HP, Acer, Lenovo eye Windows 8 tablets

Hewlett-Packard, Acer, and Lenovo, among others, are expected to bring out Windows 8 tablets using Intel's latest system-on-a-chip.

HP and Acer are working on designs, a source familiar with the vendors' plans told CNET. In addition, details leaked today about a Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2, which will also use Intel's Clover Trail system-on-a-chip (SoC).

These Intel-based Windows 8 designs are distinctly different from Windows RT tablets that will use ARMchips. Windows RT devices use a version of Windows 8 that does not offer backward-compatibility with the millions of existing Windows software programs. Intel-based systems offer that compatibility.

And this is likely just a small sampling of Intel-based Windows 8 tablets slated to hit on October 26, when Windows 8 launches. "We are... tracking more than 20 Windows 8 tablet designs based on our low-power and low-cost Clover Trail Atom SoC in addition to a number of core-based tablets," Intel's CEO Paul Otellini said on July 17.

Laptop-tablet hybrids, or so-called convertibles such as Asus' Taichi, are also expected. Taichi uses a faster but less power-efficient Intel Ivy Bridge chip, the same chip that powers ultrabooks and Apple's MacBook Air.

The ThinkPad Tablet 2 will sport a 10.1-inchIPS 1,366x768 display, weigh in at about 650 grams (1.4 pounds), have a thickness of 9.8mm (0.39 inches), and include an HSPA+ broadband option, according to Techin5.Throw the already announced Microsoft Surface Windows RT and Windows 8 Pro products into the mix, and it's obvious the market will get crowded quickly.

HP, Acer, and Lenovo declined to comment.

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Intel to focus on Ultrabooks, Windows 8 at forum

ntel will put its large spotlight on Ultrabook laptops and Windows 8, among other technologies, at its annual developer conference next week.

In a keynote on September 14, Mooly Eden, general manager of the PC client group at Intel, will describe the "transformation of the PC" being driven by Ultrabooks at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF), according to an overview of the forum CNET received from Intel today. IDF begins next Tuesday. 

Lenovo's U300s Ultrabook is extremely thin but boasts relatively long battery life.

(Credit: Lenovo)

Ultrabooks are very light, very thin Windows laptops that compete with the MacBook Air. The core hardware includes Intel second-generation "Sandy Bridge" processors and solid-state drives or, in some cases, hybrid hard disk drives. Meant to emulate tablets in some respects, Ultrabooks are also designed to have instant-on capability and relatively long battery life despite their compact size .

Greg Welch, who heads Intel's Ultrabook group, is expected to lead a session titled "PC Client Platform Innovation," which covers the "shift to smaller form factor PCs which drive new consumer innovations" and "Intel's vision for...this new class of device," according to Intel's IDF Technical Session Catalog abstract.

Another Ultrabook-related session on September 13 states that "delivering [a] substantial increase in battery life mandates a brand new approach to power management in a mobile PC." Another session is entitled "Next Generation Display Technology for Ultrabook," hosted by both Intel and South Korea-based LG.

Windows 8, Microsoft's next major operating system, is also slated to received plenty of attention. A session on September 14 titled "Microsoft Windows 8 on Intel Architecture" will "provide a glimpse into the upcoming release of Microsoft's next operating system release Windows 8," according to an abstract. That session will be led by both an Intel engineer and Microsoft product managers.

And a Q&A session titled "Intel and Microsoft Windows 8" will take place on September 15.

Other sessions will include "Thunderbolt Technology Tutorial: Enabling New and Exciting Products," covering the new connection technology currently being used on Apple's MacBooks; "SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0): Ecosystem and Emerging Device Classes," which covers the latest generation of USB technology; and "Technology Insight: Intel Next Generation Microarchitecture Codename Ivy Bridge," which discusses Intel's next generation of processors due next year.

Other topics in focus will include cloud computing and advances in such areas as "extreme-scale computing, contextual awareness, and near-threshold circuit topologies that dramatically reduce energy consumption."

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