Kindle Touch Available in Australia… But at What Price?

At this point in time Amazon will only ship the Kindle Touch WiFi to Australia.  Up for preorder now on both BigW and Dick Smith is the Touch WiFi for $185AU for release on March 5th and the Touch 3G for  $249AU for release on the 13th of March. The only question I've got is why ? To grab a Touch WiFi direct from Amazon is only $150.98US shipped, which is even less in $AU with the Aussie Dollar so high at the moment. I suppose it's for those people who aren't internet savvy or don't like buying online and would rather support local suppliers. The $30AU+ difference could certainly purchases a few Kindle Books

Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 gets Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update

At long last – just like how true love can stand the test of time, so too, do hardcore fans of the Asus Eee Transformer (TF101) have the kind of patience to wait for the long promised Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update. Having seen delays for not once but several times already in the past, we are pleased to announce that Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is now available for the Eee Pad Transformer. Too bad Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is currently the desert of the day for folks living in Taiwan, although Asus did promise that it will arrive in other regions in due time. Here is what Asus says about the situation below. Dear valued ASUS fans, ASUS prides itself on delivering the best products to end-users, which means that we not only aim to deliver innovative products but also to continue improving the out of box experience throughout their life cycle with regular firmware updates. Many of our Eee Pad Transformer TF101 users have waited patiently for the promised Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update and we are delighted to announce that the first wave of FOTA updates for TF101 firmware v.9.2.1.11 started today in Taiwan. The update will FOTA in other regions soon after. Although we will announce several new innovations at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week, we take great pride in delivering on-going enhancements and support for products that are well into their life cycle. Thank you once again for your valued support!

Asus Transformer TF101 Android 4.0 ICS update rolling out now in Taiwan, tomorrow in the US

Last week, Asus let the world know that its original Transformer TF101 tablet would get an update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich either this month, or in March. Luckily for the device's owners, the update (firmware version 9.2.1.11) has started rolling out now - at least in Taiwan. Asus Transformer owners over in the US will get the update starting tomorrow, February 24. Other regions should follow shortly after. You can find out more details here at Asus.

ViewSonic ViewPad G70 Coming to MWC 2012

ViewSonic is set to make waves at next week's MWC with a new, Android ICS-sporting 7-inch tablet. The ViewPad G70, which is said to be a much-premium successor to the budget-friendly E70 introduced during CES, is expected to be priced at about $350 range. The upcoming tablet comes with Android 4.0, a 1024 x 600 resolution display, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, microSD card slot, and 3G radio. And it would not just be a device carrying an Android software, but a Google-certified tablet. This means you would not have to worry about downloading apps from the Android Market as well as access to all Google services. Not much details have been provided, so do not ask us about the processor, the presence of HDMI, and microUSB. But what we do know is that the tablet is armed with dual cameras, with the rear being a mere 2 megapixels. All will be confirmed by next week as ViewSonic shows off the ViewPad G70 in Barcelona.

Harris RF-3590 Rugged Tablet

When it comes to tablets, it seems that people only have their minds set on the Apple iPad. But with all its popularity, the iPad tablet may not quite make it when it comes to tough and rugged use. When tablets are to be used in more challenging situations like having to face the harsh elements most of the time, the rugged ones like the new Harris RF-3590 may be a more ideal option. The Harris RF-3590 Rugged Tablet is designed mainly for military grade functions. It is built for tough and rugged situations and capable of providing critical data and information when needed. It is powered by a 1.5GHz dual core processor, a 2GB LPDDR2 RAM, runs with the Android Honeycomb OS and with 128GB internal non-volatile memory. It also comes with a 2MP front facing camera and an 8MP rear facing camera as well as a 7-inch touchscreen display. It supports 3G, Bluetooth 4.0, Wireless 802.11n, and commercial GPS connectivity. The Harris RF-3590 Rugged Tablet is designed for tough battleground situations but may also be ideal for some other use at the homefront. There's no word yet on its availability or pricing.

Asus bootloader unlocking tool for Transformer Prime

Yes, it was just yesterday that we brought you news of the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 receive the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update after numerous delays and disappointments over the months, but here we are with something else that ought to cheer up Transformer Prime owners – Asus has just rolled out their bootloader unlocking tool (as promised) that can be retrieved directly from the official Asus support site. Bear in mind that this bootloader unlocking tool is compatible only with Prime tablets that are powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and above. If you happen to download the application and run it on your Transformer Prime, you can then install custom operating software onto your tablet after that. Asus has one caveat though – unlocking the bootloader is a one way ticket to warranty obliteration that kicks in the very instant. It is also linpossible – sorry, impossible to recover the tablet back to its original locked state. Have you given the bootloader unlocking tool a go yet?

Harness the Power of the Sun for Your Kindle

At this year's CES, Solarmio introduced the world's first solar e-reader cover for the Kindle and subsequently became a Design and Engineering Award honoree for the same device. The SolarKindle is a protective case with a solar panel affixed to the front, an internal backup battery, and a built-in LED reading light.  The Kindle “snaps” into place in a form-fitting interior compartment.  When the case is exposed to sunlight, it will start charging the Kindle.  Once the Kindle is at full capacity, it switches over and gives a charge to the internal battery, which powers the LED reading light.  If sunlight isn't available, the Kindle can be charged using this battery as well.  Since charging times depend on sun intensity and other factors, a rough estimate is that an hour of direct sunlight will provide a Kindle with up to three days of power. Right now this case is only compatible with Kindle 4, with products being planned for the Kindle keyboard, Kindle Touch, and other models in the future. The SolarKindle case is available through Solarmio for $79.99

Aura Slate on the cheap, welcomes hacking

Android's open nature as an operating system is one of the main “selling points”, and we have seen the benefits of it in the past such as custom ROMs, not to mention an approval-free Market. Of course, just as how every situation has their fair share of pros and cons, you might end up with spoilt ROMs that do nothing else but brick your device – not a good thing at all. Well, let us look at the glass half full today with the Aura Slate's release, where the company's own website invites one to tinker around with their motto, “Mischief encouraged, Hackers welcomed.” Already having two Android-powered tablets under their Aura Slate brand that come in 10″ and 7″ form factors, they seem to carry similar specifications such as an ARM Cortex A9 processor at 800MHz, a Gorilla Glass display, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich right out of the box. The 7″ Aura Slate retails for just $139 a pop, and budding developers who want to give the Android platform a go with their talents might just want to check it out.

CyanogenMod 9 for HP TouchPad gets nightly builds

We have seen the extremely alpha build of CyanogenMod 9 for the now defunct HP TouchPad in January this year, and here is additional news on the progress of the situation. It seems that nightly builds of CyanogenMod 9 Alpha are now available, and you will be able to take advantage of these nightly builds by synchronizing it with the main development branch of CM9 across all devices, making sure that the TouchPad version will always be on the receiving end of the latest updates. Of course, just because there is a new build each night, this does not mean you need to install it each night. Most of the time, the changes are not earth shattering, but rather, in small increments that you might not even notice. Teamwin are the brains behind this exercise, where they have come up with a Twitter account that will alert the world with new download links each time there is a spanking new build released. Of course, if you prefer to look for the information yourself, then you can always check out the latest builds at a download page.

Asus Transformer TF300T features uncovered: Android 4.0 ICS, Tegra 3 quad-core processor

Earlier this month, a new and mysterious Asus Android tablet was unveiled: the Eee Pad Transformer TF300T. We didn't know much about it back then, but we do know, thanks to Polish website Tabletowo. Reportedly, the Transformer TF300T runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (which isn't at all surprising), and features a 10.1 inch display with 1280 x 800 pixels, 1.2GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, MicroHDMI, 8MP rear camera, 1.2MP front-facing camera, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal memory, MicroSD card reader, and docking station connector. The tablet weighs 640grams and measures 180,8 x 263 x 9,9 mm.