It looks like a tablet, and the dimensions certainly makes it feel like a tablet, but the Fujitsu LifeBook TH40/D is actually a netbook. One that’s powered by Intel’s 1.5GHz Oak Trail Atom Z670 processor, 1GB of memory, a 120GB hard drive, and runs on Windows 7 OS. So yeah, it’s a netbook. But with a 2.4-pound weight and 10.1-inch 1200 x 600 resolution touchscreen, you might as well rock it like a tablet. One that’ll let you slide out a slim keyboard if you feel the need to hammer out long lines of text comfortably.
We knew Asus were planning to put out a tablet (or two) this year, but four tablets? Yep. Apparently, the plan is to flood the market this year with different tablet models to cater to whatever you’re looking for. They just rolled out four slates at CES, ranging from a compact, Android 3.0-based 7-incher to the relatively huge 12.1-inch Eee Slate EP121 that runs on Windows 7.
The “year of the tablet” is almost over, and almost every known electronics manufacturer has announced plans to put out a tablet. Except for Sony. It doesn’t look like it’s going to go that way for long though. Plans for a tablet PC has just turned up at the FCC, and it’s going to come with Sony’s VAIO brand. The plans have been tagged with a PCG-31xxL model number, but that’s about it as far as known details go. The filing doesn’t come with a product photo or even a clear sketch, but since it’s a VAIO, it’s likely to run Windows 7. Other details are being held confidential until January 20, which could mean that Sony’s planning to unveil the tablet (or tablets) during their CES presentation on January 5. [via Engadget]
It’s tiny, it’s a convertible tablet with multi-touch support, and it’s now available. Fujitsu just started shipping the Lifebook T580, which is an ultracompact, netbook-sized 10-inch Windows PC that conventionally folds in or out for use as a tablet or as a notebook. It’s no low-cost, light-duty netbook though. While the spec isn’t as high-end as you’d expect from a laptop with a four-figure price tag, it’s not bad at all. The T580 packs a low-voltage Intel Core i3 processor, 2GBs of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and a six-cell battery that should give it a fairly long burn away from a socket.
Ever since touchscreen tablets became all the rage, notebooks haven’t been so hot in terms of hype lately. In fact, notebooks and netbooks as a group have taken quite a dip in sales this year ever since the iPad came out, followed by a lot of Android and Windows-powered alternatives. So how do you keep things interesting? How about doing away with the notebook’s keyboard altogether, and replace it with a touchscreen, which effectively gives you twice the fun. Anyway, Acer did just that when they packed a couple of 14-inch touchscreens on the Windows 7-powered Iconia (an idea we first saw on Toshiba’s 7-inch Libretto). Anyway, in case you think a notebook that rocks a virtual keyboard in lieu of the traditional mechanical keys is a good idea, here’s the info you’ve been waiting for.
