Amazon kindles bigger Fire

This issue of Spec Tech is all about new phones, BlackBerry’s OS 2.0 update, and E-reader tablets.

Companies are still announcing smartphones, even though the Mobile World Congress isn’t until next week. Samsung announced the Galaxy Ace 2 as well as the Galaxy Mini 2.

The Galaxy Ace 2 has a 3.8-inch WVGA screen, 800MHz processor, 5-megapixel camera, front facing VGA camera, microSD card slot, 4GB of internal memory, GPS, USB 2.0 port and will launch with Android 2.3: Gingerbread OS.

The Galaxy Mini 2 has an 800MHz processor, USB 2.0 port, microSD slot, 4GB of internal memory and launches with Android 2.3 but the other specs are less powerful that the Ace 2. It will have a 3.27-inch HVGA screen, a 3-megapixel camera and a front facing camera. It will also have HSDPA support, so it is a world phone.

A global release for these phones will be sometime in or after April.

A Japanese blog, Macotakara, reported that the next iPhone will release in the fall, like the 4s did this past year, and claimed that Apple will continue this trend for the phone.

The iPhone 4s was the first iPhone to be released in the fall and not the summer, but I expect this rumor to be true. Apple is not well known for releasing new products within the same year, except for MacBook Pro’s.

Releasing the iPhone 4s right before the holiday season helped with sales, so I expect Apple to release the next iPhone in the beginning of October.

Chinese phone manufacturer, ZTE announced two new Android 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich devices. The ZTE PF200 has a 4.3-inch QHD screen, 8-megapixel camera, 1080p front-facing camera, GPS and an HDMI-out port. LTE support is in the phone, but they have not announced what company it will be on.
The ZTE N910, on the other hand, has a WVGA touch screen, 5-megapixel camera, 1080p front-facing camera, GPS and will only support 3G networks. Do not get excited yet though, as ZTE has not announced what countries these phones are coming to, but it is expected to debut here in America.

If you have the BlackBerry PlayBook, then rejoice! The new operating system, OS 2.0 is here, giving you everything it should have had a year ago.

With a built-in e-mail, calendar, and a contacts app, the update also allows for more Android apps to work on the device. Sadly, it still does not have integrated BBM. The update is available now for free.

Barnes & Noble has announced an 8GB version of the Nook Tablet for $199. All of the specs are the same as the 16GB version. Barnes & Noble has done this for direct competition with the Kindle Fire, since the Fire is the second best selling tablet, next to the iPad. The 8GB Nook Tablet is now available on the Barnes & Noble’s website.

A report from DigiTimes says that Foxconn is making a 10-inch Kindle Fire for Amazon. The original Fire is only a 7-inch tablet. It would be set to launch in the second quarter of 2012.

The question for this week is, “Who do you think has the better E-reader, the Nook Tablet, Kindle Fire or iPad?” I am asking for the enjoyment of reading, not which tablet has the most features. E-mail me at smsetser@valdosta.edu or comment on the Spectator website, vsuspectator.com.