Fujitsu announces Stylistic Q702 hybrid tablet and LifeBook T902 for Q3

Fujitsu has unveiled two Windows 8-ready portables geared for the business professional. Thesystems will ship with Windows 7 sometime in the third quarter but it’s clear that both were designed with Windows 8 in mind.

The Stylistic Q702 is an 11.6-inch hybrid tablet that supports stylus input and can be paired with an optional keyboard dock much like the Asus Transformer Prime. Inside we find third generation Ivy Bridge processor support (Core i3 or Core i5), 4GB of system memory and up to 128GB of internal flash storage. The display is coated with Corning Gorilla Glass and operates at 1,366 x 768. We are told the tablet weights 1.88-pounds and can run for 4.5 hours on a single charge.

Fujitsu’s LifeBook T902 features a 13-inch Gorilla Glass display that runs at 1,600 x 900, i5 and i7 Ivy Bridge processor options, up to 16GB of RAM and up to 11 hours of battery life (with the add-on battery). Customers can configure the T902 with optional WWAN or LTE radios and there’s even a modular bay that can house an optical drive, an extra hard drive or a spare battery. Additionally, the slot can be left unoccupied to reduce overall weight (4.1-pounds without optical drive).

These business-minded systems include a bevy of professional security features including HDD and BIOS password protection and Trusted Platform Module on the Q702 and Intel Anti-Theft Technology and a biometric fingerprint sensor on the T902, just to name a few.

Pricing starts at $1,099 for the Q702 and $1,899 on the T902. Both systems will be available starting in the third quarter of this year through Fujitsu or one of their many retail partners.

Asus Transformer Prime scores positive reviews, arriving December 19

Reviews are rolling in for the world's first quad-core tablet, the Asus Transformer Prime, and so far the general consensus appears to be that there's a new king of Android tablets. The device cuts no corner when it comes to hardware specifications. Besides packing Nvidia's hot-off-the-presses Tegra 3 SoC, it also sports a 10.1-inch (1280 x 800) Super IPS+ panel covered in Gorilla Glass, 1GB of RAM and comes in either 32GB or 64GB sizes -- all wrapped in a 8.3mm-thick bushed metal casing that's a hair slimmer than the iPad 2 or Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Other specs include an 8-megapixel shooter on the back and a 1.3-megapixel camera on the front, as well as microHDMI and microSD ports. Like its predecessor, the Transformer Prime connects to an optional keyboard dock ($150) that adds an extra battery, a trackpad, and full-sized SD and USB ports.

Asus' flagship tablet comes preinstalled with Android Honeycomb 3.2.1 instead of the latest and greatest "Ice Cream Sandwich" release, but the company says an update to 4.0 will be out soon. It's also Wi-Fi only for now and there has been no word yet on 3G-equipped versions for the U.S. market.

Besides these relatively minor details and the ocassional stutter when opening menus or switching apps -- which hopefully will be fixed with the ICS update -- reviewers praised the device's aesthetics, long battery life, beautiful display, and graphics prowess. The Verge also says it packs best camera on any tablet.

Available in either Amethyst Gray or Champagne Gold, the 32GB model starts at $499 while the 64GB is going for $599. Pre-orders are open at several retailers, including Best Buy and Newegg. That said, there's still some confusion as to when exactly the device will start shipping, but several reports indicate it will hit online shelves December 12 followed by availability at retail stores on December 19.