Microsoft And Toshiba Team Up To Launch 7-inch Encore Tablet

Zacks Equity Research reports that Microsoft Corporation. recently unveiled Toshiba’s pocket-friendly Encore tablet with a 7-inch display and running on Windows 8.1 at Computex 2014. The device is built by Toshiba, in association with Microsoft, Intel (INTC) Goodix, and AMI, and is the smallest size Windows tablet released date.
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Toshiba currently markets 8.1-inch Encore 8 tablets that start at $299.00.

The Encore 7 device is expected to be released for sale in the coming months, initially in the U.S. followed by worldwide release. Price details have yet to be announced, but Zacks speculate that the new 7-inch Encore to tablet could reasonably be assumed to be aimed at the same market tier as Google’s Nexus Android-powered Nexus 7 that starts at $200. They project that since Toshiba’s 8-inch Encore 2 is expected to be pegged at $200, a smaller Encore 7 tablet would probably be priced below $200 — a competitive edge facilitated by Microsoft’s April announcement that it would offer Windows to manufacturers free of licensing fee for devices with display sizes smaller than 9 inches. Zaxks further observe that working with partners instead of against them will help Microsoft create more opportunities for sales success, and with a gaggle of 7-inch Android tablets already on the market — some priced lower than $100, teaming up with Toshiba on the Encore 7 will allow Microsoft to offer a wider portfolio of smaller and low-end tablets running its software.

Zacks say the new tablet will come with a 7-inch display at a resolution of 1024×600, and be powered by quad-core 1.3GHz Intel Atom Z3735 processor coupled with a 1GB RAM. It will have 16GB of onboard storage, which can be expanded using a microSD card. and also features a front-facing camera with an unspecified resolution and a 3.5mm headphone jack.