Upcoming tablets

Asus VivoTab Note 8

Available in Q2; local pricing to be announced

Unveiled at this year's CES tradeshow, this 8-inch Asus tablet includes a stylus for note-taking.

While having a stylus is not exactly unique, the difference here is that the Wacom digitiser on the VivoTab Note 8 provides more than 1,000 levels of pressure sensitivity.

The device is also intelligent enough to know that your palm is resting on the screen and will not register that as input.

This leads to a more natural handwriting experience than a non-Wacom solution can offer. The stylus can be stowed safely in a built-in holder at the tablet's bottom edge when it is not in use.

The rest of the tablet is fairly standard. It has the usual hardware, including a 1,280 x 800-pixel IPS screen and up to 64GB of storage. At 380g, the VivoTab should be as handy as the Lenovo Miix 2. Asus claims that the VivoTab produces better audio due to its proprietary SonicMaster technology.

Asus has yet to reveal local prices for this tablet. The 32GB version will cost US$299 (S$380) in the United States.

Lenovo ThinkPad 8

Availability and pricing to be announced

The ThinkPad branding makes it obvious that Lenovo is targeting the business user with this 8.3-inch tablet. Lenovo promises a number of enterprise-friendly features on the ThinkPad 8, including a built-in TPM security chip.

This tablet uses a slightly more powerful variant of the quad-core Intel Atom CPU found in Windows 8 tablets. But it still has 2GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.

The IPS display has a 1,920 x 1,080-pixel screen resolution that offers more pixels than its rivals. But this high a resolution means that desktop icons are likely to be tiny.

On a screen of this size, I am not sure if increasing the size of fonts and icons in the settings is sufficient.

Its optional cover, dubbed Quickshot, is interesting. Unlike other covers or cases which feature a cutout for the camera, the Quickshot cover has a flap at the upper corner which folds down to reveal the 8-megapixel rear camera.

Doing so will trigger the camera app so that you can immediately take a picture. The idea is that the camera lens is almost always protected by the cover.

You can also convert the cover into a stand for the tablet, while magnets embedded in the cover are able to wake the device and also put it to sleep.

HP ElitePad 1000 G2

Available early next month, local pricing to be announced Like Lenovo, HP intends to make inroads into the business tablet segment. Its secret weapon is the ElitePad 1000 G2, which claims to be the first 64-bit Windows 8.1 tablet.

This 10.1-inch slate runs Windows 8.1 Pro. Going 64-bit allows HP to install 4GB of RAM on the ElitePad, which should elevate its performance closer to that of a full-fledged laptop.

Other hardware specifications to look out for include a high-resolution 1,920 x 1,200-pixel screen and up to 128GB of internal storage.

A microSD card slot enables users to further increase the already ample storage.

A key feature for business users is the optional support for 4G connectivity. The ElitePad comes also with a number of security technologies, such as a Bios protection feature to prevent malware attacks.

The silvery aluminium body is just 9.2mm thick and weighs around 680g. The tablet is accompanied by a dizzying variety of accessories, from a docking station to an expansion jacket with a secondary battery.

HP has not announced the local price for the ElitePad 1000 G2, but reports indicate that the tablet will cost around US$740 (S$940).

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