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Windows Tablets For Fieldwork
- Thread starter brbkr
- Start date
Randall Garrett
Senior Member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2004
- Professional Status
- IT Professional-Appraisal Related
- State
- Texas
UCB,
Obviously, I know more about Apex stuff than any of the "forms" software stuff, but summarily, yes - I believe they will, but don't expect them to operate like a powerhouse desktop or laptop computer.
I have not personally tested ACI's latest software on any of my more recent Bay Trail (or Cherry Trail) tablets. I have, however, run other appraisal software on some of my more recent devices and based on that experience, I would believe that your ACI software should run. You will, of course, want to check with ACI on their exact requirements, especially since I expect these particular devices to come with Windows 10 (there seems to be some discussion on whether ACI currently supports their software on Windows 10 or not... And I have been recommending that customers wait until the "Threshold 2" update of Windows 10 is out before moving their production machines to the latest OS. I don't expect these machines to be shipping before TH2 ships, so it should not be a problem.) Remember that while these devices run "full Windows" and thus can run your legacy software, they are configured as mobile devices and are meant to be lightweight "companion" devices (vs. full desktop replacement category devices like, say, a Surface Pro with a Core i5 or i7, etc.) Anyway, obviously, depending on your use, the 10" may work better for you as a sort of hybrid tablet/laptop type device, where the 8" is more of a "handheld" device.
As for my software, note that I have not used one of these new Dells yet, but I have run our stuff on similar (and arguably lesser) machines without issue. Note that early Dell Venue Pro devices had a pretty flaky pen and that they have moved back to Wacom. I believe their move is to the newest variant, and I'll want to test it out before saying that there are absolutely no issues with the new version of the pen. That said, we've run our pen stuff on a very wide array of pens over the years, going back to circa 2006, and I am not anticipating any issue with the new Dells. Once I get one in, I will test it and comment.
IF your needs are beyond an Atom-based device, Dell offers their 11" devices which run on a Core M chip, which sort of sites between an Atom and a Core i5 device. Most Core M devices are fanless (preferred in the field) but still use real SSDs for faster disk access, etc. In any case, IF you need more horsepower, I would certainly see what all is announced in October (a week away.)
Hope this helps!
-Randall Garrett-
+Apex Software+
/end/
Obviously, I know more about Apex stuff than any of the "forms" software stuff, but summarily, yes - I believe they will, but don't expect them to operate like a powerhouse desktop or laptop computer.
I have not personally tested ACI's latest software on any of my more recent Bay Trail (or Cherry Trail) tablets. I have, however, run other appraisal software on some of my more recent devices and based on that experience, I would believe that your ACI software should run. You will, of course, want to check with ACI on their exact requirements, especially since I expect these particular devices to come with Windows 10 (there seems to be some discussion on whether ACI currently supports their software on Windows 10 or not... And I have been recommending that customers wait until the "Threshold 2" update of Windows 10 is out before moving their production machines to the latest OS. I don't expect these machines to be shipping before TH2 ships, so it should not be a problem.) Remember that while these devices run "full Windows" and thus can run your legacy software, they are configured as mobile devices and are meant to be lightweight "companion" devices (vs. full desktop replacement category devices like, say, a Surface Pro with a Core i5 or i7, etc.) Anyway, obviously, depending on your use, the 10" may work better for you as a sort of hybrid tablet/laptop type device, where the 8" is more of a "handheld" device.
As for my software, note that I have not used one of these new Dells yet, but I have run our stuff on similar (and arguably lesser) machines without issue. Note that early Dell Venue Pro devices had a pretty flaky pen and that they have moved back to Wacom. I believe their move is to the newest variant, and I'll want to test it out before saying that there are absolutely no issues with the new version of the pen. That said, we've run our pen stuff on a very wide array of pens over the years, going back to circa 2006, and I am not anticipating any issue with the new Dells. Once I get one in, I will test it and comment.
IF your needs are beyond an Atom-based device, Dell offers their 11" devices which run on a Core M chip, which sort of sites between an Atom and a Core i5 device. Most Core M devices are fanless (preferred in the field) but still use real SSDs for faster disk access, etc. In any case, IF you need more horsepower, I would certainly see what all is announced in October (a week away.)
Hope this helps!
-Randall Garrett-
+Apex Software+
/end/
ucbruin
Elite Member
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2014
- Professional Status
- Certified Residential Appraiser
- State
- Massachusetts
My purpose would be to use the tablet while on vacations, long weekends or periods of time that I am away from home. Not to write up original reports but rather to correct any typos/stips while I'm away.
Thanks so much for your comments.
Thanks so much for your comments.
Mike Ault
Elite Member
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2004
- Professional Status
- Certified Residential Appraiser
- State
- Texas
A link to this was in my inbox this morning. Apparently this company acquired Motion Computing's tablet line and is releasing some new models. It looks fairly interesting for our purposes, ruggedized, I5 or I7 processor, hot-swappable batteries and available with a lot of accessories however the 16x9 screen aspect ratio isn't as appealing as the 4:3 ratio that Randall recommends.....
Randall Garrett
Senior Member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2004
- Professional Status
- IT Professional-Appraisal Related
- State
- Texas
UCB - glad to help. With respect to your use case scenario, either of those devices would work. You did not specifically mention doing field inspections and the like, so I wonder if what you're looking for isn't more of a Yoga-type device - something that is thin and light but has a built-in keyboard and larger screen (?) There are several devices out now that might work great for you, and there are several more which have already been announced - mostly having upgraded specs over the previous model. Like always, the newer models are sometimes (mostly) superior to the previous ones but the great thing is that even "last years" models can run our daily use case apps just fine. This means that you can essentially get the new model for about the same price as last years model or get last years model at a discount 
Let me know if you need more info on that aspect or if you really want to "go tablet" (or 2-in-1. hybrid, whatever) and I'll try to help.
Mike - Yep, I believe I covered Motion/Xplore thing on this thread back when it happened, but I did not take time to look bac, so maybe it was on another site... In any case, thanks for posting the video - Xplore makes some nice stuff which might be appropriate for some users here. You're right, I am not a fan of the 16:9 aspect ratio devices - on tablets, that aspect ratio just doesn't work as well as (say) 16:10, 3:2 (aka 15:10) or even the old 4:3 as found on iPads and now a few more (typically) Android tablets. The 16:9 aspect ratio is primarily associates with TV and other consumer video items and when the device screen gets in the 7-to-13 inch range, it compromises the available height. Once you get to desktop-type screens, this condition is mitigated by increasingly more surface area. On phones, when used in a portrait mode (as is typical), 16:9 works well since it allows the device to be fit your hand better, but on tablets, it makes them awkward to hold and compromises the reading experience due to decreased width. Most of my desktop devices have traditionally been 16:10 and at 24" to 30", that has worked out well. Today, I have begun migrating both our technical folks and myself to large 4K monitors instead of the triple monitor set-ups we concocted 10+ years ago. Oops, got off track - sorry.
For most folks, going with something like a TP10 (or Dell or HP equivalent) using one of their factory ruggedized cases seems to work better for them than the beefier ruggedized devices like the Toughbooks, Xplore/Motion, etc. That said, we do have certain clients (generally more Government/Enterprise types) where a truly ruggedized device is the best solution, If you (or anyone else here) really wants me to start covering more of the rugged devices, I am happy to do so - I stay current on them for our Government/Enterprise folks anyway - I had just thought that not many people here really wanted or needed such things. Let me know if I can help, and thanks again for posting the info!
-Randall Garrett-
+Apex Software+
/end/
Let me know if you need more info on that aspect or if you really want to "go tablet" (or 2-in-1. hybrid, whatever) and I'll try to help.Mike - Yep, I believe I covered Motion/Xplore thing on this thread back when it happened, but I did not take time to look bac, so maybe it was on another site... In any case, thanks for posting the video - Xplore makes some nice stuff which might be appropriate for some users here. You're right, I am not a fan of the 16:9 aspect ratio devices - on tablets, that aspect ratio just doesn't work as well as (say) 16:10, 3:2 (aka 15:10) or even the old 4:3 as found on iPads and now a few more (typically) Android tablets. The 16:9 aspect ratio is primarily associates with TV and other consumer video items and when the device screen gets in the 7-to-13 inch range, it compromises the available height. Once you get to desktop-type screens, this condition is mitigated by increasingly more surface area. On phones, when used in a portrait mode (as is typical), 16:9 works well since it allows the device to be fit your hand better, but on tablets, it makes them awkward to hold and compromises the reading experience due to decreased width. Most of my desktop devices have traditionally been 16:10 and at 24" to 30", that has worked out well. Today, I have begun migrating both our technical folks and myself to large 4K monitors instead of the triple monitor set-ups we concocted 10+ years ago. Oops, got off track - sorry.
For most folks, going with something like a TP10 (or Dell or HP equivalent) using one of their factory ruggedized cases seems to work better for them than the beefier ruggedized devices like the Toughbooks, Xplore/Motion, etc. That said, we do have certain clients (generally more Government/Enterprise types) where a truly ruggedized device is the best solution, If you (or anyone else here) really wants me to start covering more of the rugged devices, I am happy to do so - I stay current on them for our Government/Enterprise folks anyway - I had just thought that not many people here really wanted or needed such things. Let me know if I can help, and thanks again for posting the info!
-Randall Garrett-
+Apex Software+
/end/
Randall Garrett
Senior Member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2004
- Professional Status
- IT Professional-Appraisal Related
- State
- Texas
Just a quick note to remind folks that the big Microsoft Hardware (and software?) announcement is set for tomorrow, and that I will be away from my desk. I'll have some limited access to Internet/email via 4G but it is unlikely that I'll be posting anything here. This is not just because I'll be away, but there are several more hardware announcements coming in pretty quick succession. Hence, I figure that I can serve you better by getting the most information and verifying things vs. swallowing marketing hype, ha ha. I'll not be able to personally see all the new stuff, nor attend even most meetings, but as always I am in close contact with folks that I trust to give me accurate and meaningful info as appropriate. Summarily, the larger hardware announcements are:
If any items come up in the interim which are particularly noteworthy, I'll jump in but generally speaking, I'll probably just post weekly summaries on the most promising (and relevant) devices, etc.
-Randall Garrett-
+Apex Software+
/end/
- October 6 - Microsoft (New York City)
- October 7 - HP (Barcelona)
- October 8 - Dell (New York City)
- October 9 - ASUS (San Francisco)
- October 12 - Acer (Taipei)
- October 13 - Toshiba (Tokyo)
- October 19 - Lenovo (San Francisco)
If any items come up in the interim which are particularly noteworthy, I'll jump in but generally speaking, I'll probably just post weekly summaries on the most promising (and relevant) devices, etc.
-Randall Garrett-
+Apex Software+
/end/
Randall Garrett
Senior Member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2004
- Professional Status
- IT Professional-Appraisal Related
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OK, all I can say after the MS reveal is "Wow!" Knew about a few items, but I had no clue on the Surface Book. Looks awesome and I am really curious now to see how the other manufacturers react. Hopefully, they are encouraged to continue to innovate, n much the same fashion as the Original Surfac designs did. The SP 4 looks like a worthy successor and the new keyboard is an mprovement, too, but the "bombshell" was the Surface Book. This looks good for the Lumia Phones as they fit into he ecosystem (love the dock!). Will comment more after I can spend some "fondly" time... ;-). Sorry for any typos - am on a tablet via 4G and am trying to make it through a crowd ;-)
-Randall Garrett-
+Apex Software+
/end/
[Edit] Fixed minor typos... Device allotments confirmed. I will let you know when they come in and comment accordingly unless under some NDA (unlikely).
-Randall Garrett-
+Apex Software+
/end/
[Edit] Fixed minor typos... Device allotments confirmed. I will let you know when they come in and comment accordingly unless under some NDA (unlikely).
Last edited:
Randall Garrett
Senior Member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2004
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- IT Professional-Appraisal Related
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- Texas
For those who have not seen summary video, here is:
MS Surface Pro 4:
Official page (including specs): http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/devices/surface-pro-4
- and -
MS Surface Book:
Official page (including specs): http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/devices/surface-book
Really, pretty exciting stuff!
-Randall Garrett-
+Apex Software+
(Edited to add links, etc.)
/end/
MS Surface Pro 4:
Official page (including specs): http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/devices/surface-pro-4
- and -
MS Surface Book:
Official page (including specs): http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/devices/surface-book
Really, pretty exciting stuff!
-Randall Garrett-
+Apex Software+
(Edited to add links, etc.)
/end/
Last edited:
Randall Garrett
Senior Member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2004
- Professional Status
- IT Professional-Appraisal Related
- State
- Texas
I think the Surface Book is a high quality device with only a slight premium price factor due to how unique it is. I have not spent any real world time with it yet (and likely will not until mine arrives), so I cannot do a proper evaluation nor comment on suitability yet. Based on my limited understanding of your desires, I would say that there will be other, less expensive laptops which will work just fine for writing up reports. Are you wanting/needing a laptop or a Tablet? If it is a mix, then what is the approximate Laptop/Tablet ratio?
-Randall Garrett-
+Apex Software+
/end/
-Randall Garrett-
+Apex Software+
/end/