We're not about to cover every iPad knockoff that emerges from parts unknown, but this particular device packs just enough KIRF innovation to get us to take notice. The biggest selling point, so to speak, is the tablet's sliding QWERTY keypad, which packs some MacBook-esque keys and a ThinkPad-style pointing stick. As if that wasn't enough, you'll also apparently get WIndows 7 for an OS, along with a 10-inch display of unspecified resolution, and an Atom N450 processor at the heart of rig. No indication of a price -- or even a name, for that matter -- but you can at least check out another shot of it in its closed state at the source link below.

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Nokia N98 leak validated by N8, is there a QWERTY slider brewing up in Espoo?

Just gaze upon those curves up above and tell us what they remind you of. Yes indeed, the Nokia N98 -- which seemed so futuristic we were inclined to dismiss it as the product of a hyperactive imagination -- is today looking all too credible thanks to the obvious design similarities it shares with the officially released N8. Starting with the distinctive tapered edges with contrast coloring, moving through the black bezel-sporting display, and jotting down to the positions of the Nokia and N00 logos as well as the Options menu, the viewer can't help but be convinced that this February leak came with no small portion of truthiness to it. Now, we don't live anywhere near Espoo, so we can't tell you whether this was just a precursor to the N8, which lost its physical keyboard and N9x naming scheme to become the beastly media phone we know today. But wouldn't it be lovely to believe Nokia's working on all cylinders and planning to introduce a 4-inch QWERTY variant of its new flagship?

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LG Ally to say 'aloha' to Verizon in mid-May?

Well, LG's Moorestown-based, Moblin-running GW990 may sadly be no more, but it looks like the company will be bringing another fairly impressive-looking handset to US shores: the Android-based LG Ally. According to Android Central, it will be landing on Verizon around the middle of May and, if it looks a tad familiar, it's because it's apparently simply a US version of the phone we've known alternately as the LU2300 or Aloha (though it does seem to have undergone a few design tweaks). Details are otherwise light, but it'll presumably pack the same 1GHz Snapdragon processor as the LU2300, along with a 3.5-inch AMOLED touchscreen, a sliding QWERTY keyboard, a 5-megapixel camera, and Android 2.1.

[Thanks, Erik]

Update: Android Central has tracked down an Iron Man 2-themed commercial on YouTube clearly suggesting the Ally is coming soon (if you recall, LG had a big tie-in with the original Iron Man, too). Viewers are encouraged to head over to lg.com/ally to check it out, but there's nothing useful there -- yet. Follow the break for the full commercial.




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Samsung debuts U820 QWERTY slider at CTIA, no one notices

Not everything can be an Android smartphone, fellas... sometimes you just need an unobtrusive design, maybe some social networking connectivity, and a modest price point. That's what the Samsung U820 says to the world. Barely a blip on our radar when we came across the FCC filing at the beginning of the year, this QWERTY slider features a 3-inch WQVGA touchscreen, 3.2 megapixel still camera with video capture, headset jack, MicroSD card slot, browser, the Communities social networking widget, and for your UI (dis)satisfaction, TouchWiz 2.0. Available at the end of April 30 in the $80 - $100 range on Verizon.

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