List of new Windows 8 tablets 2013

This is a list of upcoming new tablet devices with Windows 8. Most will have new Haswell CPU’s with promised 50% better battery life and boost in graphics performance.

This is not a complete list but tries to list most of the major consumer devices.

UPDATE 6/11/2013: Added Panasonic AX3
UPDATE 6/6/2013: Added Dell XPS 12 Haswell update
UPDATE 6/5/2013: Added Sony VAIO Duo 13
UPDATE 6/3/2013: Created new blog for 2013 new Windows 8 tablets

Note entries marked with RT are running Windows RT which will only run new metro style apps but not existing Windows 7 apps.

Device	Specs	Price	Comments
Dell XPS 11	11.6″ 2560×1440 IPS ? nits Intel Haswell Core i5 ? GB,? HDD /? SSD USB3.0,SD,Stylus Webcam Battery: ? hrs ?x?x15 mm 1100 g est.	$? Q4 2013	Flips 360 like the Lenovo Yoga. One difference is that the keyboard is flat with no travel so in tablet mode you wouldn’t feel pressing the keys. Trade-off might be tactile feel although there’s some haptic feedback.
Dell XPS 12 Duo Haswell refresh	12.5″ 1920×1080 400 nits (355 NB test) Core i5/i7,128/256 GB SSD Intel HD ? GPU 4-8 GB memory 2xUSB3.0,mini-Display port,NFC 1.3MP Webcam Battery: up to 9.5 hrs (+50%) 317x215x15-20 mm 1520 g	From $1199 June 9th, 2013	Refresh of existing XPS 12 Duo: NFC added, Haswell CPU and slightly larger battery (about 50% longer battery life).
Panasonic AX3	13.3″ 1920×1080 ? nits Intel Haswell Core i5,? GPU 4 GB,128 GB SSD ? ? mp Webcam Battery: up to 13 hrs ?x?x? mm 1140 g	$? ?, 2013	Folds 360 degrees like Yoga
Sony VAIO Duo 13	13.3″ 1920×1080 ? nits Intel Haswell Core i5,HD 4400 4-8 GB,128-512 GB SSD 2xUSB3,HDMI,SD/MS reader,NFC Opt. LTE/3G/4G, opt. GPS, Stylus 8 mp Webcam Battery: up to 10 hrs Engadget battery test: 9:40 hrs 330x210x20 mm 1329 g	$1399 June 9th, 2013	Compared to VAIO 11 Duo 50% larger battery and with Haswell you should get much longer battery life.

List of new Windows 8 tablets 2012

This is a list of upcoming new mobile tablet devices with Windows 8. This is not a complete list but tries to list most of the major consumer devices.

UPDATE 6/3/2013: LIST CLOSED. New 2013 list: 2013 Windows 8 tablets
UPDATE 5/23/2013: Added Acer Aspire R7
UPDATE 5/3/2013: Added Acer Iconia W3
UPDATE 4/11/2013: Added Toshiba Portege Z10t
UPDATE 2/10/2013: Updated Transformer specs, added review & brightness levels for Surface Pro & Thinkpad 2
UPDATE 2/9/2013: Added review links for VivoTab Smart & Toshiba U920t & XPS 10
UPDATE 2/5/2013: Updated Asus VivoTab TF810 tested brightness
UPDATE 2/4/2013: Updated Lenovo Helix availability
UPDATE 2/1/2013: Updated Fujitsu Arrows specs and availability, added Toshiba tested nits and battery life
UPDATE 1/30/2013: Added Yoga 11 Notebookcheck test results for screen and battery life
UPDATE 1/24/2013: Updated Kupa X15 specs and availability
UPDATE 1/24/2013: Updated Lenovo Helix specs, updated MSI S20 availability
UPDATE 1/22/2013: Added Surface Pro availability date
UPDATE 1/11/2013: Removed Samsung Ativ Tab RT (cancelled)

Note entries marked with RT are running Windows RT which will only run new metro style apps but not existing Windows 7 apps.

Device	Specs	Price	Comments
Acer Aspire R7 15.6″	15.6” 1920×1080 ? nits Core i5-3337U, HD4000 6-12GB,500GB HDD/24GB SSD 2xUSB2,1xUSB3,HDMI Webcam Battery: < 4 hrs 254x376x28 mm 2400 g	$999 May, 2013	Unique sliding design to convert into tablet (almost flat) Review Cnet
Acer Iconia W3 8″	8” 1280×800 ? nits Atom Clover trail 1.5 GHz 2GB,32 GB micro-USB,microHDMI 2 MP Webcam Battery: < 8 hrs 135x219x11 mm 499 g	$379 Q2, 2013?
Acer Iconia W510	10.1” 1366×768 IPS NB test: 278 nits (350) Atom Clover trail 1.5 GHz 2GB,32/64GB eMMC micro-USB,microHDMI,micro-SD E-Compass,G-Sensor,Gyrometer 2/8 MP Webcam Battery: 9 hrs (18 hrs dock) NB Web test: 13:35 hrs (dock) 168x259x9 mm 600 g (+620 g keyboard dock)	$499 (without dock,32GB) $749 (with dock,64GB) Nov. 9th	Comes with sleeve and HDMI to VGA adapter. Stereo speakers are built-in on both sides. Keyboard dock can be bought seperate for $150 which doubles battery life and has extra USB port.
Acer Iconia Tab W700	11.6″ 1920×1080 IPS ? nits Core i3 / i5 1.7 GHz, HD4000 4GB memory, 64/128GB SSD 1xUSB 3.0,micro-HDMI,volume Thunderbolt port 5/1.3 MP Webcams Battery: up to 8 hrs Engadget test: 7.13 hrs 191x295x12 mm 950 g	$799 $999:i5+128GB Oct. 26th, 2012	Great battery life for core CPU device. Slate with a cradle (without keyboard). Features thunderbolt port and fast Ivy Bridge CPU. Video: Acer Iconia W700 Hands On
Asus Taichi 21	2x 11.6″ 1920×1080 IPS NB Test: 223+216 nits Core i5/i7, HD4000 4GB memory / 128/256GB SSD 2xUSB3.0,Micro-HDMI,SDX/MMC reader,BT4.0 1080p Webcam Battery: up to 5 hrs 307x199x17 mm 1225 g	From $1299 Dec, 2012	Dual screen (lid has screen on both sides). Second 13.3″ model would also follow: Taichi 31 Review Notebookcheck
Asus VivoTab RT (TF600T)	10.1” 1366×768 IPS+ RT 600 nits (554 AnandTech test) NVIDIA Tegra 3 Quad-core 2GB memory / 32/64GB eMMC 2xUSB,4G LTE,? 2+8mp Webcam E-Compass,NFC,gyroscope,MicroSD Battery: 9/16 hrs. (-/+ dock) NB web test: 10:18 hrs (no dock) 263x171x8.3 mm 525 /1036 g (without/with dock)	$599 Oct.26th, 2012	It seems dock is now included with base model (not sure if 2nd battery is incl.). You want to double-check when you order. Price is bit high for RT device which won’t run Windows 7 apps but it’s lightest, thinnest tablet with brightest screen (should be readable outdoors). Also features stereo speakers, E-Compass and several other sensors. AT&T device comes with 4G LTE. Magnetic keyboard dock. AnandTech review
Asus VivoTab Smart	10.1” 1366×768 IPS NB Test: 360 nits (350) Atom Z2760 2GB memory, 64GB eMMC micro-USB,micro HDMI,micro SD E-Compass,Gyroscope,NFC 2+8mp Webcam Battery: NB Web test: 7:52 hrs 263x171x9.7 mm 580 g	$499 Jan, 2013	Optional magnetic connected keyboard available similar to Surface Notebookcheck review
Asus VivoTab TF810	11.6″ 1366×768 IPS+ NB Test: 377 nits Atom Z2760 1.8 GHz 2GB memory / 64GB eMMC 2xUSB,MicroSD 2+8 MP Webcams Battery: 10 / 19 hrs (with dock) 294x189x9 mm 675 g (without keyboard)	$799	Wacom digitizer. Magnetic keyboard dock. Note called 810 before. Notebookcheck review (German)
Asus Transformer Book TX300CA	13.3″ 1920×1080 350 nits Core i5/i7 Ivy Bridge, HD4000 4GB memory, 128GB SSD Dock: +500GB HDD Micro-HDMI,Micro-SD Dock:miniDisplayPort,2xUSB3.0,SD 1+5mp Webcams Battery: ? hrs 340x219x7.5-23 mm 1900 g (with dock?)	$ 1399 est. Feb?, 2013	Slate with Magnetic keyboard dock (similar to Android Transformer). Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxzthX43qvY
Dell Latitude 10	10.1″ 1366×768 IPS Laptopmag: 473 nits Atom Z2760, Intel GMA 2GB memory, 32/64GB SSD USB 2.0,mini-HDMI,SDXC 2+8 MP Webcams Laptopmag web test: 7:16 hrs opt. 4 cell: 17:40 hrs 274x177x11 mm (16mm 4-cell) 658/820 g (4-cell)	From $499 Oct. 26	Optional Wacom stylus and extended 4 cell battery. Note this device features a removeable battery except for the entry models. Laptop mag review
Dell XPS 10 (RT)	10.1″ 1366×768 RT NB Test: 352 nits 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 2 GB memory,32/64 GB eMMC MicroUSB,microSD,dock (HDMI) Compass,Opt.LTE model/micro-SIM 2/5mp Webcams Battery: NB Web test: 9:05 hrs 275x177x9 mm 635-645 g 1310 g with dock	$499 $679 (with dock) Oct. 26	Optional detachable dock / keyboard. Battery life looks great. Notebookcheck review (German)
Dell XPS 12 Ultrabook (Duo)	12.5″ 1920×1080 400 nits (355 NB test) Core i5/i7,128/256 GB SSD Intel HD 4000 GPU 4-8 GB memory 2xUSB3.0,mini-Display port, 1.3MP Webcam Battery: NB web test: 5:34 hrs 317x215x15-20 mm 1520 g	$1199-$1699 Oct. 26	HDMI is supported through optional adapter for displayport. First Test: Notebookcheck test (German) Order page: Dell XPS 12 ultrabook
Fujitsu Arrows Tab (QH55/J)	10.1″ 1920×1080 IPS ? nits NVIDIA Tegra 3 Quad-core ? GB memory Micro-USB,microSD ?/? MP Webcams Battery: ? hrs ? x ? x 10 mm 574 g	$ ? March ’13 (Japan only?)	Waterproof and dust resistant tablet. Will be available in Japan in late February/early March. No update yet on US/Europe availability.
Fujitsu Stylistic Q702	11.6″ 1366×768 IPS 400 nits Core i3/i5, HD4000 4 GB memory,64/128 GB USB3,USB2,SD,HDMI 5 MP Webcam Battery: 4.2/9.5 hrs 302x195x13 mm 850/1075 g (without/with dock)	$1099 Oct.’12	Business hybrid that will ship first with Windows 7. Features: Gorilla glass, WWAN / LTE (optional), TPM. Optional docking
Gigabyte S1082	10.1″ 1366×768 ? nits Intel Celeron 847, Intel HD 2/4/8 GB,32-500GB SD/HDD 2xUSB2.0,HDMI,SD,SIM 1.3MP Webcam Battery: ?/12 hrs (ext.batt) 270x173x15 mm 790 g (850 g HDD)	from $669 Nov,’12	Optional docking speaker station and keyboard kit. Unique is navigation and mouse buttons on slate. Optional additional extended battery is also available (100g, slightly extends).
Gigabyte S1185	11.6″ 1920×1080 IPS ? nits Intel Core i3/i5, ? up to 8 GB, up to 256 GB USB 3.0,VGA/HDMI,micro-SD opt. 3.5G modem 1.3/5 MP Webcams Battery: 7-8 hrs est. ?x?x? mm 900 g	$999 est. est. March, 2013	Features optional magnetically attached keyboard dock and built-in kickstand. Has optical mouse on right side.
Gigabyte U2142	11.6″ 1366×768 ? nits Core i3/i5, HD4000 4/8 GB memory 64/128/256GB SSD / +0.5-1TB HDD USB3,HDMI,3.5G,RJ45,card reader 1.3 MP Webcam Battery: ? hrs 339×188-200×20 mm 1390-1490 g (+hybrid HDD)	$999? Dec. ’12	Convertible tablet PC
HP Envy x2	11.6″ 1366×768 IPS 400 nits (NB test: 312) Atom Clover trail 1.8 GHz 2 GB memory,64GB eMMC microSD (tablet) 2xUSB2.0,HDMI,SD (dock) NFC,BT, Stylus optional 1+8 MP Webcam Battery: 7/14 hrs NB Web test: 11:55 hrs (dock) 295x206x17-19 mm 680/1406 g	$ 849 Nov.11th,’12	1406 gram weight with keyboard. Optional stylus available Notebookcheck review
Kupa X15 (UltraNote)	10.1″ 1920×1200 IPS 400 nits Core i5/i7 2xUSB3.0,mini-HDMI,SIM Dock:SD,battery,VGA,2xUSB3 8 GB memory, 64/128 GB SSD 1.3+5 MP Webcam Battery: 7/13 hrs (+dock) 261 x 185 x 7-14 mm 780 g	From $1099 March 2013	Keyboard dock style. Features modular design on sides (opt. credit card reader, scanner, mobile handset ext.), removable battery, 3G/4G LTE, and Wacom-like digitizer. Will be offered at Best Buy.
Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx	11.6″ 1366×768 IPS 400 nits Atom Z2760 1.8 GHz (Clover trail) 2GB, 32/64 GB eMMC MicroUSB2,microHDMI,microSD 2MP Webcam Battery: 8 hrs (16 with dock) 301x188x10 mm (19-25mm with dock) 640/1300 g (without / with dock)	$599 Dock: +$149 Dec. 2012	Dock is optional and doubles battery life and offers 2 additional USB ports.
Lenovo Thinkpad Edge Twist	12.5″ 1366×768 IPS 350 nits (NB test: 253) Core i3/i5/i7, HD4000 up to 8 GB 128GB SSD or 320/500GB HDD 2xUSB3.0,mini-HDMI,mini-DisplayPort mem.card,Ethernet,TPM,3G option 720p Webcam Battery: <7 hrs (NB test: 3:16 hrs) 313x236x20 mm 1578 g	$849 Oct. 26th	Business Convertible tablet PC
Lenovo Thinkpad Helix	11.6″ 1920×1080 IPS 400 nits Core i5/i7, HD4000 up to 8 GB, 128-256 GB SSD USB 2.0,SIM,MiniDisplay,port 2xUSB 3.0 (dock) Digitizer pen Optional LTE, NFC 2+5 MP Webcams Battery: up to 6/10 hrs (+dock) 296x187x11.6-20.4 mm 835/1700 g (+dock)	$1499 Late March, 2013	Folds backwards 360 degrees but in addition you can detach the screen and second you can flip the screen when attaching.
Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet 2	10.1″ 1366×768 IPS Laptopmag test: 389 nits Atom Z2760 1.8 GHz (Clover trail) 2 GB, 64GB eMMC USB,mini-HDMI,microSD Dock:3xUSB2.0,HDMI,Ethernet GPS,Compass,NFC Opt.digitizer Pen, 3G/4G 2+8 MP Webcams Laptopmag web test: 9:42 hrs 263x165x10 mm 565 g	$649 $799 (dock included) Dec.’12	Stereo speakers and optional active 1024 levels digitizer & pen (slot in tablet for pen). Optional: 3G/4G, dock/stand (without keyboard), dock with ethernet, HDMI and extra USB ports. Note 5 finger multi-touch display. Laptop mag review
Lenovo Yoga 11 (RT)	11.6” 1366×768 IPS RT 350 nits NB Test: 306 nits Nvidia Tegra 3 2 GB, 32/64 GB eMMC 2xUSB2,2-in-1 card reader 720p Webcam Battery: up to 13 hrs NB Web test: 11:30 hrs 298x204x16 mm 1270 g	from $679 (RT) Nov 27th, 2012	Convertible ultrabook tablet: you can bend the screen 360 degrees backwards so you convert it from notebook into slate. Notebookcheck review (German)
Lenovo Yoga 11S	11.6” 1600×900 IPS ? nits up to Core i5 up to 8 GB, 128 GB SSD USB2+3,HDMI,SD ? Webcam(s) Battery: up to 6 hrs ?x?x17 mm 1397 g	from $799 June, 2013	Convertible ultrabook tablet: you can bend the screen 360 degrees backwards so you convert it from notebook into slate.
Lenovo Yoga 13	13.3″ 1600×900 IPS 286 nits (NB test) Core i3/i5/i7, HD 4000 4/8 GB, 128GB SSD 1xUSB2,1xUSB3,HDMI,SD/MMC 1 MP Webcam Battery: 8 hrs (NB test: 4:29 hrs) 333x225x17 mm 1542 g	from $999 Oct. 26th, 2012	Convertible ultrabook tablet: you can bend the screen 360 degrees backwards so you convert it from notebook into slate. You can choose from 2 (accent) colors: orange or gray. Order site MobileTechReview video Notebookcheck test
LG H160 Slider	11.6″ ? IPS ? nits ? ?GB, ?GB USB,HDMI,microSD ? Webcam Battery: 10 hrs ?x?x16 mm 1043 g	? Oct.26th 2012 (Korea)	Slider type with stylus. Potentialy won’t be available in US.
Microsoft Surface RT	10.6″ 1366×768 ClearType RT 433 nits (AnandTech) NVIDIA ARM cpu 2 GB memory, 32/64GB USB,mini-HDMI, microSD 2×2 Mimo antennae 720p+720p Webcams Battery: NB web test: 8:36 hrs 275x172x9 mm 676 g	$499 $599 (+cover) $699 (+64GB) Oct.26	Thin at less than 1 cm with Gorilla Glass 2 screen. Optional magnetically attached 3mm thin cover that is also a keyboard with touchpad (5 colors available). 2nd option is type cover which has better keyboard with little bit of key travel. RT edition comes with free Office ’12 Order Microsoft store AnandTech review
Microsoft Surface Pro	10.6″ 1920×1080 AnandTech test: 371 nits Intel Core i5, HD4000 4 GB memory, 64/128 GB USB 3.0,Mini-DisplayPort,microSDXC Digitizer Pen input (pen incl.) 2x720p Webcams Battery: 3-6 hrs AnandTech web test: 6 hrs 275x173x14 mm 903 g	From $899 (64GB) Feb 9th, 2013	Available Feb 9th. at Best Buy, Staples and Microsoft stores. Full Windows 8 version with larger battery than RT version and with digitzer wacom pen support and full HD display. AnandTech review
MSI Slider S20	11.6″ 1920×1080 IPS ? nits Intel Core i5, HD4000 4-8 GB memory, 128GB SSD 2xUSB 3.0,mini-HDMI,SD 720p Webcams Battery: 7 hrs 303x196x20 mm 1160 g (SSD)	$1199 2013 end of Jan.
Razor Edge (+Pro)	10.1″ 1366×768 ? nits Intel i5/i7,NVIDIA GT640M LE 4-8 GB memory,64-256GB SSD USB 3.0,docking port Opt. console dock (3xUSB+HDMI) 2MP Webcam Battery: up to 8 hrs 2-4 hrs gaming (2x with ext.batt.). ?x?x? mm 907 g	$999 Gamepad dock:$250 2013 Q1	Targeted for video gaming. Unique is dedicated graphics card. Optional 3 docks available: gamepad controller with force feedback ($250), keyboard ($200) and docking station ($100). Optionally extra battery for gamepad controller for $69 which doubles battery life.
Samsung Ativ Smart PC 500T (XE500T)	11.6″ 1366×768 PLS 400 nits (NB test: 348) Atom Clover Trail 1.5GHz CPU SGX545 GPU 2 GB,64 GB SSD microSD,micro-USB,micro-Sim Digitizer Pen input / Wacom Stylus 2+8 MP Webcams Battery: NB web test: 7.14 hrs 304x189x10/20 mm 750/1480 g	$650 (without keyboard) $750 (with keyboard) $800 (AT&T LTE, Nov 9th.) Oct.26	Slate with magnetic dockable keyboard. Supports pen input. Micro-Sim card version for AT&T LTE network access. Order site http://www.notebookcheck.com/Test-Samsung-ATIV-Smart-PC-XE500T1C-Convertible.85012.0.html
Samsung Ativ Smart PC Pro 700T (XE700T) PLS	11.6″ 1920×1080 400 nits Core i3/i5 CPU, HD4000 4GB,128GB SSD USB3.0,micro HDMI,Micro SD Digitizer Pen input / Wacom Stylus 2+5MP Webcams Battery: <8 hrs 304x189x12/22 mm 884/1600 g	$1199 Oct.26	Height is 22mm with keyboard/clamshell. Includes keyboard. Slate with magnetic dockable keyboard. Supports pen input.
Samsung Series 5 Ultra Touch	13″ 1366×768 ? nits Core i3/i5 CPU ? GB,500 GB HDD USB,HDMI,? ? Webcams Battery: 9 / 4-5 hrs ?x?x? mm 1724 g	$810 (i3) $860 (i5) Oct.26	Like Lenovo Yoga bends backwards 360 degrees into slate.
Sony VAIO Duo 11 Slider	11.6″ 1920×1080 NB Test: 382 nits Core i7-3517U/HD4000 CPU 4/8 GB,128/256 GB USB3.0+USB2,VGA/HDMI,SD/MS Digitizer Pen input GPS,1080p Webcams Battery: NB Web test: 3:47 hrs 323x226x18 mm 1200 g	From $1099 Oct 26th.	Slides halfway with a hinge (see video). Comes with digitizer pen. Powerful system but bit heavy and pricey Notebookcheck review Laptopmag Sony VAIO Duo 11 review
Sony VAIO Tap 20	20″ 1600×900 ? nits Core i3/i5/i7 CPU 4 GB,SSD/HDD USB,HDMI,? 1.3 MP Webcam Battery: ? hrs ?x?x? mm 5200 g	From $879 Oct.26th	Table top tablet with 20″ screen. More like AIO but can operate battery powered. Laptopmag Sony VAIO Tap 20 review
Toshiba Portege Z10T	10″ ? ? nits Ivy Bridge, ? 2 GB,? SSD USB3.0,USB,microHDMI,SD reader,VGA ? MP Webcam(s) Battery: ? hrs ?x?x? mm ? g	$? 2013 Q2	Detachable (backlit) keyboard model. Not using the new upcoming Haswell CPU yet.
Toshiba U925t (U920t) Ultrabook	12.5″ 1366×768 300 nits NB Test: 126/263 nits (batt./power) Core i5-3317U, HD4000 up to 8 GB,128/256GB SSD 2xUSB3.0,HDMI,SD reader 1/3 MP Webcams Battery: NB Web test 3:10 hrs 327x213x20 mm 1451 g	$1150 Oct.26	Slider type model with Gorilla glass display. Notebookcheck review
Vizio Tablet	11.6″ 1920×1080 ? nits AMD Z-60, Radeon HD 2 GB,64GB SSD micro-USB,micro-HDMI 2 MP Webcam Battery: ? hrs ?x?x10 mm 753 g	? 2013 Spring

Installing dual boot Windows 8 on Lenovo S10-3t

UPDATE:I installed RTM release and works still fine on S10-3t (other than slightly skewed resolution). It’s still same install process as far as I can tell and you still need to increase resolution to make Metro apps work

See list of Windows 8 devices 2012 here: List of new Windows 8 tablets 2012

I installed Windows 8 Consumer Preview on Lenovo S10-3t and here is list of issues you might encounter and tips how you can improve setting this up. Big benefit of Windows 8 is that you will be able to get smooth zooming and navigation with IE10 and similar performance improvements you get for pdf with the optional reader download.

See here Win 8 video on S10-3t showing IE10, reader and few other apps:

Installation new dual boot OS

First word of caution that OneKey Recovery program doesn’t work anymore when I installed Windows 8! So backing up with this program may not help to restore back to Windows 7. Therefore I decided to reinstall Windows 7 completely from scratch and remove one of the partitions so I can split the main drive in 2 and use new 2nd partition for Windows 8.

Here are steps how to do this and create new clean Win7 install and leave 1 partition for windows 8. Again warning: you will lose all data and OneKey backup won’t work anymore so backup your data on external drive.

1. Preparation

• Create bootable USB drive (at least 4GB size) and copy all files from the Windows 7 Setup DVD to this drive. See how to do this here: http://www.ehow.com/how_8441030_create-boot-disk-windows-7.html
• Backup any data and programs installations on external drive. Note programs need to be reinstalled. Make sure you write down all program keys (e.g. Windows, Office, …)
• Download all necessary Lenovo S10-3t drivers first since Windows doesn’t have built-in driver for S10-3t wireless. Go to Lenovo support site and download at least following drivers on external drive (or use another computer):
  • Intel Chipset Driver
  • Intel OnBoard Graphics Driver
  • Wireless Lan Driver (Intel, …)
  • Broadcom Ethernet driver
  • Lenovo Energy Management (to get Fn keys working for screen brightness and audio)
  • Lenovo Active Protection System
  • Lenovo Screen rotation
  • Download Microsoft Surface Touch pack to get touch working for Windows 7: http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=17368

2. Create partitions and install new Windows 7

• Insert USB drive and reboot. If the USB doesn’t boot automatically go to bios setup (F2) and adjust boot order or use F12 to choose boot menu and then choose USB device
• When Windows 7 setup starts choose Drive options (advanced):
  • Delete the large windows partition and 1 additional partition. I  deleted the additional ‘Lenovo’ backup drive partition since I couldn’t use that anyway anymore for backup. Obviously you will lose all data so backup data first!
  • For the just deleted windows partition choose ‘Extend’ and then choose the 2nd partition you deleted. This will merge the 2
  • Choose ‘New’ for the merged partition and decide on % size. For instance 50% will leave half for the 2nd partition. Next I would label the volume. For example Win7. Repeat that for the remainder of the partition (choose 100%) for Windows 8
  • Choose the Win7 partition for installation of Windows 7
• When Windows 7 setup restarts make sure you remove USB drive so you won’t end up in an endless loop:-)
• After Windows 7 is installed install all missing drivers you downloaded previously (in that order above). Note initially the device manager will show 3 unrecognized devices and you won’t have internet connection. After installing drivers you should see no errors anymore in device manager (power management, LAN and ethernet are the 3). You can install additional drivers and software optionally like screen rotation
• Restore any data and programs you want to install. I installed also K-lite Codec pack which will install Media player classic which gives you better performance and lower CPU usage for most video formats. For best battery performance in Media player classic use MPEG2 files and choose as render ‘Overlay Mixer *’. This will bring CPU down around 10% (you may get notification that aero is disabled but you can disable this message in notification settings).

3. Install Windows 8

• use Windows 8 DVD (or downloaded preview) and choose to install on the 2nd drive (new install)

Improving Windows 8 on S10-3t

• First problem is that the new Metro apps require at least 1024×768 resolution. One way to workaround that is to use downscaling. Only downside is that aspect ratio is not maintained on S10-3t but otherwise works well. Follow instructions how to enable this here: http://www.jessebandersen.com/2012/02/lenovo-ideapad-s10-3t-increase-dpi-and.html
• For previous issue consider creating a shortcut key to switch resolutions. You can use autohotkey for instance with change resolution script.
• Optionally you can download newer graphics driver driver on Intel site: GMA 3150. Although there’s an aspect ratio setting I didn’t have any luck keeping 16:9 ratio on S10-3t. I believe this setting is for upscaling resolutions only
• Note minimum resolution for split screen or snap app feature is 1366×768 so you won’t be able to display apps side by side on S10-3t. Looking forward when Lenovo Yoga will be available with proper 1600×900 resolution.
• Install the Lenovo power management driver. Then change in power advanced options: set max CPU to high. Second I’d change closing lid to hibernate and power to shutdown
• There’s no start menu and no shutdown options in Desktop mode (it’s in charm menu Settings/Power). That’s fine I think for S10-3t since you can assign shutdown to power button and hibernate for close lid action. But if you want to add shutdown shortkey button anyway in the taskbar follow these instructions: http://www.howtogeek.com/77061/how-to-add-shutdown-restart-sleep-to-the-windows-8-metro-start-screen/
• I would recommend adding some apps from the store. For instance navigation and zooming on the ‘Reader’ is pretty fluid on the S10-3t especially compared to Windows 7 Adobe reader.
• You can swipe from sides to open additional menu’s but on S10-3t the display edges are not flush so you may not find it easy to open the menu’s this way. UPDATE: turns out you start the swipe from the edge and then it works fine. Alternative is to use keyboard: use Windows key+Z to open app menu. Also Windows Key+X will open start menu. Or with the mouse move to corners: right side corners will open charm menu, upper left side opens switch app bar (move down to see all). Also right-click will open app menu as well
• Another shortcut key: Windows + I will open settings menu. Note that this settings menu is in the app context. So if you opened weather app and open this menu you can change weather app settings (e.g. Fahrenheit or Celsius)
• There’s no start menu anymore in desktop but there’s a trick to add it as a toolbar. See http://www.winbeta.org/guides/how-create-start-menu-toolbar-windows-8-consumer-preview

Below example desktop with shutdown shortcut and start menu navigation bar:

Canon Powershot S100 compared to G9

This is a comparison between Canon S100 and Canon G9 (and by no means comprehensive).
UPDATE 11/19/2011: I did a few more tests and updated several sections.

Daylight

Overall quality and resolution is similar but the S100 lens has more corner softness even at same 35mm focal length (especially on the right side). At 24mm there’s also corner softness as expected but relatively speaking good for such wide angle. I found corner softness disappeared mostly at around 96mm but I didn’t do extensive tests for sweet spot.

Second thing I noticed is the amount of sharpness applied to JPGs seems lower than S95/G12 and recent other camera’s but resolution is similar. Shooting RAW with some PP will give better and more similar results (see below).

F2.8 ISO 80 1:1 Comparison with some S100 softness (click to see 1:1):

Low-light / High ISO

At high ISO I found the S100 to be about 1-2 stops better than the G9. In addition the S100 is 1 stop faster at max aperture however this is only achieved at full 24mm wide.

See below 1:1 crop comparison (aperture is same since S100 is little bit zoomed in):

There’s also a handheld night scene setting which I found to be quite impressive: it takes several shots and combines them in 1 image. At 1/10 sec image looks still pretty good and not blurry. Only downside is that min. ISO seems to be 1600 so it’s meant for low-light only.

Here’s 1:1 crop comparison:

RAW

One thing I noticed is bit high contrast and saturation. So I did a comparison for ISO 80 between JPG and RAW with some PP (reduce contrast+sat+incr. unsharp mask). I do think you can get better results with RAW so I’d always shoot JPG+RAW if possible:

Click to see full 1:1 crop:

New Noise Reduction Setting & Custom Color settings

The S100 has a new noise reduction settings for high ISO JPG. It’s really great Canon added this until I found that you can’t change it when shooting RAW+JPG. So still best to just shoot RAW+JPG and then change noise reduction setting of the RAW yourself. The difference is also subtle but I’d always go with low NR (if you’d only shoot JPG).

Second (not new) is ‘Custom Color’ setting where you can adjust contrast, saturation, sharpness  and red,green,blue. This is also unfortunately disabled in RAW+JPG. If I’d shoot only in JPG I probably would shoot with contrast -1 and sharpness+2 (but RAW+JPG will give you lot more options).

ISO 1600 JPG 1:1 comparison normal to low NR setting (click to see 1:1):

Custom color effect comparison for sharpness and contrast (click to see 1:1):

Video

New is 720p at 30fps and 1080p at 24fps (S95/G12 has only 720p 24fps). Video quality is good and looks stable at 24mm. At full zoom rolling shutter issues become visible with movement and best to stay away unless you use a tripod.

Resolution increase is very visible from 720p30 to 1080p24. Downside is that 24p will give you less fluid motion so test first which one you prefer.
I noticed contrast and saturation to be very high causing contrast clipping and you can mitigate that by either using custom colors with contrast + saturation set to -2 or you can use neutral color mode (which has little bit more contrast):
Also video brightness is pretty high and you can change exposure but it will lock the exposure for entire recording.

See here video comparison of several color settings:

Zoom isn’t great: 1. zooming is audible on recording; 2. at max zoom you start to see rolling shutter effect with movement. So I’d stick with zoomed out shots and don’t change zoom too much.

Vimeo video comparison:
Video S100 comparison to HF G10
Canon Powershot S100 1080p sample video

Here is a framegrab comparison between S100 and HF G10 camcorder:

Conclusion

I haven’t been able to do a full comparison but here some pro/cons of the S100:
+ 24mm wide angle has corner softness but relatively speaking decent perf and low artifacts
+ 1080p24 video resolves good resolution and I haven’t see any rolling shutter artifacts (except when zoomed in)
+ Low-light / high ISO performance better than G9
+ More compact than G9
+ Good overal image quality for compact size
+ Handheld night scene works very well and can improve quality by at least 1 stop
+/- No fine JPG. Workaround is RAW but not as convenient and requires extra step (there’s a batch convert though)
+/- JPG lack sharpness (can be mitigated by using RAW and applying PP)
- Video is very bright and there’s no relative exposure adjustment (only locked exposure)
- Corner softness which gradually reduces but still visible at around 85mm
- Some visible shadow noise at ISO80. RAW helps slightly
- Lens aperture drops quickly when zooming in which could cause ISO 800 in daylight images with zoom
- Less zoom than G9 and slower at max zoom
- min. 24mm has more corner softness than G9 35mm and aperture decreases quickly when zooming in
- Several (unnecessary) limitations: Panorama has no 2×2 and no portrait mode anymore (only left/right). Workaround is not to align using screen. But you also can’t change ISO. Also ISO80 only available at > 1 sec shutter time and no NR setting and custom image available for JPG+RAW
- 1080p not available with 30fps for better motion
- Zoom level moves too fast to make small fine adjustments easily

Sony NEX-5N compared to Canon G9

Here’s a quick (not complete) comparison between the Sony NEX-5N and Canon G9.

One downside with compacts last couple of years is that pixels increased on a same sized sensor. This caused noise to increase and low-light performance to suffer (although post-processing improved and compensated for this little bit). New alternatives to compacts are larger sensor compact interchangeable lens camera’s. For instance 4/3 cameras have a bigger sensor and the Sony APS-C an even bigger sensor. Downside is that lenses still have to be larger since the sensor is larger as well. But despite that due to the compact body the overall size is still relatively small.

Low-light performance
The Sony NEX-5N low-light performance is amazing. It easily is 3-4 stops better (lens is about 1-2 stops slower). See below 1:1 crop example:

Daylight performance
Daylight performance is better but the kit lens is not great. Anything under F8 aperture will cause left side of the picture to be very fuzzy (about 20% of left side). So you have to shoot at F8 to get a more even resolution (but there’s still some visible resolution loss at pixel level). Also I noticed that the Sony JPG’s have a processed look with high contrast and saturation. RAW images improves that but still looks more contrasty than I’m used to. But despite that overall quality and resolution is still little bit better.

I also tested the fixed 16mm prime lens and resolution is little bit more even. The camera is quite small with this lens and comparable to G9.

Example center and left side F4:

Left 1:1 crop at F4 (note F8 looks lot better). Click on picture:

Movie mode

Unfortunately my model had the clicking issue: when tilting slowly few degrees I hear a click. So it’s impossible to record without hearing these noises if you’re walking or shooting video from a car. This issue is known by Sony and they offer free ‘repair’ of this issue. The fix would reduce the sound significantly.

The video quality itself is decent and no wobbly CMOS effects that I could see when panning fast.

Conclusion

The Sony NEX-5N definitely is a big improvement in low-light even with slower lens. It’s also better than 4/3 cameras but in daylight the quality is quite similar to the G9 and with larger apertures worse. This can be contributed to the kit zoom lens but there aren’t too many (affordable) zoom lens choices yet currently. There will be new lenses next year and hopefully lens quality will improve.

The new Canon S100 is 1 stop faster than G9 and low-light improved by about 1-2 stops. But low ISO performance is not better and similar to G9. So there’s no perfect compact yet.