Windows 8 tablets are receiving a lot of attention ahead of the late October release, and Asus is making sure it has products to compete with, showcasing some products at IFA that evolve its Transformer concept that nearly every manufacturer is trying in some way.
Tablets sporting the next Microsoft operating system have been very popular over the past week, many of which feature a familiar concept.
Practically invented by Asus, the Transformer design throws all the computing innards inside the screen section of the computer and marries it with a dock featuring extra ports, a keyboard, and a larger battery capable of recharging the one found in the tablet section. Together, these parts resemble a conventional laptop, even though the package is based around a tablet.
The aptly-named “Transformer” series of EeePad tablets from Asus basically pioneered this concept, starting with the release of the first generation TF101 last year. Ever since then, Asus has been pushing the envelope, and this year the company is readying Windows-based versions of a product that has been working with only Android up to this point.
Two products have been announced, with the Asus Vivo Tab and Asus Vivo Tab RT being readied for release later this year.
The tablets were previously announced at Computex a few months ago under different named and sported Super IPS displays, either Intel or Nvidia processors, at least 32GB of storage, and ran on different versions of Windows 8, with the Windows RT OS appearing on the Nvidia-based tablet – now the Vivo Tab RT – and the full Windows 8 experience on the Intel Atom-powered machine, now known as the Vivo Tab.
Both will feature the Transformer design with the detachable screen and keyboard dock, making it possible to have either a traditional laptop experience or one more closely resembling the slate-style tablet use, similar to that of an iPad.
Pricing for both the machines have yet to be announced, but we should have more on that in October when Windows 8 is ready for launch.
