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Encore Mini: Toshiba’s baby Windows 8.1 tablet launches at IFA 2014

Toshiba has launched its 7-inch Encore Mini tablet at IFA and like its size, it offers little. 

The Windows 8.1-equipped device has supposedly been designed for one-handed operation, with a 1024×600 pixel display that wouldn’t go amiss on an entry-level tablet. 

Toshiba says the tablet is optimised for portrait use – meaning it’s probably a little rubbish when it comes to watching video or viewing pictures in wide screen. 

Encore Mini: Toshiba's baby Windows 8.1 tablet launches at IFA 2014
Tiny Windows: We’re not sure that the Encore Mini will have you coming back for more

The chassis is pretty inoffensive with a black bezel (pretty large when you compare it to other 7-inch tablets) and a microUSB port and microSD slot offering a storage boost of 128GB, although it comes with 1TB of OneDrive storage too.

On the front, there’s a 0.3-megapixel camera, while the rear offers a jump up to 2-megapixels, but that’s hardly breaking any records.

Inside, the lower-end specs remain, with only 1GB RAM on its Intel Atom Z3745 System-on-Chip (SoC) processor and although Toshiba promises it’ll bring great performance, we’ll reserve judgement on this until we see it in action.

Toshiba claims the Encore Mini will offer up to 72 hours of standby battery life and around seven hours of use – pretty average for a 7-inch tablet these days.

However, if it’s software you’re after, the Encore Mini comes preinstalled with Bing and a one-year’s subscription to Microsoft Office 365 Personal, so you can get productivity started right from the box.

No UK price information has been released, but initial rumours suggest its retail price is $120 (£70), but it will be discounted as soon as it goes on sale to $99 (£60), which seems a pretty reasonable outlay for a tablet running Windows 8.1 and a year’s subscription to Office 365 – something that normally costs £59.99 on it’s own.

The Encore Mini will be heading to the UK before Christmas. Will it be on your list to Santa?

Toshiba Encore Mini specifications

  • Dimensions: 119.8 x 199 x 10.9mm
  • Weight: 350 g
  • Display: 17.8 cm (7”) 1024 x 600 display
  • Processors: Intel® AtomTM Z3745 processor
  • Graphics: Intel® HD graphics
  • Memory: 1 GB DDR3L 1333MHz
  • Connectivity: 1 x Micro-USB, 1 x microSD card slot with up to 128 GB SDHC/SDXC support, WLAN 802.11 bgn, Bluetooth 4.0, wireless display, 1x 3.5 mm headphone/mic combo jack
  • Webcam: 0.3MP front facing camera, 2MP rear facing camera
  • Audio: Box speaker
  • Operating System: Windows 8.1 with Bing
  • Preinstalled: Microsoft Office 365 Personal, Toshiba Display Utility, Toshiba TruCapture
  • Battery life: Up to 72 hours

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