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Asus Rumored to be Developing 8 Inch Windows 8.1 Tablet Based on Intel bay Trail Chip

December 19, 2013 By Sebastian Mc’Mannen Leave a Comment

Asus could well be the next company to come up with an 8 inch tablet running Windows 8.1 with an Intel chip at its core. This if true will make Asus the newest entrant to the league of companies comprising of the likes of Acer, Lenovo, Toshiba and Dell that have all launched Windows based tablet in such a form factor. Asus though isn’t completely new to the Intel Bay Trail and Windows 8.1 combination, it being the first to include both in the Transformer Book T100TA that comes with a 10 inch display as well as a keyboard dock.

There is however unconfirmed information that comes from Tech2.hu about Asus introducing an 8 inch tablet or a tablet smaller than 10 inch. The reason for this assumption stems from the fact that the model is named Asus M80TA though there is also talk of the device likely to be named Asus VivoTab Note 8. Also, the tablet could be priced $299, which is similar to most other 8 inch Windows 8.1 tablet costs.

The M80TA is speculated to be running Windows 8.1 as per a listing at a retailer’s site. The specifications also mentioned there speak of an Intel Atom Z3740 Bay Trail processor powering the device, coupled to a 2 GB RAM along with 32 GB of storage capacity. It would also come pre-loaded with 2013 Home & Student MS Office. It also mentions about the device including support for a stylus, something that the Transformer Book T100TA lacks. There is however no clear indication if there would be a keyboard dock as the one which is there on the Transformer Book T100TA.

Official confirmation on all these speculations would come to an end on 6^th January when Asus is going to address a press conference. The event is to be held at Las Vegas. There would sure be mention about the Padfone X device also during the press conference, as that too is a hotly talked about device expected form Asus.

Nokia Expected to Launch 8 Inch Lumia 2020 by April 2014

November 26, 2013 By Jack M. Robinson Leave a Comment

The recently launched Nokia Lumia 2520 which is a tablet in the 10.1 inch group has been generating quite some buzz lately and rightfully so considering it’s the first from the Finnish company. Also of course their tablet line up won’t just comprise of a single device and there already are murmurs of Nokia being in the process of coming out with an 8 inch tablet as well. That the 8 inch version too would be part of their Lumia line of products is all too evident. Digitimes has reported this device to bear the code name of “Illusionist” and at time of marketing may bear the model number Lumia 2020. They have also mentioned a released date of somewhere in the first quarter of the coming year, likely around April.

Nokia is making endeavors to pitch its bit in the $200 and below category which it appears is the most sought for market in the tablet sector. There are many other tablets also in the same range and therefore the competition is stiff. Given this scenario, Nokia have given some good features to their gadget to make it interesting. The Lumia 2020 it appears from what Digitimes reports is far higher in specifications than the Lumia 2520.

A list of hardware and other features of the upcoming 8 inch tablet from Nokia has been obtained by Dusan Belic of IntoMobile. As per their report, the Lumina 2020 will sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad core processor and the RAM would be of 2 GB. The OS is going to be Windows 8.1 RT which if we note is all the same as that of the Lumia 2520. Belic has also gone on to state that the Nokia would unveil the Lumia 2020 at the CES to be held in January else at the Mobile World Congress event scheduled for February. There is no information if Nokia will have a separate version running Windows 8.1 as well considering many of its competitors have already come up with affordably priced 8 inch tablets running the full blown Windows 8.1.

The reports by Digitimes have a note of discord from Unwired View who classifies them to be getting sources that are always anonymous. Daniel Shen in Taipei and Steve Shen of Digitimes have been the sources for these bits and pieces of information regarding the Lumia 2020.

Toshiba Encore 8 Inch Win 8.1 Tablet No On Pre-Order, Costs $300

November 7, 2013 By Jack M. Robinson Leave a Comment

The Toshiba Encore tablet is now up for pre-order at Amazon. The tablet which comes with an 8 inch display has at its core an Intel Atom Bay Trail processor and runs the latest Windows 8.1 operating system. This apart, one of the best features of the tablet is that it comes loaded with the Microsoft Office 2013 Home and Student Edition. First launched in September, the Toshiba Encore has also been priced quite competitively at $300 for the 32 GB storage variant.

The Encore also happens to be the first 8 inch tablet that Toshiba has come up with. The core processor is a quad core Z3740 chip from the Intel Atom line of CPU’s. Other than that the tablet also has 2 GB of RAM along with 32 GB of internal memory. The latter can be further expanded to a maximum of 32 GB via micro SD cards.

Screen resolution of the 8 inch display is 1280 x 800 pixels. It is based on IPS technology for a wider viewing angle. For connectivity the tablet features Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n. It also has an added Intel HD Graphics card to handle the graphics processes. It features two cameras which has become quite standard these days. An 8 mp camera adorns the read while at the front, there is a 2 mp camera for video chats and self portraits. On the ‘port’ side, the Encore features a micro HDMI port that will let the tablet be connected to an external display. A micros USB 2.0 port is also available for connecting external devices to it. For sound recording it comes with dual microphones.

The Encore is also quite handy, weighing just 1.1 pounds though just for comparison’s sake, the new iPad Air with a bigger display is less than a pound in weight. There is also the Acer Iconia W4 tablet running Windows which too is a bit lighter than the Toshiba Encore. The Dell Venue 8 Pro which also features a similar setup of an 8 inch display, Intel Bay Trail chip and Windows 8.1 OS is lighter while being priced at the same $300. Another one to be compared with is the Miix2 from Lenovo. The 8 inch variant of the Miix 2 comes with an 8 inch display, run Windows 8.1, is based on an Intel Bay Trail chip, comes with 2 GB RAM and 32/64 GB memory and is still lighter than a pound. The Miix 2 is also priced at $299.

Google May Be Developing an 8 Inch Nexus Tablet Variant

November 6, 2013 By Deborah Cobing Leave a Comment

Dreams, rumors and speculation about a new Nexus are always hanging in the air. It was therefore quite a good reason to start the buzz about Nexus 8 when someone spotted a device from Google in their press release that resembled the Nexus 7 by overall dimension but the screen size was just that much larger than that seen on a Nexus 7. The readjustment of the picture however took place quickly and it was concluded that it was just a possible trick by some insider at Google.

Pocketnow depicted how the screen of the Nexus 7 could be stretched by graphical software and made to fit the same chassis as that of the Nexus 7. The Google inadvertent press release however has the aspect of the bottom part being pixelated which would not be the case if it were just a case of stretching the screen using graphical tools on an original photograph.

While the possibility of a Nexus 8 is not completely unrealistic the time is not ripe as of now to expect its presence given the past precedence of Google coming up with new products in the smartphone sector. The idea of a bigger screen in the same chassis as that of the present Nexus 7 is however a unique and interesting idea.

There have been instances where new devices have been revealed either intentionally or unintentionally by the company making it well before its actual discovery. Like the Moto X being shown by Eric Schmidt supposedly unintentionally. Or the Nexus 5 being revealed during the Android 4.4 KitKat release event by a Google employee, once again unintentionally.

There is therefore that remote possibility that Google may be mulling over a Nexus 8 just after it has come out with the Nexus 5 even though that is deviating from past precedence.

Nokia Rumored to be Developing 8 inch Windows RT Tablet Named Illusionist

November 5, 2013 By Troy Rubenson Leave a Comment

Nokia’s first tablet, the Lumia 2520 which sports a 10 inch display will be seen along store shelves soon. The tablet is Windows RT based, and is only the second tablet in the world to be so, the first being none other than the Surface 2. Also, the Lumia 2520 would fetch for a price of $499 and above, which could be considered a bit on the higher side considering the tablet runs an operating system that had very few takers in its initial run. This however is not going to be the only new tablet that the Finnish company has up its sleeve. For there already are rumors of an 8 inch model being in the pipeline, which could be named the “illusionist”. This bit of information comes from @evleaks and the Verge. Both have a reputation of being credible, which means there sure is something up there.

So far as the 10 inch Lumia 2520 goes, it would be powered by a Qualcomm processor. The Illusionist on the other hand could be powered by an ARM processor making it the first of its type in the tablet sector. The reason why Nokia has decided on the ARM processor is not very clear as the battery usage using Intel Atom Bay Trail line of processors has been found to be same as that of ARM processor based tablets.

Other tablet makers who have their product in the market and with whom Nokia would be competing are Dell and Lenovo who have Windows based 8 inch tablets in the market. These tablets however are powered by x86 processors and hence run the full blown Windows 8.1 version. The 8 inch tablet segment has proved to have more takers than the 7 inch variant, something that can be explained by a mad rush by manufacturers to launch tablets in this genre.

Other news of interest in the Windows based tablet segment is that Microsoft too is rumored to introduce a smaller their in their Surface lineup. The tablets would be 7.5 inch by dimension and release dates are expected to be early 2014. Whether that would run Windows RT or Windows 8.1 is anybody’s guess right now that chances could be that Microsoft might have a tablet running both the Windows versions.

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