Dell Mini 5 to be the vanguard of 'a family of tablets'

Well isn't this good to know. The Mini 5 isn't even coming out for at least another month, yet already we're hearing Dell has big plans for what's to follow. Wired has the dish straight from Neeraj Choubey, GM of Dell's tablet division, that there will be "a family of tablets" which will "scale up to a variety of sizes." It appears there will be a common feature set throughout the forthcoming portfolio, so it's likely going to be Android all the way, while Choubey also shared his company's intention to bundle "inexpensive data plans" with the new devices -- indicating a belief that carriers will accede to such ambitious ideas. And speaking of network operators, in a separate interview with Laptop, the loquacious gentleman has confirmed that Dell's working with AT&T on bringing the Mini 5 to the masses. Good to know, indeed -- now how about a release date?

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Haleron's 7-inch iLet Mini HAL costs $199, ships March 1

Want a tablet computer sans all the brand loyalty drama and eye-opening prices? Haleron's got just the thing for you with its iLet Mini HAL. Its humble spec brings only a 600MHz VIA CPU and 128MB of DDR2 RAM to the table, but it runs Android 1.6 and if all you want is a tablet to access the web with, do you really need more? Additionally, the onboard 2GB of flash storage is augmented with 10GB of cloud storage and the cheap expandability that's on offer via flash memory cards or USB drives. The iLet Mini HAL costs $199 with shipping starting next week, and we've been reliably informed that there'll be no additional charges no matter how many poor Space Odyssey jokes you decide to make.

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Sharp PB20ZU gets FCC approval -- is this 'Pure' from Microsoft's Project Pink?

The puzzle pieces are all fitting together now, aren't they? Just a few days after regulatory passage of the PB10ZU from Sharp -- a device that could very well be the pebble-shaped Turtle -- we're now seeing a separate filing for the PB20ZU. The label document isn't terribly detailed here, but if you squint your eyes, you can definitely see how this lines up perfectly with the concept of a landscape QWERTY slider which is exactly what Project Pink's rumored second phone, the Pure, is expected to be. Despite Microsoft's blowout announcement at MWC earlier this month, there was nary a mention of Pink or the Danger-influenced hardware and software said to surround it, so we're expecting to see this stuff soon -- especially now that we've got FCC certification under our belts. CTIA, perhaps? Notably, this phone rocks CDMA with Bluetooth and WiFi, so if it sees duty on an American carrier -- which it almost certainly will -- it's gotta be either Verizon or Sprint. Stay tuned.

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Philips intros new Ambilight HDTVs, speakers and other AV wares

Philips ain't much for introducing new gear here on US soil, but for those fortunate enough to buy their milk with Euros, the company has a cornucopiaof new kit to tempt you with. It seems as if the company chose to skip right over CES and do its own thing here in late February, with the "2010 Consumer Lifestyle" event bringing to us a refreshed lineup of LED-backlit Ambilight HDTVs (7000, 8000 and 9000 series), a new Immersive Sound home theater system (with tri-speaker satellites) and the aluminum-tinged Soundbar HTS9140. We're also told that the new line of 8000 and 9000 LED 1080p TVs are 3D capable, with a "3D upgrade pack" to be made available separately and include two Active3D glasses and a wireless transmitter. In related news, that now-forgotten Cinema 21:9 set -- which was supposed to ship many moon ago -- now has a "summer 2010" estimated arrival date on it, though we certainly aren't holding our breath just yet. Hit the source link for all the other goods, but don't expect to find much in the way of pricing and availability.

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Pentax makes all-weather Optio W90 and superzoom X90 official

Pentax is going for broke with its take on the rugged camera, the W90, which is unlikely to ever be confused for a svelte and stylish point-and-shoot. What it loses in looks, it gains in usability, however, as the 12.1 megapixel shooter can withstand shocks from a height of four feet, go nearly 20 feet under water, and withstand temperatures as slow as -10 degrees Celsius. The dustproofing is just topping on that rugged cake, though it still offers things like 720p / 30fps video recording and 5x optical zoom that are now considered standard camera specs. There are also three forms of shake reduction: one is post-processing of affected images, the second is by automatically increasing the ISO in low light conditions, and the third is the use of "exclusive software" during movie mode. We can't say any one of those will be as good as a well-implemented optical image stabilization, but at least they're there and might offer some assistance. As to the X90, it joins a growing band of 26x and above optical superzoomers, while adding the W90's 720p video mode and anti-shake plus its own sensor-shift stabilizer for good measure. Both shooters are expected in April, priced at $330 for the W90 and $400 for the X90, though we've noticed the former will show up a month earlier in the UK with a £270 ($417) price tag.

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ARM and Globalfoundries partner up for 28nm Cortex-A9 SOCs, invite great expectations

This one slipped the net during the excitement that was MWC this year, but it's such a promising development that we have to give it its due attention. ARM and Globalfoundries have announced plans to start building new systems-on-chip using the latter's ultramodern 28nm high-k metal gate production process, with the resultant chips offering up to 40 percent greater computational power, 30 percent greater power efficiency, and a terrific 100 percent improvement in battery longevity relative to their current-gen siblings. Mass production of these Cortex-A9-based units is expected in the second half of 2010, which means they should be among the very first chips off Globalfoundries' 28nm assembly line. The good news, though, is that the technology is described as "ready for high-volume implementation," so there should be no shortages when things finally get rolling. Let the wild-eyed anticipation begin

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Juniper Networks Establishes $50 Million Venture Fund

Tech giant Juniper Networks this morning introduced the $50 million Junos Innovation Fund, a new corporate venture capital initiative that will invest primarily in VC-backed technology companies in early or growth stage.



The fund builds up on Juniper’s efforts to establish an ecosystem of technologies, software and applications built on its cross-network software platform Junos, the company said.
According to the press release, the Junos Innovation Fund will invest in companies over the next two years, and focus on areas such as networking technologies, applications, and services that foster the development and deployment of security infrastructure, mobility and video solutions, virtualization, network automation, optical technology, and green networking.


Juniper Networks currently has investments in 11 companies, including Ankeena Networks, Blade Network Technologies, Cyan Optics, FireEye and Packet Design.

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