Does anyone use a Windows 8 tablet?
Discussion
Polariz said:
Yeah I've done a lot of research and from Youtube videos the pen experience has indeed got better since the replacements (Rev A02). For the price, and what I'm going to do with it, it's spot on. Though I'm not expecting great things when compared to the Surface Pro pen. I'm a network engineer so my skills in handwriting have already devolved to the point where having a dodgy pen isn't going to matter!
Surface Pro uses Wacom hardware I thinkInteresting topic as my iPad 2 is now coming up to three years old and is starting to show its age with crashing, being slow and needing a reset every so often, I have had a Windows Phone; now running 8.1, for 18m now and I love everything about it and have been tossing up between an iPad Air and a Windows tablet.
I love the fact that an iPad just works, it's easy and hassle free, I love my Windows phone however Windows tablets seem just a slightly paired down version of Windows 8 that you get on a PC and I don't like Windows 8 on a PC and I don't need or want all of that functionality on a tablet, it would be ideal if someone did a Windows tablet that was based on Windows Phone.
As for Android; no thanks.
I love the fact that an iPad just works, it's easy and hassle free, I love my Windows phone however Windows tablets seem just a slightly paired down version of Windows 8 that you get on a PC and I don't like Windows 8 on a PC and I don't need or want all of that functionality on a tablet, it would be ideal if someone did a Windows tablet that was based on Windows Phone.
As for Android; no thanks.
Oakey said:
Polariz said:
Yeah I've done a lot of research and from Youtube videos the pen experience has indeed got better since the replacements (Rev A02). For the price, and what I'm going to do with it, it's spot on. Though I'm not expecting great things when compared to the Surface Pro pen. I'm a network engineer so my skills in handwriting have already devolved to the point where having a dodgy pen isn't going to matter!
Surface Pro uses Wacom hardware I thinkHTP99 said:
Is RT the same as Windows Phone then?
Under the hood, they're different beasts. Windows Phone is an evolution of the Windows CE (ARM based) from old, and Windows RT is pretty much Windows 8 compiled for ARM with some extra fluff involved and bits removed.Project Threshold, or Windows 9, is aiming to replace the three (x86/64, ARM, RT) SKUs with one version of underlying code. At the moment it's rumoured to be called "Microsoft OneCore". The idea is that you can then write apps or programs in Visual Studio and get it to look consistent on all three platforms.
In other words, it should be good because we'll get a lot more Windows related features on a Smartphone (Plugging in an MHL monitor with keyboard and mouse into your smartphone would be nice!), and potentially an easier to use user interface on tablets taken from the smartphone UI (There's talk of ditching the desktop in RT completely once Gemini/Touch Office becomes available next year).
And as if by magic: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-28440288
Regiment said:
After using Android tablets, iPads and a Dell Windows 8 tablet, the only one I'd spend any money on is the iPad. Windows 8 is a terrible O/S to use, especially on a tablet, which is a shame as I really like Windows Mobile 8.
No, it isn't a terrible O/S to use as many people like it. 
I've had the Iconia a few days now, so here's my initial impressions...
I made the mistake of performing a system reset; being a refurb I wanted to make sure there was no malware lurking. The Acer recovery DVD is crap, it seems to have an inherent flaw which prevents it installing all the drivers as it should, and Acer support is equally crap - they want to charge me fifty quid for the newer version of the DVD, or £55 just to send the device in for them to look at! Needless to say I declined.
After much faffing about installing drivers, updates, and the all-important Windows 8.1 upgrade, I finally got to use it!
Firstly, as the reviews suggested, the screen isn't a patch on my Kindle Fire's. Nor is the sound. The camera works but the image quality is dire. All as expected, and can't complain for £140! Some places still advertise this 32Gb model for £280
However... Windows 8 and the Metro interface suddenly make a LOT more sense now I'm using it on a touchscreen device. It's pretty slick to use, generally more responsive than the Kindle, and the keyboard is far easier to type on. Chrome browser is a lot nicer to use, too. No more crappy "mobile" websites, Javascript works normally, even Flash works! Having Office included means I can do actual work on it too. And the ability to go to the desktop and manipulate files and folders in Windows knocks spots off the flaky third-party file managers we have to use in Android.
As long as I never ever have to reinstall Windows on it again, I'm pretty pleased with it. It feels more grown-up than the Androids, and as it's effectively a PC (complete with full USB support, ability to use external hard drives/DVD drives/USB sticks etc) it's infinitely more use to me than an iPad.
I made the mistake of performing a system reset; being a refurb I wanted to make sure there was no malware lurking. The Acer recovery DVD is crap, it seems to have an inherent flaw which prevents it installing all the drivers as it should, and Acer support is equally crap - they want to charge me fifty quid for the newer version of the DVD, or £55 just to send the device in for them to look at! Needless to say I declined.
After much faffing about installing drivers, updates, and the all-important Windows 8.1 upgrade, I finally got to use it!
Firstly, as the reviews suggested, the screen isn't a patch on my Kindle Fire's. Nor is the sound. The camera works but the image quality is dire. All as expected, and can't complain for £140! Some places still advertise this 32Gb model for £280
However... Windows 8 and the Metro interface suddenly make a LOT more sense now I'm using it on a touchscreen device. It's pretty slick to use, generally more responsive than the Kindle, and the keyboard is far easier to type on. Chrome browser is a lot nicer to use, too. No more crappy "mobile" websites, Javascript works normally, even Flash works! Having Office included means I can do actual work on it too. And the ability to go to the desktop and manipulate files and folders in Windows knocks spots off the flaky third-party file managers we have to use in Android.
As long as I never ever have to reinstall Windows on it again, I'm pretty pleased with it. It feels more grown-up than the Androids, and as it's effectively a PC (complete with full USB support, ability to use external hard drives/DVD drives/USB sticks etc) it's infinitely more use to me than an iPad.
Edited by Jonny_ on Wednesday 23 July 19:41
wolves_wanderer said:
Mirrors my opinions to a large extent. I would have a read up on the new system recovery options in Windows 8, the process is much simplified and improved from previous versions, makes the old fashioned re-installation a thing of the past IME.
I've ordered a cheap USB stick specifically for use as a recovery drive, so that I hopefully never have to mess about with the Acer disc again! Had a play with a Nokia 2520 yesterday in Carphone Warehouse, very impressed; from the build, right up to the smoothness of how it operates and much like my Lumia Windows Phone it makes iOS just seem so dated.
It has seriously got me thinking as my iPad 2 is 2 and a half years old and starting to show its age.
It has seriously got me thinking as my iPad 2 is 2 and a half years old and starting to show its age.
So I've now had my DV8Pro for a week or so. It really is a pretty little thing and I've been impressed with it considering it cost me £130.
Pro's/comments:
- The screen is a big winner, once you've turned off the stupid auto-dimming feature. It feels on-par with a good Android tablet in terms of viewing angles and quality - but it is a little washed out on colours compared to other more expensive panels.
- It's actually quite nippy, considering eMMC rather than SSD.
- Having an SD card slot ishandy mandatory.
- The cameras aren't bad, I suppose!
Con's/comments:
- SPACE! I have the 32GB version and after installing a few apps, running Windows update, and Office (Along with it's updates) I have 400MB free on C: ERK! I had no choice but to rob the 16GB SD card out of my spare phone and install it so I could bring down my OneDrive content so I can use the tablet effectively. I'm trying to resist removing the recovery partition as it makes recovery a far more difficult process (Speed etc).
- The pen is...not good. Considering the latest revision it does still think that the pen is against the screen (When it isn't!) meaning words look like a jumbled mess. It does seem to go away so I'm trying to figure out what the technique is (Pen down first, then palm, etc).
- I have a fault with the screen where it has a very bright white "blob" at the bottom centre of the screen. From what I've read, it's very common with the DV8P (Manufactured poorly). I'm going to put up with it as sending the tablet back to the States just for this is not necessary - it's just annoying.
- I have to use the cable that came with the tablet to charge it. Charging is pretty slow.
Otherwise, I'm pretty happy - considering I've now got lot's of little useful programs installed (a testament to the x86 arch) it's turning out to be quite the bargain!
Pro's/comments:
- The screen is a big winner, once you've turned off the stupid auto-dimming feature. It feels on-par with a good Android tablet in terms of viewing angles and quality - but it is a little washed out on colours compared to other more expensive panels.
- It's actually quite nippy, considering eMMC rather than SSD.
- Having an SD card slot is
- The cameras aren't bad, I suppose!
Con's/comments:
- SPACE! I have the 32GB version and after installing a few apps, running Windows update, and Office (Along with it's updates) I have 400MB free on C: ERK! I had no choice but to rob the 16GB SD card out of my spare phone and install it so I could bring down my OneDrive content so I can use the tablet effectively. I'm trying to resist removing the recovery partition as it makes recovery a far more difficult process (Speed etc).
- The pen is...not good. Considering the latest revision it does still think that the pen is against the screen (When it isn't!) meaning words look like a jumbled mess. It does seem to go away so I'm trying to figure out what the technique is (Pen down first, then palm, etc).
- I have a fault with the screen where it has a very bright white "blob" at the bottom centre of the screen. From what I've read, it's very common with the DV8P (Manufactured poorly). I'm going to put up with it as sending the tablet back to the States just for this is not necessary - it's just annoying.
- I have to use the cable that came with the tablet to charge it. Charging is pretty slow.
Otherwise, I'm pretty happy - considering I've now got lot's of little useful programs installed (a testament to the x86 arch) it's turning out to be quite the bargain!
I have a Lenovo Ideatab running 8.1. My wife actually bought it for my daughter to use but my daughter didn't get on with it as she really wanted a smaller Android tablet. Luckily for me my daughter then bought herself a Hudl and I inherited the Lenovo.
I really didn't like the UI at first but once I had done some customisation of the 'charms' and got used to switching between the desktop and the charms screen I really started to like it. Now I sit on the bus on my daily commute connected to the free wifi, watching a video on one half of the screen while checking my emails or reading PH or my news feed on the other half. The Ideatab has a separate keyboard you can plug in to get a laptop with twice the battery life.
The only downside so far is the lack of apps. I watch a lot of video podcasts and tried all the main podcast apps and none of them were much good so now I download the videos off Youtube (Youtube is blocked on the buses wifi) and watch them on the built-in video player. Any other apps I need I still have on my phone.
If you can't get on with the charms you can stick to the desktop and then you've pretty much got a Windows 7 interface. What's not to like?
I really didn't like the UI at first but once I had done some customisation of the 'charms' and got used to switching between the desktop and the charms screen I really started to like it. Now I sit on the bus on my daily commute connected to the free wifi, watching a video on one half of the screen while checking my emails or reading PH or my news feed on the other half. The Ideatab has a separate keyboard you can plug in to get a laptop with twice the battery life.
The only downside so far is the lack of apps. I watch a lot of video podcasts and tried all the main podcast apps and none of them were much good so now I download the videos off Youtube (Youtube is blocked on the buses wifi) and watch them on the built-in video player. Any other apps I need I still have on my phone.
If you can't get on with the charms you can stick to the desktop and then you've pretty much got a Windows 7 interface. What's not to like?
Multitasking,!
I hadn't realised just how crap Androids and is
te are at this!
On the bargain Acer I can listen to music on Youtube while perusing t'interweb, or using Excel, etc. Just like a real computer!
Oh, and it'll run an ancient Spectrum emulator which was designed for Windows 95 by the look of it, and run it in a window so I can use the bottom half of the screen, in portrait orientation, for the keyboard. Brilliant
I hadn't realised just how crap Androids and is
te are at this!On the bargain Acer I can listen to music on Youtube while perusing t'interweb, or using Excel, etc. Just like a real computer!
Oh, and it'll run an ancient Spectrum emulator which was designed for Windows 95 by the look of it, and run it in a window so I can use the bottom half of the screen, in portrait orientation, for the keyboard. Brilliant
Jonny_ said:
Multitasking,!
I hadn't realised just how crap Androids and iste are at this!
On the bargain Acer I can listen to music on Youtube while perusing t'interweb, or using Excel, etc. Just like a real computer!
Oh, and it'll run an ancient Spectrum emulator which was designed for Windows 95 by the look of it, and run it in a window so I can use the bottom half of the screen, in portrait orientation, for the keyboard. Brilliant
I had forgotten how good I found this when I first started using mine. It really is a great feature, aka Windows I hadn't realised just how crap Androids and is
te are at this!On the bargain Acer I can listen to music on Youtube while perusing t'interweb, or using Excel, etc. Just like a real computer!
Oh, and it'll run an ancient Spectrum emulator which was designed for Windows 95 by the look of it, and run it in a window so I can use the bottom half of the screen, in portrait orientation, for the keyboard. Brilliant
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