6 Tablets to Consider for Windows 8′s October Launch

The release timing for Windows 8  has been somewhat of an open secret, but now it’s official.

Microsoft says the final version of Windows 8 will be available by the end of October, along with the first PCs running Windows 8 and Windows RT. The company will release Windows 8 to hardware makers (RTM, as they say) in the first week of August, and will let app developers start charging for their wares at the same time.

In the past, new versions of Windows meant new laptops and desktops. But to go along with Windows 8′s touch-friendly interface, PC makers will be launching tablets, touchscreen laptops and hybrid devices as well. Here’s a rundown of the most interesting Windows 8 PCs we’ve heard about so far:

Microsoft Surface

Microsoft stunned the tech world last month with plans to build its own Windows 8 tablets, collectively known as “Surface.” We’re still waiting on all the details, but the design looks promising, with a built-in stand and a slim screen cover that doubles as a keyboard (as pictured above). The Windows RT version, which runs on the same type of processor as the iPad and other tablets, will launch around the same time as Windows 8 (so, presumably in October). A thicker and heavier version running Windows 8 Pro, with support for legacy Windows software, is coming 90 days later. No word on pricing yet.

ACER

Acer Iconia W510

Acer’s Iconia W510 is a Windows 8 tablet that connects to a rather interesting laptop dock. When the dock’s keyboard and trackpad are facing up, the W510 acts like a laptop, but flip it over, and the tablet swivels around into a presentation stand, with the screen facing out from the front. The W510 has a 10.1-inch, 1920-by-1080 resolution display, and will run an Intel processor with support for legacy Windows software. Acer hasn’t announced a price or release date yet.

Asus Transformer AiO

If today’s tablets are too small for you, consider the Asus Transformer AiO, an all-in-one PC with a detachable 18.4-inch touch screen. When separated from the base, the gigantic tablet runs a standalone version of Android, but it can also use a remote desktop connection to access Windows 8 over a local network. Asus isn’t talking price or release date now, but my guess is “quite a lot” and “not for a while,” respectively.

HP “Slate 8″

HP has been quiet about its Windows 8 tablet plans so far, but a report by Neowin suggests a slick first effort. While most Intel-based Windows 8 tablets will be a bit chunky, the so-called Slate 8 will measure just 0.36 inches thick–a hair thinner than Apple’s new iPad–and weigh about 1.5 pounds, according to a leaked product rendering. And despite the slim figure, the Slate 8 will reportedly get between 8 and 10 hours of battery life. Now all we need is an official announcement to make this thing real.

ASUS

Asus Tablet 600

One of the few Windows RT computers announced so far, the Asus Tablet 600 is essentially a Windows version of the company’s popular Transformer Android tablet series. The tablet has a 10.1-inch, 1366-by-768 resolution display and an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor; it turns into a laptop with a keyboard and trackpad dock, an extra USB port and an extended battery. You know the drill: No price or release date just yet. (Asus is also working on Intel-based versions of the same concept. The Tablet 810 will have an Atom processor and an 11.6-inch display, and the Transformer Book will have Intel Core processors, discrete graphics and screen sizes of 11.6 inches, 13 inches and 14 inches.)

Nokia Mystery Tablet

Okay, so Nokia hasn’t announced a Windows 8 tablet, but there have been rumors, and former chairman Jorma Ollila has promised that  the company is planning to launch a range of tablets. Nokia’s Lumia 800 is one of the best-looking Windows Phones yet, and I’m interested to see the company carry those design chops over to larger touch screens.

Time to Admit It: A Smaller iPad Would Spell Doom for Everyone Else

The rumors of a mini iPad have surfaced once again, and I’m starting to believe them. Both Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal report that Apple will launch an iPad with a screen smaller than 8 inches this year, citing unnamed sources.

In the world of Apple rumors, Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal represent a sort of turning point. Their stories about unreleased Apple products are usually vague on details, but the gist–that product X will be released during timeframe Y–tends to be correct, especially when both publications report the same story.

As a fan of competition and someone who generally enjoys Android–especially the latest version, Jelly Bean–I desperately want to be contrarian about this. I’ve been trying to think of ways in which a smaller iPad wouldn’t destroy Amazon’s Kindle Fire, Barnes & Noble’s Nook Tablet and Google’s upcoming Nexus 7, but so far, I’ve got nothing.

(MORE: Google’s Nexus 7 and Nexus Q: A Photo Tour of the New Hardware)

Price alone won’t be fatal. Despite what some pundits are claiming, I doubt Apple can hit $200 with a 7.8-inch iPad. The only way the competition gets that cheap is by sacrificing hardware profits in hopes of making money on digital content sales.

Apple doesn’t work that way. According to unofficial estimates, Apple makes about $150 in profit on the Wi-Fi iPad 2, which now sells for $400, and for the latest iPad, the profit margins are even greater. Content sales are just gravy. Unless I’m drastically underestimating Apple’s supply chain prowess, a smaller iPad priced at $250 or $300 seems far more likely if Apple still wants to make a profit on hardware.

But even at a higher price than other 7-inch tablets, Apple would do well against its competitors purely on the strength of its apps. No other tablet maker has cultivated an app ecosystem like Apple’s, which is why 10-inch Android tablets haven’t made a dent in the iPad’s sales—even ones that cost less than the iPad.

If Apple can pitch a smaller iPad as a less expensive device for kids, or for women to fit in their purses, or for gamers who want something easier to grip with two hands, I think it’s a winner. It would likely have all the same apps, as iOS developer Joel Bernstein points out, because even when scrunched onto a 7.8-inch screen, they’d still fit within Apple’s design guidelines.

(LIST: 30 Best Apps for Apple’s New iPad)

And it kind of makes me sad to think about it. I own an iPad, and I really like it, but I’ve also been using Google’s Nexus 7, and it’s really, really good. Android appeals to my nerdy side, with all its customizability, its lack of a walled garden and the simple fact that I can play classic video game emulators on it.

But I know most people don’t care about any of that, and even though Android is now fast and fluid enough for curb appeal, the advantages it offers over iOS still aren’t obvious to the average user. Apple is the safe bet–the platform with all the apps–for which people will happily pay an extra $50 to $100. Amazon and other tablet makers can race further to the bottom, and they probably will, but they won’t come up with better products that way—only cheaper ones.

At the moment, 7-inch screens are the only place where Apple’s competitors can start to build ecosystems of apps and media–ones that could potentially come back to haunt Apple. With its own smaller, cheaper tablet, Apple could snuff those ecosystems out.

AT&T Gives Samsung Galaxy Note Price and Release Date, Calls It a Phone

Don’t even think about calling Samsung’s Galaxy Note a “phablet,” a “phone-tablet hybrid” or an ambiguous “device.” To AT&T, the Galaxy Note is a smartphone, launching on Feb. 19 for $300 with a two-year voice and 4G LTE data contract.

The Note’s 5.3-inch display makes it a rare breed among handsets. You can fit it in your pocket — although you’ll feel it with every step — and make phone calls on it, but using it with one hand is out of the question. By trading off that portability, you get a large and rather pretty 720p AMOLED display. The Galaxy Note also includes a stylus (or “S Pen”) for scribbling handwritten notes. An “S Memo” app lets users combine handwriting with pictures, voice recordings and typed text.

(MORE: The Coolest Smartphones at CES 2012)

Other AT&T Galaxy Note specs include a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, an 8-megapixel front-facing camera, a 2-megapixel rear facing camera and 1 GB of RAM. AT&T didn’t announce how much storage the Note will have, but I’m guessing 16 GB, plus a microSD card slot, based on the model that shipped overseas last year. It runs Android 2.3, but Samsung has said it will update the Note to Android Ice Cream Sandwich this year.

At CES, I felt mesmerized by the Galaxy Note’s crisp, jumbo-sized display and smooth handling of Android 2.3. But I’m still not sure whether I’d become aggravated by the Note’s huge figure over time.

Still, I think there’s a niche for this type of device, and Samsung may succeed where Dell’s Streak failed two years ago. The Note has a much higher-resolution display to take advantage of the big screen, and it’s running an outdated-but-polished version of Android (the Streak launched with the unrefined Android 1.6). And whereas the Streak flip-flopped between phone and tablet, AT&T has a clear idea of how to sell the Note to customers: “This new breed of smartphone helps consumers accomplish more with a single device than ever before,” Jeff Bradley, AT&T’s senior vice president of devices, said in a statement.

Will Windows 8 Mark the End of the Post-PC Era?

My Technologizer column over at TIME.com this week was inspired by recent talk of the death—or at least the decline—of the PC, most recently inspired by HP’s decision to consider spinning off or selling its PC division. My take: The PC is actually in great shape, because smartphones and tablets have every right to be called PCs.

I realize this is a minority view. Some people use the term “PC” to refer only to computers that run Windows, a usage that always makes me wince, even though I’m occasionally guilty of employing it myself. (I do try to say “Windows PC.”) Others think a PC can run Linux, Apple’s OS X, or another non-Microsoftian operating system—but even these folks usually have something that looks like a traditional desktop or laptop in mind.

(MORE: The PC Isn’t Dying — It’s Just Evolving)

If nobody agrees about what a PC is, it’s tough to come to any conclusions about the state of the PC’s health, or whether we live in a post-PC era (Apple’s opinion) or a PC plus one (Microsoft’s view), or whether, as I think, we’re still very much in the PC era. But I’m hoping we might soon get some help from a source that certainly has some skin in the game: Microsoft.

The company is just now beginning to talk (and blog) about Windows 8, the next version of its operating system. We still don’t know that much about it. But we do know that it’s going to offer two user interfaces: one that looks pretty much like the familiar one that’s evolved over the past quarter century, and one that’s a variant of the simpler, touch-friendly “Metro” look and feel of the Windows Phone platform. It’s going to be part PC, part post-PC.

(VIDEO: Microsoft’s First Official ‘Windows 8′ Interface Demo)

At the moment, the distinction between a PC and a post-PC device such an iPad is sharp, at least if you’re a literal-minded type. But with Windows 8, it’s going to be possible to build machines that run Windows and look much like iPads. We don’t know yet whether they’ll be any good, but at least they’re going to change the status quo. Will they be PCs? Will they be post-PCs? Something else? How will research companies such as IDC and Gartner classify them?

I’m hoping that however they do, they’ll tend to end the PC/post-PC/PC plus debate. More thoughts soon: In a couple of weeks, Microsoft is holding its BUILD conference, where it should have much, much more to say about Windows 8.

1 / 14 backnext View All GADGETS CES: 12 Unique Ultrabooks and Tablets You Should Know About

Windows-based Macbook Air alternatives were plentiful at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, while tablet makers had more conservative lineups. These two computing classes may soon merge, so enjoy the best of them both in one handy slideshow.

Ultrabooks: Bringing Sexy Back to PCs

Once upon a time, the PC had no rivals. Back in the era before smart phones, tablets, Internet-savvy HDTVs and other gadgets-come-lately, it was the most important technology product in the world, and therefore inherently exciting.

But with tech gear, familiarity breeds tedium. At his keynote at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said there are now 1.3 billion Windows PCs on the planet. They’re as useful as ever, but most of them are also pretty mundane.

If you consider the PCs to be a boring, utilitarian appliance, you’re far less likely to splurge on a new one. That’s a dangerous scenario for computer manufacturers, who would prefer that consumers and businesses feel the need for new systems as frequently as possible. It’s just as alarming for chip giant Intel, the company whose processors are inside most systems.

In 2011, Intel took matters into its own hands by creating a concept it called the Ultrabook–thin, light notebooks with an emphasis on pizzazz over raw specs. It reportedly decided to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in convincing PC makers to build them. A few Ultrabooks debuted last year, but the floodgates opened at this year’s CES. Nearly every major manufacturer introduced one or more more models at the show.

When I first heard about Ultrabooks, I feared the worst. I figured most of them would be unimaginative knockoffs of the MacBook Air, the whisper-thin wedge of a laptop that’s been a hit since Apple introduced its second-generation version in 2010. I also worried that they’d be montonously similar to each other, in the way that netbooks all tend to blur together.

I needn’t have fretted. True, some Ultrabooks look a little–or, in some cases, a lot–like Apple’s machine. (Asus’s Zenbook is one of them.) Conceptually, however, the Ultrabook isn’t a shameless Air knockoff. In fact, it’s remarkably amorphous, giving hardware companies the latitude to build all sorts of Ultrabooks for all kinds of people.

Intel does say that a notebook isn’t an Ultrabook unless it uses a power-efficent Intel processor, delivers at least five hours of battery life on a charge, is no more than 21mm thick, wakes up almost instantly when you open it up and uses a couple of Intel security technologies. But an Ultrabook doesn’t have to hit a particular price point, come in under a specific weight, or include a certain list of features.

That’s why the models unveiled at CES are hardly peas in a pod. Consider these notable contenders, and how different they are from one another:

• Dell’s $999 XPS 13 looks like an optical illusion: Dell fit a reasonably spacious 13.3″ screen into a dinky (but handsome) case similar in size to the ones used by 11.6″ laptops. Dell’s also offering a souped-up Intel Core i7 processor option for the XPS; most Ultrabooks use the less potent i5 chip.
• Rather than matching or beating the $999 starting price for the MacBook Air, HP decided to price its Envy 14 Spectre at an imposing $1399 and lavish it with features and technologies. The Spectre has Beats audio, individually-illuminated keycaps that light up when a motion detector notices you’re there, a bevy of full-sized ports and a unique case protected with Corning’s super-sturdy Gorilla Glass. (Confusingly, it’s thicker and heavier than Samsung’s identically-priced new Series 9 laptop–a sleek machine that Samsung doesn’t call an Ultrabook.)
• Acer says that its MacBook Air-esque Aspire S5 (price not set) is the planet’s thinnest Ultrabook. It achieves that distinction through a feature that’s both useful and zany: When you press a button, a secret compartment on the back of the case plops down to reveal a full complement of ports. Another still-unpriced Acer Ultrabook, the Aspire Timeline Ultra, is available in a version with a roomy 15″ display and a built-in optical drive; it may be reasonably light and thin for a big notebook, but it’s still a big notebook.
• Samsung’s Series 5 Ultra, starting at $849, comes in 13″ and 14″ variants. Both use hard drives rather than solid-state disks, and the 14-incher manages to cram an optical drive into its still-relatively-thin case.

Not all of the CES crop look like sure winners–Dell’s diminutive model is my early favorite–but most of them are evidence that their manufacturers are stepping up their game. The best ones are strikingly nicer than most garden-variety Windows laptops, which tend to plasticky buckets of compromise.

For all the effort Intel put into drumming up enthusiasm for Ultrabooks at CES, it apparently regards the new systems as stopgaps. “Eventually,” an Intel blog post confidently says of future models,” you’ll think of an Ultrabook as a tablet when you want it, a PC when you need it.” The company’s line of thinking is in line with that of Microsoft, whose upcoming Windows 8 will attempt to take on the iPad while keeping users of conventional PCs happy.

Intel is already declaring that the Ultrabook tablet/PC hybrids it envisions will bring “historic” change to the computer market. I’m instinctively skeptical about that prediction: A device that tries to be both a tablet and a PC may end up serving two purposes poorly rather than one purpose well. (Bicycles are great, and so are cars–but I wouldn’t want to buy a bicycle/car combo.) If upcoming Ultrabooks are bad, consumers will notice and stay away in droves.

A computer doesn’t have to make history to be a step forward for the industry; it just needs to make everyday computing meaningfully better. Ultrabooks of the type that were everywhere at CES have a shot at doing just that–and if they end up the world’s default notebooks within a few years, as I think they will, Intel will have done both PC makers and PC buyers a major favor.

McCracken blogs about personal technology at Technologizer, which he founded in 2008 after nearly two decades as a tech journalist; on Twitter, he’s @harrymccracken. His column, also called Technologizer, appears every Thursday on TIME.com

Up Close with Nikiski, Intel’s Concept Laptop of Tomorrow

Although Intel doesn’t build laptops, the chip maker showed off a bit of design flare at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas with Nikiski, a concept notebook that folds up into a touchscreen virtual assistant.

Nikiski uses a dual-sided touch panel that comes into play when the laptop is both open and closed. In the open position, it acts like an ultra-wide track pad and knows to ignore palms when they’re resting on the laptop to type. When closed, a slice of Nikiski’s display shows through from the other side of the touch screen, with e-mails, calendar appointments and RSS feeds that the user can interact with.

“When you close your PC and you’re running to another meeting … now you need to get your iPhone or your Android phone in order to get an immediate response,” Mooly Eden, Vice President and General Manager of Intel’s PC Client Group, said in an interview. “I say, why can’t we deliver it on the same device?”

Intel tried to develop a similar concept four years ago, but it was too complicated and expensive, Eden said. Now, Intel has the computing power and technology, and Eden thinks device makers could execute on the concept in a year to a year and a half. “There’s nothing over here, like transparent touch screens, that cannot be implemented in the near future,” he said.

Despite the Metro-style look of the secondary display, Intel didn’t work with Microsoft on the concept. Eden said Intel is working with Microsoft on ways to innovate with Windows 8, but not specifically on Nikiski.

No surprises here, but Intel has no plans to monetize the Nikiski concept or sell it as an Intel PC, Eden said. Instead, Intel’s hoping to inspire the companies who manufacture Intel-based laptops. “Many of them will innovate on top of it,” Eden said, “and at the end of the day they’ll deliver something to the market that is very jazzy, very interesting.”

LG Teases Google TV-Powered Television as CES Looms

LG, meet Google TV, and the rest of us, meet LG’s Google Android-powered high-definition television a couple days before the company rolls it out in full regalia at CES 2012. That’s a shot of it up top, and yes, I think the interface looks a little unwieldy, too — almost a mishmash of what Microsoft’s doing with its tile-based Metro interface and a left-right master navigation bar to keep you from getting lost in sea of tiny bookmarks and icons. (I’m hearing the set will in fact support both the default Google TV overlay or an LG-tweaked version — I’m not sure which we’re looking at in the shot above.)

LG says it’s an all-in-one set, something it’s calling an “LG Smart TV with Google TV,” so it’ll have some LG logic either integrated with, grafted onto, or working sidewise with Google’s Android- and Chrome-powered interactive television standard. It’s said to run on LG’s own L9 chipset, about which I’m finding nothing else online save an ocean of press release repeats (Is it ARM-derivative? If not, does it afford LG an edge on pricing?). There’s been no word yet on screen size(s), but we’ll have that info in just a few more days.

(MORE: Google TV May Soon Be Able to Sidestep Blocked Content)

The TV will support 3D, specifically LG’s “Cinema 3D” technology, meaning all you’ll need is a pair of battery-free “lightweight” stereoscopic glasses. LG’s also talking up its “magic remote QWERTY” interface, which I was prepared to write off as meaningless “magic” marketing-speak (onscreen keyboards tend to suck equally), but then noticed it refers to LG’s voice- and gesture-controlled remote with microphone and QWERTY keyboard (I’m assuming on the remote itself, but maybe I’m wrong about that). Move over, Kinect!

With this announcement, LG joins Samsung, Sony and Vizio in offering Google TV products, so things are looking up for the format from the electronics manufacturing side. The trick for Google and its partners remains getting content on these sets that consumers are into (some keep calling that “quality content,” which sounds wrongheaded to me — I’d rather call it “whatever the masses are jonesing for”).

In any event, it’s telling that LG’s still planning to release Smart TVs based on its own NetCast-based design in tandem with these Google TV-powered sets. Companies like LG are hopping on the Google TV express with a “money talks, bull-stuff walks” approach, no doubt waiting to see how buyers respond before committing with more authority to the platform.