are cheap windows tablets any good?

RumRat

Collabora wrote: »

i test drove a windows tablet and phone as IT is my business and i have windows 8.1 on all my PCs i thought a windows tab would be ideal when on the move.

but after 48 hours i gave up and returned it for an Android tablet as as far as lumia phone goes they can keep them. i will stick to Android and iOS

Not really a glowing self reference, an IT professional who can't use a windows tablet or a Lumia phone.

kwikbreaks

Giving up on something doesn't necessarily mean the same thing as unable to figure out how to use it. I've given up on using lots of things when I know there are better options available.

I'll admit my bias here but I was so disappointed with the Windows 8.0 interface that I gave up on it and installed classic shell. I didn't even bother with modern mix - I just installed standard windows apps to do anything that had been pushed over to default to an app. It's possible but imo unlikely that 8.1 fixed the ills of 8 but I'll never know as so far as I was concerned classic shell sorted them out to my satisfaction and althoughI run 8.1 I don't see it's apps oriented front end.

I wouldn't consider a Windows 8 tablet or phone for the simple reason I don't like a big provider trying to ram their new mobile offering down my throat on inappropriate platforms - ie desktop and laptop computers which I use for working. I do use a tablet for media consumption and sofa surfing and a smartphone for price checking/maps/umpteen other useful things when away from home.

Terry98

kwikbreaks wrote: »

To be fair most cheap Android tablets were poor a couple of years back. They do seem to be improving though and their issues were hardware related.

Windows RT falls a long way short of being a 'proper' desktop IMO.

I read on Hotukdeals that the Linx and the Tesco tablet in the first post here use full WIN8 and not the RT version.

PenguinJim

kwikbreaks was responding to almillar's post where they linked to a Toshiba tablet running (shudder) Windows RT.

It's quite difficult to find any devices running RT any more, though. Please remember that if you see "Windows RT", DO NOT BUY IT. It's like Windows, but you essentially can't run anything but Office.

kwikbreaks wrote: »

I'll admit my bias here but I was so disappointed with the Windows 8.0 interface that I gave up on it and installed classic shell. I didn't even bother with modern mix - I just installed standard windows apps to do anything that had been pushed over to default to an app. It's possible but imo unlikely that 8.1 fixed the ills of 8 but I'll never know as so far as I was concerned classic shell sorted them out to my satisfaction and althoughI run 8.1 I don't see it's apps oriented front end.

I wouldn't consider a Windows 8 tablet or phone for the simple reason I don't like a big provider trying to ram their new mobile offering down my throat on inappropriate platforms - ie desktop and laptop computers which I use for working. I do use a tablet for media consumption and sofa surfing and a smartphone for price checking/maps/umpteen other useful things when away from home.

It's a shame you haven't tried Windows 8.1. I picked up a hybrid laptop with W8 about a year ago and updated it to 8.1 the day I bought it. It boots to desktop mode. It runs all of my desktop apps. That Metro interface - the one where Microsoft thought "let's make an interface that dogs will enjoy using!" (and dogs will enjoy it far more than us, because they see in black & white) - simply doesn't come up at all unless I tell it to come up by pressing the "Windows" key. (I have spent a few hours in Metro, going through the Windows 8 store, looking at all of the Metro apps, just to make sure there's nothing useful in there. Now that Halo: Spartan Assault is on Steam, there's nothing. )

It's a shame you never discovered the "desktop mode" (I'm sure it was there on 8.0) as I completely agree that Metro is rubbish - but it can also be completely and utterly ignored.

"I just installed standard windows apps to do anything that had been pushed over to default to an app" - I don't even understand this. I always install my favourite programs on any installation of Windows. On Windows 7 if I'd tried to run something like a .rar or a .pdf or a movie or mp3, I'd have installed my WinRAR or FoxIt or VLC. On Windows 8 I have installed my WinRAR and VLC and... well, I barely use PDFs any more, so I've let Chrome take over responsibility for those. So I've installed Chrome. Did you know that Windows 7 didn't include Chrome by default either?

I'm curious as to what Metro apps were forcing themselves on you, as the truth is, I'm not even sure how they could..? You simply install your programs, just like with every single other version of Windows I've ever used.

tbourner

I got a Linx 10 for my birthday and it's awesome. Never used 8.1 really I'm used to 7 but it's easy to get a handle on, tab runs fast, plays basic games, does the usual websites, YouTube etc. With no problem, runs excel easily and not too hard to use on the touchscreen. Does all the basic things I want it to do and so much easier than dealing with the big laptop.
The 10" is slightly more powerful than the smaller Win8 tabs so not sure if they might run slower.

prowla

RumRat wrote: »

Not really a glowing self reference, an IT professional who can't use a windows tablet or a Lumia phone.

I too tried out a Lumia phone, when a previous employer decided to roll them out, and I found it to be a very difficult system to use with a rather dull and clunky user interface. The battery life wasn't very good either.

Of all the people who had them, there was one person who said they quite liked them, several who put the SIM in an iPhone and got on with their lives, many who got on with it and occasionally grumbled about how bad they were, and one person whom I saw physically smash one up.

The issue was not to do with the users' skill sets, I can assure you.

The issue with tablets as replacements for computers is that they are tied to the cloud, and right now the cloud is not all-pervasive. Therefore the joins are going to show, and even get in the way of things.

As it stands right now, an MS tablet (presumably with an add-on keyboard, which don't seem to be cheap!) is not a good buy as a replacement for a computer.

poppasmurf_bewdley

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

No, not a joke.

We use Vista at work, so it's just easier to have my home machine look the same.

I bought a new laptop with a touch screen in November this year, and it had Windows 8 installed.

Within an hour of trying this system out, I had installed Classic Shell and have used it ever since, so it runs like Vista.

Windows 8 is truly, truly awful.

If I could, to be honest, I'd revert to Windows XP Professional, which in my opinion, was the best operating system ever, and has never been improved upon. No wonder so many companies are still using it.

sillygoose

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

I bought a new laptop with a touch screen in November this year, and it had Windows 8 installed.

Within an hour of trying this system out, I had installed Classic Shell and have used it ever since, so it runs like Vista.

Windows 8 is truly, truly awful.

If I could, to be honest, I'd revert to Windows XP Professional, which in my opinion, was the best operating system ever, and has never been improved upon. No wonder so many companies are still using it.

The same, bought a new laptop with 8.1 and even putting Metro aside I found it laggy and over-intrusive, I like to do things for myself and just felt like it wanted to poke its nose in all the time. I wiped it and put a cheap OEM copy of Windows 7 on and it felt transformed, the lag was gone. I don't even like the default Win 7 style and set everything back to classic and turning off all the unnecessary embellishments.

To me its an OS, it boots the machine and runs apps and need do no more, anything else is just robbing power and meaning you need to buy a more expensive PC than you should.

RumRat

prowla wrote: »

I too tried out a Lumia phone, when a previous employer decided to roll them out, and I found it to be a very difficult system to use with a rather dull and clunky user interface. The battery life wasn't very good either.

Of all the people who had them, there was one person who said they quite liked them, several who put the SIM in an iPhone and got on with their lives, many who got on with it and occasionally grumbled about how bad they were, and one person whom I saw physically smash one up.

The issue was not to do with the users' skill sets, I can assure you.

The issue with tablets as replacements for computers is that they are tied to the cloud, and right now the cloud is not all-pervasive. Therefore the joins are going to show, and even get in the way of things.

As it stands right now, an MS tablet (presumably with an add-on keyboard, which don't seem to be cheap!) is not a good buy as a replacement for a computer.

So you tried an old one with the old OS on it? Not that relevant for the latest updates.
Usually when people don't get on with them, it's because the muscle memory from IOS or Android, usually means they are trying to use it totally wrong and they get frustrated. Yes, it took a few days of looking around and finding the differences to get used to touching different areas for different things, but it's worth the work IMO.
Clunky....definitely not...
The 8" tablets that are being discussed can hardly be described as a replacement for a computer. So, I think you have your wires crossed there.....However the Surface Pro 3 would be a possible replacement and is universally accepted as outstanding.
I think Android and IOS are excellent OS's and don't feel the need to slag them off just because I use a different OS at the moment. I may use a different OS when I change my phone in the future, who knows? It all depends on who's doing what and when.
I find using the cloud to be seamless and extremely useful. I use it with my iPad as well. I suppose it depends on how you use it as to what gains you get from it.

prowla

RumRat wrote: »

So you tried an old one with the old OS on it? Not that relevant for the latest updates.
Usually when people don't get on with them, it's because the muscle memory from IOS or Android, usually means they are trying to use it totally wrong and they get frustrated. Yes, it took a few days of looking around and finding the differences to get used to touching different areas for different things, but it's worth the work IMO.
Clunky....definitely not...
The 8" tablets that are being discussed can hardly be described as a replacement for a computer. So, I think you have your wires crossed there.....However the Surface Pro 3 would be a possible replacement and is universally accepted as outstanding.
I think Android and IOS are excellent OS's and don't feel the need to slag them off just because I use a different OS at the moment. I may use a different OS when I change my phone in the future, who knows? It all depends on who's doing what and when.
I find using the cloud to be seamless and extremely useful. I use it with my iPad as well. I suppose it depends on how you use it as to what gains you get from it.

Microsoft are promoting the tablet as a desktop alternative, and the model mentioned in the OP includes "A 1-year subscription to Office 365 Personal means you have access to Microsoft’s flagship office suite, including Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel from the word go.".

The Lumia I had was last year, and Windows 8 hasn't fundamentally changed. When I swapped the SIM into an iPhone, the iPhone connected to the company's Exchange server much more seamlessly; incidentally that was an old iPhone 4 I had, so supposedly less up to date than the Lumia.

My point about the cloud was it is clunky if you are depending upon it and you don't have good reception, in contrast with a self-contained laptop. The above Office 365 requires a good connection.

In fairness, the cloud being clunky is not particular to the particular tablet here; however, it is more of a question regarding the positioning of the product.

The fact that people say that it is awful suggests that Surface Pro 3 is not universally accepted as outstanding.

I use Windows 8 (8.1), and I say it's not as good as Windows 7 as a desktop OS. I've used Windows phone and didn't like it at all (I would never choose it over IOS or Android). I've tried Windows tablets and they're not for me.

That's my considered opinion in response to the question; saying no and giving the reasons is not just slagging off.