MSI Ships Sleek Slidebook S20 Windows 8 Hybrid

MSI said on Friday that it's shipping the Slidebook S20, a hybrid machine that combines the thin design and hardware of an Ultrabook with the touch control and multi-angle view features of a tablet. And with the addition of Windows 8, the line between the two worlds are blurred, allowing the user to enjoy the best of the standard "desktop" environment and the convenience of a mobile touch interface, all in one slide-out package.

According to MSI, the Slidebook S20 is the ideal mobile work station and leisure companion, packing Intel's 3rd-generation "Ivy Bridge" Core i5 processor, an all-weather, long-life battery, integrated Intel HD 4000 graphics (which supports DirectX 11, OpenCL v1.1 and OpenGL 3.1), and an 11.6-inch IPS LCD display.

"This chicly mobile machine satisfies the needs of both on-the-go businesspeople and students and the extended battery power ensures that you have plenty of time to do what you're doing," MSI said. "Ideal for Internet browsing, social networking, and word processing, the Slidebook S20 is the perfect choice for anybody on the go. The S20's design with keyboard and sliding cover eliminates the limitations most people feel when they use tablets. MSI's innovative, user-friendly design have you the user in mind."

According to a list of specs, the Slidebook S20 features up to 8 GB of DDR3-1333 DRAM, depending on the model. Also thrown into the mix is a 64 GB or 128 GB mSATA SSD, a 2.5-inch drive bay for an additional HDD, an HD webcam, and a 3-cell 3800 mAh battery. Connectivity includes Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0. There's also a miniHDMI port, two USB 3.0 ports, and jacks for audio and an external microphone.

"The Slidebook S20, which tips the scales at just 1.2 kilogram, comes with high fidelity speakers with a wide frequency range for crisp audio that is faithful to the original," the company said. "The crisp, clear sound quality is ideal for a variety of music types and the S20 and features THX TruStudio Pro wrap around sound for high fidelity movie, music, and gaming experience."

The display itself boasts over 350 lumens of brightness, a 1920 x 1080 full HD ultra-high resolution, and up to ten simultaneous touch inputs. The overall hybrid supports SATA 3 (6 Gb/s) and PCIe 3.0 interfaces, MSI said.

As for pricing and actual availability, MSI didn't say, but there was talk that the starting price would be $1,099 back in October when it was first introduced. We expect to see this model gracing the company's booth during CES 2013 in a few weeks (already?), so stay tuned for more info.

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