War Of The Tablets:Acer to lauch tablet next year

Taiwanese company plans to launch ultra-cheap slate
Acer, the fourth largest PC maker in the world, is reported to be developing two new tablets to launch in the early part of next year.
The first of these will likely be a seven-inch tab with a 1,024 x 600 resolution and 1.2GHz dual core processor. A source speaking to the Wall Street Journal indicated this tablet is likely to be titled the Iconia B1 and will go up against the likes of Amazon's Kindle Fire HD and Barnes & Noble's Nook HD.
However, what could really set the Iconia B1 apart from the rest is that Acer is reportedly planning to launch the tablet with a $99 price tag, giving it (in theory) a UK price of only £61.
The lower price would undercut the likes of the Kindle Fire, Nook HD and, crucially, the Google Nexus 7 and could sway customers looking for a new tablet in 2013. The Taiwanese company pursued a similar route with early laptop models – offering compatible specs at much lower prices than competitors.
Before we get ahead of ourselves, the WSJ believes the Iconia B1 is targeted at emerging markets – think BRIC countries – and can't say for certain whether the tablet is likely to launch in the States or Europe. Acer has attempted to move into premium devices over the last couple of years, such as the Acer Aspire S7 Ultrabook.
“In the past few months, we've made project roadmap changes in response to big changes in the tablet market,” an inside source told the WSJ. “The launch of the Nexus 10 has changed the outlook for what makes competitive pricing.”
A different source indicated the second tablet will be an Intel-based Windows 8 device with a price lower than current Windows 8 tablets like the Microsoft Surface and the Sony Duo 11.
The lower price points could bite into Acer's operating profits, but if the end-game is market share in emerging markets like China and India, producing these budget devices could be the best way to proceed.

War of The Tablets: HTC plans windows 8 tablets

HTC plans to make tablets based on the Windows operating system, giving Microsoft another ally in its challenge to Apple and Google in the $63.2 billion market, people familiar with the matter said.

HTC, excluded earlier this year from the first batch of Windows tablets, is working on a 12-inch device and a 7-inch version that can also make phone calls, according to a person familiar with the company’s plans, who declined to be identified as the information isn’t yet public.

HTC’s products, to debut in 2013, will be based on the Windows RT version of Microsoft’s operating system, designed for machines with chips using technology from ARM Holdings Plc (ARM), according to a person familiar with the plans. Delays in those machines, as well as another version running on Intel ’s chips, have meant Microsoft has few Windows devices capable of challenging Apple’s iPad.

A 7-inch tablet would be the first of that size for Windows RT, as Microsoft tries to compete with the iPad mini, Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Google’s Nexus 7 in the market for smaller, cheaper tablets.

HTC’s tablets are tentatively scheduled for release in the third quarter and would run on chips from Qualcomm, one person said. Production details and exact schedules haven’t been finalized, the person said.

Rim settles Nokia company in patent license case

Nokia and RIM have signed a patent agreement which will end all legal proceedings between the two companies allowing RIM to use Nokia's wireless technology in its current smartphones and in the upcoming BlackBerry 10 handsets.

The agreement involves a one-time payment by RIM but will also include on-going royalties which will allow RIM to use the technology indefinitely. Nokia, which has invested over 4.5 billion Euros in its patent portfolio have expressed their relief at the settlement saying "We are very pleased to have resolved our patent licensing issues with RIM and reached this new agreement, while maintaining Nokia's ability to protect our unique product differentiation," said Paul Melin, chief intellectual property officer at Nokia. "This agreement demonstrates Nokia's industry leading patent portfolio and enables us to focus on further licensing opportunities in the mobile communications market."

RIM's Chief Legal Office Steve Zipperstein echoed the sentiments of Nokia saying, "This Agreement further demonstrates RIM’s effort to effectively resolve the patent complexities that face our industry. With these lawsuits out of the way, we will continue to focus on delivering BlackBerry 10 in the next calendar quarter",
    
"We are very pleased to have resolved our patent licensing issues with RIM and reached this new agreement, while maintaining Nokia's ability to protect our unique product differentiation," said Paul Melin, chief intellectual property officer at Nokia. "This agreement demonstrates Nokia's industry leading patent portfolio and enables us to focus on further licensing opportunities in the mobile communications market."

RIM's Chief Legal Office Steve Zipperstein echoed the sentiments of Nokia saying, "This Agreement further demonstrates RIM’s effort to effectively resolve the patent complexities that face our industry. With these lawsuits out of the way, we will continue to focus on delivering BlackBerry 10 in the next calendar quarter"