BERLIN - Windows 8 got a big push tonight during Samsung's Unpacked event, with the company showing off a new "Ativ" series of Windows 8-based gadgets, including a smartphone, tablet, and laptop/tablet hybrid.
PCMag's Sascha Segan dug a little deeper into the Ativ S Windows Phone smartphone earlier today, but on the tablet front, Samsung offered up the standalone Ativ Tab, as well as the Ativ SmartPC hybrids.
On the outside, the SmartPCs look like your average laptop. But press a button above the keyboard and grip the screen and it will lift away and function as a tablet. A keyboard pops up on the screen for quick notes; you can lock the tablet back into the physical keyboard for longer projects. During an afternoon demo, the SmartPC tablet lifted out rather easily, but during the Unpacked event, a Samsung attendant took pity on me as I struggled to remove it and released it from the cradle for me, so perhaps it depends on the model you get.
There are two versions - the Ativ SmartPC and the Ativ SmartPC Pro. Both feature an 11.6-inch HD display and S Pen integration, but the Pro has a few more tricks up its sleeve. While the SmartPC boasts a 1366-by-768 display, 2GB of RAM, and a next-gen Intel Atom processor, the SmartPC Pro offers up a 1920-by-1080 display, 4GB of RAM, and an Intel Core i5 chip.
The Pro version, according to Damian Cusick, a general manager for Samsung U.K., is "targeted at users who need a bit more power to get through the day."
When locked into the keyboard, the SmartPC functions like any other PC, while the tablet takes advantage of Windows 8 touch capabilities found in the tiled interface formerly known as Metro.
Samsung Ativ Tab
If you don't need the keyboard, the Windows RT-based Ativ Tab might be right up your alley. The 10.1-inch tablet is about 8.9mm thick and weighs 570 grams. It comes pre-loaded with a 60-day free trial of Micosoft Office 2010, and Samsung promised that it will boot up instantly.
Samsung talked up the USB port and uHDMI, which will allow the Ativ Tab to work with accessories like printers, keyboards, projectors, external monitors, and more. In a quick hands on after the Unpacked event, the Ativ Tab was responsive, loading up apps quickly - from Microsoft Word to Samsung's Music Hub.
Windows RT is the version of Windows 8 that is optimized for the ARM-based processors that power the vast majority of tablets and smartphones currently on the market. Microsoft will release a Windows RT version of its own Surface tablet later this year, a move that reportedly irked some of its PC partners. There was no mention of the Surface tonight, however, and Samsung acted as a true-blue evangelist for Windows 8.
"It's an exciting new OS that blends our content and device ecosystem perfectly," said Cusick.
The devices are expected to be released on Oct. 26, when Windows 8 makes its debut. Pricing was not discussed.
The Ativ moniker, meanwhile, is the reverse of Vita, which means "life" in Latin. "[It] is a pledge by Samsung to make everyone's life easier," the company said.
For more from Samsung and IFA, check out Hands On With the Samsung Galaxy Camera, and Hands On With the Samsung Galaxy Note II.
For more from Chloe, follow her on Twitter @ChloeAlbanesius.
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