TI Shows Off First Windows 8 Tablet Running On OMAP Processor

LAS VEGAS — It looks like Intel is getting some serious competition in the Windows space. Today at CES, Texas Instruments showed off a prototype tablet running Windows 8 on its OMAP 4470. The ARM-based processor promises a low power, always-on experience on Windows that is similar to what you find on Android tablets that use very little power when asleep and wake up instantly at a button press.

Though we didn’t get to see the device performing any serious tasks, TI says its 1.8-GHz CPU is up to whatever you throw at it. In addition to its two primary cores, the chip has two low-power cores that the system can use for playing audio and video. So if you’re just watching video, the main cores can go into a low power state and save you lots of battery life.

TI couldn’t give us a battery life estimate because the tablet they showed us was a prototype and final production tablets will be made by other manufacturers with their own batteries, screens and the final version of Windows 8. Because Windows 8 supports ARM-based processors, we could also see thin and light notebooks powered by TI OMAP.

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