Phablets a big hit with Asian consumers

They're oversized, bulky and discriminate against those with smaller hands or tighter jeans, but according to the latest figures as well as being big physically, they're also big in terms of popularity in the Asia-Pacific region where Chinese, Korean and Indian consumers can't get enough of the devices that are too large to be dubbed smartphones yet too small to be classed as tablets.

IDC claims that phablet sales in this region are now on a par with both tablets and laptops combined and their popularity is continuing to grow. A total of 25.2 million phablets shipped in the Asia-Pacific region (excluding Japan) over the past three months. During the same period, only 12.6 million full-sized tablets (i.e., larger than 7-inch) and 12.7 million notebooks shipped, according to the company's figures.

Samsung is credited with creating the device category with the Galaxy Note, but three years on there are a number of competing devices from most of the world's leading Android device makers on the market that can be categorized as phablets as their screens measure greater than 5-inches from corner to corner.

"Phablets first started as a trend driven by mature markets like South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore -- and these markets continue to rise. What's changed now is the added pick-up of phablets in emerging markets like China and India, not just the plethora of big-name vendors competing head-to-head with Samsung, but instead the low-cost local players who have swooped in to offer big screens for less money -- averaging a retail price of US$220 versus Samsung's US$557," said Melissa Chau, Senior Research Manager with IDC Asia/Pacific's Client Devices team.

But the big news isn't that the devices are outselling other portable computing gadgets, it's the rate at which they've jumped from a niche to a mainstream product in the region. Back in the third quarter of 2012, shipments were hovering around the 3-million mark meaning that in a year, phablets' popularity has rocketed by some 620 percent.

And while Samsung is still the phablet market leader, over the past three years, it has seen its share of the market fall from 90 percent to 50 percent but all eyes will no doubt be on Berlin, Germany on Wednesday when the company officially reveals its latest device in the category, its flagship Galaxy Note III, which is expected to redefine what consumers can expect from a phablet device.

As for why phablets have caught on so quickly, the consensus seems to be that Asia-Pacific consumers are looking for convergence, they want a single device that can cover communication and productivity that is light and small enough to take with them on the go with a better viewing experience than a smartphone but without the extra bulk of a tablet or weight of a notebook or ultrabook computer.

Two-seaters, wagons and rally cars: The Ford Mustangs that never were

It's hard to sustain any model of car over a couple of generations, let alone 50 years as the Ford Mustang will mark next year. Auto executives want to make their mark with something new, not wrestle with bringing someone else's old ideas up to date. There's always pressure to either cut costs or grow sales in ways the dilute what made a particular vehicle successful in the first place. And customers tastes change, along with regulations, in ways that inevitably make key features obsolete.

No vehicle demonstrates that better than the Mustang, a car that represents Ford's successes and struggles over the years better than any other. Today's hot-selling Mustang wears its heritage from the front pony badge to its rear vertical taillights, but over the years Ford executives have considered every possible variation of the Mustang — mid-engined, four-doors, even a wagon. The striking 1970 Milano concept above foreshadowed a few touches of the 1971 model and the brooding malevolence of Ford's early '70s muscle cars. In 1988, faced with an aging model badly in need of updates, they nearly talked themselves into switching the Mustang into a front-wheel-drive sports car co-developed with Mazda; the backlash has in many ways powered the Mustang's direction ever since.

Early next year, Ford will reveal the production version of the sixth generation of the Mustang, a modernized design mixing classic cues with the look of the Evos concept for a vehicle Ford hopes to make as popular worldwide as it is in the United States. Until then, here's a look at a few of the roads Ford mulled for the original pony car over the past five decades, but decided not to take.

Meet The “Best Racecar That Never Was”

John F. Kennedy famously said, “Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan.” Then what does that make a car that could have been a success, but was never given the chance? This is the story of one such car; its near miss with history, and the crash that removed it from the limelight.

In the 1950s, Jaguar was a prominent face in auto racing. By 1960, the British automaker has begun talking about a mid-engined car, as other makes had brought mid-engined cars to Le Mans with success. Also, the idea of a V12 engine had been bandied about since 1950, with the hopes of dual overhead cams. While the single overhead cam V12 that started in the XK would eventually make its way into a racecar, this particular DOHC V12 was a dedicated design for a car that would come to be named XJ13.

This engine was essentially two inline-6 engines mated together, and would make its way into a body that was crafted by Malcom Sayer. Having designed the C-Type, D-Type, E-Type and XJS, Sayer formed the aluminum body using lessons learned from his career at the Bristol Aerospace Company.

PHOTOS: See more of the Jaguar XJ13

The front suspension had a similar design as that of the E-Type, but the rear was of a unique layout. During the time this car was being developed, Jaguar driver Lofty England was a presence at Le Mans, fielding the C-Type and D-Type through the 1950s. Lofty and Jaguar designers had high hopes for the XJ13, but the car was never a priority for the company, especially with its current front-engined cars in service.

With the dominance of the Ford GT40, the XJ13 was already considered obsolete before it ever ran a race. So, if anything the car was a study in performance and design. As such, it was intended to be used for promotional purposes of the V12 engine, with the V12-powered Series 3 E-Type debuting in 1971.

The car was brought to a racetrack so it could be filmed at speed. It had a wheel with a plugged leaky tire, which deflated over the course of the driving session. When the tire had become too low, the XJ13 flipped, and crashed hard. Thankfully driver Norman Dewis was not hurt, but the car was not so lucky. The nearly destroyed car was put into storage at Jaguar.

Years later, Edward Loades saw the wreck and suggested that the car should be rebuilt. Loades was crucial to the creation of most of the aluminum bodied Jag’s of the era, and hisAbbey Panels Company was capable of many gorgeous and functional shapes. Loades used some of the original parts as templates to create new ones. As such, Jaguar disclaimed that the finished restoration was not an exact reproduction. Though Jaguar did not consider it to be original, it was impressive enough thatLofty England drove it around the circuit at Silverstone prior to the British Grand Prix. The car currently resides at the UK’s Heritage Motor Centere Museum.

It has since been called the “best racecar that never was” by Jaguar fans. Perhaps, but it could also have been the prettiest Jaguar that never was. Considering cars like the XK120 and E-Type, that is high praise, indeed.