Vizio Announces Windows 8 AMD Tablet
Flat-screen TV manufacturer Vizio jumped into computers in 2012, launching its Windows 8 tablet at CES.
The Vizio Tablet is an 11.6-inch slate that will pack a dual-core 1GHz AMD z60 processor, a 1080p display and 2GB of RAM. Other specs include 64GB SSD storage, 2MP front cam, micro-HDMI, and micro-USB.
The Advanced Micro AMD Device’s Z60 processor allow Vizio’s tablet to run older programs on Windows 8, such as Apple’s iTunes.
One of the biggest negative to Windows hardware over the years is that many vendors choose to fill their devices up with tons of bloatware that make them slow and, well, annoying.
Rob Kermode, head of the Irvine, Calif., company’s PC and mobile device efforts, acknowledged that Vizio’s offerings were coming months after some other companies had released their Windows 8 tablets in late October. But, he said, Vizio chose to wait until the Consumer Electronics Show to make announcements because it was watching how customers would respond.
The good news here is that the Vizio Tablet PC has a “Microsoft Signature” software install. For those that don’t know, that means it is a clean installation with no added bloatware. This is perfect for consumers looking for a pure Windows 8 experience without vendor-specific add-ons like start menus and vendor software.
An AMD processor and 1080p display certainly sounds like a unique match. So when is it coming? Unfortunately we have no specific launch date or even pricing at this point.
By comparison, Microsoft’s own Windows 8 Surface tablet sells for around $1,000, and features an 8-inch screen and 720p HD.
