7, 8 Inch Windows Tablets
 

In my view this deserved a thread all to itself. Intel has attempted several times at cracking the mobile market be it with MIDS or UMPCS. Unlike previous attempts this generation doesn't have the battery life and cost problems of previous generations. Most UMPCs were lucky to get 5 hours of battery life, with newer Intel Atom chips you can get much more. 7 and 8 Inch Windows tablets retail for 100 - 300 dollars with a free copies of Office an incredible value considering UMPCS were 500+ dollars and netbooks were 300+ dollars. Not only were UMPCs very expensive they also were limited to very small companies not so well companies, where as modern 7 or 8 inch Windows tablet have many manufactures both mainstream and indepedent. Despite many Windows Tablets having 7 or 8 inch screens they are just portable as older devices due to small bezels and bodies. I can still fit a 8 inch tablet in my pocket.

Why a desktop OS on such a small device? For one thing Desktop user interface aren't that bad to use on such a small device. But a desktop OS has much better web browsing due to better plugin support such as adobe flash and other features. Desktop OSes also have better game libraries and better emulators, with newer Intel Atom chips gaming becomes much more a real possibility. Even though some apps have been ported to mobiles, many mobile versions of apps lack functionality found in desktop versions. There is better peripheral and accessory support on a desktop os. There is also artistic applications like sketchbook pro, mypaint, artrage, or Krita. Office apps are much better on the desktop. Having a full OS unlocks all sorts of potential.

Many 8 inch Windows tablets support stylus functionality through an active digitizer which is a deciding feature for me.

None of the current Windows tablets offer built in keyboards but bluetooth keyboards are sufficient replacements.

7 and 8 inch Windows tablet due have limitations. Most smaller Windows tablets only have 1gb or 2gb of Ram. Most smaller Windows tablets only have 1280x800 screens, with some exceptions. Plus Windows can take up significant storage space. Not deal breakers for me but must be kept in mind. So always buy tablets with higher ram and storage configurations and have micro sd card available. Hopefully future hardware addresses these limitations.

I think I will replace my Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 with an 8" Windows tablet with active digitizer when I feel the need to truly replace it. Though I will probably wait for the next generation of hardware.

There literally dozens of models but these ones Interest Me

Pipo W5
http://liliputing.com/2014/11/pipo-w...ws-tablet.html
Vido W8s
http://tablet-news.com/2014/08/19/vi...n-the-package/
Fujitsu Stylistic Q335
http://microsoft-news.com/fujitsu-st...let-announced/
Asus Vivotab Note 8
http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/06/asus-vivotab-note-8/
Dell Venue 8 Pro (Synatiks wrather than wacom stylus)
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/...y-want-to-buy/
Potential Future Toshiba Encore 2 Write
http://liliputing.com/2014/09/toshib...ws-tablet.html
HP Stream 7
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8760/hp-stream-7-review
Panasonic FM-Z1, Rugged 7 inch Windows Tablet with special capactive touch that enables stylus input without a digitizer. Core i series options available
http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/...c=rss&attr=all
http://www.ruggedpcreview.com/mt/arc...the_iphon.html
http://www.panasonic.com/business/to...blet-fz-m1.asp
Toshiba Encore WT7
http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/03/t...indows-tablet/

Re: 7, 8 Inch Windows Tablets
 

I am just looking for a good tablet with good implementation of wacom stylus, but nothing.

Re: 7, 8 Inch Windows Tablets
 

Yup, well, my observation is that Windows is a bit better than
Android in a tablet format,
but it is still the same stifling Windows.
With all the broken Tuesdays you can stand...
-
That said,
(Speaking from having poked around inside)
You might be advised to stay as far away as you can
from anything that says SoC
and get something that has a real CPU (core i3, i5 , or i7)
Try to make certain that the comms chips are not,
repeat - NOT - Broadcom.
And be careful about accepting a unit
that has a single USB port for charging-and-connectivity.
+
I almost considered the Panasonic Toughpad FZ-M1
except for that last point
I have weeks of blisters from trying to live with
a Windows pad that has only a single USB port,
and to say that I loathe the thing would be an understatement.
I call it my tablet for onion-chopping now.

Re: 7, 8 Inch Windows Tablets
 

Same as avove comment ;)

Re: 7, 8 Inch Windows Tablets
 

A core I series makes sense for something bigger and closer to laptop size, but an Intel Atom is plenty capable. Plus an Intel Atom enables lower power, higher battery life, less cost, and smaller sizes.

Re: 7, 8 Inch Windows Tablets
 

Answering the obligatory question of running crysis. To answer the question yes! Crysis can run with reasonable performance on Intel atom provided setting are reduced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP0kXGRJGFQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeRXxmVxUX0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryaNlslwOD0
Civilization Brave New World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIw1NoNo5_4
Civilization V Beyond Earth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_noljl5wHg

Re: 7, 8 Inch Windows Tablets
 

A mobile device with a keyboard would mean that shortcuts would work wonders with a keyboard-driven interface. Not to mention that the stylus is pretty nifty.

I suppose the only deal-breaker for me when it comes to these Windows tablets is...well...Windows. Despite not sharing the same architecture as a PC, the Pyra pretty much has me covered when it comes to the same kind of functionality. I know I can load a Linux distro on it, but what's the point of buying a Windows computer if I'm gonna do that anyway?

I do take issue with some of these claims though:

I agree, but it really depends on the device. A Windows tablet's saving grace (or, rather, the reason for its existance) is the keyboard cover. So yeah, a UI such as the Windows desktop or GNOME or what-have-you would work out nicely.

Actually, that's something I should mention. I REALLY don't like how compact the keys are on the Windows tablet cover. It's my preference to have the keys spaced out on a non-thumb-driven keyboard.

Flash is still available on ARM through the appropriate libraries, and it's easy to get the Pepper plugin for Chromium. Even so, Flash isn't a common sight on mobile devices on grounds that it's simply not needed as it were 4 years ago. Hell, I don't even have Flash installed on my computer.

Otherwise, I do agree that desktop browsers have better plugin support (although I'm not sure if that will be the case for long with Firefox, since it's looking to gain more and more interoperability by the day).

Completely agreed on the game libraries. That's not even a question. However, I'd rather not play a game like Civilization with such a small screen. In fact, most of the games I'd want to play on a proper PC I'd either want a bigger screen or better specs (of which I can control). I'd also want to be able to play all day. No way I'm getting a day out of a Windows tablet playing Civilization without plugging it in.

As for emulators, you may have a point with Gamecube/PS2 (although even that seems to be changing as well), but you could run the majority of pre-PS1/N64 emulators on a toaster. PCSX reARMed is highly optimized now, and can run on a wide variety of mobile devices (just look at the Pandora). Same for Reicast (somewhat).

Such as? Sure, for consumption-oriented devices/OSes, that's definitely the case. However, one can definitely get LibreOffice4 for Debian Wheezy ARM in a heartbeat (+all the features/issues the latest build comes with). As the planet's becoming more mobile-oriented, this is changing.

Only by the nature of most mobile devices is this true. As demonstrated by Texas Instruments, Hardkernel's ODROID boards (and various other single-board computers for that matter), and Linux as a whole, this is drastically changing.

The Pandora has Sketchbook, MyPaint, and GIMP as well. On a Windows tablet, those apps work a lot better because of bigger screen+better stylus though, so if you mean that it's better to have those apps on a device like the Windows tablet, then I agree.

However, that would only be by nature of working on a tablet, not the OS.

Only by nature of having a larger screen and a proper keyboard. Again, one can get LibreOffice4 for ARM. And, if you have a powerful-enough single-board ARM computer to run KDE proper, then you can get the entire Calligra suite as well.

Re: 7, 8 Inch Windows Tablets
 

I wasn't comparing Linux on ARM to a similar os on x86. Most phones ship with Android which has somewhat limited capabilities compared to a desktop os on either ARM or x86. A device with a full linux os or something similar on an ARM processor is definitely worth using. The problem with the PYRA as nice as it is, it isn't widely available or purchasable and probably costs more than a 7 inch or 8 inch windows tablet.

Re: 7, 8 Inch Windows Tablets
 

Dell Venue 8 Pro running Ubuntu on a Live USB
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WrRngZ4giE
Fedlet is a Fedora Linux distro with support for Intel Atom tablet
https://www.happyassassin.net/fedlet...trail-tablets/
https://plus.google.com/+AdamWilliam...ts/KcpHJ1LiPjN
A video of Fedlet running. The main issues with running Linux on an Intel Atom tablet are 32 bit UEFI (some distros support and it can be manually added), touchscreen optimization (no built in virtual keyboard and other features) and drivers for certain things (not as bad as it used to be and getting better).

Re: 7, 8 Inch Windows Tablets
 

http://www.sammobile.com/2014/12/23/...4-mobile-dram/
A sneak peak of what next gen hardware could look like. Intel atom tablets don't use conventional ram modules and use mobile ram like arm processors do. With 4gb ram in mass production then smaller Windows tablets can have more ram and overcome the 2gb ram limitation and it also means smaller Windows tablets will eventually ship with 64 bit windows and 64 bit firmware.