Samsung shows off Windows 8 tablets, convertible laptop

IDG News Service - Samsung unveiled several new Windows devices on the opening day of Taipei's Computex show, including two tablets with attachable keyboards that are scheduled to arrive in markets in October.

The two tablets, called the Samsung Series 5 Hybrid PC and the Samsung Series 7 Hybrid PC, both run Windows 8 and feature 11.6 inch touchscreens. Samsung, however, said the tablets were still in the development stages, and offered few technical specs, only saying they would use Intel chips.

Battery life for the tablets will be around 7 hours. The Series 7 Hybrid will also pack more processing power, but its hardware design will be slightly thicker, compared with the Series 5 Hybrid, Samsung said.

Microsoft has yet to announce a release date for Windows 8. But analysts expect the new operating system to arrive near the end of this year. PC vendors Asus and Acer on Monday unveiled their own Windows 8 tablets, some which also feature attachable keyboards to make them into notebooks.

Along with the tablets, Samsung showed off a convertible laptop device with a touchscreen. The Samsung Notebook Series 5 Ultra Convertible is built with a 360-degree hinge, allowing the notebook to flip into a tablet.

The device uses an Intel Core i7 processor at 1.9GHz, and has about 6 to 7 hours of battery life. Samsung, however, said the device is only a concept at this point. The company also showed a similar device, called the Samsung Notebook Series 5 Ultra Touch, but this comes without the 360-degree hinge for its display.