MSI unwraps Slider S20 hybrid tablet with Windows 8

MSI is well-known for showing tablets at Computex -- it even showed what amounts to the same tablets at two different shows. It's certainly shaking things up this year, however, with the Slider S20. We've seen hybrid tablet PCs before, but the Windows 8-toting S20 has a fairly slick tilting mechanism that locks the 11.6-inch touchscreen at an angle, turning the slate into a pseudo-laptop right on the spot. MSI is only willing at this early stage to mention a few key details, but it's promising at least one Slider S20 variant with a properly speedy low-voltage Ivy Bridge chip as well as 4GB of RAM, Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI and USB 3.0. Our friends at Engadget Spanish got an early look and found the tablet a bit chunky with a so-so display, but also thought that it looked like a "robust" design. Check our overseas companions' first impressions for more, and know that the Slider S20 is expected to reach Europe in September at €899 ($1,121) in its full Ivy Bridge glory along with a lower-powered model at €799 ($996).

Sony Unveils The Sony Xperia Go And Acro S

Sony unveiled the Xperia Go and Xperia Acro S yesterday and both are premium smartphones with tough-phone credentials. Sony have also posted two videos, which can be seen here,  of the smartphones online which give you an overview of the capabilities of the devices.

Of the two new smartphones the Xperia Acro S has the higher specification which includes a 4.3 inch 720p touch-screen. Both of the smartphone’s displays are made from scratch-resistant mineral glass and will still work with a wet-finger. 

The Sony Xperia Acro S also has IP55 and IP57 certification which means its both dust-proof and water-resistant. The mobile is powered by a dual-core 1.5 Ghz processor, has a 12 mega-pixel camera and runs on Android 4.0.

The Sony Xperia Go has a 3.5 inch Mobile Bravia touch-screen made from the same scratch-resistant mineral glass which works even with a wet finger. It’s tough-phone credentials are even better because it has IP67 certification meaning its dust-proof and resistant to being submerged in water up to 1 metre deep for 30 minutes. 

Sony’s Xperia Go has a 1 Ghz dual-core processor , 5 mega-pixel camera and will launch running on Android Gingerbread. However, an update to Android Ice Cream Sandwich will be coming to the smartphone. 

Both the Xperia Go and Xperia Acro S are due to launch in the third quarter of 2012 and once 3G gets any fresh information we’ll let you know.

Nokia Lumia 610 and Lumia 900 Coming to India in June

The Nokia Lumia 900 was showcased at the CES earlier in the year as an AT&T network exclusive with a  a 4.3-inch AMOLED screen with a 1.4GHz single-core processor. With time, the Finnish company released the Lumia 900 in other regions of the world.

Now, according to OnlyGizmos.com, it looks like Nokia is all set to launch the Lumia 900 in India as well. Industry sources suggest that Nokia launching its low-end Windows Phone powered handset, the Lumia 610, along with the Lumia 900 sometime in June. The Lumia 900 is expected to be priced at Rs 28,000 while the Lumia 610 will be priced at Rs 11,000.

Unlike the disastrous launch price of the Lumia 800, the pricing of both the handsets look pretty sensible. The performance of the Lumia 900  in the market would be doubtful because of the availability of Samsung’s S2 for around 27,000 and Galaxy Note at around 31,000.  The Lumia 610 though has decent chances of success in the price range it would compete. Given the appeal and simplicity of the Windows Mango interface coming in at a price of 11K, the device would be an interesting prospect.