Asus VivoTab Smart
Uniquely among tablet makers, Asus has hedged its bets and gone with both forms of Windows 8, using RT for the 10.1-inch VivoTab RT and full Windows 8 for the 10.1-inch VivoTab Smart and 11.6-inch VivoTab. Externally the VivoTab Smart is spiritually akin to Microsoft’s Surface, with a magnetic keyboard that talks to the tablet over Bluetooth and no secondary battery. Running Windows 8 proper on an Intel dual-core 1.8GHz Atom Z2760 CPU with 2GB of Ram, the Smart ought to to be a bit of a sluggard but that’s not the case: it runs surprisingly smoothly.
The keyboard and cover-cum-stand will set you back £90 but both are rather clever and well worth having. The keyboard is light and thin but still very pleasant to type on, while the cover part can be folded up origami-style to work as a stand. The screen’s resolution is the standard 10.1-inch Windows 1368 x 766 but being an LCD IPS panel it’s brighter and rather more colourful than the norm. In fact, it looks and behaves much like the screen used in the Android Transformer Tablet and Prime, which is no bad thing. A 64GB SSD and 8MP main camera are the cherries on the cake.
More Info Asus
Barnes & Noble Nook HD+
Granted, the Nook HD+ is more an e-reader from the planet Krypton than a tablet but anything with a 9-inch, 1920 x 1280 screen, 16GB of storage and a price tag that’s less than £230 has to be worth a closer look. And if you plan on using your tablet mainly for reading it’s worth keeping in mind that, at 515g, the Nook HD+ is the lightest tablet here by some margin. With a UI based on a heavily skinned version of Android Ice Cream Sandwich, the HD+ is idiot proof to use and for my money a more pleasent device to spend time with than its arch enemy, the Kindle Fire HD 8.9. Not that we Brits can actually buy the Fire HD 8.9 at the moment.
There’s no doubt that videos, whether streamed from the Nook store or using Netflix, look good on the HD+’s 256dpi screen though the sound is a bit tinny at higher volumes. When UltraViolet becomes more common, the tablet’s built-in support for the online movie locker system will be handy too. The absence of a webcam seems a strange decision though when many folk want to make Skype video calls on their slab. Like Kindle’s tablet offerings, you only get the apps Nook wants you to have rather than the whole Android smash, but most of the non-Google apps you are likely to want are present and correct.
More Info Nook
Next page: Google Nexus 10
COMMENTS
Re: Conclusion?
I think you're being unfair. How can there be a conclusion? He's gone through 3 different operating systems, and 2 of those also have a stylus option (which allows even more possibilities). So, for example, at the end of the Samsung Galaxy Note he says, this is great if you want a stylus, otherwise go for the Nexus 7.
There is no right answer here. The Android tabs are now pretty good. Assuming the Windows 8 ones are as well, it's all now a matter of horses for course (Mmmm lasagne...).
I bought the iPad 3, at the time I got that, I would have said it was by far the best tablet going - with an honourable mention to the Asus Transformer - although as I recall that was going through one of its periods of stock non-availability at that precise moment, or maybe the radio problems on the previous version.
If I was buying a tablet now, it would be a far harder choice. There's Nexus to save cash, Windows or Samsung for stylus-lovers (of which I'm one). The iPad is still excellent (if locked down) and still has the best designed-for-tablet apps, unless there's something specific you need that Apple won't let you have. Although full-fat Windows has the whole lot of programs that run on that, so it's the only plausible option for a laptop replacement - if the Lenovo keyboard is really that good. The Asus Transformer is good for getting some typing done, but from everything I've read it's not quite up to being the only laptop (unless you only have very limited use for one).
In conclusion they're mostly very good, so pick on the features that are most important to you. Choice is good.
10 inch Ainol Hero (snigger)
I've got a 7" Ainol Fire (snigger) and it's the perfect size. Fits in the inside pocket and bridges the gap between my Huawei G300 and 13" laptop. It's cheap and Chinese but actually solid build, decent battery life and reliability. Great screen res as well. It was this or a Nexus 7 but the Nexus 7 didn't have an SD slot.
There's also the 10" Ainol Hero (snigger) which you might want to check out.
Someone in Ainol's marketing department is either a genius or an idiot (slogan, top right)... http://www.ainol.com/
Re: Life's too short for indecision and dithering
Actually l would never use cheap stuff like an iPad. That's a mere china made toy for those who can not afford a proper tablet pc or convertible made in Japan
Re: 10 inch Ainol Hero (snigger)
"enjoy life, enjoy ainol" lol
Re: @Spartacus
Another big selling point for the Nexus range is the regular updates from Google.
