What tablet is right for me?

[Pollock]

So, right now I have a nice desktop, GS3, and a cheap, crappy laptop. I don't use my laptop much because it's heavy, slow-ish, and bulky, but I have it for when I'm traveling or need something portable. I'm looking to get a tablet, which I will use mostly for consumption, but it needs to be usable in a pinch for basic productive tasks (i.e. MS Office).

Things that are important:
* able to edit Word/Excel/Powerpoint and hook up to an external display (i.e. mini-HDMI)
* I use the Google ecosystem, so good connectivity with that is nice
* microSD card slot would be needed if built-in storage < 32GB

I think a Surface Pro would be perfect, but I just can't justify $900+ on something I probably won't use much. The Surface RT could be interesting, but it's also a little pricey at $500-600 new. It is tempting to get a lightly used one for as low as $450, though.

My SO has a Transformer Prime with the keyboard dock, but I honestly am not very impressed by it. Performance doesn't seem smooth, and copy & paste is terrible on Android.

So for some reason, since I need Office capabilities, I keep thinking that Windows RT is the solution. I'm sort of interested in the ASUS Vivo Tab, which I can get w/keyboard dock for $400. Either that or the Surface RT.

What do you guys think?

 

[sequoia464]

Check out this one - 64 GB and full W8 instead of RT.

http://www.microcenter.com/product/405196/VivoTab_Smart_Tablet_(ME400C-C1-BK)_-_Black

 

[podspi]

I'd go with the full x86 tablet myself (I did!) but the RT VivoTab is so cheap I almost went with it instead of my ATIV 500t.

One thing to keep in mind is that Office RT doesn't support macros.

 

[gmaster456]

Check out this one - 64 GB and full W8 instead of RT.

http://www.microcenter.com/product/405196/VivoTab_Smart_Tablet_(ME400C-C1-BK)_-_Black

Decent bang for buck right here^.

Will run full Windows apps. Including office and anything else you'd need. More portable than a laptop as well.

 

[cyclistca]

"but I just can't justify $900+ on something I probably won't use much"

You would be surprised how much you use a tablet once you have one. When I bought my iPad I did not think I would use it much. I use the dam thing all the time.

- Has replaced my computer for a lot of my web surfing
- Us it on the road for work and to conferences instead of carrying a laptop

 

[poofyhairguy]

Quite honestly I would wait until a Haswell surface pro hits. It will be perfect for your needs, would make anything currently on the market look like junk, and will be worth your $900. One of those could basically be your laptop for 5+ years.

 

[sequoia464]

Decent bang for buck right here^.

Will run full Windows apps. Including office and anything else you'd need. More portable than a laptop as well.

I just got one of these a few days ago and so far really like it - one caveat though is that the Asus LiveUpdate has not worked for me and there have been updated drivers and a fresh bios issued. Not really happy about that - seems the update program works for some people but not others.

I'm considering returning the unit and getting a HP Envy X2 (.http://www.shopping.hp.com/en_US/hom...Y-x2-11-g010nr )

Staples is having a sale on them starting tomorrow for $599.00

I put a copy of open office on the Asus unit and - as expected - everything worked just as it should. I have been juggling different office apps for a while on an android tablet when I need to go mobile, the windows machine is much easier for me to use.

 

[s44]

The Medfield Asus may do what you need, but honestly I'd wait a generation. Quad-A15 on the Android/RT side, Haswell or even Bay Trail on the x86 side... we're so close.

Meanwhile, get the $250 Chromebook.

 

[Pollock]

How long of a wait are we talking for Haswell? Tegra 4 is still a few months away too, right? If it's like 6+ months away, I'm not waiting that long.

I suppose I could get a Nexus 7 or something simple and less expensive to tide me over (but no video out, no microSD)...

 

[Red Storm]

Decent bang for buck right here^.

Will run full Windows apps. Including office and anything else you'd need. More portable than a laptop as well.

But it's running Atom, so expect netbook/low end laptop performance.

 

[Pollock]

I just got one of these a few days ago and so far really like it - one caveat though is that the Asus LiveUpdate has not worked for me and there have been updated drivers and a fresh bios issued. Not really happy about that - seems the update program works for some people but not others.

I'm considering returning the unit and getting a HP Envy X2 (.http://www.shopping.hp.com/en_US/hom...Y-x2-11-g010nr )

Staples is having a sale on them starting tomorrow for $599.00

I put a copy of open office on the Asus unit and - as expected - everything worked just as it should. I have been juggling different office apps for a while on an android tablet when I need to go mobile, the windows machine is much easier for me to use.

That could be an interesting idea if I can get a $75 off coupon to apply. Are the Atom tablets just as smooth with Win 8 as the ARM tablets are with Win RT? I had a really poor experience with the original Atom in a netbook.

 

[sequoia464]

That could be an interesting idea if I can get a $75 off coupon to apply. Are the Atom tablets just as smooth with Win 8 as the ARM tablets are with Win RT? I had a really poor experience with the original Atom in a netbook.

Anand had a review of a clover trail unit (Acer 510) here ..http://www.anandtech.com/show/6522/the-clover-trail-atom-z2760-review-acers-w510-tested/9

Decent review of the HP unit here ..http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=6716&review=HP+ENVY+x2+hybrid+tablet+windows+8+pc

I haven't had an ARM tablet so I can't compare that experience. My uses (other than web brousing) generally would be bound to office apps - I have no real complaints, but I'm also considering taking s44's advice and waiting a bit more.

The Asus is SOOO much better than the Touchpad that I have been using (running th CM10 jellybean mod) that it will be hard to go back to that now though.

If you are interested in checking out the HP; one of my local Office Depots has one on display, might want to call around - the local Staples do not have a display, online order only. The HP interests me because of the 11.6 display - my old eyes appreciate the larger display.

 

[Pollock]

Well, I've come down to the conclusion that I'm going to get some sort of Atom Windows 8 tablet, just because of a) better performance than Windows RT tablets with about the same battery life and b) the flexibility to run x86 programs.

Basically the two attractive choices are the Asus VivoTab Smart ME400C ($500 - $75 coupon = $425) and the HP Envy x2 ($600 - $75 coupon = $525).

I think the ASUS would be fine once I buy a cheap keyboard + mouse to go with it, but for the extra $100 for the HP, the build quality and extra battery life of the keyboard dock are really nice. Plus, the fullsize HDMI and USB ports on the keyboard are also convenient (no need to carry adapters).

The price and performance will work out to be similar, so ultimately it comes down to 11.6" vs 10.1" screen. I keep thinking "bigger is better" but not necessarily in this case. Any thoughts?