LG has an arsenal of new smartphone launches slated for this year’s Mobile World Congress, but that’s not the only new gadget to create some buzz. The Korea-based manufacturer just launched the Tab-Book Ultra in its homeland, offering another Windows 8 hybrid to compete with the likes of PC makers such as Lenovo, Acer and Samsung.
The 11.6-inch device runs the full version of Microsoft’s latest operating system and comes with an Intel Core i5 processor. Most notably, it features an LTE radio in addition to offering standard Wi-Fi connectivity. The Tab-Book Ultra also boasts a 5-point multi-touch screen display with In-Plane Switching (IPS) technology, which is used to boost color expression and widen the viewing angles on liquid crystal displays.
Hybrid Windows 8 tablets come in a few different flavors, but LG’s most recent offering comes packed with a keyboard that slides out from beneath the display. This hidden keyboard can be easily triggered by pressing the Auto-Sliding button, allowing it to seamlessly slide from beneath the tablet. The company hasn’t mentioned any word on when the Tab-Book Ultra could debut in other areas of the world, but promises we’ll hear more soon.
We had the chance to play with LG’s Tab-Book H160 last month at CES 2013, finding that its sliding mechanism is way simpler than those competing products from Sony and Toshiba. The biggest downside is that LG didn’t include a built-in touchpad or other pointing device, perhaps expecting you to use the touch screen instead.
