14 DAY TRIAL // A few days ago Toshiba and Microsoft took the world of tablets by storm by unleashing one of the most affordable Windows 8.1 slates, a product that will be marketed under the Encore Mini moniker.
The tab will arrive with a 7-inch display and given the fact that Toshiba will be selling it for just $119 / €90, the specs won’t be anything to hold your breath about.
The slate offers just 1024 x 600 resolution with 16:9 ratio and bundles an Intel quad-core Atom CPU fitted with only 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD card).
Well, we tracked down the tiny tablet at IFA 2014, because we were quite curious to see how it works. Physically speaking, the tab is small and light, but surprisingly quite thick.
Sadly, Windows 8 doesn’t prove to be that responsive on the slate. From all the tabs we tested at IFA (Sony, Acer, Samsung), this one seemed to process info the slowest. The Intel Atom CPU Toshiba is using with the Encore Mini isn't that great and you experience some delay even as you try to access the PC settings.
So, right from the start we tell you, you shouldn't be expecting a great multi-tasking experience. It’s cheap, but it will surely give you some headaches. On the bright side, it has Microsoft Office on it, so you’ll be able to edit an Office document or two.
