Sony may already be preparing the Xperia Z3 Tablet

The Xperia Z2 Tablet may only have been out for all of about five months but we might soon be seeing a Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet.

Nothing's been heard of Sony's new slate yet, but a tablet with the model number SGP621 was spotted by XperiaWeb.vn on Postel, an Indonesian authority for certifying telecommunications equipment.

So what makes us think it's the Xperia Z3 Tablet? Well, XperiaBlog noted that it follows the same naming convention as LTE versions of previous Xperia Z slates, with the Z2 Tablet carrying the model number SGP521 and the Xperia Tablet Z being known as SGP321.

Big or small?

It's hardly proof, but it adds up, especially as Sony has taken to releasing flagship handsets twice a year, so there's no reason it couldn't do the same with tablets. On the other hand XperiaWeb.vn reckons it might be a smaller 8-inch slate.

Whatever it ends up being, we could see it soon as Sony is expected to announce the Xperia Z3 at IFA 2014 in early September, so this slate might come along for the ride.

If it is the Z3 Tablet we just hope Sony gives it a higher resolution screen than the Z2 Tablet, as that was one of our few complaints about the slab.

• Apple is expected to launch a new slate this year too.

Long-range wireless charger will power your phone from across the room

Wireless charging has been slow to take off, but a new technology, called uBeam, could change that.

It involves changing electricity into audio, which is then sent through the air over ultrasound, and when it reaches a receiver attached to a portable electronic devices, such as a smartphone, tablet or laptop, it's converted back into electricity to charge said device.

It was invented by Meredith Perry, who explained to the New York Times that "this is the only wireless power system that allows you to be on your phone and moving around a room freely while your device is charging. It allows for a Wi-Fi-like experience of charging; with everything else you have to be in close range of a transmitter."

So essentially your device could be charging all the time as long as you're in the same room as a uBeam charger, and with no wires or physical connection it can be in your pocket or in use with no restrictions.

It's also capable of transmitting secure data, which could make it a boon to the internet of things, where devices will increasingly need to share data.

The charging stations are designed to be no more than 5mm thick, so they could potentially be attached to walls or made into decorative art without looking out of place.

Get ready for a new household name

Perry aims to have uBeam products on shelves within the next two years and envisages flooding the market with them, so that as well as selling them to consumers they'll be found in coffee shops, hotels and offices.

Once (and if) they're everywhere, Perry points out that the need for large batteries in smartphones might be gone, as your phone could potentially be charging any time you're inside.

However it's not a perfect wireless charging solution, as the ultrasound waves can't pass through walls, so there would need to be a charger in every room of a house or office, otherwise you're still limited in where you can power your device.

There's also a question of efficiency. This wasn't brought up in the original article but one of the reasons that existing wireless chargers are so short range is so that they can charge quickly and efficiently without wasting too much energy.

It's not clear whether that will be an issue with uBeam as well, but on the whole it sounds promising and, most importantly, it apparently already works, which is always a good start.

• Wondering why wireless charging isn't everywhere yet? So are we.

IBM squeezes a million brain neurons onto stamp-sized chip

For the last six years, IBM researchers have been looking for a way to bring the power of the human brain into a computer processor, and the project just hit a significant milestone toward that goal.

The IBM Research blog today announced a landmark step forward for a "brain-inspired machine" chip funded by DARPA's Systems of Neuromorphic Adaptive Plastic Scalable Electronics (better known as SyNAPSE).

Billed as a "synaptic supercomputer in your palm," the second-generation chip known as TrueNorth "redefines what is possible in the field of brain-inspired computers, in terms of size, architecture, efficiency, scalability, and design techniques."

After accomplishing a modest single-core prototype three years ago, the research team has accomplished the remarkable feat of cramming one million neurons, 256 million synapses and 4,096 parallel cores into a self-contained chip the size of a postage stamp.

Not a brain (yet)

Chief Scientist Dr. Dharmendra S. Modha is quick to note that IBM has "not built the brain, or any brain," but rather a computer "inspired by the brain," which for the first time can process sensory data in parallel, much like the human brain itself.

Traditional processors have historically required more energy as they've become faster and more powerful, but TrueNorth consumes a mere 70 milliwatts of energy, roughly the equivalent to what a hearing aid battery produces.

While IBM refers to TrueNorth as a "direction" rather than a "destination," the technology could have huge implications for future devices including smartphones, self-driving automobiles and even "multimedia processing on the cloud."

For comparison's sake, IBM's first-generation chip was only capable of storing 256 neurons compared to TrueNorth's one million, which scientists hope will lead to computers nearly as powerful as the human brain by the year 2020.

• Sink your teeth into our review of the Microsoft Surface Pro 3!

Samsung, Barnes & Noble to turn a new page August 20

After a few weeks of summer doldrums, the tech world is buzzing once again with forthcoming events and product launches. The latest to add to your calendar is a joint Samsung and Barnes & Noble affair on August 20.

Of course, irrelevancy could be reversed come then as the two host a shindig at the Barnes & Noble store in New York City's Union Square. There are few details for the event, except for this message: "Join us as the best of both worlds come together."

Samsung and Barnes & Noble announced in June they'd be working together on new Galaxy Tab 4 Nook tablets, so the partnership is no surprise. Nor should it be a surprise what kind of product we see a few Wednesdays from now (a tablet, in case your brain is already in Friday-mode).

The question is just what kind of tablet or tablets we're in for. A 7-inch Galaxy Tab 4 Nook is shipping in the US sometime this month, and that device features a 1280 x 800 screen, 1,200MHz processor, 1.5GB of RAM and microSD support.

Since Samsung and B&N feel the next Galaxy Tab 4 Nook warrants its own launch event, we could be in for something a little more exciting. Samsung's last tab, the Galaxy Tab S, featured a dazzling 2560 x 1600 pixel WQXGA Super AMOLED screen and high-end internals.

Perhaps the next Nooks will feature Samsung's premium specs while giving digital book worms something to drool over. We'll find out soon enough.

• Will the iPhone 6 be the phone to end all phones?

Via CNET