Looking for Tablet / 2in1

[Kanoe]

Hi Guys

Just wondering if anyone had any recommendations that would fit some requirements I'm looking for in a device.

When I go on hols its nice to have a device that I can plug in to a TV and watch content from the device on the TV in a very easy manner. This duty has been performed over the years by my Playbook, has HDMI (micro I think) out and you can very easily clone everything you see on the screen on the TV or tell it to play content on the external screen.

It has been very good for watching pre loaded content over the years but its beginning to have a few issues:

- Wireless performance isn't great
- Lack of apps (most are no longer supported like You Tube)

So what must the replacement device be able to do?

- Have HDMI out (full, micro or mini)
- Excellent screen mirror or output to external screen (this probably rules out android devices as the screen mirror is very hit and miss and most of the apps refuse to play when doing so Sky Go etc. So probably looking for a full Windows OS)
- Installation of VPN program
- Desktop class web browsing (for full web browsing and being able to watch things like iplayer through browser rather than app)
- Around 10 inches (can be a tablet or 2 in 1 as long as the screen detaches from the keyboard section for portability)
- Will worry about price after reviewing options that fit the bill (its more important to fit something that does what I want rather than compromising due to cost)

Any suggestions are welcome.

[jimbouk]

I always fancied the Toshiba Satellite Click Mini. Argos had refurbished ones for £110, now just the other coloured one for £120. Would have snapped one up if I wasn't getting married imminently. Maybe a bit too lightweight for your needs. Pro's for me were small size, solid mechanism for the keyboard so it works like a proper laptop when needed, decent screen resolution and price. Performance isn't going to blow you away, but for the money...

[scaryjim]

I always fancied the Toshiba Satellite Click Mini. ...

Cannot throw enough weight behind this. Got a Click Mini in November, and it's fantastic. In fact, I'm also a Playbook owner, and if you're looking for a first step up with the extra functionality then the click mini is all the device you're likely to want.

A few caveats: the early BIOS had battery recognition issues; solved in a BIOS update but you need to be aware that the first thing you'll be doing is updating the BIOS. Performs really well with Win 10, but you have to really fiddle with stuff to get everything working on Win 10 once you've updated - the drivers don't necessarily play nice straight away. That said, with a bit of googling I managed to get everything working exactly as it should. On mine if you set it to keep the wifi on whilst in standby the wifi would claim to have no internet connection when you woke it up, and had to be reconnected. I never actually solved this, as setting it to turn wifi off during standby a) increases standby battery life, and b) automatically reconnects on wake, so I just did that instead

But yeah, the Click Mini is a really nice piece of kit, and will definitely work for what you want.

[Kanoe]

Cheers for the suggestions guys will take a good look at it.

In passing I noticed there is a slightly newer (and bigger 10.1") version the Click. Trying to decide if its worth

a) the extra outlay
b) the decrease in portability

decisions, decisions!

[Biscuit]

Is this the one you guys are talking about? Might pick one up for my missus.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Toshiba-Cl...cAAOSwmmxW4MCt

[scaryjim]

Is this the one you guys are talking about? Might pick one up for my missus.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Toshiba-Cl...cAAOSwmmxW4MCt

Yep, that's the puppy. Lovely bit of kit. It's what we all wished netbooks could be about 5 years ago.

[Flibb]

I have had a Linx 10, but it died, build quality is pretty poor. I now have a Lenovo miix 300, build quality I much better. I got it from John Lewis for £120 (includes 2 year guarantee). So far its been pretty good, battery life is better than expected, and seems pretty stable. The Asus Transformer is around the same price if you hunt around.

I do also own one of the more powerful i5 Dell 11" convertibles, its OK as a laptop, not as good as a tablet, although it does support pen input. Main issue I have with it is the fan noise, but I got it to run RS232 kit for radios and astronomy so its not that big an issue.

[Kanoe]

Got mine today, currently updating it and moving it to Windows 10. So far it looks like a great piece of kit.

Didn't realise that the screen on it was IPS and 1920x1200.

So far so good.

[Biscuit]

Got mine today, currently updating it and moving it to Windows 10. So far it looks like a great piece of kit.

Didn't realise that the screen on it was IPS and 1920x1200.

So far so good.

Haha, me 2!

My girlfriend is going to love this thing. Really perfect for her needs, thanks for the suggestion!

Takes an millennium to charge the damn thing though.

[Kanoe]

Haha, me 2!

My girlfriend is going to love this thing. Really perfect for her needs, thanks for the suggestion!

Takes an millennium to charge the damn thing though.

Just wait until you do 120 odd windows updates! Took 7 hours!

[Biscuit]

Don't make the mistake of installing drivers from Toshiba. I did it and now the damn thing is buggered. After a restart I ended up in a 'recovery mode' which couldnt fix start up problems so then I tried a 'reset PC' and its stuck at 95%.

Suppose it could have been one of the other windows updates thats screwed it but I'm pretty miffed either way.

[scaryjim]

I installed the Toshy-provided drivers and it was mostly OK. Did you do the BIOS update? That's the key bit really...

[Biscuit]

I installed the Toshy-provided drivers and it was mostly OK. Did you do the BIOS update? That's the key bit really...

No not yet. I'm doing a full reset with a wipe of all my files (there wasnt really any) to see if that at least brings it back to a working state.

[scaryjim]

Fingers crossed you get it sorted

[Biscuit]

Yeah me too. If I do the first thing I will do is BIOS!

I guess I should have looked at this thread again before I started tinkering >_<

[DanceswithUnix]

I went for the £180 Asus T100HA http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/comput...37163-pdt.html

Mainly that was for the Z8500 cpu on the hope it would be better than the previous gen used in the Hudl 2 and Linx we have kicking around.

Turns out it is the first device in the house to have USB C, but I can't play with it because it is my daughter's birthday present and there is still a couple of weeks to go

Some nice machines out there atm, almost tempted to replace my old but small E350 based laptop though I will try an SSD in it first.

That 1920x1200 screen sounds really nice, though I would be forced to take glasses with me to read it these days