14 DAY TRIAL // CeBIT 2014 is underway in Hanover, Germany, and it is the perfect place to discover products coming from not-so-well known European brands. For example, adhering to the trend of 2-in-1 devices with the Bay Trail processors is the German manufacturing Schenker.
The device-maker had a bunch of tablets with keyboard companions put on display on the grounds at the computer expo. The Element is actually the company’s first Windows 8.1 and is scheduled to hit retail stores somewhere around April-May at a competitive price.
The Element comes with a 10.1-inch IPS display but doesn't push boundaries further in terms of resolution, offering the average 1280 x 800 we see in most mid-range 2-in-1s. But according to the producing company, the viewing angles are said to be quite high.
Keeping everything alive is an Intel Bay Trail Z3740 quad-core processor combined with 2GB of RAM. The company hasn’t revealed how much internal memory is going to be provided with the models, because they apparently haven’t made a decision.
The 32GB version will most likely arrive for the price of €350 / $485, while the 64GB version will sell for €400 / $554, but this is not set in stone yet. Naturally, users will be able to expand via the microSD card.
Other specifications of the tablet include Wi-Fi module, Bluetooth 4.0 and dual cameras (5MP on the back and 2MP in front). In terms of ports, users will be treated with a USB 2.0 port and a mini HDMI.
The tablet weighs only 594 g / 1.3 lbs so it will make a decent travel companion, especially since it bundles a big 7,900 mAh battery, which means its life cycle should be a long and prosperous one.
As an extra feature, the tablet comes bundling a magnetic keyboard cover, which TabTech compares to the Type-Cover of Surface tablets. The accessory provides a keyboard with real buttons and a touchpad, allowing users to use the tablet in laptop mode.
We currently can’t tell you whether the keyboard companion is included in the price or users will have to spend an extra amount of money to get it. On top of that, we don’t know if the keyboard bundles an extra battery that might prologue the life cycle of the slate.
The Element’s default operating system is Windows 8.1, but we don’t know if we’re going to see Office 2013 Home & Student pre-installed on it or not. Anyway, we’ll come back with more details when the Element launches.