interesting tablets

[Lennart Sorensen]

On Mon, Apr 07, 2014 at 01:00:15PM -0400, D. Hugh Redelmeier wrote:
> There's a new generation of tablets appearing.  They have Atom processors, 
> running in 64-bit mode.
> 
> They seem aggressively priced: maybe Intel is trying to buy its way
> into this market.  These Atoms are much better than the Atoms from
> years ago which folks have disparaged.

That's what intel claims everytime a new atom generation is released,
and so far every time they have lied.  I am going to wait and see before
I trust intel's statements about their new atom and performance.

> These tablets make me dream of running a conventional Linux distro on
> them, but I don't know the likelihood of that.
> 
> Last Fall, the Ausus T100 and the Dell Venue 8 pro convertible tablets
> looked interesting.  These ran Windows 8.1 (not RT).  They used Atoms
> in 32 bit mode.  One stupid barrier to Linux was 32-bit-only UEFI.  No
> Linux distro supports that.  Seems like an easy-to-overcome problem
> but it doesn't seem to have happened.  One good about these is
> that they had well-integrated keyboards -- conventional Linux distros
> need keyboards.
> 
> A new generation of Atom-based tablets seems to be appearing.  So far,
> just for Android.  They look interesting:
> 
> + very nice displays
> 
> + inexpensive
> 
> + 64-bit mode
> 
> - will the firmware supports loading a conventional distro?
> 
> - are there reasonable keyboard options (eg. ones that link up to
>   form a clamshell, like a notebook)?
> 
> "Asus MeMO FHD Pad 10.1" 16GB Android 4.2 Tablet With Intel Atom Z2560
> Processor."
> <http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/asus-asus-memo-fhd-pad-10-1-16gb-android-4-2-tablet-with-intel-clover-trail-plus-z2560-processor-blue-me302c-a1-bl/10275832.aspx?path=f9c89eba4ff3bcb603e78c3ecd2ab0a2en02>
> Today only: $229.99
> Note: FHD is today's jargon for 1920x1080 (Full High Def).
> 
> - standard resources: 2G RAM, 16G flash
> 
> - does NOT say IPS (says "LED" which is true of all displays now, but
>   stating "LED" usually means "Not IPS")

This review
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Asus-Memo-Pad-FHD-10-Tablet.99907.0.html
claims it is IPS.  Also the 178 degree viewing angle would tend to
indicate it is IPS.  Also it is 1920x1200, not 1920x1080, so it is full HD
and then some.  Almost certainly the same lovely screen as the Asus
TF700 has.

> http://www.onda-tablet.com/onda-v975i-quad-core-intel-bay-trail-t-9-7-inch-retina-screen-ram-2gb-tablet-pc.html
> Similar resources (twice the flash).
> US$209.90 from China.
> IPS screen, 2048x1536 (nicer resolution and aspect ratio)
> I asked a bunch of questions on that page but my question hasn't shown
> up yet.
> 
> These are a fifth of what I recently paid for an ultrabook.  Of course
> the ultrabook is better in a number of ways, but one of these tablets,
> with Linux and a clamshell keyboard, might have satisfied most of my
> requirements.  In fact, the size of these tablet (10") might be better
> than the 13.3" of my netbook.

I think I will stick with my real laptop.

-- 
Len Sorensen
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