Intel has punted out invites for an event it’s holding next week. And with executives from Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung and ZTE set to make speeches, it smells distinctly like Windows 8 to us.
There’s just a month to go until the next-gen OS launches, after all. So here’s what to expect next week.
We’re expecting Windows 8 tablets galore come the event on September 27th. All the companies listed above have announced tablets running the forthcoming OS, apart from ZTE. But what’s this a ZTE exec leaked on a Chinese social network earlier this week? Why it’s a Windows 8 tablet, along with a boatload of handsets. Nice work. Just a shame he didn’t let slip any details.
Companies outed Windows 8 tablets in all shapes and sizes at IFA, and previously at Computex in Taipei. So along with the ZTE offering, we should see the likes of the Asus Vivo Tab RT – you know, the 10.1-incher with a quad-core Integra 3 processor, and a keyboard dock that turns it into a fully-fledged laptop. It looks like it’ll cost about the same as an iPad too, so could well be worth considering as an alternative.
Or how about the Dell XPS Duo 12, another hybrid you can use either as a laptop or a tablet. While most laptop-cum-tablets swing round or fold over on themselves to transform, this one is slightly different. The screen is hinged in the centre of the far left and right, so it swivels vertically, covering the keyboard and touch pad.
Then there’s the Samsung Series 5 and Series 7, more hybrids (sensing a trend here?) that run Windows 8. These have 11.6-inch screens, and come with Samsung’s S-Pen, as seen on its Galaxy Note 2, for doodling on-screen.
Just a shame Sony isn’t on board as well, as we could get a closer look at the Vaio Duo 11, its own Windows 8 hybrid that’ll take on the MacBook Air.
So, hybrids aplenty. Hopefully there’ll be a surprise or two up the sleeves of some of the big boys making an appearance on September 27th.
Link: The Verge
