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I want to buy my wife a 7" tablet for Christmas. Desired specs are: Android 2.2+, easily rooted and market install(I have rooted and installed market on a Pandigital Novel 7" table and a Viewsonic Gtab with a lot of help from members). She primarily uses it for crossword puzzles(shortz) and web surfing. I would like for it to be able to access a ad-hoc wifi, the Pandigital(hers) can not do this. I do not think she would need a lot of storage(memory?). Would 512mb of ram and 1ghz processor be over-kill? And it needs to be in the $150.00-$200.00 range. Could go slightly higher for an exceptional deal. Thanks
Amazon Fire easy. Dual-Core, best deal available, root should be available soon, maybe even a Honeycomb port!
Maybe look for a Dell Streak deal. Waaaay underrated. The resolution is criticized as being limited, but that's a little silly. It's a 7 inch screen so you can only REALLY use so much resolution before the letters get to small to read. The real problems with it are (I have one) poor battery life and poor viewing angles. Neither are big issues for many users. If you are sharing your 7 inch tablet with many viewers and have to watch from a wide angle, you may be unhappy if you are viewing from 50 degrees off-angle. In reality, it's never been a problem. Battery life really does suck...6-8 hours of "on time" and 4-5 or a little less with constant use. If that's not enough (it's not always for me), then just be aware. Ergonomically, it's among the best I've used. There's nothing on the market today in the 7 inch size compelling enough to make me change.
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Hey guys!
Firstly, I would like to mention that I do not own any tablet, nor any laptop. Now from what I've seen, if I want to buy a tablet, transformer prime is the best out there both in terms of price and hardware.
But my question is, for that same price (500 - 600), could I get any laptop with that kind of size and weight, but have better performance? I absolutely love the android niche and community and the hardware of the device itself. But every now and then I would love to run some old or decent games (morrowind xD, or halo) or perhaps use photoshop etc.... Would such a laptop, light, compact and relatively more powerful, at that price range exist? What are the advantages of a tablet considering my concerns?
Thanks guys!
be nice on the no0b plz
I was in the same case as you are before i bought the original transformer. No laptop no tablet, but a smartphone (HTC Desire) and a powerfull desktop computer.
Here's the thing. At this price point, the laptop you would buy will most likely be very bad on a lot of point. Build weight heat screen battery raw power etc.
But with a tablet. At this price you'll have the best in class.
So Yeah you wont do the same thing on a tablet and on a laptop, but some thing are better on laptop (work, heavy gaming) some are better on tablet (web browsing reading light gaming watching vidéo etc.).
The catch is that your laptop, being a low cost product, wont do its things very well, but the tablet will do what it does perfectly.
I could have bought a cheap laptop and be able to work on my CGs project on the go or play Skyrim everywhere but seriously... who wants to play Skyrim on a ****ty laptop with awfull graphics ? Who wants to work on a tiny screen with a slow ass CPU ? Working is bad enough not to worsening it by doing it with bad tools. And who wants to do this thing for no more than 2 hours top because that's what happen when you do heavy task on battery?
If you Really want to work or play big games on a mobile device, buy a real laptop (1000$+).
If what s your looking for is a mobile entertainement device with internet and some cool creative tools go for a tablet (the Transformer Prime !).
Plus tablet are hype and fun, and the Transformer with dock provide its fair share of "Woa effect " each time I take the screen away of what seemed until now to be a cheap netbook.
First off, a tablet and a laptop aren't really comparable at this point. I would recommend you get a laptop first, because laptops are capable of doing the practical things like word processing and photoshop and the like that tablets can't do yet. Tablets are still primarily "fun" devices compared to laptops (though tablets certainly do have some practical uses).
Yes, any laptop you get in that range will have better specs. I have a laptop in that range, and no tablets have the sort of capabilities my laptop has. But like I said it isn't really comparable, because they are 2 completely different experiences. As far as games, I've only ever played 1 game on my laptop: Homeworld (a 1999 game lol, old game but best RTS ever). Despite how old the game is, it still pushed my laptop to its limit, and I have a i5 processor. The only laptops that can run games well are really expensive, and so in that sense, I actually think in the under $1k range tablets are better for gaming.
Overall, a laptop is a much more practical choice.
the advantages to a tablet at this price point are going to be battery life, weight and touch input.
the advantages to a laptop at this price point are going to be more storage, faster CPU, more versatility when it comes to software.
downside to tablet: limited software (when compared to windows), less raw power
downside to laptop: subjectively worse gaming (at this price point, the tegra3 or ipad2 seem to have more gaming potential for well designed games than a $600 thin and light (as thin and light as possible at the price point) laptop, less battery life, heavier, thicker, no touch input (but possibly better keyboard/touchpad responsiveness)
so in the end, it comes down to what you are going to use your laptop or tablet for, and what features are a priority to you.
i have a laptop that i do actual photoshop/office/illustrator work on, but when i just need to take notes or write emails and stuff (as in, not get actual work work done, but sidework) then the OG transformer and my galaxy tab have been more useful than a tablet because of the lightness and battery life. for me at least.
Laptop is much better. Unless you use it as a supplement to other tech (desktop computer, mobile phone, heavy duty laptop), it is better to have a laptop. While you lose out on battery, it is simply much more powerful and versatile.
Tablet like Prime is useful as a netbook replacement. Something you use during lectures for notes, reading, browsing or viewing videos while on the go (plane, bus, carpooling). It has a long battery life, but is less than adequate for gaming (you cannot play any modern games on it, nor games that were modern ten years ago, even if they look better). It also has barely adequate options for document creation and powerful photo, sound and video editing is nearly impossible. A laptop is also much, much better when multitasking.
But if you have a device for gaming and office work and consider tablet a supplement to those tools, then tablet is absolutely awesome. Tablet is also awesome for people who don't do anything with computers other than reading documents and books, viewing videos and browsing internet. It's also great for kids.
In all honesty though, for the latter category, iPad 2 is a much better option than Transformer Prime.
The best thing Transformer Prime is for, is being a replacement for your netbook and supplement to your laptop/desktop computer.
I already have an iphone 4 and in all honesty I couldn't get myself to buy an ipad knowing that its identical to the phone.
Ive decided to get the Prime instead of replacing my 4 year old laptop.
Wow! You guys are really helpful! I really appreciate thoughtful replies. I have some good insight now!
Thanks again guys!
If you currently own neither laptop nor tablet definitely get laptop. For ~$400 your best option is Lenovo AMD APU E-450 based netbook with better graphics performance/gaming/media decoding than comparable Intel Atom netbook. This will allow you to do everything that you can do on a tablet with the added benefit of access to wider range of software especially productivity and games. If budget allows you can go higher end with Intel i5/i7 CPU, discrete graphics, SSD, etc.
Asus Transformer Prime is a great upgrade for someone familiar with an Android phone ecosystem and is ready to move up in size and performance.
Another option is in lieu of a high end laptop you can buy both the AMD APU netbook and the Asus Transformer Prime. If I was in your position and don't do anything very compute intensive on the x86 side I would go with this option.
mi7chy said:
If you currently own neither laptop nor tablet definitely get laptop. For ~$400 your best option is Lenovo AMD APU E-450 based netbook with better graphics performance/gaming/media decoding than comparable Intel Atom netbook. This will allow you to do everything that you can do on a tablet with the added benefit of access to wider range of software especially productivity and games. If budget allows you can go higher end with Intel i5/i7 CPU, discrete graphics, SSD, etc.
Asus Transformer Prime is a great upgrade for someone familiar with an Android phone ecosystem and is ready to move up in size and performance.
Another option is in lieu of a high end laptop you can buy both the AMD APU netbook and the Asus Transformer Prime. If I was in your position and don't do anything very compute intensive on the x86 side I would go with this option.
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Can't say I agree. He has made due without a laptop so far so to assume he would now need that extra functionality over a tablet would be a big assumption.
I currently do not have a laptop or a tablet but am getting the prime. Reason is that while there are a few things the laptop would be better suited for (like better word processing and excel) the fact is I haven't needed a laptop previously for those tasks and do not need them now. The basic office functions on the tablet will work fine for me (can format things at home).
When it comes down to it you need to really think what your main uses will be. For me its portable media consumption (much better on tablet) and annotating pdfs for classes (much better on tablet), and then studying off them. Sure a bit more power would be nice, but a tablet doesn't have to only be a laptop supplement, but a main PC supplement (which could be a desktop)
With the new device coming out, I was wondering if anyone knows if the new surface book/pro 4 stylus would work on the note 12.2. I do not know if they switched back to wacom, but It did not seem to be an active stylus.
The Surface Pro 4 pen is a redesigned N-Trig pen, so no. And the Book pen is a Surface pen.
I really like that i7/Nvidia/16GBRAM/1TB Surface Book. But Microsoft won't tell us exactly which Nvidia GPU is included, which makes me more than a bit suspicious... I don't have $3200, anyway.
ShadowLea said:
The Surface Pro 4 pen is a redesigned N-Trig pen, so no. And the Book pen is a Surface pen.
I really like that i7/Nvidia/16GBRAM/1TB Surface Book. But Microsoft won't tell us exactly which Nvidia GPU is included, which makes me more than a bit suspicious... I don't have $3200, anyway.
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I played with a surface book for a bit (2400 dollar version) and it was impressive. I have never wanted to replace my NOTE Pro with a surface pro, but the book was an entirely different experience. I didn't like the magnetic clip for the pen though. No way that thing is in the same place after a ride to work in a backpack. Otherwise nearly perfect. However for $3200 I would look at the Vaio Canvas instead. Then you'll be getting a full quad core desktop CPU and still good battery life.
mjkurke said:
I played with a surface book for a bit (2400 dollar version) and it was impressive. I have never wanted to replace my NOTE Pro with a surface pro, but the book was an entirely different experience. I didn't like the magnetic clip for the pen though. No way that thing is in the same place after a ride to work in a backpack. Otherwise nearly perfect. However for $3200 I would look at the Vaio Canvas instead. Then you'll be getting a full quad core desktop CPU and still good battery life.
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Hahaha, well, nothing every stays in the same place in my bag, so one more or less wouldn't be too much of an issue. :laugh:
Sadly the Vaio is as useless as the Surface Pro 3 and 4.
Intel® Iris™ Pro Graphics 5200
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Integrated IntelHD GPU's aren't worth 5 quid, let alone 3000. If I'm going to spend 3000 quid on a tablet/laptop combination, I want to be able to use it as such, and not as a glorified Facebook machine. If I can't game on it, I don't want it.
At least the Surface Book comes with an Intel i7 and a dedicated Nvidia GPU.
You do realize the i7 in the Surface Book is a full QuadCore desktop CPU? The one in the Surface Book is a 6th Gen i7-6650U, the one in the Vaio Canvas is a 4th gen i7-4770HQ.
ShadowLea said:
Hahaha, well, nothing every stays in the same place in my bag, so one more or less wouldn't be too much of an issue. :laugh:
Sadly the Vaio is as useless as the Surface Pro 3 and 4.
Integrated IntelHD GPU's aren't worth 5 quid, let alone 3000. If I'm going to spend 3000 quid on a tablet/laptop combination, I want to be able to use it as such, and not as a glorified Facebook machine. If I can't game on it, I don't want it.
At least the Surface Book comes with an Intel i7 and a dedicated Nvidia GPU.
You do realize the i7 in the Surface Book is a full QuadCore desktop CPU? The one in the Surface Book is a 6th Gen i7-6650U, the one in the Vaio Canvas is a 4th gen i7-4770HQ.
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No I didn't realize that, the one I used had the i5 6300U which I pretty sure is a dual core. Also the 6650u is also a dual core I think. I can't afford either right now anyway and I still find my 905 to be great.
The i7 processor in the SurfaceBook is an i7-6600U. It is a dual core CPU, not quad core. At least that's what I've read everywhere. I think it'd be quite a feat to get a desktop class quad core i7 inside a tablet.
bradleysmith said:
The i7 processor in the SurfaceBook is an i7-6600U. It is a dual core CPU, not quad core. At least that's what I've read everywhere. I think it'd be quite a feat to get a desktop class quad core i7 inside a tablet.
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Bloody hell, you're right...
http://ark.intel.com/products/88192/Intel-Core-i7-6600U-Processor-4M-Cache-up-to-3_40-GHz said:
# of Cores 2
# of Threads 4
Processor Base Frequency 2.6 GHz
Max Turbo Frequency 3.4 GHz
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Well, I'm not paying 3000 quid for a Dualcore. If I wanted 2009 specs, I'd buy a Macbook.
I really want a surface book myself. My biggest thing has been using a stylus that could replace paper and pen. I am a writer and I want something portable. i ahve my gaming system, so i wasnt looking for that. Though, I still wanted something I could play some games with, and maybe even some low settings of higher end games.
From what I have heard the dedicated gpu is a 1gb 900 series. Probably a 950m or so. Though, that is speculation. The 1GB limit is what bugs me. It means a limit on many dx11/12 and physX settings.
I didnt know if the surface pen was wacom or ntrig. They both have their benefits, however, the wacom still works with less lag.
I like Vaio options. They do pretty well. The last one I had was the Sony Vaio flip 15a. It was nice, with a good dedicated GPU. I got a refurbished model for around 800 bucks, with 1TB HDD and i7.
Its up in the air. Without cost being a concern Id just use a notepro and a surfacebook for mobile and my gaming laptop at home mostly.
An equivalent (roughly ) spec mac book pro is cheaper than the surfacebook. I know the mac book isn't a touchscreen device but I think that going higher than Apple's pricing isn't a smart move. Like them or not mac books tend to be sturdy long lasting machines and that hinge on the surfacebook looks like it's begging to be snapped off.
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bradleysmith said:
An equivalent (roughly ) spec mac book pro is cheaper than the surfacebook. I know the mac book isn't a touchscreen device but I think that going higher than Apple's pricing isn't a smart move. Like them or not mac books tend to be sturdy long lasting machines and that hinge on the surfacebook looks like it's begging to be snapped off.
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Macbooks are no more durable that any other laptop, they just market it that way. Apple could make people think they are the shiniest most awesome thing on the planet. Hence why they call it the reality distortion field. We also cannot judge a hinge or other part of a product based solely on looks. Who knows, that hinge may outlast every other component.
I also cannot think that comparing a non touchscreen macbook to a surface pro and thinking they are equivalent is really all that equal. You are taking out a couple of the most expensive components. The touch screen and the digitizer, not to mention the pen. Thats like saying "My motorcycle cost less than my car, and its just a couple of wheels difference.".
There is also a need to consider other components, such as the dedicate gpu, the possibility of a quad i7, the rear facing camera, the fact that it can detach and be used as a tablet, The fact that it has higher resolution than the mbp, etc.
Overall, I would say the price difference is just fine. Though, in my opinion they are both overpriced. Apple is always notorious for making high margins on their products. The surface series is also notorious for being high cost. Price is definitely going to be the biggest 'con' to the device.
You're right about comparing the two devices, but it seems that Microsoft do consider the Apple laptops to be a competitor.
Everyone's experience is different but my 2009 Macbook Air still looks and feels new. I've never been able to say that about any other manufacturer's laptops. I thing the Macbook hardware really is top notch (sadly with a price to match!)
bradleysmith said:
You're right about comparing the two devices, but it seems that Microsoft do consider the Apple laptops to be a competitor.
Everyone's experience is different but my 2009 Macbook Air still looks and feels new. I've never been able to say that about any other manufacturer's laptops. I thing the Macbook hardware really is top notch (sadly with a price to match!)
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If you don't Game, and as a result don't require heavy duty hardware, then a Macbook will last you about 10-15 years. That's the good part of OS X, it doesn't clutter anywhere near as much as Windows does.
But if you play games (like me) the situation becomes slightly different. (You can't play real Games on a Macbook without running Windows in bootcamp anyway). They just don't run very well on 2 year old hardware, let alone 5.
I'd want to play Dragon Age Inquisition on the tablet, for instance. Today I'm doing it through Splashtop, but that just streams my desktop (it does add controls though). But running the game on an IntelHD? I tried that when the Optimus driver didn't support the game yet. (My Laptop has Nvidia Optimus, so without driver support everything runs on my IntelHD 5000 instead of my GT740M.) The result was, well... terrible. Even the main menu ran at 2fps. :silly:
But the whole issue about videocards is a moot point when the competition is Apple, because Apple always uses IntelHD videocards anyway. :laugh:
I game on a desktop. Gaming laptop is an oxymoron
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bradleysmith said:
I game on a desktop. Gaming laptop is an oxymoron
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No, it really isn't. :laugh:
Intel i7 - 3630QM 3.4GHz, 6M Cache
12GB DDR 5 RAM
Nvidia Geforce GT 740M 4GB VRAM
1.5TB 7200RPM (I have no use for an SSD, far too small)
17.3" 1080p Matte LED, LEDbacklit keyboard.
You can game perfectly fine on that. Skyrim runs with 253 mods including HD mods on Ultra at a steady 60fps. Dragon Age Inquisition runs on High at 30fps.
You just need to stop shopping in crappy electronics shops, and pick one you can mod. I put the DDR5 in myself, as it came with 8GB DDR3. The GPU could use some upgrading, but I'm not exactly earning a fortune at the moment.
Please tell me how you suggest I game on a desktop computer when I live in two cities half a country apart 50/50 of a week. I'm not lugging a desktop tower onto a train for 5 hours twice a week, thank you very much... :laugh:
Hmmmmm you didn't take any notice of my wink emoji.
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bradleysmith said:
Hmmmmm you didn't take any notice of my wink emoji.
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Sure did, hence all the laughing emojji's Just joking along.
I always find it funny when people talk about the limits of laptops and how you need a desktop for real power.
I see it all the time, and it makes me laugh. Sure, a desktop is cheaper and can definitely be more powerful, but my laptop serves me just fine, too.
I can run most games on ultra settings without much issue.
However, thats the one big thing with a surface for me. I still want to game. If I am not going to be lugging my laptop around, i sill want to be able to play an rts or maybe break out an older game like fallout 3 or call or juarez or civ 5 and play a bit. With the new setup, I think you will be able to do that. The older surfaces could game, but they were being pushed to run games like civ 5. I remember the i7 model was running so hot that it throttled down to the i5 model speed or less, so gamers were just going with the i5.
I hope they took care of heat management here. Its going to be one of the biggest issues when people start pushing those GPUs
hey,
i have a vr headset for my galaxy s5 and it works pretty well, but some games stutter and lag in places because i think the phone is struggling
it would be great if there were a headset that would suit our tablets because of the larger screen and more horsepower
but i have not been able to find one
is there one around for the shield tablet?
cheers
crispy raing said:
hey,
i have a vr headset for my galaxy s5 and it works pretty well, but some games stutter and lag in places because i think the phone is struggling
it would be great if there were a headset that would suit our tablets because of the larger screen and more horsepower
but i have not been able to find one
is there one around for the shield tablet?
cheers
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Man, don't you think using a tablet on your face is a little exaggerated? Plus, the Shield Tablet is so heavy you'd probably have a neck pain within 5 minutes of use lol
But anyway, I found this http://www.roadtovr.com/vr-viewer-7-inch-tablets-vr-headset-hmd/
And this https://www.durovis.com/product.html?id=5
These are made for 7 inch tablets, but I think they might fit a Sheid.
Alternatively, you could download the Google Cardboard Schemes and make them bigger while using the same size lens. But yeah, still think VR on a tablet isn't a good option. Still, good luck
I agree, shield tablet is too heavy to use for VR Headset, unless you are willing to suffer the consequences of discomfort and neckpain while using the device attached to your head ..
A solution to neckpain (though maybe not discomfort) could be lying on your back. A solution to both could be a gooseneck tablet holder. I have this one though I think this one would be better since the EasyAcc one bounces around like none other when the tablet or gooseneck gets bumped. None of these solutions are ideal though
Redundant links in case you're having trouble with the ones in the text
Amazon Search: http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&fie...dex=blended&link_code=qs&tag=wwwcanoniccom-20
EasyAcc tablet holder (the one I own): http://www.amazon.com/EasyAcc-Goose...92228&sr=8-1&keywords=gooseneck+tablet+holder
TacTronics tablet holder (this one would be better for VR applications): http://www.amazon.com/TaoTronics-TT...92228&sr=8-3&keywords=gooseneck+tablet+holder
You could counter balance it at least the weight would be equally distributed.
Hi,
I'm a Rift DK2 Owner since Aug 14, a Rift CV1 pre-order and into VR since over 2 years.
What I know so far about VR... forget it, that didn't work, never. The main problem alone is the low DPI of the Shield tablet. Use VR lenses and you could count the pixels that you see easily. The Samsung Galaxy S5, that you can use with GearVR, have a much higher DPI and is OLED, what is also much better for VR (low latency and low persistence is only possible with OLED). Only that it is a pentile and not a RGB OLED is a not so good...
The Shield is too big, so the 1200p display have a too low DPI and it is much too heavy. Too bad I can't weight it here, but when I put it on my hands I would say the Shield K1 weight more than my Rift DK2. ^^
That only thing that would be good for VR is the power of the shield, but that is useless without the right display and size of it. The shield have a 8" display, that is over 2" too big for VR (Rift DK2 have a Samsung Note 3 display, that have 5,7", your galaxy s5 have only 5,1").
But I must also say: actually mobile VR is only a gimmick compared to PC VR, the technology on mobile is by far not good enough for right VR experiences. The only really mobile VR experiences that is ok but still far away from PC is GearVR with one of the Samsung S6 models. But even that have no positional tracking, only headtracking and that is too less for real VR.
DrRetro said:
Hi,
The Shield is too big, so the 1200p display have a too low DPI and it is much too heavy. Too bad I can't weight it here, but when I put it on my hands I would say the Shield K1 weight more than my Rift DK2. ^^
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Nvidia Shield K1: 356g
Occulus Rift DK2: 380 grams ... make that 440g with the cable included
For some reason you seem to be using a hopelessly heavy VR headset and you still love it, curious.
I am looking to buy a tablet I come across 2 tablets which have intrigued me the xperia z3 compact and the nvidia shield k1. I liked them both for the specs and low price. The tablet will be used for surfing the internet, youtube, Facebook, games, watching movies things like that so I was wondering if someone who has both or has had experience can recommend me which one is better or if there is another tablet that is better suited for me.
i love my z3 tablet and i cant even think buying another tablet.now i see nvidia shield specs and reviews and i surprized!they are quite similar in specs i see.in your case i would choose the one with the best battery life.xperia z3 has muuuch SOT with 4500 mah,maybe cause of good system management..u can easilly get 10-11 hours SOT also with youtube videos!read the nvidia reviews how much time SOT has!!!
kos25k said:
i love my z3 tablet and i cant even think buying another tablet.now i see nvidia shield specs and reviews and i surprized!they are quite similar in specs i see.in your case i would choose the one with the best battery life.xperia z3 has muuuch SOT with 4500 mah,maybe cause of good system management..u can easilly get 10-11 hours SOT also with youtube videos!read the nvidia reviews how much time SOT has!!!
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Nvidia doesnt have that much screen on time the only reason why I am timking of going with nvidia is because it is newer so it will have official support fora bit longe, also it s cheaperbut if it is worth the extra £20 then I don't mind spending it
without even seen a nvidia tablet..it seems to mee that z3 is a more professional tablet...there is quick charge v2,vibration,fm radio,led,waterproof...i havent yet seen such an integratd tablet even it is 2 years old...this tablet never gave me a single bug,reboot,lag etc...is 100% trustable!
kos25k said:
without even seen a nvidia tablet..it seems to mee that z3 is a more professional tablet...there is quick charge v2,vibration,fm radio,led,waterproof...i havent yet seen such an integratd tablet even it is 2 years old...this tablet never gave me a single bug,reboot,lag etc...is 100% trustable!
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If you don't mind me asking what do you use your tablet for?
mainly for facebook,youtube,browsing sites...didn't try heavy games though..but users say that runs them perfectly..