14 DAY TRIAL // There has been quite a bit of talk about media slates over the past few months. Analysts have been studying their potential for growth as a market, while CPU and SoC makers have brought forth a number of platforms. This has given PC suppliers enough of a reason to make the final step and launch their respective tablets and, with Computex as the perfect stage, they have already begun to show them off.
Though the actual expo in Taipei, Taiwan, won't kick off until tomorrow, Micro-Star International saw no fault in demonstrating some of its products ahead of time. Unsurprisingly, there were a variety of laptops on display, even the SketchBook, now reportedly dubbed Sketch Pad. There were a couple of devices that stood out, though, namely the two WindPad tablets.
MSI did, indeed, choose to tackle both tablet 'segments' at the same time. The WindPad 110 is a slate based on the NVIDIA Tegra 2 system-on-chip and runs the Google-developed Android OS. It has a 10-inch capacitive touchscreen with a native resolution of 1,024 x 600 pixels.
The other model is the WindPad 100, has a similar build and, being based on an Intel Atom CPU, is pre-loaded with Windows 7. The WindPad 100 also has the advantage of a specially-designed touch interface.
Unfortunately, the company chose not to reveal too much in the way of specifications, although it wasn't completely heartless and still gave visitors something to go on. The Windows 7 slate has an Atom Z530 at its heart (1.60GHz), a front-facing camera, an HDMI output and USB connectors. Furthermore, there will be built-in 3G connectivity, Wi-Fi and GPS. The same is likely true for the Tegra 2 model, though nothing official has been said as of yet. The WindPad 100 should become available later this year, for about $500, whereas the WindPad 110 might come cheaper ($400).