$120 Windows 8 tablet

[Kaido]

http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/03/toshiba-encore-mini-119-dollar-windows-tablet/

* Toshiba Encore Mini
* $120
* 7"
* 1024x600 resolution (had to do something with all those leftover netbook displays! hehehe)
* Windows 8.1
* Quad-core Atom Z3735G
* 1GB RAM
* 16GB storage
* Dual 2MP/0.3MP cameras
* 0.78 lb

I always struggled with netbook resolutions, but maybe Windows 8 has some extra voodoo baked-in for dealing with buttons & bars that went offscreen that you couldn't access. Anyhoo, nice price for something basic. I still can't get over how cheap stuff is getting...

 

[Red Storm]

Resolution is a deal breaker.

 

[kpkp]

I saw a hand-on video and it has a horrible TN display. That should scream "stay away!!!" to all potential buyers.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Might as well put $120 in a bowl and set it on fire.

 

[Kaido]

Resolution is a deal breaker.

That's why I was curious if Windows 8 has overcome the issues with inaccessible program buttons & toolbars. That was my biggest complaint on the netbooks (other than the horribly tiny keyboards). I can see this being used in a lot of applications as a cheap mini-computer...recipe tablet in the kitchen, wall-mounted for a basic smarthome on-wall display, tracking charts for day trading, etc.

 

[SAWYER]

No one should buy this, all day long you can get a used Dell Venue Pro 8 used for not much more

 

[DaveSimmons]

Definitely some compromises there: 1 GB RAM instead 2 GB, 7" 10x6 instead of 8" 12x8 display, slower Atom CPU.

If it had HDMI it might have been a nice HTPC substitute, but it doesn't 🙁

The price is nice though.

 

[Kaido]

Definitely some compromises there: 1 GB RAM instead 2 GB, 7" 10x6 instead of 8" 12x8 display, slower Atom CPU.

If it had HDMI it might have been a nice HTPC substitute, but it doesn't 🙁

The price is nice though.

Yeah, the 1GB caught me off-guard too...the T100 with 2GB RAM is surprisingly usable, but 1GB? I dunno. I was going to say it might make a good tablet for kids, but...nah. Just get a cheap Android tablet instead haha.

 

[Crono]

Bunch of resolution snobs in here. 😀

But for $120 I would almost get it just for that year of Office 365 w/terabyte of OneDrive, use the tablet for a single purpose project like a remote desktop monitoring screen.

 

[gmaster456]

I'd get one for a family member who only did stuff like email, recipies and videos...maybe

The Iconia Tab 8 W. Looks like a MUCH better buy.

8-inch 1280×800 HD IPS display

1GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage via microSD

Atom Z3735G quad-core processor

Dual Cameras

Stereo Speakers

1 year of Office 365

$150

I plan on getting one whenever they are released. For the price it's a no brainer.

 

[mmntech]

1024x600, oof, that's a blast from the past. Even the original iPad was 1024x768. Granted it wasn't terrible at the time.

No idea how powerful those quad core Bay Trail Atoms are, or how they stack up against ARM chips. I will say this though. A Kindle Paperwhite is $119 and these are $120. So for a measly buck more, you're getting an e-reader that can browse the web, run apps, and play a few games. You just sacrifice a bit of resolution (170ppi vs 212ppi) and battery life.

Still, I'd prefer it if they upped the res to 1280x800, so it would match the Kindle Fire HD. At least then you'd be able to display HD video at it's native resolution. Those things are going for $124 for the 8GB model now.

 

[jacktesterson]

1024x600, oof, that's a blast from the past. Even the original iPad was 1024x768. Granted it wasn't terrible at the time.

No idea how powerful those quad core Bay Trail Atoms are, or how they stack up against ARM chips. I will say this though. A Kindle Paperwhite is $119 and these are $120. So for a measly buck more, you're getting an e-reader that can browse the web, run apps, and play a few games. You just sacrifice a bit of resolution (170ppi vs 212ppi) and battery life.

Still, I'd prefer it if they upped the res to 1280x800, so it would match the Kindle Fire HD. At least then you'd be able to display HD video at it's native resolution. Those things are going for $124 for the 8GB model now.

They stack up well. The bay trail Quad core in the Venue 8 Pro is on the Snapdragon 800 level I believe

 

[mmntech]

I'm almost tempted to grab one of these as a cheap e-reader to use while on vacation. The iPad Maxi is a bit too big at times.

 

[s44]

If you just want to read on it, why have the cruft of Windows and a low-res screen? (And holy crap, TN)

 

[paperwastage]

They stack up well. The bay trail Quad core in the Venue 8 Pro is on the Snapdragon 800 level I believe

Have the Asus T100 bay trail (Z3740)... it's quite powerful and usable, can even do light gaming

https://www.google.com/search?q=youtube+asus+T100+gaming

I'm almost tempted to grab one of these as a cheap e-reader to use while on vacation. The iPad Maxi is a bit too big at times.

if you only want reading, rather get a cheap kindle paperwhite/nook ... more disposable (don't have to worry about it breaking) and better battery life.

If you just want to read on it, why have the cruft of Windows and a low-res screen? (And holy crap, TN)

With these (powerful-enough) tablets, they appeal a lot to college students:

tablet/laptop-hybrid for classes (microsoft powerpoint available), then a powerful desktop in the dorm room for gaming/performance/multi-monitor

 

[s44]

With these (powerful-enough) tablets, they appeal a lot to college students:

tablet/laptop-hybrid for classes (microsoft powerpoint available), then a powerful desktop in the dorm room for gaming/performance/multi-monitor

You're looking at exactly one spec: the CPU. Sure, quad Bay Trail can run Office and light games. But 7", 10*6, and no pen make it unsuitable for note-taking, while 1gb RAM will crash on anything big and the 16gb storage gives you no room for game installs.

 

[gbeirn]

I just bought one of the original toshiba encores on eBay for $155. Toshiba is selling refurbished on there for $149, I highly recommend it for the price. 2gb of ram and a 1366x768 screen. Gets amazing battery life, I'm considering getting rid of my ipad

 

[Roland00Address]

I just bought one of the original toshiba encores on eBay for $155. Toshiba is selling refurbished on there for $149, I highly recommend it for the price. 2gb of ram and a 1366x768 screen. Gets amazing battery life, I'm considering getting rid of my ipad

No digitizer but it has hdmi out so in my mind it looks better on paper.

 

[JustMe21]

Those specs look awful. The resolution is low, the disk space probably only has just enough for the OS, and the RAM is pitifully low. My Venue 8 Pro starts up using 800 MB RAM, so it'll be easy to use the rest on the Encore Mini once you start opening browser tabs and kill the onboard storage due to swapping. And after having an Acer W3 with a regular TFT panel, if IPS isn't listed, it really is not worth it. It sucked even trying to use it as an ebook reader, so I gave it away.

I'd say to spend the extra bit of money and get either a Dell Venue 8 Pro, the regular Toshiba Encore, or the Acer Iconia W4. I also wish someone other than Lenovo would make a 4GB BayTrail tablet, because the ThinkPad 10 is a bit pricey.

 

[gmaster456]

You're looking at exactly one spec: the CPU. Sure, quad Bay Trail can run Office and light games. But 7", 10*6, and no pen make it unsuitable for note-taking, while 1gb RAM will crash on anything big and the 16gb storage gives you no room for game installs.

Unlike iOS and Android, windows apps don't usually crash when they're out of RAM. It will usually just bog down something fierce or resort to pagefile. And really, MS Office is usable on 1gb of RAM. It won't be amazing but you can still get work done. Unfortunately, the rest of the tablet we are discussing would make using it for anything productive fairly unsuitable. Unless we are talking emails.