iPad Mini 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 3: Which is Your Expect?

Recently we have seen so many smart phones and tablets being announced and/or launched by giants like Samsung, Nokia, Sony and HTC. It is now time for Apple devices like iPad Mini 2, iPad 5 and the iPhone 5S to get the spotlight. However, Apple always keeps silent when it comes to reveling its iDevices' specs. A direct consequence of Apple's silence is a plethora of rumors appearing as people try to guesstimate the specs of Apple's upcoming iDevices.

Samsung is at the other side of the spectrum as they never shy away from offering details about their upcoming products, even though they are not really official yet. Thanks to the rumors and the numerous reports about the 2 most stunning devices of 2013: the iPad Mini 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, now I have enough to make a direct comparison between the 2 giant mobile devices.

• Release Date 

According to a few rumors from some time ago, Apple was said to release the iPad Mini 2 during this May. Those rumors were recently proved wrong when Tim Cook mentioned a fall launch for the company's iPad Mini 2. A September release seems likely.

There are no rumors regarding the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 release date, so we have to speculate. Samsung likewise may opt for a fall release for the next generation Galaxy Note, so our guesstimate for the release date of Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is September on 2013 IFA.

• Processor 

Apple's A7 system on a chip (SoC) is supposed to launch this Summer, in June or July. It is a faster SoC than the Apple A6X used in the iPad 4 and I think that it will be used in the iPad Mini 2.

The Exynos 5 Octa SoC will be available in the second quarter of 2013 and it is the fastest SoC available at the moment for any mobile device. It will also power the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 so that is a good news for those looking for performance.

• Battery 

Apple will probably make sure that its next iPad Mini tablet will have a battery that would assure a usage of about ten hours.

For the Galaxy Note 2, Samsung used a very powerful battery of 3100 mAh. The Galaxy Note 3 will probably use an even more powerful battery, necessary given an extra power that the Exynos 5 Octa SoC will bring. It is said that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will feature a 4000 mAh battery, making it superior to many other smartphones on the market. 

• Display 

When it comes to the iPad Mini 2's display, rumors mention a 7.9-inch screen running at a 2048 x 1536 screen resolution which is four times higher than the iPad Mini's resolution. The iPad Mini 2 is also rumored to be equipped with an IGZO display made by Sharp, a display that would make the tablet even slimmer than the actual iPad Mini.

So with the release of Samsung Galaxy Mega smartphones Galaxy Mega 5.8 and Galaxy Mega 6.3, many speculate that Samsung Galaxy Note 3’s screen will measure somewhere in the void between the 5.8 and 6.3 inch Mega smartphones. (If you are interested in Galaxy Mega 5.8 and 6.3, few days ago I have taken a full comparison between Galaxy Mega 5.8 and 6.3. You can make reference to it.)

• Camera 

Regarding the iPad Mini 2 cameras, there isn't much information available. However, we are pretty sure that the iPad Mini 2's cameras will have the following functions: iSight, FaceTime and Full HD video recording.

Samsung always equipped its devices with high quality cameras and the Galaxy Note 3 won't make an exception. The Galaxy Note 3 will probably come equipped with a high quality 13MP camera.

• Price 

It's probably safe to assume that Apple will follow its standard pricing patterns so that the iPad Mini 2 will most likely have the same price as the first iPad Mini.

The price for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is rumored to be up to somewhere around $800.

Okay, above 2 can be said to the most stunning mobile devices in the second half of 2013. So which is your expect? Welcome to share your thoughts!

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All You Need to Know about Google’s Fire-new Nexus 10, Nexus 4 and Nexus 7

What a pity to hear the news that Google's media event for its newest products is killed by hurricane Sandy. But based on its corporate blog, we have confirmed Google had originally been intended to announce its much-expected Nexus 10 tablet, Nexus 4 mobile, upgraded Nexus 7 tablet and even the updated Android 4.2 OS. So now let us take a deep look at all latest flagship devices from Google.

Google Nexus 10 tablet

As the first 10-inch tablet come to market under Google's Nexus brand, Nexus 10 has already attracted lots of attentions. Now it is on a par with Apple's iPad 4, Amazon's Kindle Fire and even Microsoft's Windows Surface. It can be said that abovementioned items are heating up the holiday sales season.

If you always keep eyes on the latest tech news, you must find that this 10-inch tablet comes with 2560 x 1600p screen resolution, which is the highest one in current tablet market and even beats the Retina Display of iPad 3 and iPad 4. Personally, this is the only one big bragging point on Nexus 10. Besides, inside the device is a dual-core 1.7 GHz CPU with 2GB of RAM. The Nexus 10 also features a 5MP rear camera and a 1.9MP front camera for video chat. Thanks to its 9,000mAh battery power, it can be used for 9 hours of continuous video playback and 500 hours standby time is available as well. Like what you expect, this device ships with freshest Android 4.2 and some new features like gesture typing are added to Nexus 7. Well, you can also find NFC, built-in micro-HDMI port and twin stereo speakers on this tablet.

Nexus 7 will go on sale on November 13. The 16GB version starts at $400, while 32GB is at $500. People in US, UK, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Canada and Japan are the luckiest ones to get this excellent tablet at the first time.

Google Nexus 4

As a product built with the cooperation between LG and Google, You will easily find that Nexus 4 picks up nearly all designs ideas from LG Optimus G, except for its Android 4.2 OS.

This mobile includes a 4.7-inch screen with 1280×768 resolution. What insides is a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 quad-core CPU, which is clocked at 1.5GHz and with 2GB RAM. An 8MP rear camera, 1.3MP front shooter, NFC, wireless charging can be found on Nexus 4 as well. No support for LTE, no Micro-SD card slot. It will be available in 8GB and 16GB version, which separately price at $299 and $399.

Perhaps you will be interested in its new feature called Photo Sphere, which supports you to take 360-degree panoramic images and upload them to Google+ and Google Maps. Just like Nexus 10, you can enjoy the Gesture Typing feature on Nexus 4 as well. This new flagship Android handset will be released on Nov. 13.

Google Nexus 7

An upgraded version for Google's best-selling product Nexus 7 comes out as well. Now, you can get 16GB Nexus 7 with a price at $199, get 32GB Wi-Fi version at $249, and get 32GB 3G version at $299.

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Windows Surface Tablet will Land alongside Windows 8 on October 26th

"The next version of our operating system, Windows 8, will be generally available on October 26, 2012. At that time, we will begin selling the Surface, a series of Microsoft-designed and manufactured hardware devices."

                                                                                                   
                                                                                                -----From Microsoft’s annual report

As many speculate, Microsoft’s first tablet, called surface, will be officially released on Oct. 26. Within the same day, the company’s Windows 8 operating system will roll out, which applies that the software giant has jumped into the tablet arena and will never rely on others to deliver on their version for windows 8 in mobile computing.

From Microsoft’s announcement, we have got that the Surface family will join in two shapes of Windows tablets. The first is with ARM processors and Windows RT, while the other is equipped with Intel processors and a full version of Windows 8. Microsoft is hoping to take the entire market that is currently ruled by Apple and Android tablets with their new Windows 8 tablets, however, with so many top-notch tablets existing in up-to-date marketplace like newly-released Nexus 7, iPad, Samsung Galaxy Note, Kindle Fire, how can Microsoft Surface Tablets complete in this crowded market? Here let me share you the recognized specs of Windows 8 Surface Tablets.

Windows 8 Surface Tablet specs:

The Pro version:

Release Day: Oct. 26, 2012

Price: No retail prices for all Surface tablets have been revealed, but Microsoft has claimed that the tablets will being a competitive selling price.

Dimensions: 13.5 mm thick

Weight: 903g

Processor: Intel Core i5 Ivy Bridge processor

OS: Windows 8 Pro OS

Display: 10.6-inch ClearType Full HD Display and a kickstand for users to watch films conveniently

Memory: up to 128GB of memory

Battery life: 42 watt-hour battery

USB: microUSB 3.0

Other features: All devices ship with the option to attach two different physical keyboards to them to make writing tasks more comfortable.

It runs all the standard Windows desktop software like Word and Excel, as well as the Metro apps. It can even run Photoshop, and supports USB 3.0.

The RT Version:

Release Day: Oct. 26, 2012

Price: No retail prices for all Surface tablets have been revealed, but Microsoft has claimed that the tablets will being a competitive selling price.

Dimensions: 9.3 mm thick

Weight: 676g

Processor: ARM processor

OS: Windows RT OS

Display: 10.6-inch ClearType HD Display and a kickstand for users to watch films conveniently

Memory: coming with either 32GB or 64GB.

Battery life: 31.5 watt-hour battery

USB: microUSB v2.0
Other features: All devices ship with the option to attach two different physical keyboards to them to make writing tasks more comfortable.

It doesn't support standard Microsoft Office desktop apps; instead, it runs a limited functionality version of Office called "Office Home & Student" as well as Windows Explorer.

Are you interested in Microsoft’s Windows 8 Surface Tablet and planning to order one? Just let your opinions to be heard!