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

Shogmaster said:
LOL, I have a ban bet with someone who think Surface Pro will be less than $800. I told them it will be $1200. That was few months ago.

No 700T out in the wild yet so no reviews. I personally think 700T will be better art machine than Surface Pro because of the bigger screen size. 10" is too small. 11.6" is better.
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When's the 700T release? I'm not really looking for something for art, and the Surface is big enough as it is - I think I'd much prefer the smaller tablet but I like trying stuff out so if they sell it at the MS Store with a reasonable return policy maybe I'll just check it out.

I'm hoping the Surface Pro launches at $999 but I'm expecting $1200
 
Just seen one retailer over here saying stock on the 700t available week commencing the 5th, but they are also only listing a 64gb SSD option...guessing that's all you'll get for $1200
 
Shogmaster said:
$1200 does not include keyboard dock. Stop fooling yourselves...
Click to expand...
I'm not sure how it'll be in the NA but, in the UK, Trusted Reviews says the entry level will include the keyboard dock:
  • The regular Wi-Fi-only, Windows 8 consumer model will cost £999 and comes with the keyboard dock as standard.
  • The basic Wi-Fi-only business model with Windows 8 Pro will also set you back £999
  • The all-singing Win 8 Pro 3G model drops the keyboard but will cost you £1,049
Click to expand...
 
I did have a chance to get out this weekend and play with a few of the devices available at Best Buy and Staples. I didn't get to test any games as they require you to sign in to download them from the Windows Store.

Samsung Slate 5 (Staples): Overall I was very impressed with the performance. Moving around the OS was fluid and snappy. When in Desktop mode, the pen is a godsend. It worked very well there and I found myself even preferring to use the pen when in Metro mode. They didn't have any in stock yet and have the price marked down $50. I would have strongly considered picking it up if it weren't for the fact that the outer shell is mostly made of plastic. For some people that is fine but it turned me off enough not to purchase.

Lenova Thinkpad Twist (Staples): After I had enough of the Samsung I moved over to the Thinkpad. I was very impressed with this device as a whole. Twisting and bending the screen into its various forms was a breeze. The touch screen was responsive and as a whole everything felt nice. The only thing that I noticed that could be a problem is when in tablet mode the device just feels too big/heavy to be an actual tablet. As a consumer I have very little interest in purchasing this device, however, I would absolutely love to have one at work. This would be a very good device for project managers and people who spend quite a bit of time in meetings.

Lenova Yoga (Best Buy): This experience was very similar to the Thinkpad however I felt like this device was the lesser of two form factor wise. It just looked odd opening the screen 220 degrees and then flipping it upside down to sit on a table like a tee-pee. This might just be a personal thing but I liked they way the thinkpad twisted much better. The twist seemed more conducive to the business/meeting environment.

Asus Vivo Tab (Best Buy): There really isn't much to say about it. The UI was snappy and responsive but I feel at the price point you might as well just get a Surface.

Note: Best Buy and Staples both had plenty of traditional laptops and desktops with Windows 8 on display. I would say for every 1 Windows 7 device on display there were 5-7 Windows 8 devices on display.

All in all, with not being able to visit a Microsoft Store, I'd say my weekend searching for a new Windows 8 touch device was quite disappointing. The lack of selection and availability information was probably the biggest downer.

If I could classify the search in one word it would be, "Confusing".
 
barkers crest said:
The lack of selection and availability information was probably the biggest downer.
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welcome to the world of windows pcs at retail. I have never seen a good selection at retail. I'm sure that is one of the many reasons microsoft started building their own stores.
 
Windu said:
welcome to the world of windows pcs at retail. I have never seen a good selection at retail. I'm sure that is one of the many reasons microsoft started building their own stores.
Click to expand...

Yeah, for the past ten years I've just purchased online and had no need to go into stores so I wouldn't know any better.

The best part of the search is how stupid you look jamming your hand on a laptops screen just to find out it is not a touch screen. Then you look around to make sure no one saw.
 
Shogmaster said:
Newegg 700T page mentions nothing about keyboard dock for it's $1200 listed price. The 500T box didm't have keyboard dock either.
Click to expand...

The Amazon page prominently displays the dock (although it also says nothing about it's inclusion). I don't want that option either as my ears perked at the mention of a model with 4G and Windows 8 Pro. I can't even find the dock as a separate item to order though :(
 
the amazon page has this in the description at least:

"Included keyboard and dock let you quickly and easily connect to an external monitor, MP3 player, camera and other USB devices"
 
Picked up the Yoga 13, and love this thing. Love the form factor, it almost seems ingenious.

Threw on Classic Shell and I have this thing behaving like I want it to. This is an ultrabook first, but the tablet side of this is brilliant. It's not too thick, and it's really not that bad for weight. The swivel feature allows you to adjust from ultrabook, to tablet, to in between where it feels like this has it's own stand (keys facing table).

Highly addictive experience.
 
everthustodeadbeats said:
Picked up the Yoga 13, and love this thing. Love the form factor, it almost seems ingenious.

Threw on Classic Shell and I have this thing behaving like I want it to. This is an ultrabook first, but the tablet side of this is brilliant. It's not too thick, and it's really not that bad for weight. The swivel feature allows you to adjust from ultrabook, to tablet, to in between where it feels like this has it's own stand (keys facing table).

Highly addictive experience.
Click to expand...

Nice, how much was it? :)
 
I almost jumped on the Yoga Pad 13" but they went with a 1600x900 for screen resolution and I just can't help but think that's going to be an issue as apps start coming out because it's pretty much the only device running is so no one will test for it.

Other than that though I think it's the best convertible solution, I don't trust the swivel mechanisms.
 
Ghost said:
I almost jumped on the Yoga Pad 13" but they went with a 1600x900 for screen resolution and I just can't help but think that's going to be an issue as apps start coming out because it's pretty much the only device running is so no one will test for it.

Other than that though I think it's the best convertible solution, I don't trust the swivel mechanisms.
Click to expand...

I don't think that's a big issue. There are tons of notebooks with 1600x900, so it's not really a niche resolution.
Windows comes on so many different resolutions and screen sizes. I don't think people will hard-code their apps for a specific one.
 
Someone at work ordered the vaio with the windows 8 on it and I got to play with it some yesterday. She asked the IT guy to install our version of office on it so he plugged in the usb stick to throw it over.

It took 3 people, who have spent their whole lives on computers, literally 3 minutes just to get to the explorer window to look at what was on the drive.

Call us dumb if you want, but man this is a mess. I have never run into something less intuitive.
 
SteveWinwood said:
Call us dumb if you want, but man this is a mess. I have never run into something less intuitive.
Click to expand...
nah i'll call you blind. How did you miss the massive tile called desktop? Also you are in IT, why havent you installed Windows 8? You might want to learn about it.
 
Jadedx said:
Your IT guys should be fired.

1. for removing explorer.
2. for not knowing that typing c:/ in internet explorer will open up a file explorer window.
Click to expand...

I said IT, but I guess he's more the guy who has free time who knows computers well enough that people come and bitch at him until he fixes shit.
 
everthustodeadbeats said:
Picked up the Yoga 13, and love this thing. Love the form factor, it almost seems ingenious.

Threw on Classic Shell and I have this thing behaving like I want it to. This is an ultrabook first, but the tablet side of this is brilliant. It's not too thick, and it's really not that bad for weight. The swivel feature allows you to adjust from ultrabook, to tablet, to in between where it feels like this has it's own stand (keys facing table).

Highly addictive experience.
Click to expand...

Is the keyboard intrusive in tablet mode?

Had a high interest in this ever since they first shown it.
 
So I'm pretty excited about having a PC as my tablet (was considering an ipad2 to ipad 4 upgrade) - looks like its worth waiting a bit and then jumping in when prices settle.
 
keyboard isn't obtrusive at all on the Yoga. Screen is nice. Higher res than my 2011 macbook pro (I think). And it all fits together.

Price was 999 at best buy. Biggest complaint is it is filled with bloatware. so the 128gig is not what it seems. I haven't started removing things yet as I was just trying to get my head around Windows 8. I think I've got it now.

Favorite position is 'stand' position, keys to the lap, and the monitor tilted toward you. It's a beautiful ultrabook as well. Nice aluminum on the outside and a nice black finish surrounding the keyboard. It moves fast enough as it is i5 and comes with 4gb.

I didn't like Win8 on my older laptop, getting around without touch is a chore with just a touchpad, but I think I'm keeping the Yoga, unless something comes along that makes me take it back.
 
everthustodeadbeats said:
keyboard isn't obtrusive at all on the Yoga. Screen is nice. Higher res than my 2011 macbook pro (I think). And it all fits together.

Price was 999 at best buy. Biggest complaint is it is filled with bloatware. so the 128gig is not what it seems. I haven't started removing things yet as I was just trying to get my head around Windows 8. I think I've got it now.

Favorite position is 'stand' position, keys to the lap, and the monitor tilted toward you. It's a beautiful ultrabook as well. Nice aluminum on the outside and a nice black finish surrounding the keyboard. It moves fast enough as it is i5 and comes with 4gb.

I didn't like Win8 on my older laptop, getting around without touch is a chore with just a touchpad, but I think I'm keeping the Yoga, unless something comes along that makes me take it back.
Click to expand...
you can probably use the reset feature to reinstall the os and remove the oem stuff.
 
I was totally set on buying a Win 8 tab, now I'm not too sure. I have Win 8 on my laptop and mostly spend my time in the desktop view as there are utter lack of any useful metro applications at this point.

Now I'm thinking of just getting the Nexus 10.
 
Magic Ovaries said:
I was totally set on buying a Win 8 tab, now I'm not too sure. I have Win 8 on my laptop and mostly spend my time in the desktop view as there are utter lack of any useful metro applications at this point.

Now I'm thinking of just getting the Nexus 10.
Click to expand...

Depends on how much of a PC you want it to be. Personally I love the PC-ness of Windows 8 tablets that work with printers and cameras and usb sticks...

I'm still rather confident that Windows 8 will get lots of apps soon. Unlike on Android all those apps will be made for tablets and not phones. I'm not sure how many tablet apps there are on Android and especially how many of those can really handle the 2560x1600 resolution of the Nexus 10.
 
Magic Ovaries said:
I was totally set on buying a Win 8 tab, now I'm not too sure. I have Win 8 on my laptop and mostly spend my time in the desktop view as there are utter lack of any useful metro applications at this point.

Now I'm thinking of just getting the Nexus 10.
Click to expand...
but with windows 8 you can have a tablet and your normal windows laptop in one. that is the big thing about the OS. Hybrid Devices.
 
SteveWinwood said:
It took 3 people, who have spent their whole lives on computers, literally 3 minutes just to get to the explorer window to look at what was on the drive.
Click to expand...

Something obviously went screwy with the system not picking up the usb stick.

IT people know that win+E opens explorer and the shortcut works on both xp,7 and 8

even if they couldn't find the button I don't believe there wasn't a small tech hiccup preventing standard usb access. USB access is normal and win 8 will present you with it when you plug it in.

Isnt that how it's always been? Most computers I used had only recycle bin when launched and I've always had to make my computer shortcut manually.
Click to expand...

right click desktop 'personalize' then 'change desktop icons' you can turn on 'computer' 'network' 'user files' 'control panel' and 'recycle bin' from win7. It's been similar in XP as well but I don't remember location. I think it's similar in 8 but can't check.
 
I couldn't believe how awful the HDD utilization of the Yoga was. First, it's split into two user-facing partitions. Why? Windows 8 doesn't support multiple drives for installing apps, and you have to manually configure libraries to look in multiple locations if you want to. The second partition is small, so what's the point?

Then there's the fact that those two existing partitions barely reach 70GB total. Where the hell did the rest go? Some massive recovery partition filled with gobs of bloatware? Something else?


Yuck. That alone made me avoid it.
 
Shogmaster said:
Newegg 700T page mentions nothing about keyboard dock for it's $1200 listed price. The 500T box didm't have keyboard dock either.
Click to expand...

The $749 listing for the 500T at Newegg for some reason doesn't list the keyboard dock as included(even though we know it comes with one). I believe this could be the same case for the 700T at Newegg.

On the 700T product page at Amazon the keyboard dock is listed as included in the product description. Amazon also has it clearly listed which version of the 500T is just the tablet.

It gets a little harder trying to figure out going off of Samsung's own listings. The original listing I believe stated the dock was included. The problem is they have four listings for the 700T now and all four appear near identical. Three are listed at $1,199 and one is listed at $1,929.

One of the $1,199 listings clearly states the keyboard dock is included. The other two $1,199 doesn't make it clear one way or the other and for some reason the only one that states the dock is sold separate is the $1,929 listing.

Going off the four listings for the 500T (3 models at $749 and 1 model at $699) I believe the three $1,199 listings for the 700T are for different colors(black, white, silver) and that all three included the keyboard dock. I have no idea what the listing for the $1,929 (likely not anywhere near the actual price) model is for.
 
maeh2k said:
Depends on how much of a PC you want it to be. Personally I love the PC-ness of Windows 8 tablets that work with printers and cameras and usb sticks...

I'm still rather confident that Windows 8 will get lots of apps soon. Unlike on Android all those apps will be made for tablets and not phones. I'm not sure how many tablet apps there are on Android and especially how many of those can really handle the 2560x1600 resolution of the Nexus 10.
Click to expand...

that resolution feels wasted on a Android Tablet tbh

as much as I love android

given that resolution I would much rather just run full on Windows 8 X64 Pro OS instead of dicking around with silly apps and run fucking grown up EXEs/programs and basically do w/e the fuck I want on it.
 
Yoga 13 owners: how's the fan noise on this thing? There're some complaints in the Lenovo forums about it and it seems you can hear the fans spin up the moment you power the laptop up.
 
Alright so what's the deal with Win 8 Atom tabs? Why can I not buy any from Bestbuy or Amazon...MS was yapping how these tablets will be released with Windows 8, we got two tablets: one that's only sold online and another that's made by Asus and is $600...and both are RT.
 
Magic Ovaries said:
Alright so what's the deal with Win 8 Atom tabs? Why can I not buy any from Bestbuy or Amazon...MS was yapping how these tablets will be released with Windows 8, we got two tablets: one that's only sold online and another that's made by Asus and is $600...and both are RT.
Click to expand...
yeah very annoying. I have been waiting for reviews of at least one, but I haven't seen any.
 
My wife just bought the Acer Aspire S7 from a Microsoft store - the $1300 model. The thing is fucking gorgeous, light, powerful, fast, and has an amazing screen!

It's the first time she's really used Windows 8, and absolutely loves it. Even on the laptop she's mostly using the touch screen, and can't get enough of it!

It's a pricey machine, but if you can afford it, I highly recommend it. Especially from the Microsoft Store, since it doesn't come with any bloatware at all.
 
Magic Ovaries said:
Alright so what's the deal with Win 8 Atom tabs? Why can I not buy any from Bestbuy or Amazon...MS was yapping how these tablets will be released with Windows 8, we got two tablets: one that's only sold online and another that's made by Asus and is $600...and both are RT.
Click to expand...


You can buy the Samsung from Staples. The others are not available.
 
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