Database Info

Windows tablets

Would you guys recommend that one buys the Asus transformer 300 as opposed to waiting for windows 8 tablets and buying one of them? If so, why?
Thanks
Sent from my R800i using XDA

KindaUndisputed said:
Would you guys recommend that one buys the Asus transformer 300 as opposed to waiting for windows 8 tablets and buying one of them? If so, why?
Thanks
Sent from my R800i using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a tough call. I was thinking the same thing. Finally I bought the TF300 reasoning that:
1) Win RT tablets are still months away
2) Even when the first ones are released, it may well be a few more months before a manufacturer releases one I really like
3) Even then, it will be a few more months before there's a critical mass of decent applications for the platform.
So all in all I'm guessing 18 months to two years before Windows 8 tablets are truly attractive propositions, and by that time I'll probably be itching to update anyway, so I'll be able to re-consider the direction I want to go in at the time.

dsf3g said:
That's a tough call. I was thinking the same thing. Finally I bought the TF300 reasoning that:
1) Win RT tablets are still months away
2) Even when the first ones are released, it may well be a few more months before a manufacturer releases one I really like
3) Even then, it will be a few more months before there's a critical mass of decent applications for the platform.
So all in all I'm guessing 18 months to two years before Windows 8 tablets are truly attractive propositions, and by that time I'll probably be itching to update anyway, so I'll be able to re-consider the direction I want to go in at the time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is it about windows that is so attractive though? As in, what can you do on a windows tablet that you can't on Android?
2. What do you think, the Dell inspiron duo or this?
Sent from my R800i using XDA

I had the same question a week ago.
My girlfriend needed a "portable office" and the question was: Notebook or Notebook.
But then I told her there is a tablet with keyboard dock and listed some advantages, because she already have a Samsung Galaxy Ace.
And that it is possible to connect external volumes like USB sticks or drives.
Now she uses the TF300T about a week and is still satisfied.
All she has to do is to write some things in Word and a little bit Powerpoint. All this is done very well with OfficeSuite Pro.
Additionally she has to transfer some pictures, e-mails and surfing the net.
No need for Windows.
Now she can sync her calendar very very easy, has her contacts everywhere and can manage them easily, and can use the same payed apps as she bought for her Galaxy Ace.
My job is done.
You should just think about what you do most.
If you want to play some games which are windows only, okay. But you don't have already a PC at home?
Do you have special applications which are windows only?
Android is much smoother than windows. It's faster because it's not overloaded with things normal humans wouldn't need.
Additionally no idea about the battery lifetime. Notebooks have much less and I assume, Windows 8 tablets won't work as long as an Android tablet.

Thanks for the reply!
Sent from my R800i using XDA

KindaUndisputed said:
What is it about windows that is so attractive though? As in, what can you do on a windows tablet that you can't on Android?
2. What do you think, the Dell inspiron duo or this?
Sent from my R800i using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At this point, nothing, because there aren't any Windows RT tablets to compare to. So it's all speculative, on my part.
However, I would expect to find a very robst and well implemented web brower and a robust and well implemented Office suite as well as good Windows networking and printing.
The emergence of Chrome on Android makes the first point much less of an issue. I've been using Chrome on the TF300 and really, really like it. Heck, I've also found that Opera on my TF300 behaves much better than it does on my HTC Flyer.
But I'm still waiting for a decent Office suite. There are some OK ones out there, getting better by the day. I do like Office Suite Professional. But some pretty important features are missing (for insatnce, the ability to create multi-columned documents).

The big appeal of Windows 8 being on tablets is compatibility. There will be Metro Apps and regular Windows 8 apps. Metro Apps are gonna be for mobile devices like your tablet and your home PC.
With Windows 8 your old x86 PC applications won't run on your tablet, but your new Metro apps should be compatible with your PC and tablet. So if I'm playing a game on my tablet, I go home, I can sync up and continue playing on my PC. That's a very cool options to have. I'm using an app to work on a project on my tablet, I can jump right into the same application, with the same interface, and continue at my desk.
It's one step closer to blurring the line between a home PC and mobile devices.

Need Advice, please.

I have 500 bucks to spend and am hesitating between getting either the Surface or a nexus 7 + a chromebook. For those who have had some experience with those devices, what do you think would be a better way to go? I am honestly hesitating between the two choices.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2

The Chromebook really doesn't enthuse me...I don't completely think that its existence is justified yet. It depends how you consider the convenience of two devices vs one.
What are you planning on doing? Will you type a lot? Integrate the products into an existing Windows 8/Android phone ecosystem? Watch movies and videos? Games? Travel with it, or are they devices for home? Will you carry a Nexus 7 around alongside your Chromebook?
Personally, I'd look at the range of Atom-based Windows 8 Pro hybrid tablets. They get better battery and performance than the Surface RT, and have access to all Windows applications of the past. There's heaps from every OEM, and I don't know your exact price-point, so I can't really make a recommendation.

I don't agree re: the Atom systems providing better performance and battery than the surface. I've used an Atom Windows machine and it was a dog and the battery life was comparable to a PC.
I do agree regarding understanding just what you are going to use it for.
Are you a student? An office worker?
Are you watching movies? Playing games? Just browsing the web?
Are you going to need any Office document editing?
The Nexus is going to give you the best app ecosystem and access to Google Play books, movies, and music. The Chromebook is basically just an android tablet in a laptop form factor (with some limitations).
The Surface is more of a PC with some restrictions but doesn't benefit from the Google Play Store. It does have access to the XBox ecosystem but it is not as extensive as Google offerings (yet?).
I have Android tablets and an iPad and in the week I've had the Surface I have found the Surface to have more utility than any other tablet I've owned, but I look at things from a work standpoint. I don't play games or use "apps" on a tablet. I need them on my phone (which is why I have an Android phone).

Thanks for your input. I had the transformer prime but returned it because of a screen that went really bad. I am planning to go to school and was wondering which device (surface or chromebook) would help more on the go (I have a 17" Toshiba at home). I don't play much on my tablet but I like to watch movies on Netflix and videos online and browse the web. I am leaning toward the surface, I guess I am looking for assurance that I won't be disappointed.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2

Wendemixda said:
Thanks for your input. I had the transformer prime but returned it because of a screen that went really bad. I am planning to go to school and was wondering which device (surface or chromebook) would help more on the go (I have a 17" Toshiba at home). I don't play much on my tablet but I like to watch movies on Netflix and videos online and browse the web. I am leaning toward the surface, I guess I am looking for assurance that I won't be disappointed.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's an impossible assurance, but if this is for school, I think Surface is the way to go. They have a no-restock 14 day return policy. Worst case scenario, you can buy it, use it, and if you don't like it, return it.
Surface already has Netflix, Hulu, Kindle, and supports Amazon Instant Video via the web browser.

If you need Office, then get the Surface. I've tried just about every word processor/spread sheet app on android and none of them come close to the real thing. The Touch Cover and the way it's integrated is also vastly superior to any keyboard peripheral I've used on my android tablets.
If you do work with a lot of PDF's though be warned that right now you're pretty much stuck with converting them into office docs for now, the pdf reader that comes with the Surface barely has any functionality beyond the ability to open and read them, and there aren't any alternatives on the market yet.
As for netflix, hulu and web surfing it's all there. The Surface uses the desktop version of IE10 and as far as I know, it's the only new tablet to have flash support. Subjectively speaking I've found it to be just as fast as Chrome on Android 4.1.1, while I like the way Chrome renders some websites better, IE10 will always pull the desktop version of websites and does a much better job with animated gifs and embedded video.

hoodoomagic said:
If you need Office, then get the Surface. I've tried just about every word processor/spread sheet app on android and none of them come close to the real thing. The Touch Cover and the way it's integrated is also vastly superior to any keyboard peripheral I've used on my android tablets.
If you do work with a lot of PDF's though be warned that right now you're pretty much stuck with converting them into office docs for now, the pdf reader that comes with the Surface barely has any functionality beyond the ability to open and read them, and there aren't any alternatives on the market yet.
As for netflix, hulu and web surfing it's all there. The Surface uses the desktop version of IE10 and as far as I know, it's the only new tablet to have flash support. Subjectively speaking I've found it to be just as fast as Chrome on Android 4.1.1, while I like the way Chrome renders some websites better, IE10 will always pull the desktop version of websites and does a much better job with animated gifs and embedded video.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I find the built in pdf reader more than capable. I work with large pdfs for work and with the options menu at the bottom I can search , find bookmarks, highlight and add notes. What else do you want from a reader?
The only other thing I need is a pdf driver to create pdfs on the go but that is a different app.

guitar1969 said:
I find the built in pdf reader more than capable. I work with large pdfs for work and with the options menu at the bottom I can search , find bookmarks, highlight and add notes. What else do you want from a reader?
The only other thing I need is a pdf driver to create pdfs on the go but that is a different app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right, I was a too quick to judge and missed a lot of things that the stock reader is capable of doing. I'm used to using ez-pdf on android and that throws a lot of options in your face and was thrown off by the cleaner interface of the ms reader. I still can't figure out how to quickly get to a page though, and a night mode would be nice.

hoodoomagic said:
I still can't figure out how to quickly get to a page though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pinch to zoom out.

mk1151 said:
The Chromebook is basically just an android tablet in a laptop form factor (with some limitations).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Except that it isn't that at all!
No Android whatsoever in the Chromebook.
Regards,
Dave
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

foxmeister said:
Except that it isn't that at all!
No Android whatsoever in the Chromebook.
Regards,
Dave
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
correct, chromeOS doesn't share app stores with android, so no apps aside for the ones built specifically for that OS (which is just a fullscreen chrome browser)
aside from the rock bottom pricing for a basic use computer, i don't see the point of the chromebook at all.

Which Office app handles Word documents best?

I am using my dear little Infinity as a word manager at school which works somewhat good. I wish that Google Drive worked better with the browsers tho, maybe it will work better in the future
Back to the main question, to print documents I have to use it from a computer at school which in general means I have to save it in Word doc format. Sofar I find that OfficeSuite works best but it is usually a big difference how it formats the page compared to Word on the computers at school. Do you have any tips for minimizing this, like a better working Word app for Android or such?

Currently it's Textmaker from Softmaker - it's the only one that holds Word formatting and you can just import fonts from Windows. The UI takes a bit of getting used to, though.

I quite like smart office.

Ok, Ill try that when I get a bit more cash Kinda irritating that I bought OfficeSuite about a month ago before I asked this question... =)
EDIT: Is SoftMakers Presentations good too? Because its the same with the Presentations with all the different Office packs Ive tried, they simply dont work good.
dgjl said:
Currently it's Textmaker from Softmaker - it's the only one that holds Word formatting and you can just import fonts from Windows. The UI takes a bit of getting used to, though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

for words, i generally use officesuite pro.
but for powerpoint, i like quickoffice better.
the other choice you have is kingsoft office, but i never tried it. many people say it's pretty good.
i think it's more of personal preferences rather than the software it self.

I use OfficeSuite Pro 6 but find that it's choppy with a simple Word document. Anyone else experience this? Maybe it has to do with the fact that I'm using Dropbox to keep documents synced, but I doubt it. Feature wise though, OP6 seems pretty nice, never had an issue aside from performance. Doesn't seem to slow down on my X2.

hobs0n said:
Ok, Ill try that when I get a bit more cash Kinda irritating that I bought OfficeSuite about a month ago before I asked this question... =)
EDIT: Is SoftMakers Presentations good too? Because its the same with the Presentations with all the different Office packs Ive tried, they simply dont work good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Softmaker's PP is pretty good - it keeps most formatting and it allows for animations. Not so good for creating PPs,

Thanx for your tips but as I said, none other than TextMaker seems to keep the format which is the most important part for me Hopefully they will fix that in the future tho And I spent the money for TextMaker yesterday =) And as you said, not the best gui...

Hi from Rage by the way hobs0n

kingsoft is amazing! seriously i have office suite, quick office and documents to go, and by far kingsoft is the best. Plus its free. Just try it out and you will see what im talking about.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T

pierrekid said:
kingsoft is amazing! seriously i have office suite, quick office and documents to go, and by far kingsoft is the best. Plus its free. Just try it out and you will see what im talking about.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree! the ui of kingsoft is amazing. It much much much better than officesuit pro and polaris office.
And it is free!!!

noobwow said:
I agree! the ui of kingsoft is amazing. It much much much better than officesuit pro and polaris office.
And it is free!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another vote for Kingsoft.

I really like Kingsoft as well. My only issue with it, is that it doesn't know how to handle equations and certain symbols properly, so I usually just ask someone to export it to pdf and send it to me.

I've fond that a mixture works best for me.
For Spreadsheets, I find that my old, tried, tested and true Docs2Go works best, for both viewing existing spreadsheets and for adding new data. I bought D2G a long time ago when they put it on an absurd sale price.
For Word docs, it's a toss up, bit it seems like Kingsoft is edging out the competition. QuickOffice is a very close second. I got the Pro version of QO via Amazon Market place when they had it on sale for free.
For PPTs, well, I haven't found anything that is fool proof, other than a laptop running Windows XP+ and M$ Office 2007+.
On my Infinity, I've got like 5 suites installed to try to test this out (it's funny seeing 2 rows of icons asking me which program I want to open .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx files every time lol).
Here's to wishing that CloudON was working on the Infinity - problem solved, from what I hear.
I'm almost tempted to start using my RDP Client and using my home beast to do all of this stuff....sheesh.

Thanx again all for the tips and replys but I have already decided, TextMaker is the only one thats interesting because the other ones have too much difference in formating
berfles said:
Hi from Rage by the way hobs0n
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hoho why hallo thare =) Same name on R3D?

I use textmaker out of all programs including quickoffice HD and kingsoft, and that is the only one that keeps up with my typing speed, and seems to have the most functionality and ease of use, as well as a built in spell check, that once downloaded and installed works amazingly. It is basically the only program I use for writing, and has gotten rid of my chief grievance, that I miss MSword, about my switch from a laptop to a tablet for daily use.
It's fairly cheap too.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda app-developers app

After some testing I use Officesuite
Only suit with which the spreadsheet is not a letdown and where you can use the arrow keys on the keyboard to navigate.
Haven't used Softmakers SW yet
Though every improvement in Office programs is welcome... since it's definitely a weak spot of Android for now

I've only used Polaris Office and OfficeSuite. I can't really pick a favorite. We should have MS Office availability in May 2013 so that's cool. I've used Office 2013 on the Surface and it blows away any of the Android Office products.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda app-developers app

Ah yah, I'm looking forward to the ms office, hopefully it will be much better than the other android office suits

Try moffice:laugh:

[Q] Polaris Office v4

I have a quick question for all of you with the tf300:
My brother recently purchased the note 10.1 and I had the chance to play with it over the weekend. It's great, but I think it's a little out of my price range and the tf300 is the form factor I'd like. I'm a student, so being able to have the keyboard functionality is ideal. I know there's docks available for the note 10.1, but the tf300 with dock is more in my price range.
That being said, the functionality I wanted was in polaris office. I like to take my notes in the powerpoint format, and on my pc I've been able to crudely use the inking tools to scribble out things, with the majority of my notes going into the notes field. The note 10.1 has the ability to annotate free hand right on the slides using polaris office v4. Unfortunately, the tf300 demo units all had v3, and with no internet access, so I wasn't able to check if I could update the store model and see if that functionality exists. There was also no cursor visible in the notes section on the tf300, so you couldn't see where you were typing until you started typing.
So, my question is: can you update polaris office to v4, and can you write on the slides with your finger (or capacitive stylus)? OR, do you know of another way to do this? I realize an RT device would allow me to do this, but I don't want to purchase (IMHO) a gimped PC. I could wait for the Windows 8 Pro tablets to come out, but they're all looking to be three times as expensive as this setup would be.
I realize I can export the slides to PDF and use an annotating software, but that's not what I'm looking for.
Thanks!

The latest Jellybean ROM updates it to V3.5, so no luck getting V4 from Asus yet.

Ah, gotcha. Any chance there's any alternatives that allow that?

flanker1743 said:
Ah, gotcha. Any chance there's any alternatives that allow that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could try looking around for the apk...but be warned its looked down upon, unless the app is free then its all good :good:

flanker1743 said:
Ah, gotcha. Any chance there's any alternatives that allow that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried getting a v4 apk from the net, but I couldn't get it to open any documents. The app would run but when I tried to open or create a document it crashed. So, I guess you might want to look for other options. There are several apps for taking notes with a stylus, ASUS SuperNote is pretty good (comes pre-installed), I know its not exactly what you need.
But if you can wait a while ASUS might update polaris, and Microsoft Office is being released for Android hopefully in the 1Q of 2013. Another note, the TF300T is pretty good with a stylus, but I bet the Note 10.1 is a lot better from what I've seen. I guess you could get the TF300T from a store with at least 30 days return policy and try it out.

Thanks everyone for all the responses. I'll keep these things in mind proceeding forward. It's just been extra tempting to get it lately with the black friday specials and now the cyber monday deals!

[Q] Has anyone tried this with their Note Pro?

I've found this on Youtube and it was used for another tablet. Apparently , it installs Windows 8 on an Android tablet and someone could back up the Android partition in case said person wanted to get back to Android.
http://changemysoftware.org/cms8edition.php
Has anyone tried this on their Note Pros yet?

I am not enthused about win 8 on any platform.

Bystorm said:
I've found this on Youtube and it was used for another tablet. Apparently , it installs Windows 8 on an Android tablet and someone could back up the Android partition in case said person wanted to get back to Android.
http://changemysoftware.org/cms8edition.php
Has anyone tried this on their Note Pros yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
... didn't even know it was around... well, maybe I'm being unneedfully suspicious, but there's lots about this ( I watched the video ) that doesn't quite work...
... how Windows 8 is running on whatever chipset is in his tablet escapes me. My gut instinct is to say it's in some sort of virtualized container, but ...
... I noticed at the end of the video there was virtually no demonstration of how it performed. did the touch screen work? Was it laggy?
... anytime I'm just clicking away and letting software from who knows where just fly on to my device, well, I need to have my head examined.
It would be super cool if this was legit and produced a functional way to swap between OS's; I'm just not buying it for now based on what the site and video is showing.

I have an android tablet to avoid windows tablets... Pretty much zero reason to use Windows short of office.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-P907A using XDA Free mobile app

Echo the opinions of others when I say I have absolutely no desire to ever own a windows tablet.
The website in question though just screams STAY AWAY to me. It's clean . . too clean . . there's no testimonials, no compatibility lists, and no support FAQs or forums of any kind to allow one to see a history of testing and interaction with users. For me, support is often a big deal and that should especially be true for a product such as this where you're potentially going to softbrick your device when you repartition it. While I'm sure there would be a way to get back to stock I'm not the least bit interested in finding out . .

rodnok1 said:
I have an android tablet to avoid windows tablets... Pretty much zero reason to use Windows short of office.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-P907A using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm between Android and Mac/iOS myself. Wherever the art geared tech flows, I follow, but that's just me. I don't see the point of Windows tablets myself, but if factors changed, I'd jump only with the other options had nothing to offer me anymore.
Don't even need Office anymore. Just get Libreoffice, which got a heavy UI overhaul recently. I just found it as a curiosity. I still remember running a virtual machine of 2000 on the Note 10.1 , and it was slow as can be. I'm not sure how well virtual machines run on the Note Pro, but I doubt anything beyond XP would run well.
angus454 said:
... didn't even know it was around... well, maybe I'm being unneedfully suspicious, but there's lots about this ( I watched the video ) that doesn't quite work...
... how Windows 8 is running on whatever chipset is in his tablet escapes me. My gut instinct is to say it's in some sort of virtualized container, but ...
... I noticed at the end of the video there was virtually no demonstration of how it performed. did the touch screen work? Was it laggy?
... anytime I'm just clicking away and letting software from who knows where just fly on to my device, well, I need to have my head examined.
It would be super cool if this was legit and produced a functional way to swap between OS's; I'm just not buying it for now based on what the site and video is showing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with all your points. I found the site and a lack of an actual forum to navigate to be unfortunate, because I'd like to experiment with the software. I might sacrifice my outdated Captivate to see how this works.

That website is completely fake. DO NOT USE.
We've discussed changemysoftware.org several times before on XDA. It's fake.