This thread DELIVERS. :brain:

Now I understand... the "hero mode".

Side note... I know you don't have a car right now, did you ever look at running Linux on a 'formerly' android tablet to get Tunerstudio that way? Because I can't leave well enough alone, and always looking to repurpose orphaned equipment, I'm thinking of doing this with an older Acer 10" tablet.

There is a Ubuntu derivative out there for that tablet. And it's so far from what came as stock anyway.....

Edit: I guess I should offer my $0.02 on Windows 8 - 8.1 on a tablet considering I have been using for a year now and just upgraded the ATIV to 8.1

I'm spoiled with the desktop and for the life of me just can't seem to get into the Metro thing. The start screen just gets in the way if what you primarily use are 32bit programs. Using real Office in a touch mode is painful, at best, and I find going to the start screen just to get back to the desktop is a major nuisance. And yes, I have my machines setup to boot directly to the desktop and use Start8 since the early beta. Changing the Start screen is far from intuitive and I find tiles moving everywhere but where I want them. And frankly, I could care less if my desktop screen = my tablet screen = my phone screen.

If I were a large MS shareholder I'd be asking for Balmer's resignation (but, then apparently some have). In a nutshell, 8.1 runs a little faster than 8.0 which is, IMHO, a decent step up from W7 performance wise, that it makes sense to do the upgrades.

My business partner, who uses a Windows phone, seems to like it but TBH he doesn't get much outside of Excel or Outlook.

I use an Android phone and really like it (as is my 'goto' tablet, Nexus 7) but TBH the Apple products are looking nice.

Not necessary.

Links 23 Aug. Steve Ballmer Announces Resignation, Microsoft Stock Soars And No It Won't Be Bill Gates - Forbes

I will not buy another windows anything until they fix the OS. Win7 was amazing. Win8 is extreme garbage. I went so far as to buy an older macbook pro for my travel laptop as I think it is hands down the best out there. Price and specs may not be great, but I don't need a mouse with how fluid the track pad is, which is huge. I hate having to use a mouse on the plane, or in the car. And I hate every trackpad I've used except the ones on the mac. I dont' even know all the features to the trackpad, but somehow every action I think should do something, actually does what I wanted. It's very intuitive. And the OS is simple but offers some powerful features.

Not a mac fanboy in any sense, but they are doing some things very right.

TBH, I like the speed of the 8.1 system just hate the interface and how someone, after basically 18 years of having something akin to a 'start' menu decided to trash it when it was obvious the majority of users preferred the old way.

Re Apple, I agree but I've got too much invested in windowz world.

I picked up an hp touchpad when they had a fire sale but Ive never used a tablet that i've loved.

I think they are great for people like my mom that just browse the web and check e-mail. I use my hp touchpad @ my work desk as a clock/jukebox. I could never imaigne using it for anything productive.

I like Joe find the x86 stuff very appealing and will be dropping some bucks eventually once the market has some more options. It is very difficult to hold a laptop and program networking equipment on a ladder. Even if you're standing on the floor there is rarely enough room to sit the laptop on anything.

HP 2740p or similar.

Relevant:

32GB Dell Venue 8 Pro Tablet $252.50 + Free Shipping - Amazon Deals, Coupons and Promos

Anybody trying to run software on a different platform than it was designed for (different input methods, different display) is bound to be disappointed.

About the only real advantage that a tablet has over a laptop is that you can hold it in one hand while "inputing" with the other. If you really need that ability then you'll need software that is meant to be used that way in the first place.

DAMMIT I MISSED IT!!!!! :vash: :vash:

The Venue 11 Pro has HDMI out and a USB3.0 port as well as a faster CPU and more storage. I think I might replace my ancient laptop with this.

Problem is, I want something portable. I don't feel like 10" plus tablets (yes, that includes the 9.7" iPad) are actually all that portable. I want an 8"tablet that I can use easily when away from my desk. Then I want to get to my desk, plug in a cable or slap it on a dock, and have a workstation.

Bah. It will come, someday.

Well, yeah.

I mean, this entire class of machine has existed for, what, a month?

Give it until the spring.

like 6 months (full windows in an 8" tablet) or just over a year (full windows in a 10" tablet).

So OP... what did you buy after this massive thread drift?

Nah, that dream is dead since a long time.

Your existence will move to clouds and you will interface with it through a myriad of UI's

Combination units will always cost a lot and be outdated faster than more dedicated units (which you replace more often, but not all at once).

All it would take is that little Dell tablet with an HDMI out (mini HDMI would be fine) and a full-size USB port besides the microusb port for charging. Those two ports and this tablet would be perfect for me. It has enough power to be my main computer, easily.

Shoot... I'm typing this on an Acer netbook connected to a mouse and larger display. It has enough power for what I need, and it's 2 generations behind (i think) the processor that's in that little Dell.

Arise from the grave, o' thread!



So, I'm looking for some first-hand feedback from those who have actually owned their tablii for a while, rather than just the usual quoting-of-specs which I've done in the past.

I've decided that I wish to possess a mid-sized tablet (8-10", perhaps?) which I can use for the following purposes:

1: To hold a bunch of PDFs on, as my portable "I have all of the documentation for every machine in the entire plant on this, here with me on the top of this ladder" device.

2: To use as an e-reader, in lieu of a Kindle (eg: if I already have the tablet with me in my bag, I may not want to also be carrying my old Kindle, even though I acknowledge the inherent superiority of the e-ink display for this function.)

3: To have some basic capability for viewing and editing Microsoft Office documents, in the .xls, .xlsx, and .doc and .docx formats (ideally without having to spend a lot of money for a full-blown copy of Office.)

4: To use for general web-surfing, spammer-banning, video-watching, cat-picture-captioning, etc while on a train. This, I assume, goes without saying, though of course having a battery that will literally go all day and into the night without a recharge would be nice.


I have a slight inherent bias in favor of the Android platform, but only because I have already owned several Android phones and am therefore familiar with the interface. I have no absolute specific prejudices inasmuch as OS or manufacturer. I'm perfectly willing to buy an iPad or a Win8 device if it turns out that this is best-suited to the task. I'd prefer to avoid extremely cheap off-brand devices.



Thoughts?

I'd say that Dell Venue 8 Pro. It gives you full Office included, full web browsing, plenty of e-reader capability, plus you can run any other x86-based programs if you choose to do so.

I think the 8" size is ideal because IMO 7" is a little too small and 10" is too big to be truly portable (like at the top of a ladder).

You didn't mention playing games or whatever, so that'd be my recommendation. If you want to play mobile games, Android or iPad are better... but keep in mind, that little windows tablet could play all sorts of flash games that the other platforms cannot.

*disclaimer: No I have not owned one. But I have played with one, and I have owned android tablets, and I think that tablet would work best for your needs/potential future needs.

Is this actually true?

I am somewhat confused by the present state of "Windows 8," as the name seems to be applied to more than one actual OS. Specifically, I know of Windows 8 RT, and I am not at all clear on whether tablets such as the Venue, which claim to have Win 8 will, in fact, run any app that I can run on my desktop.

To some extent, this is a disadvantage, as applications meant to run on a desktop aren't well-optimized for touchscreen use with no keyboard.



Oh, one other thing: Dropbox. I'd very much like to have this device auto-sync to my Dropbox account. At the Dropbox Mobile website, they list compatibility with iOS, Android, and a few other platforms that nobody cares about, but they don't list anything about Windows. Can I assume that the regular desktop version of Dropbox for Windows will run on this platform?

Yes, that is true. I don't blame you one bit for being confused about the current state of Windows 8.

Typically, if the tablet has "pro" in its name, it's running full windows 8. That venue 8 Pro is essentially a small netbook with a much better screen and no keyboard. It's running an x86 processor (Intel's clover trail Atom series) with 2GB ram (I believe). So any program that is designed to run on an x86 device which doesn't require more resources than this tablet has available will run just fine.

So yes, the desktop version of Dropbox should run just fine.

the DOWNSIDE is that then you would have to use Dropbox in the desktop environment, which is not completely touch-friendly. That being said, you can easily hook up a bluetooth mouse anbd keyboard for use in the desktop environment, or, in my experience, just be precise with your taps and you'll get around just fine.

There are definitely limitations, but they're limitations that you find only after you've gone well above and beyond the limitations of an Android or iOS device.