I am a graphic artist who has been using a Wacom tablet for the last 20 years. I can't STAND using my computer any other way (at least for real work). The touchpad is okay for general surfing and it's great in conjunction with the tablet but for my real work, there's no other way of doing it. For my full blown work I use a Mac but for all my portable devices, I like Android. All my smartphones have been Android but I've not gotten a tablet yet because I really haven't seen one that works for what I would really want a tablet for, which is being able to do my job on the go effectively. Sure the Galaxy Note tablets are a good step in that direction but from all the stuff I've seen it's not really a "pro" level device.
In an ideal world (speaking as a designer) Apple would create a Macbook tablet with a wacom digitizer but I really doubt that will EVER happen. A tablet running a full blown OS X, not an iPad. They even have a patent for a tablet that docks into an "iMac" style housing and becomes a full system and then slides out to be a fully functional, stand alone tablet system but they've never done anything with it. THAT would be MY holy grail. BUT, until they do, I guess the best option is the Cintiq Companion Hybrid. I LOATHE WINDOWS so going to the regular companion isn't an option, that leaves the Hybrid.
When I saw the announcement of the Wacom Cintiq Companion Hybrid, I really like the concept but I'm wondering how good it really is. The cost SEEMS outrageous but when you look at it as a fully functional Cintiq to use WITH my Mac and then it pulls off to be a self contained portable studio, then it is a LITTLE more reasonable. I've seen reviews of it as a Cintiq and everything I've seen says it's a great tablet for use with a Mac and the other parts of the reviews say the portable software that comes with it is good and the other high-end portable software seems to be a good analog to what it would be transferred to on the Mac. That leaves the last question, how good is it as a stand-alone tablet?
That's what I'm wondering now, if I intend on investing the kind of money they are asking, I want to know if the rest of the Android Tablet part of it is really good as well. It comes with 4.2.2 but none of the reviewers have detailed anything about the day to day use of it. Most are completely unfamiliar with the Android OS anyway. They are mostly Apple-heads and only use iPhones and iPads when not using their Macs. I'm wondering when we will see ANDROID reviewers review it. I know it's a very odd category but I don't want to get a GREAT expensive Wacom tablet that is abismal as an Android tablet as well. Has anyone around here gotten thier hands on one? If so, what do you think?
powerplaygraphix said:
I am a graphic artist who has been using a Wacom tablet for the last 20 years. I can't STAND using my computer any other way (at least for real work). The touchpad is okay for general surfing and it's great in conjunction with the tablet but for my real work, there's no other way of doing it. For my full blown work I use a Mac but for all my portable devices, I like Android. All my smartphones have been Android but I've not gotten a tablet yet because I really haven't seen one that works for what I would really want a tablet for, which is being able to do my job on the go effectively. Sure the Galaxy Note tablets are a good step in that direction but from all the stuff I've seen it's not really a "pro" level device.
In an ideal world (speaking as a designer) Apple would create a Macbook tablet with a wacom digitizer but I really doubt that will EVER happen. A tablet running a full blown OS X, not an iPad. They even have a patent for a tablet that docks into an "iMac" style housing and becomes a full system and then slides out to be a fully functional, stand alone tablet system but they've never done anything with it. THAT would be MY holy grail. BUT, until they do, I guess the best option is the Cintiq Companion Hybrid. I LOATHE WINDOWS so going to the regular companion isn't an option, that leaves the Hybrid.
When I saw the announcement of the Wacom Cintiq Companion Hybrid, I really like the concept but I'm wondering how good it really is. The cost SEEMS outrageous but when you look at it as a fully functional Cintiq to use WITH my Mac and then it pulls off to be a self contained portable studio, then it is a LITTLE more reasonable. I've seen reviews of it as a Cintiq and everything I've seen says it's a great tablet for use with a Mac and the other parts of the reviews say the portable software that comes with it is good and the other high-end portable software seems to be a good analog to what it would be transferred to on the Mac. That leaves the last question, how good is it as a stand-alone tablet?
That's what I'm wondering now, if I intend on investing the kind of money they are asking, I want to know if the rest of the Android Tablet part of it is really good as well. It comes with 4.2.2 but none of the reviewers have detailed anything about the day to day use of it. Most are completely unfamiliar with the Android OS anyway. They are mostly Apple-heads and only use iPhones and iPads when not using their Macs. I'm wondering when we will see ANDROID reviewers review it. I know it's a very odd category but I don't want to get a GREAT expensive Wacom tablet that is abismal as an Android tablet as well. Has anyone around here gotten thier hands on one? If so, what do you think?
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Hey, I know this is a 3 month old thread, but maybe someone will find it useful.
I've been using the Cintiq Companion Hybrid for almost 2 months now, and almost exclusively.
First of all, the quality of the tablet is extremely high. It's exactly what one would expect from a Wacom product. There are unboxing and hands-on videos on YouTube showcasing how much thought has gone into this model.
This is the first time I've used a Wacom tablet, and when compared to UC-Logic or N-trig, this is much superior. Obviously, I fell in love with this tablet as soon as I opened the box and kept on getting more and more impressed as I was using it.
As for the Android part, it's pretty basic, except with the addition of some Wacom drawing programs. However, Sketchbook Pro is still the best choice when it comes to drawing on Android, and the matte surface of the tablet makes this the ideal combination. Wacom's Infinite Canvas is a great choice for vector drawing, and currently the only choice for me.
Now, the OS has shown a few bugs. Sometimes it will lag and revert back to its original background. Yesterday I connected it to a PC (Windows), and at some point it malfunctioned, started lagging, and then, after rebooting, I had lost some files from the internal storage as well as my external SD. Managed to get most of the files back from the external SD, but not from the internal storage, since I can't root, and therefore can't use any Android-based recovery programs. I don't know if this is specific to me or if it's a bug on all models.
Also, when connecting SD cards or USB drives (using the standard USB port -- no micro-USB or OTG, thankfully), navigating to them is somewhat unorthodox in that I have to go to the mount folder and guess where it's loaded.
The processors are pretty fast, and there's no lagging when playing graphic intensive games. Browsing the internet is much more enjoyable than Android 3.1 and before (I still haven't gotten used of the single mouse click, but Mac users won't have a problem). 1080p movies play fine, and when using HDMI-out, everything is smooth. I don't recommend watching a film in bed, as the Hybrid is too heavy to have on your chest when you're about to sleep (also stands for Kindle or comic book reading). Response is great when using the pen, as well when using the tablet.
I haven't been using the hardware keys much, but I find more use for them when in Cintiq mode.
As a Cintiq, things are butter smooth, except for some occasions when I have to disconnect and reconnect the tablet when I first connect it to the PC to get the pen functioning properly (this only happens once, if at all, and only when I first connect the tablet to the PC as a Cintiq). Files can be transferred to the PC instantly, and work is much easier.
I've also used a MIDI controller to play music on the Companion, and the only bug I've found is it locks when disconnecting, but that may very well be a bug of the software I'm using.
Skype, torrents and emulators are all fine. But I doubt any tablets show problems with those.
Typing on the Hybrid with its bigger touch-keys is great (Hacker's Keyboard is a great alternative), and closer to keyboard typing than other tablets.
The tablet's battery life is slightly less than 12 hours of constant use on high performance. I don't have WiFi enabled all the time, since up until recently I had another tablet for that. I'm kind of stingy when it comes to its battery since I love the fact that I can work on it anywhere and on-the-go. Since it's so portable, I like being able to use it wherever and whenever I'm awake, so I try to avoid spending the battery on things I can do without.
Now for the stinkers:
I absolutely hate the lens of its 8mp camera. It's horrible. Lighting is bad, definition is bad, colours are bad. You can use it to get reference material for drawing sketching, but that's about it. You won't be using it for anything else but reference drawing sketching material.
The microphone is not great either. Fuzzy and unclear. Purely only for voice notes. Skype calls are ok-ish. But that's about it.
Lastly, the speaker is terrible. Its volume is too low, badly placed and not clear enough. It's a terrible speaker.
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Overall, I am in love with this tablet. My PC recently broke down, so I've been borrowing a laptop when I have to use the Cintiq side (not often yet, mainly due to the lack of a "full-time" PC), but for everything else, I've been using the Companion's Android side.
I am quite sure I covered everything. I will update accordingly.
Thanks for the rundown on it. Sounds pretty much like what I keep hearing. The Wacom Cintiq aspect of it is incredible (I've been using Wacom for over 20 years so that's no surprise) but "your mileage may vary" on the Android part depending on what you specifically hope to accomplish. Biggest chance in it is whether or not Wacom will maintain the Android side of it or let it die on the vine and essentially revert to being just a battery powered 13HD within a couple of years. I haven't heard Wacom commit either way.
As for build quality, I'm not surprised. Wacom KNOWS how to build equipment well. I really didn't expect the camera to be much. I don't ever really consider the quality of the camera being that big a deal on tablets. Although, for $1300-$1600, you'd think they'd put a decent lens in there. They keep marketing it as a Cintiq that happens to run Android rather than an Android tablet.
As for the "single click" thing, you can always program the button (top half or bottom half) to have a "right click" functionality to give you that capability. That's the way I have it on the different Wacom tablets I have.
powerplaygraphix said:
As for the "single click" thing, you can always program the button (top half or bottom half) to have a "right click" functionality to give you that capability. That's the way I have it on the different Wacom tablets I have.
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Sorry for not making it clear. I was referring to an actual USB mouse connected to the tablet. I sometimes connect a mouse when I prop it up like a notebook. Old habits die hard.
Cintiq dead before its started Will die soon
Ok so I too have got the cintiq companion hybrid which runs on a pitiful 4.2.1 now I know I know at £1500 what did I expect errrmmm K I T K A T would have been nice Wacom, well with the announcement that Android will no longer support 4.2 soon the tablet will become a slate which is why Wacom was so desperate to throw them out there before this was announced.
They even started sending them out for free for 40 days trial if you dont like send back again before the notice of Android version being obsolete.
I have been on XDA Developers since well my first XDA and like many i would imagine get your new unit and immediately come on here for the updated rom etc. Wacom we are on our own any Guru on here wouldnt dare buy this piece of crap save 800 and get the 13hd want a great tablet get the Note 4 10.1
Sorry RANT over but I hope those with the Wacom share my concern a lot of money for a unit that to be fair had we know it would be stuck on 10.1 would have ordered a 15" wacom pen enabled tablet from China instead which are also stuck on 4.2 but for a fraction of the price and bigger.
Notontherugman said:
Sorry for not making it clear. I was referring to an actual USB mouse connected to the tablet. I sometimes connect a mouse when I prop it up like a notebook. Old habits die hard.
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XP-Pen Artist 15.6 Pro Drawing tablet With Screen
Wacom Cintiq Companion is a self-contained Windows computer with the full Wacom graphics tablet features already built in, which can also be used as a 'dumb' graphics tablet when connected to a Mac or PC.
Essentially, you can use this to draw, sketch and paint at your desk hooked up to your main computer, and draw, sketch and paint directly on it while sitting on the sofa or outside.
this Cintiq Companion 2 can be used at a desk as a graphics tablet for your regular computer, but because it also runs Windows, you can use full, familiar versions of Painter, Photoshop and so on when away from your workstation.
The nearest thing it has to a rival is the Microsoft Surface tablet, but this has neither Wacom's heritage nor chops when it comes to rich drawing tools. The iPad Pro is an excellent tablet but cannot be called a competitor here due to its mobile operating system.
It's a solid investment for digital illustrators who want flexibility. However, if you don't need to use it away from your desk, you could save money and purchase the XP-pen Artist 15.6 Pro , or benefit from a bigger drawing area with the slightly more expensive Artist 22E Pro .
I currently use a XP-Pen Artist 15.6 Pro Drawing tablet With Screen ( xp-pen.com/goods/show/id/394.html ) . It is a cintiq downgrade, but only because it does not have the muti-touch like the cintiq does. it support pen tilt function , 8192 pen pressure levels , battery-free and wireless stylus . 88% NTSC Color gamut , 1920x1080 resolution , 15.6 inch IPS Screen , it has no parallax , no lag .
Overall its an amazing tablet and I do suggest it! It works amazing for me, and personally, I improved a lot while using it.
The only problems, however, is that it always has to be plugged into a PC , Though it is lightweight and works great, the graphics are nice, and its only $439 .
Related
I bought a g tablet. I feel close to it given I put in more than 30 hours going through different beta versions of alternate roms trying to get things the way they should be since out of the box it was a piece of crap. Being in canada I had driven to nearest Sears in US to Purchase it. Before the screen calibration fix I had essentially given up the inability to type properly and the horrible viewing angles and Sd card woes had me looking elsewhere.
Having tried the more expensive Galaxy Tab and finding it laggy and flash video unviewble, I decided I needed a Tegra based device. I also felt for my needs 7 inches might be better as I find typing in landscape mode hard with a 10 incher(hmm weird genital reference there LOL). I also feel that for my needs (book reading, surfing video watching, the odd game, and quick reference use) that the smaller form fact might be better given it is lighter and more portable (can fit in coat pocket....)
Heard about the ELocity and saw it available for 100$ less than what ipaid for g tab. so ordered it to my Brother's in Florida as will be there next week. It is already there waiting for me.
Of course since ordering it not having given the g tab back yet I have it working the way I want minus the screen viewing angles which I hate as I cant type on it when lounging unless holding it awkwardly in landscape mode using my thumbs.
Seems the Elocity has much better screen in terms of viewing angles.While lower res, the DPI is in fact the same and conforms to the Android OS max resolution of 800x480 so I suspect most apps will look correct on it. It also appears to come rooted out of the box. The UI layer on it is fast and responsive and flash is there to start. So for those considering a g tablet and don't want to muck around it works much better out of the box.
Seems it is not perfect yet and suffers many of the same issues the G tablet did:
Like the gtablet there is no official android market
Wifi for some seems to not wake up with the device from sleep
Angry birds won't run
All of the above from what I have read seem to be related to drivers and tegra 2 not having the best or newest ones out of the box.
Elocity says a fix is coming on december 24th (wonder if this is similar to what was done by Roebeet et al. with TNT light and Vega N with the performance upgrades form experimental diver pack)
Multitouch which is supposed to be 1+1 (which I believe is what the gtab is) doesn't seem to be enabled properly and is only emulated in software, and as of yet, not very well.
Seems from some things discovered on a different thread that this might be a 2 point multitouch after all.
For some reason there is no Elocity forum yet which I think could impede people coming on and helping development on it (Notion Ink Adam has a forum though there is no device in the wild for another month at least). I suspect given these are both Tegra 2 devices that there might be some parallel things to help.
for more info and possible help either for you to give or get the biggest thread going is:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=872299
One professional view just out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CvY8jzyCWI
One XDA member first look:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6foXW1zizM
Canadoc,
I appreciate the info and your review.
I have to say, though, that I will not buy a 7" tablet. It's just too small. Without any references to ages or disabilities or the like, it is my opinion a lot of people are being foolish trying to do at a minimum "notebook" tasks on tiny tablets or cell phones.
I have a plain old regular cell phone. I do my tablet stuff on my G-Tablet. I do my work stuff on my Vaio 16". And if I want to watch a movie I sit down in front of my 52" home theatre and really enjoy the picture and sound.
Perhaps I owe you an apology for posting this here, but it does strike me that it's silly to use stuff the wrong way. I'll concede I might watch a movie on my G-Tablet if I were in a pinch somewhere. But I don't want to live on a cell phone screen.
Best wishes and Merry Christmas.
Rev
I disagree think that a 10 inch tablet is too closeninsize and portability night as well justbuse laptop. Phone is too small to really enjoy reading surfing and viewing. 7 inch is a sweetspot. I own an ipad. I don't use it much because there is little I use it for that my MacBook can't do abdtyping etc is better.
Typing on-the-job gtab now is bad. Too hard to 2 finger type given the wide screen and too many errors otherwise. 7 inch easy totype large enough and ideal form factor to read etc.
G tablet not good enough for notebook tasks. A notebook is. Icing need my tablet tomake a real document I haves a problem. Would rather plug ina small KB if I need to but thenmight as well just have laptop
Canadoc said:
G tablet not good enough for notebook tasks. A notebook is. Icing need my tablet to make a real document I haves a problem. Would rather plug ina small KB if I need to but thenmight as well just have laptop
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Two different devices:
1. Tablet for best portability, web, Flash, media and some gaming.
2. Netbook or lappy for PC-type tasks and heavier gaming.
The trade-off is convenience and portability. A passively cooled tablet lasts over three times longer than a typical net book and way over that for laptops.
I have an M11X, which kicks all netbooks and most laptops butts. Collecting dust since having the G. No windows baggage is very nice.
Still use it for heavy gaming, but everything else is covered by the G. I use my company Thinkpad for work stuff.
Quick comment and a question.
Touch screen is 1 point. Last that I got from the 20 page thread was 1 point touch, gTab is two.
How's the real battery life? It's my second favorite thing about the gTab, the first being it's incredible speed, but I just so much more like 7" form factor.
Not sure bout battery life, but given the smaller screen 7 vs 10 inch, the 3000mamp battery vs the 3650 of the gatb I am not expecting a huge difference.
Gtab is two yes. There has been no conclusive proof yet if the 1 touch is a hardware issue or software firmware than can be changed. It is referred to as a 1+1 touch which means the screen must be registering another touch. If it can do that, then I would think it can be revised in software......Thus far google maps which requires multipoint doesn't work on gtab. Accelerometer on Gtab is meesed up so games depending on it dont work right. Fring doesn't work on gtab......
Well if you want 1 device to do it all yes a bigger screen tablet is the way to go. But then you have something that is a compromise at everyhting.
Not great for productivity short of bringing another keyboard and with less than full capable office type apps.
Not great for portability given the almost laptops dimensions
(10 inch netbook or 11 inch macbook air are no bigger except thickness and have real keyboard and u dont deal with the awful screen of the viewosnic. As an owner I can't use the viewsonic for anything that I cant do looking face on which makes typing hard on the screen).
Battery life? macbook air superior than the g tablet. Netbook with high cap battery still same price as gtab and gives 6+ hours of pc use with wifi on
Canadoc said:
Well if you want 1 device to do it all yes a bigger screen tablet is the way to go. But then you have something that is a compromise at everyhting.
Not great for productivity short of bringing another keyboard and with less than full capable office type apps.
Not great for portability given the almost laptops dimensions
(10 inch netbook or 11 inch macbook air are no bigger except thickness and have real keyboard and u dont deal with the awful screen of the viewosnic. As an owner I can't use the viewsonic for anything that I cant do looking face on which makes typing hard on the screen).
Battery life? macbook air superior than the g tablet. Netbook with high cap battery still same price as gtab and gives 6+ hours of pc use with wifi on
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Note: I'm posting this to share my own user experience. YMMV.
(1) I agree that the viewing angle is less than ideal. Most of the time I pop it up using an inexpensive stand; it actually works better for my neck (really !).
(2) Re onscreen keyboard: I have had no trouble in portrait mode (using better keyboard). In landscape mode the TNT split keyboard actually works surprisingly well (after one-time calibration).
(3) 10" is defintely not as portable as 7". OTOH: a lot of times I use the gtab to read technical documents (pdf), and 7" simply does not work -- in portrait mode the text & equations are too small, and in landscape you can read just a few lines at a time. With 10" the whole page shows up in the same font size as the printed version.
I do agree that 10" is a bit unwieldy; I've come to the conclusion that an 8", 1024x764 is the perfect size for a ebook tablet (HD movie fans would disagree).
(4) I have my gtab for over a month. With wifi on, and a mix of mp3/web browsing/ebook reading/youtube/AB, I've been getting about 8 hours pretty much every time.
case-sensitive said:
Note: I'm posting this to share my own user experience. YMMV.
(1) I agree that the viewing angle is less than ideal. Most of the time I pop it up using an inexpensive stand; it actually works better for my neck (really !).
(2) Re onscreen keyboard: I have had no trouble in portrait mode (using better keyboard). In landscape mode the TNT split keyboard actually works surprisingly well (after one-time calibration).
(3) 10" is defintely not as portable as 7". OTOH: a lot of times I use the gtab to read technical documents (pdf), and 7" simply does not work -- in portrait mode the text & equations are too small, and in landscape you can read just a few lines at a time. With 10" the whole page shows up in the same font size as the printed version.
I do agree that 10" is a bit unwieldy; I've come to the conclusion that an 8", 1024x764 is the perfect size for a ebook tablet (HD movie fans would disagree).
(4) I have my gtab for over a month. With wifi on, and a mix of mp3/web browsing/ebook reading/youtube/AB, I've been getting about 8 hours pretty much every time.
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Don't get me wrong I currently own a gtab and do see the merit in it and if it had a better screen I would probably have kept it.
But the thing is for thos people not willing to mod their device (95% of buying public) the g tab is a device that will be promptly returned.
Viewing angle is very bad, UI is not great though improving with today's firmware. Promised Flash which is probably reason many buy it over ipad, is missing in action (and with it pulled of the Vega might not be around for a while).
Also the touchscreen without running calibration ini file on a rooted machine leaves a lot to be desired. The stock tablet (as well as custom roms before trying the calibration trick) would not register many presses on the letter a the soft home button as well as the return and L key. This in fact was what prompted me to order the elocity tablet as I was more than frustrated typing on the G. Of course I discovered the calibration trick only after my elocity order shipped out.
As for using a stand, that would be fine if I used my tablet sitting at a table or desk. I say most of my use is sitting on a couch or in bed with it held up in my hands on my chest or sitting in my lap. Often the ideal angle to type at is one that tilts the screen to where I can't view the keyboard buttons well especially the darker android keyboard. The width of the device in landscape makes it hard to thumb type. Portrait is fine but the tablet, for me is too long and does not balance well in the hand at that angle. Also the bad viewing angle in portrait mode is so bad that I get a polarizing effect; the left eye sees a brighter or darker image than the right. Pictures and especially dark backgrounds look very bad. TO make it even viewable I have to watch the screen tilted about 2-3 inches. This is the deal breaker for me.
The size is good if you want full size viewing of some things but if i wa slooking at a technical manual and had to put the tablet down to read it while i worked with my 2 hands i wouldnt be able to read it.....
If i need to work on something important I will just use my laptop. This is not a laptop replacement for me.
Frankly after using the ipad for a while i would say if it could rn flash it would kill everything out there and still already does for user experience and can be had for 399 at tj maxx and marshall so not even so expensive any more.
But, I want this to watch websites that have videos/movies in flash
So, feel free to flame, but I was writing something in another thread about tablets and the following came to mind:
Are tablets worth what we pay for them? Or are they just a marketing 're-deploy'? Allow me to expound:
Literally just before tablets careened onto the current computer scene(I know windows failed to promote tablets years back), there existed Netbooks. What it seems to me is that Netbooks are what the Industry thought we would want, A very portable yet still completely functional computer. As if even the small laptops weren't small enough...anyway. What I think happened is these things weren't cool enough. Maybe not powerful enough either, but that point should be moot because modern hardware can support this, as proven by current tablets.
I bought a Netbook and loved it, BUT I don't do a lot of gaming, just some simple web browsing, skyping, some skript kiddie type hacking. Plus for me the ultra small design was essential due to the nature of my work/constant traveling blah blah. This thing played movies, had the latest support of my favorite *nixes and performed pretty well except for battery life(typically a measly 3-4 hours) and of course gaming. Then came tablets; they look cooler, offer touch screen capabilities which sometimes feel as cumbersome as alt-tabbing, and have much much better battery and gaming performance, with the added benefit of blending nicely with the current "app store eco-structure".
Ahh, finally my point!!!:
A trend I see rising with tablets is the ability to add a keyboard and mouse....really? So what, then you have a laptop again? Or just the ability to go from cool-tech-but-not-too-nerdy tablet guy, to an fully functional device, and back again? I don't get it, other than the obvious shift to more clever marketing and selling us yet another device. On top of that I can use a USB 2.0 anything on my netbook, or be stuck with a proprietary connecter as with the Transform or iPad. Why would we choose this other than to look cool or because it's being shoved down our throats? What I see is a device (tablet) that is less fuctional, less productive, and more money compared to the more practical, just as portable netbook. I just miss the support of my Netbook, which I only paid $200 for....
Any thoughts...like maybe I'm a crazy hippy that needs to go live in a commune?
my points why my a500 is better use then a netbook,.
portability - no one can say its not easier to carry a slim tablet with a integrated keyboard
functionality - being able to do such things as stand in the street looking through the tab with the camera and seeing augmented reality deal, offer, new location without having to open startup, login and hold a massive block of hardware to do the same, and also a whole plethora of other uses such as barcode scanning, video making ,etc etc imaging scanning barcodes to find cheaper prices with a netbook,,,.,..one handed possible? probably not
battery life, my tablet can go 2days on a single charge with medium usage, a netbook would last a few hours,
i can do pretty much anything on my a500 i can do on my laptop.
i can access and use my laptop with screen and sound from anywhere else in the world.....from my a500 tablet (phonemypc)
also most usb devices connect to my a500 i think the only thing my lappy has that my tablet doesnt is a dvd drive, but the one in my lappy is dusty as hell as i download all my movies and move them between devices to play in diff' areas anyway. and then again my laptop has no gps. and only a front camera
if my laptop im writting this message with was a tablet it would probably be a crap one lol
no gps,no touchscreen, no back camera, front camera is weak no accelerometer no hdmi port lol etc etc
Major edit:
I see your point and don't want to convolute my thoughts too much. I just think a lot of the things you mentioned could be implemented, if the money was there.
You have pointed out that I have kind of answered my own questions...
Why tablets, because the phone market was so successfull and it allows for a lot of control on the developers end of the OS, so it's easier to implement the apps, market place as apposed to a traditional PC software sales setup.
r0zj0k3r said:
I think that depends on what you want to do. with my netbook, I literally could do everything I could on my computer because they were the same OS!!! That means, compiling software, video/audio editing, skype with group video , a similar app store could be integrated into a netbook style os (see ubuntu store). The industry just doesn't want to push it, and because it was easier to shift from phones to what amount to "really big phones"
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Do you think that the new windows OS will allow you to switch between a Tablet and your Netbook without loose of functionality?
warus1 said:
Do you think that the new windows OS will allow you to switch between a Tablet and your Netbook without loose of functionality?
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I think it would be a great way for windows to break away from the pack, but I don't think they want to do that now. They seem to be in the same mode as everyone else, lets follow the market instead of trying really new things.
I have decided to buy a windows pro tablet.. I need the functionality of a laptop and the portability of a tablet. I'm a die hard fan of android, and had numerous tablets. But for work and studies it seems only a PC that's a option.. Surface rt is not an option as I would rather use a android tablet if I'd wanted another ARM based device.
CES is coming up, surfaces pro is soon arriving, and I guess we`ll see a lot of competition/alternatives in this segment.
I need the computer to be able to transform to a tablet(screen only, keyboard off) and battery life is important. I don't care about ultra performance, gaming etc..
What's your 5¢? Go surface pro or is there anything else worth my money? I do care about developer support to my devices though..
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
buljo said:
I have decided to buy a windows pro tablet.. I need the functionality of a laptop and the portability of a tablet. I'm a die hard fan of android, and had numerous tablets. But for work and studies it seems only a PC that's a option.. Surface rt is not an option as I would rather use a android tablet if I'd wanted another ARM based device.
CES is coming up, surfaces pro is soon arriving, and I guess we`ll see a lot of competition/alternatives in this segment.
I need the computer to be able to transform to a tablet(screen only, keyboard off) and battery life is important. I don't care about ultra performance, gaming etc..
What's your 5¢? Go surface pro or is there anything else worth my money? I do care about developer support to my devices though..
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Id suggest the Lenovo yoga....if you have the moolah that is...
mrappbrain said:
Id suggest the Lenovo yoga....if you have the moolah that is...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But the yoga isn't detachable from its keyboard.. Moolah?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
I discarded the idea of Core i-series based tablets mainly because of the battery life and fans. I like the Atom based tablets more because they can be lighter, go several hours longer on a charge, and still offer reasonable performance.
Also I wanted a tablet that could dock into a keyboard for a more traditional laptop like form factor. I don't like the Surface tablets with their kickstands and keyboard covers. I want something I could rest in my lap and type on if wanted.
I ended up getting the Samsung Ativ Smart PC 500T. Mostly because it was the only thing available (other than the Acer 500W). I'm satisfied with the Atom performance in the 500T. Things take longer to load, but usually works well after it has. Office 2010 works great. Chrome works okay (IE works better). I can even run some low end desktop games from Steam like Torchlight.
It seems like most of the Windows 8 Atom tablets seem to have various glitches, probably mostly due to early drivers. I've mostly been reading the Samsung and HP forums, the HP Envy X2 is something I somewhat considered exchanging my Samsung for. But it sounds like the keyboard on the HP isn't that good, and there are issues with the trackpad not working after waking the tablet up (have to redock to get it working). My issues with the Samsung is the screen doesn't tilt back far enough, the back is slippery. And software issues, sometimes wifi and Bluetooth to play together nicely, and it has a problem sleeping when in the keyboard dock and closed.
The software glitches will be resolved in time. The hardware issues I can probably live with. So I'm guessing I'll probably stick with my Samsung. Still think it's a better choice than the considerably more expensive Surface Pro or other Core i-series tablets.
Ravynmagi said:
I discarded the idea of Core i-series based tablets mainly because of the battery life and fans. I like the Atom based tablets more because they can be lighter, go several hours longer on a charge, and still offer reasonable performance.
Also I wanted a tablet that could dock into a keyboard for a more traditional laptop like form factor. I don't like the Surface tablets with their kickstands and keyboard covers. I want something I could rest in my lap and type on if wanted.
I ended up getting the Samsung Ativ Smart PC 500T. Mostly because it was the only thing available (other than the Acer 500W). I'm satisfied with the Atom performance in the 500T. Things take longer to load, but usually works well after it has. Office 2010 works great. Chrome works okay (IE works better). I can even run some low end desktop games from Steam like Torchlight.
It seems like most of the Windows 8 Atom tablets seem to have various glitches, probably mostly due to early drivers. I've mostly been reading the Samsung and HP forums, the HP Envy X2 is something I somewhat considered exchanging my Samsung for. But it sounds like the keyboard on the HP isn't that good, and there are issues with the trackpad not working after waking the tablet up (have to redock to get it working). My issues with the Samsung is the screen doesn't tilt back far enough, the back is slippery. And software issues, sometimes wifi and Bluetooth to play together nicely, and it has a problem sleeping when in the keyboard dock and closed.
The software glitches will be resolved in time. The hardware issues I can probably live with. So I'm guessing I'll probably stick with my Samsung. Still think it's a better choice than the considerably more expensive Surface Pro or other Core i-series tablets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had this for a while and most of the software issues are resolvable via 3rd party apps - particularly the on screen keyboard not appearing in text boxes (I use Comfort Keys - $30 but worth every penny). You may want to visit tweaks.com and bleepingcomputer.com for some good info
And I agree - it's well built - I had a Surface RT - crap, buggy software and the covers were cheap garbage.
Just get rid of the Samsung bloatware and you'll be fine
I've had my runs with Samsung, but can't say I'll jump for joy when I think about it.. But thanks alot for your input, appreciate it.. The envy is something to consider..
I dont need the brute force the i series gives, also fans is a turnoff on a tablet.
Any thoughts on Asus vivotab?
Or this? http://www.asus.com/vivo/en/transformerBook.htm
Asus is throwing out a whole series.. Looking good.
Sent from my LT25i using xda premium
buljo said:
I have decided to buy a windows pro tablet.. I need the functionality of a laptop and the portability of a tablet. I'm a die hard fan of android, and had numerous tablets. But for work and studies it seems only a PC that's a option.. Surface rt is not an option as I would rather use a android tablet if I'd wanted another ARM based device.
CES is coming up, surfaces pro is soon arriving, and I guess we`ll see a lot of competition/alternatives in this segment.
I need the computer to be able to transform to a tablet(screen only, keyboard off) and battery life is important. I don't care about ultra performance, gaming etc..
What's your 5¢? Go surface pro or is there anything else worth my money? I do care about developer support to my devices though..
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using the Toshiba T925u. It is rather pricey ($1100), but it is i5 and makes about 5 hours on a charge (more if you tweak the settings). It is a bit large at 12.5 inch screen. The keyboard slides out from under the screen.
stevedebi said:
I'm using the Toshiba T925u. It is rather pricey ($1100), but it is i5 and makes about 5 hours on a charge (more if you tweak the settings). It is a bit large at 12.5 inch screen. The keyboard slides out from under the screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just got my Acer W510 - and I'm loving it so far!
The fact that its cheap can be felt at some point, but given the price of it I certainly can live with it.
The battery life is really great, even without the dock.
Its worth to consider ?
//M
m.klinge said:
I just got my Acer W510 - and I'm loving it so far!
The fact that its cheap can be felt at some point, but given the price of it I certainly can live with it.
The battery life is really great, even without the dock.
Its worth to consider ?
//M
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks, will look into it..
decisions decisions...
The vivotab has a better screen than the ativ, which I have and love. 600 nits is nuts, the ativ is around 400 which most tablets are. The ativ is way cheaper. Arounf 750 for tab and keyboard. 819 for just the tablet on the vivo 810. Dock is another 200. As mentioned, the best thing to do with the ativ as soon as you get it is reinstall win 8 and erase everything then do all the updates. Great stuff.
From an unlocked Note 2. Hmm...... Can you hear me Verizon, out on Uranus?
I DO Not reccomend the surface for a few reasons:
1. The trackpad is awful. Truly. And the keyboard isn't very good either. And the onscreen keyboard is garbage for productivity. In addition to all these facts, I find that the 'form factor' of getting stuff done, is sitting upright, with the keyboard in front of you and the tablet standing up. This is all well and good, but you can find the same form factor in the much better zenbook touch which costs about the same price as the surface(if you include the surface keyboard).
2. The zenbook touch not only has a full sized, better keyboard, and a better trackpad, the touch screen is 13 inches and is HD.
3. Developers have no incentive to make apps for windows 8. Apps they have been developing for w7 work on w8 so there's no reason to switch over to the abysmally selling OS. This means using desktop apps, which aren't amazing for touch. This is where you use a trackpad, and again, the one on the surface is awful.
All in all the zenbook touch offers a WAY better package in the same price range.
atticusmas said:
I DO Not reccomend the surface for a few reasons:
1. The trackpad is awful. Truly. And the keyboard isn't very good either. And the onscreen keyboard is garbage for productivity. In addition to all these facts, I find that the 'form factor' of getting stuff done, is sitting upright, with the keyboard in front of you and the tablet standing up. This is all well and good, but you can find the same form factor in the much better zenbook touch which costs about the same price as the surface(if you include the surface keyboard).
2. The zenbook touch not only has a full sized, better keyboard, and a better trackpad, the touch screen is 13 inches and is HD.
3. Developers have no incentive to make apps for windows 8. Apps they have been developing for w7 work on w8 so there's no reason to switch over to the abysmally selling OS. This means using desktop apps, which aren't amazing for touch. This is where you use a trackpad, and again, the one on the surface is awful.
All in all the zenbook touch offers a WAY better package in the same price range.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i agree with all your points. but its a bit like comparing oranges and apples where the surface is a tablet and the zenbook is a laptop.
I am changing out my android tablets for a windows pro machine, as said in first post i need the PC functions.. but want to keep the tablet factor.. possibility to take of the screen and use it as a tablet.
as a first glance the vivo series looks like a winner for me.
buljo said:
i agree with all your points. but its a bit like comparing oranges and apples where the surface is a tablet and the zenbook is a laptop.
I am changing out my android tablets for a windows pro machine, as said in first post i need the PC functions.. but want to keep the tablet factor.. possibility to take of the screen and use it as a tablet.
as a first glance the vivo series looks like a winner for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The vivo series runs RT. not pro.
atticusmas said:
The vivo series runs RT. not pro.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually the vivo 600 is rt. The vivitab 810 has the atom processor and runs 8 pro.
From an unlocked Note 2. Hmm...... Can you hear me Verizon, out on Uranus?
yeps, as he said.
but what is the difference between vivotab and vivotab smart? what makes it so "smart" other than screensize?
http://www.asus.com/vivo/en/vivoTab.htm
the transformer book looks awesome, but i5/i7 with fans, and it seems to be steeply priced.. but 13" screen would have been nice.
acer w510 is essentially exactly what you're looking for...
It feels bit cheap but I actually like it - and the white trim/silver back looks very clean.
It's 10.1" (better than 11.6" IMO) - its lightweight, and it has the docking attachment.
I bought my 32gb version for $399 at microcenter. You add the dock from acer for $150 and for near $580 with tax, there is nothing that is touching it for a full windows 8 tablet that is portable, great battery life. Windows 8 RT is a joke compared to full windows 8.
There are some bugs but man its hard to beat right now.
dale_cooper said:
acer w510 is essentially exactly what you're looking for...
It feels bit cheap but I actually like it - and the white trim/silver back looks very clean.
It's 10.1" (better than 11.6" IMO) - its lightweight, and it has the docking attachment.
I bought my 32gb version for $399 at microcenter. You add the dock from acer for $150 and for near $580 with tax, there is nothing that is touching it for a full windows 8 tablet that is portable, great battery life. Windows 8 RT is a joke compared to full windows 8.
There are some bugs but man its hard to beat right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, a buddy got one and I have say it is pretty awesome. Pound for pound best deal for the money. I guess in comparing the two it would come down to screen size which is more of a preference thing than anything. You wouldn't think going from an 11.6 to a 10.1 would make such a difference in portability, but it really does.
From an unlocked Note 2. Hmm...... Can you hear me Verizon, out on Uranus?
buljo said:
I have decided to buy a windows pro tablet.. I need the functionality of a laptop and the portability of a tablet. I'm a die hard fan of android, and had numerous tablets. But for work and studies it seems only a PC that's a option.. Surface rt is not an option as I would rather use a android tablet if I'd wanted another ARM based device.
CES is coming up, surfaces pro is soon arriving, and I guess we`ll see a lot of competition/alternatives in this segment.
I need the computer to be able to transform to a tablet(screen only, keyboard off) and battery life is important. I don't care about ultra performance, gaming etc..
What's your 5¢? Go surface pro or is there anything else worth my money? I do care about developer support to my devices though..
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you considered and ipad and bluetooth keyboard ?
Maybe a note2 and bt keyboard ?
The only reasons I ask are current application a hardware support for these devices. They're both more mature in software and hardware segments right now. A few professionals I know that tried big tablets like the surface have returned then and gone back to laptops that fold flat like heavy tablets, or ipads. Their reasons were app development not mature enough and the size of the surface opposed to its not-quite-a-laptop functionality pushed them back to convertable laptops. Just something to keep in mind.
ohgood said:
Have you considered and ipad and bluetooth keyboard ?
Maybe a note2 and bt keyboard ?
The only reasons I ask are current application a hardware support for these devices. They're both more mature in software and hardware segments right now. A few professionals I know that tried big tablets like the surface have returned then and gone back to laptops that fold flat like heavy tablets, or ipads. Their reasons were app development not mature enough and the size of the surface opposed to its not-quite-a-laptop functionality pushed them back to convertable laptops. Just something to keep in mind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure they did run a full win 8 and not just the winRT? With the full win 8 you can basically install whatever you like - which renders the missing app situation an invalid point.
Having an iPad with a Bluetooth keyboard myself I'm shocked that professionals actually use that as a working tool!? I've tried it myself but when working with a sleightly locked down it infrastructure you're pretty much reduced to Citrix or remote desktop which renders the missing app situation an invalid point...
Once more I'd vote for the w510 - its cheap, reasonly well build and really kicks ass for lightweight tasks
//M
Microsoft Surface Pro, Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro, or the newly announced Lenovo Thinkpad Helix for me at this point.
All have a digitizer and pen, which I'm looking for in my tab. I'll be watching the Helix close as the 256GB SSD + i7 + extra juice are attractive to me, but the Surface Pro with a 10.6" screen w/ an i5 seems a bit more portable.
The Samsung allows for taking the keyboard off and running in pure tablet mode as well, but what do you do with the keyboard when you're not at home / at your desk? Seems clunky to me. Hense the attractiveness of the "Rip and Flip" concept of the Helix =)
We'll see how price and performance plays with this in the coming weeks / months though...
They are different operating systems i know and cant be compared. but I'm hesitant for any of these tablets. I love android and this would be my third tablet (actually only keep one, earlier donated it to my family). But my problem is android tablet-specific applications, many of which are stretched versions of the phone or simply lack of design. Applications for Windows 8 RT are few but all are focused on tablet but there are 50% decent that look great and really tablet friendly. Android for me was the customization and power to get ROMS but lately I see that IOS or Windows already have apps that do the same, maybe not at the same level but they do. And customization is getting really stall because every os is adding stuff that ROMs have. I know that many reviewers wont recommend Windows RT but the vivotab comes with windows 8 +RT and cost the same as the galaxy note 10.1 also it has 5 touch point and the s-pen ( i think every windows tablet comes with the s-pen) . I just want to know if anyone with the note 10.1 like the windows 8 tablet or find it more productive . Im not starting a fight about OS but i want to know how people feel about both tablets for work related aplication.Sorry about my english feel free to correct me. thank you
I start by saying that this is just me and my opinion only obviously. Windows is for "windows people" which is to say they want to turn it on,have it work and fancy it up with the options Windows gives them. It can only be customized so far. Now that's not to say it's less productive by any means. I've checked out their foray into tablets and it only reminds me of everything else they do, which I don't like. I stopped using Windows as a main OS long ago. If I do use it, it's a VB and even that is extremely limited.
As far as a comparison goes, most tablets are useful for your basic needs and even limited professional needs. I just happen to prefer open source stuff.
I hate Samsung phones, hate them. I actually debated for a long time before I bought this tablet because of my "Samsung bias" and almost went with a Windows unit. In the end I felt this tablet suited my needs more and was more "me" if that Mae's any sense.
The best advice I can give is test them both out and then test them again, and then again. I did and I don't regret my purchase for one second. Maybe this helps you,maybe not but either way best of luck with your decision.
insanecrane said:
The best advice I can give is test them both out and then test them again, and then again. I did and I don't regret my purchase for one second. Maybe this helps you,maybe not but either way best of luck with your decision.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love android tablet too and agree that maybe tablets will not replace a desktop PC for productivity, but i find myself in time to upgrade
i bought the motorola xoom on day one and it was 7 months of hell using honeycomb (im sure windows RT users will know that by now but im more interested in a windows 8 tablet which is the vivotab smart and apps that work for windows 8 will work here.
im not trying in anyway to change peoples mind about galaxy note 10.1 but i would like to hear someone who have touched a windows 8 tab and tell me if its a good buy or will it not replace android any day. I have not seen any windows 8 review that is honest and not try to compare android/IOS/windows
First and foremost, you are right. Windows RT and Android are different.
Also, both form factors are different as well.
I usually recommend the Note 10.1 over its performance and S-Pen, but only for people who would actually use it. If you take lots of notes, or need to make a quick sketch, or if you are a student, even if you work woth a lot of papers and you need an all-in-one productivity tool, note taking board and Internet device, with all the extras that a powerful configuration has to offer, the Note 10.1 is the one to go for.
If what you need is a fast, Internet surfing machine, basic stuff like searching e-mail, social feeds, playing a game or two and use all that in a simple, modern, clean interface, go for the Vivotab. You also get Office suite, which is good for some in some cases.
I have used a Note 10.1 and a Samsung ATIV SmartPC Pro, and I must say, even though both tablets have S-Pen, (and God that Ativ hybrid is gorgeous), I still prefer the Note. It's up to you and your personal choice. I bought the Note anyways because it was that "finally-device" for my first true Android tablet. Even if some reviews were messed up (drunk reviewers? Jokes).
At the end of the day, I always knew I wanted this tablet as soon as it was announced. It's great for me as a student and as a worker as well. It's a great, efficient and powerful companion that never lets me down. But if you prefer keyboard+simple usage+office, go for the vivotab.
Sent from my GT-N8000 using Tapatalk HD
I love windows. I'm a windows guy. I can take apart, put together, overclock, underclock, bypass, or anything on earth I want to do with any windows based machine. That said windows RT is not my favorite. Surface with windows pro will be out soon so if your going windows on a tablet id wait for that one. Full pc capabilities. Your not gonna be flash restricted in a year and then there's silverlight as well.
BUT, on a tablet you may also want to consider windows tablets have much less battery life, are ram restrictive, in the growing stage so apps are limited, weigh a lot more, are not as community supported as android, the new one's scheduled for release this year with full windows are running i5 which is awesome but comes at a price. Noise. Lots of noise. Those cpu get hot so must be fan cooled, noise noise noise. Android? Blessed silence. Heat. Anyone whos ever held a laptop knows about the hot spots. If you have a fan there will be a hot spot and the back is likely to get warm as well.
Overall, though im admittedly a windows lover, I choose android on a tablet. And I wont speak about apple as I hate their business model with a purple passion.
Well, i am an Android guy, but thats about phones. On a tablet, I think Asus Vivotab Smart is a good choice. Mine will be shipped tomorrow. It is a Cloverfield tablet, so it runs full blown W8. Apps are no problem here. Battery life is ok due to the low power 2760 cpu, which outperforms tegra 3 and Kraits. And it is affordable. I got mine for less than 500 Euro. So it might worth take a look.
jerses said:
They are different operating systems i know and cant be compared. but I'm hesitant for any of these tablets. I love android and this would be my third tablet (actually only keep one, earlier donated it to my family). But my problem is android tablet-specific applications, many of which are stretched versions of the phone or simply lack of design. Applications for Windows 8 RT are few but all are focused on tablet but there are 50% decent that look great and really tablet friendly. Android for me was the customization and power to get ROMS but lately I see that IOS or Windows already have apps that do the same, maybe not at the same level but they do. And customization is getting really stall because every os is adding stuff that ROMs have. I know that many reviewers wont recommend Windows RT but the vivotab comes with windows 8 +RT and cost the same as the galaxy note 10.1 also it has 5 touch point and the s-pen ( i think every windows tablet comes with the s-pen) . I just want to know if anyone with the note 10.1 like the windows 8 tablet or find it more productive . Im not starting a fight about OS but i want to know how people feel about both tablets for work related aplication.Sorry about my english feel free to correct me. thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Jerses,
I've had the Asus VivoTab Smart for about a week now, and so far it's been great. I've loaded Office 2010 Pro onto the device and haven't noticed any lag in load times etc. Having a full version of Word, Excel and OneNote are a must for me, and this tablet fits the bill nicely (it's also the cheapest over here in NZ). I did think I'd need Outlook as well, but I'm finding the built in Mail app works fine - it's nice and fast for reading email on the go, displays HTML email fine, and needs nearly all my needs. I do refer to Outlook for some of the heavy lifting (scheduling meetings etc).
I mainly use for work, so haven't used video or music much.
this table doesn't have a stylus (as noted before) - but you can use one of those 'generic' stylus (like the ones for the iPad) which work fine. I personally think Windows tablet developers are missing a trick here, the Windows handwriting recoginition is out of this world - it reads my scrawl better than I do.
Overall, for an easy to use, not much customisation needed, tablet - I'd highly reccomend this one.
KD.
I leaned a lot for the Galaxy Note stylus 10.01 but there are not many applications for android that support this pen ... I imagine that in the future things may change but by then it will be time to update my tablet back.
I did some research on the stylus you say and there are very good choices, from typical sausage tip, a fine-point stylus (Adonith jot) to one that emulates an S-PEN, same functions to nullify the palm (jot Touch) and pressure sensitive. The latter is ipad but no doubt that technology pass android or windows 8.
I feel bad for leaving behind android, I actually really like the OS but I feel still very green to the world of tablets and that some apps feel more like they where made for a 7" tablet. Also im kind of scared of this seen how bad apps (Phone/Tablet) look on the nexus 10... i think that proves that having one app fits all is not going to work in near future.
So I think I opt for the smart vivotab think android will live in me .... maybe as BlueStacks or dualboot lol
I really prefer android over apple for both phones and tablets (own apple and android in both). I can't speak intelligently about windows 8. I can say this as a first time android Note 10.1 tablet owner - I bought 2 of these for my 6th & 4th grade kids since they wanted apps (games mostly) and I wanted them to be able to do their homework for school (light use of "word and excel"). Overall the notes are a great single quiver solution and we are all extremely happy with them. But, I have to say if my kids were in High school or college I think the challenges we have in some instances with printing and converting polaris office files to word and excel I would absolutely take a hard look at a Windows pro tablet or even laptop. Maybe it isn't fair since we've only had our Notes for 4 weeks but printing anything not portrait is a chore and coming from a strong Word and Excel background leaves me wishing Polaris Office had a lot more capability.
i'd actually love to get a win 8 tab (not rt). no rooting, no waiting on updates from mfg's and running any windows program. what i do hate is the 16:9 screen ratio. it's just too elongated for me.
I was really keen on getting a Surface, but in the end I decided on the Note. It actually came down to one main point, I can't type on the Surface in portrait mode. I loved the integrated keyboard and cover of the Surface and lamented that something similar wasn't available for the Note. I bought a BT keyboard with a stand so I can have the Note in either landscape or portrait depending on my needs, as soon as I can find one that integrates with the Note as a cover I will buy that.
Sent from my GT-P3113 using Tapatalk HD
Just for some clarification, the VivoTab Smart seems to run full Windows 8, not RT (it has an Intel Atom (x86) processor). Won't be nearly as locked down as RT, and might be decent if you rely on some Windows apps.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=38329609&postcount=11
Don't forget you can run android on x86 machine. You can dual boot android and windows 8 on the asus vivatab smart.
Nothing beat having a standard keyboard on the screen with all the copy/paste ctrl alt characters and shortcut up/down/left/right buttons etc you have on a standard windows. windows 8 has everything you need for a tablet and more more more more. the asus at 499$ worth any peny believe me. maj-left or right to select ... the end of the tablet copy/paste nightmare on phones and tablets.
I'm in the market for a new tablet as well. I have a Motorola Xoom and while it served it's purpose, it didn't quite cut it as a tablet for me. Why? Well first of all, the performance just isn't very good. I've installed several roms on it and it just gets very laggy and unresponsive after a while. The second thing is the weight. I can't comfortably use it as an e-book reader in bed, which is a big want for me.
I went to Best Buy and played around with a few tablets and was really impressed by the Asus Vivo Tab. It was light, very responsive, and after watching a few HD videos on it and playing with it a while, it never got warm. My bit drawbacks for it are first and foremost, it's running Windows 8, which is good and bad. The good is that it'll run native x86 apps, the bad is that it's Windows 8. Will I need to instal Antivirus on it? Can I anticipate BSOD? Not that you can't get lock ups on Android, I've had plenty on my Xoom. Finally, I've read it's useless for all but the most basic gaming (think Angry Birds). I don't game on my tablet at all but my son does.. but then again, he has my old iphone to game on so gaming's not a big deal.
I'm wondering how Bluestacks runs on it though. Anyone tried running Bluestacks on one of these?
Help me decide which tablet
Hi guys
Please help me to decide which tablet to buy. I have been looking at both the Asus VivoTab and the Samsung Galaxy Note. I am not at all tech savvy so must of what you talk about goes right over my head. I want a tablet to take overseas with me. I want to watch movies, surf the net, catch up on my emails, read a book and play the occasional game.
Just give me a really quick idea of which one will suit my needs.
Thanks
They both suit your needs, you only have to ask yourself if you prefer to work with pen or keyboard.
Sent from my GT-N8010 using Tapatalk HD
Kumabjorn said:
They both suit your needs, you only have to ask yourself if you prefer to work with pen or keyboard.
Sent from my GT-N8010 using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that really the only diference? I have been going mad looking at all the specs etc.. Is one easier to use than the other? All help gratefully accepted.
Thanks
Other differences won't really make a dent in your intended usage. Ease of use will be more important than any technical discrepancies.
Sent from my GT-P3113 using Tapatalk HD
Kumabjorn said:
Other differences won't really make a dent in your intended usage. Ease of use will be more important than any technical discrepancies.
Sent from my GT-P3113 using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My husband and I went out this morning to have a good look at both units and at this stage I am pretty sure that we are going to go with the Samsung.
Thanks for all the input.
I am a graphic artist who has been using a Wacom tablet for the last 20 years. I can't STAND using my computer any other way (at least for real work). The touchpad is okay for general surfing and it's great in conjunction with the tablet but for my real work, there's no other way of doing it. For my full blown work I use a Mac but for all my portable devices, I like Android. All my smartphones have been Android but I've not gotten a tablet yet because I really haven't seen one that works for what I would really want a tablet for, which is being able to do my job on the go effectively. Sure the Galaxy Note tablets are a good step in that direction but from all the stuff I've seen it's not really a "pro" level device.
In an ideal world (speaking as a designer) Apple would create a Macbook tablet with a wacom digitizer but I really doubt that will EVER happen. A tablet running a full blown OS X, not an iPad. They even have a patent for a tablet that docks into an "iMac" style housing and becomes a full system and then slides out to be a fully functional, stand alone tablet system but they've never done anything with it. THAT would be MY holy grail. BUT, until they do, I guess the best option is the Cintiq Companion Hybrid. I LOATHE WINDOWS so going to the regular companion isn't an option, that leaves the Hybrid.
When I saw the announcement of the Wacom Cintiq Companion Hybrid, I really like the concept but I'm wondering how good it really is. The cost SEEMS outrageous but when you look at it as a fully functional Cintiq to use WITH my Mac and then it pulls off to be a self contained portable studio, then it is a LITTLE more reasonable. I've seen reviews of it as a Cintiq and everything I've seen says it's a great tablet for use with a Mac and the other parts of the reviews say the portable software that comes with it is good and the other high-end portable software seems to be a good analog to what it would be transferred to on the Mac. That leaves the last question, how good is it as a stand-alone tablet?
That's what I'm wondering now, if I intend on investing the kind of money they are asking, I want to know if the rest of the Android Tablet part of it is really good as well. It comes with 4.2.2 but none of the reviewers have detailed anything about the day to day use of it. Most are completely unfamiliar with the Android OS anyway. They are mostly Apple-heads and only use iPhones and iPads when not using their Macs. I'm wondering when we will see ANDROID reviewers review it. I know it's a very odd category but I don't want to get a GREAT expensive Wacom tablet that is abismal as an Android tablet as well. Has anyone around here gotten thier hands on one? If so, what do you think?