Remix Ultra-Tablet: Hands On With A (Sort Of) Microsoft Surface Competitor

[Guest]

The Remix Ultra-Tablet is a unique Android tablet with a Windows feel that costs about half as much as a Microsoft Surface Pro 3.

Remix Ultra-Tablet: Hands On With A (Sort Of) Microsoft Surface Competitor : Read more

 

[rwinches]

16 GB Model at $349 seems like a better deal.
Remix OS ROM would be great if it caught on and became a standard as then updates/upgrades would be across the board and less HW would be left behind.

On the MS side the new 4 core Adam Z37xx Bay Trail CR 22nm chips that are showing up now in mini PCs and tablets running MS or Android or Both are changing the game, especially with the Windows 8 + Bing deal which comes free for under $250 systems with the stipulation that they ship with Bing as the default search.

I got the ASUS X205TA from BB for $99 it sells for ~$200 on MS site. Once I installed Classic Shell and turned off UI effects like Menu shadows et al. it is great as it has long battery life @ ~10 hours and quick recharge. Z3735F 2 GB 32GB uSD (128 GB max) uHDMI 2 USB 2.0 3.5 Headphone BT WiFi up to n 11.6 1366 x 768 regular size keys because no numpad.

The Celeron two core low cost (Win 8 + Bing) systems bog down quicker despite faster base clock in real world use and aren't as power efficient.

Touchscreens don't mean much on Win systems for me, Maybe for simple Android type . games.
Although I like the idea of convertible systems, I would always want to have the keyboard part with it. I worry that the magnet connection will fail in time or that the system won't balance or the Tab part will come loose if I am using the system lying down not on a table or desk. The ASUS transformer systems do give the option to have expansion in the keyboard like HDD drives and ports but at a cost. The idea is low cost and battery runtime so... I do have my regular Win laptop for more demanding jobs and my desktops and nas/cloud storage so these lite systems have appeal.

AND What is the deal with Chrome Laptops having keycaps in lowercase?

 

[rwinches]

There seems to be some confusion about the Phone Mode windows that are for apps that are designed for a phone sized screen. They of course would not be adjustable they are the size and shape of a phone screen. I wonder if the can switch to landscape?

The specs don't include gryo or GPS so it would suggest productivity apps are the target.

It might be that the Ultra Tablet is really just to showcase the Remix OS and the aim is to validate Android as a serious replacement for MS Win. because it can be used for 'real' work, not just games and social networking or videos.

The main thing MS Win has had over all others is standardization, Remix OS on ROM could deliver that. Chrome OS is is on that path too but has a way to go.

UNIX LINUX based systems keep that toolkit style that while flexible and configurable as a plus that also is a minus for standardization. The last thing a workstation user wants to hear is boilerplating, they don't want their system locked down so round and round we go.
Remember when IBM offered 25 million lines of source code free to members for OSF 1?
Plus another 15 million lines for OSF 2 that would add features to support POS (point of sale)?
I do, but instead of one version of OSF 1 we had five, non-standard except for the base kernel, because no one wanted IBM to tell them what to do.

 

[Mike Coberly]

Tegra 4 @ $449? No thank you.

 

[doron]

"its Tegra 4 SoC doesn't need to run a desktop Windows OS"
You mean can't, as opposed to an x86 which can run Windows / Linux / Android(-x86)

 

[stevejnb]

Looks like a nice enough little unit - though, mainly because it tries to emulate the Surface tablets and the general Windows environment as much as possible. If this is a product that particularly appeals to you, perhaps you should consider just getting a Surface RT model for less, or spending the extra and getting a full Surface pro? At the point where the tablet has a kickstand, and is a flavour of Android which seems built around emulating Windows, why not just for the real deal? Though, I'm sure this will have a niche audience - the "I want Windows but I *HATE* Windows" crowd.

 

[gumbedamit]

Microsoft is not suing?

 

[RedJaron]

If you're looking for a device like this ( specifically if you're trying to get a Windows-like OS, ) why would you opt for this over an Acer Aspire Switch or Asus Transformer Book for $300? Only reason I can think of is if you absolutely have to have Android ( or absolutely CAN'T STAND Windows. )

 

[stevejnb]

You know, thinking about this more... Microsoft must be utterly stupid if they haven't patented that kickstand for tablets. If they haven't though, and other companies are starting to make Surface clones, this is a great thing. After using a Surface for a while, I doubt I would want to buy a tablet without a kickstand - it's just to damned handy an addition to the tablet form factor. I wouldn't mind having an Android tablet with a built in kickstand - not one that emulates Windows at every turn, but rather just a regular old vanilla Android tablet. Make it so!