Tablet PCs will be highly popular with consumers this year with ten of millions of people lapping them up, say technology analysts at Deloitte.

These ultra-mobile tablet PCs have no keyboard or mouse and are equipped with a touch screen. They hold a middle segment between smartphones and netbooks, since they are usually larger in size than the former with higher processing power and smaller than even the smallest netbook computers. These advantages make the tablet PC an ultimate gadget for those wanting to use technology while on the move.

Deloitte’s report, which predicts consumer device trends for 2010, labels tablet PCs as ‘the Goldilocks of devices’ - neither too big nor too small. According to the forecast these gadgets will sell like hot cakes this year even though they have been around for quite some time.

It was in 2001 that Microsoft launched a tablet PC in the market, but as Deloitte says, the gadget was not so advanced and had less impressive graphics and software than the current tablets available in the market. Microsoft’s product also had no connectivity, a must have for any such devise. However, in the current age of mobile computing for fun and business the demand for tablet PCs is expected to soar.

And those who are not convinced with industry reports can have a look at excitement that surrounds the release of Apple’s iSlate tablet PC, which is expected to be unveiled at the end of this January. The iSlate has generated a massive interest among both the buyers as well as the industry. Speculation suggests that Apple hopes to sell nearly ten million units of the iSlate annually.

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Virgin Media has tied up with Detica to implement a file sharing monitor over its networks. As expected, the move has prompted protests from net privacy campaigners like NoDPI.og who are calling it a serious breach of personal internet privacy.

Virgin has affirmed that the Detica tool called CView will be in force soon, and it will monitor the usage patterns of 40% of the provider’s customer base. Detica has previously used this Deep Packet Inspection tool to help governmental agencies track unauthorised file sharing across their data banks.

Given this, there have been protests against this move from different groups. Virgin appears to have added fuel to the fire by stating that this monitored 40% of customers will not be previously informed that their browsing will be under scrutiny. Company sources assure that this is not necessary, as the customer’s personal data is not going to be stored or recorded anyway. CView will simply collate a grouping of data showing the usage patterns across the cross-section of customers.

This collating will help assess the seriousness of file sharing and illegal downloading issue that is looming large over the internet and entertainment industry. In view of expectations that the government will soon be implementing stringent measures to ensure copyright protection, this tool will be of immense help, claims Virgin. The provider also plans to come up with music sharing offerings soon, which will also require an analysis of such activities. See Virgin Broadband Deals for latest offerings and provider information.

The popular scheme of selling laptops at economy prices launched by T-Mobile and lapped up by many consumers may soon be a thing of the past, if company sources are to be believed. T-Mobile appears to have something very different up its sleeve this Christmas season.

The company agrees that the subsidised laptop scheme was indeed a successful one, which had generated significant revenues and expanded the company’s customer base. However, sources reveal that T-Mobile may be getting ready to leave its laptop fixation behind and get even more tech savvy by offering a palette of mobile broadband packages as gift options ahead of the Christmas season.

The reason offered by T-Mobile for this shift is that most people already own laptops now and thus the market for laptops is severely restricted. The company may well become the first mobile broadband provider in the UK to discontinue the free laptop scheme.

Coming in the wake of the growing popularity of wireless mobile broadband, the company feels that offering mobile broadband in the form of gift packages is likely to be a hugely successful campaign. Following this line of thought, the company intends to change its marketing strategy and promote internet gift packs.

For customers who still prefer the laptop scheme, some sources will continue to offer laptops. However, direct company sales channels will be following the company’s latest strategy and focussing their energies on broadband gift packs, which will be available in various budgets.

Mobile industry bigwigs O2 and Vodafone can breathe freely for some time more until the proposed merger between Deutsche Telecom’s T-Mobile and France Telecom’s Orange in the UK takes place.

Analysts predict that this merger will bring into existence the largest operator in the UK mobile market- an event that would have tremendous impact on the industry as a whole. However, the impact cannot be judged with any degree of certainty at this point. As a senior analyst from Informa Telecoms & Media predicts, existing players like O2 and Vodafone may find themselves on shaky ground owing to the combined purchasing power of the new entity. These smaller players will however have time to find their feet in a less competitive market (click to compare broadband prices) before the giant establishes a foothold.

There is always massive detailing involved in a merger of this scale Many questions are yet to be resolved- major ones being the identity/ brand of the final company, the policies and strategies that will be incorporated, whether Orange’s focus on multimedia and handset branding will be retained or the T-Mobile telecom approach will take precedence, and so on. John Delaney of telecom analyst company IDC reiterates the risks inherent in a merger of this magnitude and points out that short-term losses are inevitable. According to him, these issues are already under discussion for executives of both companies at this point.

Nokia this week have announced that they’re launching their very first laptop computer. Nokia have bravely entered the fiercely competitive notebook market with their 3g device called ‘The Booklet’. They are hoping their incredibly stong brand, and the increasing association between mobile phones and the internet will put them in a strong position to compete with the likes of Dell, Acer, Asus, and Sony.

The notebook features on-board 3G, GPS, and an HDMI socket for external high definition video viewing. The ten inch screen is set perfectly within the stylish case, and the battery life of 12 hours is a pure bonus for owners of the device. Full details of the device are likely to be announced officially at the start of September.

The notebook market has grown significantly over the past few years, largely due to the uptake in 3G technology, giving users access to the internet whilst on the move. The on board 3g featured in the Nokia Booklet is looking to be the future, as previously, an external USB dongle has been required to provide internet to laptops on the move. There are still many 3g free laptop deals available on the market for savvy shoppers, where a 3G usb contract can be bought that comes with a free laptop or notebook.

The Nokia Booklet is looking set to be a winner when it is launched, with its impressive technology features, and sleek design. The notebook market looks set to continue with it’s growth by offering affordable impressive technology. You no longer need an office, or a large chunky laptop to use the internet in the house. The world wide web can be surfed from any room with little or no inconvenience. It will not be long until most of the manufacturers are including 3G technology within their devices.

The Technology Strategy Board (TSB), which is an arm of the Department for Innovation, Universities, and Skills has enlisted network researchers to come up with technologies for setting up a 10GB broadband connection throughout the European Union.

A 10GB super fast connection provided through an optical cable network can be quite an expensive venture, because of which the TSB is looking for either alternative technologies or ways to make the implementation of such a network cheaper. The Broadband Stakeholder Group recently conducted a study, which revealed that to set up an optical cable network capable of providing the whole of UK with a 10GB broadband connection, about £29 billion would be required. Don’t know your broadband speed, or simply want to check to see if you’re getting the broadband speeds you were promised, click for a broadband speed check.

Mike Biddle who is the lead technologist at TSB said that they have to tackle certain challenges before such a network can become a reality. The technical difficulties that would arise out of having to provide this ultra fast technology are not going to be straightforward to deal with, and collaboration with other European countries could play a critical role in this.

TSB has decided to take all problems head on and go ahead with the research as it is of the opinion that a broadband connection of this kind would give a huge impetus to the European businesses, giving them an upper hand over their global rivals.

The £1m research project launched by TSB is a fitting reply to what many people see BT’s highly conservative plan of providing a 40MB broadband connection to 40 percent of the UK by 2012.

A Digital Britain interim report was released recently and its contents included Britain’s status in terms of the evolution of its digital communication network. The report also shed more light on plans for the expansion of broadband internet services.

Several notable aspects about the report were highlighted in the discussion between the MPs and Lord Carter, Britain’s Communications Minister. He suggested that the state-funded BBC could have a major role to play in accomplishing the goals that have been laid down in the plan. He stated that the main objective was to achieve the ability to connect everybody in the country through a fast 2Mb broadband connection. Elaborating on the plan, he said that nearly 20% of the media uptake in the country is through the Internet and scaling-up the broadband services is essential.

Several people in the past have expressed their concerns regarding the massive funding that would be needed to upgrade broadband services on such a large scale. Lord Carter, when asked about this apparent financial problem, emphasized that the solution would probably be a public-private partnerships and the BBC could have some role to play in that.

Lord Carter also went on to outline a three-fold plan that would be put in place to ensure a 2Mb connectivity across Britain. The first step, he said, is altering the European law for broadband and taking the minimum speed up from 56Kb to 2Mb. The second step would include establishing technical systems to support these upgrades. The final and perhaps the most critical part of the plan is ensuring sufficient funding for implementation of the plan.