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While Microsoft may no longer have an official presence at CES, unofficially its hardware partners are keeping the torch alive.
Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo and even Vizio, a company better known for its HDTVs than computing devices, are flooding the Las Vegas trade show with Windows 8 machines. Today, the field grows even more crowded with new tablets, including a couple from some unlikely sources.
Motherboard maker Gigabyte unveiled two new Windows 8 slates, the S1082 and the S1185, according to Mobile Geeks. Aimed at business users, the S1082 will offer a low-power Intel dual-core processor and options for solid-state-drive (SSD) storage or a 500GB hard-disk drive. It also features High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), VGA and Ethernet ports, along with cellular connectivity.
Gigabyte’s powerhouse tablet is the S1185. Anchored by third-generation Intel Core processors, the device packs an 11.6-inch full HD display that uses In-Plane Switching (IPS) LCD technology for extreme viewing angles and crisp visuals. Like the S1082, the S1185 offers HDMI and VGA ports along with a magnetic keyboard option.
Asus also unveiled a Windows 8 tablet called the VivoTab. Slash Gear reports that the Taiwanese company packed its slate with a 10.1-inch touch-screen, an Intel Atom Z2760 dual-core processor and a near-field communication (NFC) chip.
The company also debuted the Asus Transformer AIO, an 18.5-inch hybrid all-in-one that can double as a big Windows 8 tablet and run Android.
When detached from its base, the Transformer AIO’s Intel-powered internals (i3 to i7 processors) beam the Windows 8 experience to users wirelessly, reports Gizmodo. The display portion, with its built-in Nvidia quad-core Tegra 3 processor, can run Android natively.
Advanced Micro Devices, meanwhile, is banking on Windows 8 tablets and portables to help turn its sagging fortunes around.
During CES, the embattled chip maker is spotlighting a new tablet-friendly system-on-a-chip (SoC) called “Temash.” The tech, along with the “Kabini” SoCs for notebooks, will be “the industry’s first quad-core x86 SoCs,” claims AMD.
“Temash is AMD’s elite low-power mobility processor for Windows 8 tablets and hybrids. AMD expects Temash to be the highest-performance SoC for tablets in the market, with 100 percent more graphics-processing performance than its predecessor [code-named Hondo],” the company stated in a statement.
AMD officials were quick to point out that the company’s next-generation mobile processors have already attracted the attention of OEMs, including HP and Vizio. Lily Knowles, vice president of product marketing for Vizio, noted that AMD’s chip technology is a good fit for her company’s strategy of expanding into personal computing.
“Vizio is entering the consumer PC market in an even bigger way in 2013, and we are thrilled to include AMD in our lineup for the premium visual and gaming performance we believe their processors deliver. AMD provides the VIZIO tablet, notebooks and all-in-one with the best graphics and visual experience for our customers,” Knowles said.