Asus says there's no 3G Transformer Prime

A couple of weeks ago, various websites have reported that Asus would want to launch a 3G version of its Transformer Prime Android tablet. But this doesn't seem to be true. According to FocusTaiwan, today Asus stated that “no such product exists on its current roadmap.” However, the company expects to introduce 3G versions of future high-end devices included in the Transformer series. It's not clear yet if the new Transformer Prime TF700T (which has a 1920 x 1200 pixels display and a 2MP front-facing camera) will have a 3G version or not. We'll probably find out more on this closer to the TF700T's launch date - sometime in the second quarter of the year.   The original Asus Transfomer Prime (pictured above) was launched at the end of 2011 running Android Hoenycomb. Since then, updates to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for it have already started to be rolled-out. Asus hopes to sell up to 6 million Android tablets this year.

Windows 8 tablets could be priced right out of contention

Tablets were the talk of the Consumer Electronics Show this year, but not the same way they were last year. In 2011 we saw more than 100 slates unveiled, the lion's share of which were powered bu Android, and companies pushed hard to compete with Apple's iPad. This year, barely any Android tablets were shown off at the show, but a number of companies had nameless prototypes on hand that were intended to show us what Windows 8 will be capable of once it hits the market. Unfortunately, according to a new report, the fantastic “Wintel” tablets we saw on display at this year's show may end up with price tags that could deter most consumers and hurt Windows 8 tablets' chances right out of the gate. Read on for more. Citing anonymous sources from within notebook PC vendors, DigiTimes on Monday reported that Windows and Intel are unwilling to adjust costs to suppliers for their respective software and Clover Trail hardware. The result, according to the report, may be tablets priced in the $599 to $899 range. While this pricing would fall somewhat in line with Apple's iPad, consumers have shown no interest in most rival tablets priced so high. On one hand, pricing in the $599 to $899 range for a convertible touchscreen notebook running a full blown copy of Windows 8 would be an absolute steal. Up to $900 for a light-duty Windows 8 tablet, however, may not have the impact Microsoft is hoping for. DigiTimes notes that vendors may end up cutting costs by moving away from Intel and opting instead for ARM-based chipsets from other vendors including Qualcomm, NVIDIA and Texas Instruments.

Samsung plans tweaked Galaxy Tab 7.0N to skirt Apple patent complaints

Samsung is reportedly planning to launch a tweaked version of its Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus tablet in Germany. The Galaxy Tab 7.0N will likely offer many of the same features of the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus but with design changes that could help it avoid litigation from Apple. Apple and Samsung have been butting heads in courtrooms around the globe and Apple last year successfully banned Samsung's local subsidiaries from selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1. As a result, Samsung launched the Galaxy Tab 10.1N, which has also been the subject of ongoing patent litigation. The Galaxy Tab 7.0N is expected to cost about $770 without carrier subsidies.

All white Samsung Galaxy Tabs emerge in Vietnam

Samsung has released white versions of several of the company's mobile devices lately. While the back of the various devices would be white, the front bezel around the screen typically remained black - that is, until now.  It would appear that Samsung has been working on a white bezel to integrate into the company's future milky-colored devices;  a white Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus have emerged in Vietnam and feature truly all white design. The specs of the Tab 10.1 and Tab 7.0 Plus remain unchanged, reports claim. No pricing or availability details have been announced.

All-white Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus spotted in Vietnam, may be launching soon

It looks like both the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus are about to get a new paint job. White, to be precise. And yes, we do know that in some territories you've been able to buy these tablets in white for quite a while now. But this is all-white we're talking about. See, up until now the white versions of the tablets have retained the black front fascia, with only the back side being clad in white. But that may change in the future. A Galaxy Tab 10.1 and a Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus with the front bezel in white as well have just been spotted in Vietnam. Here they are: Definitely… whiter than the currently selling models. For fans of the color, that's great news. Unfortunately though, we don't know exactly when these will be in stores just yet. But that info should be leaked (or officially announced) soon, and we'll let you know when that happens.

Motorola Xoom drips with Ice Cream Sandwich update

It seems that the Motorola Xoom tablet has started to receive the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich updates since yesterday, where Motorola did tease the update beforehand via e-mail to lucky Xoom owners, “Thanks for your patience as we've waited for this project to begin. Because we are dealing with a Google Experience Device (GED) we have less insight to timing than we would usually have. However, I'm happy to announce that we will start the update this evening. Because it was delayed a few days, we will also have additional time to test; we will let it run through the weekend.” At point of publishing, it seems as though a few thousand select Xoom Wi-Fi owners will be on the receiving end of the update as part of an initial and private test. Assuming there are no grouses or complaints, Motorola intends to roll out Ice Cream Sandwich to the masses from late Thursday onwards, all the way through to the weekend (and beyond, perhaps?). Are you one of the select few hand-picked by Motorola to enjoy Ice Cream Sandwich for your Xoom Wi-Fi?

The Mystery of Panasonic's “Skype Tablet”

Panasonic teased attendees of CES 2012 with a device they call a “Skype tablet.” The silver-colored device features a 7-inch LCD screen, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a webcam at the front, and an SD card slot at the back. Unfortunately, this tablet was pulled out of the Panasonic booth–out of nowhere and for undisclosed reasons–before the public could get their hands on it. The booth's staff are not even helpful when asked about this mystery device. But anyway, you can check out more photos about it at the source link. We will provide you with updates about this so-called Skype tablet once it becomes available.

ICS-Powered Ainovo Novo7 Paladin Available for United States

Whenever you hear about a tablet that costs lower than $100, one thing comes to mind: fire sale. So it comes as a surprise to the people who attended the CES 2012 to see an Ice Cream Sandwich-powered tablet that is intended to sell at just $79. China-based MIPS introduces its Ainovo Novo7 Paladin budget tablet. It is currently available in its home land, but if you want it shipped to the United States, it might cost you more due to shipping and handling fees. MIPS assures the consuming public, however, that the added price would be around the industry standard. It may not be the slimmest tablet in the market, but it has decent specs for a $79 tablet. The device features a 7-inch screen with 800 x 480 resolution, an core MIPS-made single-core 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, Android 4.0, 8GB of storage, a headphone jack, miniUSB port, volume buttons, and a microSD card slot for expandable memory. It also comes with three buttons on top of it: power, back, and menu. But since the Ainovo Novo7 Paladin is a sub-100 tablet, expect some features to be absent. Cameras or GPS are no show on this tablet, for instance. If you want a camera, however, you can shell out $20 more for a $99 Novo7 basic.

Original Asus Eee Pad Transformer will get its Android 4.0 update by early February

If you have the original Asus Eee Pad Transformer tablet, you're probably envious at those who have the newer Transformer Prime in their possession, since that gadget has already received an update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. But you shouldn't be upset, for Asus hasn't forgotten about its first Android tablet. And the original Transformer will get the update too, “by early February”. That's what Asus told Android Police. The update will go out in Taiwan and the US first, meaning that if you're elsewhere in the world you may need to wait some more after that. However, Asus Singapore recently said, on Facebook, that the update would start rolling out around the end of January. So best case scenario – end of January, worst case – beginning of February. Again, that's probably only valid in Taiwan, the US, and Singapore, but we can't imagine the update taking longer than a few weeks to reach the rest of the world.

Asus Transformer Prime getting Ice Cream Sandwich by early February

Do you happen to own an Asus Transformer Prime tablet? Also known as TF101 if you are into model numbers and the like, Asus did promise the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update to Transformer Prime owners last week, touting that it will roll out shortly after the one for the Prime, so that means any time after today (January 12th). Since Ice Cream Sandwich for the Prime was introduced earlier, followed by Asus Singapore's Facebook posting that went “Hi Gabriele Gab, are you referrring to TF101? If so, it will be getting the update as well tomorrow. Thanks.” (emphasis mine). I suppose someone at Asus made a boo-boo, since it was subsequently retracted, and as you can see, the Asus US representative had to do some firefighting by letting all and sundry know the real situation. While the ICS update for the original Transformer TF101 will roll out by early February, it will happen in the US and Taiwan first before the rest of the world.