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Samsung tablets running Windows 8 Developer Preview given out at Build

Samsung tablets running Windows 8 Developer Preview given out at Build

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It's no surprise after this morning's leak, but Microsoft just officially gave everyone at Build a special Samsung-built slate preloaded with the Windows 8 Developer Preview. The Samsung Windows 8 Developer Preview PC is essentially a Series 7 tablet with some added sensors, and it's running a dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Core i5-2467M -- it seems Microsoft isn't quite ready to hand out ARM-based tablets just yet. As with the Series 7, the tablet features an 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 Super PLS display, USB and HDMI ports, a microSD slot, and support for pen input -- the external dock / charging station offers USB, HDMI, and Ethernet connectivity as well. There's also an AT&T 3G modem, and Microsoft is including a year of 2GB / month service, which is pretty nice. Those added sensors are the usual fare: a gyroscope, compass, GPS, and NFC for that new tap-to-share feature. That's some pretty hefty hardware, and as with other Intel tablets, there's nothing particularly small about this package -- it weighs in at two pounds and 12.9mm thick.

Software-wise, things are pretty limited. Yes, it's running the 64-bit Windows 8 Developer Build on a UEFI BIOS, but none of the standard apps like mail or calendars are present, just Internet Explorer, some demo apps put together by Microsoft interns, and a few widgets like a stock ticker and RSS reader. Of course, that's to be expected, as this system is for software development, not general use. And as it turns out, we've already been playing with one of these for a while -- check out our full preview right here.