Samsung Galaxy Note II

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Galaxy Note II show up wearing a very pink outfit on Samsung's Taiwanese site. Clearly, the phone tablet slab looks to follow in the footsteps of its other galactic siblings, the OG Note and GS3, and, in the process, looks to give an extra hue option to those who prefer something a little different than the more traditional colors, or even the newer amber brown and ruby wine. Since Samsung hasn't made an official announcement yet, however, availability details are still relatively unknown, so we'll have to wait to see whether or not this light pink Galaxy Note II ever makes it past the Taiwan page and onto others. In the meantime, perhaps you'd like to mosey past the break, where a rather glamorous press shot gallery awaits.

LG had promise to unveil new series of phones

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LG unveiled its Optimus L series with a bang at last year’s Mobile World Congress, and then we saw three devices covering everything from the low-end to upper mid-range with the Optimus L3, L5, L7 and L9.

This year, LG wants to one-up itself and teased on Facebook:

“New series will be unveiled.”
Pretty concise. We take this as a hint that LG is ready to bring a new series to devices no later than MWC 2013. What’s more, the company says it is ready to surprise us:

Could this mean a new Optimus series? After the successful and well received LG Optimus G and Nexus 4, LG has the right momentum to get its traction back.

Nokia Lumia will be coming up with 41-megapixel sensor

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Nokia is finally bringing its "revolutionary" 41-megapixel Pureview sensor to its Lumia range of Windows Phone handsets, according to sources close to the Finnish handset maker.

The new model will be known as EOS, and will launch in the summer in the US.

Observers queried the lack of the 41MP sensor - boasting five times the resolution of most top-end phone cameras - when Nokia launched its flagship Lumia 920 Windows Phone handset at the end of 2012 - although the phone does confusingly boast a camera technology also known as Pureview.

The 41MP sensor debuted at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona in February 2012 on Nokia's final Symbian phone, the 808. The resulting images drew rave reviews at the time, though in fact the aim of the sensor is not to produce huge images, but good images in low light.

Low-light images taken at high ISO ratings (where small amounts of light are registered) typically have a lot of "noise" on them – random speckles of visible colour - caused by increasing sensitivity of the CCD sensors in the digital camera.

The aim of the 41MP sensor is to oversample the image; the actual size of pictures taken on the 808 is about 5MP, but each pixel can be determined from the information provided by the redundant pixels, thus eliminating much of the flawed data.

The 808 also uses a bigger sensor, which means bigger pixels. Nokia explains in a white paper (PDF) that pixel size has "shrunk just over the past six years from 2.2 microns, to 1.75 microns, to 1.4 microns … The smaller the pixel, the less [sic] photons each pixel is able to collect. Less [sic] photons, less image quality. There's also more visual noise in images." (One micron is a millionth of a metre.)

The latest Nokia Lumia 920 comes out with a floating lens technology, which is actual optical image stabilization - a first for a smartphone.

The VW Beetle Convertible

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The front-wheel-drive Beetle Convertible comes equipped with three engine choices, each sporting unique performance qualities: a somewhat perky 2.5-liter inline-five, a robust turbocharged 2-liter four-cylinder, and a highly efficient 2-liter TDI turbocharged diesel. At just about 3,200 pounds, the Beetle isn't light enough that the 2.5-liter’s 170 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque will set any hearts aflutter.

The turbo 2-liter outpaces the base engine's numbers, an engine choice designed to appeal to the male buying group on which VW is banking. Each automatic-equipped Beetle has an 'S' mode that holds rpms higher to give the driver more immediate throttle response, and of all the group, the Turbo makes the most use of this mode. Its 200 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque are sent to the wheels through either a six-speed manual transmission (also available on the TDI) or VW's DSG automated manual (available in all trims). One of the best on the market, VW's dual-clutch automatic prepares gears with one clutch while another clutch is operating the lower gear, making for near-seamless shift transitions.

For the more fuel-conscious, the TDI -- with 140 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque--is a solid bet. This ain't your dad’s diesel car; the diesel engine is whisper-quiet as it pushes through an impressive amount of torque, and it rakes in solid fuel economy numbers: 28 mpg city and 41 mpg highway for the manual and 28 mpg city and 37 mpg highway for the automatic.

All Beetles come with Bluetooth connectivity, a trip computer, an auxiliary input jack, and an integrated previous-generation iPod cable located in the glove box. VW offers an additional USB port connector, but it's a little disappointing that a separate USB port isn't standard. Still, hooking up a music device is simple and the knob-plus-touch-screen configuration makes it easy to scroll through music selections. 

The Dell Inspiron 15z

What you should know: 
Dell takes a stab at combining touch with Windows 8 and a larger screen in the Inspiron 15z. The "z" designation means this is part of the higher end of Dell's lower-end laptop line (if you can follow that logic). The affordable Inspiron series tacks on the "z" to designs that are slightly thinner and sleeker, while not rising to the level of the more expensive XPS series.
The big 15.6-inch screen is covered by edge-to-edge glass, which is normal for a touch-screen laptop. However, the screen is one of the few parts of this laptop that clearly gives away its budget origins. With a native resolution of 1,366x768 pixels, text and icons can appear overly large, especially when using the traditional desktop mode (the Windows 8 tile UI handles different resolutions better), and some apps and games can lack clarity and detail because of the lower resolution. For a 14-inch or larger laptop, a resolution of at least 1,600x900 pixels, or even better, 1,920x1,080 pixels is recommended. For the $900 our review sample cost, a higher resolution is not out of the question.

Specs
Video: HDMI
Audio: Stereo speakers, combo headphone/microphone jack
Data: 4 USB 3.0, SD card reader
Networking: Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Optical drive: DVD burner

What it offers: 
Dell's Inspiron line continues to look sharper than its budget reputation would suggest. The new touch-enabled version of the 15z works as a reasonably priced Windows 8 laptop with a big screen and an optical drive.
The advantage: 
The Dell Inspiron 15z has a great, slim design for a budget-minded 15-inch touch laptop, and even includes an optical drive.
The unfavorable: 
It's at the top end of the budget category, and for the same money, there are more-upscale systems available. Low screen resolution looks cartoonish.
The price:
$899.99

The Dell Inspiron One 2330

What you should know: 
The design of Dell's all-in-one systems is consistent across its XPS and Inspiron lines. It's a polished and beefy aesthetic, like that of a more expensive SUV. You will also notice that Dell has not embraced the push by Apple, Lenovo, and Vizio toward thinner all-in-one displays. This system, 30mm thick at the edge of its display, might look clunky next to all-in-ones like the new iMacs, which come in at just 5mm thick at the same point.

And while the Inspiron One 23 looks like a smaller version of the 27-inch XPS One 27, it has a key design difference. Where the XPS One has a double-hinged display stand that lets you tilt the screen 60 degrees and adjust its height, the Inspiron 2330 has only a single hinge that gives you about 40 degrees of tilt. It's not unreasonable for Dell to swap in a cheaper stand to help keep the price down, just be ready to prop the Inspiron 2330 up on a book or two if you aren't happy with the height of its screen.

What it offers: 
The Dell Inspiron One 2330 has a reasonably attractive design, and a surprisingly broad selection of video and audio connectivity options.
The advantage: 
The Dell Inspiron One 2330 has a reasonably attractive design, and a surprisingly broad selection of video and audio connectivity options.
The unfavorable: 
Aside from the AV inputs and its not-unattractive looks, nothing about this mainstream PC really stands out.
The price:
$1,199.99