Last week I tried to pinch & zoom on a smoked salmon hors d’oeuvre–so yeah, touchscreen fever has fully taken over. To make the transition to Windows 8 easier, the Logitech Wireless Rechargeable Touchpad ($80) lets you pinch, tap, and skadoogle (made that one up) on your PC wirelessly, so you don’t have to suffer through tablet/smartphone withdrawal. Windows 8 users will have up to 13 unique gestures to perform on the large, smooth glass surface, and one charge gives you juice for a full month.
Even with the overwhelming reaction to the Apple iPhone 5, there’s still a great opportunity for Microsoft to pounce on the competition like a rabid raccoon on a half-eaten chimichanga. They’re turning to HTC to play the role of the rascally rodent with the Windows Phone 8X. With its tight corners, unique colors, and trademark tiles, it will certainly stand apart from the crowd. Beats Audio branding means an extra amplifier inside, which is expected to produce big clean sound to bigger headphones. The front facing 2.1-megapixel camera has an f/2.0 lens and BSI sensor to boost your low-light shots chats.
The Samsung Series 7 Slate ($1,199) has undergone a makeover in preparation for its partnership with Windows 8. It’s kinda like when you meet a girl at the laundromat in your shorts and raggedy T, then you show up at her house in a damn near tux. (The girl was Windows 8 in this lame analogy). A Core i5 processor, detachable keyboard dock, and pressure-sensitive stylus are the standout new offerings here. Also – we can’t confirm this yet – but we believe that the Series 7 will also come with access to the Internet. Just a rumor at this point, but we’ll keep you updated!
Besides hosting a robust selection of vowels in its name, Lenovo also makes some nice tablets; notably the ThinkPad Tablet 2, a 9.8mm-thick Windows 8 Pro device slated for an October launch. Weighing just 1.3 pounds with a 10.1-inch 1366 x 768 display, the Tablet 2 is also expected to deliver a generous 10-hours of battery life. WiFi is standard, with AT&T’s LTE connectivity an option.
[Image: Gottabemobile]