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LAS VEGAS--Alcatel isn't a brand that grabs a lot of U.S. headlines, but with the One Touch Scribe HD, it's keeping up with the Joneses all the same.

The Scribe HD comes with a 5-inch HD screen, stock Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and a quad-core processor. In fact, it's the first announced smartphone to use MediaTek's 1.2GHz quad-core chipset (MT6589).

For background, the Taiwan-based MediaTek just announced its MT6589 quad-core chipset in December, making it the newest entrant into the ever-growing smartphone core war.

The Scribe HD will also feature an 8-megapixel camera … Read more

LAS VEGAS--With the success of tablets like the Nexus 7 and the iPad Mini, all signs point to going small for a successful tablet debut. That at least seems to be the thinking behind Alcatel's unveiling of three new, small tablets for the U.S. market.

First is the One Touch Evo7 HD, a 7-inch tablet that comes in Wi-Fi, 3G, and 4G configurations. The 3G and 4G versions each come with a removable SIM card module allowing users to easily upgrade from Wi-Fi-only to cellular, or from 3G to 4G.

The tablet also features a 1,280x800-pixel IPS … Read more

I gave high marks to the original SuperTooth Disco bookshelf speaker when it dropped into stores last year, but I took issue with its inability to travel and of course, the lack of true stereo sound.

This year, the company will take to CES again to announce a portable listening solution called the Disco Twin that includes two separate speakers, giving you option to perch them wherever you like.

Wireless Bluetooth channels stream music to each device powered by 16 watts of audio juice, and the company's legacy "bass reflex system" in the back keeps the low … Read more

Archos attempts to strengthen its Element series of tablets by announcing the 97 Titanium HD. The 9.7-inch tablet will ship with Android 4.1 and a promising 2,048x1,536-pixel IPS display. This matches the resolution of the current-generation iPad.

The tablet houses a 1.6GHz dual-core A9 processor, a quad-core Mali 400 MP4 GPU, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage. Other features include a microSD expansion slot, Micro-USB port, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.

The Archos 97 Titanium pricing is set at $249 but a release date has yet to be announced. … Read more

Planning to buy a 7-inch tablet? A new report from the folks at FixYa reveals some of the top issues with today's crop of small-size tablets.

Apple's iPad Mini New to the 7-inch tablet arena, the iPad Mini didn't trigger much in the way of specific problems reported by its users. Rather, people were more unhappy about what the device doesn't offer.

The Mini's 4:3 aspect ratio was cited by users as less than ideal for watching movies, which are typically better served by a screen with a 16:9 ratio. The small tablet … Read more

It was just a few weeks ago that I wrote about N2A Cards' new Android 4.1 upgrade options for the Barnes & Noble Nook Color and Nook Tablet.

Now the company offers a similar option for the Nook HD+ (by all accounts a fantastic tablet). Whether you're not a fan of Barnes & Noble's heavily modified (and, some would say, limited) version of Android or you just want the option of a more traditional Android tablet experience, there's now a plug-and-play solution.

Starting today, you can download one of N2A Cards' specialized image files, copy it … Read more

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which I answer Mac-related questions e-mailed in by our readers.

This week, readers wrote in with questions about RAM upgrade options for new MacBook systems, using a Mac laptop as a desktop workstation, song progress options for the iTunes 11 mini player window, and updating external secondary recovery partitions. I welcome views from readers, so if you have any suggestions or alternative approaches to these problems, please post them in the comments!

Question: RAM upgrade options for new MacBooks MacFixIt reader David asks:

CES is almost here, but it's important to keep in mind that the biggest consolidated electronics show of the year is often a mixed indicator of the year's actual tech trends. Case in point: consider CES 2010, where "big" products included smartbooks and Cell TVs, but the major wave of Android phones and the iPad were nowhere to be found.

With that in mind, let's look at CES 2012's Best Of awards winners and see where they are now that the year's about to come to a close. Were they Editors' Choice winners? … Read more