Samsung Ativ Tab preview: First look

Introduction

It may look like Samsung is dipping a toe in unknown waters but its long-time partnership with Microsoft is a wet suit of sorts. The Ativ Tab may be the company's first Windows RT tablet but not its first Windows slate.

You may be familiar with the Samsung Series 7, a handful of tablet PCs running the desktop version of Windows 7. These Intel-powered devices are essentially laptops proper (give or take a keyboard) and have understandably been off our radar.

Samsung Ativ Tab official photos

The Ativ Tab on the other hand is a tablet that we would be interested in - a tablet like them Google and Apple slates. Running the lighter Windows RT, the Ativ Tab is powered by an ARM chipset, like millions of phones and other handheld devices. All prim and proper, just not quite sure about the name. Ativ as in "Vita" read backwards. Yeah, right.

Anyway, it will be up to the Ativ Tab, the Microsoft Surface and probably more Windows-powered slates from the likes of Acer and Asus (why not Nokia) to bring the professed three-horse race over to tablets.

But let's not get carried away fantasizing about a double-edged attack on the iPad - an idea, which Samsung of all makers would most certainly savor - and take a look at the Ativ Tab's highlights instead.

Samsung Ativ Tab at a glance:

• Form factor: Tablet
• Dimensions: 265.8 x 168.1 x 8.9 mm
• Weight: 570g
• Display: 16M-color 10.1" PLS LCD HD capacitive touchscreen (1366x768 pixels), 400-nits of brightness
• OS: Windows RT, Windows UI
• Chipset: 1.5 GHz dual-core Krait CPU, Adreno 305 GPU, Snapdragon S4 Plus APQ8090a chipset, 2GB of RAM
• Connectivity: Dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Channel Bonding, Assisted GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, microHDMI, NFC, USB 2.0 Host
• Memory: 32/64GB of inbuilt storage, expandable via a microSD card slot (up to 64GB)
• Camera: 5 MP autofocus camera, LED flash with 720p video recording, 1.9MP front-facing camera
• Battery: 8,200mAh Li-Ion
• Misc: Microsoft Office package, Gyro sensor, accelerometer sensor for automatic UI rotation, ambient light sensor, DivX/XviD support, TV-out (adapter required), USB host Proprietary 13-pin connector for keyboard dock, Capacitive Sylus (optional)

Specs-wise there's nothing particularly impressive about the Samsung Ativ Tab. It's less powerful than even some of the smartphones out there, we've seen better screens, more apps, voice call support, and probably superior media capabilities elsewhere.

Samsung Ativ Tab live photos

But the Ativ Tab has other strengths, the Office package and seamless compatibility with your home or office PC being one of the highlights. It has expandable storage too, which not all tablets guarantee. An optional keyboard and a stylus are other points in favor. Now, let's start exploring the Samsung Ativ Tab.