One of the things that grabbed our attention when we attended the Consumer Electronics Show earlier in the year was the existence of touchscreen computers from LG, a category that the company has never really shown interest in releasing locally, until now that is.
Coming to Australia in July, LG is releasing two types of computers as it enters the notebook space locally.
“LG is currently a market leader across several product categories, and we are looking to use that reputation for quality and innovation to position ourselves as strong players in the highly competitive PC market,” said LG’s Lambro Skropidis.
The first computers that LG will launch here will sit across both the tablet and Ultrabook sections of the market, as the company unveils a “tab-book” alongside an Ultrabook.
LG’s Ultrabook will come with some familiar internals, running with a 13.3 inch Full HD screen, third-generation (“Ivy Bridge”) Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD, and Windows 8 64-bit.
We’re hearing that the LG Ultrabook (Z360) won’t come with a touchscreen, but will try to make up for this with Windows 8 dedicated buttons that offer easy access to shortcuts normally handled by the gestures on either the touchscreen or trackpad mice.
If you’re into touch, that’s where LG’s Tab-book models will come in.
With a hybrid design similar to that of Sony’s Duo 11, the LG Tab-book will act as both a touchscreen tablet and a laptop computer, pairing either an Intel Atom processor (Z2760) or an Intel Core i5 1.8GHz processor with an 11.6 inch HD touchscreen.
The familiar form-factor means that the normally flat touchscreen can quickly transform into a laptop with the click of a button, the screen bouncing up and sitting at a 40 degree angle.
Outside of the processor selection, the specifications are pretty similar to the LG Ultrabook being launched, with the Core i5 model sporting 4GB RAM, 120GB SSD, Windows 8 64-bit, and similar wireless connectivity, while the Atom model drops to 2GB RAM, 64GB SSD, and Windows 8 32-bit.
A quick play with the LG Tab-book reveals a reasonably light weight with a plastic chassis, and while that would normally make us wonder about build quality, we’re told the interior of the computer as well as the hinge mechanism is not only made from magnesium, but has been tested 20,000 times.
Pricing has been set for the new models, with the Atom Tab-book (H16) running for $999, the Core i5 Tab-book (Z160) for $1499, and the Ultrabook (Z360) for $1399 in July, with the products landing – at least for the moment – at Harvey Norman stores across the country.
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