Samsung Steps Up Windows 10 Support
Microsoft may not have its own keynote slot at the annual Consumer Electronics Show anymore but Windows and Devices Chief Terry Myerson made an appearance during an address at last week's confab by Samsung President Won-Pyo Hong where the two companies announced a new partnership centered around Windows 10.
During his keynote, Hong brought Myerson on stage to launch the new Galaxy Tab Pro S, an ultrathin detachable tablet PC that's 6.3mm thin and weighs just 1.5 lbs., which Myerson noted in a blog post is lighter than the iPad Pro. And while he didn't mention it, it's also lighter than the Surface Pro 4. It supports an optional active pen and claims 10 hours of battery life.
The Galaxy Tab Pro S will come with an Intel 6th Generation Core M processor and is the first Windows device that'll support the new LTE Cat 6, which the new broadband cellular modems designed to offer much faster upload and download speeds than current LTE 4 devices support.
The Galaxy Tab Pro S will sport a 12-inch 2160x1440 Super AMOLED display, will come with 4GB of RAM and a choice of either 128GB or 256GB SSDs. Set for release next month, Microsoft will showcase the new systems in its retail stores.
Also during the keynote, the two discussed the future "Intelligent IoT [Internet of Things]" devices. Samsung, of course, is a key supplier of home appliances and the companies demonstrated the potential of the new technologies. But as reported by Mary Jo Foley in her ZDNet All About Microsoft blog last week, the two companies didn't announce anything specific regarding a partnership on that front.
Myerson did note that Microsoft last year released its Windows 10 IoT Core for suppliers of circuit boards including the Qualcomm DragonBoard 410c, Intel Minnowboard MAX and the Raspberry Pi 2. Myerson pointed to last month's release of Windows 10 IoT Core Pro, targeted at large suppliers looking for more update controls, as one of the company's major Windows IoT Core products.
Most PC suppliers had new systems to introduce including -- but certainly not limited to -- Dell, HP and Lenovo.
Though I didn't make the trip to CES, HP in late November gave me a sneak preview of its new Elite x2 1012 G1 Tablet, another device that borrows from some of characteristics of the Microsoft Surface Pro. As I reported at the time, like the most recent Surface Pro models, the new Elite x2 1012 doesn't have a fan, has a kickstand and is designed to offer 10 hours of battery life. Where it stands out is the fact that it's completely encased in aviation-grade aluminum, has more interfaces, added security support and a wider array of peripherals.
Dell also unveiled new commercial systems that borrow from its popular XPS line of systems. Its latest Latitude models offer added security and management capabilities, the company said. The new Latitude 3000, 5000 and 7000 Series offer the thin bezels, among other features in the XPS line. And Lenovo also launched a new member to its flagship commercial ThinkPad line with the ThinkPad X1 Yoga, an Ultrabook which the company says offers 11 hours of battery life.
Posted by Jeffrey Schwartz on 01/11/2016 at 9:18 AM