Windows tablets

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Aaron Gonzalez

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Apr 19, 2014, 7:59:54 PM4/19/14
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Since the sleeping giant has been awakened, I figured I'd ask you all for info on this.

My mom is looking for a new computer/tablet. She's got the most basic of needs. I lean more towards an ipad or an RT tablet for the simplicity for her.

She's currently using a windows phone so she'd probably feel at home on a win8 metro UI. 

The idea of a metro only RT tablet appeals to me from a sense of knowing she won't have to worry about dealing with the full desktop portion of windows and the odd dichotomy that the split OS that is windows 8 pro brings.

RT tablet come with Office already installed yes?

Has anyone had any experience with the 8" windows tablets?

I know those are Pro and not RT, but the form factor might be ideal.  The $300 and sub $300 price tags definitely are.

Do you still have to worry about anti virus software with RT?  

I'd like to keep her on a system that doesn't need the upkeep and know-how that windows does. In my opinion windows isn't very friendly to non-technical people. In recent years she was using a windows 7 laptop that recently needed to be wiped and reformatted from virus issues, etc.  I'd like to never have to deal with that again.

Any ideas or recommendations?


Donald Stidwell

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Apr 19, 2014, 8:09:45 PM4/19/14
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Heya, Aaron!

I’ve not used an RT tablet, but I do have a Windows 8 laptop & a Windows Phone I recently updated to Windows 8.1 so I may be able to help. (And yes, I’m still a Mac man. My main devices are all Apple, but I like playing with Windows stuff).

RT does in fact come with Office pre-installed. Although when you ask about 8” inch devices running Windows, you’ll get the full Windows rather than RT on those devices (such as the ones by Dell, Acer and others). These may or may not come with Office. The office RT device from Microsoft does. But consider than since MS hasn’t put out a tablet optimized version of Office yet, she’ll be dealing with the desktop version on an 8-inch device which quite frankly just plain sounds painful, especially for us older folks. That’s one of the things that has put me off buying an 8” Windows tablet.

Why not consider an iPad now that Office is officially available for it? It’s REALLY good and I find it quite useful. 

IRT viruses, I don’t think that’s a concern with RT. (It certainly isn’t with iPads). BUT if you buy a Pro type device, well it’s Windows. Normal cautions apply.

Given all you’ve said, it’s hard not to tell you to just get her an iPad. iOS isn’t hard to learn at all and you won’t have to worry maintenance or viruses. Just saying…

Don

-- 
...prosigo a la meta, al premio del supremo llamamiento de Dios en Cristo Jesús.” (Filipenses 3:14 RVR60)

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jtsm...@gmail.com

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Apr 19, 2014, 8:05:14 PM4/19/14
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My first recommendation is the Nexus 7 (2013) 32 GB.  

1 holds in hand easier than an 8”
2 8” windows 8 is small text (among others I use a Dell Venue 8 Pro regularly and more complex (yes as you note, it has the full desktop experience but I wouldn’t sweat than as it’s there if she needs or prefers it, otherwise use the tiles)
3 Google regularly updates Nexus to the latest OS the hardware can run (no old slow OS for her) and it’s nearly transparent - she only has to say go
4 Plenty of apps
5 usb otg is there if she or us need it
6 Very inexpensive
7 fast

If Windows 8 she wants I’d recommend a 10” tablet.  There are several, take your pick. 

1 If it were me I’d have her try an ASUS T100 32GB version from Best Buy as you can return it in 30 days and it’s $350 (or maybe order the 64 GB version for $30-50 more)
2 It’s light and blazing fast
3 has a keyboard if or when she wants that experience
4 A refurbed HP Envy x2 or discounted new one would work well as it has an 11.6” screen and the tablet undocked it not too heavy plus the battery lasts about 15 plus hours and days on connected standby (email there when she opens it up - never turn it off, just like iPad)

If she wants an iPad, don’t fight it

1 From what you’ve said so far, I’d go with the retina iPad mini
2 Add a Zagg keyboard later if she wants that experience

I’m sure others will have good recommendations too.

-jts

Sent from Windows Mail

Aaron Gonzalez

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Apr 19, 2014, 9:25:57 PM4/19/14
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The iPad is an option, but a more expensive option. The price is a pretty big point, hence my questions about windows ones.  I definitely would rather have her on iOS, but considering the non-retina mini is essentially an ipad 2, it's hard to see spending $300 on hardware that is 3 generations old now. 

The 8" is the size I recommended since she likes the ipad mini size, and I know any 10" tablet will be too large and heavy for her to fit in her bag (yes, even the ipad air is too big), so she'll never take it anywhere and thus be a wasted purchase.  

RT comes with that slimmed down Office but Pro does not?  Does that mean you can't install the metro Office on Pro tablets?

Android isn't really an option since she's pretty confused with using my nexus 7 when I've let her play around when she visits.

If we did have to end up going with a 10" device, it would probably be the 1st gen Surface RT since it's <$300 online now.  

I definitely can see that this might be an unfulfillable request. I just had zero knowledge of windows tablets from a real world usage scenario. All I know is reviews and specs.  Everything else I know and prefer is Android or iOS.


Christian Pate

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Apr 19, 2014, 9:44:30 PM4/19/14
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I've not used RT tablets myself, but I'm fairly happy with the Dell Venue 8 Pro, which is a sub $300 Windows 8 Tablet.  Given that both RT and Pro have a traditional Desktop (RT just can't run the traditional apps) a full Windows 8 Tablet might be a possibility so long as you ignore the desktop portion (in fact I believe you can remove it from the tile portion of the start screen), as I believe that you can run any of the RT apps (at least, I've never found an RT app that I can't install).  You may want to install a third-party anti-virus (I believe Windows 8 ships with anti-virus now), but it won't be a huge performance hit as long as you don't get anything too terribly bad (in fact, the tablet has run some rather demanding games - like Skyrim and Eve Online - with good results, so anti-virus is essentially nothing to it).  The version I got also came with a free version of Office, though I don't know if that's tied to the tablet in general or if it was a store-specific deal (I picked mine up at Microcenter).  As far as I know it's not an RT-version of it, but my understanding was even the RT version ran in the desktop.

An iPad might be a better choice as far as a more unified experience goes (thus simplicity and lack of complication, especially as Microsoft ties the phone/RT platforms together more possibly causing changes down the line if she's got her same account tied to both devices) but I've got no real experience with i-Devices.

Donald Stidwell

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Apr 19, 2014, 9:52:05 PM4/19/14
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There is no Metro Office. Not yet. The only version that comes with RT is the full version. 

I understand about price but think of an iPad as an investment. 😃

I only recommend against 8" because I think trying to use a non-touchscreen app like office on such a small screen will drive her nuts UNLESS she uses a stylus and external keyboard. But, hey, I could be wrong. 

Sent from my iPad
-- 
...prosigo a la meta, al premio del supremo llamamiento de Dios en Cristo Jesús.” (Filipenses 3:14 RVR60)

Donald Stidwell

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Apr 19, 2014, 9:52:51 PM4/19/14
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Oh the version of Office that comes with RT is the FULL desktop version, not a slimmed down version like on Windows Phone.

-- 
...prosigo a la meta, al premio del supremo llamamiento de Dios en Cristo Jesús.” (Filipenses 3:14 RVR60)

On Apr 19, 2014, at 21:25, Aaron Gonzalez <aaron...@aaronfg.com> wrote:

Bert Latamore

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Apr 20, 2014, 3:03:44 PM4/20/14
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First, a mobile device is a very personal object. Your mom should try out several and see which is most comfortable for her. None of us can determine this.

Also, women often want to carry their tablets in their purse. that often dictates a smaller size. Weight is often a more important consideratiin for older women, who may not have large amounts of upper body strength. And style is always more important to women than to men.

Having said those things, the first question to ask is what specifically she wants to do on her tablet. For instance if she has a specific list of applications she wants to use then you need to select a platform that will run those applications. If she wants to read e-magazines she will want a larger screen tablet which is easier to read, even with the ability to enlarge sections of pages (I speak here from experience as a subscriber to one weekly and three monthly e-magazines.) But she also will want a thin, light tablet that she can hold comfortably for long periods.

Since she uses & likes a Win 8 phone, I would give preference to Win 8 RT choices. While the iPad and Android tablets can be good choices in general, the user interfaces are very different, and she will find them confusing. Remember that this is not a hobby for her. She wants a device that she understands, and that is Win 8 in her case.

As for which devices, I would stay away from HP. Their tablets have a problem with freezing. I personally use the Microsoft Pro II, which of course is a full Windows tablet, so I don't have experience with any of the RT tablets. I can tell you that physically the Microsoft tablets are beautifully designed and seem solid. But they are larger and more expensive, and of course budgetb

I would recommend that you take her around to a couple of stores and have her try out the various choices and see which she likes best.

Bert
Bert Latamore
(703) 340-8396
Section Editor, CIO Angle at http://www.siliconangle.com/ 
Covering the Intersection between IT and Business

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Bert Latamore

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Apr 20, 2014, 7:15:58 PM4/20/14
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Another important thing to consider is how your mother will use the tablet. For instance if she wants to read e-bools or e-magazines on the beach,vshe will need a higher quality screen that is easy to read in bright sunlight. Few devices have avdisplay that meets that need.

If she will be using the tablet for long periods away from home or office, she may need one with a larger battery that will give her more hours of use between recharges. If she wīll use it mainly at home and in other locations where she can plug it in, then battery life is less important. Batteries are heavy, so the tradeoff between weight and battery life is important.

Bert
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