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

-Pyromaniac- said:
i5/i7. And it should be quite the upgrade.
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great
I was ready to get Samsung ATIV to fuck should I wait for Haswell
image.php
 
That avatar is me 24/7 these days. Join the club. But yeah it's tough waiting it out seeing all these nice looking devices releasing but just knowing the GPU bump, the speed bump, and the potential battery life jump makes it a must wait imo. That and you'll have time to read reviews and see which hardware is best, and also there should be more apps by then and the software should be more polished.

None the less, waiting is never fun.
 
-Pyromaniac- said:
That avatar is me 24/7 these days. Join the club. But yeah it's tough waiting it out seeing all these nice looking devices releasing but just knowing the GPU bump, the speed bump, and the potential battery life jump makes it a must wait imo. That and you'll have time to read reviews and see which hardware is best, and also there should be more apps by then and the software should be more polished.

None the less, waiting is never fun.
Click to expand...

You should come motivate us in the Vita thread.
 
-Pyromaniac- said:
That avatar is me 24/7 these days. Join the club. But yeah it's tough waiting it out seeing all these nice looking devices releasing but just knowing the GPU bump, the speed bump, and the potential battery life jump makes it a must wait imo. That and you'll have time to read reviews and see which hardware is best, and also there should be more apps by then and the software should be more polished.

None the less, waiting is never fun.
Click to expand...

that's the most important part for me.

I guess I'm waiting, and in the coming months I'm just going to watch unboxing people's tablets :(
 
-Pyromaniac- said:
That avatar is me 24/7 these days. Join the club. But yeah it's tough waiting it out seeing all these nice looking devices releasing but just knowing the GPU bump, the speed bump, and the potential battery life jump makes it a must wait imo. That and you'll have time to read reviews and see which hardware is best, and also there should be more apps by then and the software should be more polished.

None the less, waiting is never fun.
Click to expand...

After you get that Nexus 4, you will be doing
image.php
the rest of the year. Wuhahahaha
 
Totakeke said:
But getting Haswell devices will probably take least another half a year to one year.
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doesn't seem like it's that far away: http://www.cclonline.com/article/62...To-Be-Manufactured-in-Q4-For-Q1-2013-Release/

""We expect an increase in inventory reserves as we start production on our next-generation micro architecture product code-named Haswell, which we expect to qualify for sale in the first quarter of 2013," said Stacy Smith, chief financial officer of Intel."

DMPrince said:
You should come motivate us in the Vita thread.
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you poor souls

tino said:
After you get that Nexus 4, you will be doing the rest of the year. Wuhahahaha
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but it will be a happy reaction
 
Hope we'll see lots of notebook reviews soon, but I doubt it. There aren't many (any?) sites that do timely reviews for all new notebooks.

I'm supposed to look for a notebook for my sister. She has rather basic needs (mostly internet and chatting, but also storing lots of photos; a traditional laptop between 14 and 16 inch; doesn't need to be light or have great battery life) and is looking for a quality device up to around 700 Euros. I told her to wait for Windows 8 to see all the new models first. I could definitely see her using Metro apps and mostly sticking to the new UI except for managing photos.
I'm not sure how I should value touch screens (on a normal notebook). For some things it might be nice to have one. By some accounts of people who've used touchscreen notebooks it makes sense for some scenarios and according to some people will start expecting that every screen is a touch screen in the future.
There are some interesting devices like the new Asus Vivobook S400 and S500 or the Sony Vaio T13, which have touch screens and are in that price range. 1366x768 though. And I'd like to see reviews for screen quality and repairability (could you easily replace the HDD, battery?).
As for alternatives without touch the Dell Vostro 3560 looks pretty great. Has a nice 1080p screen, too. Might be the better choice.
 
Penguins&PolarBears said:
If Asus isn't going to release an 11" Transformer Book then my only other choice is a Samsung ATIV 700T ($1200)

And you tell me which of these is more attractive:

Samsung ATIV Pro 700T:
31Fij8ydUZL._AA300_.jpg
= 3.5lbs (2lbs tablet only) || 22mm thick

Asus Taichi 21:
taichi2x.jpg
= 2.75lbs || 4.8mm-17.5mm thick

Granted I expect the ATIV has better battery life, but is it really more portable and better designed? Same performance and specs out of these two machines.
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ASUS looks better, but this thiness worries me. The small zenbooks have pretty terrible keyboards, because there's simply not much space there for decent key travel.
From pics Transformer Book seems much better in this area, with KB that resembles more o their gaming line
 
Yikes! $1200 for the Ativ Pro. I've always had good reliability and durability for all of my Samsung products, so I suppose it would worth it.
 
tino said:
Its in the last columes. (3/4G) means optional sim slot.
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Thanks :)

After reading the reviews of the Surface, I've decided not to wait for the Pro. The hinge just seems too inflexible and I'm not happy with compromises like no NFC, 3G/4G etc. So I'm trying to decide between the other alternatives. I'd like to either swap out my Macbook Pro retina for a Mac Mini + ultraportable (I guess either the Samsung Ativ Pro or the Taichi?) which shouldn't take any money out of my pocket or keep the MBPr and pay more for an atom tablet on the side (the Lenovo Tablet 2?)... and advice would be helpful
 
LukasTaves said:
Ms store now has final prices and dates for Lenovo Tablet 2 699-799: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/pd/productID.256044000
(Apparently it's the 64GB model, but the site doesn't say if it comes with 3g/4g nfc, or the keyboard). It will start shipping at 10/31.

Earlier today it was showing as 100 dollar cheaper on both ends :/
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Pass with that price, I was really interested in it too. Samsung Ativ is the only one there that fits my budget. Acer isn't even listed there...oh I wonder why.
 
Anyone know what the difference between these GPUs :


-INTEL GMA 4000
-INTEL integrated HD
-INTEL shared Graphics

They're listed for the HP envy x2, lenovo think pad 2 and the Samsung Ativa smart PC respectively. got the info from microsoft's site.
 
moowear said:
Anyone know what the difference between these GPUs :


-INTEL GMA 4000
-INTEL integrated HD
-INTEL shared Graphics

They're listed for the HP envy x2, lenovo think pad 2 and the Samsung Ativa smart PC respectively. got the info from microsoft's site.
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They all have Intel integrated graphics. "Intel HD Graphics 4000" is the best Intel integrated graphics. It's part of the die in the Core i5/i7 CPUs. The Atom Z series CPU's integrated graphics is based on the PowerVR chip, also used in the iPhones and iPads.
 
Shogmaster said:
They all have Intel integrated graphics. "Intel HD Graphics 4000" is the best Intel integrated graphics. It's part of the die in the Core i5/i7 CPUs. The Atom Z series CPU's integrated graphics is based on the PowerVR chip, also used in the iPhones and iPads.
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Thank you good sir. That cleared it up.
 
Guess Samsung really weren't kidding about not announcing the ATIV Pro outside the US :( Hope it shows up soon.
 
hmm saw a Thinkpad Twist today @ Staples

http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/9/3...d-twist-convertible-tablet-windows-8-hands-on

was neat

could probably replace my Nexus 7, Existing Thinkpad T430 Laptop as a all in one and only Main device.

and just have a Tablet/laptop Hybird and a Dedicated Smartphone

SIMPLYING ECO SYSTEMS & SHIT by having only two devices in my DIGITAL LIFESTYLES

but I'm more inclined to wait for say a X240t Thinkpad tablet/laptop hopefully it'll be 1080p by then the screen that is though and then purchase a new Nexus Phone 2013.

so both my laptop/tablet + phone will both be 1080p in res.... (fucking amazing)
 
Emily Chu said:
but I'm more inclined to wait for say a X240t Thinkpad tablet/laptop hopefully it'll be 1080p by then
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Same here. I want a real high-end Thinkpad tablet, with proper keyboard and high-res screen. Ideally it would have detachable screen, but as long as they get the build quality to x220 levels (as opposed to x230) and deliver good screen, pen and T-series like KB I can live even with convertible
 
AdrianWerner said:
Same here. I want a real high-end Thinkpad tablet, with proper keyboard and high-res screen. Ideally it would have detachable screen, but as long as they get the build quality to x220 levels (as opposed to x230) and deliver good screen, pen and T-series like KB I can live even with convertible
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that'll be awesome if it was a detachable screen as well

it would be the ultimate real Thinkpad X series tablet with all the trimmings

I just can't believe that the x230 is still 1366x768 in res Bleh

hope it's as thin and light weight as most ultrabooks while keeping the "toughness"

I figured I'm never getting an iPad and want to get rid of my Nexus 7 (Sorry I want a REAL OS, I can deal with it on my phone though) (would be nice too if my phone ran Full Win 8 x64) but thats a pipe dream for now.... anyways

so I've had my sights on a X240T even though it hasn't been announced yet

would be great if it had amazing battery life too of 10+ hrs

Day 1
 
HollovVpo1nt said:
That ASUS Taichi must be one of the most, it not the most, pointless notebook computers ever. Why on Earth would you need two 1080p screens? Why?
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Why not? :) It doesn't seem to be comprising the functionality in any way and it's the most convienient convertible form factor around. Plus there's plenty of niche uses for such devices. Not to mention a nice opportunity to show off.
 
I may drop by Staples and try the my Galaxy Note pen on the Samsung tablet.

edit: fucking Staples. Every employee wears a stupid bullseye t shirt with windows 8 on it. They told me they won't get the Samsung tablet until next week.
 
Got my Sony Duo 11 - i7/256gb SSD.

quick impressions :

16x9 in Portrait mode is really, really weird.

Screen out of the box is set on way high brightness, looks better dialed down.

There's a fan that you can hear hum in the background just from browsing. Looking back if I were to buy a pro tablet now I'd probably aim for a fanless one (which may not come until next gen chips, most likely). Coming from an iPad user this definitely takes some time to get use to.

Touchscreen very responsive, haven't tested pen (which has a battery in it). Thing is fast, but it might be because this config has an i7 under the hood.
 
Samsung Smart PC user review http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1957857

Alright. I've been playing with a Series 5 hybrid for a couple of hours now. This is a quick review with 2 pictures showing both units together (sorry for the grain in the pictures; I'll take better ones with my DSLR once I have more time), since some of the Note 10.1 owners might be interested in this particular model due to the Wacom digitizer and the S-Pen. It costs $649 (Staples is selling it for $599 at the moment).

First of all, the built quality is great. Yes, it has the same polycarbonate back panel as Note 10.1 and it moves little bit if you press on it in the center (which is not part of the typical tablet use scenario), but it feels really solid and not flimsy. Probably little better than Note 10.1, due to the fact that the back is one piece and wraps around the screen nicely and having less plastic parts merging into each other creates less movement and creaks. The full glass front with the integrated speakers on each side works very well.

The Series 5 hybrid is definitely designed for a landscape use. It's too narrow and awkward if you hold it in portrait mode. The thickness is similar to Note 10.1 and it doesn't feel particularly heavier. It comes with a power block (very similar to what you get with laptops), so while traveling, that will add some extra weight.

The stylus is smaller than the one that comes with Note 10.1. (it's slightly chubbier), and it's white. I played with S-Note for a while and it works very similar to what we have on the Note. Palm rejection may not be as accurate as on the Note 10.1, because after writing few sentences, there were 3-4 small lines under my hand where it was resting on the screen.

As for the performance of the Atom, it feels perfectly fine for browsing, e-mail, etc. I haven't noticed any lag while navigating from screen to screen, but when installing programs, moving to something else took a bit extra. It includes a 64GB SSD, but out of the box it has 34GB free. The screen on the Note 10.1 is more brighter compared to Series 5. I would say the resolution is similar in terms of sharpness, pixellation, etc. Since the labels are a lot more smaller in the desktop mode (see below), you can see the pixels in the letters under icons.

Unfortunately, it doesn't come with a preview of Office 2013 that was going to be upgraded to full version when released (this was mentioned for RT devices, but I remember reading it somewhere for the X-86 tablets, as well). It doesn't include Office 2010 either (you have to buy/install it separately). Since office 2010 is not touch optimized, using the stylus is a must. From this aspect, it feels like it was rushed to meet the Windows 8 launch date. This is a mistake on Microsoft's and Samsung's part, because the X86 machines are marketed as "productivity oriented" models as opposed to the Windows RT models, and the lack of touch-optimized Office suite takes away from it significantly. You can use Office 2010 on it without any problems in terms of functionality, but it's not tablet/touch optimized, and you'll definitely need that stylus.

This is my first encounter with Windows 8, so part of the learning curve is due to Windows 8 itself. Although, it's very easy and enjoyable to use it in the tablet mode, I find myself hitting that "Desktop" tile and using it as a "regular" computer. Over time, I'll probably move away from this habit. Once you are at the Desktop, you become aware of what's running in the background and it's a full Windows on a 11.6" screen. I thought the navigation would be a problem without the stylus, but it works OK, even though things look a bit small. After spending few minutes with it, you immediately realize that you're in Windows territory (pop up windows from Norton, security update reminders, restart reminders after installing the updates, etc.).

As of know, it feels more like a "computer" rather than a "tablet" if that makes any sense. Until I spend about a week with both, I won't form any opinions. I wish Office 2013 was included, since it's one of the most important factors for people considering an X-86 based tablet.

Let me know if you have any questions. Once I have some time, I'll make a more detailed side-by-side comparison of both tablets and add some more pictures.
Click to expand...

One thing that I was really skeptical was the Atom processor, and unfortunately, it interferes with the usage of the tablet often enough to remind you that you are using a device with a slow processor. Just to test it out, while Windows update was running in the background, I started Windows Movie maker and imported 4, 3-4 minute long 720p files from my digital camera. It took a while to add the movies to the "Project" and once a timeline formed, I hit "Play" to preview the movie. The small video playback was stuttering. Then I hit the full screen button on the preview window, it was painful to watch the processor trying to keep up with background installation of updates and ongoing video playback. I tried the same thing without any background processes running; the small preview window was better, but full screen continued to stutter.

I'll keep testing it with some other tasks, but so far it seems underpowered.
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http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/gallery/data/4031/ativ-1.jpg
http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/gallery/data/4031/ativ-2.jpg
 
EekTheKat said:
Got my Sony Duo 11 - i7/256gb SSD.

quick impressions :

16x9 in Portrait mode is really, really weird.

Screen out of the box is set on way high brightness, looks better dialed down.

There's a fan that you can hear hum in the background just from browsing. Looking back if I were to buy a pro tablet now I'd probably aim for a fanless one (which may not come until next gen chips, most likely). Coming from an iPad user this definitely takes some time to get use to.

Touchscreen very responsive, haven't tested pen (which has a battery in it). Thing is fast, but it might be because this config has an i7 under the hood.
Click to expand...
yet another reason to wait for haswell, doesn't it run quieter as well?
 
The more I read these reviews, the more I lean toward the HP pad. 16x10 is much more usable in tablet mode than 16x9.
 
-Pyromaniac- said:
yet another reason to wait for haswell, doesn't it run quieter as well?
Click to expand...

My bad for jumping into pro without doing too much homework into it. after using it for a while this thing is an entirely different beast than an iPad. As a long time iPad user it's certainly been a change.

But I wanted a pro tablet to move all my work stuff off of my gaming desktop, which has been having some stability issues lately.

The fan noise when browsing is low, barely audible but you know it's there compared to a fanless ARM tablet. Compared to the last gimmick laptop I bought from Toshiba (w100 dual screen) the duo 11 is much quieter and runs cooler.

This duo 11 is actually faster than my desktop, only this has an intel integrated instead of a full on nvidia card.

Pro tablets are a different beast altogether. Though I'll stick with the prediction that a fanless pro tablet may be the one to watch out for. Haswell may deliver such a tablet though I suspect manufacturers will still add one to it.

You know, after playing with it some more I think I misclassified this thing - the duo 11 isn
 
Maybe this has been asked before but hopefully not so any idea when Best Buy might get the Surface in stores? I have tons of money on gift card that I would love to put towards one.
 
Don't buy the Duo 11 for the pen. It sucks ass. I went to local Sony Store to test it out.

I think because it runs on AAAA batteries, it IMO is trying to be too aggressive in power savings, and looks like is using much less sample points per second than Wacom's UD pens. You can see this in this quick Journal ink test, specially the quickly drawn circle:
VAIODuo11Journaltest.jpg


Compare that with quick circle on Wacom Penabled tablets like my T902:

T902journal_test.jpg


BTW, if anyone is good at google-fu, and want to help track down the pen ODM, here some images:
VAIODuo11penmarking.jpg


VAIODuo11pen.jpg
 
The ATIV 700T seems to be selling really well on Amazon. Both versions of the Taichi have been in the top 100 on Amazon as well.

Reading reviews I'm a bit perplexed as to how The Verge can hate the Asus Vivo Tab so much and Engadget love it so much. The battery life Engadget claims for the Vivo Tab RT is impressive as well. It bests almost every tablet on the market including the iPad.

According to Engadget the Vivo Tab RT produces significantly longer battery life than it's Android cousin the Transformer Pad TF300 despite having a higher resolution screen and double RAM.


Asus - Windows RT vs. Android 4
ASUS VivoTab RT = 10:40 (tablet only)
ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 = 8:29 / 12:04 (keyboard dock)
 
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