Back in April, I was fairly harsh on Dell for dropping out of the tablet race. The massive PC maker had promised to come back late this year, and it looks like IFA is going to be a coming out party for the new devices. Except there’s not a true tablet in the bunch, and that might be a good thing.
There are three new touchable Dells. The XPS 10 is a Windows 8 RT hybrid device, and the 10″ screen and 10 in the name remind me of my favorite netbook, the extremely hackable Dell Mini 10v. However, early hands-on reviews seems to show that the XPS 10 is of slightly higher quality than the v10, which may be one of the reasons Dell chose to use the XPS moniker. I’m not calling this a true tablet because Dell is heavily marketing it as having the keyboard dock. That means that Dell sees this more as a hybrid device. The XPS 10 is supposed to come out this October alongside a slew of other Windows 8 RT devices. There’s no news on specs or pricing just yet, but with Dell’s aggressive advertising and dedicated sales channels, this has a good chance of taking off.
Expect to see me around campus.
Dell is also adding a touchable all-in-one, another popular form factor. Like Sony and HP’s all-in-ones, the XPS One 27 can lay flat and work as a “tabletop”. As the name implies, there’s a 27″ screen on this puppy, and Dell is calling is a “Quad HD Display”, saying the device has a 2560 x 1440 resolution. Not bad at all. There’s a Windows 7 version out in the wild now, but it will be sporting Windows 8 come October. Unlike Dell’s other two devices or the all-in-ones being offered by the competition, the XPS One 27 is uninspiring looking. It is entirely possible that Dell is aiming this at the business market, but even the suit and tie set expect a tad more flair than this.
Did someone spray paint a Core Duo iMac black?
For a device that has flair to spare, you want to see Dell’s third and final Windows 8 device, the XPS Duo 12. You may recall Dell’s previous Duo, a hybrid netbook/tablet with a transforming method that was downright unique. This time around, Dell has applied the same swinging hinge technology to an Ultrabook. Despite the 12 in the name, this Duo actually features a 12.5″ screen, coated in damage-resistant Gorilla Glass. Thankfully, Dell has eschewed the typical metal slick Ultrabook finish and thrown in some more hand-friendly carbon fiber. This doesn’t just make the device potentially easier to hold, but also gives the Duo 12 a bit more of a visual kick. Not that the Duo 12 needs much more of one than the screen. Anyone who sees that hinged screen is going to want a moment with your device.
Whoever designed that thing needs all the raises.
Unfortunately, other than an alleged battery life of about 20 hours — a claim we confess to being skeptical of — there are few other details released at this moment. No idea what is running under that shiny, pretty hood or how much it will cost to possess one of your very own. However, October is just around the corner, and with it, will come the release of both XPS hybrids.
Like I said, I’ve been fairly harsh to Dell, but I have to tip my hat to the company now. Had it announced yet another slate tablet, another dull touchscreen Ultrabook, or only that all-in-one, I would not have even bothered writing this. The Duo XPS 12, however, is worth paying attention to.
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