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Add this to the list of Tax Day surprises: the Dell XPS 18 all-in-one is available for pre-order online one day ahead of schedule. The giant tablet / semi-portable desktop won't actually ship until the first week in May, but you can add one of three configurations to your cart now. The entry-level model, with a Pentium processor and a 320GB hard drive, will set you back $900, while Core i3 and Core i5 versions are priced at $1,000 and $1,350, respectively. We liked what we saw when we went hands-on with the 4.85-pound PC: its flip-out feet let you transition between slate and desktop mode easily, and the 1080 capacitive touch display is very crisp. Admittedly, there is only a handful of tabletop Windows 8 slates, but the XPS 18 can hold its own against the Sony VAIO Tap 20 and Lenovo's jumbo-sized Horizon Table PC. Click through to Dell's US site for more details.
[Thanks, Tom]
Filed under: Desktops, Tablets, Dell
Source: Dell
Dell is pulling back the curtain on the XPS 18, its new portable all-in-one. This machine is a natural competitor to the Sony VAIO Tap 20, with a built-in battery rated for five hours of runtime, although it weighs a much lighter 4.85 pounds (versus a whopping 11.4). Still, though the XPS 18 can function as a tablet, it's portable in the sense that it can move from office to living room; it's not going to accompany you on daily subway rides.
With an 18.4-inch, 1080p display, the XPS 18 makes for a pretty enormous slate, and we were only comfortable holding it in our hands for a few minutes, though resting it on our lap worked well. The AIO sports flip-out plastic feet on its backing, and these can prop up the device vertically or at an angle. Of course, you can also use the XPS 18 as a tablet by simply laying it flat on a table or desktop, and this is the ideal mode for playing games and the like on the 10-point touchscreen.