June 2, 2011 02:44 am EDT

Microsoft reveals ARM-powered Windows 8 prototypes

Remember how Microsoft unveiled that whole "Windows 8" thing earlier today? It's back for more: Here at Computex 2011 in Taipei, prototype ARM-based Windows 8 slates and smartbooks are coming out of the woodwork. Foxconn, Wistron and Quanta all unveiled early hardware for the new OS, with chips from Qualcomm, Texas Instruments and NVIDIA powering their live tiles -- including NVIDIA's upcoming Kal-El, which got both a tablet and a super-slim prototype notebook to call its own. Dell's also got a XPS development station up on stage, which Microsoft used to demo the UI -- it's bulky and ugly as such things are, but it suggests that Dell's also likely to have a portable Windows 8 machine at some point. For its part, Qualcomm is promising a chip that can instantly wake from sleep, and one of the devices showed that USB host support works fine and dandy. Unfortunately, none of these machines will make their way to market, but it's nice to know that the OEMs care enough to show their solidarity here.

Gallery: Windows 8 devices at Computex 2011

Microsoft reveals ARM-powered Windows 8 prototypes originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 22:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | ||Comments

Original Link: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/01/microsoft-reveals-arm-powered-windows-8-prototypes/

View Full Article

Engadget

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics. Engadget was launched in March of 2004 in partnership with the Weblogs, Inc. Network (WI

More About this Source Visit Engadget