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

L

LukasTaves

Member
GAF please help me chose:

I'm torn between a Lenovo tablet 2 with this keyboard: http://www.logitech.com/en-us/keyboards/keyboards

And a Surface Pro with a touch/type keyboard (still haven't decided for which one yet either XD)

I've tried to compile a list of benefits for each:

Tablet 2:
+ Form Factor (weight, thickness, smaller)
+ Battery Life
+ Mobile connectivity, GPS and NFC (But probably not buying this model, because it's absurdly priced)
+ Connected Standy
+ Has a silo for the pen
- Performance*
- The price difference is very small, not sure if it's worth it going up against much better performance and screen.

Surface Pro
+ While it's bigger than the tablet 2, compared to my work laptop it's a lot thinner, smaller and the i5 is actually better than my work's laptop 1st gen i3. SSD might also make the system a lot faster, so it would actually be able to replace entirely my current work setup at a much smaller form factor, and with longer battery too.
+ Kick stand. My biggest issues with ipad is having it stand on not evenly surfaces (Like my lap when i'm watching something at the bed. Though, that logitech keyboard has a stand that could be just as useful.
+ 1080p screen.
- Might be too heavy for using as a tablet.
- No pen silo.
- Battery life
- No mobile connectivity (though i could solve that with a mify)
- Performance*
- No connected Standby

* Regarding performance. Tablet 2 seems enough for whatever i would want to do with a tablet and it seems to handle onenote quite well. With surface on the other hand i could replace my entire work setup with it, as it would not have any problems with visual studio. Having a portable steam machine (for light gaming of course) sounds quite attractive too. But i fear i ended up being cramped by battery life...

I have less than 2 days to decide. A friend of mine is going to USA on feb 2th, and i have to give him an answer before he leaves...
 
N

Nero3000

Member
LukasTaves said:
GAF please help me chose:

I'm torn between a Lenovo tablet 2 with this keyboard: http://www.logitech.com/en-us/keyboards/keyboards

And a Surface Pro with a touch/type keyboard (still haven't decided for which one yet either XD)

I've tried to compile a list of benefits for each:

Tablet 2:
+ Form Factor (weight, thickness, smaller)
+ Battery Life
+ Mobile connectivity, GPS and NFC (But probably not buying this model, because it's absurdly priced)
+ Connected Standy
+ Has a silo for the pen
- Performance*
- The price difference is very small, not sure if it's worth it going up against much better performance and screen.

Surface Pro
+ While it's bigger than the tablet 2, compared to my work laptop it's a lot thinner, smaller and the i5 is actually better than my work's laptop 1st gen i3. SSD might also make the system a lot faster, so it would actually be able to replace entirely my current work setup at a much smaller form factor, and with longer battery too.
+ Kick stand. My biggest issues with ipad is having it stand on not evenly surfaces (Like my lap when i'm watching something at the bed. Though, that logitech keyboard has a stand that could be just as useful.
+ 1080p screen.
- Might be too heavy for using as a tablet.
- No pen silo.
- Battery life
- No mobile connectivity (though i could solve that with a mify)
- Performance*
- No connected Standby

* Regarding performance. Tablet 2 seems enough for whatever i would want to do with a tablet and it seems to handle onenote quite well. With surface on the other hand i could replace my entire work setup with it, as it would not have any problems with visual studio. Having a portable steam machine (for light gaming of course) sounds quite attractive too. But i fear i ended up being cramped by battery life...

I have less than 2 days to decide. A friend of mine is going to USA on feb 2th, and i have to give him an answer before he leaves...
Click to expand...

I would go with the surface pro.

You are not buying the 3G, GPS, NFC version of the tablet two so that is a wash.

The performance of the SSD (vs. the eMMC in the Atom Tablet 2) will be leagues ahead.

I dont think connected standby is a useful feature yet. Maybe in a few years when applications catch up.

The operating system image on the Surface Pro will be MUCH better (unless you buy a MS Signature version of the tablet 2).

The screen is much better on the Surface Pro and the pen has an eraser. I would hope the magnet would be strong enough to hold the pen securely (if its anything like the touch cover).

The Surface RT has been getting monthly firmware updates improving performance.

The only reasons to get the Tablet 2 i think would be if you needed 3G connectivity or require 10 hr battery life.
 
T

The Abominable Snowman

Member
Do any of the ULV-class Haswell CPUs have the enhanced Intel HD IGP? And when can we expect to see those?

Are there ANY other tablets with a discrete GPU aside Razer Edge?

I'm inching closer and closer to buying a Razer Edge if it comes out before the end of February but I want more info before I plunk down $1300...
 
L

LukasTaves

Member
Nero3000 said:
I would go with the surface pro.

You are not buying the 3G, GPS, NFC version of the tablet two so that is a wash.

The performance of the SSD (vs. the eMMC in the Atom Tablet 2) will be leagues ahead.

I dont think connected standby is a useful feature yet. Maybe in a few years when applications catch up.

The operating system image on the Surface Pro will be MUCH better (unless you buy a MS Signature version of the tablet 2).

The screen is much better on the Surface Pro and the pen has an eraser. I would hope the magnet would be strong enough to hold the pen securely (if its anything like the touch cover).

The Surface RT has been getting monthly firmware updates improving performance.

The only reasons to get the Tablet 2 i think would be if you needed 3G connectivity or require 10 hr battery life.
Click to expand...

Battery life is important, but i believe that 5 hours gives me enough time between wall outlets, so it would mean more a convenience of plugging in at night and not having to worry about battery the whole day...

Performance is also important, but other than onenote, and eventually some other office app, my entire usage will probably be on the metro side of things. And for that an i5 seems like a overkill. On the other hand, the extra performance would be useful to replace my current work laptop entirely, and also would be more future proof. I can see surface running metro apps and new windows versions a few years from now without any problems...

I believe that connected standby allows the tablet to play music (even when streaming from a service like spootfy/mog/rdio etc) when in standby, which is a feature i love about my ipad, because i can listen to music for hours and it won't barely touch the battery... With surface, even if i shut the screen down, i'm thinking it would drain the battery much faster.

But all and all, i'm more inclined to Surface too, both has it's share of compromises, but i think that which surface could provide if everything works as i'm expecting it to, it would greatly offset the compromises.
 
J

Jayayess1190

Member
The Abominable Snowman said:
Do any of the ULV-class Haswell CPUs have the enhanced Intel HD IGP? And when can we expect to see those?

Are there ANY other tablets with a discrete GPU aside Razer Edge?

I'm inching closer and closer to buying a Razer Edge if it comes out before the end of February but I want more info before I plunk down $1300...
Click to expand...

Yes, Haswell ULV's have GT3 graphics, aka the best but since they are ULV they will be lower clocked than in non ULV cpu's with GT2 graphics. Haswell ULV releases after June.
 
Y

yogloo

Member
So my lenovo is doa. Got a refund and bought an asus me400 instead. Sort of dissapointing because I was pretty hyped up about the pen. :|
 
Ephemeris

Ephemeris

Member
Hopped on the train with Staples's version of the Asus VivoBook S200E.

It's supposed to hold me over until the next revision of the Macbook Air or Retina MBP. But as I feared before even buying the thing, I'm not sure if I could go to a non-touchscreen laptop device now. :/
tino said:
You can now get a RT tablet (Asus 32GB) with keyboard for $350.

http://dealnews.com/ASUS-Vivo-Tab-TF600-T-32-GB-Tablet-w-Keyboard-for-349-free-shipping/667073.html

LOL bomba.
Click to expand...

Windows RT:

iBUayWmIUA74c.gif
 
M

maeh2k

Member
Ephemeris said:
Windows RT:

iBUayWmIUA74c.gif
Click to expand...

I have very high hopes for Windows RT. If it ever gets to a point where OEMs can release both an Android version and a (slightly more expensive) version of the same hardware running Windows RT, there'd be no reason for OEMs not to suppost it and there'd immediately be lots of quality RT devices.
If I had to choose between Android and Windows RT (including Office), I'd choose Windows every time. And I suspect a lot of other people would, too.
 
B

brotkasten

Member
maeh2k said:
I have very high hopes for Windows RT. If it ever gets to a point where OEMs can release both an Android version and a (slightly more expensive) version of the same hardware running Windows RT, there'd be no reason for OEMs not to suppost it and there'd immediately be lots of quality RT devices.
If I had to choose between Android and Windows RT (including Office), I'd choose Windows every time. And I suspect a lot of other people would, too.
Click to expand...

Microsoft would have to allow that first. Last time I checked, they still strictly controlled the development of RT devices.
 
Ephemeris

Ephemeris

Member
brotkasten said:
Microsoft would have to allow that first. Last time I checked, they still strictly controlled the development of RT devices.
Click to expand...

Yup. We'll see if RT can be more compelling (for me anyways).

Of course I want it to flourish since it makes Windows 8 a better platform as a whole, and visually I like it more than Android..



..but barring a really great sale, it's a long time away from me buying a RT device.
 
Y

yogloo

Member
Can we have a thread for windows 8 apps?

I've grown to like my asus me400 after a few days with it. A few things that I noticed about it is 16:9 does not really work that well. It feels really awkward holding it in portrait. I can't imagine how bad a 11 or 13 inch feel in portrait.
 
E

eastmen

Banned
kitch9 said:
Not much chance a 35w device will charge through USB.
Click to expand...

LukasTaves said:
Maybe when it's sleeping?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't expect full charge but to put it in a bag while its not in use and let it get some power would not be bad.


Anyway during the reddit ms said they beefed up the prongs and the spine at the bottom for future accessories. So a battery of some sort is going to be coming down the pipe .
 
T

Tacitus_

Member
Hah, it seems that my preorder has finally arrived to the store. I preordered back at the start of December and they promised that I'd get it in a couple of weeks. Though now I'm contemplating about getting a Lenovo Tablet 2 instead of the Ativ Smart PC that I preordered. They're about the same price but I could get the Tablet 2 with 32GB and save a hundred.
Opinions?
 
M

maeh2k

Member
Apart from the Dell S2340T, are there any other stand-alone multi-touch displays that cost less than $1000 and that support at least 10 fingers (more would be better)?

Right now I'm working with a 22" 3M display that's maybe two years old and supports 20 finger multi-touch, but it seems to have some issues with touch events when you have lots of touch points. The Dell looks like it might be a decent alternative, but I don't know what else is out there (maybe a couple more touch points to be on the safe side?).
 
W

Windu

never heard about the cat, apparently
Tacitus_ said:
Hah, it seems that my preorder has finally arrived to the store. I preordered back at the start of December and they promised that I'd get it in a couple of weeks. Though now I'm contemplating about getting a Lenovo Tablet 2 instead of the Ativ Smart PC that I preordered. They're about the same price but I could get the Tablet 2 with 32GB and save a hundred.
Opinions?
Click to expand...
Not sure the ThinkPad comes with only 32gb. Even if it did I wouldn't recommend a windows pc with that amount of storage.
 
T

Tacitus_

Member
Windu said:
Not sure the ThinkPad comes with only 32gb. Even if it did I wouldn't recommend a windows pc with that amount of storage.
Click to expand...

32GBs worth of storage costs 35€ on a MicroSD card and 100€ if I get the bigger base model. And the store has three Thinkpad models stocked ordered, 32GB, 64GB and 64GB with 3G and some other stuff.
 
H

HollovVpo1nt

Banned
I'm really intrigued by the IdeaPad Yoga. I've noticed that it comes with a Pen. Does anyone know what kind of pen that is? If it's pressure sensitive etc.?

Edit: My bad, it doesn't come with a pen.
 
V

Voice of Reason

Banned
HollovVpo1nt said:
I'm really intrigued by the IdeaPad Yoga. I've noticed that it comes with a Pen. Does anyone know what kind of pen that is? If it's pressure sensitive etc.?

Edit: My bad, it doesn't come with a pen.
Click to expand...

Still a great device though, and arguably a better purchase compared to the Pro.

8 gigs of RAM vs. 4 gigs
13 inch screen vs. 11 inch
Slightly longer battery life
Pro has a better resolution though.
 
T

Tacitus_

Member
Well, I went and picked up the Samsung (there's a 30 day return guarantee). Man, Metro is godly on a touchscreen. Impressions coming after I run the recommended updates.
 
X

Xian

Neo Member
Tacitus_ said:
Opinions?
Click to expand...

I ordered one last week, got it yesterday and will return it tomorrow.

Metro stuff is fine but everything on the desktop is just painfully slow. And it just feels cheap (for ~950€ that's pretty sad, especially considering the hardware inside) and the keyboards disconnects all the fucking time.
 
J

JaggedSac

Member
Xian said:
I ordered one last week, got it yesterday and will return it tomorrow.

Metro stuff is fine but everything on the desktop is just painfully slow. And it just feels cheap (for ~950€ that's pretty sad, especially considering the hardware inside) and the keyboards disconnects all the fucking time.
Click to expand...

Interesting, that's the first impression I've heard saying it felt cheap. What was it exactly that felt cheap about it? The build material?
 
T

Tacitus_

Member
Xian said:
I ordered one last week, got it yesterday and will return it tomorrow.

Metro stuff is fine but everything on the desktop is just painfully slow. And it just feels cheap (for ~950€ that's pretty sad, especially considering the hardware inside) and the keyboards disconnects all the fucking time.
Click to expand...

Um, you talking about the Lenovo or the Samsung?
 
A

a secret-boss

Banned
Proelite said:
What's the best tablet released and unreleased for sketching? I want to pick up pencil sketching again.
Click to expand...

I can only speak of Surface Pro.
really liking it for sketching. it is tad on a heavy side for a tablet, and the pressure sensitivity is not there yet but MS and Wacom r working on it
 
D

dLMN8R

Member
OK folks, time for me to choose. I have to choose between one of the following, no other choices:

ZenBook UX31A Touch
Lenovo X1 Carbon Touch
Dell XPS 12


The Samsing ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T is another choice, but based on reviews I think I'm going to avoid that one.

Hard to choose between the ZenBook and X1. Leaning toward the X1. Especially since it essentially has a 14" screen in the size of a 13" bezel.
 
D

dLMN8R

Member
It's an amazingly solid device for sure - my coworker has one, and I currently have the x220 tablet. But the Zenbook Touch is better in some ways too, tough to choose.
 
V

Vyer

Member
I think the X1 looks great. I got this Twist free from work, but every day I wish it was the Carbon.

I have to say though, I set up an XPS 12 for a client yesterday and it looks great in person. The 'convertible' function works well and is much more solid feeling than I was expecting, but I would still have concerns about it's longevity. Still though, a very sexy machine.
 
T

Tacitus_

Member
Xian said:
Samsung Smart PC. Sorry.
Click to expand...

Mmmh. I've gotten two days on it now and while the keyboard connection is a bit flunky if it's not sitting on a stable surface, it's pretty much filling my needs otherwise. True, the performance is not the greatest compared to a Core i computer, but given that it's running an Atom processor, it's pretty good. It does everything I want from a school machine. Well, almost anything, the palm-block tech MS has been touting would've been great since I'm used to resting my palm on the paper while writing by hand.
The plastic case is a bit weird given how pricey it was, but then again I got 64GB of space, a pen and the keyboard dock for 900€ so I can't complain too much. Battery life is pretty great too, it was well on track to getting 9 hours of active screen time (and I watched loads of youtube during that with the sound going through to my bluetooth headphones).

All in all, I'm pretty satisfied.
 
Wiktor

Wiktor

Member
dLMN8R said:
OK folks, time for me to choose. I have to choose between one of the following, no other choices:

ZenBook UX31A Touch
Lenovo X1 Carbon Touch
Dell XPS 12


The Samsing ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T is another choice, but based on reviews I think I'm going to avoid that one.

Hard to choose between the ZenBook and X1. Leaning toward the X1. Especially since it essentially has a 14" screen in the size of a 13" bezel.
Click to expand...
Go for X1. Best keyboard (by far) and best built quality.
 
B

Birbo

Member
So what's the consensus on the Surface RT? My wife has a hankering for a convertable for web surfing, word processing, Quicken and light casual gaming (Plants VS Zombies). Get the impression people here don't care for the RT OS.
 
KamenSenshi

KamenSenshi

Junior Member
I love my RT, using it right now to switch between Youtube and listening to music while studying. I think the only thing that I really see people say against Windows RT, apart from the normal Windows 8 start screen stuff, is that it cant run their other stuff/not as many apps as iOS. As long as you keep those things in mind you should be fine. I've never really had the speed problems that some had at launch. Something like the Office programs like Word can take a couple seconds to launch, but it was that way on my previous desktop also so I wasn't really expecting instantaneous opening of everything.
 
T

tino

Banned
According to Chinese forum post, MS has sold total of 30k Surface RT in China (including all Sunning demo units.)
 
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