Ifa 2012 - Dell unveils windows rt tablet, hybrid laptop

Dell is back in the tablet game, unveiling the XPS 10 on Thursday at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin. The computer is based on Windows RT, a new version of the Windows OS for ARM-processors. ARM chips are common in cell phones but are beginning to emerge as a competitor for Intel in the tablet market. As a Windows RT device, the XPS 10 will not run existing Windows applications. Users will be able to get an RT-version of Microsoft Office and other apps will be available through an online Windows Store. The computer has a dock with a keyboard and battery so could be easily mistaken for a laptop, but the device is intended to be used mainly as a tablet, according to Dell. Dell didn't announce a price but some analysts have said Windows RT machines should be cheaper than Windows 8 tablets. The XPS 10 will be Dell's first since it stopped selling the Streak 7 Android tablet last year after the Android-based device failed to find much of a market. Dell also unveiled on Thursday the XPS Duo 12, a hybrid device that can take the form of a tablet or thin laptop, a form-factor Intel has dubbed Ultrabook. It can do that thanks to a swiveling 12-inch touchscreen. Like the XPS 10, Dell didn't reveal pricing information for this computer. At IFA 2012 in Berlin, this is Martyn Williams, IDG News Service.