what tablet would you buy?
11-01-2013, 01:52 PM
#21
Get a nexus 7 LTE. T-MOBILE will give you free 200mb/month. If you don't want to pay out of pocket, T-Mobile will sell you the tablet for $16/month, with the free data. Can't go wrong.
I personally have a kindle fire HD, rooted with play store, only because I snagged a sale on amazon for $100
I personally have a kindle fire HD, rooted with play store, only because I snagged a sale on amazon for $100
Reply
0
0
11-01-2013, 01:52 PM
#22
Supporting Vendor
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Lake Forest, CA
Posts: 7,947
Total Cats: 1,002
what y8s said.
If you're looking for affordable full-windows machines, the new Dell Venue series tablets are the winners IMO. An 8" full windows tablet for $299. Can't beat that.
BUT OP... if you want something high quality, versatile, and slick without spending too much money, get the new Nexus 7. It is a GREAT piece of kit.
If you're looking for affordable full-windows machines, the new Dell Venue series tablets are the winners IMO. An 8" full windows tablet for $299. Can't beat that.
BUT OP... if you want something high quality, versatile, and slick without spending too much money, get the new Nexus 7. It is a GREAT piece of kit.
Reply
0
0
11-01-2013, 03:04 PM
#23
Boost Pope
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
Posts: 33,019
Total Cats: 6,587
My intuitive reaction here would be to quote Mathew 6:24 (No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.) Typically, a machine designed to perform many functions does none well. This one might just tempt me, however.
As a desktop replacement, it would probably work for some folks. That little Haswell i5-4200U processor is near the bottom of the current-gen performance scale (it's a commendable design, but you can only do so much with 15 watts of power), and the 8GB RAM limit will become a problem in a year or two- 8G is already my bare minimum requirement for a 64 bit machine. I wouldn't replace my own desktop with it, but I might well consider it as my next laptop when it comes time to retire the Latitude E4200, presupposing that they come out with a better keyboard for it.
EDIT: just saw the Dell Venture info.
$299 as opposed to $899 for the Surface Pro 2, and it still runs "real" windows on an x64-architecture CPU. THAT is the Tablet I'd buy if I were shopping for a tablet.
Reply
0
0
11-01-2013, 03:24 PM
#24
The Venue is certainly interesting, but I am still skeptical whether the MS mobile ecosystem will ever be 'up to snuff' with Android and iOS.
And IMO the ability to run (32bit only) windows desktop apps doesn't make up for that in an 8" tablet.
Definitely the one to get though if someone wants both a tablet and a facebook machine (in desktop form).
And IMO the ability to run (32bit only) windows desktop apps doesn't make up for that in an 8" tablet.
Definitely the one to get though if someone wants both a tablet and a facebook machine (in desktop form).
Reply
0
0
11-01-2013, 04:28 PM
#25
Boost Pope
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
Posts: 33,019
Total Cats: 6,587
Since I don't have a car at the moment, that motivation is gone. But that type of thing is essentially the logic behind why I would buy that specific tablet. The ability run run Win32 apps massively outweighs the advantage that iOS and Android have in actual tablet-style apps (Angry Birds, etc).
Not only would I use it for Megasquirt tuning, but it would be convenient for configuring Cisco switches, doing firmware updates on Evertz / Ross / Harris / Wheatstone / etc., products, performing local diagnostics and configuration on BlackMagic and Sony routers, that sort of thing. The kind of environment where I specifically require an RS-232 serial connection and the ability to run x86-specific applications for which no equivalent exists on any other platform including Linux.
Eg: These are the first tablets that I can actually take seriously as business-class tools in a technical environment.
Reply
0
0
11-01-2013, 04:38 PM
#26
Supporting Vendor
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Lake Forest, CA
Posts: 7,947
Total Cats: 1,002
The Venue Pro Dell tablets (8" and 10", 8"=$299) include FULL windows 8.1. It is NOT a mobile OS, though it does have a mobile-friendly side to it.
Reply
0
0
11-01-2013, 07:24 PM
#28
Boost Pope
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
Posts: 33,019
Total Cats: 6,587
But I don't want to do that. My Galaxy S4 does a perfectly adequate job of playing Angry Birds and listening to podcasts, and it rather conveniently clips onto my belt.
For me, the beauty of something like this Dell is that it lets me to actual work, running "real" (x86) software, in places where even a small laptop is inconveniently large and cumbersome (eg: standing on a ladder, squeezed into a rack, lying on my back under a console, driving a car, etc.
Reply
0
0
11-01-2013, 07:54 PM
#30
Supporting Vendor
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Lake Forest, CA
Posts: 7,947
Total Cats: 1,002
For me, the beauty of something like this Dell is that it lets me to actual work, running "real" (x86) software, in places where even a small laptop is inconveniently large and cumbersome (eg: standing on a ladder, squeezed into a rack, lying on my back under a console, driving a car, etc.
What I really want, though, and the one thing that frustrates me about this particular tablet... I WANT HDMI OUT!! JERKS!! I want to be able to hook it up to a monitor and use it that way.
Reply
0
0
11-01-2013, 08:01 PM
#31
Boost Pope
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
Posts: 33,019
Total Cats: 6,587
Keep in mind that the Bay Trail Atom (the chip that's making these ultra-cheap "real Windows" tablets possible) has only been on the market for about a month. Six months from now, every company that makes a laptop today is going to be offering x86-capable Win8 tablets. I'm taking about the Acers and Asuses of the world.
By this time next year, WinRT is going to be a hazy memory, and you're going to be able to run friggin' DOS apps (via either VMWare or DOSBOX under Win8) on a tablet if you want to.
Don't buy anything just yet. Give it six months, and your dream tablet will exist. Hell, I myself might actually buy one at that point. Being able to walk up to a big Evertz router and plug in an RS232 connection from a friggin' tablet appeals to me greatly.
This is a seriously big deal. I never imagined that the x86 platform would ever pose any threat to iThings and Androidos. And no, I don't think the hipsters are going to give up their iThings no matter how much faster and cheaper the Atombooks are. Rather, I think we're going to start see people buying tablets who previously would not have otherwise.
By this time next year, WinRT is going to be a hazy memory, and you're going to be able to run friggin' DOS apps (via either VMWare or DOSBOX under Win8) on a tablet if you want to.
Don't buy anything just yet. Give it six months, and your dream tablet will exist. Hell, I myself might actually buy one at that point. Being able to walk up to a big Evertz router and plug in an RS232 connection from a friggin' tablet appeals to me greatly.
This is a seriously big deal. I never imagined that the x86 platform would ever pose any threat to iThings and Androidos. And no, I don't think the hipsters are going to give up their iThings no matter how much faster and cheaper the Atombooks are. Rather, I think we're going to start see people buying tablets who previously would not have otherwise.
Reply
0
0
11-01-2013, 08:05 PM
#32
Supporting Vendor
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Lake Forest, CA
Posts: 7,947
Total Cats: 1,002
YES. that would be me.
I bought an Android tablet and just found that I had to find reasons to use it. I had no need for it. But one that can help me get work done? YES.
Problem is... I kinda have a need for it NOW. I will see if there are any black friday deals on it. If I can get it cheap, I will. If I can't, I'll wait I guess.
I bought an Android tablet and just found that I had to find reasons to use it. I had no need for it. But one that can help me get work done? YES.
Problem is... I kinda have a need for it NOW. I will see if there are any black friday deals on it. If I can get it cheap, I will. If I can't, I'll wait I guess.
Reply
0
0
11-01-2013, 09:20 PM
#34
Keep in mind that the Bay Trail Atom (the chip that's making these ultra-cheap "real Windows" tablets possible) has only been on the market for about a month. Six months from now, every company that makes a laptop today is going to be offering x86-capable Win8 tablets. I'm taking about the Acers and Asuses of the world.
By this time next year, WinRT is going to be a hazy memory, and you're going to be able to run friggin' DOS apps (via either VMWare or DOSBOX under Win8) on a tablet if you want to.
Don't buy anything just yet. Give it six months, and your dream tablet will exist. Hell, I myself might actually buy one at that point. Being able to walk up to a big Evertz router and plug in an RS232 connection from a friggin' tablet appeals to me greatly.
This is a seriously big deal. I never imagined that the x86 platform would ever pose any threat to iThings and Androidos. And no, I don't think the hipsters are going to give up their iThings no matter how much faster and cheaper the Atombooks are. Rather, I think we're going to start see people buying tablets who previously would not have otherwise.
By this time next year, WinRT is going to be a hazy memory, and you're going to be able to run friggin' DOS apps (via either VMWare or DOSBOX under Win8) on a tablet if you want to.
Don't buy anything just yet. Give it six months, and your dream tablet will exist. Hell, I myself might actually buy one at that point. Being able to walk up to a big Evertz router and plug in an RS232 connection from a friggin' tablet appeals to me greatly.
This is a seriously big deal. I never imagined that the x86 platform would ever pose any threat to iThings and Androidos. And no, I don't think the hipsters are going to give up their iThings no matter how much faster and cheaper the Atombooks are. Rather, I think we're going to start see people buying tablets who previously would not have otherwise.
To be honest, I prefer the netbook for the TunerstudioMS stuff probably for the reason it isn't really set for a touch interface and trying to work the software while riding as a passenger and watching a tune returns a lot of "a ****".
Speedwise both are about the same.
Battery wise, the ATIV docked with the keyboard is unbeatable. 10 hours +
And it has hdmi out and Bluetooth.
Reply
0
0
11-01-2013, 09:43 PM
#36
Boost Pope
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
Posts: 33,019
Total Cats: 6,587
But the fact that x86-compliant tablets are becoming a reality means that I can also use them to interface with a bunch of other hardware ("serious" broadcast and infrastructure stuff) for which the admin software is only available on the standard Win32 (x86) platform, because it's all written in the .NET environment.
In other words, a tablet capable of running Win XP / 7 applications is one that I can use for serious work. Will it ever replace my desktop? Of course not. For AutoCAD and Access, I require serious computational horsepower and memory. But for plugging into the back of an SDI de-embeder/multiplexer frame to do a firmware update? I don't need much computer at all for that, and if I can use a 6 ounce tablet instead of undocking my huge, heavy, workstation-class "laptop" and lugging it into the back of a rack, I'm down with that.
It just needs to be able to have either a USB to RS-232 adapter, a USB to 10/100 Ethernet adapter, or a USB to JTAG adapter plugged into it as the application demands. And if it's running "real" windows, then that won't be a problem.
And if it happens to cost half as much as the Samsung ATIV 500, all the better.
Reply
0
0
11-01-2013, 11:15 PM
#37
Yeah, and now that TSMS has VEAL, It would be adequate for my MS-tuning needs.
But the fact that x86-compliant tablets are becoming a reality means that I can also use them to interface with a bunch of other hardware ("serious" broadcast and infrastructure stuff) for which the admin software is only available on the standard Win32 (x86) platform, because it's all written in the .NET environment.
In other words, a tablet capable of running Win XP / 7 applications is one that I can use for serious work. Will it ever replace my desktop? Of course not. For AutoCAD and Access, I require serious computational horsepower and memory. But for plugging into the back of an SDI de-embeder/multiplexer frame to do a firmware update? I don't need much computer at all for that, and if I can use a 6 ounce tablet instead of undocking my huge, heavy, workstation-class "laptop" and lugging it into the back of a rack, I'm down with that.
It just needs to be able to have either a USB to RS-232 adapter, a USB to 10/100 Ethernet adapter, or a USB to JTAG adapter plugged into it as the application demands. And if it's running "real" windows, then that won't be a problem.
And if it happens to cost half as much as the Samsung ATIV 500, all the better.
My AutoCAD needs typically can wait till I get back to my office but if I know I'll need it I'll take my HP laptop with me and leave something else behind.
I try and set things up to be identical excepting certain software like AutoCAD which is painful on a machine without the power to do a redraw on a 3d model. But I can always send the model ahead or load it off Dropbox to a customer machine.
In the end I've spent way too much on techie **** and now am at the point I have crap all over the place that I don't need. I tell you it's a weakness....
I bought the Samsung tablet when it first came out and got the keyboard free so total if I remember was $500+/-. Now that I've stripped out the Samsung crap and keep the drivers up to date it's a fairly speedy machine for what it is.
Reply
0
0
11-02-2013, 08:31 AM
#38
Boost Pope
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
Posts: 33,019
Total Cats: 6,587
In any 80s action movie where the tech guy in the group whips out a ribbon cable and plugs it directly into the main board of the (bomb / electronic lock / missile guidance system / other MacGuffin) in order to over-ride it, that's the old-school version of JTAG. JTAG itself was invented to standardize the interface across all platforms, so that the hero only needed to carry one cable and one adapter to interface with all electronic devices owned by (the villian / the evil corporation / the corrupt government / etc).
On this adapter, the JTAG port is on the right:
You don't need much horsepower to drive one, but you do need the ability to run a specific application which is generally only available for the Win32 platform.
Reply
0
0
11-02-2013, 09:32 AM
#39
JTAG is an industry-standard test header used for connecting a PC directly to the guts of something like an FPGA or a DSP chip. It's not something you'd use in the "real world" very much, but it's absolutely vital for doing things like re-flashing firmware into a bricked device, validating new DSP code in a test environment, etc.
In any 80s action movie where the tech guy in the group whips out a ribbon cable and plugs it directly into the main board of the (bomb / electronic lock / missile guidance system / other MacGuffin) in order to over-ride it, that's the old-school version of JTAG. JTAG itself was invented to standardize the interface across all platforms, so that the hero only needed to carry one cable and one adapter to interface with all electronic devices owned by (the villian / the evil corporation / the corrupt government / etc).
On this adapter, the JTAG port is on the right:
You don't need much horsepower to drive one, but you do need the ability to run a specific application which is generally only available for the Win32 platform.
In any 80s action movie where the tech guy in the group whips out a ribbon cable and plugs it directly into the main board of the (bomb / electronic lock / missile guidance system / other MacGuffin) in order to over-ride it, that's the old-school version of JTAG. JTAG itself was invented to standardize the interface across all platforms, so that the hero only needed to carry one cable and one adapter to interface with all electronic devices owned by (the villian / the evil corporation / the corrupt government / etc).
On this adapter, the JTAG port is on the right:
You don't need much horsepower to drive one, but you do need the ability to run a specific application which is generally only available for the Win32 platform.
I'm guessing the wire ends that look shrink wrapped connect directly to the leg of the chip or is there chip specific sockets which plug into the output end of the 'box'?
Reply
0
0
11-02-2013, 11:18 AM
#40
Boost Pope
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
Posts: 33,019
Total Cats: 6,587
The ribbon cable is the "standard" JTAG implementation, which is compatible with the majority of circuit boards that support JTAG operation. Basically, as the designer of the circuit board, you're supposed to put a mating connector on it to receive that cable.
The loose wire ends are there to deal with boards designed by people who didn't put the mating connector there. They allow you to hack the thing into place any way you can manage.
Reply
0
0
