dannymccann
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Registered: 9th Aug 06
Location: Doddington, Lincolnshire
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Wife is self employed and wants to improve her image when showcasing at shows etc, wants something with a good 3/4 hours battery while being used which will also run excel /openoffice, picture slideshows and PDF documents and has a good calendar interface. Doesn't need 3g, but it would be an added bonus.
She is thinking she wants to upgrade to a windows phone in December so is thinking windows tab, is there anything from android worth considering, nexus 10? 7in is too small for displaying really, needs to be a good size. Budget is 350 ish
Are iPads up to this sort of thing /do they justify the price tag for this application? She's currently getting by with an advent Vega so anything will be a solid upgrade.
Cheers
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Gary
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Registered: 22nd Nov 06
Location: West Yorkshire
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Samsung galaxy tab.
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Russ
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Registered: 14th Mar 04
Location: Armchair
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nexus 10
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Bart
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Registered: 19th Aug 02
Location: Midsomer Norton, Bristol Avon
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Don't do the iPad.
I would say A windows RT or pro tablet for business use (coming from an apple fan).
The RT has VPN, outlook, can connect to network shares etc
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John
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Registered: 30th Jun 03
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Can get the RT's cheap just now because they were a massive failure. Would probably suit perfectly for this.
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Toby
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Registered: 29th Nov 05
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we have just got a load of Asus Windows tabs in to integrate with our system that we use (a microsoft based product) and they seem to work well.
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AndyKent
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Registered: 3rd Sep 05
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An RT would be tempting but remember it doesn't have full access to regular Windows apps.
I'd still quite like one for non-business use!
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Dom
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Registered: 13th Sep 03
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MS Surface RT would do what you want without much hassle plus you've got access to Office. Alternatively a decent Android tablet, Nexus 10 (wait for the new one though), and then grab the OfficeSuite Pro (or QuickOffice) app.
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pow
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Registered: 11th Sep 06
Location: Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire
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Anything running Windows 8,rt or pro
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dannymccann
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Registered: 9th Aug 06
Location: Doddington, Lincolnshire
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Quite a mix of opinion then. I was fully behind Nexus 10 / Tab 2 because I'm an Android fan, especially the Google devices (owning a Nexus 4 myself) but she has an iPhone at the minute but as said is looking to jump ship come upgrade time. I wasnt particularly aware of different Windows versions on tabs, is it the same on phones? What would be the best / most widely used / most likely to be future supported version?
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Balling
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Registered: 7th Apr 04
Location: Denmark
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Remember that Windows tablet is the only thing that will not allow to view MS Office documents out of the box.
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pow
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Registered: 11th Sep 06
Location: Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire
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That's wrong Balling - Windows RT has Office RT preinstalled
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Balling
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Registered: 7th Apr 04
Location: Denmark
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Really? Sorry about that then!
Recall reading that Windows Phone and Windows tablets were the only ones without support for MS Office formats.
Must have misread/misunderstood something.
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Daniel_Corsa
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Registered: 21st Apr 04
Location: Wigton, Cumbria
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Any Win8 tab, got a nice little Lenovo to play with at moment.
April '06' Corsasport Feature Car  | Aug '08' Total Vauxhall Feature Car | Spring '09' Fast Car Feature Car
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pow
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Registered: 11th Sep 06
Location: Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire
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quote:
Originally posted by Balling
Really? Sorry about that then!
Recall reading that Windows Phone and Windows tablets were the only ones without support for MS Office formats.
Must have misread/misunderstood something.
Yeah, it's a nice little RT touch - TBH I'd recommend any light user a RT tab, you get office free and skype etc...
Not ment to sound like an attack either - was just saying
Any Win8 PRO tab you'll need to buy *ahem* a genuine copy of office 
[Edited on 25-08-2013 by pow]
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Bart
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Registered: 19th Aug 02
Location: Midsomer Norton, Bristol Avon
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exactly as Pow mentions.
IIRC Balling, there may have been early talks about office subscriptions on the RT, but I think it was dropped pretty quickly.
You get a reasonable email client on the RT but no full outlook. I seem to remember a big figure within Nvidia went on stage to say if only MS would release outlook, it would be the killer device and I think they're atleast considering it.
On the basis that your other half only wants it for office, PDf, calendars etc, it would suit her well.
Windows 8.1 is only around the corner, hopefully MS will offer a minor upgrade fee.
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John
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Registered: 30th Jun 03
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Outlook is definitely coming for RT afaik.
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LeeM
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Registered: 26th Sep 05
Location: Liverpool
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windows rt tab or ipad.
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Dom
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Registered: 13th Sep 03
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quote:
Originally posted by LeeM
windows rt tab or ipad.
Curious to why you'd suggest an iPad considering it offers nothing, apart from the 'Apple image' and a lighter pocket, over a Surface or Nexus 
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Russ
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Registered: 14th Mar 04
Location: Armchair
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he owns a lot of apple products
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LeeM
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Registered: 26th Sep 05
Location: Liverpool
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quote:
Originally posted by Dom
quote:
Originally posted by LeeM
windows rt tab or ipad.
Curious to why you'd suggest an iPad considering it offers nothing, apart from the 'Apple image' and a lighter pocket, over a Surface or Nexus
pretty much that, it does everything required and looks the part. image is important in business.
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evilrob
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+1 for Surface RT - at £279 for a 32Gb model it's a steal considering you get Excel, PowerPoint, Word, OneNote and shortly, Outlook thrown in as well when Windows RT 8.1 is released as a free update on 18th October. The update brings about a number of performance and usability improvements to address some of the criticisms levelled at Surface RT in the technology press. It still won't make it a must-have device over the in-vogue alternatives, but I think it will certainly meet your Mrs' needs, particularly in a business context:
Benefits include:
- MicroSDHC slot to expand the storage means you can have a 96Gb tablet for less than pretty much any other big-brand 10"+ device
- USB socket so you can connect external hard drives, memory sticks, cameras, phones (will also charge a phone connected to it), mice, reasonably modern printers/scanners or whatever
- Front and rear 720P cameras (although the quality of the rear camera is much better than the front camera which is good only for Skype really)
- Proper 16:9 widescreen so whilst away from home attending conferences/trade shows, when work is done, movies on the flight/train home or in hotels will look ace. Or when on the job, presentations / promotional videos will look nice too.
- Good battery life (7hrs+ when playing a looping HD wmv movie file continuously compared with about 5hrs continuous use out of an iPad with Retina Display)
- Built-in, sturdy stand
- A traditional Windows desktop in addition to the fancy new touchscreen interface
- Can run Adobe Flash content (although out of the box there is a 'whitelist' enabled that only allows you to view Flash content on certain Microsoft-tested sites, but it's easy to get around this)
- Split screen multitasking of full-screen Metro apps (if you can actually find two apps you want to run simultaneously - more on that later); you can run two apps side-by-side in the touch user interface environment (or more in the Windowed desktop mode obviously)
- Looks the business, feels more solid than pretty much anything else out there at the moment
- I personally think the Microsoft brand has more gravitas in a business setting; the iPad and Galaxy Tab are toys
Downsides:
- You can't use add-ins or macros in Office RT
- 1366x768 resolution is low compared to the iPad retina display and others
- Bit heavier and wider than an iPad, is exactly the same thickness but looks thicker due to its angular design rather than the tapered/rounded edge approach on other tablets
- Can only run certain software, of which there is bugger all available for it at this stage (you can't install any old Windows application, it has to be made for RT specifically - aka "Metro" apps*)
- No 3G built-in (but everyone has a smartphone these days so you can just set up a hotspot and tether your phone's internet connection no probs)
- It's not as slick and consistent to use as an iPad; but what do you expect - its based on Windows, which is more complicated than other tablet OSes in and of itself, and Windows 8 is generally a bit disjointed and feels unfinished even on the traditional desktop PC version
- Apps take a little longer to load than you might be used to on other devices and are sometimes seemingly unresponsive - you can tap on the screen, nothing happens so you think your tap didn't register, you go to tap again, and then stuff starts happening; again, Windows is just like that sometimes
- Can feel sluggish and underpowered at times; it's not as joyful as an iOS or recent Android device to use but it gets the job done
- There are currently no browsers other than Internet Explorer available for it, although Firefox is supposed to be coming out in December
- There will probably be a new one out soon, hence the bargainous price tag
- It's a Microsoft device so couldn't be any less cool if it tried
My opinion:
The moral of the story is: the Surface RT is not the "best" tablet out there, it doesn't blow the competition out of the water in any given area but it does perform nicely for most things most of the time, looks the tits and is probably the right choice for light business use due to the almost full-fat Office software it comes with; even if you use it for nothing other than Office and web-browsing/e-mail, I think its ability in these areas is worth the asking price alone (providing you don't rely on macros or add-ins, or any particular piece of "traditional" Windows software). Hardware-wise it's as good as, if not better than, anything else out there if a super-high resolution display isn't top of your priority list. It's the software side (or lack thereof) that prevents it being a game-changer at the moment - this may or may not improve with time. Also the Windows RT operating system is a bit wonky, but Windows 8 is wonky generally; it certainly needs optimising for the ARM processor - again, this may or may not improve with future updates. All things considered, I'd definitely recommend finding one locally and at least having a play.
Footnotes:
Being an unashamed Apple user (I'm typing this on a Macbook Air), I don't actually do any work according to the rest of the world - I'm too busy taking "ironic" selfies on an iPhone to put on InstaTwitFace, finding even bigger-framed glasses, riding my fixie bike, getting stupid haircuts and drinking skinny half-caff grande cappuccinos at Starbucks whilst spouting bollocks about my new art installation, "Badger Fisting." But if I did do any proper work, I'd probably get a Surface over an iPad. In fact, I've had three generations of iPad and a Blackberry PlayBook but sold them all because they were too counter-productive even for me! Too many distractions on an iPad and the Playbook turned out to be a bit shit, really. My Mrs has a Surface RT and loves the fact it can do Flash properly (with a mouse and everything!) and has a USB socket. She's not so keen on the standard-issue Windows glitches, but puts up with them. Neither of us are keen on Android.
* strictly speaking this isn't true - it is possible to get some traditional Windows applications to run on Windows RT but it's not something your average user is going to want to do as it involves a lot of faff.
[Edited on 26-08-2013 by evilrob]
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Balling
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Registered: 7th Apr 04
Location: Denmark
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quote:
Originally posted by Dom
Curious to why you'd suggest an iPad considering it offers nothing, apart from the 'Apple image' and a lighter pocket, over a Surface or Nexus
I wouldn't say that's true.
The tried and tested arguments is the App Store which has far more apps made specifically for iPad opposed to the "yeah, this sort of works on a tablet" approach often seen on Android apps.
There's simply much more choice on iPad. Need a note taking app? Go ahead and choose between these +20 quality app's all tailored specifically for you device.
The sheer popularity of Apple's devices is enough that new apps are often seen on this platform first.
As unpopular as I know this will be, Android still isn't as intuitive as iOS. People who are easily confused with technology still struggle with it.
Apple bind you hands, true, but I'll wager that the vast majority never reach the limitations of the system but instead see the borders as a push in the right direction.
I know Apple's hardware is widely unpopular in Geek Day and I'm not saying an iPad is the right choice in this case, I just think a lot of people are quick to exclude it from the list because it's the done thing and anyone who argues the benefits is a fanboy and not to be trusted.
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Dom
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Registered: 13th Sep 03
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quote:
Originally posted by evilrob
* strictly speaking this isn't true - it is possible to get some traditional Windows applications to run on Windows RT but it's not something your average user is going to want to do as it involves a lot of faff.
You mean running Win86Emu?
It's pretty straight foward to get running - download and install the jailbreak, download and install Win86Emu, reboot, done. Gizmodo had a good article about it.
It's far from brilliant and it's a bit like Wine in that a lot of the bigger applications don't run particularly well and it's a little buggy but it should run a reasonable amount of applications (there's a list of supported applications on XDA forums).
Either way, £279 is an absolute bargain for this 
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dannymccann
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Registered: 9th Aug 06
Location: Doddington, Lincolnshire
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That's brilliant Rob, thanks for taking the time to put up such a massive post!
Have you got a link for the £279 one? I had a quick look earlier and cheapest I could see was on Amazon @ £340 from some marketplace seller?
Thanks
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