Samsung Launches Windows 8 ATIV Line and More

Samsung announced an ambitious line of Windows 8 mobile devices using the ATIV name on Wednesday, including an ATIV S smartphone with a 4.8-in. HD display and three tablet PCs. The lineup, unveiled in Berlin, Germany during a webcast, also includes an ATIV Tab that runs Windows RT and two Windows 8 x86 tablets that have magnetically attachable keyboards called the ATIV Smart PC and the ATIV Smart PC Pro. The company didn't offer pricing or availability information.

The ATIV Smart PC and Smart PC Pro are equipped with a digital stylus, called the S Pen, that Samsung has updated from its original appearance with the Galaxy Note. It now has 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity and is slightly thicker. Both are 11.6-in. Tablets, and each has a detachable keyboard dock that allows it to be used as either a clamshell laptop PC or a tablet PC. The Smart PC has a battery life of 13.5 hours, while the Smart PC Pro runs up to eight hours. The Galaxy Note II, which ships in October globally, has a 5.5-in. display, larger than the original 5.3-in. display, and will come with redesigned S Pen. Its larger screen stays in the same sized body, however, although the increase in screen size bumps it up slightly to a 16:9 aspect ratio.