novero shows off the Solana at Mobile World Congress 2012-- a 10" notebook with a tilting easel-style LED touchscreen users can double-boot to use either Windows or Android operating systems.

The flip-rotating design allows users to switch between notebook and tablet modes, while double-clicking a shortcut switches between operating systems. The device was first seen at the Intel CES 2012 as a prototype.

Inside are an Intel Atom dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 128GB of SSD storage (expandable via micro SD card, 3MP webcam and stereo loudspeakers. Connectivity comes through 3.5G (HSPA+), wifi and Bluetooth.

The Solana should launch in European markets on Q2 2012.

Go novero Solana

In an announcement surprising absolutely no one, Apple pats itself on the back and unveils the 3rd iPad-- now with an iPhone 4-style Retina display, upgraded A5X system-on-a-chip and "iSight" rear-facing camera.

The biggest feature, of course, is the Retina display. It handles an impressive 2048 x 1536 resolution (264 dpi), and Apple claims it has 44% more colour saturation than the iPad 2. Powering the device is the Apple A5X system-on-a-chip-- it lacks a quad-core processor (as earlier rumours suggested), but does carry x4 graphic cores. Apple claims the A5X has "four times the performance" than the Nvidia Tegra 3... but gives no mention of benchmarks used.

The rear-facing camera also get an upgrade-- the iSight camera consists of a 5MP sensor, 5-element lens, IR filter and ISP built-into the A5X chip. The same setup as the iPhone 4S, in other words. It records 1080p video and comes with image stabilisation and noise cancellation.

Connectivity comes through 4G LTE. Apple says the device has the "most wireless bands" ever, making it 3/4G ready world wide.

The iPad 3 is hitting the Apple Stores in the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Japan and the US on March 16 2012 (Apple's biggest rollout yet), with other markets to follow afterwards.

As to other Apple announcements, iOS receives an update to version 5.1 while iTunes gets to store movie purchases (as well as music) on the cloud-- ideal for use with the new Apple TV. No, not the mythical iTV/Apple TV set... just an update on the Apple STB. Like the iPad 3, the new Apple TV will also launch on March 16 2012.

Samsung adds yet an other tablet to the Galaxy series at Mobile World Congress 2012-- the Galaxy Note 10.1, an upsizing of the Galaxy Note phablet with Wacom S-Pen support.

Looking very similar to the Galaxy Tab, the Note 10.1 runs on Android 4.0 and carries a 10.1" WXGA display, 1.4GHz dual-core CPU, 1GB of RAM and up to 64GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD slot). It also has x2 cameras (3MP back, 2MP front) and connectivity via HSPA+ 21Mbps radio, wifi and Bluetooth.

More interesting is the S-Pen support-- with a number of optimised apps such as an updated S Note note-taking app, with new shape- and formula-matching functions. The tablet also includes pre-installed versions of Adobe Photoshop Touch and Ideas, complete with pressure sensitivity support.

Samsung also plans to release the S-Pen SDK, which should boost developer support somewhat.

Go Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

Asus announces an April 2012 launch for the PadFone at Mobile World Congress 2012-- the 4.3" smartphone with a 10.1" docking tablet, which in turn slots into an optional keyboard dock.

Think of it as a smartphone-tablet-notebook combo... or an excuse to sell lots of different docks.

Inside the PadFone are a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor together with an Adreno 225 GPU and 1GB of RAM. The display is a Super AMOLED handling 960x540 resolution, while the OS is Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich).

The tablet dock (or PadFone Station) has a 10.1" 1280x800 capacitative multi-touch display, with a battery Asus says boosts PadFone life by 500%. Using "Dynamic Display technology," it should alow seamless transition between regular phone and tablet displays.

Meanwhile the keyboard dock is very similar to the one the Transformer Pad Prime uses.

A rather unexpected announcement at MWC is the stylus headset-- allowing users to use the tablet as a sketchbook while handling phone calls (via Bluetooth-connected mic and speaker) when the Padfone is docked.

Go Asus PadFone