The Augen GenTouch78 tablet PC which recently hit K-Mart has apparently pirated some of the apps it carries, including, for one, the Android Market.

While Android is open source, core apps like the Android Market are closed source. As Google said to Laptop Magazine, “Augen included proprietary Google software in their product via an unauthorized vendor. Google only licenses its software to partners and OHA (Open Handset Alliance) members directly.”

People looked askance at the GentTouch78′s inclusion of the Android Market app because, to date, Google has only allowed smartphones to include the its app marketplace. The Dell Streak is technically a phone, as is the Samsung Galaxy Tab. The GenTouch78 is not.

Technically, therefore, Augen has pirated at least some of the version of Android running on the GenTouch78. Of course, the Android Market on the Augen doesn’t work. Clicking on an app doesn’t download it. If it can’t get a legal version of the Market on the GenTouch78, Augen just lost a big selling point for the tablet.

There are other ways to get apps onto a device, including sideloading or going to an alternative app store. None of those methods, however, are as easy to use, or as complete, as the Android Market.

According to an Apple Daily [Chinese] report published today, Taiwanese notebook maker Quanta Computer will take up the task of manufacturing RIM‘s much rumored “BlackPad” Tablet PC. The tablet PC joins the many other competing Android tablets in November 2010.

The tablet will come with support for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and can get 3G internet via a Blackberry smartphone connection. Guess what? The tablet device is expected to be priced at a very usual $500, and pre-orders will be taken sometime in September 2010 and be shipped through. Quanta plans to ship at least 2 million devices in 2010 itself, followed by 8 million in 2011.

Looks like Quanta/RIM are taking it too easy, with the competition they gotta face ahead. A killer feature would of course do the job, till then, who cares!

Apple’s iPad tablet, which was introduced in late January, is said to carry 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 design based microprocessor. However, many of the features that we had expected weren’t present like camera and video call. Taiwanese website Digitimes reported that Apple will unveil iPad with Cortex-A9 based processor next year. Once again, the smaller 7-inch iPad was mentioned and we believe that smaller iPads might actually be launched.

Earlier, we reported that Apple iPad and Samsung Galaxy S i9000 smartphone house processors based on the same Cortex A8 design. Now as per Digitimes Research, Apple is set to launch next generation 9.7-inch iPad equipped with Cortex-A9 design based CPU and 512MB RAM in the first quarter of 2011. Current generation iPad has 256MB RAM with Cortex-A8 based A4 chip.

This means Apple will double up the RAM and add more powerful processor in the next generation iPad. We’re betting that it will bring front panel camera (for video call) and iMovie application so that users can edit their videos on a larger screen just like on iPhone 4. Of course we’d like to see multi-tasking on it.

Furthermore, Digitimes Research also stated that Pegatron Technology will mass produce the CDMA version of iPhone for Verizon Wireless in U.S. and China Telecom in China. Verizon is rumored to show the CDMA iPhone at the CES 2011 and will start shipping it by the end of January 2011. Also, hard drive-less Apple TV with AMD’s Fusion family solution would hit production floors at the end of this year. This new Apple TV will have iPhone-like user interface with social networking integration.

It’s no secret that Apple has upgraded hardware whenever newer version of its product is launched. Hence, we’ll have to hold on our horses and wait for more reports to come out.

Now, this is going to be exciting. Did you know BestBuy is lining up a tablet? If you haven’t heard of this yet, let us tell you what you heard is true. A couple of pictures posted by CTO Robert Stephens have hinted that BestBuy is actually planning to roll out a tablet. To be launched via BestBuy’s Rocketfish product line, the new upcoming tablet could be designed to run version 2.2 of Google’s Android OS.

Though not many details are yet to come by, we expect the device to sport the looks similar to the HP Slate. The photographs posted on TwitPic by Stephens hint at that possibility. It is not just the looks; a closer look will tell you that the BestBuy tablet could have similarities with the HP Slate with regard to size, form factor, and connectors. The difference would be that the HP Slate runs Palm webOS, thanks to HP’s buyout of Palm earlier this year.

The BestBuy tablet could come out in the open as a follow up to rival  Kmart’s Augen Gentouch78, a 7.0-inch tablet computer that is driven by an 800MHz processor, Android OS, 256MBs of RAM, 2GBs of expandable memory . The Gentouch78 is being sold for $150. With BestBuy too ready with the tablet, this is what we call competition on the tablet PC space.

Microsoft’s table top computer is an impressive platform for multiplayer games that are designed to leverage the native multi-touch capabilities of the device. And Galactic Alliance is an excellent example of just what experiences titles can deliver on top of Microsoft Surface. The video embedded at the bottom of the screen features a demo of a tower-defense game put together by Vectorform.

Eric Havir, Sr. Manager, Digital Communications at Microsoft/Surface and two Vectorform representatives have taken Galactic Alliance out for a spin, and, by the looks of it, the title will win over gamers immediately. It is very easy to see how the combination of modern technology, arcade style and multiplayer support can make Galactic Alliance a very addictive game.

“Galactic Alliance is a four player strategy / arcade game that pits you and your fellow players against aliens determined to invade planet Earth. This addictive tower defense-like game draws you in with some easy waves of invaders at first, and then ramps it up. Soon all four players are working together to produce enough defensive weapons to keep the increasingly sturdy enemy fleet at bay. On the technical side, this game uses finger orientation supplied by the Surface platform to create a smooth co-operative or competitive gaming experience that you won’t find anywhere else,” Havir stated.

In the future, as the price of Microsoft Surface units will drop, making them affordable for the public, and not luxury items reserved for businesses, users will be able to enjoy similar experiences right in their living room. Of course, Microsoft Surface’s winning points are the fact that the device is capable of easily bringing people together, and allowing them to interact simultaneously with applications, be them games or not. At the same time, what makes Microsoft Surface a unique product is the NUI (natural user interface) implementation, with multi-touch, gesture-and object-recognition capabilities.

Network support company Lifeline IT and Surface specialist Xface, both Microsoft partners, unveiled the innovative Microsoft Surface to some 30,000 fashion and retail industry visitors at Graduate Fashion Week (GFW) in London on June 6-10 this year.

Microsoft Surface is currently only being used in the UK by selected museums and banks, so its presence at GFW was a major coup for Microsoft.

Surface was used to showcase the collections of final year students from the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) and it was the first time the technology has been used in a UK fashion environment.

Lifeline IT and Xface joined with UCA so the benefits of Surface could be demonstrated to a retail audience. Rather than displaying collections in static ‘look books’, Surface enabled students to show their work using an interactive forum.

Daniel Mitchell, founder and director of Lifeline IT said: “The fashion industry moves at an incredibly fast pace, so innovative technology that can help attract and retain customers is vital. We wanted to show the multiple-uses of Surface in a fashion environment, so Graduate Fashion Week was the perfect place to do this. The key thing about Surface is that you have to interact with it to see how the concept works – by launching at GFW, we could demonstrate the benefits to thousands of people.”

Microsoft Surface is a computing platform that responds to natural hand gestures and real world objects, helping people interact in a simple and intuitive way. Using the innovative touch screen, several users can manipulate and manoeuvre digital content, drive specific interactions with objects, and allow devices to connect and engage with it.

As part of the launch, Lifeline IT issued visitors with smart cards that could be placed on Surface to download the students’ portfolios. The information can then be retrieved after the event via a dedicated Web site.

“By getting students from across the UK to see how Surface works, we were educating the next generation of fashion retailers on how interactive technology like this can benefit retail businesses,” said Mitchell.

Added Alargarsamy Rajamannar, managing director of Xface, a dedicated Microsoft Surface partner that offers tailored solutions to small- and medium-sized business: “The launch was also a great example of collaboration between two Microsoft partners – Lifeline IT and Xface – to demonstrate the very best of Microsoft innovation to an influential audience.”

Commenting on the success of the presence of Surface at the event, UCA’s course leader for fashion, promotion and imaging Jules Findley said: “Being able to use Surface to show the students’ final collections was ground-breaking for UCA. The interest was incredible and the interactive nature of Surface meant key industry figures could download information about the students’ work and take away an actual record of what they had seen.”

A new resource available free of charge from Microsoft is designed to make it simple for developers building on top of Microsoft Surface to connect their applications to Bluetooth-enabled devices. The Microsoft Surface Bluetooth Connect Code Sample can be downloaded from the MSDN Code Gallery and help devs integrate Bluetooth connectivity in their Microsoft Surface applications, according to Eric Havir, Sr. manager, Digital Communications at Microsoft/Surface.

Just have a look at the video embedded at the bottom of the screen in order to get an idea of what capabilities can be added to a Microsoft Surface app with the new code sample. “It can be used to send content to Bluetooth equipped mobile devices – without the need for client-side applications,” Havir stated.

“The sample demonstrates sharing pictures, contacts and ringtones to a Bluetooth enabled mobile phone; with a whole range of additional possibilities enabling enhanced assisted sales, gaming, education, and communication scenarios,” he added.

It is important to note that the Microsoft Surface Bluetooth Connect Code Sample is designed for use with Bluetooth-capable mobile devices that support the Object Exchange Protocol (OBEX). “This code sample is designed for use with the Microsoft Surface 1.0 SP1 SDK and makes use of the .NET Bluetooth library binary file available from http://32feet.net/default.aspx. The sample code is provided ‘as-is’ and is not supported,” Havir noted.

Microsoft Surface SDK 1.0 Service Pack 1 is available directly from the Redmond company, but developers will have to pay for it, as it comes with a tabletop computing unit that isn’t exactly cheap. An alternative would be to access the Microsoft Surface SDK 1.0 SP1 Workstation Edition, offered free of charge, but that doesn’t provide access to a Surface unit. Still, developers can leverage the resources available in order to build applications that take advantage of the full capabilities Microsoft Surface has to offer, including content transfer via Bluetooth.

In an effort to raise consumer awareness of both Kinect and Chevrolet’s new electric car, the Volt, Microsoft and Chevy have announced a partnership to help promote one another’s products.

Starting this fall, you’ll be able to head to participating Chevrolet showrooms to get an early taste of Kinect Joyride. And once you have your own copy of the game this November, you can unlock an in-game Chevy Volt of your own by watching an advertisement for the car on your Xbox 360′s dashboard.

There’s even talk of outfitting Chevrolet dealers with Microsoft Surface tables to display information about the Volt, as well as letting customers download photos from their Joyride races. A “branded advertising experience” for Windows Phone 7 devices was also mentioned in the press release.

Announcements like these generally reek of meetings filled with dudes shouting nonsense like “synergistic paradigm shift,” but at least this doesn’t sound quite as offensive as the Yaris Xbox Live Arcade game. What’s your take on the Volt/Kinect cross-promotion?

In an effort to raise consumer awareness of both Kinect and Chevrolet’s new electric car, the Volt, Microsoft and Chevy have announced a partnership to help promote one another’s products.

Starting this fall, you’ll be able to head to participating Chevrolet showrooms to get an early taste of Kinect Joyride. And once you have your own copy of the game this November, you can unlock an in-game Chevy Volt of your own by watching an advertisement for the car on your Xbox 360′s dashboard.

There’s even talk of outfitting Chevrolet dealers with Microsoft Surface tables to display information about the Volt, as well as letting customers download photos from their Joyride races. A “branded advertising experience” for Windows Phone 7 devices was also mentioned in the press release.

Announcements like these generally reek of meetings filled with dudes shouting nonsense like “synergistic paradigm shift,” but at least this doesn’t sound quite as offensive as the Yaris Xbox Live Arcade game. What’s your take on the Volt/Kinect cross-promotion?

Those disappointed by the current crop of underpowered Android tablets and iPad clones might find something to like with Merel Technologies’ mTouch. For starters, it’s powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8GHz processor, sports a SATA 320GB hard drive, and has 4GB of DDR2 RAM. In addition, it supports up to 20 touch points on its LED-lit LCD screen and is tough enough to double as a drink coaster.

Oh, it comes in two sizes, 32 inches and 42 inches, and is actually a table tablet very much like the Microsoft Surface product.

That Merel Technologies, a tiny New York-based startup, is competing with the likes of Microsoft is not newsworthy. What is newsworthy about the mTouch is that it seems a viable alternative to Microsoft’s tabletop offering, on the surface at least (no pun intended).

Check out the spec comparison:

Specs alone don’t tell the story, however. Microsoft Surface utilizes a distinctive camera and infrared-spectrum image recognition system that does not rely on touch pressure to register movement. It provides Surface the ability to interact uniquely with specific objects. Merel’s mTouch is a touchscreen very similar to what you would find in a tablet, only scaled up and reinforced. It’s limited in terms of functionality.

But with Microsoft’s impressive tech comes a steep price. Microsoft Surface units start at $12,500, while the 42-inch mTouch runs only $4,200 and is manufactured completely in New York. In addition, Microsoft Surface runs via a lamp-powered DLP projector with a mean-life of approximately 6,000 hours. The mTouch uses LED strips that can last upwards of 50,000 hours and consume less power. Finally, the mTouch is more or less an open device. It runs a custom OS, complete with dedicated app store and SDK. However, if users want to load Android or Windows 7, they are free to do so.

Despite the limits of touch technology, the mTouch table tablet has a handful of impressive features, including gesture recognition and integrated sharing and email functionality, which mTouch CEO David Merel demonstrated by manipulating a magazine at the recent CEA Line Shows in New York:

Merel then demonstrated the multiple touch points and the table’s impressive touch sensitivity by tossing a handful of business cards across the surface to stimulate a ripple effect.

Another feature, which Merel didn’t demonstrate but touts on his company’s website, is object recognition. According to the site, “mTouch allows clients and visitors to place their phone on the mTouch and drag virtual objects into the phone, providing a paperless and innovative way to communicate and deliver your companies information (listings, brochures, directions, menus, etc).”

Both the mTouch and Microsoft Surface cater to the B2B market. As Merel explained, his company has generated a lot of interest from the resort casino industry, not for gaming devices, but as a hotel lobby information center. In fact, Merel Technologies is currently working on and mConcierge app that will serve up interactive hotel and event information. Merel Technologies can also customize an mTouch with apps serving business ranging from real estate offices to financial services institutions.

When pressed, Merel did admit that the mTouch could make a fun boutique item for the techie who has it all. The table unit is reminiscent of the table Pac Man and Arkanoid cabinets commonly found in pizza parlors during the 80s and 90s. In fact, mTouch is working on simple game applications for the device. Perhaps we’ll soon see an mTouch available in SkyMall or the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog.

Until then, there are worse ways to kill a few minutes waiting in a hotel lobby.

Enthusiasts at this week’s Origins Game Fair in Columbus, Ohio, will be the first to see Catan running on the Microsoft tabletop computer, although the game is still in development. The final version is planned to be ready for the Gen Con Indy show in Indianapolis this August.

Now if I could only buy a Surface. But, since I can’t–and Catan isn’t quite ready yet anyway– there’s always the iPhone/iPod Touch version.

Plus, the developers of the iPhone game have started seeking beta testers for an iPad version of Catan. I’m interested to see how they make use of the iPad’s bigger screen. It would also be neat if, down the road, one could hold their cards on an iPhone or iPod Touch, in the same way that is allowed in Scrabble for iPad.

Meanwhile, here’s a YouTube video of Catan in action on the even bigger and more capable Surface. It’s interesting to see the details, such as how players still use their hands to block others from seeing their cards.