Microsoft unveils Samsung Windows 8 tablet for developers

Samsung Developer PC
The Samsung Windows 8 tablet, unveiled at Build

Microsoft has unveiled the first-ever Windows 8 tablet, built by Samsung, which it is giving away to developers attending this week's Build conference.

The Samsung Windows Developer Preview PC, which is essentially the Samsung Series 7 tablet, will come loaded with the developer build of the new Windows 8 operating system.

The impressively specced-out device features an 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 Super PLS display, a dual-core 1.6GHz Intel i5 processor, a 64GB SSD and 4GB RAM.

The device also comes with USB, Micro USB and HMDI ports, as well as a dock to allow you to plug in a mouse and keyboard.

5,000 free units

The device, of which Microsoft has built 5,000 units, will allow developers to test the new operating system and begin the process of building apps for the new platform, set to launch in 2012.

Microsoft is also including free mobile data for developers for an entire year.

The device, in its current guise is unlikely to ever make it to market, but the relationship with Samsung is likely to be a key one when Microsoft begins building Windows 8 tablets for consumers.

It was also interesting to hear Microsoft continue to refer to all of its Windows 8 products as "PCs" rather than tablets or slates.

Unveiled

The Windows 8 operating system was fully unveiled today at the Build expo in Anaheim, California.

TechRadar has a full Windows 8 hands-on review posted, so be sure to take a look for our early impressions, of this impressive-looking re-imagining.

Chris Smith

A technology journalist, writer and videographer of many magazines and websites including T3, Gadget Magazine and TechRadar.com. He specializes in applications for smartphones, tablets and handheld devices, with bylines also at The Guardian, WIRED, Trusted Reviews and Wareable. Chris is also the podcast host for The Liverpool Way. As well as tech and football, Chris is a pop-punk fan and enjoys the art of wrasslin'.