programming4us
programming4us
MOBILE

The Best Experience With Windows 8 Tablets And Hybrids (Part 2)

- Free product key for windows 10
- Free Product Key for Microsoft office 365
- Malwarebytes Premium 3.7.1 Serial Keys (LifeTime) 2019

Sony VAIO Duo 11: $2,107.99

The Sony VAIO Duo 11 is another hybrid that can be both laptop and tablet, and its mechanism for switching between the two is the most sophisticated in this Group Test. Pull upwards on a lip at the rear of the screen, and the Duo 11 swings up to reveal a compact keyboard in one smooth motion. It looks great and feels strong.

As well as a standard touchscreen, the Duo 11 comes with a stylus to write and draw with. Its performance matches its excellent specifications and it zipped through our benchmark tests with a first-place score of 0.71. Lasting 7 hours and 6 minutes, it also had the best battery of all the devices that run the full version of Windows 8, beaten only by the Windows 8 RT tablets.

Sony VAIO Duo 11

Sony VAIO Duo 11

The screen’s Full DH resolution and 11.6in diagonal matches the sharpest screens we tested for pixel count, and its brightness of 452cd/m2 and contrast ratio of 868:1 make it adept at reproducing both bright and dark tones. Colors are produced accurately and the IPS panel has a superb viewing angle.

The Duo 11 has two USB 3 ports, full-sized HDMO and D-SUB video outputs, a card reader and a Gigabit Ethernet port. It also supports 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 4 and NFC (Near Field Communication).

However, it’s not very comfortable to use. The keyboard is well-laid out, but to save space, the standard trackpad has been replaced by a fiddly trackpoint with buttons that are too close to the spacebar and easy to click by accident. There’s no wrist rest, so it’s uncomfortable to type when the Duo 11 is balanced on your lap. Also, you can’t adjust the screen angle, and its weight (1.28kg) makes it heavy for using as a tablet. It’s also very expensive.

As well as a standard touchscreen, the Duo 11 comes with a stylus to write and draw with

As well as a standard touchscreen, the Duo 11 comes with a stylus to write and draw with

Verdict: 6/10

The Duo 11’s design, build-quality and specification are all top-notch, and it performed well in our tests, but it makes too many compromises on comfort to justify its high price. The trackpoint is too fiddly, its buttons are too close to the spacebar and there’s no wrist rest. We would only recommend it over the Lenovo or Dell devices if your priority is the fastest possible performance or you love its attractive design.

·         Features: 6/10

·         Performance: 10/10

·         Ease of use: 4/10

·         Value for money: 4/10

Best of the rest

The Lenovo ThinkPad Twist ($1,285.55, www.kikatek.com, 3 stars) has a twist-and-fold mechanism, rather than the sturdy hinge of the Yoga 13. It’s very comfortable to type on in laptop mode, but in our tests the button less trackpad caused the cursor to jump around on its own. It only managed 0.53 in our benchmark tests, placing it fifth.

The Lenovo ThinkPad Twist

The Lenovo ThinkPad Twist

If you’re after a tablet, but want the full Windows 8 experience, the Acer Iconia W700 ($891, www.dabs.com, 3 stars) is the obvious choice. It comes with a Bluetooth keyboard, a dock, and a cover that doubles up as a stand. However, its performance was disappointing, with a benchmark score of only 4.1. Its battery life of 5 hours 53 minutes was even worse, leaving it in sixth place.

Acer Iconia W700

Acer Iconia W700

The Toshiba Satellite U920t ($1,214.25, www.kikatek.com, 3 stars) has a hinge mechanism very similar to the Duo 11’s for transforming from laptop to tablet, but it’s not as slick and it adds weight to the device, making it heavier overall. In our tests, we found performance to be disappointing, with a benchmark score of 0.51, while the battery only lasted 5 hours and 40 minutes.

The Toshiba Satellite U920t

The Toshiba Satellite U920t

Asus’s engineers have removed the need for a flip-and-twist mechanism by putting two screens on the Asus Taichi 21, ($2,249.99, www.pcworld.co.uk, 3 stars). The tablet side has a glossy, glass screen, while the laptop screen is matt. To turn it into a tablet, you simply closet he lid. Battery life wasn’t great though, coming last in our tests as just under five hours.

Asus Taichi 21

Asus Taichi 21

Results charts

Windows performance

Windows performance

Windows performance

Maximum screen brightness

Maximum screen brightness

Maximum screen brightness

Light-use battery life

Light-use battery life

Light-use battery life

Group test windows 8 devices

Manufacturer & model: Lenovo Ideapad Yoga 13

·         Price: $1,499.99

·         Processor: 1.9GHz Intel Core i7-3517U (tested with 1.7GHz Intel Core i5-3317U)

·         Memory: 4 GB

·         Screen size and finish: 13.3in glossy

·         Resolution: 1,600 x 900 pixels

·         Stylus: No

·         Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000

·         Video outputs: HDMI

·         Hard drive: 128GB (SSD)

·         Wireless connections: Single-band 802.11in, Bluetooth 4

·         Ethernet: No

·         Memory card reader: MMC, SD

·         Ports: 1 x USB 3,1 x USB 2, headphone/microphone combo jack

·         Webcam: 0.9MP front

·         Operating system: Windows 8 64-bit

·         Dimensions: 334 x 225 x 17mm

·         Weight: 1.53kg

·         Warranty: 1 year return to base

Manufacturer & model: Dell XPS 12

·         Price: $1,948.55

·         Processor: 1.9GHz Intel Core i7-3517U

·         Memory: 8 GB

·         Screen size and finish: 12.5in glossy

·         Resolution: 1,920 x 1,080 pixels

·         Stylus: No

·         Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000

·         Video outputs: mini-DispalyPort

·         Hard drive: 256GB (SSD)

·         Wireless connections: Dual-band 802.11in, Bluetooth 4

·         Ethernet: No

·         Memory card reader: No

·         Ports: 2 x USB 3, headphone/microphone combo jack

·         Webcam: 0.9MP front

·         Operating system: Windows 8 64-bit

·         Dimensions: 317 x 214 x 20mm

·         Weight: 1.51kg

·         Warranty: 1 year next-day in-home

Manufacturer & model: Sony VAIO Duo 11

·         Price: $2,107.55

·         Processor: 1.9GHz Intel Core i7-3517U)

·         Memory: 8 GB

·         Screen size and finish: 11.6in glossy

·         Resolution: 1,920 x 1,080 pixels

·         Stylus: Yes

·         Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000

·         Video outputs: D-SUB, HDMI

·         Hard drive: 256GB (SSD)

·         Wireless connections: Dual-band 802.11in, Bluetooth 4

·         Ethernet: 1,000Mbps

·         Memory card reader: MSPro, SD

·         Ports: 2 x USB 3, headphone/microphone combo jack

·         Webcam: 2.4MP front, 2.4MP rear

·         Operating system: Windows 8 64-bit

·         Dimensions: 322 x 200 x 21mm

·         Weight: 1.28kg

·         Warranty: 1 year collect and return

Manufacturer & model: Lenovo Thinkpad Twist

·         Price: $1,285.55

·         Processor: 1.7GHz Intel Core i5-3317U

·         Memory: 4 GB

·         Screen size and finish: 12.5in glossy

·         Resolution: 1,366 x 768 pixels

·         Stylus: No

·         Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000

·         Video outputs: Mini-DisplayPort, mini-HDMI

·         Hard drive: 500GB (5,400rpm HDD)

·         Wireless connections: Single-band 802.11in, Bluetooth 4

·         Ethernet: 1,000Mbps

·         Memory card reader: MMC, SD

·         Ports: 2 x USB 3, headphone/microphone combo jack

·         Webcam: 0.9MP front

·         Operating system: Windows 8 64-bit

·         Dimensions: 313 x 236 x 20mm

·         Weight: 1.57kg

·         Warranty: 1 year return to base

Manufacturer & model: Acer Iconia W700

·         Price: $891.25

·         Processor: 1.4GHz Intel Core i3-2365M

·         Memory: 4 GB

·         Screen size and finish: 11.6in glossy

·         Resolution: 1,920 x 1,080 pixels

·         Stylus: No

·         Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000

·         Video outputs: D-SUB (via adapter), micro-HDMI

·         Hard drive: 64GB (SSD)

·         Wireless connections: Dual-band 802.11in, Bluetooth 4

·         Ethernet: No

·         Memory card reader: No

·         Ports: Tablet: 1 x USB 3, headphone/microphone combo jack. Dock: 3 x USB 3

·         Webcam: 0.9MP front, 5MP rear

·         Operating system: Windows 8 64-bit

·         Dimensions: 196 x 196 x 10mm

·         Weight: 934kg

·         Warranty: 1 year return to base

Our verdict

The products that caught our eye in this Group Test ran the full version of Windows 8 and could switch from laptop to tablet, by folding or twisting the screen.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 was our favorite. Its screen folds all the way back and it works well, both as a laptop and a tablet. At 13.3in across the diagonal, it’s noticeably bigger (and heavier) than Android or Apple rivals, but it runs the full version of Windows 8.

The Dell XPS 12 is a worthy Sliver Award winner, and comes with a fantastic screen, but its swiveling mechanism isn’t as sturdy as the Yoga 13’s.

Similarly, the Sony VAIO Duo 11 has some brilliant features, but a few too many flaws, particularly its fiddly trackpoint control and fixed screen angle.

However, we were disappointed with the Windows 8 tablets on offer. They were cheaper than the hybrid tablet-laptops in this Group Test, but we think you get better value for money from Android tablets.

Other  
 
Top 10
Free Mobile And Desktop Apps For Accessing Restricted Websites
MASERATI QUATTROPORTE; DIESEL : Lure of Italian limos
TOYOTA CAMRY 2; 2.5 : Camry now more comely
KIA SORENTO 2.2CRDi : Fuel-sipping slugger
How To Setup, Password Protect & Encrypt Wireless Internet Connection
Emulate And Run iPad Apps On Windows, Mac OS X & Linux With iPadian
Backup & Restore Game Progress From Any Game With SaveGameProgress
Generate A Facebook Timeline Cover Using A Free App
New App for Women ‘Remix’ Offers Fashion Advice & Style Tips
SG50 Ferrari F12berlinetta : Prancing Horse for Lion City's 50th
- Messages forwarded by Outlook rule go nowhere
- Create and Deploy Windows 7 Image
- How do I check to see if my exchange 2003 is an open relay? (not using a open relay tester tool online, but on the console)
- Creating and using an unencrypted cookie in ASP.NET
- Directories
- Poor Performance on Sharepoint 2010 Server
- SBS 2008 ~ The e-mail alias already exists...
- Public to Private IP - DNS Changes
- Send Email from Winform application
- How to create a .mdb file from ms sql server database.......
programming4us programming4us
programming4us
 
 
programming4us