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ASUS VivoTab RT tablet arrives October 26th, starting at $599 for the 32GB model; keyboard dock included (update: eyes-on!)
In case you haven't heard, a lot -- and we mean a lot -- of Windows devices are going on sale this week. Today it's ASUS' turn to give its lineup a formal coming-out party: the company is hosting a press event here in New York City, where it just announced the dockable VivoTab RT will be available on October 26th, starting at $599 for the 32GB model, keyboard included. Alternatively, you can buy the 64GB tablet and docking station for $699. As we previously reported, an LTE version is coming to AT&T. Finally, ASUS says it will also sell the tablet and dock individually, but we haven't yet learned final pricing for those items. We'll update this post when we do. If this is your first introduction to the VivoTab RT, here's a quick recap: it basically offers everything people loved about ASUS' Android-based Transformer tablets, except it runs Windows RT instead. Like the Infinity and other recent ASUS tablets, it has a 600-nit Super IPS+ display, offering 178-degree viewing angles and Gorilla Glass protection. Other specs include a quad-core Tegra 3 chip (the new T30, to be exact), 2GB of RAM, NFC and an 8-megapixel rear camera with an auto-focusing f/2.2 lens. Then there's that keyboard dock, which has a USB 2.0 port and built-in battery rated for seven hours. (The tablet itself is said to last up to nine hours.) Finally, of course, as a Windows RT device it comes loaded with all of the same stock applications you'll find in full Windows 8 (Mail, IE 10, etc.), along with Office 2013 Home & Student. The main difference: you won't be able to install legacy Windows programs. The VivoTab RT arrives the same day as the Surface for Windows RT and indeed, we'll be eager to compare the two, especially since pricing for the keyboard-tablet bundles is identical. In fact, ASUS sent us one to test, and you can expect a review any day now. Until then, we've embedded some press photos below, in case you're just getting your first look.
ASUS planning quad-core Tegra 3 tablet, yet another Intel slate
The Eee Pad Transformer may be wowing tablet lovers with its unbeatable price-to-features ratio today, but ASUS looks to have its sights set on even mightier devices for the future. DigTimes reports that the Taiwanese company is hard at work on a Tegra 3 tablet -- built around the spectacular Kal-El quad-core SOC that we saw demonstrated at MWC 2011 -- as well as another one running an Intel CPU. As far as the Intel slate is concerned, we're probably looking at the tablet-centric 1.5GHz Atom Z670, which promises 1080p playback and great battery life. You'll forgive us if we reserve our excitement for the Tegra 3-powered tablet, however, which should be able to churn through quite a few more pixels than regular old 1080p. There's no indication on when ASUS intends to deliver it, but NVIDIA's roadmap for devices with the quad-core chip expects to start appearing in August. Video of that awe-inspiring MWC demo follows after the break.
NVIDIA Tegra 3, equipped with 1.5GHz quad-core madness, teased by a familiar slide
How aggressive can NVIDIA get? That's the question puzzling our brainboxes right now as we gaze upon the complete version of the slide that let us know about a potential Tegra 2 3D chip over the weekend. It's not every day you hear of a 1.5GHz quad-core mobile SOC, but our discovery of corroborating evidence for the T25 module sitting alongside it makes us more willing to credit the possibility of a Blu-ray-crunching, 13,800 MIPS-capable, multicore Cortex-A9 Tegra 3. Moreover, the roadmap of production samples in Q4 of 2010 fits perfectly with NVIDIA's claim that Tegra 3 was "almost done" in September of that year. The ULP designation on this listing stands for Ultra Low Power in NVIDIA parlance, which would indicate an aggressively tuned power management system -- the only way we can envision a quad-core anything operating within a tablet. Fall 2011 is when we should know for sure.
Aiptek debuts USB-powered T20 pico projector, T30 model for iPods
Aiptek isn't dishing out a ton of details on these just yet, but the company has two fairly interesting pico projectors on display at CES, including the flask-like, USB-powered T20 model (pictured above), and the T30 (after the break), which is apparently intended for use with iPods and iPhones. About all that's known about the first of those is that it can display VGA images at sizes up to 42-inches, while the T30 can pump out a slightly larger 50-inch image, and boasts some AV-in recording capabilities -- and, presumably, some internal storage, much like the company's earlier V10 model. Incidentally, that model has also now been upgraded to the V10 Plus (which adds 4GB of memory and H.264 decoding), and Aiptek has also rolled out its new DDV-JF1 pico projector / camera, although that appears to be identical to DigiLife's model, right down to the model number. [Via PicoProjector-info.com]
Nextar rolls out "sleek and stylish" T30 PMP
It looks like those that prefer their gadgets to call as little attention to themselves as possible now have yet another new PMP to consider from Nextar, which has just pulled up its new T30 model from OEM-land (from the looks of it, at least). This one packs a 3.5-inch QVGA display (not a touchscreen), along with 4GB of memory, an SD card slot for expansion, a built-in FM radio, and support for all the basic audio formats, although you'll have to convert videos to AVIs using the included software. If that sounds like it'll do, you can apparently pick one of these up now from a whole host of retailers, including Wal-Mart, for a $100 (or less, it seems).
Toshiba intros Dynabook Satellite T30 laptop
Further expanding its Dynabook Satellite line of laptops, Toshiba's now added the T30 model to the mix, with a pair of different versions available to give you a bit of variety. The more capable of the two packs a 1.66GHz Core 2 Duo T5500 processor, Intel's 945GM Express chipset, 512MB of RAM standard (max 4GB), and an 80GB hard drive. Taking things down a notch will get you a system based on Intel's lower-end 943GML Express chipset, with a 1.60GHz Celeron M 520 processor, the same 80GB hard drive, and 512MB of RAM (upgradeable to 2GB). Both laptops are otherwise identical, with a 15.4-inch WXGA display, a DVD/CD-RW drive, and a PC Card slot (no ExpressCard here), among other standard fare. Each can also be configured with your choice of Windows XP Professional or Windows Vista Business. Look for these to hit Japan in late-June, where they'll set you back between ¥171,150 and ¥197,400 (about $1,410 to $1,630), which doesn't exactly seem like much of a bargain given the specs.[Via Impress]
Hands-on with Pentax's A30, M30, T30, and W30
We didn't get our fill drooling over the 645 Digital so we hit up Pentax to show us their new line of compacts, the A30, M30, T30, and W30. We could have been a bit more impressed by the lot, although the T30, with its massive, bright touchscreen and slender body, was definitely the eye-catcher of the bunch. Collect 'em all!%Gallery-2039%
Pentax debuts a pair of 7 megapixel Optios, the T30 and M30
We spotted that Optio E30 compact camera from Pentax right before CES, but now it has some 7 megapixel company in the form of the Optio T30 (pictured) and Optio M30. The real hotness is going on in the former: the T30 packs a 3-inch touchscreen LCD, 3x zoom and 7.1 megapixel CCD, along with face recognition for beefing up auto focus and auto exposure, high ISO digital shake reduction and some stylus-based frivolities. Other fun facts include Pentax's claim that the camera is the thinnest to offer a 3-inch touchscreen and 3x optical zoom, along wth a 3200 ISO, SDHC compatibility and 20MB of built-in memory. Pentax lines up most of the same specs for its Optio M30, even including that off-the-chain -- and we're sure incredibly grainy -- 3200 ISO, but instead of a touchscreen, this M30 concentrates on a 0.7-inch thick aluminum body and a fancy auto-macro mode for spiffing up those closeups. Both cameras should be out in March, with the T30 going for $350, while the M30 will run you $200. Peep a couple more angles of these cams after the break.[Via Lets Go Digital]
