The Windows 10 era began a couple of weeks ago, when the new OS officially launched, and began its rollout to hundreds of millions of PCs around the world. But for those on the lookout for new devices with the new OS pre-installed, the options have been surprisingly limited so far.
Microsoft has said that it will showcase many new devices and form factors from its hardware partners in its IFA keynote next month, and some manufacturers have already launched their first Windows 10 devices. Microsoft itself has also begun selling its own Surface tablets with the new OS onboard.
Over in the UK, another option is now available for buyers seeking a small tablet with Windows 10 pre-installed - and according to TechRadar, it"s the first tablet to go on sale in the country with the new OS loaded and ready to go, out of the box.
The 8-inch Connect was launched by leading British retailer Tesco, and is available for just £99 GBP (around $155 USD), making it one of the most affordable Windows tablets ever in the UK. As you"d expect of such a low-cost device, it features some fairly basic specs, including:
- 8-inch LCD with 1280x800 resolution
- Quad-core 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z3735G processor
- 32GB onboard storage (plus microSD card support up to 32GB)
- 1GB RAM
- 2MP rear camera
- 0.3MP front-facing camera
- Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
- Bluetooth 4.0
- microHDMI port
- microUSB port
- Windows 10 Home (32-bit)
It"s worth noting that the Connect isn"t actually a brand new device, and you may already have seen it elsewhere as the "Linx 8" (pictured above), sister tablet to the Linx 7, which launched last year.
Given its modest price tag, the Connect unsurprisingly demands some compromises of those who buy it. But there"s one item on the spec sheet that"s particularly worthy of attention: battery life.
According to Tesco"s store listing for the tablet, it offers "up to 4 hours" of battery life - pretty weak for a device that"s designed primarily to be mobile. By comparison, the similarly affordable HP Stream 7 mini-tablet, which is still being sold with Windows 8.1 but can be upgraded to Windows 10, promises up to 8 hours - twice the battery life for roughly the same price, albeit with a slightly smaller display.