Windows Tablets For Fieldwork

[Rob Bodkin]

gracias

Thanks Randall, I'll continue to watch this thread with great anticipation. I have "toyed" with the adoption of a hand held device for a long time, trying a few devices, including early HP handhelds and the original and current generation iPad. I had really hoped that the Helix would be "the one", but that does not appear to have been the case for the few that I know or know of that tried it.

It can be frustrating and expensive in dollars and out more valuable resource, time, to try these things out only to have them gather dust or become out wife's new toy.

It does seem like these two are very good candidates for being what I/we are looking for, at a price point that is not unreasonable. I'm more inclined towards the Fujitsu, as I have in my mind the notion of the iPad or the HP tablet being ruined by the rain. Perhaps my concerns about the HP are just my guess, rather than fact. I'd love your thoughts on that device and it's robustness when it comes to a little rain. When you're allowed of course.

Best,

Rob

 

[Randall Garrett]

Rob,

I don't have the official "IP" ratings for the EP1000 yet, but based on my personal experience (and that of a large deployment customer) using the EP900, I don't think you have any real world worries with respect to snow/sleet/rain with the HP. Of course, the Q584 is likely to be more robust in this particular category since it is rated for complete submersion in water (3' I think) for about 30 minutes, but as far as even heavy rain usage, the HP should do fine The main issue for many is how well the new "G2" active pen and digitizer works. In all cases, the very nature of capacitive touch technology make that interface not well suited for rainy environments, so the pen becomes an important factor - it's not just for handwriting recognition...

I will likely shoot some shots addressing the water/dust type concerns once I get my personal units to compare side by side.

Hope this helps!


-Randall Garrett-
..Apex Software..

/end/

 

[Randall Garrett]

FWIW, I finally received my retail ASUS VivoTab Note 8 today. This particular device is still a little tough to find in retail channels, but you should start to be able to find it soon now. This device competes with the Dell Venue 8 Pro - similar size, weight, performance but features a real Wacom digitizer/pen vs. the Synaptics combo that is a $39 option with the Dell. As such, I expect the active pen to perform better than the Dell, but I will be testing it side-by-side later this week now that we (also finally) received our new replacement pens from Dell. One out of 3 were a little flaky on the Dell but they acknowledged the problem and shipped us free replacement new revision pens, which work MUCH better. Thus, I can now do a credible side-by-side comparison, shoot proper pictures, etc.


-Randall Garrett-
..Apex Software..

/end/

 

[Randall Garrett]

Dell V11P video review

FWIW, I am posting a link to a well done video review of the Dell Venue 11 Pro (Bay Trail) Windows 8.1 Tablet. The reviewer (Lisa) is well known to do reviews with information which is germane to most of our concerns. While some of the examples she uses may not be recognized as immediately relevant to our appraisal needs, they do serve a purpose. For example, you may not play games, but these type apps do tend to stress computers, particularly tablets and laptops, so she uses certain games to illustrate stressful apps...

One of the reasons I am posting a link to this particular video is that she shows the removable back panel which exposes the user-replaceable battery (and SSD, etc. on the Core i3 and i5 models.) This tablet is one of the very few which feature user-replaceable items like this. Additionally, toward the end of the video, she stacks up the V11P next to a MS Surface Pro 2 so you can compare the proportions. I find that her comments on the optional keyboard dock to be pretty much spot on with my own findings. BTW, the longer I have used my V11P, I think I am revising my opinion on which keyboard dock might be the better choice for most of you. I'm thinking that a popular option might be the more robust option (the one she shows) - you'd just leave that in the car while doing your inspections. The dock shown provides a suitable "base" (and more battery) to use while in the car or at lunch, etc., especially if you had a "car desk" with a non-slip surface so you could use it for GPS, MLS, etc. as desired. This dock is only about $20 more than the more "portable" variety, but provides an extra battery and a better typing experience, albeit with a weight penalty. Of course, the size/weight doesn't matter when it is undocked ;-), but plays an important role when you are driving around...

One thing she touches on which may seem like it is a bigger deal than it really is (given the intended "companion device" nature of Bay Trail tablets), is the performance. She mentions lots of apps running at once, say - like you might do on your desktop, can result in low memory warnings. The current generation of this particular tablet is limited to 2 GB of RAM. I don't find that to be much of a problem because I don't expect a $500 full windows tablet that gets 9+ hours of run time to be used like my full desktop system on my desk - and neither should you! If you really think you need something more powerful, you can get the Core i3 or Core i5 version (as mentioned earlier, the Core i5 version is the better buy of those two IMHO) and you'll have more horsepower to play with at the expense of slightly more weight and less battery life. As I have mentioned in other posts here, we are just now starting to see a couple of manufacturers ship the 4GB versions of their Bay Trail Tablets, and I can tell you that they feel like they run most non-optimized apps (like your desktop appraisal software) at "seat of the pants feel" somewhere close to the Core i3 "Y" series tablets. This is due to the additional RAM. You won't find the 4GB variant of the V11P listed on Dell's site, but the Q584 and ElitePad 1000 G2 are available. Funny thing is, Dell's techs tell me that they have on record that I received my 4 GB version, used it for 11 days and then sent it back late (!) yet they don't even acknowledge the existence of said device. I suspect, we'll see public announcement of this model this summer. The reason for the delay in 4GB variants is a problem with connected standby on Bay trail in 64-bit Win 8.1. (The Q584 ships with 32-bit Windows 8.1 and can only address 3 GB at present) where the HP ships with the 64-bit OS. That said, the Q584 is available on-line where the HP is not shipping yet. I suspect we'll not see the OS update until this April, likely announced/shipping at the /BUILD/ conference (?) I believe we'll see Lenovo, Dell, HP, etc. announce/ship these devices soon after. All that said, I still find the existing Bay Trail V11P to be very usable as a companion device today. Will better models be coming out? Sure, but if you want/need something today, this is a fine device that will fill the bill for many of you.

Link to video - worth the time to watch IMHO: Dell Venue 11 Pro Review - YouTube


Hope this helps!


-Randall Garrett-
..Apex Software..

/end/

 

[Randall Garrett]

Samsung ATIV Tab 7 - $799

FWIW, you can get the Samsung ATIV Tab 7 for $799 at the Microsoft Store (physical locations or on-line.) This device is pretty much the 2013 version of a device I still own and have described in various posts. Basic specs are:

• Core i5 CPU
• 11.6" FHD (1,920 x 1,080) screen with touch and active pen (Wacom)
• Full keyboard dock w/2 USB 2.0 ports
• 4 GB RAM
• 128 GB SSD
• Windows 8 (free update to Win 8.1 and presumably Update 1 in April)
• USB 3, Micro SD, Micro HDMI
• 2 MP front and 5 MP rear cameras
• 11.97" x 7.46" x 0.47"
• 1.96 lbs. (tablet only)
• Microsoft Signature - tuned, bloatware removed, etc.

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...100?siteID=NKa3hZyYoHA-UKSEjTfrk_njpUllz8LcDQ

If you want/need a full Windows "2-in-1" type tablet/laptop, this might be one you want to check out.

Hope this helps!


-Randall Garrett-
..Apex Software..

/end/

 

[JSmith43]

Or, for $150 more, you can get a MacBook Air. Select Parallels 9 as the "free gift"
& import your current system as a VM or get an OEM copy of W7 and simply install it in parallels.

Now you'd have 1st class reliable hardware running W7 in a very rarefiable & easy to back up VM.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/983419-REG/apple_md711ll_a_11_6_macbook_air_notebook.html

Clickforms with lots & lots of photos runs real well in the Parallels 9 VM hosted W7 only dedicating 2 GB ram. I have 16 GB, but use 2 as it is apparently faster than if allocating, say, 8 GB.

 

[Non Sequitur]

After a year with my Surface Pro and a Windows 8 phone, I'm switching back to an iPad and iPhone. The Windows devices are better but there is a serious lack of an eco system. Even something as basic as a case or charger accessory is near impossible to get, and there's usually only one or two to choose from. Want a banking app? Better have an iPhone (or Android). Want to use your phone as a lock box key? Better have an iPhone. The list goes on. Maybe in a few more years, but honestly the Windows eco system is horrible right now. Running a full version of appraisal software in the field sounds good, but for me it doesn't click. Ala Mode keeps refining their iPad app and IMO it's just about everything needed in the field. I really wish anyone would have at least tried to write something for the Windows based system, but I understand there isn't much of a demand yet.

Or, for $150 more, you can get a MacBook Air. Select Parallels 9 as the "free gift"
& import your current system as a VM or get an OEM copy of W7 and simply install it in parallels.

Now you'd have 1st class reliable hardware running W7 in a very rarefiable & easy to back up VM.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/983419-REG/apple_md711ll_a_11_6_macbook_air_notebook.html

Clickforms with lots & lots of photos runs real well in the Parallels 9 VM hosted W7 only dedicating 2 GB ram. I have 16 GB, but use 2 as it is apparently faster than if allocating, say, 8 GB.

I disagree with this. Windows is behind in the mobile arena, but like it or not PCs still rule the world. For the price of that MacBook you can buy a great gaming laptop that would run around the MacBook.

 

[JSmith43]

For the price of that MacBook you can buy a great gaming laptop that would run around the MacBook.

Who was talking about a gaming laptop? The MacBook Air is a 11" featherweight laptop that lasts and lasts on battery power. The MacBook Air has similar specs to the linked Samsung product in Randall Garret's link.

The Samsung has a touch screen. The Mac has double the battery life. The Samsung is out of stock-just checked the link Go figure.

 

[Non Sequitur]

Who was talking about a gaming laptop? The MacBook Air is a 11" featherweight laptop that lasts and lasts on battery power. The MacBook Air has similar specs to the linked Samsung product in Randall Garret's link.

The Samsung has a touch screen. The Mac has double the battery life. The Samsung is out of stock-just checked the link Go figure.

The MacBook isn't a convertible laptop/tablet, so I compared it to other laptops and PC laptops give you more bang for the $. As far as tablets, the Windows eco system is very far behind. I don't even think Apex released their v6 which was supposed to be designed for Win8 touch.

 

[JSmith43]

They give more butt hurt for the buck