Best tablet for the Principal

[kenrick]

Hi all,

 

My Principle sent me an email asking me to recommend a tablet to take to all the external meetings she has. She needs Remote Desktop access to college PC and something about the size of an iPad. She mentioned she would also purchase some kind of wireless keyboard for it too. Would really appreciate some suggestions, I know ipad could do the job, any other suggestions?

 

Many thanks

 

Paul

[SYNACK]

Windows 8 tablet, best there is at rdp, useable as a tablet and a laptop, long battery life and way more versitile. Something like an hp envy x2 which comes with a detachable keyboard and trackpad. There is also no hassle then about compatibility or accessing stuff off the server, or printing, or installing required software or... you get the picture.

[Kingstech]

Hi all,

 

My Principle sent me an email asking me to recommend a tablet to take to all the external meetings she has. She needs Remote Desktop access to college PC and something about the size of an iPad. She mentioned she would also purchase some kind of wireless keyboard for it too. Would really appreciate some suggestions, I know ipad could do the job, any other suggestions?

 

Many thanks

 

Paul

 

How about looking at the Acer W700. The screen is a little bit bigger than a ipad but it runs windows 8 pro so it will connect to the domain. The ones we got cable with a case that has a built in bluetooth keyboard so it can be used as a tablet or like a laptop.

[SpuffMonkey]

Or an Asus Transformer if you fancy Android

[elsiegee40]

I love my Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

 

I got it for the pen and the ability to scribble on / annotate pdfs. I'm saving a few rainforests now that I don't have to print off meeting papers. I can view and scribble on them electronically

Edited April 1, 2013 by elsiegee40

[Kingstech]

Another good thing with the W700 is its got a usb port. I use ms one note on mine for meeting notes and it syncs with my skydrive so I have it on my office pc as well.

[m25man]

Fact is there isn't a decent W8 Pro tablet available, yet..

intel should have had Gen4 Haswell chips ready for use in Surface last year, hence the rather lengthy delay in seeing decent pro kit so far and its only really started showing up at CeBit a few weeks ago.

 

Now that its found its way to manufacturing in quantities we are going to see a load of i3,i5 and i7 4xxx tablets and hybrids hitting the street in decent numbers over coming weeks.

Even Apple users are expecting another Macbook refresh by June so what ever you choose be prepared for your Pro Tablet to look awfully dated by the start of the next academic year.

[SYNACK]

Fact is there isn't a decent W8 Pro tablet available, yet..

intel should have had Gen4 Haswell chips ready for use in Surface last year, hence the rather lengthy delay in seeing decent pro kit so far and its only really started showing up at CeBit a few weeks ago.

 

Now that its found its way to manufacturing in quantities we are going to see a load of i3,i5 and i7 4xxx tablets and hybrids hitting the street in decent numbers over coming weeks.

Even Apple users are expecting another Macbook refresh by June so what ever you choose be prepared for your Pro Tablet to look awfully dated by the start of the next academic year.

 

The Atom ones are fine and target a better power envelope for little tablet type usage. Intel have dropped the ball totally on the next gen iSeries for power envelope. As it has taken them this much longer to come up with a few underclocked iSeries units. How far are they actually behind and how good will be what they finally get out of the factory be. For a laptop replacement yes the iSeries ones will be much better but you will have rubbish battery life for the the forseeable future.

 

If you want something that is quiet to take notes on in meetings with a decent battery life and decent software without millions of restrictions then you probably want one of the atom units. If it is going to be your only machine and you want to do heavier stuff on it then the compromise on the battery life is worth it.

 

For the OP, I think the atom variation will be the best bet, they did not say that it needed to replace their main computer for everything as well, just be a companion device like an iPad but for doing work, the W8 stuff does it better.

[Kingstech]

The Atom ones are fine and target a better power envelope for little tablet type usage. Intel have dropped the ball totally on the next gen iSeries for power envelope. As it has taken them this much longer to come up with a few underclocked iSeries units. How far are they actually behind and how good will be what they finally get out of the factory be. For a laptop replacement yes the iSeries ones will be much better but you will have rubbish battery life for the the forseeable future.

 

If you want something that is quiet to take notes on in meetings with a decent battery life and decent software without millions of restrictions then you probably want one of the atom units. If it is going to be your only machine and you want to do heavier stuff on it then the compromise on the battery life is worth it.

 

For the OP, I think the atom variation will be the best bet, they did not say that it needed to replace their main computer for everything as well, just be a companion device like an iPad but for doing work, the W8 stuff does it better.

 

The Acer w510 has a atom processor and it runs ok. The good thing with it is you have a keyboard that you can attach to it that turns it into a netbook.

[SYNACK]

The Acer w510 has a atom processor and it runs ok. The good thing with it is you have a keyboard that you can attach to it that turns it into a netbook.

 

Yes it is built on the same platform but from a thread on here it does suffer from a few Acer type quality issues hence my recomendation of the hp instead, same platform but better build quality and almost certainly better implementation. The Acer should still work though but may be less of a winner than one of the others.

[elsiegee40]

I think you need to look seriously at what else the HT wants to do other than remote in.

 

Does this need full network connectivity as well, or is remoting in going to provide all that is needed... may be with the addition of dropbox or similar for file transfer?

Does this need local office software? Will the non M$ alternatives do the job? Or is Office via remoting in enough?

Will the email/calendar facilities you have work on the tablet?

Does your HT need it to reduce the paperwork? -see my earlier post about using the Note to scribble on pdfs rather than using paper.

 

The different tablets lend themselves to different things.

[SovietRussia]

Another good thing with the W700 is its got a usb port. I use ms one note on mine for meeting notes and it syncs with my skydrive so I have it on my office pc as well.

 

We also have a W700, but we find we want to plug in alot of USB devices (keyboard, mouse etc) - As there is only 1 USB Port we have to use a USB Hub.

[flyinghaggis]

Fact is there isn't a decent W8 Pro tablet available, yet..

 

+1 TBH. If you want a tablet buy an iPad as there's nothing else out there just now. This might change but everything I've seen running Windows8 Pro so far has been rubbish and seriously overpriced. We bought a couple of Samsung Ativ Smart tablets (Windows 8 PRo/atom)and the build quality on them is terrible. The docking connector doesnt even fit properly and it loses the connection when you touch the screen whilst typing! Atom CPU, 2Gb RAM, 64Gb storage and 32-bit Windows. Can't believe they're charging £750 for them!

 

Unless you need Windows and tablet functionality combined on one device it would probably be better and cheaper to buy an iPad and a £300-400 laptop!

Edited April 2, 2013 by flyinghaggis

[kenrick]

Thank you all for your thoughts and ideas. I am tempted to go the Win 8 route, but like many of you say it may well be a little too early still. I might try and get some test units and trial them first for a few days. If no joy, maybe the Ipad route...

 

Thanks again

 

Paul

[jamesfed]

Surface with Windows RT if she can run things through the Remote Desktop Portal or a Surface Pro when it comes out.

 

Go with type cover instead of touch cover if its going to be used regularly.

[sonofsanta]

I was keeping an eye on Win8 convertibles as well for our Head, so he'd stop nicking our netbook every time he was in lesson observations etc.

 

I bought him a netbook (well, 11.6" HP with an AMD E2-1800) last month. Win8 convertibles will be good in a year or two, I hope, but this first generation stuff is massively overpriced and the design is usually compromised in some way.

[Kingstech]

We also have a W700, but we find we want to plug in alot of USB devices (keyboard, mouse etc) - As there is only 1 USB Port we have to use a USB Hub.

 

The tablets that I've seen with usb ports only have 1 port on them. I've only had to use a hub once when I upgraded the os to windows 8 pro. I never use a usb keyboard as I have the bluetooth keyboard on it. And never use a mouse as it's touch screen.

[Jon_boy1984]

I'd suggest the HP Elitepad 900, its a nice looking tablet, running full 8 pro, atom based at the moment, but I believe there are plans for a i5 version.

 

There are also a number of accessory available, including expansion jacket, extended battery, dock, and coming in June is a keyboard Jacket.

 

I don't work for HP, but I really do like the elitepad, ever since I saw it at BETT.

[SYNACK]

I'd suggest the HP Elitepad 900, its a nice looking tablet, running full 8 pro, atom based at the moment, but I believe there are plans for a i5 version.

 

There are also a number of accessory available, including expansion jacket, extended battery, dock, and coming in June is a keyboard Jacket.

 

I don't work for HP, but I really do like the elitepad, ever since I saw it at BETT.

 

No USB port or keyboard on that though, every little connection is an extra proprietary adapter just like the iTrinkit. It is disgusting for the environment and just general usefulness as they nickel and dime the product to death.

[gsk]

I've trialled a w700 and liked it as a laptop replacement. But then realised that that's all it was - a laptop replacement. Except it was more expensive than an equivalent laptop and didn't have a touchpad. As a consequence, trying to do anything it the desktop environment was tricky at best and I wasn't really using it as a tablet at all. I think on paper a W8Pro tablet is an all in one device replacing both laptop and ipad but in reality isn't as good as either for the money.

 

In short, I would get them an ultrabook if W8 and domain compatibility is a must, or an iPad with a good RDP app if it for meetings and remote working.

 

On a seperate note, I don't get where windows RT fits into all this. It has the downsides of everything- fiddlyness of windows and non x86 arcitechture of a tablet.

[SYNACK]

I've trialled a w700 and liked it as a laptop replacement. But then realised that that's all it was - a laptop replacement. Except it was more expensive than an equivalent laptop and didn't have a touchpad. As a consequence, trying to do anything it the desktop environment was tricky at best and I wasn't really using it as a tablet at all. I think on paper a W8Pro tablet is an all in one device replacing both laptop and ipad but in reality isn't as good as either for the money.

 

In short, I would get them an ultrabook if W8 and domain compatibility is a must, or an iPad with a good RDP app if it for meetings and remote working.

 

On a seperate note, I don't get where windows RT fits into all this. It has the downsides of everything- fiddlyness of windows and non x86 arcitechture of a tablet.

 

No trial of the W510? Most of the benifits with few of the drawbacks, yes it is slower but it is not meant to replace a laptop, it is a comanion device like an iPad but more expandable and a much fairer comparison. Your not goint to use an iPad as a laptop replacement unless your work is answering emails and watching youtube.

 

RT is for battery life and small size, still more capable than an ipad IMO but less useful than an x86 one for compatibility, it is the direct competition for the ipad, same architecture, size, battery life etc. It still has a better RDP app on it for free than anything I have seen in iOS.

Edited April 11, 2013 by SYNACK

[gsk]

We had dismissed atom-based tablets out of hand based on the fact that we are running a few sets of atom-based netbooks and after 12 months using them is beyond tedious. How does the W510 stack up price wise against the ipad? At the moment (and I am keen on having my view changed on this as my thoughts are changing almost daily) I feel that the iPad is the benchmark for tablet computing, while an i3 desktop/laptop with 4gb RAM and win7/8 is the benchmark for budget desktop computing. I see tablet computing as mainly content comsumption with maybe somecreation so internet research, creating prezzi presentations, light word processing and light image editing. Desktop computing I still see as the ideal tool for doing the bulk of your GCSE IT. Spreadsheet creation, Database creation, video editing, desktop publishing, web design etc. So they are two different purposes that are both very valid and useful.

 

I do feel that we should be running 2 types of devices as I haven't found one that will do both. So given a budget of 100% in a year, I don't know how the split should be made to give the optimum balance of immediate 1:1 access to tablet computing and tradition high-spec desktop computing. 50% Tablet and 50% PC might put us in a position where we can afford to replace half the computers that we would normally and allow us to give a 1:1 tablet to a whole year-group, but the tablet would only be a nexus or ipad mini. Do we need to look at a 70%/30% split so that the tablets are running W8 and integrate with the domain or will that leave us short on high-spec desktop computing capacity?

[tech_guy]

"Best tablet for the Principal?"..... I was going to say something jokey like cyanide but then thought better of it ;-)

[SYNACK]

The new atom stuff is not that bad and is much better under windows 8, pricewise I think the atom stuff is around the same area as a 64gb iPad. However with keyboard case, and the same adapter dongles to be comparable with the w8 stuff the iPad would cost more. Prices probably differ there though.

[teejay]

Hate saying this, but after testing a few different options I'd go with an iPad.