It is thought that ASUS will be revealing a new mini version of the Asus transformer prime tablet that currently sees them under scrutiny from Hasbro over the use of the words “transformer” and “prime”.

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this month in Las Vegas will see the arrival of many new models and it is expected that it will be the showcase of the new ASUS transformer mini.

The new version is thought to be a 7 inch model of the 10 inch version, which will come with a smaller keyboard dock, the signature of the Asus Transformer Prime.

Asus want to be big in 2012 and distinctive:

There is expected to be a few other arrivals at the CES show and these include:

[arrowlist]

• Asus Padfone, a 4.3-inch Ice Cream Sandwich based smartphone which has the ability to turn into a tablet via a 10.1-inch touchscreen dock.
• 7-inch version of the Eee Memo Pad, with a rumoured 1.2 Ghz Snapdragon processor, 1280×800 resolution display, with Wi-Fi and 3G options.

[/arrowlist]

Will they keep the transformer name?

With Hasbro genuinely unhappy about the choice of names of the Asus transformer tablet, it may be unwise to carry on this potential legal disaster to another model even though in my eyes it seems pretty far fetched that they would have a leg to stand on, I am no lawyer and would not be the best person to pontificate on any outcome here, so if I was Asus, airing on the side of caution would be my instinct, especially as the transformers brand is growing from strength to strength currently.

Hasbro filed the action to sue in a LA court stating that the use of the term could lead to consumer confusion, and has requested that compensation be paid for damages related to the use of the term in current and future products.

Can the word “transformer” really be trademarked/patented/copyrighted?

Are you a lawyer in this field in the US?

If so, please do shed some light on the issue if you are, as it seems far fetched to me.

Barbara Finigan, Hasbro’s chief legal officer, said in a statement.

“Hasbro continues to aggressively protect its brands and products and the specific actions we are taking today against Asus underscores yet again Hasbro’s willingness to pursue companies who misappropriate our intellectual property for their own financial gain….the Transformers property is an incredibly popular global brand which enjoys tremendous fan support and interest around the world. The action we have announced today is in the best interests of our company and our shareholders.”

So like Apple, they are not taking things lightly and I am actually really excited to see what the outcome will be on this one.

Though if I was Asus I would counter sue Hasbro for making my new line of tablets sound like they are a kids toy….we had all pretty much forgotten the name until recently!…How rude Hasbro how rude.

We have already discussed how the Samsung galaxy S3 may come with a whole raft of new features, and we have touched on the fact that 3D is a possibility, however news from IBTimes suggest that the rumour could hold a little more merit, and rather than one model with 3D, it appears that there could be two variations, a standard HD model and an enhanced 3D model, depending on how you look at it.

If a 3D enabled device does emerge it will be using dual cameras to the rear of the device to capture the 3D information.

And the 3D will likely be of the “glasses free” variety meaning that you will be able to tell that it is 3D without those funky looking specs. And the display is also going to be in the region of 4.2 and 4.65 inches.

Samsung Galaxy S3 February release date:

Will the rumor of the Samsung Galaxy S3 release date be true. If so it could be an interesting early start to 2012.

Now what I am unsure about is if 3D technology is actually a game changer just yet. I am much more intrigued to see if it will have a quad core processor and actually be able to handle the power contained with its own battery!

What would you like to see in the new Samsung S3, are you going for a 3D enabled device so you can play games on it or are you hoping the battery life is better than on the S2?

Please do, as always, tell all in the comments below.

What would you think if you received a Xmas card with a picture of a Nokia Lumia 800 or 900 on it for Xmas?

Well, if you are in the UK and suspect it to be a Lumia 800 from your local phone shop then you know that they are just being friendly and keeping in touch with you after you have perhaps bought one of the new Nokia Windows phones, or perhaps are due an upgrade, in which case, have you seen the new Nokia Windows 800’s?

Either way, make no mistake, the shop does not care about your Xmas but would like to sell you a new device.

But what if you received this as a savvy US consumer and noticed that it had AT&T on it and a front screen camera!

If so, this could be more intriguing, is this a new device that is yet to emerge called the Nokia Ace?

Nokia Ace due at CES?

Americans usually need a name for their devices, and not a number, presumably on the advice of device manufacturers marketing departments.

So with a pinch of salt we wonder if this was a slip up by an over zealous Microsoft employee, or just a photo-shopped image that snaps together a few layers to create a perfectly good Nokia Ace rumour image.

Some noticeable features anyway:

[arrowlist]

• AT&T Logo
• 4G Icon
• Front facing camera

[/arrowlist]

AT&T are on schedule to release three LTE enabled phones this year one of which will be the Nokia Ace, but exactly what the Nokia Ace will be is another story best left to rumor right now, it could even be Tango and not Mango that is used as its operating system.

The other two LTE enabled phones due for release will be the Samsung Mandel and HTC Radiant.

What do you think to this picture? A hoax? Or, nicely timed rumor picture that will get people talking?

Your comments as always greatly appreciated.

We have already done a comprehensive review of the Samsung Galaxy note and found that the half tab, half smartphone was a big boy indeed, and perhaps not one for certain ladies, but we liked it by and large…pun of course intended.

So it is intriguing to see that despite a no-show in the US currently, the Galaxy Note smartphone, that masquerades as a tablet when it needs to, has actually shipped a whopping 1 million units globally, which seems pretty incredible considering the amount of competition it faces in the overall smartphone market.

Samsung Galaxy Note at CES?

It is thought that the Consumer Electronics Show in January could be the perfect US showcase for the mobile device to start wooing US buyers, and for the device to then start appearing on AT&T shortly after, with an expected support for LTE to be offered.

With a 5.3 inch screen and 1280 x 800 pixel resolution display, we think it will appeal to quite a few Americans who still swear that big is most definitely best!

What do you think of the device? Are you looking forward to the new release of the Samsung Galaxy Note in the US?

Here is a half decent Samsung promo video for the Galaxy Note, when compared to the hilarious videos they released for the Samsung S2 which have now been pulled:

Please let us know your thoughts on the Galaxy Note in the comments, are you a Note owner already who likes or loathes the device? Tell all.