New Toshiba Encore Tablet Has Bay Trail-T, Windows 8.1
Toshiba has introduced a new Windows 8.1 tablet sporting Intel's next-generation Atom chip.
Toshiba introduced on Thursday the Encore tablet, an 8 inch multi-touch Windows 8.1 device that is supposedly based on Intel's Bay Trail-T platform, aka the "latest-generation Atom processor." This x86-based support means customers can use most of their favorite Windows desktop apps on Toshiba's new tablet unlike other ARM-based Windows RT solutions currently on the market. Sporting Windows 8.1 out of the box also means the tablet won't be available on the market until 4Q 2013.
"Developed in close collaboration with Microsoft and built for consumers seeking a versatile small-screen tablet for home, work and play, Encore is well-positioned to accelerate the market for Windows-based tablets by delivering software-optimized features and sleek hardware design at a competitive price point," the company said.
Will Toshiba's Encore device fill the 8 inch x86-based Windows 8 tablet shoes that Acer's struggling Iconia W3 has been unable to fill? Toshiba attacks the current void using the Encore's multi-touch HFFS display featuring a semi-decent 1280 x 800 resolution and wide viewing angles. This screen will be encased in a "stylish" silver textured back plate, making the tablet both super-slim at 0.42 inches and lightweight, weighing 16.9 ounces.
"Encore is powered by the power-efficient Intel Atom processor, which delivers great performance, fast start-up and page loads, and an exceptional battery life rating," the company said. "It also includes the connected standby capabilities of InstantGo, enabling the device to receive updates while sleeping so content is always up to date when use is resumed."
Naturally Toshiba can't go into the Bay Trail-T specifics because Intel hasn't officially announced the platform. However the company does provide a few additional specs in its sea of promotional jabber, reporting that the tablet will have on-board dual microphones (optimized for Skype), a front-facing 2MP camera (Skype again), an 8MP camera on the back, stereo speakers and 32 GB of storage. A microSD card slot will add up to 32 GB of additional storage, rounding out the max capacity at 64 GB.
The tablet will also feature a microUSB port, microHDMI video output, both dual-band Wireless N and beamforming technology, and a full suite of sensors including a gyroscope, accelerometer and GPS. Toshiba will even throw in a full copy of Office Home & Student 2013 for convenient viewing and creation of Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents. Bluetooth is probably in the specs somewhere, but for now these are the only "official" specs Toshiba has managed to cough up.
The Toshiba Encore tablet will be available for purchase in November at major retailers, e-tailers and direct from Toshiba at ToshibaDirect.com for $329.99. We look forward in seeing how this Windows 8.1 solution compares to Acer's current Iconia W3, or its successor if the device arrives within the next few months.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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teh_chem Reasonable spec's, reasonable price. Wonder what the battery capacity and actual usage life is.Reply
I was pleasantly surprised by the performance that the atom Z2xxx series was giving in windows tablets--just playing with it in a store. IIRC, I think they had an issue with battery life during video playback though. With the performance boost of the new bay trail atom line, I could see cheaper tablets running full windows being pretty handy. I would honestly ditch android tablets if these things don't have some severe limitation of battery life. -
iamadev @sonofliberty08Reply
Care to elaborate on why? The latest generation of Atom CPUs are really very decent for performance per watt and if what is expected from Bay Trail it is only likely to get faster and have lower power usage.
I think this gen of Atoms will really put the cat among the pidgeons as far as low voltage CPUs/SoCs go. -
camp_over_the_north_pole haven't they consider AMD chip inside, might have been cheaper and savings from that may be used to fund a higher spec'd screen that the AMD chip can support with similar performance, that will eventually lead to same pricingReply
why can't the most admired tech companies mix practical yet effective, and most of the times efficient, components to bring manufacturing cost low, but instead they opt for a name-bearing component as it's selling point only to make huge discounts on retail prices later on should consumers stay away mostly because of price considerations, -
camp_over_the_north_pole haven't they consider AMD chip inside, might have been cheaper and savings from that may be used to fund a higher spec'd screen that the AMD chip can support with similar performance, that will eventually lead to same pricingReply
why can't the most admired tech companies mix practical yet effective, and most of the times efficient, components to bring manufacturing cost low, but instead they opt for a name-bearing component as it's selling point only to make huge discounts on retail prices later on should consumers stay away mostly because of price considerations,