MediaPad: Huawei comes out with world’s slimmest tablet

By: Eugene Araneta
Philippine Daily Inquirer

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Huawei MediaPad

Creating simple technological devices that will enrich consumers’ lives is the focus of Huawei Device Co.

The company recently gave members of the press a sneak preview of the MediaPad, which it touted to be the world’s smartest, slimmest and lightest tablet.

The Huawei MediaPad is a 7-inch Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet equipped with a dual core 1.2GHz Qualcomm processor for fast response and high performance.

It can provide a rich user experience in a stylish, high-performing and ultra-portable package, measuring just 10.5 mm (0.4 inches) deep and weighing approximately 390 g (0.86 pound).

It features a 7-inch IPS touch screen display with a 1080P full HD video playback. It is fitted with a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera and a 5 megapixel auto focus rear-facing camera with HD video recording capabilities.

The MediaPad also supports the faster HSPA+ data connectivity of up to 14.4Mbps and high-speed WiFi 802.11n Internet connectivity feature.

It also supports adobe Flash 10.3, which allows users to enjoy YouTube videos and other flash base content available on the Web.

The MediaPad has a battery life that can last up to six hours of continuous use.

“With the Huawei MediaPad, we are demonstrating yet again that design, functionality and performance are within anyone’s reach. The 7-inch tablet remains the preferred size for portability, and the Android Honeycomb 3.2 is dedicated to enhance the full potential of the tablet. Huawei is very pleased to be the first to offer this package to consumers globally and most especially here in the Philippines,” said Zack Zhangxiang, Device Group Head of Huawei Philippines.

With MediaPad, Huawei Device aims to reach a significant number of its target market, the so-called young social networkers (YSNs).

“YSNs are all around us,” said Emerald Dimapilis, terminal marketing manager of Huawei Device Philippines. “Wherever you are in the world—whether in a bar in New York, a coffee shop in Makati, a beach in Palawan, or a busy street in London—you’ll find groups of YSNs. Progressiveness is the defining characteristic of this group.”

Filipinos shifting to digital Tv

MANILA, Philippines — After trial broadcasts, more Filipino households with free-television or non cable TV (CATV) now want to migrate to Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) for a clearer viewing experience.

Free TV viewers comprise the majority, or 90 percent, of the total Filipino viewing public.

However the strongest drivers to migrate to DTT include affordability, increase in channel options enabled by the digital multi-frequency platform, as well as dramatic improvement of signal quality or reception. The latter was the key source of viewers’ satisfaction.

Last year, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) named Japan’s Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial (ISDB) as the Digital television broadcast standard for the Philippines.

This prompted some television networks such as ABS-CBN, Net 25, Gem TV, and government station National Broadcasting Network (NBN) to do trial digital broadcasts on DTT.

Using ISDB-T, ABS CBN did test digital broadcasts in households belonging to D-E sector in Mexico, Pampanga and the towns of San Miguel, San Ildefonso and San Rafael in Bulacan.

The test broadcast, which began in August 1 of this year, showed that the sample households’ willingness to go digital TV increased from 44 percent to 56 percent after the two-week testing.

Having all the benefits of digital TV at a price they can afford was also a major consideration. ISDB-T’s more affordable set-top box has an initial retail price of P2,500. Rival technology, Europe’s Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DVB-T) is 60 percent costlier based on Freight on Board (FoB) price. Survey respondents noted that channels could be viewed clearly and signal reception remains strong even if it rains, or when there’s strong winds or typhoon.

Test households further attest that the digital TV broadcast enabled them to watch more channels. They used to be able to watch only two channels since their analog antenna can’t get clear signals for other channels. On digital TV, programs are likewise available 24 hours.

“Since we began test broadcast on ISDB-T in 2009, signal was robust and there was no degradation in the quality of the images and sound,” noted Engr. Antonio M. Leduna, NBN’s Chief Technology Officer. (EVA
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Nokia launches its cheapest phones at $30-$35

Associated Press

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HELSINKI—Nokia on Thursday unveiled its two cheapest cellphones to date aimed at attracting users in the low-end market as it fights increasing competition from Asian manufacturers.

The Nokia 100 and 101—priced $30 (€20) and $35 (€25) respectively—will be available in the third and fourth quarters of the year.

The launch comes a day after Nokia announced three new mass-market smartphones, including what it called the world’s smallest touch-screen smartphone and one with the world’s brightest display.

The Finland-based company is being increasingly squeezed in the low-end market by Asian manufacturers like ZTE and in the high end by the makers of smartphones like Apple Inc.’s iPhone and Research in Motion’s Blackberry.

It is hoping to regain momentum with the Windows Phone 7—to be launched later this year—after teaming up with Microsoft, whose Windows Phone operating system will become the main platform for Nokia cellphones.

The three smartphones unveiled Wednesday are based on Symbian technology, seen by some developers as clumsy and dated. It was surpassed by Google’s popular Android as the world’s No. 1 smartphone software at the end of last year, but Nokia said it will continue to develop Symbian products.

The Nokia 100, a basic handset for calls and sending text messages, features a color display with a grid-based menu system and an FM radio.

The Nokia 101 has dual SIM device, enabling users to connect to two different networks to receive calls and messages. It also has an FM radio, integrated MP3 player and supports 16-gigabyte microSD memory cards.

Nokia shares were up 1 percent at €4.20 ($6.06) in afternoon trading in Helsinki.

Based in Espoo near Helsinki, Nokia Corp. employs 132,500 people worldwide. It claims 1.3 billion daily users of its devices, and has said it hopes the partnership with Microsoft will lead to capturing the next billion users to join the Internet in developing growth markets.