windows rt

Most of these Asus laptops, tablets, and desktops have been seen or mentioned before, but the company brought several upcoming new systems to New York for a press event this week (unfortunately timed for the same day as Apple's iPad Mini unveiling).

Some, such as the dual-screen Taichi or the Windows RT VivoTab, have already generated significant buzz. Others are not quite as high-profile, or else revamps of existing products. A quick rundown is below, along with price and release dates where available.

Asus Taichi Clearly the most interesting new Asus system, this dual-screen laptop has a panel on … Read more

While Microsoft is spending a small fortune promoting its next-generation Windows 8 operating system, it also has another new operating system called Windows RT, which actually powers the company's Surface tablet and a few other devices.

Superficially, the operating systems look and feel the same. But Windows RT is designed for devices running on ARM chips, which are used to power smartphones and tablets and are considered more power-efficient.

Windows RT is more like "Windows Lite" than a full-blown update to the operating system. It's Microsoft's attempt to make a controlled environment similar to Apple'… Read more

Before taking the plunge into Windows 8, there are a few questions you should ask yourself. We've summarized some of most useful ones here, and by going down this checklist, you'll end up with a much better idea about the right path for upgrading existing hardware versus buying a new machine, and figuring out all the new styles of tablets and touch-screen hybrids hitting store shelves alongside Windows 8.

Do you want to stick with Windows at all, or would another OS work better for you? Microsoft has two new operating systems, Windows 8 and Windows RT. For … Read more

Microsoft is training sales staff to make sure customers know the difference between Windows RT and the full version of Windows 8, the company told CNET.

Windows RT tablets, including Microsoft's Surface, use power-frugal ARM chips and come with a version of Windows 8 that is not compatible with older Windows software. Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro devices -- including an upcoming higher-performance Surface tablet -- are powered by Intel chips and can run the millions of older Windows programs already out there.

"Compatibility is a huge, huge issue," said Bob O'Donnell, an analyst at … Read more

Microsoft is now spreading the word about Surface via Twitter.

The Windows 8 tablet got custody of its own Twitter account this weekend, with only two tweets so far but more than 6,600 followers. Both tweets point to a new promotional video starring Surface, with one tweet focusing on the music behind the ad.

The new tablet is also getting some Facebook love. Its new page on the social network mimics that of the Twitter page, pointing to the same video ad. More than 7,000 fans have given the thumbs up to Surface's new Facebook page.

Microsoft … Read more

Windows RT tablets are coming. Soon. Very soon. What's Windows RT, you ask? Well, it would take a scientist to explain it and we unfortunately don't have one on staff (yet). Thankfully, we do have Seth Rosenblatt, who's all too happy (or as close as he gets to happy) to break it down for you.

For those not looking to have anything broken, I'll give you the gist. Windows RT is essentially the "lite" version of Windows 8. It runs on ARM processors (cheaper and more energy-efficient than its Intel counterparts) and is optimized for Microsoft's Windows 8 Metro interface.

Of the first batch of RT tablets, the most anticipated is undoubtedly the Microsoft Surface. The future of Windows tablets is riding on the success of the Surface, which starts at $499 with a release date of October 26. That's for the basic 32GB version.

For $599, you get a 32GB version with a Touch Cover keyboard, and $699 will net you a Touch Cover and a 64GB-capacity Surface. The Touch Cover itself will retail for $120.

Anyway, here's a list of the first wave of Windows RT tablets. All of which should be on shelves by the end of the year.… Read more

Windows users have a lot to be excited about. With Windows 8 launching on October 26 and a slew of new hardware coming off the assembly line, this is the biggest reinvention we've seen of Windows since the launch of XP.

But some people are less than excited about the change. Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols from ZDNet has no qualms calling this "the worst Windows version to date." Similarly, Ed Bott has a list of tips on how to skip Windows 8 and stay with Windows 7.

So in advance of the deafening marketing roar we're likely … Read more

We've seen a flurry of Windows 8 PC announcements over the last week or two, most recently with Microsoft opening the gates to Windows 8 preorders this morning. The calendar still has a few big Windows 8-related events on it, though, so here's what you can look forward to over the next few weeks.

October 12: Microsoft begins taking preorders for the standalone retail version of its new operating system, Windows 8 Pro. Preorders for full Windows 8 PCs also begin from Acer, Dell, HP, Sony, and other major system vendors.

October 21: Windows Phone 8 devices available for preorder. … Read more