we took at look at four unique looking Windows 8 tablets. It is important with Windows 8 that vendors prove they can think outside the box if they want to stay relevant. The world is changing and boring designs that are recycled over and over just don’t cut it. Vendors must learn to be sexy, bold, unique — all while offering real value and innovation. This is a pretty big bill for companies that are used to producing devices that improve on the hardware but truly add little real differences year after year. Surprisingly, many brands seem up to this challenge though. Without further ado, here are four more devices that attempt to think differently:
HP Envy 2x
HP’s tablet history isn’t very good. I honestly liked WebOS and the TouchPad, but there is no denying that it failed hard. Can Windows 8 turn the tide of bad luck in the mobile space for Hewlett Packard? We’ll see in time. The HP Envy X2 is a hybrid difference that offers a laptop and tablet experience out of the box. It is probably one of the least ‘out of the box’-thinking devices mentioned today. It is an 11.6-inch laptop that can detach from its base sort of like the Android-based Transformer line from Asus. Under the hood is an Atom Clover Trail processor, 32/64 GB SSD, an 11.6-inch screen an 8MP rear cam, 720p front shooter and NFC technology. No official word on pricing. This is an attractive, if not someone ordinary looking, option for those that are fans of HP laptops and devices.Samsung P10
Okay- to be fair, we don’t know if/when the Samsung P10 is even coming. It was originally revealed in court documents during the Apple-Samsung Wars of 2012. The P10 is unique in the fact it packs a massive 2,560×1,600 resolution. We know little about the design of this thing, though it is believed to feature an 11.8-inch display and might be out sometime this year or early 2013. With such a high-resolution screen, could this be a potential iPad Retina display dethroner? Perhaps we’ll hear something at the Microsoft Windows 8 launch event? For now, this is one to look out for, even if we have no clue what it will look like or when to expect it.Sony Vaio Duo 11
The massive 20-inch Sony tablet mentioned yesterday is clearly thinking outside the box. What about the Duo 11? Yes, it is, but it also happens to have a design that seems quite similar at first glance to the Microsoft Surface. They both have sleek sexy designs that feature a dock, but they way they accomplish this is quite different. Unlike the Surface, the full backlit keyboard in this Sony tablet is tucked away on a sliding hinge and even features a pressure-sensitive digitizer with the choice of two different pen tips. It also is 11.6-inches, has a 1920×1080 resolution, 4 or 8GB of RAM, 128/256GB SSD and a design that only weighs 2.9 pounds. The device will also be powered by either an Intel Core i7, i5 or i3– depending on the model. I’m quite impressed by this thing, even if it is at sort of similar to Microsoft’s own tablet.
A sexy sleek design, a kickstand and a keyboard that can be either physical or just touch-based buttons. There is a lot to like about the Surface. Unfortunately, there are a lot of unknown variables here as well. We don’t know the price and we really don’t have full hardware details either.
What we do know is that there will be RT and x86 configurations. We also have reason to believe that Microsoft’s flagship tablet will have a pricing point that is designed to aggressively compete against Apple’s iPad.
Summing It Up..
Windows 8 continues to impress. The media can say what it wants, but Windows 8 is clearly different and that is probably what worries people. Microsoft’s approach is unique, and change is hard. That being said, some of these tablets and laptops show that change can be exciting, bold and sexy as well. What do you think of the four devices covered today, or even the four from yesterday? Excited yet?]]>Article Categories:
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