Last month, Panasonic introduces the Panasonic Toughpad FZ-M1, a 7″ rugged Windows 8.1 Pro Tablet running on Intel Core i5 vPro processor. It is drop/shock resistant of height up to 150cm and has a rating of IP65 for water and dust resistant thanks to its fanless design.
The base model will start from S$2,600 in March 2014 and it can be customised to fit a range of accessories such as mini serial port, ethernet port, 2D barcode reader, GPS and NFC through its configuration port.
Windows 8.1 will begin rolling out worldwide as a free update for consumers on Windows 8 through the Windows Store at 7pm on 17th October 2013 (Singapore Time). Windows 8.1 will also be available at retail and on new devices starting from 18th October 2013.
Windows 8 was launched last year in Singapore on the 26th October 2012.
In my first part review of the Dell XPS 12, I talked about the Unboxing and Design, in the second part review, I talked about the Features and Functionality and for this last review, I will talk about my experience using the Dell XPS 12.
Ultrabook vs Tablet
When given a choice to use the Dell XPS 12 as an ultrabook or a tablet, we will always choose something that we are familiar with because as humans, we are afraid of change. Unless we have no choice but to accept the change and get used to it. In this case, perhaps a Windows 8 tablet running on Windows RT, where user have no choice but to get used to the “New Windows 8 UI”?
For the first part review of the Dell XPS 12, I talked about Unboxing and Design and in this second part review, I will talk about the features and functionality.
Ports – Right Side
Let’s start with the ports available on the Dell XPS 12. All of the ports of the Dell XPS 12 are located on the right side of the ultrabook except for the headphone/microphone combo port.
Disclaimer: I am being seeded with the Dell XPS 12 for a 3 part review. For the first part, I will talk about the unboxing and design of the Dell XPS 12.
The Dell XPS 12 was announced back in 30th August 2012 at IFA 2012. Currently the base model is retailing for S$1,828. If you intend to get it from Dell Online Store, you might need to wait for 20 working days due to overwhelming demand.
On the 30th October 2012, Lenovo announced a new range of convertible devices that is designed for Windows 8. They called it convertible devices instead of laptops/notebooks because those devices are more than just a simple laptop/notebook.
IdeaPad Yoga
The IdeaPad Yoga 13 and IdeaPad Yoga 11 allows the screen to be rotated though a 360° angle and switch between laptop and tablet mode. The hinge has been stressed test though a 25,000 times rotation.
Microsoft launches Windows 8 today, 26th October 2012!
From now till 31st January 2013, if you are on Windows XP/Vista/7, you can download Windows 8 Pro from windows.microsoft.com for S$49.99.
Windows 8 has reached the released to manufacturing (RTM) status and it will be available to the general public on Friday, 26th October 2012. The final build number of Windows 8 is 9200.
If you are going to buy a Windows 7 PC from today (2nd August 2012), you are eligibility to purchase an upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for S$17.99 (including GST) on the day of Windows 8 launch.
Looks like Microsoft has jumped on the tablet bandwagon with Microsoft Surface. I have no idea whether the official name is Microsoft Surface or Microsoft Surface Tablet, because when I think of Microsoft Surface, I would think of the huge touchscreen “device”.
It seems that Microsoft had renamed the old surface to Microsoft PixelSense and I am assuming that Microsoft Surface and Microsoft Surface Tablet means the same thing.
Windows 8 Release Preview has been released!
This is our final pre-release, and includes Windows 8, Internet Explorer 10, new Windows 8 apps for connecting to Hotmail, SkyDrive, and Messenger (and many more), and hundreds of new and updated apps in the Windows Store. Since our first preview release last September, millions of people now use the pre-release product on a daily basis and millions more have been taking it through its paces, totaling hundreds of millions of hours of testing. We genuinely appreciate the effort that so many have put into pre-release testing, and of course, we appreciate the feedback too. Direct feedback and feedback through usage contributed to hundreds of visible changes in the product and tens of thousands of under-the-hood changes.
