YTechCity.com

Let’s face it, the biggest issue everyone has with the BlackBerry PlayBook (even BlackBerry fans), is that there is not native email or messaging client on the device. The only way to get email on the PlayBook is by tethering it with a BlackBerry phone. Even for someone with a BlackBerry phone, this is a hassle. Also, tethering your phone is always going to bring down battery life and that’s not a good thing either.

PlayBook owners can rejoice because this is all going to change, for the good.

While announcing RIM’s Q2 Fiscal 2012 Results Announcement, Jim Balsille, co-CEO of the Canadian tech firm has confirmed that a “major feature update” is coming soon to the BlackBerry PlayBook.

The update will be shown off at BlackBerry DevCon next month and will be made available “shortly after”. Version 2.0 of the PlayBook software will bring the much needed native email, contacts and calendar to the device.

In addition, the update will also bring The BlackBerry Video to the PlayBook and along with it access to over 10,000 movies and TV shows and ability to stream these content via HDMI on your TV. We don’t think BlackBerry Video will be of any use here in Malaysia because we lack of required content.

What is of a lot of use will be the Android App Player that is coming with the PlayBook OS update which will allow the PlayBook to run Android apps. We can’t wait to see how that’s going to work.

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Toshiba is putting its tablet on a serious diet with its latest AT200 tablet having a thickness of only 7.7mm. That’s 0.9mm thinner than Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (8.6mm) and 0.16mm thinner than the latest Galaxy Tab 7.7 (7.86mm). It is also lighter too at 558g which is just 7g lighter than the Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Despite having paperweight dimensions, the Toshiba AT200 is no slouch. The previous model, the Toshiba Thrive AT100 boast having a full range of ports possible – full sized USB, mini USB port, standard size HDMI port and even a full SD Card slot. Unfortunately the AT100 was a monster in size at 16mm thickness with 725g of weight. For this new version, it still offers a variety of ports – micro USB, micro SD card slot and a micro HDMI port. Powering it is a 1.2GHz TI OMAP 4430 processor, 1GB of RAM and it also runs on the latest Android 3.2 honeycomb OS. There’s a 5MP camera at the back and a 2MP camera at the front.

Design wise it looks pretty sleek especially with its brushed metal back. The front looks awfully similar to a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 minus the obvious front facing camera at the top. As usual, no details of availability and we are not sure if Toshiba will be bringing this at all to Malaysia.

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HTC has revealed two new WP7 smart phones – HTC Titan and the HTC Radar. Both devices come with latest Windows Phone 7.5 Mango and existing HTC WP7 devices is said to be getting Mango update starting from mid this month.

The HTC Radar is a smaller device with a 3.8? screen that resembles a HTC Flyer-like colour scheme design. Earlier on this was rumoured as the HTC Omega. In terms of design, the HTC Radar stands out with its single piece metal build which we’ve seen on selected HTC devices.

Instead of a 1.5GHz processor, the Radar use a lower spec 1GHz single core processor, comes with 512MB RAM and 8GB of internal storage. In terms of optics, the Radar has a lower LED flash assisted 5MP but it also features a F2.2 lens with a BSI Sensor for low light photography. For the front, it has a VGA resolution camera. The Radar is juiced up with a 1520mAh Lithium Ion Battery.

HTC Titan which has a gigantic 4.7? screen which does 800×480 resolution. Despite its huge screen, the Titan’s unibody design is only 9.9mm thick. It’s also big on the inside, with a 1.5GHz processor, 512MB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. Since it has a large 4.7? screen, the Titan is also an entertainment device with integration with HTC Watch, Xbox Live and Zune.

One of the main highlights is its camera. While 8MP main camera is common these days, the Titan offers a F2.2 lens with a BSI sensor which gives you optimal pictures even in low light conditions. We’ve yet to see any sample shots and we are eager to see how it compares to the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc and Nokia N9. Since photography plays a vital role, both HTC Titan and Radar has a dedicated camera button that lets you go straight into camera mode without unlocking the screen. There’s also a 1.3MP camera at the front. Powering the device is a 1600mAh Lithium Ion Battery.

When Apple introduced the iPad 2, the Smart Cover also debuted as a new accessory for the device. Apple designed the iPad 2 with magnets that interface with the Smart Cover to wake the device from sleep when opened.

The iPhone’s virtual keyboard is a fantastic replacement for a physical keyboard, but some consider the lack of physical buttons to be the iPhone’s main downfall. A genius new concept takes the Smart Cover approach to offering a detachable physical keyboard for the iPhone…

Highlighted by Mobiflip, the SmartKeyboard concept, by Jing Yang, illustrates a tactical keyboard that can be removed and attached to the iPhone like the iPad’s Smart Cover. Instead of a slide out keyboard solution, the SmartKeyboard could be easily taken off the iPhone when not in use. This would give those that need a physical keyboard for typing longer emails or documents a temporary attachment.

This concept is sleek, beautiful, and totally Apple-like. The keyboard even has backlit keys. The SmartKeyboard would simple attach to the bottom of the iPhone with magnets. The only downside is that the keyboard would cover the home button when in use. But if you’re using the SmartKeyboard to type for longer periods of time, switching in and out of apps isn’t really that big of a deal.

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Apple has just pushed out iOS 5 beta 7, another over the air (OTA) update for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

It apparently hasn’t shown up in Apple’s development portal yet, but I imagine it will shortly along with the Apple TV beta 7, iTunes 10.5 beta 7, Xcode, and perhaps new iCloud betas.

Developers also can update the iOS 5 beta 7 over-the-air like the iOS 5 beta 6, it means that you need to go to Settings.app >Software Update tab to update your iOS over-the-air. Or, you download from Apple’s developer center now, here.