When Apple released iPhone, it was exciting and only the start of the touchpad revolution. Of course, it was not the first touchpad, but it was certainly the most commercially available and marketed. Apple and the rest of the world knew it was only a matter of time before the competition revealed their own take on the iPhone technology, and now that time has come.

The iPhone may have been the first mainstream phone on the market with the high end combination of touchpad and media capabilities, but it will most certainly not be the last. Already concept phones from major manufacturers are making waves, and some are arriving on the market. With the holiday season fast approaching manufacturers are starting to push to get their newest concepts out for retail as quickly as possible.

Samsung F700
Samsung recently announced the F700 which puts the competition game into overdrive. This is Samsung’s first touch pad phone, and they have done an outstanding job. The phone features a 5 megapixel camera, download speeds up to 7.2 Mbps, the essential touch pad and a full slide out QWERTY keypad.

This keypad is the prime feature of competition as the iPhone does not have one and many iPhone users are annoyed with trying to use the touchpad keyboard. The QWERTY keyboard may be a welcome relief for those that like a little give when they type. (more…)

There is a new wave of technology heading toward school aged children in poor countries. Special computers designed to be used in rugged conditions and requiring very little power have been designed and are available for $188. XO, the company behind the computers, originally planned the machines to be only $100, but the final product ended up retailing at almost $200.

For two weeks in the middle of November, XO will be offering a “buy one, send one” special. The rugged little computers will be available for sale for $400. When you purchase one, you will get your own machine for any purpose you like and the profits will pay for another computer. That computer will be sent to a child in a rugged country.

The computers are small in design with green and white casing. They are laptops outfitted with Linux and built-in wireless networking. While there is hope the computers will one day use Windows, the unusual specifications of the machines make it hard to predict how well that operating system would work. (more…)