Taiwan based computer peripheral and mobile equipment manufacturer Asus has announced the roll out of a new upgrade that brings the much awaited face unlock feature to the original Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 tablet.

Asus had earlier this year announced the roll out of Google Android Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade for Asus Transformer TF101.

Now with this update, the email application of the tablet also gets new functionality and will show the email size, thread view and out of office notifications. Along with this the device gets a list of stability.

The update has been rolled out in the United States and Canada to begin with. There is no further information on when the upgrade will reach other countries. Users therefore will have to keep checking their device for the update, which is available over the air.

Delhi based Go Tech has unveiled two affordable tablets, named as Funtab Fusion and Fonetab. While the Funtab Fusion is priced at Rs 3,999, the Fonetab will be available in the market for Rs 6,999.Unveiling the tablets, Go Tech’s managing director, Gaurav Khanna said, “We are very happy to launch two new tablet PCs which are designed keeping youth in mind. Fun and education are two important aspect of a youth’s life; and with this launch we have tried to meet their experience.”

Funtab Fusion comes with a 7 inch resistive screen with dual touch facility with 800×480 resolution. It has an 800 Mhz processor which runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system. It has though a paltry 256 MB RAM. The Fusion has 2 GB internal storage capacity which is expandable upto 32 GB through a micro SD card.

Besides, Funtab Fusion has WiFi, and a USB port along with a mini USB port. The tablet though has no Bluetooth. It comes with a 2800 mAh battery that according to Go Tech would provide over 7 hours of utility. On Fusion, users can enjoy 3G connectivity through a dongle as well. Besides, it has a 0.3 megapixel front camera for video chats.

The Fonetab is the costlier cousin of Funtab Fusion and comes with 800 MHz processor, 512 RAM and Android 2.3 operating system. Like Fusion, it too has a 7 inch resistive touchscreen. It has WiFi, USB and mini USB ports but has no Bluetooth facility.

The Fonetab has a bigger 3600 mAh battery that too according to Go Tech provide over 7 hours of usage. Like Funtab Fusion, the Fonetab too comes with a 0.3 megapixel front camera.

Both the tablets will come with a smart case, headphone, and charger. Both are available in silver colour only.

Go Tech has previously launched two tablets – 9.1 Fantasy and 7.1 Fudge, under its Funtab series and has a tie up with Across World Education, a cloud based company, to provide them a Rs 5,000 tablet which is known as ATab.Funtab 9.1 Fantasy and 7.1 Fudge tablets have 9 inch and 7 inch display respectively and run on the Android 2.3 Gingerbread. They are powered by 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor and has 16 GB of in built memory which is expandable up to 32 GB. The 9.1 fantasy is priced around Rs 16,000 while the 7.1 Fudge costs around Rs 7,000.

ATab was specifically meant for students and teachers across India, which has preloaded content related to education. It features a 7 inch TFT touchscreen, a 1.1 GHz processor, 512 MB RAM, 2 GB inbuilt memory, 16 GB expandable memory slot, WiFi, and an external 3G USB dongle.

A year after discontinuing its touchpad tablets, personal computer major Hewlett Packard has now decided to make tablets again, starting with a Windows 8 tablet.

This was announced by both Hewlett Packard’s chief executive Meg Whitman at the Global Influencer Summit that took place in Shanghai.  HP’s executive vice president for printing and personal systems, Todd Bradley also said that the Windows 8 tablets will come with “cloud-based technology” for content sharing across devices.

Although the news is certainly good for Windows fans, it is equally saddening for Web OS lovers who were awaiting HP to start production of the HP Touch pad tablets with Web OS once again. Unfortunately HP seems to have no plan whatsoever to revive Web OS which HP had acquired by paying of millions of dollars while buying Palm, which had developed the operating system.

The final timeline for the roll out of the new Windows 8 device is yet to be announced by HP but the company is hoping to announce the product within this year itself to be at par with the competition which is growing since a lot of big brands like Nokia have also shown interested in adopting Windows 8 for tablets.

With 4G and quad-core madness entering into the arena, the single most important aspect of smartphones that is taking a hit is the battery life. This exact concern is addressed by this new fuel cell. While it cannot keep your phone battery running longer, it definitely can ensure that you can charge it on the go, without the need of finding a power socket. PCWorld reports that this fuel cell is close to the size of your average smartphone, albeit a little thicker, owing to the replaceable cigarette lighter-sized cartridges inside. While smartphones are definitely the biggest battery suckers and this new fuel cell may potentially be a brilliant back-up solution, charging isn’t just restricted to smartphones – it can be a tablet, camera or any other device that can be charged from the USB port.

One important cause of concern that has already been addressed (in the U.S) is about the locations where this battery package will be allowed. Because it’s a fuel cell, there were concerns, if it would be allowed on flights. According to the company, the U.S. Department of Transportation has allowed passengers to take this device along with them in their cabin luggage, which is definitely good news for those requiring charging on the go.

We’re hoping something like this comes soon enough out here. Drawing an estimate, the charger could potentially be close to approx. Rs.8,000 with each cartridge then costing close to approx. Rs.100 – 300. Official pricing or availability for the Indian sub-continent hasn’t been announced yet,

s per the report, sources have informed them that the design of the application is similar to that of Google Maps, which is currently present on iOS devices, but will provide a ‘much cleaner, faster, and more reliable experience.’ The report states, “The most important aspect of the new Maps application is a powerful new 3D mode. The 3D mode does not come enabled by default, but users simply need to click a 3D button that is conveniently and visibly stored in the app. Perhaps under the fold like the current traffic, pin, and map view buttons. This 3D mode is said to essentially be technology straight from C3 Technologies: beautiful, realistic graphics based on de-classified missile target algorithms.”

It is believed that in order to signify the new rewrite to the Maps app, Apple have also redesigned the logo for the app and the logo will now feature the view of their 1 Infinite Loop Campus, but with a colour scheme that is different. The report goes on to state, “While Apple has always had full control of the actual iOS Maps application design, the backend has belonged to Google. That will change with iOS 6 thanks to their purchases of Placebase, C3 Technologies, and Poly9; acquisitions that Apple has used to create a complete mapping database. Now that the application is fully in-house, it is being referred to simply as “Maps” (some people call the current version Google Maps because of the backend). We reported prior to the launch of iOS 5 that Apple and Google had extended their Maps deal, and now it is obvious when that deal ends.”

Qualcomm has displayed world’s first auto stereoscopic 3D tablet at the on-going CTIA-Wireless 2012 convention which has started on May 9. At the convention, Qualcomm has demonstrated the prowess of the Snapdragon S4 MSM8690 mobile processor that runs the 3D tablet.

Qualcomm had a lavish booth at CTIA and I had to go over there to see what was new. Little did I know I’d be running into the world’s first autostereoscopic 3D tablet. It was a Qualcomm-branded developer device, but it was still nice to see a tablet, one with a 1920×1200 resolution, able to produce stereoscopic 3D and convert 2D to 3D. It was just one of many demos and achievements Qualcomm showcases to let people know that S4 is the bee’s knees

Google has released a new and overhauled social networking app – Google+, for the iOS platform. Sporting a fresh looking user interface, the new Google+ app for iOS brings several bug fixes and performance improving tweaks under the hood. Google+ software engineers have implemented new stream and navigation experience.Google+ app for the Apple iOS platform has been tweaked to deliver more amazing visual appeal to the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. The new update for the Google+ app makes it more photo-centred and presents content through the stream in more reader-friendly format.The Stream and Navigation section of the app has received cosmetic improvements and appears much more visually appealing than earlier. Several bug fixes and under the hood changes have been implemented with this 18.2 MB package to make the app run more smoothly.Google has not released the updated Google+ app for Android but promised to release the same in coming weeks. In order to compete with Facebook, the Google+ app needs to be more user friendly and appear visually simple to poke fingers on.Get the latest Google+ 2.0.0.5888 app for iOS from Apple App Store.

Kobian, a player in computer peripherals and makers of tablets under Mercury brand, has announced the launch of iXA Tab for Rs 3,999. However people who wish to buy this tablet will have to wait till May 23 when the booking starts.

The iXA Tab comes with Android 2.3 operating system and weighs 341 grams. Like the Aakash tablet, it comes with a resistive touch screen but is powered by a 1.0 GHz processor compared to the 800 mAH processor of Aakash. Besides, The Kobian tablet has 512 MB RAM and 4 GB internal storage which is expandable to 32 GB through a micro SD card.The Kobian iXA tab comes with inbuilt WiFi, 0.3 megapixel camera in the front but has no rear camera. Optional accessories like case with keyboard will also be available.

Specification wise, the tablet is not very different from other low cost offerings including UbiSlate, Aakash, or BSNL’s Penta tablets. However, real world performance is something which will be important to the tablet”s success. Most low cost tablets till now have disappointed with their performance, hope this does better.

Sushmita Das, country manager, India, Kobian said, “We have had immense success with mTab range , the launch of iXA Tab is for our young students and generation who would want to have the ownership of a tablet. They are now able to get all the features bundled in one product with a very attractive price tag. Since it’s based on Android Gingerbread, user has the access to all Google applications and can have the ultimate experience. If one can get a Tablet at the price of a mobile phone then why not grab it.”

According to the company, the iXA Tab is a limited edition product priced at Rs 3,999. It has though not announced warranty and availability, or the booking process which will be revealed when the booking starts.

Makers of Ubislate, BSNL Pantel and Aakash had followed an identical bookings process – inviting people to pre-book the tablet and promised to deliver the devices later. However, all these tablets have been delayed and their makers have not been able to deliver the devices in a timely fashion.

However, given that Kobian has been in the tablet business for more than a year now with its Mercury tablets, they should be able to do better on that front.

But since it is a low cost tablet and bookings is expected to run in thousands of units, Kobian might have difficulty in coping with the demand just like others in the space.

Yes, the Touchtype is only the latest in a long line of iPad keyboard cases, but it does manage to innovate where others have fallen short. Obviously, and most importantly, the Touchtype is designed around the Apple Wireless Keyboard, making it the first iPad case designed to hold a keyboard that is of desktop dimensions, making typing much more comfortable. While the keyboard isn’t incorporated into the case, it slots into a pocket in such a way as to minimize the case’s dimensions. Additionally, because the keyboard connects over Bluetooth, the iPad can be used horizontally or vertically, making portrait orientation typing possible.

The Touchtype is meant for those who value productivity above all else, and there are a few drawbacks that could scare away the average iPad user. As far as looks go, the Touchtype closely resembles your average folding iPad case, a far cry from the beautiful aluminum “Macbook style” looks of the Brydge keyboard. There’s also that nagging issue of not including a keyboard with the case, so if you don’t already own both an iPad and the Apple Wireless Keyboard, you might be better off finding a less expensive option.

The Touchtype is certainly an worthy tool for the iPad power user. If you feel cramped on smaller keyboards this may be your best bet. Recently launched on Kickstarter, the Touchtype is hoping to find funding to bring this product to market faster. Things are looking good on that front with the US$2,500 goal already being passed with still almost a month to go.

Kickstarter: Touchtype