In nearly 3 months we will finally be able to get our hands on the RTM of Windows 8 when it hits stores on October 26th, and we’ve been promised that a whole load of new and wonderful machines will be flooding the market alongside it’s release. We are expecting to see a rake of new tablet devices and what I’m most excited for, Hybrid Ultrabooks.

Intel have been working hard to push their Ultrabook machines, but I think now, Microsoft and Intel have a real opportunity to team up and really push Hybrid Ultrabooks to the masses. Intel are very picky about the minimum specifications that it takes for a device to be classified as an Ultrabook.

In a blog post this Friday, Intel have spoken about the new sensors that will be found in Intel Tablets and Ultrabooks.

There are five sensors, including a compass, accelerometer, gyroscope, GPS, and ambient light sensor. These sensors are normally akin to those that you’d find in a smartphone these days. For a device to be classified as a Hybrid Ultrabook, all five of these sensors are required. If the device is just a regular Ultrabook then it’s
recommended that it has three of these five.



Here’s the list of 5 Sensors:

A Compass (optional for Ultrabooks): I’m sure we all know what this does, it comes in very handing for mapping applications and also augmented reality.

GPS (recommended for Ultrabooks): Pretty much essential now a days especially when it comes to navigation. It’s also handy for informing you as to what’s around your current location.

Accelerometer (recommended for Ultrabooks): This sensor detects motion and gravity. It’s used a lot now in gaming but also used in free fall protection for Hard Drives.

Ambient Light Sensor (ALS) (recommended for Ultrabooks): These sensors automatically detect lighting conditions around your machine so it can adjust *brightness based on the surrounding atmosphere.

Gyroscope (optional for Ultrabooks): Similar to the accelerometer, but it works in 3D. It can detect more subtle movements like rotation and rate of rotation. A lot of games use this.

So it looks like all of Intel’s Ultrabooks and Hybrids will have plenty of features in them anyway. It’ll be interesting to see what the various form factors will look like when they hit the market.

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