Toshiba Encore 2 Windows 8.1 Tablets and Excite Go Android Tablet Launched

Toshiba has expanded its range of tablet PCs by introducing two new Windows 8.1 tablets in the Encore 2 range, and one new Android tablet dubbed Excite Go.

While the Encore 2 range of tablets with 8-inch and 10-inch screen sizes run on the recently announced Windows 8.1 with Bing version, the Excite Go tablet features a 7-inch display and runs on Android 4.4 KitKat.

The 10-inch and 8-inch Encore 2 tablets are priced at $269 (roughly Rs. 15,900) and $199 (roughly Rs. 11,800) respectively and would be available in early July in the US.

Both the Encore 2 tablets with 8-inch and 10-inch screen size sport the same (1280x800 pixel) resolution multi-touch display. This means that out of the two, the 8-inch Encore 2 tablet should have the sharper display. Both come with a front-facing 1.2-megapixel HD webcam and a 5-megapixel rear camera with auto-focus capable of recording full-HD videos.

Both the Encore 2 tablets Intel's quad-core Atom Z3735F processor (Bay Trail-T with Silvermont microarchitecture, with reference clock at 1.3GHz) and include 32GB of inbuilt storage. It has been noted that both the tablets can be configured up to 64GB of inbuilt storage and can support up to 128GB of storage via microSDXC card.

However, the only difference besides the screen size is that the Encore 2 10-inch is said to feature 2GB of RAM, while its smaller 8-inch version reportedly includes 1GB of RAM. The connectivity options of the Encore 2 tablets is only seen to include Wi-Fi 802.11 n and Micro-USB 2.0 as connectivity options.

Both the tablets come with 1-year subscription to Office 365 Personal and can run for 8.5 hours on a single charge. While the Encore 2 8-inch weighs around 367 grams, the Encore 2 10-inch weighs around 548 grams.

Unfortunately, not all the specifications of the tablets are known, however, we expect more to be revealed as the Encore 2 tablets reach in the market.

Microsoft Touts Upcoming Windows Smartphones and Tablets Under $200

Seeking to succeed in the fierce competition of the budget smartphone market, Microsoft has announced cheaper smartphones running Windows Phone operating system are on the way.

Speaking to reporters at the Computex trade show in Taipei, Nick Parker, Microsoft's VP of OEM Partners, detailed company's plans to sell Windows platform smartphones and tablets for under $200, in certain markets this year, reported WSJ.

"We'll reach price points that are very industry competitive for 7, 8, 10-inch devices," Parker said, speaking to reporters after his keynote address at Computex. "They will really surprise you. Last year, we were in the 3s, 4s, 500 dollars. This year, we'll be 1s, 2s, 3s."

Further he confirmed that the smartphones and tablets prices being referred to will be end-market prices without carrier subsidies.

(Also see: Microsoft Says Cortana Will Have a Bi-Monthly Update Cycle)

Parker didn't clarify which partner manufacturers that would be bringing these Windows Phone smartphones and Windows tablets to the market. Notably, Microsoft has recently added Foxconn, Gionee, Lava (Xolo), Lenovo, LG, Longcheer, JSR, Karbonn and ZTE as partners to existing partners Nokia, Samsung, HTC and Huawei.

The company has also hinted at renewing its partnership with HTC for upcoming Windows Phone devices soon.

When Parker was asked about device partners, he had said, "I'd love to break some news here if I could. But instead I'll just say that Microsoft will continue to have a great relationship with HTC. New things are coming, so get excited."

In the Android and iOS dominated market, Windows Phone is lagging badly in terms of global smartphone market share. The new partners and cheaper smartphones to end-consumer could very well be the revival for Redmond giant in this category.