Technology News Gallery: February 13 2012

- Technology News Gallery: February 13 2012
  Our weekly roundup of worldwide technology news in pictures, courtesy of IDG News Services. This week: RIM gets some good buzz, the Galaxy Note is ridiculed, a PC the size of a credit card gets geeks excited and more.

- Japan gets Android debugging facilty to help avoid version gap
  The largest mobile operator in Japan is preparing a specialized Android testing center to help debug problems unique between Android handsets. As there are so many version of the OS in use and so many handset configurations between them, versioning errors are common.

- The Galaxy Note hits maximum hype before its release
  Blogs were abuzz this week as early reviews and criticism were levied at the as-yet-unreleased Samsung Galaxy Note. After a divisive ad for the new not-quite-a-tablet, not-quite-a-phone handset ran during the Super Bowl, the Web was quick to criticize Samsung’s choice to try to bring back the stylus in smart phones and its large, pocket-tearing 5.3 inch diagonal screen.

- RIM readies new Blackberry Curves
  In some much-needed good news for RIM, buzz for two new handsets in the Curve family of devices was good last week. The first Curves to be outfit with Blackberry’s new BB OS 7, the Curve 9220 and Curve 9320, look the same as current models but have been outfit with sizable hardware increases including digital cameras with flash and GPS (9320 only).

- Lots of Playbook news surfaced
  Along with more details about the ties between OS 2 and Android, a rumour surfaced that RIM has already begun planning the follow up to the newest Playbook OS which won’t be released until later this month. This is the most amount of buzz the Playbook has received since launch.

- Nokia commits to Windows Phone
  In a series of interesting and saddening announcements, Nokia both fully committed to focusing on Windows Phone as its principle mobile OS, and announced moving assembly operations out of North America. Nokia’s CEO, Stephen Elop, also reinforced that its Kenya operation, the country’s only research centre for mobile, was central to its operations.

- Raspberry Pi, ultra-cheap PC, announced for release at the end of February
  This week, the Raspberry Pi Foundation announced its marquee Raspberry Pi PC device – really just a small PCB with the minimum amount of hookups for video on it – which will be released to the public at the end of this month for US$25. There is already a lot of demand for the barebones, credit-card sized computer, both from enthusiasts excited to get their hands on a functioning tiny computer, replace an aging home-theater rig or to help the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s continued efforts to make low-cost computers for education.

- Acer sues ex-CEO over non-compete clause
  Ex-CEO of Acer, Gianfranco Lanci, is being sued by the PC maker after joining Lenovo in January of this year. Lanci was ousted Acer in March of last year after disagreements between himself and the company’s board on product strategy. He joined Lenovo in a consultant position, but is still bound by a non-compete clause in his original contract.