#IFA: Samsung unveils Ativ range of smartphones, laptops and tablets on Windows 8

Samsung has launched its first Windows Phone 8 device, the Ativ S, as well as a tablet and two laptop/tablet hybrids that will run on the forthcoming Windows 8 operating system.

The firm unveiled the products at the IFA technology conference in Berlin on Wednesday, all under the Ativ brand, which is the new name for its Windows 8 family of products.

The Ativ S (pictured above) is aimed at both business and personal users, boasting a 4.8in HD Super Amoled display, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and HSPA+42 connectivity.

The Samsung launch of a Windows Phone 8 device is unlikely to go down well with Microsoft's mobile partner Nokia. The two firms have a joint event scheduled for 5 September, where it was expected that Nokia would unveil the first Windows Phone 8 device.

Meanwhile, the 11.6in Ativ Smart PC (below) and Smart PC Pro are laptop/tablet hybrids, which offer a tablet with a detachable keyboard dock, similar to the Asus Transformer Pad.

They will run Windows 8, as well as offering compatibility with Windows 7. Samsung will be hoping to attract business users who want a tablet that they can also use for productivity tasks. For this purpose, Samsung has also thrown in its S Pen stylus.

Samsung said the Smart devices have 10-finger, rather than the normal 2-finger, multi-touch capabilities, which we'll be looking to test out during IFA this week.

The Smart PC Pro (below) is 11.9mm thick and runs an Intel Core i5 processor, while the 9.9mm thick Ativ Smart PC features an Intel Atom processor is a solid match for everyday productivity tasks.

The new Samsung Ativ Tab is a Windows 8 tablet. It weighs in at 570g, measures 266x168x8.9mm and features a 10.1in 1366x768 display.

The tablet offers instant boot-up and comes pre-installed with Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT preview.

The announcements caps a busy afternoon for Samsung which also unveiled its much-anticipated Galaxy Note 2 smartphone, boasting a whopping 5.5in screen an a 1.6GHz processor running Android Jelly Bean 4.1.