A few weeks ago, the first ultra-low-cost Windows 8.1 tablet stepped into the limelight at Computex. Created in collaboration with Microsoft and Intel, the Emdoor EM-i8080 wasn"t exactly a mobile powerhouse, but it did have one major selling point: its $100 price tag.
Since Microsoft announced its decision to waive its OS licensing fees on phones and small tablets, many more companies have chosen to dip their toes into the Windows waters, and the latest to do so is China"s Kingsing. The company already sells a range of affordable Android handsets, but it has now shown off its first Windows tablet, the W8, which will go on sale for just $99, as GizmoChina reports.
Like the Emdoor device, the W8 has specs appropriate to its low cost. That means you"ll get a quad-core 1.8GHz Intel Bay Trail-T processor and 1GB of RAM, along with 16GB of onboard storage and an SD card slot. You"ll also find an 8-inch IPS LCD screen with 1280x800px resolution, and there are front and rear 2MP cameras too, as well as stereo speakers.
The device isn"t too chunky at 10mm-thick, and even features 3G connectivity (with support for GSM, CDMA and TD-SCDMA), along with 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB and microHDMI ports, and a 4500mAh battery. It even includes Windows 8.1 with Bing, rather than the more functionally limited Windows RT.
Not bad at all for $99. It"s not clear yet whether or not the device will go on sale outside of China, but one thing"s for sure - we"re going to be seeing plenty more low-cost Windows tablets in the weeks and months ahead.
Source: GizmoChina via WinBeta | images via GizmoChina