RIM Denies PlayBook Delays/Battery Life Reports.

Two days ago, reports started circulating that RIM was having a difficult time with their new QNX OS and getting its power consumption under control on the PlayBook tablet. Such an argument is at least plausible given QNX’s origins — automotive and networking equipment. Such platforms aren’t normally designed with battery efficiency in mind. RIM however, has come forward and denied the reports of battery woes and PlayBook delays, and goes on to blame any current negative accounts as flawed and based off of “pre-beta units”:

Any testing or observation of battery life to date by anyone outside of RIM would have been performed using pre-beta units that were built without power management implemented. RIM is on track with its schedule to optimize the BlackBerry PlayBook’s battery life and looks forward to providing customers with a professional grade tablet that offers superior performance with comparable battery life

You didn’t expect RIM to actually voice any problems, did you? Nevertheless, problems or not, the PlayBook certainly has a lot of attention. It will be interesting to see just how well RIM utilizes QNX.

Android-Powered Creative Zen Touch 2 PMP Makes FCC Appearance.

With smartphones and do-it-all tablets, the traditional PMP has kind of lost its luster. Though cramming Android into said gadgets is helping prolong their lives a tad, turning them into “mini” tablets of sorts. On that note, the Creative Zen Touch 2 that was revealed and released in Europe many weeks back has made an official FCC appearance meaning a U.S. release is drawing closer. For those who need a quick refresher, the Zen Touch 2 features Android 2.1, 3.2-inch resistive (what?!) 480 x 320 display, GPS/WiFi (b,g,n)/Bluetooth 2.1 and a 2-megapixel camera. Other honorable mentions include an accelerometer, built-in speaker and microphone, and microSD card slot adding to the stock 8 GB or 16 GB storage offerings.

Currently, the Zen Touch 2 retails for £149.99 or £159.99 (8 GB/16 GB) in Europe. Translated for American dollars that comes out to roughly $230 and $250 respectively. Being that many higher-end smartphones can be had for the same price or less, we’d like to see Creative chop the price down a tad. Though in defense, a PMP can be likened to an unlocked phone — no subsidy = large up front cost. Check back for release date info and official pricing once it becomes available.

The Malanta: Another Tegra 2 Tablet Comes Forward.

It seems tablets are the netbooks of 2010/2011. Every time you turn around, someone is bringing another one to market. While we have some notables like the iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab, there are literally dozens of tablets by smaller companies that never quite make it into the limelight. One such tablet is the Malanta A1101. The Nvidia Tegra 2 processor clocked at 1GHz, 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 display and optional 32 GB of storage are certainly high-end specs. But specs alone don’t make a great tablet. Highlighting this is the fact that it runs Android 2.1 (Eclair). As awesome as Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) is, it’s not meant for tablets. So 2.1 is even less so. But the proverbial nail in the coffin comes from Netbooknews.com who gave the underdog tablet some hands on time. Their conclusion: nothing special. Netbooknews even goes as far as to warn potentially interested customers the names the tablet will be sold under depending on region: “The Interpad from e-Noa, the LuvPad AD10 from Mouse Computer , the FlatPad A10T from FlatComputing & the Hannspree tablet”.

Doesn’t sound very promising. But we’ll let you judge this one for yourselves. Check out video walkthrough after the jump…

Motorola XOOM to Gain 4G/LTE Capability Via PCI Express Card.

Yesterday we showed you the Motorola XOOM — the supposed “first” Android tablet to make use of Android 3.0/Honeycomb. Besides the stunning looks and capable internal hardware, we highlighted the device’s lack of any 4G service built in. To some, this is serious flaw. But we acknowledged that an external solution might in fact end up being better for everyone involved — cheaper to produce without 4G built in, so the people that actually want it can buy a separate adapter (example shown above). The card is said to be of the PCI Express kind, though no price is currently available.

A separate external modem seems the best route to go here as it will help keep overall manufacturing costs down. At the same time, you can’t lose an internal cellular modem. And those things are tiny…

New Report Pegs CDMA iPhone Announcement Before Valentines Day.

Tonight, a report published by Bloomberg claims that Apple may announce the Verizon iPhone no later than Valentines Day, 2011. I know what you’re thinking: “Ugh, another Verizon iPhone post”. But try as you might, you can’t escape the fact that such a device is a huge deal in the tech community right now, and will continue to be until the highly sought after device is eventually released. Though in regards to the report, how likely is it really that the general public will actually hold a Verizon iPhone in their hands before the summer of 2011? Not likely. Here’s why…

Europe Gets it: New Law Mandates Micro-USB Chargers for All Cellphones in 2011 and Beyond.

Europeans will have a much easier time finding chargers for their phones in 2011 and beyond. A law that has been several years in the making will go into effect and mandate that all phones be able to charge via micro-USB. The list of manufacturers who came together to support the law is surprisingly large and includes many big name companies including Apple, LG, Motorola, RIM, and Samsung to name a few…

250 GB Android Tablet Unveiled by ARCHOS. #archos

Android tablets are set to become the “big thing” in 2011, with scores of manufacturers looking to whittle away at the iPad’s dominance. On that note, consumer electronics company ARCHOS, announced a tablet of their own today. Officially going by the name of “ARCHOS 70″, the 7-inch tablet looks to set the standard for Android tablets moving into 2011. And on paper at least, it looks like as if it will be able to hold its own in the current market. But against the upcoming crop of Android tablets such as the Motorola XOOM and iPad 2, we’re not so sure anyone will remember the ARCHOS’ name at the end of the night:

• Processor: 1GHz ARM Cortex A8

• Display:: 7-inch 800 x 480 TFT LCD

• Storage:: 250 GB hard drive

• Operating System: Android 2.2 (Froyo)

• Price: $350

At $350, it’s cheaper than stand alone tablets from many other manufacturers. Though if you’re willing to sign over a couple years of your life to the carrier of your choice, you can net yourself a tablet for much cheaper. We’ll be sure to give the ARCHOS 70 a thorough hands-on inspection next week at CES. Check back then.

Press release after the jump…