Either way, evidence is mounting that New Zealanders will be seeing the tablet in July.

What do you think? Is this what the real iPad 2 will look like, or is it a hoax?

The 10-inch tablet will be offered with either Windows 7 or Android 3.0 Honeycomb. The 7 and 5 inch tablets will be Android devices.

Long and slim, the 5-inch tablet is able to display a full web page when held horizontally without the need for horizontal scrolling. The device has also been dubbed a "superphone" to emphasise its 3G connectivity.

The other tablets are likely to be offered in 3G plus Wi-Fi or standalone Wi-Fi models.

Local launch dates are likely to be near mid 2011.

The ICONIA laptop features twin 14-inch displays and has an "intelligent touch engine" that recognises certain gestures to launch specific functions. Ten fingers on the lower screen will bring up the virtual keyboard and five fingers will launch the touch multimedia menu.

Screen content can also be dragged between screens and a browsing feature called "crop" allows you to select, cut and paste a chosen section of a web page to a favourited clip board. If you then subscribe to that crop you'll always be shown the latest version of that info from the original website.

Nokia's much-touted N8 will finally go on sale this Friday at Vodafone stores for $999. Telecom will add it to its range in the new year.
Top features include a 12MP camera and HDMI out to get those pics and videos on your HDTV.

Hitachi-LG Data Storage has developed a prototype data storage device that can automatically back up unused data to Blu-ray Disc cartridges, each capable of holding one terabyte (1TB) of data.

In day-to-day use it functions like a network-attached storage (NAS) unit with four hard-disk drive bays providing redundant storage. The difference comes in two additional slots for cartridges that hold eight discs.

Packed with Blu-ray Discs based on the new BDXL format, each cartridge can hold 1TB of data. BDXL was standardised earlier this year and offers 128GB of storage space on a write-once disc and 100GB on a rewritable disc. Each disc contains several recording layers.

The system is programmed to run automatic back-ups, transferring little-used data from the hard disks to the cartridge for back-up, the company said.

The cartridges also contain RFID chips that are intended to be read by a handheld scanner. The scanner would allow users to quickly find a particular file or find out what a cartridge contains.

For most consumers or professionals the creation of even a terabyte of data would take years, but users working with high-definition video can quickly generate massive amounts of data that needs to be archived. The system is meant for such users.

Hitachi-LG unveiled it at this week's Ceatec electronics show in Japan. It's still a prototype and isn't yet available. The company hopes to have it on the market sometime in 2011. The price is yet to be determined.
Martyn Williams

Samsung’s IT Solutions division took PC World through a day in the life of a typical modern notebook user, from student Jessica to lawyer Andrew and graphic designer Oliver. Although somewhat belaboured they made their point, people are on the go and want to be able to use their devices on their own terms and not have to wait on technology.

">
The SF series

Samsung’s new range of laptops, while not as scene stealing as the Galaxy Tab, are still designed to provide multifunctional mobility without compromising performance. They are also apparently the first on the market to offer the same design across an entire range.
Another world first is the Samsung N350 - an LTE-HSPA+ dual mode netbook. With this Samsung intends to show its commitment to the ”future of wireless network technology„ by equipping it with both standards so you can experience wireless at speeds comparable with fixed internet services. By having both you can also stay connected through a 3G network even in areas without LTE.

">
N350

Ever used your notebook on the go? Hate having to wait for it to boot up? Major highlights include Samsung’s FastStart technology, where you can literally open up your notebook, count to three and you’re ready to go. As Patrick Povel, global senior product manager, Mobile Computing explained, this is due to hybrid booting technology. Once you close the lid, all data is saved in the memory and on the hard drive so there is no loss of data for example, should you remove the battery. This feature should be integrated in most of Samsung’s IT products from October.

">
RF series

Another great feature of the range is an impressive battery life, from seven hours in the entry level models to 11 hours. PC World also liked the scene where Andrew and Oliver had to exchange a 287mb file in an area with no hotspot.
Using Samsung’s FileShare software, so long as one user has a Samsung device, the files can be transferred from pc to pc wirelessly. One a connection is made and a four-digit pin typed in, the files can be copied apparently seamlessly and easily.
Notebooks introduced during this launch included the QX, SF, NZ and RF series.