W.A.Khan, Microsoft Surface 2 The Microsoft Surface 2 is a definite upgrade over 2012's Surface RT. It's faster, with a sharper screen, and houses better cameras.The Microsoft Surface 2 has a sturdy build, smooth gaming performance, and high-quality cameras. Windows RT 8.1 is easier to use than before, and the built-in photo-editing tools and Xbox Music are fantastic features. Office 2013 is included for free, and thanks to a new kickstand angle, the tablet is less likely to fall off your lap.
But, App support still lags behind competitors, and Windows RT is still incompatible with legacy programs. It's too easy to mistakenly push the tablet into its lower stance, and the touch pad on the Type Cover 2 isn't as comfortable as it was on the previous version. Performance: Using the Surface 2 feels fast and responsive, which wasn't the case with the original Surface. This is borne out when browsing the web, as can be seen in an average SunSpider JavaScript score of 496.2ms. That's a very good score for a tablet.
Where the Surface always performed was in gaming, and the Surface 2 is no exception. Running the onscreen Egypt HD 2.5 graphics benchmark the Surface 2 achieved a respectable score of 33fps. Running the 3D Mark Ice Storm Extreme benchmark the Surface 2 scored an average of 8432, Ice Storm Unlimited averaged out at 12,787. These are very healthy scores that reflect our experience of a zippy machine even when running multiple processes.
Battery Life: Of course, the reason the Surface 2 uses Tegra 4 and not, say, an Intel processor, is to improve battery life -- though as the new Atom in the Asus Transformer Book T100 proved, the latest Atoms are very frugal, too.
Here the Surface 2 doesn’t disappoint. Microsoft claims 10 hours on a full charge, and we can’t fault its estimate. We spent a whole day using the Surface 2 on and off, using it to write, browse the internet and stream videos, and still had a comfortable 20-30% spare by the end of the day.
Our only real complaint here is that the auto-brightness system typically sets the screen a little dimmer than is comfortable, which means you’re constantly fiddling with it manually. The bottom line: The Microsoft Surface 2 is great for getting work done, but those looking for extensive app support (beyond Office) will find top Apple, Android, and Amazon tablets to be better options. Specifications
Release date10/22/13
Display type10.6 in
OSMicrosoft Windows 8.1 RT
RAM2 GB
ProcessorNVidia Tegra 4
Wireless connectivityBluetooth 4.0Wi-fi 802.11a/b/g/n
Dimensions (WxDxH)10.81 in x 0.35 in x 6.81 in
Weight1.49 lbs Price:$449.99 VS Asus Transformer Pad TF701T The new Transformer Pad Infinity TF701T is a premium Android tablet with speedy performance and a super high definition display at an affordable price. For a comfortable typing it comes with a handy keyboard dock. It features 10.1-inch screen which has a whopping 2,560×1, 600-pixel resolution, and there’s a quad-core processor purring inside.The Asus Transformer Pad TF701T has great gaming performance, useful app extras, a sharp screen, and a microSD storage expansion option.The keyboard module uses a full Qwerty keyboard with keys just shy of those you’d find on a desktop keyboard, size-wise. The idea is that it more-or-less turns the Asus Transformer Pad TF701 into a small laptop.The 7,820 mAh battery on the TF701T lasted 8 hours and 33 minutes on LAPTOP's battery test, which involves continuous Web surfing over Wi-Fi with the display on 40 percent brightness.
But, The tablet is unnecessarily large and seems like an outdated design. The screen's color gamut is limited and cameras produce grainy, unbalanced images. The keyboard dock feels cramped to type on.
The bottom line: Despite its bulky design, the Asus Transformer Pad TF701T is one of the best 10-inch Android tablet values available, but it's worth your time to also look closely at its competition. Specifications
Display type10 in
RAM2 GB
ProcessorNVidia Tegra 4 1.9 GHz Price:$398.99 VS Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 The HDX 8.9 offers all of that and improves on the 7-incher by including an 8-megapixel back camera and a sharper, more color-accurate screen. It's also the lightest large tablet currently on the market.The Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 is a performance monster that speeds through Web sites and UI navigation at a frantic pace. Its screen is impressively sharp and its body amazingly light for a larger tablet. The Mayday feature gives personal and near-instant customer service. Some small but smart UI additions lead to a simple, welcoming experience. Performance
We can’t run our usual suite of benchmark tests on the Kindle because they do not appear on the Appstore (more on that later). However, the Fire HDX 8.9 is powered by the impressive Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor running at 2.2GHz with 2GB RAM. It’s a configuration we’ve used and tested on numerous tablets and it’s a speedy one indeed. In fact it’s one of the fastest mobile processors ever made.
You can tell the processor packs a punch when using the tablet. It starts up quickly and effortlessly glides through menus and apps. While Samsung’s TouchWiz interface causes some stuttering issues on the similarly specced Galaxy Note 10.1, the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9’s Fire OS running on Android Jelly Bean doesn’t.
It’s also more than adequate if you’re interested in a spot of 3D gaming, although you may not find all your favourites Android games on the Appstore. Battery life: Battery life has also been improved according to the manufacturer. Users will be able to have up to 11 hours of mixed use and 17 hours of reading, Amazon says. As always, take such figures with a pinch of salt until we have tested.
But, The remote video viewing feature won't be ready at launch, and ad-free versions still cost an extra $15. The 16GB of space runs out quickly when storing HD movies, and there's no built-in storage expansion. Lack of Google Play access means many apps still aren't available. The buttons on the back are sometimes hard to find.
The bottom line: With everything that was great about the HDX 7 and more, the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 isn't just a great value, it sets the standard for a media consumption tablet. Specifications
Release date11/8/13
Display type8.9 in
OSFire OS 3.0 "Mojito"
ProcessorQualcomm Snapdragon 2.2 GHz
Wireless connectivityWi-Fi
Dimensions (WxDxH)9.1 in x 0.31 in x 6.2 in
Weight13.2 oz Price:$379.00
But, App support still lags behind competitors, and Windows RT is still incompatible with legacy programs. It's too easy to mistakenly push the tablet into its lower stance, and the touch pad on the Type Cover 2 isn't as comfortable as it was on the previous version. Performance: Using the Surface 2 feels fast and responsive, which wasn't the case with the original Surface. This is borne out when browsing the web, as can be seen in an average SunSpider JavaScript score of 496.2ms. That's a very good score for a tablet.
Where the Surface always performed was in gaming, and the Surface 2 is no exception. Running the onscreen Egypt HD 2.5 graphics benchmark the Surface 2 achieved a respectable score of 33fps. Running the 3D Mark Ice Storm Extreme benchmark the Surface 2 scored an average of 8432, Ice Storm Unlimited averaged out at 12,787. These are very healthy scores that reflect our experience of a zippy machine even when running multiple processes.
Battery Life: Of course, the reason the Surface 2 uses Tegra 4 and not, say, an Intel processor, is to improve battery life -- though as the new Atom in the Asus Transformer Book T100 proved, the latest Atoms are very frugal, too.
Here the Surface 2 doesn’t disappoint. Microsoft claims 10 hours on a full charge, and we can’t fault its estimate. We spent a whole day using the Surface 2 on and off, using it to write, browse the internet and stream videos, and still had a comfortable 20-30% spare by the end of the day.
Our only real complaint here is that the auto-brightness system typically sets the screen a little dimmer than is comfortable, which means you’re constantly fiddling with it manually. The bottom line: The Microsoft Surface 2 is great for getting work done, but those looking for extensive app support (beyond Office) will find top Apple, Android, and Amazon tablets to be better options. Specifications
Release date10/22/13
Display type10.6 in
OSMicrosoft Windows 8.1 RT
RAM2 GB
ProcessorNVidia Tegra 4
Wireless connectivityBluetooth 4.0Wi-fi 802.11a/b/g/n
Dimensions (WxDxH)10.81 in x 0.35 in x 6.81 in
Weight1.49 lbs Price:$449.99 VS Asus Transformer Pad TF701T The new Transformer Pad Infinity TF701T is a premium Android tablet with speedy performance and a super high definition display at an affordable price. For a comfortable typing it comes with a handy keyboard dock. It features 10.1-inch screen which has a whopping 2,560×1, 600-pixel resolution, and there’s a quad-core processor purring inside.The Asus Transformer Pad TF701T has great gaming performance, useful app extras, a sharp screen, and a microSD storage expansion option.The keyboard module uses a full Qwerty keyboard with keys just shy of those you’d find on a desktop keyboard, size-wise. The idea is that it more-or-less turns the Asus Transformer Pad TF701 into a small laptop.The 7,820 mAh battery on the TF701T lasted 8 hours and 33 minutes on LAPTOP's battery test, which involves continuous Web surfing over Wi-Fi with the display on 40 percent brightness.
But, The tablet is unnecessarily large and seems like an outdated design. The screen's color gamut is limited and cameras produce grainy, unbalanced images. The keyboard dock feels cramped to type on.
The bottom line: Despite its bulky design, the Asus Transformer Pad TF701T is one of the best 10-inch Android tablet values available, but it's worth your time to also look closely at its competition. Specifications
Display type10 in
RAM2 GB
ProcessorNVidia Tegra 4 1.9 GHz Price:$398.99 VS Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 The HDX 8.9 offers all of that and improves on the 7-incher by including an 8-megapixel back camera and a sharper, more color-accurate screen. It's also the lightest large tablet currently on the market.The Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 is a performance monster that speeds through Web sites and UI navigation at a frantic pace. Its screen is impressively sharp and its body amazingly light for a larger tablet. The Mayday feature gives personal and near-instant customer service. Some small but smart UI additions lead to a simple, welcoming experience. Performance
We can’t run our usual suite of benchmark tests on the Kindle because they do not appear on the Appstore (more on that later). However, the Fire HDX 8.9 is powered by the impressive Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor running at 2.2GHz with 2GB RAM. It’s a configuration we’ve used and tested on numerous tablets and it’s a speedy one indeed. In fact it’s one of the fastest mobile processors ever made.
You can tell the processor packs a punch when using the tablet. It starts up quickly and effortlessly glides through menus and apps. While Samsung’s TouchWiz interface causes some stuttering issues on the similarly specced Galaxy Note 10.1, the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9’s Fire OS running on Android Jelly Bean doesn’t.
It’s also more than adequate if you’re interested in a spot of 3D gaming, although you may not find all your favourites Android games on the Appstore. Battery life: Battery life has also been improved according to the manufacturer. Users will be able to have up to 11 hours of mixed use and 17 hours of reading, Amazon says. As always, take such figures with a pinch of salt until we have tested.
But, The remote video viewing feature won't be ready at launch, and ad-free versions still cost an extra $15. The 16GB of space runs out quickly when storing HD movies, and there's no built-in storage expansion. Lack of Google Play access means many apps still aren't available. The buttons on the back are sometimes hard to find.
The bottom line: With everything that was great about the HDX 7 and more, the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 isn't just a great value, it sets the standard for a media consumption tablet. Specifications
Release date11/8/13
Display type8.9 in
OSFire OS 3.0 "Mojito"
ProcessorQualcomm Snapdragon 2.2 GHz
Wireless connectivityWi-Fi
Dimensions (WxDxH)9.1 in x 0.31 in x 6.2 in
Weight13.2 oz Price:$379.00
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