Samsung to demo new Windows 8 hybrid tablet at IFA
The Series 5 Windows 8 tablet is slated to appear at this week's IFA trade show in Germany.
Samsung will take the wraps off its new Windows 8 hybrid tablet at the IFA 2012 trade show in Berlin.
The company's Facebook page displays a photo of the new tablet with the tagline "Ready to be smart" and the phrase "IFA 2012, Berlin." Samsung is also telling its Facebook followers "Don't worry, it's just around the corner..."
IFA 2012 officially gets off the ground this Friday and runs until September 5. But the press will get a head start with events scheduled this Wednesday and Thursday. Samsung's press event is scheduled for Wednesday and will be live streamed.
The photo itself portrays the Windows 8 tablet in the foreground with its keyboard dock partially revealed in the background. Unveiled at Computex in June, the Series 5 can function as both tablet and notebook, letting users snap the 11-inch tablet onto the dock with keyboard and touch pad.
Samsung has been teasing the the new tablet with a video offering a few quick peeks at its exterior. A few key details were revealed in June.
Equipped with an Intel chip, the tablet will run the full flavor of Windows 8, not the Windows RT version. An 8-megapixel camera graces the rear with a 2-megapixel camera in front. Samsung put the battery life at around 10 hours and noted that the tablet is charged while docked.
Windows 8 tablet makers will have to compete with Microsoft's own Surface tablet. Trying to out-duel the iPad and Android tablets, Surface will offer a kickstand and an attachable keyboard, allowing it to function in part as a notebook.
Some Windows 8 tablet vendors have expressed concerns over Microsoft's entry into this new market.
Acer chairman JT Wang publicly pleaded with Microsoft not to sell the Surface too cheaply. Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing said recently that he's not happy about Microsoft getting into the Windows 8 hardware business, but he vowed to produce a better product.
Samsung will now join that list of companies producing Windows 8 hybrid tablets aiming to give Surface a run for its money.
(Via The Verge)