Sony Chief Confirms Honeycomb Tablet is Coming
Sony CEO Howard Stringer has confirmed that Sony will be releasing an Android tablet this year, telling the Nikkei newspaper that the US will see its Honeycomb-powered device launched by the “end of the summer.” There are hopes that the tablet Stringer references confirms the existence of a PlayStation Certified Tegra 2-powered tablet that features a special “wrap” design.
According to Engadget, the new tablet could have a 9.4-inch display with a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, featuring VAIO content creator, Qriocity media streaming platform and PlayStation gaming. Bravia technology. USB ports and infra-red ports are also reportedly to be included.
Stringer was said to have announced Sony was developing a tablet at the same event where he also let slip the electronics giant was to supply Apple with 8-megapixel sensors for its new iPhone model. This was reportedly confirmed later by a spokesperson from Sony, issuing a statement saying that the company “plans to introduce the tablet into the market by the end of this year.”
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Firefox 5 to get major social media, UI, and tab upgrades
On the heels of the freshly released Firefox 4 is the news about the details of the next version of Firefox. The browser will reportedly receive significant UI revisions and feature updates that will make Firefox more social, as well as adopt several features that are already working well in Google’s Chrome browser.
A report from ConceivablyTech says that the new features will include:
1. Tab multi-select similar to a feature that has recently become available in Chrome nightly builds (Chromium) as well. Users can simply select more than one tab and close or move them – or convert them in app tabs.
2. A new tab page
3. Add-ons with standardized toolbar support
4. A file upload indicator
5. No more Home button. Instead, Mozilla will be adding a permanent Home app tab.
6. In-browser preview: Firefox will also get an integrated PDF viewer (like Chrome) and will extend this capability to more popular file formats, including MP3.
7. Taskbar web apps: We have discussed this feature already previously, but have not seen any more developments around it. Tabs will get their own context menus that can be configured by website owners. Websites will act much more like traditional apps and core features as well as navigation items will be accessible via the site tab.
8. Identity management: Firefox 5 will be able to keep you signed in to websites via an integrated identity manager and even support multiple sign-ons at the same time.
9. A more fly sharing feature: there will reportedly be a new paper plane logo in the URL bar that provides access to your social media accounts, such as Facebook, Twitter as well as other services such as Reddit, Digg or StumbleUpon. You can add social accounts and “share” websites directly from your URL bar. there is no need for clicking a “Like” button.
ConceivablyTech is also reporting that all these goodies could come in just a matter of weeks.
Microsoft Windows 8 with ribbon interface coming soon
Microsoft has reportedly released a preview build of Windows 8, and thanks to some of its partners, the web is abuzz about a new ribbon interface. The ribbon is allegedly similar to that used previously in Microsoft Office, and replaces drop-down menus with a tabbed toolbar at the top of the page. While some may love it for its clarity, others may find its taking up a lot of space slightly objectionable.
The inclusion of the ribbon may be due to the growing popularity of tablet PCs with their touch-based interface. And Microsoft’s already confirmed that Windows 8 will run on tablets. Also leaked was a new Welcome screen similar to the Metro design used in Zone and Windows Phone. It reportedly appears to show the time, day of the week and date, along with icons for power management and ease of access. No date has for the release of Windows 8 has been announced yet, but speculations are that it will be early next year.
