The Windows 8 home screen is shown in this publicity photo
The Windows 8 home screen is shown in this publicity photo released to Reuters September 13, 2011. REUTERS/Microsoft/Handout Reuters

Kogan has finally joined the portable PC race with its very own Windows laptop.

The Australian tech company in partnership with Microsoft has recently launched the new Atlas X1510 Windows 8.1 laptop. After focusing on products like Kogan Agora 4G and the Fortis Trackfit Tracker, Kogan has decided to test the waters by plunging in with its very own laptop. The company aims to balance affordability and the ability to keep up with work, school and simple everyday tasks.

The Kogan Atlas comes with a 15.6-inch display and has a 1366x768 resolution for more vivid working, browsing and reading experience. The laptop measures 37.4x25.9x2.4cm and weighs 2.1kg. Its externals feature four USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, VGA out and Ethernet port.

The new X1510 is packed with Intel Pentium N3540 chipset and is running at 2.16GHz. The CPU is from Intel Bay Trail-M Architecture which serves to lower power consumption in entry-level notebooks. This type of CPU can also be found in the HP Pavillion 11 and Toshiba's Satellite L10W. Its memory is equipped with 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive storage which can keep all documents, photos and videos in one location, CNET reports.

This new entry also features the super-fast Intel AC Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n/ac). It makes sure that the laptop's wireless performance will be three times faster than the usual. It is also equipped with an HD webcam and Kogan claims that the laptop's battery can withstand 9.5 hours of all day performance in a single charging.

Since this new venture is a product of Kogan's partnership with Microsoft, the company will offer AU$15 discount on Office 365. Consumers can take advantage of the discount if they buy the software together with the Atlas.

The Kogan Atlas X1510 is a combination of style and performance. The laptop will ship in mid-December and costs AU$329, Gizmodo adds.

Finally, Kogan already has a few Windows tablets under its belt but that didn't stop them from joining a different bandwagon. Hence, the Australian tech company CEO Ruslan Kogan said that their latest device wasn't built with the "end of life" parts instead they made sure that the product would have the "highest spec level available at that price point".