Briefly: Toshiba kit, Sony Xperia Z1, Xbox One names the day

Friday, 6 September 2013, 11:42 am
Column: Bill Bennett

Announcements from Berlin’s IFA show continue to roll in. Yesterday saw Toshiba announce three Windows 8.1 devices. It seems hardware makers are sticking with Microsoft’s operating system despite last year noticeable lack of customer interest in Windows 8 kit.

Toshiba’s Satellite NB15T is the most traditional device: a 11.6-inch touch screen laptop. The Satellite Click is a detachable hybrid 13.3-inch while Satellite Encore is an 8-inch tablet. The laptop and the tablet use Intel Bay Trail processors which Intel, Microsoft and, presumably, Toshiba hope will give Windows devices a new lease of life.

Or maybe not. Packing a full version of Windows into an 8-inch tablet that has the processing power to make the exercise worthwhile will be the biggest test yet of Microsoft’s Windows 8. The Encore is the Microsoft-Intel answer to Apple’s iPad mini, but it’s 30 percent thicker and 50 percent heavier. None of that matters if the performance is there.

• Also at IFA Sony unveiled its Xperia Z1 handset. The company sees the z1 as its comeback phone hopes the Android device will move it from sixth place in the global smartphone market to the third slot behind Apple and Samsung. That’s a big ask, you almost never see Sony handsets in New Zealand. The Z1s key feature is a 20.7 megapixel camera, it has a 5-inch screen to match but reports from the show say the camera cannot shoot 4K video.

• New Zealand is in the group of 13 countries that will get first deliveries of Microsoft’s Xbox One console on November 22. Xbox is Microsoft’s most successful hardware product to date. While XBox and Playstation have jockeyed for pole position in recent years, Microsoft is seen by many as the underdog in the console business at the moment. The company’s stance on DRM and game sharing hasn’t helped. With the slightly cheaper Playstation 4 also due to land before Christmas, there will be a lot of attention on how the two products fare.

Related posts:
1. Briefly: Punakaiki Fund opens, Gen-i building, Acer’s 4K smartphone
2. Briefly: Windows 8.1 ready, 2degrees new boss, 7 inch Toughpad
3. Briefly: Intel’s Bay Trail, Gen-i scores Corys, Microsoft’s PR own goal, Twitter Australia
4. Briefly: Curran slams copper tax, Samsung W8 PCs, Wynyard on track

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Bill Bennett

New Zealand technology news

Bill Bennett publishes technology news and features that are directly relevant to New Zealand readers.

Covering enterprise and small business computing, start-ups, listed companies, the technology channel and devices. Bennett's main focus is on New Zealand innovation.

Bill Bennett stories are republished on Geekzone and Scoop.

Stories published on this site are available to publishers for a fixed fee or a monthly subscription.

Contact Bill Bennett

• Website - billbennett.co.nz
• Email - bill@billbennett.co.nz
• Twitter - @billbennettnz
• Mobile - 0275082740