Toshiba Unveils 8 inch Windows 8.1 Encore Tablet

Acer may have secured a significant edge when it released the Iconia W3, the first 8 inch tablet running Windows 8, back in June, but we all know records don’t last long in this industry.

At the IFA 2013 show, Toshiba has just unveiled a brand new 8 inch tablet that was specifically designed to deliver a full Windows 8.1 experience. Developed by Toshiba together with Microsoft, the Encore tablet is also one of the first to be equipped with the latest generation of the Intel Atom processor.

The pocket-sized tablet is only 0.42 inch thin and weighs 16.9 oz, which makes it suitable for use on the go as it was designed to be easily held in one hand.

The Encore tablet’s new Intel Atom processor is power efficient and delivers great performance and fast page loads and start-up. The device is also equipped with LPDDR3 RAM of 2GB and solid state storage of 64 GB with microSD enhancement capabilities. It is also equipped with SkyDrive cloud storage of 7GB.

According to Toshiba, the tablet was designed to deliver the full Windows 8.1 experience and the new operating system’s scaling capabilities will work like a charm with the device’s multitouch display of 1280×800 resolution.

Other features include various sensors such as GPS, accelerometer and gyroscope, an 8 megapixel camera and stereo speakers. An interesting feature is the InstantGo, which essentially lets the system get updates while in sleep mode, so that it’s always up to date when resuming use.

The Toshiba Encore has been optimized for Skype calls.

The tablet was also optimized for Skype video calls and will come with a pre-installed full version of the Home & Student Microsoft Office edition.  The Toshiba Encore is further equipped with free Xbox Streaming and an Xbox SmartGlass application that can turn it into a second screen for Microsoft’s gaming consoles, Xbox 360 and the upcoming Xbox One.

The Toshiba Encore tablet will retail for $330 starting November. What do you think of the device? Would you buy one?

[Images via iGyann & Gizmag]