LAS VEGAS -- There are already dozens of different kinds of Windows 8 tablets -- from hybrids to super-slim models to the Microsoft Surface -- but here's a new one: Vizio's new Windows 8 tablet, which is powered by an AMD processor.
So far, pretty much every Windows tablet has packed either an Intel or ARM-based chip, but Vizio is one of the first to have its guts running tech from AMD, which markets processors that are based on the same architecture as Intel's, but typically cost less. The chip is the Z60, and it's a dual-core 1GHz design.
The Vizio tablet (product no. MT11X-A1) has an 11.6-inch screen with full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,080). It comes with 2GB of RAM, and packs a 64GB solid-state drive for storage, so it's clearly aimed at the "entry-level" market. There are micro-HDMI and micro-USB ports, as well as a 2-megapixel front-facing HD camera.
Perhaps the best quality of Vizio's new tablet is that it has no "junkware," as the company describes. Its operating system is Microsoft's Signature version, with very little third-party software, such as antivirus packages (the tablet is protected by Windows Defender).
The tablet is just 0.4 inches thick, and weighs 1.66 pounds.