Microsoft revealed Monday more about what consumers can expect from Windows RT — the new variant of Windows 8 that'll run on many portable devices like tablets. The company also said who its specific launch partners will be for the platform.
Dell, Lenovo and Samsung will join Asus and Microsoft itself in launching hardware running Windows RT this fall, Microsoft's Windows chief, Steven Sinofsky, revealed in a blog post Monday. Sinofsky didn't say whether those devices would launch the same day as Windows 8, Oct. 26, only saying manufacturers would be making unveilings in the weeks leading up to the launch.
Showing the photo above as an example of a Windows RT device that went from prototype to final product, Sinofsky said the devices would "have consistent fast and fluid touch interactions, long battery life, connected standby, and are beautiful, thin, and light designs." (emphasis his)
Sinofsky also gave some details on what kind of specs and features consumers can expect to see in Windows RT devices. He emphasized the always-on, always-connected design philosophy behind Windows RT, reiterating that RT devices would be capable of a low-power mode called "connected standby" — allowing the tablet to still get updates from the network but use just a trickle of power.
"When your Windows RT PC is not in use, it will move into a new low-power mode that allows it to keep your data fresh and current while also not requiring a battery charge for days," he wrote. "And when you need your system, it will turn on in less than a second at the touch of a button, which is a mobile phone experience but in a full PC."
The battery life of Windows RT devices in connected standby mode is on the order of weeks, ranging from 13 to 17 days, Sinofsky wrote. When playing HD video, the devices are said to last from 8 to 13 hours, though that will depend greatly on capacity, which will range from 25 to 42 watt-hours.
By comparison, the latest iPad is rated to last 10 hours for video playback and has a 42.5 watt-hour battery.
Sinofsky touted other features of Windows RT, explaining that the touch experience was engineered for "industry-leading accuracy" and that the core UI animations (like page and menu scrolling) would be rendered at 60 frames per second (in line with iOS and Android devices). He also said Windows RT would support touchpad gestures from trackpads, just like Windows 8.
Windows RT devices will also be able to easily share data with other WinRT machines via near-field communication (NFC). "By simply tapping two NFC-enabled Windows RT PCs together, users can easily share photos, URLs, map directions, and anything else that our software partners have designed into their Windows apps," Sinofsky wrote.
Sinofsky didn't mention the main weakness of Windows RT: Its inability to run any legacy apps designed for Windows 7, XP or Vista machines. While Microsoft is pushing its developer community toward Windows 8 strongly, it remains to be seen how consumers will respond to the new interface (formerly known as Metro).
Are you liking how Windows RT is shaping up? Think you'll buy a device? Share your thoughts in the comments.
BONUS: The Best and the Worst of Windows 8
.jpg "New Start Screen")
The Windows 8 Release Preview has many more dynamic live tiles, with new apps like News, Sports and Travel adding images and headlines to the mix.
.jpg "People App")
The People app got an upgrade — here's what the Me tab looks like, incorporating Facebook activity, notifications and photos.
.jpg "People - What's New")
The What's New feed in the People app, which resembles a stripped-down Flipboard clone, got a major makevoer.
.jpg "News App")
The News app, one of the three new "reader" apps in the Release Preview, is a similar design the the Finance app, with a big splash photo of the lead story, followed by topics to the right.
.jpg "News Topics")
You can customize your own topic headings in the News app.
.jpg "Rearrangement Troubles")
It's difficult to rearrange the topics once you've selected them, though. All apps are still considered "preview," so this could be fixed.
.jpg "Photos App, With Mail")
Windows 8 Metro lets you arrange two windows at once, one of them being a simple vertical scroll. Here the Photos app is the main window while Mail is on the right. You can choose between right and left positioning.
.jpg "Sports App")
Sports has a layout just like News and Finance. You can customize your feeds with your favorite teams and sports.
.jpg "Mail App")
The Mail app renders HTML emails well.
.jpg "Messaging")
Here's what the Messaging app looks like, but it's still very limited — I couldn't add any accounts beyond Windows Live and Facebook.
.jpg "Flickr Problems")
The Metro Photos app had serious problems connecting to Flickr, possibly because of Yahoo's unwieldy login process. There's also no convenient way to log out once your account is connected.
The Windows 8 Release Preview has many more dynamic live tiles, with new apps like News, Sports and Travel adding images and headlines to the mix.
.jpg)
The People app got an upgrade — here's what the Me tab looks like, incorporating Facebook activity, notifications and photos.
.jpg)
The What's New feed in the People app, which resembles a stripped-down Flipboard clone, got a major makevoer.
.jpg)
The News app, one of the three new "reader" apps in the Release Preview, is a similar design the the Finance app, with a big splash photo of the lead story, followed by topics to the right.
.jpg)
You can customize your own topic headings in the News app.
.jpg)
It's difficult to rearrange the topics once you've selected them, though. All apps are still considered "preview," so this could be fixed.
.jpg)
Windows 8 Metro lets you arrange two windows at once, one of them being a simple vertical scroll. Here the Photos app is the main window while Mail is on the right. You can choose between right and left positioning.
.jpg)
Sports has a layout just like News and Finance. You can customize your feeds with your favorite teams and sports.
.jpg)
The Mail app renders HTML emails well.
.jpg)
Here's what the Messaging app looks like, but it's still very limited — I couldn't add any accounts beyond Windows Live and Facebook.
.jpg)
The Metro Photos app had serious problems connecting to Flickr, possibly because of Yahoo's unwieldy login process. There's also no convenient way to log out once your account is connected.
.jpg)
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