You might have already heard this one before, but as anyone who closely follows happenings in the tech sector might expect, several companies are already working on their own tablet PC offerings with either the open-source mobile Android OS or a mobile-optimized version of Windows 7. Samsung is among those first expected to deliver such a mobile device, and their upcoming product has been identified in the past as the Samsung Galaxy Tab (pictured above). Today, Reuters has posted news further confirming this as part of Samsung’s future plans, mentioning that Samsung’s tablet PC will have a 7-inch display (compared to the iPad’s 9.7-inch screen). Near the end of its news post, Reuters also mentioned that LG Electronics will also deliver a tablet PC with Android OS, and that it will be released in the fourth quarter following Samsung’s third quarter release date for their tablet.

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I really want to see a new and improved Windows 7 tablet PC to come around soon. Don’t you? I personally don’t see much point in a tablet if it runs the same operating system as my aging smartphone. So far, Microsoft has kept my hopes up. They have confirmed that they are currently working on Windows 7 tablet PCs, and today Steve Ballmer talked a bit more about Microsoft’s tablet PC plans. Ballmer was quoted as saying, “We’re in the process of doing that as we speak. We’re working with our hardware partners. We’re tuning Windows 7.” He made it clear that Microsoft will be sticking to Windows 7 for their upcoming tablets, and made it sound like their intent was to take the desktop and reshape it to fit in the form factor of a slate. Sounds like a lot of work, but if done right, it will definitely be worth it. It’s worth nothing that this has already been done unsuccessfully with older versions of Windows in the past, but with Windows 7 and better hardware, this holds a lot of promise today.

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Google has put the power to create mobile applications in the hands on virtually anyone with the introduction of their latest product, Google App Inventor for Android. Currently in its beta stage in Google Labs, the App Inventor for Android allows programmers and non-programmers alike to make their own mobile applications for the Android OS. It looks like a great way to dabble in mobile app creation without having to go through the extensive training to which the pros are subjected, but it might be a little far-fetched to think that applications produced via Google’s App Inventor for Android will be able to match the quality and sophistication of those coded by real programmers. But who really knows? Could the next Android killer app come from the new App Inventor?

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If you have absolutely had it with Windows Mobile and would like to see Android running on one of your own WinMo-powered smartphones, Well, you’re in luck. Because with a constantly active community of developers composed of people just like you and me who want to see Android take over the world to have the option to run Android without forking over the cash for a brand new phone, you can now install the Android OS on a Windows Mobile smartphone by following a particular set of instructions to a T. It doesn’t yet work on all WinMo smartphones but you can check out the progress devs are having with several popular smartphone models, along with the above-mentioned instructions, via the Source link below. Note: use great caution.

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With the introduction of Apple’s iPhone 4, video calling was also introduced as a new feature in the guise of something called FaceTime. It was nice to see the iPhone finally catch up to competition in this regard, but there’s a minor problem: FaceTime only works on Wi-Fi and not on 3G. So what’s an iPhone 4 owner to do? Well, nothing, actually, until the last update was rolled out to fring for iPhone which added support for video calls over 3G. And it works flawlessly in video calls with users of fring on other platforms besides the iPhone, too (Android and Symbian, for example). Check out the iTunes App store to give the new fring a try (on your new iPhone, that is).

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Due to persistent public demand, Cerulean Studios has just announced that they are already working on an Android version of the Trillian IM client. This hardly comes as a surprise as Trillian is quite a popular IM client and it has already made its rounds in the iPhone platform. Trillian for Android’s features will include (1) the ability to connect to Facebook Chat, Windows Live, Yahoo!, AIM, ICQ, Google Talk, Jabber/XMPP or MySpaceIM, (2) synchronize contacts, avatars, status, accounts and more with your Trillian-enabled desktop or mobile apps, (3) support for tabbed chat windows with bubble view, photo transfer, buzz and emoticons, and (4) the option to set status, avatar and display name quickly in one simple screen. Trillian for Android will work for all types of Android phones, even those as old as the T-Mobile G1. Cerulean Studios says the first beta release is only a few weeks away so watch out for updates.

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