On Wednesday Samsung launched a new family of SmartPCs, tablets and smartphones called ATIV based on Windows 8 and Windows RT for the former two form factors, and Windows Phone 8 for the new smartphone line. The company said the branding is a reversed spelling of the word VITA which is Latin for "Life," signifying Samsung's pledge to "make everyone's life extraordinary with excitement."
Wednesday's announcement introduces the 11.6-inch ATIV Smart PC, the 11.6-inch ATIV Smart PC Pro, the 10.1-inch ATIV Tab, and the 4.8-inch ATIV S.
For starters, the two Smart PCs are hybrid tablets, featuring a detachable keyboard-docking system that allows users to easily switch between a clamshell notebook PC and a tablet PC form factor. They also come with Wacom's S Pen digitizer pen which delivers real writing and drawing experiences for maximum productivity. Content is presented with Samsung's SuperBright 11.6-inch Full HD LCD display.
"Beautifully stylish and ultra-portable, the ATIV Smart PC and ATIV Smart PC Pro are only 9.9-mm and 11.9-mm thick, respectively," Samsung said. "And there are no compromises on performance. The ATIV Smart PC Pro's powerful Intel Core i5 processor can handle particularly demanding professional use and multimedia consumption; while the ATIV Smart PC's next generation Intel Atom processor is a solid match for everyday productivity tasks."
The two Windows 8 devices will sport an advanced 10-finger multi-touch screen, USB 2.0 (Smart PC), USB 3.0 (Smart PC Pro), mHDMI, miniSD and two extra USB 2.0 ports on the keyboard. The ATIV Smart PC will have a battery life of up to 13.5 hours, whereas the ATIV Smart PC Pro will have up to eight hours.
The ATIV Tab will be Samsung's Windows RT tablet solution, featuring a 10.1-inch display, weighing 570g, and measuring 8.9-mm thick. Samsung said it will come packed with a 8,200 mAh battery, a USB 2.0 host port, HDMI output, and more. It will instantly boot up without lagging and comes with Office Home and Student 2013 RT, offering the new versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.
"The new Samsung ATIV Tab is designed with a classy hairline finish, and delivers a full Windows 8-based PC experience with superior tablet mobility," the company said. "Moreover, the ATIV Tab is compatible with a range of Windows-based PC devices and accessories, including printers, keyboards, projectors, external monitors, and other peripherals with no need to install extra software."
As for the ATIV S smartphone, Samsung was even more scarce with the details, reporting that it will feature a 1.5 GHz dual-core SoC, HSPA+42 connectivity, and a "stunning" 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display.
"Samsung is delighted to introduce a wide portfolio of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8-powered devices. With our leadership in design and technology and Microsoft's leadership in operating systems, together we are able to provide customers with a full range of ATIV devices for cross-category convergence," said Seong Woo Nam, Executive Vice President of IT Solutions Business at Samsung Electronics.
UPDATE: Samsung released the specs of all four devices as seen here. However here's a brief summary of each:
Samsung ATIV Smart PC
11.6-inch HD (1366 x 768) multi-touch screen, 400nit
Next generation Intel Atom Processor
2 GB LPDDR RAM
Intel HD Graphics
Speakers: 2
8MP Rear Camera (Flash)
2MP Front Camera
Up to 128 GB eMMC HDD
802.11 a/b/g/n
USB-to-Ethernet Dongle
4G/LTE, 3G
Bluetooth 4.0
USB 2.0 x 1
USB 2.0 x 2 (KBD)
mHDMI
microSD
Keyboard (80/81keys)
Digitizer Pen
Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro
11.6-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) multi-touch screen, 400nit
Intel Core i5
4 GB of DDR RAM
Intel HD Graphics
Speakers: 2
5MP Rear Camera
2MP Front Camera
Up to 256 GB SSD
802.11 a/b/g/n
USB-to-Ethernet Dongle
4G/LTE, 3G
Bluetooth 4.0
USB 3.0 x 1
USB 2.0 x 2 (KBD)
mHDMI
microSD
Keyboard (80/81keys)
Digitizer Pen
Samsung ATIV Tab
10.1-inch HD LCD (1366 x 768)
1.5 GHz dual-core SoC
5MP Rear Autofocus Camera with LED Flash
1.9MP Front VT Camera
Bluetooth 4.0
USB 2.0 Host
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 & 5 GHz)
Wi-Fi Direct
Wi-Fi Channel Bonding
3.5mm earjack
Micro HDMI
NFC
2 GB of RAM
32 or 64 GB of internal storage
microSD Card Slot Up to 64 GB
Accelerometer, Geomagnetic, Ambient Light, Gyroscope, and Grip Sensors
Standard battery, Li-ion 8,200mAh
S-GPS
Glonass
Samsung ATIV S
4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED
1.5 GHz dual-core SoC
HSPA＋ 42Mbps 850/900/1900/2100 MHz
EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
8MP Rear Auto Focus Camera with LED Flash
1.9MP Front VT Camera
A-GPS
Gloness
Bluetooth 4.0
USB 2.0 Host
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 & 5 GHz)
Wi-Fi Direct
Wi-Fi Channel Bonding
3.5mm earjack
Micro HDMI
NFC
2 GB of RAM
32 or 64 GB of internal storage
microSD Card SLot Up to 64 GB
Accelerometer, Geomagnetic, Ambient Light, Gyroscope, and Grip Sensors
Standard battery, Li-ion 8,200mAh
So far pricing and actual availability is unknown, so stay tuned.
