Tablets to accompany Windows 8.1: variety in size

Windows 8.1 is right around the corner, and upon arrival you'll be joined by new PCs ready for the first major operating system update. Less than a month before Microsoft publishes the final version, the main manufacturers have taken advantage of September to present their bets between now and the end of the year. Only Microsoft itself was missing, which did it yesterday with the new generation of Surface tablets.

Together with them, what was presented at the IFA fair and what was announced in the following days, we already have an offer of tablets before the well worth stopping by and taking a look.Setting the limit at 12 inches and leaving convertibles out of the equation, in the following lines we will compare some of the devices that will arrive in the coming months, trying to bring some order to a market that is increasingly difficult to categorize.

Acer Iconia W3 and Toshiba Encore, the little ones in the family

Acer was the first to dare to put Windows 8 complete in a tablet under 10 inches and from their experiment came the Iconia W3. Toshiba now joins him with its new Encore tablet, with an 8-inch screen and some improvements over its rival, but it's still far from making a serious bet at that size. While we wait for that supposed Microsoft Surface Mini these are the two representatives of the category.

The Acer Iconia W3 is already an old acquaintance in these parts. Measuring 11.3 millimeters thick and weighing 498 grams, Acer's 8.1-inch tablet integrates an Intel Atom Z2760 processor, 2GB of RAM and a battery that promises 9 hours of use.

The screen is a very basic LCD with 1280x800 resolution that Acer has already promised to change for future versions. To the usual connections are added two 2-megapixel cameras and a bluetooth keyboard as the main accessory. The Iconia W3 is already on sale from 329 euros in its version with 32GB of storage.

In Xataka Windows | Acer Iconia W3 Review

Taking advantage of being second and being able to learn from the risk taken by others, the Toshiba Encore outperforms its rival in several areas. Starting with a slight reduction in size, with 10.68 millimeters thick and 479 grams in weight, and continuing with the 8-inch screen and HFFS technology, which promises better quality at the same 1280x800 resolution.

Its processor will be one of the new Intel Atom on the Bay Trail-T platform, accompanied by 2GB of RAM and a battery of up to 8 hours.The 8-megapixel main camera and its 2-megapixel front camera, both capable of recording at 1080p, are the latest improvements over Acer's Iconia W3. The rest of the ports and connections are similar, although the Toshiba tablet does not have an official keyboard next to it. It plans to hit the market from November at a price of less than 400 euros

In Xataka Windows | Toshiba Encore, touchdown

Asus Transformer Book T100 and HP Omni 10, Intel Atom in 10-inch

We went up in size but not so much in benefits. Asus and HP reach the end of the year betting on cheap tablets in the most classic 10 inches For this they dispense with the highest specifications of others but without giving up integrating Windows 8 complete in their teams. If anyone was looking for a replacement for their netbook, these are the way.

Asus breaks the ice of cheap Windows 8 tablets with its Asus Transformer Book T100, the smaller brother of the T300. In its body of 10.4 millimeters thick and 540 grams in weight we find an Intel Atom Z3740 processor and 2GB of RAM. The 10.1-inch IPS screen offers a resolution of 1366x768 pixels, which translates into a density of 155 pixels per inch, something far from the main benchmarks of other systems.

Double camera, microSD slot and the usual connections complete a team that promises 11 hours of expandable battery thanks to the Asus classic keyboard dock. All available starting in October for the attractive price of $349.

Half secretly, HP has presented the perfect rival for the Asus tablet. The HP Omni 10 matches its peers in many of the specifications, or at least in those that the North American company has seen fit to reveal.New batch Intel Atom processor, 2GB of RAM, front and rear cameras, same ports and connections, up to 9 hours of battery life and a BT keyboard as the main accessory.

The big difference, the Omni 10 screen, which raises the resolution to Full HD and 1920x1080 pixels. More details and the price of a tablet that should hit the market next November. are yet to be known.

Sony Vaio Tap 11 and Microsoft Surface Pro 2, close to ultraportable

Before the expected renewal of its Surface Pro tablet, Microsoft has come up with a tough competitor from Sony. The Japanese arrived at IFA 2013 with the Vaio Tap 11 under their arms, ready to compete face to face with the call to be a benchmark among powerful tablets with Windows 8Meanwhile, Microsoft already had its answer ready in the form of the Surface Pro 2, which upgrades the specs of its portable beast.

The Sony Vaio Tap 11 is the largest of the tablets reviewed here, but despite that, Sony has managed to introduce a powerful device in less than 1 centimeter thick and 780 grams in weight. It has done so without giving up an 11.6-inch IPS screen with 1920x1080 pixel resolution, and without neglecting performance thanks to the incorporation of Intel Core i5 or i7 processors, 4GB of RAM and an SSD hard drive that can reach up to 512GB capacity.

From Sony they also ensure that the equipment has enough battery to last between 5 and 6 hours of use. The equipment is completed with two cameras, microSD slot, USB 3.0 port, audio and video output, WiFi and LTE connectivity, BT 4.0 and NFC. As main accessory it comes with a digital pen and has an optional keyboard with magnetic connection. This Vaio Tap 11 should be available from the end of this month of September at a price yet to be determined

In Xataka Windows | Sony Vaio Tap 11, first contact

Surface Pro was the benchmark in the Windows 8 tablet industry, and Microsoft intends to keep it that way with Surface Pro 2 and Windows 8.1. The most powerful of Microsoft's tablets updates its well-known specifications with better processors and more options in terms of RAM and internal storage. For the rest we have the same team as always in the same body as always.

13, 4 millimeters thick and 900 grams in weight surrounded by a USB 3.0 port, microSD slot, audio and video outputs, as well as magnetic connectors for charging and keyboard covers that can also be update. WiFi connectivity, BT 4.0 and better 5 and 3.5 megapixel cameras capable of recording at 1080p complete the equipment. This Surface Pro 2 will be on the market from October at a starting price of 879 euros for its most basic version.

Microsoft Surface 2, the ARM bet

Microsoft has been left alone in its commitment to Windows RT. Waiting for what Nokia does with its rumored tablet, those from Redmond are the only ones renewing the range of tablets with Windows 8 on the ARM platform They do with Surface 2, avoiding the RT tagline and trying to respond to some of the criticism that the previous model received.

Microsoft Surface 2 comes in the same package as its predecessor, albeit slightly thinner, lighter, and in a different color to differentiate it from its big brother. The main changes come from the hand of the screen, which increases its resolution to 1920x1080 pixels, and the kickstand that now allows two positions of 22 and 45 degrees; but everything else has also been renewed.

In its guts beats an NVIDIA Tegra 4 T40 processor accompanied by 2GB of RAM and options of 32 and 64 GB of storage.The USB port is now 3.0, it has a microSD slot, the rest of the usual connections and better 5 and 3.5 megapixel cameras. They are accompanied by reviews of their well-known keyboard covers: Touch and Type Cover 2. The price of Surface 2 will be 429 euros for the 32GB version and will be available from next October

Windows 8.1, configuring the marketplace

As they say, they are not all who are, but they are all who are. In the absence of surprises in the coming weeks, the ones reviewed here make up a good part of the Windows 8 tablet offer on the market and allow us to somehow categorize the variety of devices that accompany the release of version 8.1 of the system. Outside are sizes larger than 12 inches and computers that are more convertible than tablet alone.

About those reviewed, it is worth noting the abandonment of Windows RT by manufacturers.Only Microsoft and perhaps Nokia bet on the version for ARM platforms of the operating system. The rest seem determined to bring full Windows 8 to the entire a wide variety of tablets ranging from 8 to 11.6 inches, including the ever-recurring 10 inches. It is up to us to decide which type best suits our needs and choose accordingly.