Anything but iPhone]

You know, as successful as app stores, markets, and worlds have become, I still think they're among the worst places to purchase content. There are pointless reviews and ratings along with reviews and ratings that are paid for by the developer. Plus, there are usually a bunch of garbage apps that somehow make their way to the top apps. 

I always thought that, regardless of the operating system I was using, it was a little fishy that those apps would actually be downloaded and ranked high enough to be so prominently displayed. But now, we know why that happened, and Apple isn't happy about it. 

It seems that there are companies to which developers can pay money (of sometimes upwards of $5000!) and get their apps in the top rankings. These companies use bots to download that app enough times to be featured, and then stop downloading it when it gets to the top, because by then it has enough momentum to be downloaded by actual humans.

Here's what Apple had to say:

Once you build a great app, you want everyone to know about it. However, when you promote your app, you should avoid using services that advertise or guarantee top placement in App Store charts. Even if you are not personally engaged in manipulating App Store chart rankings or user reviews, employing services that do so on your behalf may result in the loss of your Apple Developer Program membership. Get helpful tips and resources on marketing your apps the right way from the App Store Resource Center.

This is just one app store, though. I really hope Google and Microsoft will take the same approach. I'm pretty sick of seeing BEST GAME EVER!!!1 - PUZZLE GAME FOR THE GODS in front of great games and apps when, in reality, it sucks.

[Apple Developer]

After some early rumors, the fourth iteration of Motorola's Droid line was announced back at CES this year, but no release date or price was specified. It took a little while, but finally we have an official date and press release confirming the device directly from Verizon. According to the press release, the Motorola Droid 4 will be available for purchase on this Friday, February 10, for $199.

You actually get quite a bit of hardware power for that $199, especially considering that most top of the line smartphones launch at $300. It's not the absolute best, but the Droid 4 includes a full 1GB of RAM, 1.2Ghz dual-core processor, and qHD display. 4G LTE is still probably the most important upgrade over its predecessor, as it was a major feature missing from the last hardware version.

Running on that hardware is Android 2.3 Gingerbread, which is of course disappointing to many of us. However, Motorola and Verizon are promising an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich in the near future, the only worry is how fast they can push it out.  

The Droid 4 may not be radically different, but it is an upgrade to a formula that works. Motorola's first Droid launched Android into the public eye, and the Droid 3 was one of last year's best smartphones. As such, I have no doubt that the Droid 4 will be at the top of any shoppers who want a keyboard, and may even win some converts from the standard black slab.

If you're interested, you can find the full press release past the break.

Some manufacturers have chosen to cut down on their smartphone releases for 2012 so they can focus on delivering better products. One manufacturer that comes to mind for that is HTC, so just recently announced such a plan. 

But for others, the complete opposite makes sense. 

Nokia, in the timeframe of just three months, has released three different Lumia phones around. The first was the Lumia 800, followed by the Lumia 710, and finally the Lumia 900. They're all fantastic Windows Phones, but Nokia does need to get itself recognized once again, and the company is doing that by releasing yet another Lumia. 

The Lumia 910 that you see in the picture above is a relatively speedy Windows Phone. It's got a 1.4GHz single-core processor, 16GB of internal storage, and a killer 12MP camera that I assume is going to be another Carl Zeiss lens like the one found in the Lumia 900. 

Mobile World Congress is just three weeks away, and Nokia's keynote is scheduled for the first day of the four day event. Because of this, I'd recommend waiting on any phone purchase, regardless of your OS of choice. This year's MWC is rumored to be pretty awesome already. 

[SlashGear]