New Microsoft Windows 8 notebook / tablet hybrids have been one of the biggest stories at the IFA electronics expo in Berlin, Germany, this week. So far, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, Sony, and Toshiba have each announced Windows 8 slates with ten-point capacitive touchscreens and included keyboards. Here’s a roundup below.
Asus Vivo Tab & Asus Vivo Tab RT
Asus brought two new tablet-hybrids to IFA: the Vivo Tab and Vivo Tab RT — which carry over the company’s successful Transformer design and pack Windows 8. The Vivo Tab has a 29.4 cm (11.6-inch) diagonal Super IPS+ and scratch resistant display with a 1366 by 768 resolution, measures just 8.7 mm, and weighs .68 kg. The Vivo Tab RT is smaller, with a 10.1-inch Super IPS+ panel, and weighs .52 kg.
Like the Transformer Android tablets, the tablets come with a dock to turn into a notebook. However unlike the previous Transformer models, the Vivo Tab’s hinge is hidden, for a cleaner look. The dock has two full size USB ports and optional secondary battery.
The Vivo also features a Wacom digitiser stylus for note-taking, and the tablet has an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front camera. Both Vivo Tabs have several types of sensors: Near Field Communication (NFC), GPS, G-sensor, Light sensor, gyroscope, and compass.
Inside, the Vivo Tab is powered by next-generation Intel Atom CPU, while the Vivo Tab RT runs on the Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core CPU. The Vivo Tab runs the full Windows 8, while the Tab RT runs the somewhat stripped-down Windows 8 RT. For audio, the Vivo Tab uses Asus’ own SonicMaster technology, which it’s used in its previous devices.
Asus hasn’t revealed pricing or availability, but we’re guessing the Vivo Tab will hit stores on or right after October 26, when Windows 8 becomes generally available. We’ll let you know as soon as we find out.
Dell XPS 10 & Duo 12
Dell gave a limited preview of its XPS 10 and XPS Duo 12 convertibles, housed in a black, carbon fiber soft-touch frame. The Duo 12 has a fast back-lit, keyboard with a soft palm rest. To use the Duo 12 as a tablet, you literally flip the display around and close it over the keyboard. The unique swivel mechanism allows the Duo 12’s screen to move around within the bezel. Dell did not reveal other specs or pricing for either hybrid device, but said the Duo 12 would have processors ranging “up to Core i7.”
Laptop has a good hands-on video of the XPS Duo 12:
HP Envy x2
The HP ENVY x2 (pictured at left) is a hybrid notebook with a tablet that can be fully separated. When re-attaching the keyboard, the hinge’s built-in magnets guide the tablet into place. The ENVY x2 weighs 1.4 kg (3.1 pounds). When separated, the tablet portion weighs just .68 kg (1.5 pounds).
The ENVY x2 is a good looking tablet-notebook with brushed a brushed aluminum body encasing a 11.6-inch HD touch display with controllable contrast panel, front HD webcam, and 8-megapixel camera on the back. An optional stylus lets you write, draw and navigate whether the display is docked or not.
Like most of the new tablet hybrids, the ENVY x2 uses NFC technology lets you instantly share content, including photos, contacts and URLs with other NFC-enabled devices, without the need for a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection.
When it comes to playing media, the ENVY x2 comes with HP’s Connected Photo application that can sync photos across multiple devices and offers basic editing options and instant-sharing capabilities for social networks. HP’s Connected Music app is powered by Meridian and lets you download or stream music and internet radio in one spot. The speakers use Beats Audio technology.
HP says the ENVY x2 will be available before the holidays, so expect it on or soon after Windows 8 launches on October 26.
Engadget has posted a nice hands-on with the ENVY x2 here:
Sony VAIO Duo 11
Sony’s VAIO Duo 11 seems to be aimed primarily at the heavy laptop user who wants some tablet functionality on the side. The keyboard is embedded underneath the tablet, so you can switch between keyboard and tablet modes by simply sliding out the enclosed keyboard.
The VAIO Duo 11 weighs in at 1.3 kg (2.86 lbs), measures just under 18 mm (0.7 inches) thin, and offers a bright 11.6″ Full HD touchscreen with controllable contrast panel. Although the Duo 11 will be sold in different configurations, all models will come with your choice of a 128 or 256GB SSD, and either a 1.9-GHz Intel Core i7, 1.7-GHz Core i5 or 1.8-GHz Core i3 processor.
The included stylus has a choice of swappable pen tips for firm or softer pressure. The optional ‘Note Anytime’ app lets you write out notes, and text recognition lets you convert your notes to text. One of the cooler applications on the Duo 11 is Sony’s Active Clip, which lets you crop images by drawing roughly around the edge of your picture with the stylus. You can then drop the cleanly-bordered image straight into documents or presentations. There’s also an add-in for PowerPoint that lets you highlight points as you talk and capture audience feedback.
Like a notebook, the Duo 11 has a full range of ports that include Bluetooth, USB 3.0, HDMI, Ethernet and VGA video ports, so you don’t need extra dongles or adapters to hook up a projector or secondary screen.
To help maximize battery life, the Duo 11 includes Quick Boot, Sleep mode, and RapidWake + Eco instant wake-up function. There’s an optional Sheet-type battery that extends battery life, but makes the notebook-tablet thicker and heavier.
Like on its newest Xperia phones, Sony’s also included its NFC “One-touch” function, which lets you swap music and photos with other NFC-enabled Sony devices by touching one device against another. Sony is also touting its free entertainment apps, a ‘Music’ app and an ‘Album’ app that both let you stream photos, video and music to DLNA-compatible TVs and audio systems.
VAIO Duo 11 owners can purchase optional accessories such as a screen protector and carrying case. The Duo 11 will be generally available after Windows 8 is launched starting October 26, 2012. Interested? Check out hands-on videos of the Duo 11 by Engadget and Laptop Mag.
Samsung Series 5 and 7 Slate PCs
Samsung somehow has managed to cram a lot of features into an 11.6-inch form factor — its Series 5 and Series 7 Slate PCs are so far the lightest of the Windows 8 hybrids, with the Series 7 weighing 1.89 pounds, and the Series 5 only 1.65 pounds. The Series 7 display is 1920×1080 resolution; the Series 5 has a 1366 x 768 resolution.
The higher-end Series 7 Slate offers an Intel Core i5 processor, 4 GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD, while the mid-range Series 5 Slate has a next-gen ATM processor, 2GB of RAM and a 64GB SSD.
Unlike Sony’s VAIO Duo 11, the Samsung slates have a keyboard dock attaches with a mechanical hinge. The slates have a slot for holding Samsung’s S Pen stylus, which offers handwriting to text conversion and varying thickness when drawing or writing, depending on the pressure applied. You can also take advantage of preloaded Samsung services such as MediaHub.
If you decide to go for a more traditional clamshell laptop, Samsung has also added the Series 5 “Ultra,” which offers either a third generation Intel Core i3 or i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 500 GB hard drive with 24 GB of ExpressCache storage. The Series 5 Ultra has a 1366×768 resolution display with Samsung’s SuperBright.
The Series 5 and Series 7 Slates, as well as the touchscreen Series 5 ULTRA, will be available beginning on October 26. The Series 7 Slate retails for $1,199, while the cheaper Series 5 Slate will sell for $749 with the keyboard dock, or $649 without. The Series 5 Ultra goes for $799-$849.
Check out Engadget’s hands-on video of the Series 5 and Series 7:
Samsung ATIV Tab: fingers, not a stylus
Samsung also introduced the ATIV Tab, a 10.1-inch Windows 8 tablet with a similar look and feel to Samsung’s popular Galaxy Tab Android tablet. The ATIV Tab has a low-power ARM processor (aka Windows RT) and a square Windows button on the bottom bezel. There’s no stylus, so this is strictly a finger-based tablet. Again, Engadget goes hands-on:
Finally, Toshiba also joined in the Windows 8 tablet party with new Satellites. For more details on those, see Laptop Mag and Notebooks.com.
