The Windows 8.1 tablets: so little to talk about, we just argue about Apple all day

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > The Windows 8.1 tablets: so little to talk about, we just argue about Apple all day

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Those 8" tablets look awesome--I'm a huge fan of the 8" form factor. 10" is just too big. I'm surprised there's such a big difference in weight between the tablets, though, given they all have basically the same spec.s

# ¿ Oct 18, 2013 03:04

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# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 13:04

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Zarfol posted:

Got my Surface Pro 2 yesterday at Midnight from the launch party and got a type cover 2 as well. So here are my thoughts after one day.

Good:
-Battery seems pretty decent. I used it for about 5 hours, surfing the web, ETC. Still showed 2 hours left.
-Windows 8 is 10x better with a touchscreen than with a mouse. Seems to be running smooth. Boots up very quickly.
-Speakers are pretty loud for a device this size.
-Digitizer Pen is very nice.
-Screen seems to be great quality.
- Definitely feels like a top notch product. Doesn't feel cheap or flimsy. Not sure if I'd want to drop it or anything though.

Bad:
-Pen attached to the magnetic battery slot. Got loose when I put it in my bag.
-Type Cover 2 doesn't have actual keys for the mouse buttons.
-Slightly heavy to hold in one hand in tablet mode.
-Only one USB port.
-Gets lukewarm. Not uncomfortable though.

Was it worth one grand? Still not sure yet. For what I wanted to use it for, I probably could have saved a bit of cash and gotten a bay trail atom windows 8.1 tablet. Although I'm going to go buy Civ 5 and I might change my mind after installing it.

E: As cool at the side by side window pinning and everything is, I can't really see myself using it, ever. Especially not on a 10.6 screen. Unless it's something like Skype or instant messaging.

Yeah, I think I'd feel the same way--I am all about Windows 8 tablets with decent battery life, I want one way more than any other option, but I don't need a lot of horsepower. I wish there was a Bay Trail Surface, but I guess that would make the Surface 2 completely unattractive. I am looking at the Asus T100 though.

# ¿ Oct 23, 2013 03:43

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

IuniusBrutus posted:

I have a terrible usage case for a Windows 8 tablet: I really want to load up my old-rear end copies of Civilization II, Baldur's Gate, and other classics. I guess it would be cool to edit spreadsheets and papers and poo poo on it too. Will one of these $300 8" tablets do the trick?

They should be able to handle those games, but 8" is proabbly too small to actually enjoy the experience (especially with something text heavy like Baldur's Gate). Might be worth looking into the 10-11" ones, though.

# ¿ Oct 24, 2013 03:07

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

I'm grabbing one, too! I couldn't resist, it's getting here Monday. It seems like a much better fit for me than an iOS or Android tablet could ever be. I'll also post my impressions, since people seem interested.

Protocol7 posted:

I'd be interested to know if they got rid of the lovely plastic that existed on the TF600 and if they finally stopped having quality control issues with their build quality and screen construction.

I wouldn't be too optimistic, I've heard the back is pretty plasticky and not aesthetically appealing.

waffle fucked around with this message at 01:53 on Oct 26, 2013

# ¿ Oct 26, 2013 01:49

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

MobMentality posted:

It's a battery life + storage thing for me mostly due to work. I don't think there's any harm paying less for an RT device when I only want the RT capabilities.

Well, the battery life on the new Bay Trail tablet rivals the RT tablets nowadays (10-12hrs), and as far as I know, WinRT takes up the better part of 32GB, too. I mean, if RT works fine it works fine, but for 95% of people, I wouldn't suggest a RT tablet because I think RT's days are numbered--I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't a Surface 3 (unless Microsoft feels like throwing away more money).

# ¿ Oct 27, 2013 15:51

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Lolcano Eruption posted:

I might be dreaming, but the Surface 3 could be a full Win 8.1 tablet using Bay Trail. Just imagine if the Surface 2 used Bay Trail; it would actually be a good product.

That's exactly what I want. The current batch of Bay Trail tablets look good but don't have the Surface aesthetics. I think, "man, the Surface Pro is more than I want to spend, but the Surface is RT. Why doesn't MS make a Bay Trail tablet that's ~$400?" Then I realize it's because they'd destroy any chance of ever selling another RT tablet.

# ¿ Oct 27, 2013 16:14

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

signalnoise posted:

What do I gotta do to tabletify the poo poo out of a convertible 8.1 laptop? I have an XPS12. I also have a Nexus 10 because I am an idiot consumer baby. I am finding myself split between wanting to use my tablet for tablet stuff and my laptop for laptop stuff, when I have a laptop that is also a tablet. What do I gotta do to make tablet mode actually feel like a tablet instead of an awkward laptop without a keyboard? Is that what the windows tablet experience is?

I think that entire segment of tablet/laptop hybrids is just too heavy to use as a tablet. I think the Yoga gets the closest, but I couldn't fathom using even that as a tablet.

# ¿ Oct 28, 2013 01:56

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Well, got the T100 today. I'm really happy with it. It's got a plasticky back but it's really not any worse than the Transformer TF300--it's not very nice, but it's not a huge problem, feel plenty sturdy, etc.

A few notes:

The screen is pretty good. It's obviously not nearly as good as the N7, but it seems to have a pretty good contrast, and generally looks good. The glass doesn't feel like Gorilla Glass... though I'm not too worried about scratches since it'll stay docked a lot of the time.

The battery life is fantastic. Pretty sure this thing will clear 8 hours easily, even with heavy usage. That said, it charges really slowly--I've charged it 2 hours so far and it's just above 50%.

The keyboard is pretty good, too. It's definitely usable for pretty long writing sessions without being annoying. The trackpad is terrible though, I'd plan to get a mouse to use with it.

Overall, it's a great productivity device. It's plenty speedy, I haven't noticed any slowdown, though I haven't tried it for gaming. It's an easy recommendation over any Android or iOS devices for anyone who needs it for work, I think. I would definitely say it doesn't really feel like a "premium" device, though, as opposed to the N7, iPad, or Surface.

Also, I got the 64GB version, which yields about 36GB free. The 32GB version must have no space whatsoever...

waffle fucked around with this message at 01:48 on Oct 29, 2013

# ¿ Oct 29, 2013 01:35

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

rcman50166 posted:

I keep reading that the keyboard is terribly cramped. What are you basing "good" off of? Honest question.

It's more cramped than most normal sized laptops for sure, but I think it's unlikely to affect most peoples' ability to type after a brief acclimation period. It's really just a function of it being 10"--if you could handle netbook keyboards (which was my standard here), you can handle this. Granted, plenty of people hated netbook keyboards--if you're one of them, you'll hate this, but I don't think it's any worse than that, really.

If I had to pinpoint the reason why it feels cramped to people, it's not the width of the keys, it's the height. The width feels pretty normal, though small, but they do feel a bit small going up and down.

I do have small hands though, so if you're worried about it, it's worth testing out any of the Asus Transformer series first (this keyboard is very similar to those).

waffle fucked around with this message at 02:19 on Oct 29, 2013

# ¿ Oct 29, 2013 02:14

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

culdesac posted:

Thanks. Meh I'll just spring for the 64GB if I decide to get it.

Yeah. I think the 32GB can work if you aren't using it for gaming and don't need much more than Office and Dropbox and some other apps, but I can't imagine you can fit more than one or two games on the 32GB without having to resort to the microSD (which apparently sticks out a bit, so that is pretty annoying)

# ¿ Oct 29, 2013 18:17

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Wiseblood posted:

Where did you see that? The slot has a cover on it that according to the manual you put back on after a card is inserted.

Oh, I haven't actually tried it, I was just going off of what Swiller of Beer said a few posts ago.

Edit: oh my bad too, I thought we were talking about the T100 too.

# ¿ Oct 29, 2013 21:15

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Yeah, getting the included office is also weird on the T100. If I hadn't known for sure it was supposed to come with a free copy of Office, I wouldn't have looked around and found the slip of paper with the CD key.

# ¿ Nov 3, 2013 04:41

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Ixian posted:

How much space does Windows, etc take up on the T100? Best Buy has the 32gb version in for $350 - I was planning on using it as an easy, portable XBMC machine for trips meaning I was going to pair it with an external hdd anyway, but I'm curious how little on-board space would remain.

Probably avoid using the microSD card since I hear it sticks out?

Edit: I'm reading that with Office installed there's about 12gb left, if anyone else needs to know.

Going to check one out tomorrow. Does the microSD card stick out a lot? Since you can install apps on it a 64gb one would be handy but I'd worry about it getting caught in my bag, etc.

My 64GB T100 came with ~36GB free when I first turned it on (implying ~5GB on the 32GB model), so I would be a little surprised if there were 12GB free. Maybe they install less on the 32GB one, but if you're checking one out in person, I'd definitely take a look for myself.

edit: Ahh, looks like the 32GB model has 8GB tucked away in a hidden partition for recovery.

waffle fucked around with this message at 06:00 on Nov 11, 2013

# ¿ Nov 11, 2013 05:58

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Stick100 posted:

Trip report from trying the T100 and the Surface/Pro. The new type covers feel really nice and I could actually see using one and not being annoyed. However the T100 keyboard felt incribly cramped and I would find it very hard to use. After using both I understand why MS went with that very odd aspect ratio for the surface models, it makes for much better pairing with a keyboard, but a worse portrait device. If I was planning on using a keyboard/cover more than 50% I'd suggest a surface, if less than 50% the T100 would be a fine device.

It's too bad because the T100 on paper seems like my ideal device, all it really needs is some way to spread the keys out a little more. (Maybe a dock that's wider than the tablet?)

I compared the T100 with an old netbook I have, and it actually is a little wider than the netbook keyboard (which, while still a bit cramped, is better than the T100 keyboard). The big difference, though, is that the netbook keys were much larger vertically, so I think it would be a lot more comfortable if the keys were just spaced out more vertically. Still works fine for me, but I have small hands, so I can see how it could be pretty uncomfortable for others.

Also, I haven't run into any issues with 2GB RAM myself. Win8 seems to use less RAM than win 7.

# ¿ Nov 11, 2013 18:39

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Yeah, "build quality" can be a misleading thing too. I mean, unless you actually go and comprehensively test the item for durability, I've had several pieces of electronics with nice feeling "build quality" fall apart on me after a year or two.

# ¿ Nov 20, 2013 07:01

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Gozinbulx posted:

Hows the T100 vs the T300?

Do you mean the TF300? That's android and is also pretty old and very slow by this point.

# ¿ Dec 19, 2013 19:55

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

So I got a Venue 8 Pro, and while it's much nicer for getting work done in transit than my old Nexus 7, it's annoyingly crappy at recording taps vs. click and drag. It seems to think if I move my finger at all while trying to tap, I'm actually clicking and dragging. Is this a V8P thing or a Windows 8.1 thing?

# ¿ Mar 4, 2014 22:27

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Broken Loose posted:

It's definitely not a Windows thing; I've never experienced a problem like that at all in the year I've had my Surface Pro.

Yeah, I installed the firmware update and that improved it quite a bit. It's not perfect, but it's definitely better than before.

# ¿ Mar 6, 2014 00:36

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Yeah the V8P is good if you need windows-specific or desktop-like functionality but if you don't then Android or iOS is almost certainly a better pick.

# ¿ Mar 16, 2014 15:54

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

What games have you all been playing that have worked well on a touchscreen? I'm not looking for anything new, but I was hoping that ScummVM would work well with a touch interface, and it sounds like it doesn't

# ¿ Mar 26, 2014 01:45

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Yeah, it depends a bit on how you use it--if it's a full blown laptop replacement then 128GB is probably the way to go, but I have a V8P 64GB and I still have about 25GB free after a couple of months, because I mostly use it like a tablet, while using it occasionally for light programming. Honestly I think I could have gone with the 32GB V8P, but at least now I never have to worry about it.

# ¿ Apr 2, 2014 19:07

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

KingSlime posted:

That's definitely out of my budget. Really, I only use my laptop in class/during meetings and I'd say my work is split 30/70 with most of it being done on my desktop so even if not optimal, I could get by I think.

That said, I don't want to be kicking myself with regret down the line if it turns out using office on an 8'' screen really sucks so I figured I'd gauge others' impressions.

Definitely something to consider. With an extra 2'' and an included keyboard, the higher price on the T100 isn't as much of a drawback because I'd still have to spend $ to get a keyboard on the Dell. Aesthetically, I like the Dell more though that may just be me being silly.

If you don't plan to get an external mouse, I would strongly recommend you try out the T100 before you buy it. It is a fairly nice tablet but its mouse touchpad is complete poo poo. Clicking is completely awful on it. That said, you can solve that issue entirely by using a bluetooth mouse.

I'd also just look at some of the cheap thin laptops that are coming out nowadays. I think Asus makes some Win8 laptops that are pretty small and in the $300-400 range--though, this is only really an issue if power and RAM are an issue, the main advantage over these laptops over the T100 will be power. For most tasks the T100 is plenty powerful enough but it's worth noting that it only has 2GB RAM.

waffle fucked around with this message at 04:22 on Apr 15, 2014

# ¿ Apr 15, 2014 04:19

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Are there even any new processors to stick in a supposed SP3? Haswell hasn't been out that long. I do suspect a mini Surface might be the star of the show. I would be a little surprised to see an SP3, personally.

# ¿ May 6, 2014 17:07

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Is the DV8P stylus so bad that it isn't a good mouse replacement? I don't plan to write anything with the stylus but it would be nice to use it for more precise mouse control on the desktop.

# ¿ May 14, 2014 17:52

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Clark Nova posted:

Most people seem to be really disappointed with the stylus, to the point where I haven't even bothered getting one myself. For mousing around the desktop, TouchMousePointer is free and works great.

Oh, good point, I forgot those exist. Yeah, if I'm going to pay $35 for a stylus it better be pretty flawless as a mouse replacement, so I'll probably pass on the stylus then.

# ¿ May 14, 2014 19:24

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Boy, that's the opposite of what I was hoping for. The SP2 is great but is too large and heavy--sounds like this is thinner, but I'd bet it ends up heavier at the end of the day

edit: That aspect ratio change is nice, though.

# ¿ May 20, 2014 16:24

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

^^^ Got me, Microsoft Guy

bull3964 posted:

Actually, it appears it may be 100 grams lighter than the Pro 2

Yeah, I'm glad to be wrong. I'll still be waiting for a Surface Mini, but it sounds like the change in aspect ratio and lighter overall weight might actually make this feel better in-hand than the SP2, despite being larger.

waffle fucked around with this message at 16:29 on May 20, 2014

# ¿ May 20, 2014 16:26

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

This seems like a good product to ensure there's a lot of cheap used SP2s on the market soon.

# ¿ May 20, 2014 16:41

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

So it's over, right? Maybe the lack of a Surface 3 means they're going to get rid of RT by the time the next iteration comes out.

# ¿ May 20, 2014 17:09

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# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 13:04

waffle: May 12, 2001; HEH

Yeah, I really wanted to want the Iconia W3 when it came out since it was the only one out, but I tried it and it is loving horrible. That screen is the worst I have ever seen in a tablet by far. The processor is really loving slow--much slower than the Bay Trail tablets. Everything about the W3 is just really bad, there is nothing that makes it even marginally attractive relative to the newer Bay Trail tablets.

The W4 is actually out and does solve the issues of the W3 (they pushed the W4 out pretty fast because of how universally panned the W3 was), and yeah, I don't know what you'd be able to get a Dell V8P for, but that is definitely a much better tablet (I have one of them, too). I haven't played around with a W4, but I suspect it's pretty much the same as the V8P.

# ¿ Jun 4, 2014 17:23

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > The Windows 8.1 tablets: so little to talk about, we just argue about Apple all day