Asus announces cheap yet powerful Asus MeMO Pad HD 7

Hot off the new Nexus 7 release, Asus is releasing a cheap but decently spec’d tablet, the Asus MeMO Pad HD 7. The $160 Android-powered tablet features a 7-inch multi-touch panel with 1280 x 800 HD resolution and IPS technology for a wide 170-degree viewing angle, high-quality dual speakers using Asus SonicMaster technology, 5-megapixel rear and 1.2-megapixel front cameras, and quad-core processor with 1GB RAM.

It is also equipped with 16GB internal storage with expansion capability via microSD (up to 32GB), Bluetooth 4.0, WLAN (802.11 b/g/n), Miracast, and has a supposed 10-hour battery life. The MeMO Pad HD 7 comes in blue, white, pink, and green and will be available on August 12 in Future Shop, Best Buy and Staples among other. Look out for a full review of the device here as we've been playing with a pre-release version.

Should BlackBerry go private?

It has been a whirlwind year so far for BlackBerry. The Canadian smartphone and messaging pioneer set off to get back in the mobile game with a brand new OS and the types of devices that users have been clamouring for while killing off others that showed no future.

Playing catch up with competing ecosystems, BlackBerry has managed to release three new handsets in various markets and is likely going to push out at least one more new flagship device before the year is over. Now there are murmurings that the company is looking to go private. A report from Reuters states that Thorsten Heins and Co. are debating the merits of going private and that such a move would "give them breathing room to fix its problems out of the public eye," the report states.

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Back to school netTALK & VTech bundle available at Walmart Canada

Just in time for the back-to-school season, netTALK & VTech come up with the netTALK DUO and VTech Expandable Cordless Telephone System bundle perfect for giving to your kids who going away on campus or abroad. 

The bundle is available at Walmart Canada and will save you over $44 with its promo price of $79.96. It includes 12 months free calling throughout Canada and the U.S. with features like call waiting, call forwarding, conference calling, enhanced 911, 411 directory assistance, visual voicemail, call blocking, 3-way calling, and many more.

BlackBerry first to be given the “Authority to Operate” on U.S. Department of Defense Networks

BlackBerry has been given authority by the U.S. Defense Information System Agency (DISA) the Authority to Operate (ATO) on the Department of Defense (DoD) networks for the BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 with BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, making it the first Mobile Device Management provider to obtain said ATO.

BlackBerry 10 devices will allow DoD personnel to securely connect to its networks to access data. DISA is now developing the infrastructure to support BlackBerry 10 smartphones on DoD networks with 10,000 BB10 smartphones by fall and 30,000 by the end of 2013.