I love the form factor of a 7 inch tablet, the Nexus 7 just about fits in my pocket and I end up taking it about with more that I would the bigger iPad. Currently the minimum resolution for modern apps to work in Windows 8 and Windows RT is 1366×768 but according to Ed Bott a March 12th change to the Microsoft’s Windows Certification program means we could see smaller resolution devices on the way. The new minimum requirements for Windows are 1024×768 and would be perfectly suited to a 7 inch tablet. Windows Blue the rumoured update/next version of Windows supports modes like 50/50 snap view which would work well on a low resolution tablet.

OEMs having the ability to produce a low cost 7 inch tablet could really boost Windows RT adoption, I would love to see a 7 inch Surface or a 7 inch Windows powered eBook Reader. My only concern would be that the Windows desktop environment would very difficult to control using touch but hopefully Windows Blue will reduce the amount of time needed in the desktop.

Read Ed’s post for the details.

 

Are smaller Windows tablets in iPad dimensions just around the corner? Will Microsoft’s long-rumored Reader make its debut along with the Windows Blue update this summer?

Those are distinct possibilities, based on a significant change Microsoft quietly made this month in its hardware certification guidelines for Windows 8 devices.

The new guidelines relax the minimum resolution for Windows 8 devices to 1024 x 768 at a depth of 32 bits. That’s a significant change from the current guidelines, which require a minimum resolution of 1366 x 768 for a device to be certified with the Windows 8 logo.

From the announcement, it appears that the new guidelines are effective immediately, but it’s likely that any new devices that use this form factor will ship along with the forthcoming Windows Blue update.

The announcement was disclosed in the March 12, 2013 Windows Certification Newsletter, which is prepared by the Windows Certification (formerly Logo) Program and goes out to hardware vendors who want to sell systems that are certified by Microsoft as Windows 8-compatible.

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