Related Articles
Intel is trying to give a much-needed boost to Windows 8.1 tablets with a new holiday “Buying Guide.”
Front and center are tablets (PDF) like the Dell Venue 8 Pro, HP Omni 10, and Lenovo Miix 2.
All of the tablets in the guide use new Intel Atom Z3000 quad-core “Bay Trail” processors.
The 8-inch Dell Venue (see CNET’s hands-on here) is one of the highest profile Windows 8.1 tablets to date because it boasts decent specs with a small price tag of $299 — at least for a full-blown Windows 8.1 device.
Those specs include a quad-core Z3740D Bay Trail processor, an 8-inch 1,280×800-pixel-resolution IPS screen, 2GB of RAM, a full-size SD card slot, Micro-USB charging, and weight of about 0.9 pounds.
Though a resolution of 1,280×800 may seem inadequate compared with the 2,048×1,536 resolution of the 7.9-inch iPad Mini Retina, on an 8-inch screen it can more than enough for many people. (That comes to 188 pixels per inch for the Dell for those keeping score).
The $299 base model comes with 32GB of RAM. Up that to 64GB and the price is $349.
Related stories
- Windows Phone will continue its slow march to death through 2019
- Windows Phone is dead, but its influence lives on (The 3:59, Ep. 359)
And, remember, this isn’t Window RT 8.1, this is the real deal that runs any Windows application a laptop can.
Next up is the HP Omni 10, which recently became available at the Microsoft Store.
Specs for the Omni 10 include a 1,920×1,200 resolution 10.1-inch display (which comes to 224 pixels per inch), an Intel Z3770 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, Micro HDMI port, 32GB of storage, a Micro SD card reader, and a weight of 1.4 pounds.
(Note that all of the Windows 8 tablets covered here include an SD slot to expand storage beyond 32GB, which may be limiting for some users.)
The Omni is priced at $399.
Finally, there’s the Lenovo Miix 2, with specs similar to the Dell Venue 8 Pro, including an 8-inch 1,280×800 display, 2GB RAM, 32GB of storage, and a Micro SD slot.
The Lenovo is listed at $299.
Intel also put 2-in-1 hybrids on the buying guide — but those have already received lots of attention.
Microsoft
