Even though still stuck in the grain-of-salt category of news sources, it is no secret that Taiwan's most famous rumor mill Digitimes has a great rapport with perpetually anonymous industry insiders. Well, looks like unnamed industry sources have once again passed on some insider info to the site. According to the website's sources, production of Intel's upcoming Oak Trail System-On-a-Chip (SOC) is already underway.

This really isn't much of a surprise as the SoC is expected to hit the market in early 2011. The intial product will feature an Atom Z670 processor and SM35 chipset. The tablet-centric SoC will support MeeGo, Android and Windows 7. But as you'd expect, vendors opting for Windows will end up paying a lot more compared to those opting for MeeGo or Android. As per the report, the Oak Trail-MeeGo combo will cost $25.

Samsung is trying to maneuver itself into a position of prominence in emerging device segments. After having announced plans to enter the increasingly crowded e-reader market this spring, it now plans to lend to the bustle in another burgeoning segment: the tablet/slate PC market.

According to an  APC Magazine report, which quotes a high-ranking executive, Samsung will enter the tablet market in the second half of 2010. Philip Newton, the director of Samsung Australia’s IT division, told the magazine that the new tablet will be a consumer product unlike its Q1 UMPC, “a very niche product for a vertical market.”

You are not alone feeling underwhelmed by the iPad, especially given the hype it has generated. Newton made no attempts to smother his disliking for the hype surrounding the iPad, which he dubbed "a glorified MID (mobile Internet device)."

“I do feel that that slate-type platform has legs but I think the legs need to be far more powerful, for example an Atom-based product which has far greater flexibility, not to mention inputs and outputs. This has more potential than an iPad,” Newton told the APC Magazine. Going by Newton's comments, Samsung's perception of a tablet is that of a second computer rather than just a fun device that ships with ephemeral joy.