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Windows 8 Tablets/Laptops/Laplets Cross Shopping Thread of Most Confusing Launch |OT|

D

Damon Bennet

Member
Gaspode_T said:
I was going to post a big post with impressions of all the games I am playing on the slate I have here with me, but since people seem super sensitive about this sort of thing I hope to leave the job to the journalists etc out there...

All I can say is, Taptiles <3 <3 <3 and 4 Elements II Special Edition <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 The latter one is so relaxing to play in a Popcap sort of way.

Even the Arkadium Mahjong game is pretty awesome, you have to like casual games for all of these to ring true.

For someone who doesn't like casual games, hmm...the Hexage games from WP7 have been ported and the look gorgeous http://www.hexage.net/

Also some weird things like Judge Dredd vs Zombies popping up on the store, the flood of iOS ports is already starting...I think the overall feel of 99% of the games on the store is basically like iPad, I think it is going to be interesting how people on normal PCs pick up on it - if they like some of them like the hidden object games, it essentially doubles or more the market size for those games...people like my mom would probably suddenly be buying games, or maybe she will continue playing them on Facebook...time will tell
Click to expand...

wut, everone loves impressions! go ahead.

and: what slate do you use?
 
G

Gaspode_T

Member
Oh I guess I am not the only one playing the XBL games though

"MemorexJ completed the game Microsoft Mahjong (Win 8) and is the 593rd gamer on the site to complete it"
http://www.trueachievements.com/MemorexJ.htm

There are only 3 achievements for Mahjong and they are easy to unlock, I think the full version will have more but the 4 Elements II game only has 200 GS worth which is a little disappointing to me, I hoped they would have the new XBLA limit (400?)
 
G

Gaspode_T

Member
The slate is just a Samsung 700t, it gets pretty hot but all of the games run flawlessly...I can't wait to upgrade to something more...modern...and with a keyboard...lots of fun apps, the FreshPaint one is slick, the Finger Piano one I already had on iPad but it is pretty good too. Lots of the news/info apps are just HTML5 but presented in a way that is cleaner and less ad driven than a website so I like them. For example the Big Picture one from Boston Globe...

(BTW my comment was more because I work at Microsoft, I am trying to keep the viral marketing down... but if anything lately I have been acting as a iPad ambassador because of my obsession with Zookeeper Battle...I am ready to go visit the Kiteretsu office and beg them to port it to Windows 8, I am like the last person anyone should be calling a shill...I have been posting on GAF as a Sega fanboy since before I worked here too :p )
 
S

soul creator

Member
Ydahs said:
This OS is good... very good. Start menu is a non-issue. Also, never knew you can actually right-click the start icon in the bottom left corner for extra options. It will take a while to adapt and Microsoft will undoubtedly look to improve on its usability, but overall I'm very impressed.

I am noticing some slowdowns though. Might be because I upgraded instead of opting for a clean install. Besides that, I'm glad I made the jump since this really does feel like the evolution of an OS.

edit: some of my Lenovo tools aren't working properly. Can't change the brightness using function keys. Hope drivers fix this :/
Click to expand...

I have a Lenovo All-in-one PC and ended up going back to Windows 7 (had the release preview beforehand). It mostly worked ok, but there were a lot of random annoying driver quirks.

I think Lenovo may just be pretty slow to get drivers out. Didn't really see anything on their website about an idea when they'll be out either.
 
Y

Ydahs

Member
soul creator said:
I have a Lenovo All-in-one PC and ended up going back to Windows 7 (had the release preview beforehand). It mostly worked ok, but there were a lot of random annoying driver quirks.

I think Lenovo may just be pretty slow to get drivers out. Didn't really see anything on their website about an idea when they'll be out either.
Click to expand...
I've gotten most things running smoothly, except the damn thing doesn't boot from sleep! Not sure what I'll do now...
 
W

Windu

never heard about the cat, apparently
Went to my local best buy since i was in the area. I was quickly reminded on why i havent been there in yrs off the bat when a salesman came up to me pushing direct tv on me. Anyway they had one pc with windows 8 on it. Just a normal laptop. Gestures on the track pad seemed to work. You could swipe in from the sides and bring up the charms etc... I didnt spend much time with it but it was a i5 pc so the OS was very fast. The pc had a $999 price tag, forget what it was though.
 
C

Conor 419

Banned
Why oh why can't Surface Pro launch this October with all of the others.

Edit - Any idea how much the Duo 11 will be in the UK? I'm tempted to go for the i7 model instead of Surface Pro instead. Does anyone recommend against this?
 
C

cbrotherson

Member
Is there actually a version of the Samsung Smart PC/Slate 5 with 128GB storage? It seems like the press made it out that there was:

64GB storage (tablet alone, Windows RT)
128GB storage (tablet with dock and Windows 8 full)
128GB to 256GB storage (Smart PC Pro, tablet with dock and Windows 8 full)

Pre-orders currently only show the first and third (the latter with only 128GB)... anyone know any different?
 
O

Oxn

Member
Need some opinions.

So my sis is a graphic students and she wants a tablet that can run stuff like photoshop, and have great pen input.

Which win8 tablet is best for that right now?
 
B

brotkasten

Member
Oxn said:
Need some opinions.

So my sis is a graphic students and she wants a tablet that can run stuff like photoshop, and have great pen input.

Which win8 tablet is best for that right now?
Click to expand...

As far as specs go, that would be the Surface Pro. 1920 x 1080 resolution, Core i5 CPU, Wacom pen.

Release date is Q1 2013, price probably around $1000.

If it doesn't need to be that powerful, the Samsung Slate for $650 should work. But personally, I don't trust an Atom CPU with 2 GB RAM to run Photoshop that well.
 
T

tino

Banned
brotkasten said:
As far as specs go, that would be the Surface Pro. 1920 x 1080 resolution, Core i5 CPU, Wacom pen.

Release date is Q1 2013, price probably around $1000.

If it doesn't need to be that powerful, the Samsung Slate for $650 should work. But personally, I don't trust an Atom CPU with 2 GB RAM to run Photoshop that well.
Click to expand...

You don't need power to run photoshop. Photoshop is like Star craft, at high level you use keyboard to do everything, and a large screen.

You might need power to run Paint. Haven't touched Paint in a long time.
 
C

Conor 419

Banned
Thanks.

I mean, right now I'm weighing up the Surface Pro against the Duo 11. The advantage of the latter is that the i7 model would be way more powerful, and I'd also be able to get it sooner. The advantage of the former being that it has a nicer form factor, and that it's cheaper.

Still unsure.
 
O

Oxn

Member
brotkasten said:
As far as specs go, that would be the Surface Pro. 1920 x 1080 resolution, Core i5 CPU, Wacom pen.

Release date is Q1 2013, price probably around $1000.

If it doesn't need to be that powerful, the Samsung Slate for $650 should work. But personally, I don't trust an Atom CPU with 2 GB RAM to run Photoshop that well.
Click to expand...

Is it a wacom pen though? And is it included in the package?

Also, I dont really know, but is photoshop and other adobe products have direct pen touch input onto their program?

For 1k-1.2k its doable. Still need more info on how good the pen input is in comparision to a wacom tablet.
 
B

brotkasten

Member
Oxn said:
Is it a wacom pen though? And is it included in the package?

Also, I dont really know, but is photoshop and other adobe products have direct pen touch input onto their program?

For 1k-1.2k its doable. Still need more info on how good the pen input is in comparision to a wacom tablet.
Click to expand...

Photoshop has pen support, yes.

Now if it's a Wacom or not, is actually a good question. Everyone kind of assumed it, but looking at the picture from the event, it doesn't seem to be a Wacom pen.

JAOdO.jpg


The fact that Microsoft invested few millions in N-Trig some years ago, makes it even more unlikely.
 
S

Shogmaster

Member
brotkasten said:
Photoshop has pen support, yes.

Now if it's a Wacom or not, is actually a good question. Everyone kind of assumed it, but looking at the picture from the event, it doesn't seem to be a Wacom pen.

JAOdO.jpg


The fact that Microsoft invested few millions in N-Trig some years ago, makes it even more unlikely.
Click to expand...

You can rule N Trig out. They demoed eraser on the back of the pen, which N Trig doesn't have. BTW, the eraser rules just about everyone out exceot for Wacom. Also the dpi of the pen mentioned in the demo points to Wacom's penabled line over other EMR pen vendors.
 
C

Canis lupus

Member
I'm really interested in the Surface Pro tablets now. Next year I'm gonna replace my 4 years old laptop with a new one, plus a tablet. Its gonna be expensive.
 
M

moowear

Member
I've been trying to figure out what the difference between the lenovo lynx and the thinkpad 2 is. The lynx isn't on the graph in OP.

Also, amazon has the samsung ativ pro listed as being released on the 26 of Oct.; I thought none of the pro version of win 8 would be out till next year(other than the w700 and the lenovo thinkpad 2)?

edit: lynx = RT, 11" screen..why would the RT have better res than the win8 pro version?
 
W

Windu

never heard about the cat, apparently
moowear said:
I've been trying to figure out what the difference between the lenovo lynx and the thinkpad 2 is. The lynx isn't on the graph in OP.

Also, amazon has the samsung ativ pro listed as being released on the 26 of Oct.; I thought none of the pro version of win 8 would be out till next year(other than the w700 and the lenovo thinkpad 2)?

edit: lynx = RT, 11" screen..why would the RT have better res than the win8 pro version?
Click to expand...
The lynx is a intel atom based machine that runs Windows 8.

The Microsoft Surface running Windows 8 won't be out till January. There will be a shit ton of Windows 8 machines from other Manufacturers out on the 26th though.
 
B

brotkasten

Member
Shogmaster said:
You can rule N Trig out. They demoed eraser on the back of the pen, which N Trig doesn't have. BTW, the eraser rules just about everyone out exceot for Wacom. Also the dpi of the pen mentioned in the demo points to Wacom's penabled line over other EMR pen vendors.
Click to expand...

This is excellent.
 
M

moowear

Member
Windu said:
The lynx is a intel atom based machine that runs Windows 8.

The Microsoft Surface running Windows 8 won't be out till January. There will be a shit ton of Windows 8 machines from other Manufacturers out on the 26th though.
Click to expand...

Ahh, got it. Thanks.

Speaking of digitizers, do they all use the same tech? For example, Lenovo thinkpad 2 and the Samsung ativ both have pens; Any one better than the other or will it depend on how the software will utilize the pens?
 
M

maeh2k

Member
Shogmaster said:
You can rule N Trig out. They demoed eraser on the back of the pen, which N Trig doesn't have. BTW, the eraser rules just about everyone out exceot for Wacom. Also the dpi of the pen mentioned in the demo points to Wacom's penabled line over other EMR pen vendors.
Click to expand...

Some speculate they might be using the Perceptive Pixel tech, since they recently acquired that company. Apparently one of the descriptions of the Surface matched the language on the Perceptive Pixel website.
 
T

trinest

Member
Conor 419 said:
Why oh why can't Surface Pro launch this October with all of the others.

Edit - Any idea how much the Duo 11 will be in the UK? I'm tempted to go for the i7 model instead of Surface Pro instead. Does anyone recommend against this?
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure theres some reputable UK prices floating around somewhere.

As for going Duo over Surface, for me if you can wait, I'd get the Surface, it will be cheaper and better designed etc. The duo is probably one of the best for launch however, and because I NEED a computer ASAP the Duo will be mine (as soon as they announce the dam Australian prices).
 
W

Windu

never heard about the cat, apparently
moowear said:
Ahh, got it. Thanks.

Speaking of digitizers, do they all use the same tech? For example, Lenovo thinkpad 2 and the Samsung ativ both have pens; Any one better than the other or will it depend on how the software will utilize the pens?
Click to expand...
i dont know much about all the pens etc...but each tablet will be different, the quality depends on what type of screen it is or something. Everyone mentions wacom so i guess that is what you should look for if you want the best pen support.
 
S

Shogmaster

Member
maeh2k said:
Some speculate they might be using the Perceptive Pixel tech, since they recently acquired that company. Apparently one of the descriptions of the Surface matched the language on the Perceptive Pixel website.
Click to expand...

Possibly. Wacom pens don't require battery yet in the demo he talks about pen's magnetic docking charge port. The word "charge", if not mis-spoken, definitely points away from Wacom. But Perceptive Pixel's pen in their website is much thicker, has an LED battery indicator, and has no eraser on the back.

untitled-1.png


But then again, in the demo he talks about Surface Pro having 2 separate digitizers for touch and Ink. Perceptive Pixel active pen AFAICT uses capacitive digitizer, but can see different capacitance from the pen and you hand, so there is only one digitizer.

I can see it being either Wacom or Perceptive Pixel, but I still think Wacom is more likely.
 
Wiktor

Wiktor

Member
I think Wacom actually has a patent for the eraser, so if that's in the video it can't be anything but wacom.
 
S

Shogmaster

Member
AdrianWerner said:
I think Wacom actually has a patent for the eraser, so if that's in the video it can't be anything but wacom.
Click to expand...

Some of those patents did expire... I don't know if eraser is one of them, but patents are only good for 26 years IIRC, and Wacom's been doing this for a LONG time.

Of course it could be someone other than Wacom or Perceptive Pixel. There are many other EMR vendors that uses batteries, including N Trig, but the tip shape is not N Trig, so possibly could be UC Logic or some other outfit.
 
T

tino

Banned
moowear said:
Ahh, got it. Thanks.

Speaking of digitizers, do they all use the same tech? For example, Lenovo thinkpad 2 and the Samsung ativ both have pens; Any one better than the other or will it depend on how the software will utilize the pens?
Click to expand...

Here, I update the chart just for you. Was waiting for more price announcement,

edit: added Lynx, Fujishu and some US price
 
D

Divvy

Canadians burned my passport
Has there actually been no news of any AMD powered Win8 tablets yet? I know a bunch are coming, but they're idiotic to let Intel grab all the attention.
 
D

Divvy

Canadians burned my passport
brotkasten said:
AMD chips don't have a good enough performance/battery ratio.
Click to expand...

The Trinity chip seems like a good fit for those who want graphics performance. I do know for sure that there are tablets coming out with AMD chips, I'm just surprised at the lack of news for them.
 
T

tino

Banned
Divvy said:
The Trinity chip seems like a good fit for those who want graphics performance. I do know for sure that there are tablets coming out with AMD chips, I'm just surprised at the lack of news for them.
Click to expand...

ARM soc will replace AMD in the low end. AMD is going to the way of Blackberry.

The high tech business is pretty high risk if you think about it.
 
S

strata8

Member
Divvy said:
The Trinity chip seems like a good fit for those who want graphics performance. I do know for sure that there are tablets coming out with AMD chips, I'm just surprised at the lack of news for them.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately the GPU in the ULV Trinity chips is only very slightly better than Ivy Bridge. Apart from cost (possibly) there's absolutely no reason for OEMs to use AMDs CPUs.
 
D

Divvy

Canadians burned my passport
NotTarts said:
Unfortunately the GPU in the ULV Trinity chips is only very slightly better than Ivy Bridge. Apart from cost (possibly) there's absolutely no reason for OEMs to use AMDs CPUs.
Click to expand...

Well if they're trying to drive down the price, it might be a valid option. Regardless, I know some AMD people and they tell me there are tablets being finalized, but I'm not sure about which chip they're using.
 
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