Results 1 to 4 of 4

Thread: Windows Tablet PC Buying Guide

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Mumbai
    Posts
    316

    Windows Tablet PC Buying Guide

    Tablets are easy way for interaction. They provide you pc like features and extreme portable solution. Today, we have a huge list of brands in the market selling various models. We have fierce competition between Apple, Android and Microsoft. I am not talking about the company or brand, I am talking about the platform “the operating system”. Apple started with iPad, a super cool tablet with great touch support and durable design. Above all the iOS operating inside is was amazing. It offers you simple way to carry out various works instantly. Super smooth touch interface add more fun. You can play games, watch movies, chat with your friends, surf web, etc. Keeping that thing in mind other brands pop-in with more new and innovative approach. After Google, released Android this gadget got a kick start. A free, reliable and feature rich operating system. Many brands which never exist started appearing. Android has captured a huge amount of market share. That is because of reasonable products and millions of free apps/games on Google Play. This is something smartly done. A product that has its own store with hundreds of new apps coming every day. Before this, the iTunes store iPad was the only hub for getting apps for iOS. Now we have something bigger. Along with this, Microsoft slowly crawled out with its own series of portable system called as Surface. The new version Surface pro comes with Windows 8. Microsoft entirely modified the user interface of Windows, to add uniformity in its OS. So that whichever gadget you are using, if it has Windows, it will be easy to operate. In this guide we are going to checkout some of the best Windows tablet. How a Windows tablet can benefit you over Android Tablet or iPad.

    Windows is a commercial product. If you buy a Windows tablet you are already paying the license fee of OS in it. That hikes the price. This is one of the major causes why Windows tablet are so costly. But they are amazing. I had worked on various models like Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro, Dell Latitude, Lenovo and Ideapad Yoga. I used them separately for more than a month, and being a geek I found it more comfortable over Android. If you have a Windows tablet in your hand, then just assume that you are carrying the whole features of a laptop or a desktop. The thing which you can do in your PC you can do in that. Like editing an Office document, downloading, image editing, chatting, etc. Microsoft stays behind in the App Store thing. I don’t know why they do not look so serious in developing the App store better. Windows Store today has a few set of good apps. Among which I had seen Skype is the best one. It works well on the full touch screen. There is no comparison of Google Play and Windows App store. We have the power of Windows here, but we don’t have suitable apps that would work well on touch screen. Developers do not look much interested in working for Windows platform I think. Still the tablets are amazing. They might not give you great games, but you can carry your own personal computer with you.

    Why Windows, Why not Android or iPad?

    This would be the first question you will ask yourself if you are out to buy a tablet. In a shop at one side you see all Windows tablet places well shining. And on the other side, you see a huge series of Android tablet started from the cheapest amount to highest. They look amazing, small and in budget. Android gives you more choice in terms of price. Many buyers consider price as the primary aspect when they are out for shopping. Then comes the features, model, and extra stuff. But if we take this thing in reverse, like first comes the features, brand, model, etc Windows tablet surely appear on the top. They are not just a device made for fun, but they are designed to give you work. They are for both professionals and personal both. Now let’s assume that you want to copy a file from your laptop which is on your office LAN network. And the file is shared inside a folder. You have an Android tablet or iOS tablet with you. To access that share folder you have to download different applications. A Samba client may be. Then you will connect the tablet on same LAN network via wifi and try to locate the folder. But if you have Windows, You just have to tap on network places. You can add the tablet in same work group and even share the folder inside it. No app needed for that.

    For Enterprise who uses Windows Server, Active Directory Authentication, etc to manage their business offers a secure login to their employees. And you want to use your tablet on that network securely. On non Windows platform you will have to mess with settings manually. And compare to that on Windows 8 you just have to enter the workgroup and login details. There are some important things which are not possible in Android/iPad and for each of them you have to add a new app. Android is considered as non secure platform. Recent news claimed that this platform is suffering from tons of malware attack daily. So take care if you are using it for banking or official usage. People only prefer Android due to budget choices. It will be wrong to say that Windows is also 100% secure. IT also faces virus issues, but updates and vulnerabilities are caught instantly. That is what we are paying for. If you are professional then Windows tablet can make your life easier. We will go ahead with some points before buying a tablet. And then move ahead to check out the final models. I am going to take almost all good models which are available till date.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Mumbai
    Posts
    316

    Re: Windows Tablet PC Buying Guide

    Points to be considered before buying a Tablet:

    Brand:

    The first thing is too look for the manufacturer. The brand matters here. In Windows we are having reputed manufacturers. Like Dell, Lenovo, HP, Asus and Microsoft itself. It looks Microsoft maintains a strict quality line for the tablet development. Other brands like Sony, Samsung, and many more sticked with Android. So here we have nothing much to worry. Each of these brands offers a unique model based on different usage. Like some offer you powerful design, while some emphasize more on the touch interface. Being a Windows tablet, there is nothing special out the UI. It remains common in everyone. But additional feature like data encryption, storage, camera, recovery, etc remains separate. Different manufacturer works separately in making their product more and better for the end user. And the price also goes different among all. Microsoft has recently announced Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 tablets. This will come loaded with Windows 8.1. The design is more sleek and better with fast touch UI and amazing portability. This is the second generation of tablet by Microsoft powered by Intel Core i5 CPU. Microsoft is adding more and more power to its device. So that it can carry out functions that you can do on your pc. What is required is touch optimized application. Like you can still use Adobe Premiere pro on the tablet, but it must be optimized to work with Touch.

    Cost: When we talk about Windows tablet, then keeping this thing aside matters. Never think you are going to get a budget model here. A good Windows tablet can start from Rs.25,000 and goes to Rs.50,000 or even higher. That is the reason many skip it. No one is really willing to pay such a high amount for a tablet. At the same price they can buy a bigger size laptop or a gaming pc. But when it comes to portable usage, then you cannot carry them with you. A Windows tablet can increase your work output. It can enhance your productivity.

    Requirement: Try to understand what you want. You can get confuse while going in market and finding many models. It can easily confuse you want to buy and what to leave and you can land upon a product which after few months is useless. This is one of the most common things I had notice. When I take my friends to buy a tablet, they get fascinated by number of new models. Especially android. But they are not aware why they actually need like. Like if you need a tablet only for reading eBooks, then why to buy a costly one. Look for one which has clear display. That’ all. In the same way if you need a tablet for web surfing, multimedia and gaming, then going for mid range product is enough. So make a list for what work you need a tablet. And what platform you prefer the most. The easiest one for you to do day to day job. On that basis you can analysis various models and choose the best one.

    Tablet Screen Size: Tablet Screen size also matters a lot. Bigger one is costly. Most of the tablet comes in 7”, 8” & 10” screen size. This is three standards size. 7” are more portable. They are small and easy to carry. While other are bigger. Most of the Windows tablet has 8.1” screen size and some of them are larger than that. Because they are designed with a hybrid solution. You can connect a wireless keyboard on it, or buy a keyboard dock and use it like a laptop. On small screen size it will be hard for you to read the text and type. On bigger one it will be easier. For Windows always consider big screen size. 8.1 looks decent also while carrying. You can get good carry pouch for the tab and take it with you wherever you go. The boot time is low due to good hardware; you can start it instantly and start your work. Bigger tablets are in appropriate to carry and use. You have to use it on dock always. Like Samsung ATIV Smart PC. Amazing tablet with hybrid solution. It comes with a dock that offers you a full keyboard and charging option. It looks like a small netbook when connected on the dock.

    Hardware Configuration: This is the last thing you must see. A good hardware means good performance. Like some tablets today are released with Intel Core i5 processor and 2GB ram. For storage you can get 8, 16, 32 and 64GB solutions. Storage does not matter much because you can extend that by adding an external memory card. Or you can use an external drive on the same. But the CPU and ram matters a lot. A bit low end tablet comes with 1.8 GHz singe core CPU which is not enough for using heavy software on it. You can install all software which you use on your pc in the tablet. Like a web browser, chat messenger, audio/video player, download manager, antivirus, winrar, torrent, etc. IT works well. This is the best thing done by Microsoft. They had not separated the OS architecture here. Windows Os which is used in the tablet is the same one that is used in a laptop or desktop pc. Here we have a uniform platform to work.

    Convertible vs. Tablet

    There are two major formats available in Windows tablet. One is Convertible or a Hybrid and other one is the regular Tablet PC. Convertible comes with dock or with attached keyboard. Like Ideapad Yoga. They offer you both features in one place. You can use them as a tablet or you can use them as netbook. Convertible comes with rich design and so they are costly. Regular tablets are bit cheaper and you can buy dock separately. This is good for productivity. With a keyboard support you can type faster and use the tablet complete like a pc. But as I said you will have to pay for the design. A tablet is designed to work faster and offer you long battery life. You can use various applications on it and continue your work. It can be used for reading eBooks also. And if you are getting bored then you can use it for watching moves or for gaming. The HD screen on the front offer amazing output. Compare to that a convertible offer you easy connectivity through SIM support. Flexible design allows you to us it like a laptop that adds more to productivity and style.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Mumbai
    Posts
    316

    Re: Windows Tablet PC Buying Guide

    Windows Tablet PC Models:

    Now we will checkout some top models in the market. I am sure about the price for few models listed below. You have multiple choices here to go for the best one which suites your needs.

    Acer Iconia W3-810: This tab comes for Rs.30,000. It can be counted as a good budget Windows tablet. But there are cheaper tablets available in the market. It is powered by Intel Cloverview SOC ATOM Z2760 1.8G Hz processor. This CPU is enough for doing day to day job. It offers you maximum 2GB ram with two storage size variation. It is 32 and 64GB eMMC. The screen size is around 8.1inch offering a maximum resolution of 1280x800. It has a keyboard dock. It is a good tablet for day to day usage.

    Acer Iconia W3-810

    Specs:
    • Screen: 8.1inch with 1280x800 max resolution
    • Storage: 32GB / 64GB eMMC
    • RAM : 2 GB
    • CPU : Intel Cloverview SOC — ATOM Z2760 1.8G Hz
    • Graphics : Intel Cloverview

    Acer Iconia W700: This tab comes for $999.99. I am not sure about the Indian price. The table is good in performance. It is a costly one but comes with a powerful processor. It is powered by Intel Core i5 CPU which is good for day to day work and for gaming also. It has a UMA graphic which works well with various applications. It also comes with a keyboard dock. The tablet offers 11.6inch screen size with 1920 x 1080 maximum resolutions. It is a bit bigger and powerful. It has 128GB SSD internal storage. This SSD is a fast performance storage solution. And for ram it offers you 4GB. So here you can see there is a good hike in the hardware config which makes this tablet better.

    Acer Iconia W700

    Specs:
    • Screen: 11.6inch with 1920 x 1080 max resolution
    • Storage: 128GB SSD
    • RAM : 4 GB
    • CPU : Intel Core i5
    • Graphics : UMA

    ASUS VivoTab : Another great tablet by Asus. This tab comes for Rs.53,200. It is costly but great enough to do various work. It has an amazing think design which makes it quiet portable to carry. The tablet offers you an 11.6inch screen on the front side with maximum resolution of 1366x768. It has 64GB internal storage. The maximum ram it offers you is 2 GB which is capable of giving decent output. And it is powered by Intel ATOM processor. The tablet looks great in terms of design. You can use it like a mini netbook.

    ASUS VivoTab

    Specs:
    • Screen: 11.6inch with 1366 x 768 max resolution
    • Storage: 64GB SSD
    • RAM : 2 GB
    • CPU : Intel ATOM
    • Graphics : SoC

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Mumbai
    Posts
    316

    Re: Windows Tablet PC Buying Guide

    ASUS VivoTab Smart: This is a better version of Vivo tab. more another great tablet by Asus. The cost of Vivo tab Smart is Rs.45,990. This tablet provides you a slimmer design. It is a big lower in price but good in hardware. It has a 10.1inch screen size offering a 1366 x 768 maximum resolution. The screen size makes it more portable and easy to carry. It is powered by Intel Atom Z2760 Dual-core CPU with 2GB ram in the same. 64GB space is more than enough to keep anything in the tablet. The screen output is vibrant with smooth touch interface and amazing output.

    ASUS VivoTab Smart

    Specs:
    • Screen: 10.1inch with 1366 x 768 max resolution
    • Storage: 64GB SSD
    • RAM : 2 GB
    • CPU : Intel Atom Z2760 Dual-core

    Dell Latitude 10 Tablet: Latitude 10 promise more features. This tablet is ideal to use in office. It comes for Rs.65,991. That makes it costly but one time investment. The screen size of this tablet is 10.6 with 1366 x 768 of maximum resolution. It is powered by Intel Atom Z2760 Processor and 2GB ram. For storage it provides you 64GB space. The tab looks a bit high end in terms of output. Being a costly product it deliver great features. The size is amazing and Dell products are popular for durability. This tablet has durable design.

    Dell Latitude 10 Tablet

    Specs:
    • Screen: 10.6inch with 1366 x 768 max resolution
    • Storage: 64GB SSD
    • RAM : 2 GB
    • CPU : Intel Atom Z2760 Dual-core
    • Graphics : Intel Graphics Media Accelerator

    Surface RT: Microsoft’s own Surface RT tablet is better this time. It is sleek and has amazing output. The tablet is thinner with additional keyboard that you can attach on it and use it like a laptop. The cost of this tablet is $349. Which is cheaper compare to other. It has a 10.1 with 1366 x 768 of maximum resolution. It comes two storage sizes. One is 32GB and the other one is 64GB. It is powered by Quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3. The tablet promise good performance with amazing design. It looks unique and more portable this time.

    Surface RT

    Specs:
    • Screen: 10.1inch with 1366 x 768 max resolution
    • Storage: 32/64GB SSD
    • RAM : 2 GB
    • CPU : Quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3

    Surface Pro: Surface Pro is a better version of RT. It is more powerful. IT is for those who need better output by running more heavy application on the tablet. It comes for $799. This makes it a very costly tablet. It has a 10.6 with 1920 x 1080 of maximum resolution. The screen size and design both are great here. It gives you higher storage space compare to Surface Rt. This tablet offers you 64GB / 128GB storage size. It is for those who need more performance. It follows the new surface design. The tablet is powered by 3rd Gen Intel CoreTM i5 processor with 2GB ram and supported by Intel HD Graphics 4000 graphics. It is almost near to a laptop.

    Surface Pro

    Specs:
    • Screen: 10.1inch with 1920 x 1080max resolution
    • Storage: 64GB / 128GB
    • RAM : 2 GB
    • CPU : 3rd Gen Intel CoreTM i5
    • Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000

Similar Threads

  1. SSD Buying Guide
    By racer in forum Guides & Tutorials
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 21-03-2012, 01:09 PM
  2. Smartphone Buying Guide
    By Orton in forum Guides & Tutorials
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 22-02-2012, 08:05 PM
  3. Tablet Pc Buying Guide 2010
    By RedZot in forum Guides & Tutorials
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 29-10-2010, 10:55 PM
  4. Computer Buying Guide
    By starhero in forum Motherboard Processor & RAM
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 01-06-2010, 12:36 AM
  5. Printer Buying Guide
    By Bozena in forum Guides & Tutorials
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 15-01-2009, 11:42 PM

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Page generated in 1,711,638,673.84070 seconds with 17 queries