GADGET UPDATE powered by Stuff: Samsung, YouTube, Nokia and more

 

Asus Transformer Prime pictures surface

Those of you still drooling from Asus's earlier unveiling of the 10.1in Transformer Prime should get your bibs ready as leaked shots of the sleek and shiny slate have made it on to the interwebs for all to see. Boasting a Zenbook-like aluminium finish, the stylish slate looks as good as its spec sheet, which comprises of an 8.3mm thin body an honest-to-goodness USB port, a mini-HDMI port and an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core Kal-EL processor. Sadly the leaked snaps don't confirm the inclusion of Ice Cream Sandwich, which we're hoping will come loaded up on the Transformer Prime at launch. We can't wait to get our hands on one, but for now these leaked pics and teaser video will have to do.

YouTube channels to be unveiled next week

YouTube has channels already, we hear you cry – but it doesn’t have any like the incoming channel hubs tipped by The Wall Street Journal to be announced next week.

The idea is that YouTube will be producing its own content and placing it in special channels. It’s a bit like YouTube reinventing television online with more channels than Sky. Perfect.

We like the idea of YouTube creating its very own HBO, and it’s looking likely it will remain free. With the likes of News Corp and IAC producing videos for the site – and the whole of YouTube being reorganised around these channels – it’s a fair bet a lot of advertising money will be pumped into video production. Good luck competing with that BBC.

Sony buys Ericsson for US$1.45 billion

Following rumours of a buy out earlier this month, Sony has now officially bought out Ericsson’s mobile phone venture for a cool US$1.45 billion. The buy out gives Sony access to Ericsson's handset patents – and gives Sony an opportunity to more closely integrate its phones with its tablets, games and electronics devices.

Sony CEO Howard Stringer stated that the deal will enable Sony to offer consumers “… smartphones, laptops, tablets and televisions that seamlessly connect with one another and open up new worlds of online entertainment”.

The deal should give the Japanese tech giant much greater control over their device ecosystem, offering an Apple-like consistency and control between their tablets, mobile devices, televisions and games consoles.

Trusted Reviews has tweeted that Stringer has confirmed a brand change is also in the works and that it’s unlikely to just be ‘Sony’. We’ll find out for sure later today when Sony’s press conference is wrapped up.

Adidas reveals miCoach Speed Cell tracker

Adidas has unveiled its new miCoach Speed Cell, an in-shoe tracker that measures speed, number of sprints, distance, steps and stride.

Unlike Nike+ ,which is designed primarily for running, the extra data allows the miCoach Speed Cell tracker to be used in a variety of sports, from tennis to football (but probably not tiddlywinks).

Up to seven hours of data can be stored on the tracker and transmitted to smartphones, tablets or PCs. It'll also handily slot in to Adidas’ f50 football boot for some on-pitch action.

UK pricing and availability are still a mystery but a December 1st release date across the pond coupled with a promising US$70 pricetag hopefully means that you won’t have to break the bank when it hits our shores.

Nokia Lumia 800 preview

Nokia officially unveiled it's first Windows Phone 7 smartie and flagship Lumia 800 handset at Nokia World today. While it may be disguised as an N9, the Lumia 800 is beautifully crafted, the colourful tiles of Windows Phone Mango really stand out on its AMOLED display and it a packs a few Nokia-tailored tricks up its sleeve in a bid to entice you away from your iPhone or Android smartphones.

Want a peek? Check out our video preview.