NOKIA TO ENTER TABLET MARKET?

Nokia may collaborate with Microsoft, while Google is rumoured to be developing a smartphone with Motorola.

If you thought Nokia brought a breath of fresh air to Windows Phone devices, get ready for the Finnish manufacturer to do the same for Windows RT (and eventually Windows 8) devices. Not much is known of the device which is being kept under wraps and completely denied by Nokia, but rumours have it the device will sport a 10.1-inch screen, HDMI and USB ports, and will also support cellular connectivity.

 

Like the Surface, Microsoft’s in-house designed and manufactured Windows RT and Windows 8 device, Nokia’s tablet will prbably focus heavily on its main accessory: the attachable keyboard cover. Unlike Microsoft though, and more like Asus, Nokia’s supposedly putting a battery in its keyboard to enhance the battery life, already pegged at 10 hours. As for when you’ll be able to see this as-yet-unnamed tablet, the Mobile World Congress in February seems the earliest bet.

 

In other tech news doing the rounds, there are some nteresting developments for those unhappy with Google’s latest Nexus phone, the 4. Rumours have it that the Android developer is teaming up with their not-so-recent acquisition: Motorola. The list of OEMs that Google has teamed up with grew longer this past year, and Motorola is one that’s been largely off the list, barring the less-than-spectacular Xoom.

 

But the ‘X Phone’ from the Google-owned OEM is being crafted to offer stiff competition to flagship phones from the likes of Samsung and Apple. The interesting part is that Google has so far had to meet OEMs halfway, and the ‘X Phone’ should represent an absolute ‘Google’ vision of what Android should work like in terms of software andhardware. The rumour that project leader Lior Ron is considering new materials like ceramic could mean that the device will be different from what we’ve seen from Google’s Nexus devices so far.

 

Additionally, the rumour mill seems certain that there’s an ‘X Tablet’ waiting in the wings as well. Let’s hope we’ve a little more to go on by the time Google I/O 2013 comes around.