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Thread: Why can't we have nice things?

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    Not a good person scaryjim's Avatar
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    Why can't we have nice things?

    I know I'm not necessarily the target for most computer companies, but recently I've really been hankering after a Windows tablet - with Win 10 coming in fast and the Bay Trail giveaway bringing prices crashing, I'd love to have a nice portable device that I can plug a mouse/keyboard/monitor into and use it as an actual PC too. Plus I really miss my old TC1100 - although I know I won't get an active digitiser in my price range the possibility of using some kind of cap stylus to take notes on a handheld device is really tempting.

    So, I've been doing a bit of research, and there are very few Windows tablets out there with screen resolutions above 1280x800. It's almost like there's some compulsion that makes tablet manufacturers put low res screens on windows devices (like those nasty 1366 panels most laptops have). If you're happy with Android, it's not such a problem: you can get 4:3 and 16:10 retina 8" Android tablets for around £140. So where are the Windows versions?

    Well, I finally found one: The Teclast X89. A lovely, 4:3 ratio 7.85" 2048x1536 tablet, Quad core bay trail with 2GB RAM and 32GB eMMC. Selling out of China for around £100, with a dual boot Android/Windows set up.

    So where are the rest? There are 1280x800 chinese tablets from about £60, and high res versions from about £90 - £100, so I'd've thought we'd see at least one reputable manufacturer push out a high res small screen Windows tablet for ~ £150? It's obviously possible, the components are out there - how hard is it to put them together...?

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    Re: Why can't we have nice things?

    I feel the same about screens in general laptop and desktops - common resolution seem to have stalled, or even gone backwards, especially in vertical resolution.

    Oh, and I also hate glossy reflective screens, bring back matte !
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    Re: Why can't we have nice things?

    Jim. Another posting on here pointed me towards Onda's products, and when I did some more research (ok, Googling) the same set of companies appeared. Oh by the way, Onda's V919 seems to match that Teclast spec.

    What I'd like to know is whether these are worth going for - I've read much on XDA that if you get a good one then you're in hog heaven, but quality does tend to be extremely patchy. And as for support ... forget it.

    Family holiday coming up and the kid's HP Touchpads are now looking a bit long in the tooth so doting dad was looking for something that could replace them. And to be honest the specs on Techlast, Onda, etc are mouthwatering - Hudl prices for something that's akin to an iPad Retina.

    But I'm kinda concerned about whether these are literally too good to be true. So the cautious part of me is thinking to play safe and get a Venue 8 Pro (Scan has the 3845 for less than £130) or similar HP/Lenovo devices. Android would be better (games!) but Windows8 is good enough for video I guess.

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    Anthropomorphic Personification shaithis's Avatar
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    Re: Why can't we have nice things?

    Finding them for Android is normally a case of looking at the high-end tablets though......When I was looking recently I wanted a minimum of 1080p for a 10"......I struggled. It seems that the higher resolution screens are reserved for the "gaming class" tablets for the most part. Those with the most powerful CPUs and a minimum of 2-3GB RAM.

    I guess that with the race-to-the-bottom-line, one of the things that gets chopped down fast is the screen.

    There are some oddball Chinese models that walk the line but I have heard too many bad luck stories about a lot of the cheaper tablets that I generally stay away these days and are happy to pay extra for build quality, if for no other reason than my tablet gets moved around and thrown down a lot.
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    Re: Why can't we have nice things?

    Quote Originally Posted by shaithis View Post
    There are some oddball Chinese models that walk the line but I have heard too many bad luck stories about a lot of the cheaper tablets that I generally stay away these days and are happy to pay extra for build quality, if for no other reason than my tablet gets moved around and thrown down a lot.
    Yep, like I said there's stories/reviews out there where the author's had a pretty good experience. And let's be honest it's not like sticking to Apple/Samsung is any anti-lemon guarantee. And therein lies the curiosity - most of these ChiSlabs come with pretty awesome specs - dropping in stuff like 1080p+ displays, loads of storage and/or dual-boot (which makes it easier to "justify" as a productivity tool). Fact that they're also a third of the price of the "premium" gear makes me wonder if it'd be possible to justify as a 12-18 months and it's done. And the cheaper models - <£80 which if it's only going to last for the length of a holiday is do-able - especially if the battery life is reasonable.

    I'm still using a 2012 model Note 10.1, and it's beginning to show it's age - battery not the best. It's mainly used for gaming, so I'm considering one of those cheap slabs or going up market and getting an NVidia Shield (only the prospect of an X1-powered Shield and consequent price drop for K1 Shield putting me off)

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    Re: Why can't we have nice things?

    I got a link 10 in the staples deal before Xmas.

    The res is 1280x800 and using the touch screen; I'm glad its not higher res. Hitting the close windows buttons is pretty difficult. The res would allow more real estate but the increase in bandwidth and video size for higher res movies made me think its not such a good idea due to the 32gb storage and my intawebz speed.

    Another consideration is whether the intel onboard can cope with much higher resolutions.

    MS giving away free windows was made on the previso they were budget models as far as I remember. I'm having a look now as I could well be wrong.

    Edit; supposedly 8.1 is free on tablets <9".

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    Not a good person scaryjim's Avatar
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    Re: Why can't we have nice things?

    Quote Originally Posted by crossy View Post
    Jim. Another posting on here pointed me towards Onda's products, and when I did some more research (ok, Googling) the same set of companies appeared. Oh by the way, Onda's V919 seems to match that Teclast spec.
    The Onda 919 is the 9.7" retina = same as the Teclast X98. I'm after something more akin to the X89 - a 7.85" 4:3 ratio retina display. I've had a 10" tablet before and it was just a bit too big to be worth the effort (for a similar amount of bag space I could get a 13" laptop in). Most of the 8" ones out there are 1280x800 widescreen - it's not a bad resolution per se, but I want the sharpness for reading, and the horizontal res when it's in portrait mode for web browsing (hardly any websites will regress nicely on a < 1024px wide screen nowadays, and a lot of them look shady right up to 1366px). It's not really the real estate that bothers me.

    I got my stepson an Ainol Android tablet a couple of years ago, and was actually very impressed at the build quality. They do a 1280x800 8" Windows tablet now, and tbh I'd probably go for one of those over one of the highstreet onces at a similar price (£80 - £90) as the chinese models tend to come with 2GB/32GB rather than 1GB/16GB of the "mainstream" options. It's just really frustrating to know that the hardware is out there for my ideal device but I'm going to have to risk shoddy OEM QC if I want to buy one....

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    Re: Why can't we have nice things?

    Quote Originally Posted by scaryjim View Post
    The Onda 919 is the 9.7" retina = same as the Teclast X98. I'm after something more akin to the X89 - a 7.85" 4:3 ratio retina display. ... Most of the 8" ones out there are 1280x800 widescreen - it's not a bad resolution per se, but I want the sharpness for reading, and the horizontal res when it's in portrait mode for web browsing (hardly any websites will regress nicely on a < 1024px wide screen nowadays, and a lot of them look shady right up to 1366px). It's not really the real estate that bothers me.
    Ah right, actually 8" is also the sweet spot I'm looking for. But I definitely would prefer not to have narrow-screen, 4 by 3 isn't comfortable for me. With web browsing I just find 16/9 or 16/10 nicer.
    Quote Originally Posted by scaryjim View Post
    I got my stepson an Ainol Android tablet a couple of years ago, and was actually very impressed at the build quality. They do a 1280x800 8" Windows tablet now, and tbh I'd probably go for one of those over one of the highstreet onces at a similar price (£80 - £90) as the chinese models tend to come with 2GB/32GB rather than 1GB/16GB of the "mainstream" options. It's just really frustrating to know that the hardware is out there for my ideal device but I'm going to have to risk shoddy OEM QC if I want to buy one....
    Dual booter would be nice, but I really need Android. Actually you make a good point - how come the "mainstream" guys insist that 1/16 is okay for RAM/storage whereas no-name, no-questions are quite happy to do larger? You'd think that the economies of scale would allow the big players to be generous. Only thing I can think is that they've got accountants (curse them with the lawyers) looking over their shoulder and bitching about the profit margin per unit.

    Actually, not sure if it's of interest to anyone out there, but I found Best Chinese Android tablets (2014 edition)
    (Is it just me or do the models used look kinda young?) Got to say, from that list the Xiaomi MiPad looks pretty good.
    Last edited by crossy; 10-06-2015 at 04:49 PM.

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    Re: Why can't we have nice things?

    Of the tablets I've owned since the TC1100, the Dell Venue 11 Pro had the best "TC1100 experience".

    Things I liked about the Venue 11 Pro;
    + Active Stylus support
    + 11" 1920x1080 IPS display (note that there are versions of the Venue 11 Pro with a 1366x768 display)
    + 'Hard' keyboard available, turns the tablet in to a traditional laptop and doubles as second battery for about twice the battery life.

    Things I didn't like;
    - Stylus sold separately
    - Keyboard sold separately and isn't cheap (don't confuse with cheaper 'soft' keyboard which IMO has crap keys)
    - Not much external expansion available on cheaper Intel Atom configuration,
    - More expensive Intel Core series configuration has more ports, e.g. USB and display options but is also heavier and bulkier
    - 16:9 display ratio, would prefer something squarer for note taking
    - Stylus was a bit flaky, but I hear things have improved since

    Between the Atom and i5 Venue 11's I've owned, I prefered the Atom simply because it was lighter.

    You can bag a refurb Venue 11 Pro with a 1yr warranty for £150 or less from ebay or the Dell Outlet if you keep your eye out.
    Last edited by DDY; 10-06-2015 at 11:00 PM. Reason: Good sentence structuring? lol...

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