Intel’s New List of Recommended Bay Trail and Haswell Tablets

November 15, 2013

Intel just put out a PDF brochure where they highlight their recommended list of new Bay Trail and Haswell tablets (and a few “portable” computers).

It’s a nice summary of what’s out now on the latest processors. (Shows mostly Windows but also shows a few Android tablets.)

http://download.intel.com/newsroom/kits/pcrefresh/pdfs/Intel_BuyersGuide_Holiday_2013.pdf

Mine Not There

By the way, the tablet upgrade I want isn’t in there (and isn’t even announced yet). I want an iPad-size/weight windows tablet with a new processor (read Bay Trail), with a high-quality pen interface. The latter (good pen interface) seems to be the hard thing to find. Basically, I want an upgraded (Bay Trail) Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2. Still waiting (but it’s coming).

I had hopes for the Bay Trail versions of the upcoming Dell Venue 11 Pro, but apparently Dell is using a low-cost digitizer on its new Venue line that is very poor for taking notes (that’s the reports on the 8 inch model). And I don’t even see a pen listed as an option on Dell’s page.

In general, I am a bit disappointed by what has been announced so far for Bay Trail. A month ago, Intel had claimed a long list of low-cost Bay Trail tablet models would be in the pipeline by now. But not really there yet.

Sony VAIO Tap 11

In that Intel brochure the new Sony VAIO Tap 11 looks interesting. It’s essentially a Surface Pro competitor (full i5 processor), but thinner and lighter than the Surface Pro. My only worry is, compared to Bay Trail tablets, it lists only 6 hours of battery life and it’s still somewhat heavy (1.7 pounds). And it’s a bit pricey, like the Surface Pro. A full review of the Sony VAIO Tap 11 is here.

Michael Linenberger

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2 Responses to Intel’s New List of Recommended Bay Trail and Haswell Tablets

  1. Jim Antaki says:

    Mike,

    I suspect that we have similar interests in tablets, so I’d like to share my top picks with high-quality pen interface, and detachable keyboard… thin and light… with good battery capacity.

    Microsoft – Surface Pro 2 with 128GB

    Dell Venue 11 Pro (pleasant surprise!) – near duplicate of Surface Pro

    Vaio Tap 11

    ASUS Transformer Book T100 – remarkable value

    Lenovo Miix 2

    Samsung ATIV Tab 7 XE700T1C-K01US 11.6-Inch 128GB (this is the one I finally chose)
    (note: each and every letter and digit is important… one letter can make a world of difference)

    since you prefer a 10″ screen: Samsung ATIV Tab 3 XE300TZC-K01US 10.1-Inch 64GB Tablet with Keyboard

    I hope you ultimately find what you’re looking for.

    Jim

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