The Asus Vivo Tab RT is a
feature-packed and highly portable device with plenty of power and an excellent
keyboard dock. The Windows 8 RT OS is slick in some areas but needs work in others
ASUS’ tablets have fast become our
favorites, even surpassing Apple’s mighty iPad thanks to their quality
construction and excellent features. Now Asus has taken its superb Transformer
Prime design (which features a detachable keyboard dock), and transferred it to
the wonderful world of Windows. The result is the Asus Vivo Tab RT, a quad-core
Windows 8 tablet that is marvelous for work and play.
The
Asus Vivo Tab RT
Look and feel
In tablet form, the Asus Vivo Tab RT is a
surprisingly slender and light device. It’s only a tad thicker than the likes
of the Apple iPad mini, and at half a kilo is a lot lighter than the New iPad.
There’s a tiny bit of flex when you pull on the edges, but nothing to worry
about beyond a little creaking. Overall, this is a solid, durable device.
The rear of the Vivo Tab RT is part brushed
metal, part textured plastic. The textured section helps to stop it from
skidding around when you’re using it on a work surface, and provides extra
grip. On the edges of the Vivo Tab RT you’ll find volume and power buttons as
well as a 3.5mm audio jack and a covered slot for a microSD card, so you can
expand the very generous 64GB of built-in storage.
In
tablet form, the Asus Vivo Tab RT is a surprisingly slender and light device.
It’s only a tad thicker than the likes of the Apple iPad mini, and at half a
kilo is a lot lighter than the New iPad
Windows 8 (RT)
If you’re new to Windows 8 RT, this
touch-based interface has a similar appearance to Windows Phone, using ‘live
tiles’ as shortcuts to your apps. These tiles are similar to Android widgets,
updating with fresh information on the fly - so you know when you receive a new
message or your stocks have plummeted, for instance. You can pin your favorite
apps to the Start screen and resize them based on importance, while sharing
your files and favorite web finds is a quick and simple process.
Windows 8 is far more refined for
touchscreen devices than Windows 7, thanks to its lack of tiny menus and other
fiddly sections. All of the menus and tiles are big and bold, and easy to prod
without worrying about pinpoint accuracy. Of course this also makes for a more
simplified experience that can occasionally prove frustrating.
We had a few little gripes, such as the way
it seems to be impossible to check the exact percentage of battery life
remaining or change how long the screen stays on before it times out. There are
also some inconsistencies in navigation, which led to some initial confusion.
We
had a few little gripes, such as the way it seems to be impossible to check the
exact percentage of battery life remaining or change how long the screen stays
on before it times out
With its 1366x768 pixel resolution, the
10-inch screen is a great way to enjoy movies on the go. We kicked back and
enjoyed a handful of HD videos, which looked impressively crisp - we could see
every wrinkle, spot and mole on the actors’ faces. Just one glance at the Start
screen and it’s immediately obvious how bright and vibrant the panel is. We had
no trouble watching movies even with our harsh office lighting glaring down,
while the excellent viewing angles mean you can stay entertained with buddies
without cramming your heads together.
That screen makes the Vivo Tab RT a great
web surfing device too. It’s spacious and sharp enough to cope with the most
jam-packed websites, while the touch controls are perfectly responsive to every
prod and swipe. The sensitive touch-screen is also well suited to apps and
games, particularly those that require precision input.
Boasting a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3
processor and a mighty 2GB of RAM, this is one of the most powerful tablets
we’ve clutched in our sweaty little mitts. It handles everything available on
the Windows Store with ease, whether it’s fast-paced games or business software.
We also had no problem streaming HD media.
Battery life is one of the Vivo Tab RT’s
other strong suits. By itself, the tablet can last all day with moderate use or
for around five hours if streaming video. However, hook up the dock with its
built-in second battery and you can effectively double the Vivo Tab RT’s
battery life.
