IFA 2012: All things slate-based from Berlin
IFA 2012 is a tricky beast to keep track of. Last year, we notched up hundreds of stories from Europe’s biggest consumer technology show and with so much flying through the Pocket-lint home page, it’s easy to miss a few announcements from time to time. So, if it’s the tablets from IFA 2012 you’d like to know about most, then you’ve come to the right place.
We’ll be updating this page over the next few days with all the tablet-related news from Berlin. Whether it’s just the news, the pictures or a hands-on account of the features, you’ll find it here.
Lenovo Ideatab S2107A
In addition to the?Windows 8-powered ThinkPad Tablet 2, Lenovo was also on hand to show Pocket-lint a trio of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich tablets. The Lenovo Ideatab S2107A, is that baby of the bunch. It’s a 7-inch device and handles much like the?9-inch version on a smaller scale.
There’s a 720p resolution is squeezed into the display and it’s 3G-ready which mean on-going PAYG data costs if you want to go down that route. No word on pricing but the word the company used was “competitive”. Hands-on
Lenovo?Ideatab S2110A
It’s the biggest of the lot is the Lenovo S2110A that comes equipped with its own keyboard dock. It’s?small and light, measuring 8.7mm thick and a mere 580g and is described?as a premium entertainment device with a powerful quad core NVIDA Tegra 3 CPU to back it up.
The screen itself is 1080p resolution and has a wide angle of view and even under harsh spotlights was still legible.The 10-hour battery life can be doubled to 20 hours when the keyboard dock is connected, though, again, we’ll only be able to test this to its fullest when we get a model in for review. Still, 20 hours is enough to fly trans-Atlantic including stoppage – sounds good to us. Hands-on
Lenovo?Ideatab S2109A
Somewhere in the middle of the two above is the Lenovo Ideatab A2109A. It comes with a 9-inch, four-point capacitive display at 1280 x 800 resolution, though 1080p output is possible via the micro HDMI port.
It’s metal-backed, built around a “roll cage” design to stay tough and weighs in at 570g. Like all of the above, it comes 3G-ready and, we’re hoping, a price tag to attract as well. Hands-on
Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2
The Lenovo ThinkPad 2 is a 10.1-inch device that docks into the keyboard that comes with the package. To the side is a slot for a digital stylus, which we believe is also included (though the press release says that you’ll have to stump up extra cash for it).
The most obvious difference between the Tablet 2 and its predecessor is the operating system of choice. The original tablet ran Android, whereas this version’s inclusion of?Windows 8?Pro means Lenovo is now supporting both operating systems across its different devices. Hands-on
Toshiba Satellite U920T
Packing Windows 8 and a choice of the latest Ivy Bridge processors, the?Toshiba Satellite U920T?looks to be as powerful as the rest of the competition. No discreet graphics but the?U920T features both a 32GB SSD and a 1TB HDD, as well as 6GB of RAM.
A slight let down is the screen, which at 14-inches and with a 1366 x 768 resolution, is fairly pixelated. It is also fairly heavy, at 1.79Kg.?A 1-megapixel webcam on the front is paired with another on the rear and the connectivity is good too. SRS Premium Sound 3DTM speakers sit next to the display adding some quality to you entertainment potential. Read more
Dell XPS 10 Windows RT tablet
Dell has announced at IFA 2012 that its first foray into the world of Windows RT tablets will be called the XPS 10.?The tablet will feature a detachable keyboard, as seems to be the trend right now, and it will be backlit for a much better experience.
To make use of that keyboard, you’ll also have Microsoft Office – which is standard on Windows RT devices – and a microSD slot along with a micro-USB connection for your choice of peripherals. The screen will also be “HD” although as yet we don’t know if that’s 1280×720 or 1920×1080.?The XPS 10 will, according to Dell, have 20 hours battery life. Somewhat mega. Read more?| Hands-on
Dell XPS Duo 12
Stretching the boundaries of what can be considered a laptop comes the Dell XPS Duo 12. It’s a screen-flipper rather than a keyboard remover and, of course, it runs a full version Windows 8.?Looking like a much plusher sequel to the Inspiron Duo, it’s machined from aluminium and carbon fibre and is a top of the line piece of kit.
There’s a Full HD touch screen display, edge to edge glass and it’s upgradeable all the way to an?Ivy Bridge Core i7 processor and a backlit keyboard.?Stay tuned for more on pricing yet and specs for the XPS Duo 12. Read more?| Hands-on
Samsung Ativ Smart PC
The Samsung Ativ Smart PC uses a detachable keyboard to bring a more traditional QWERTY computing experience to a tablet, while keeping things as portable as you might want a Windows 8 tablet to be.?The 11.6-inch display has multi touch support which works naturally with Windows 8.
Not content with keyboard and touch, the S Pen control method, like the Note 10.1 and just announced Note 2, is also thrown in for good measure, bringing a little variety to your input options.?There are two variants of the Ativ Smart PC. The standard Ativ Smart PC is 9.9mm thick and uses an Atom processor. The Ativ Smart PC Pro is larger at 11.9mm thanks to its more powerful i5 processor. Hands-on
Samsung Ativ Tab
All tablet and no keyboard this time, the Samsung Ativ Tab is the most traditional of the tablets unveiled in the Ativ range. Pegged as a Windows 8 alternative to the Note 10.1, it’s designed to provide a Windows PC experience on a tablet.
With a 10.1-inch display and weighing just 570g, it is reasonably light.?The plastic finish perhaps lacks the metallic sheen that Asus bring to their rival device, but we guess the telling factor will be in price when both devices come to market.?Inside is a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, two cores less than the likes of the Note 10.1. On the show floor it’s difficult to get a sense of performance, but from what we’ve seen, it’s a pretty slick device. Hands-on
HP Envy x2
Not wishing to be left behind by equivalents from?Samsung,?Sony, et al, is HP. The HP Envy x2 is a tablet/PC hybrid 11.6-inch device that runs Windows 8 and features the Beats Audio system that the manufacturer hopes will give it that extra edge over the rest.
Weighing 1.4kg when the keyboard is attached (0.68kg when not), the Envy x2 has a HD IPS panel, which should ensure decent brightness (400-nit), and front and rear cameras. There’s?NFC ?for use with media sharing and HP has added proprietary software, including HP Connected Photo, an app that?syncs photos across multiple devices and offers basic editing options. Read more?| Hands-on
Sony Xperia Tablet S
As expected, Sony has announced a new tablet device called the Sony Xperia Tablet S during its press conference at IFA in Berlin. It will feature an Nvida Tegra 3 quad core processor, come loaded with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich from the box,?will sport a full sized SD card slot and come with 16GB, 32GB and 64GB in-built storage options.
There’s USB output, HDMI connectivity through a dongle and an oddly sized?9.4-inch touchscreen with a 1280 x 800-pixel resolution to enjoy. You get an 8-megapixel camera on the rear, a 1-megapixel on the front for video calling and that’s your lot. Starting at $399, ending at $599. Read more
Sony Vaio Tap 20
Some might argue that the Sony Vaio Tap 20 is a desktop computer. Because it is. However, this is a machine that Sony is positively encouraging the family to use as if it were a giant, 20-inch tablet. Because it’s basically also this too.
Thanks to the magic of Windows 8 this computer – minus the plugged-in mouse and keyboard – is designed to lie flat and become some sort of multi-use, family painting device. Graphics are integrated, as are the speakers, and there’s up to 8GB of RAM and an Intel Core i7 and a possible 1TB of storage at your disposal. Read more?| Hands-on
Sony Vaio Duo 11
The Sony Vaio Dual 11 sports a surf slider build with a full Qwerty keyboard, but consumers can opt to stick to a slate tablet mode and use the 11-inch touch display. A digitised stylus is included in the tablet device. Again, one could argue that this is, in fact, a laptop. Because, again, it is, but the duo is meant to be a tablet every much as it as meant as an Ultrabook.
Like the Tap 20, the Duo 11 and features Sony’s new Clear Audio+ sound technology for a an improved sound experience when watching video or listening to music as well as a choice of high end Intel Core CPUs and Intel HD graphics. Coming at the end of October. Read more?| Hands-on
Asus Vivo Tab (RT)
Asus kicked off IFA 2012 with the announcement of two new tablet devices. The Asus Vivo Tab and Asus Vivo Tab RT bring the successful Transformer concept to Windows 8.?The name comes from the Latin verb “to live”, with Asus describing the new tablet devices as ideal for work and play.
Based around an 11.6-inch Super IPS+ display, like the Transformer range of Android tablet devices, the Vivo Tab will feature a dock to turn this Windows 8 tablet into a fully fledged notebook.?With a thickness of just 8.7mm and weighing 675g, the Vivo Tab is a slick looking device, exhibiting Asus’ growing experience in tablet design. Read more?| Hands-on
Archos GamePad
Is it a portable games machine, is it a tablet, is there any difference any more??Archos has announced the launch of a new 7-inch device with dedicated buttons set to take on the PS Vita and pals.?The GamePad combines physical gaming controls with a full Android-powered tablet with touchscreen, analogue sticks and all.
The GamePad runs a 1.5Ghz processor with a Mali 400mp quad-core GPU to handle the graphics side of things. Unlike some Archos tablets in the past, the new model is also?Google certified so you get access to the Google Play store and promises to automatically map keys to your favourite games very much in the same way Sony Ericsson did with the PlayStation phone, the Xperia Play. Due out at the end of October 2012 for less than ?130. Read more
Tags:
Tablets IFA2012 Features Archos GamePad Asus Vivo Tab Asus Vivo Tab RT Sony Tablet S Sony Vaio Tap 20 Sony Vaio Duo 11 HP Envy x2 Samsung ATIV Tab Samsung Ativ Smart PC Dell XPS 10 Lenovo Ideatab S2107A Lenovo Ideatab S2109A Lenovo Ideatab S2110A Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2
Tablets at IFA 2012 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 11:24:00 +0100