Monday 13 January 2014

Acer Iconia W510 vs Microsoft Surface RT vs Asus VivoTab Smart:Who is the winner?

 W.A.Khan,                                                                                                                                                  Acer Iconia W510                                                                                                                                    The Acer Iconia W510 is less expensive than some other Atom-based hybrids, and its detachable tablet screen is light and portable.10.1-inch IPS screen, 1366 x 768; Dual-core 1.8GHz Atom, 2GB of RAM, 32/64GB SSD; 295 degree twist hinge turns keyboard into stand; Up to 18hrs battery life; Windows 8 convertible with keyboard dockThe Iconia W510 is so very portable. At 10.1-inches and weighing less than two pounds, it fits easily in a bag or large purse, and you'll likely forget you're even carrying it. Battery life is excellent.
But, In laptop mode, the system is awkwardly top-heavy, and the puny keyboard and touch pad are not designed for serious use.
The bottom line: Offering low-powered Intel Atom tablet/laptop hybrids for $750 or more is a dodgy proposition for budget-looking systems such as the Iconia W510, but all-day battery life is a great selling point.
Windows 8 Pro (32-bit); 1.8GHz Intel Atom Z2760; 2GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,066MHz; 747MB (Total) Intel GMA; 64GB SEM64G SSD  Specifications
ProcessorIntel AtomZ2760 / 1.8 GHz ( Dual-Core )
Memory2 GB
Hard Drive64 GB
Operating SystemMicrosoft Windows 8
Display Type10.1 in
Max Resolution1366 x 768 ( HD )
Graphics ProcessorIntel GMA 3650
Optical DriveNone                                                                                                                                        $694.99 to $899.99                                                                                                                                   VS                                                                                                                                                             Microsoft Surface RT                                                                                                                                 The Microsoft Surface's Metro interface is innovative, elegant, powerful, and versatile. The tablet feels strong and well-built, runs Office 2013, and includes rich video and music services. Its keyboard cover accessories are the best ways to type on a tablet, period.
But, The tablet's performance can be sluggish, its Windows Store is a ghost town, Metro takes getting used to, and the Desktop interface feels clunky and useless.                                                                             Performance:                                                                                                                                             A common misconception is that the traditional desktop isn't available in Windows RT, but that's not true; it's accessed via the desktop tile on the Start screen, but its relevance is severely diminished.
As Windows RT can't run traditional programs you need to use the old style Windows Explorer less, but it's still on hand for browsing file systems, USB sticks, organising folders and more.
The 'charm' bar to the right also includes search and share buttons and these are threaded through every part of the OS, from files to settings, to the information held within apps.Another triumph is the on-screen keyboard, which is large, sensitive and easy to use. It's not as smart as some third-party keyboards on Android, but we typed with two hands quickly and accurately and the extra inch of screen space made it much easier to use than its iOS counterpart.
We had a few problems with the large keyboard panel blocking information we needed, but the icon to show or hide the keyboard is always on hand in the bottom-right corner of the desktop.
As we've already mentioned, performance is a slightly mixed bag. The system is always responsive, with silky smooth transitions and snappy navigation.
However, we found that some apps were slow to load, with lingering splash screens. What's more, 1080p playback was a few frames per second short of perfect.
While we wouldn't say that the Tegra 3 chip performed appallingly, there's certainly no headroom, and it seems to be the graphics core that struggled most.
Multitasking apps never missed a beat, but it was loading the graphically-intensive apps and movies that showed the biggest strain on the processor.
Even some basic games ran at a noticeably low frame rate, so it seems that Windows RT might need some optimisation.                                                                                                                                        Battery life:
Our experience of the battery life has bemused us somewhat. We started off a day with the Surface RT at 100 percent and only used the tablet intensely for around an hour and a half while shooting our video review. We then used the Surface RT in the evening for around 30 minutes web browsing. The next morning, however, the Surface RT needed the mains charger to switch on so the battery had full depleted overnight. Strange considering Microsoft touts 7-15 days idle life.
The bottom line: If you're an early adopter willing to forget everything you know about navigating a computer, the Surface tablet could replace your laptop. Everyone else: wait for more apps.                                                                                                                                                                                             Specifications
Display type10.6 inColor TFT active matrix - Yes
OSMicrosoft Windows RT
RAM2 GB
ProcessorNVIDIA Tegra 3
Wireless connectivityIEEE 802.11nIEEE 802.11bIEEE 802.11aIEEE 802.11g
Dimensions (WxDxH)9.3 mm10.8 in 6.8 in
Weight676 g                                                                                                                                             Price;$494.98 to $599.00                                                                                                                         VS                                                                                                                                                             Asus VivoTab Smart                                                                                                                                 The VivoTab ME400 is being marketed by Asus as the best of both worlds – a device that can be used for business and for pleasure. And for that we would recommend it. The Asus VivoTab Smart ME400 is as inexpensive as Atom Windows 8 tablets get, and the add-on keyboard/touch-pad combo is excellent.The Asus VivoTab ME400 is our favourite Windows 8 tablet yet – it's not as efficient as an iPad, but you can use it with your existing software and have the best of the Start Screen and traditional desktop modes on the same device.Asus claims the VivoTab Smart’s battery is good for 9.5 hours of use. We found this was right on the money. It ran for 10 hours of continuous video with the backlight set at mid-level.
But, The keyboard doesn't actually attach, which can be a hassle, and the folding magnetic cover takes practice to set up properly.
The bottom line: In a sea of hard-to-distinguish Atom-powered Windows 8 tablets, the Asus VivoTab Smart ME400 stands out a bit thanks to clever accessories.
System configurations                                                                                                                                 Windows 8 (32-bit); 1.8GHz Intel Atom Z2760; 2GB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz; 725MB (Total) Intel GMA; 64GB SSD                                                                                                                           Specifications
ProcessorIntel Atom Z2760 / 1.8 GHz ( Dual-Core )
Memory2 GB
Operating SystemWindows 8
Display Type10.1 in IPS
Max Resolution1366 x 768 ( HD )
Graphics ProcessorPowerVR SGX545
Optical DriveNone
Weight24 oz                                                                                                                                               Price:$479.99 to $583.06

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