Windows RT vs Android

[Coke Robot]

Just thought of another feature of Windows RT over android: user accounts. google is apparently going to be bringing user accounts to android with 4.2 I believe, but Windows RT is already out the gate with it. This feature is only really useful if you have different people that use your tablet, say a little niece or girlfriend or cat or other spouse. Makes sharing a WHOLE LOT easier over android.

 

[pparks1]

That has always been a sore spot with me and tablets in general. When my kids use my tablet, they can see my email and a variety of other things. No other tablet has user accounts yet.

 

[clockwatcher474]

I have both an Android tablet the Galaxy 10.1 note also an iPad2&4 also a Mac Pro book and five windows computers one with Win8 the rest with Win7. Myself if I am going to use a word processor MS Word or Open Office I feel my windows computers do it best. Now for checking the Net. or playing a game, my tablets are great. I really don't see what RT brings to this dog fight if anything. As for Microsofts new line of Surface tablets, unless Microsoft is willing to really get the prices down and also pump stay in the game money for it. By this time next year or sooner it will be history.

 

[Coke Robot]

That has always been a sore spot with me and tablets in general. When my kids use my tablet, they can see my email and a variety of other things. No other tablet has user accounts yet.

Also very awkward when you borrow someone's android tablet and want to reply back to a facebook message, and they're logged into their facebook....

 

[rstravis]

OK, I'm a sucker for deals. I love my Asus Infinity, but when I saw I could get a deal on upgrading to Windows 8 by the end of the year, I did it on two computers; I liked the improved speed so much I decided to eventually buy a Windows RT tablet (as opposed to pro, because, for a tablet, battery life is a big concern).
Well, lo and behold, another by-the-end-of-the-year deal, so I picked up an Asus VivoTab RT this week, with the free keyboard.

I figured I'd try it out against the Infinity for a month or two, and then decide which one to sell. I've had my Windows RT tablet for less than a week, and I'm already putting my Infinity on eBay this weekend.


What does Windows RT have that Android doesn't? Speed, stability, integration with my desktop and laptop (moreso than I ever had with google), and in general, great performance. I was excited to get Jelly Bean on my Infinity, until I realized it performs terribly on tablets. It's just as slow as ICS. Web pages don't load any better, so it's not ideal for media consumption. Polaris Office is lacking to put it mildly, so the Android can't be used for productivity without making sacrifices. I love the idea of only toting one device around, but with the Android, I still have to tote my desktop.

With my VivoTab, I can already do everything I need to. Because of the full web browser (I've never been an IE fan, but IE 10 is pretty darn good), I don't NEED apps for things like facebook or twitter. The websites work fine (and render faster than they did in Firefox or Chrome for Android). Chat works on my tablet without a separate client. Overall, Surface RT does most of what a full computer does.

I'll admit, I wish there were apps for things like music notation and sound editing, so I'll still need to use the desktop and laptop for that. But that means I lug the laptop to work a couple times a month instead of every day.

Windows RT is responsive, fast, fun, AND great for productivity.
Android is semi-responsive, sometimes-fast, often-fun, and a hindrance to productivity.

I really wanted to love Android, since it is not Microsoft. But MS has finally done something REALLY GOOD in their tablet interface design. It's not full Windows 8, and if you compare it to a laptop you will be disappointed. But compared to Android tablets, after using both systems, it's RT hands down for this guy.

 

[Mystere]

Since there are iOS apps for Music Notation and sound editing, I would bet we'll see ports of those, or clones in the coming months.

 

[jbfoster]

Maybe in time RT will be good. All the speed and performance does no good if there is no apps I want. All the apps I use on Android is not in the Microsoft store and if there is one it does not work well or is lame. The price of RT is still to high for what it is.

Soon as there are decent apps that work and the price for a RT tablet comes down I will get one til then I will stay with Android. This just applies to me and may be different to other people.

 

[jbfoster]

I forgot, there is no GPS. That is a deal breaker for me. My tablet must have a GPS. I guess I could get the Samsung Tab 2 7" for use as a GPS.

 

[Mystere]

You do realize that the equivalent priced iPad doesn't have GPS either, right?

Which apps do you need?

 

[dirtyvu]

Android is pretty good. for a mobile OS.

but it's still really rough. even ICS has problems have a smooth UI experience. I see poor animations still even though it should be smooth because it has hardware acceleration. now android fans are holding out for jelly bean to be the best and greatest. like they said every previous version was excellent, then the newer came out and they admitted all the flaws in the previous versions.

the major flaw of windows rt is the small marketplace. that's something that only time can fix.

but the big benefit of windows rt is it's a full operating system. it has drivers to drive your hardware devices. it has a full microsoft office with few compromises. it has better pen support, better voice recognition, and a more complete computing experience.

if you're buying for this very moment, Android is more viable if there's a particular program you need. Because of course, your computing needs drive your purchase. but if your needs are the internet, some games, some email, and some word processing or spreadsheet or school work, windows RT is a great alternative.

you can take your windows rt tablet to school, do all your notes, write your papers, hook it up to a scanner and a printer. play some games, chat with friends, etc. it's pretty much a complete computing experience. nothing on android or iOS can match OneNote and Microsoft Office.

 

[jbfoster]

You do realize that the equivalent priced iPad doesn't have GPS either, right?

Yep I do realize that. I will NEVER buy an Ipad.

I will never pay $500 to $600 for a RT device.

 

[dirtyvu]

Full Office? With Outlook for e-mail?

Not all versions of Office come with Outlook. By "full" I mean the apps are the real apps, not a subset like you get on older Windows Mobile devices.

OK, fair enough, no Outlook would be one of the things to keep me from buying an RT device. I was pretty sure it came with Office Home and Student. I was just wondering if that changed and you knew something I didn't know.

did you check out the Outlook Web App?

Outlook Web App - Microsoft Exchange

If you have Exchange 2013, the Outlook Web App gives you all the features of Outlook, with the same interface. And you can even use it offline.


You can't get new mail while offline of course, but you can read email (up to 400 messages in the inbox, Drafts and other recently used folders), write messages, look at your calendar (up to one year of appointments) and create new meetings.


You'll even get alerts for meetings, in the browser at least. Go back online and your offline messages are sent automatically.

 

[alphanumeric]

Not all versions of Office come with Outlook. By "full" I mean the apps are the real apps, not a subset like you get on older Windows Mobile devices.

OK, fair enough, no Outlook would be one of the things to keep me from buying an RT device. I was pretty sure it came with Office Home and Student. I was just wondering if that changed and you knew something I didn't know.

did you check out the Outlook Web App?

Outlook Web App - Microsoft Exchange

If you have Exchange 2013, the Outlook Web App gives you all the features of Outlook, with the same interface. And you can even use it offline.


You can't get new mail while offline of course, but you can read email (up to 400 messages in the inbox, Drafts and other recently used folders), write messages, look at your calendar (up to one year of appointments) and create new meetings.


You'll even get alerts for meetings, in the browser at least. Go back online and your offline messages are sent automatically.

POP3 e-mail though my ISP.

 

[dirtyvu]

POP3 e-mail though my ISP.

????

I'm not sure what you're asking... but on a side note, you can use POP through the Windows 8 Mail but it requires a workaround. outlook.com (as well as Yahoo and Gmail) support POP. so you direct your ISP email via pop to one of those services. and then you add that outlook.com account (or yahoo or gmail) to windows 8 mail.

 

[Mystere]

Actually, OneNote is available on iOS now.. believe it or not. I have it on my iPad.

Jelly bean is out, I have it on my Galaxy S3 (official release from Verizon even, not a rom). It's not so much of an OS improvement as it is improvements to the various apps that come with. I guess that's why it's 4.1 (there's also a 4.2 also called Jellybean, so I'm not sure what that is).

I agree about the RT though, Office alone is a huge benefit, and while it doesn't include Outlook, it's still something I wish I had on my iPad. Pages and Keynote and what not just aren't good enough.

And having a real USB port that I can plug a keyboard, or flash disk, or whatever into is really a nice benefit.

 

[alphanumeric]

POP3 e-mail though my ISP.

????

I'm not sure what you're asking... but on a side note, you can use POP through the Windows 8 Mail but it requires a workaround. outlook.com (as well as Yahoo and Gmail) support POP. so you direct your ISP email via pop to one of those services. and then you add that outlook.com account (or yahoo or gmail) to windows 8 mail.

I was just saying my e-mail is POP3 so that Outlook Web App isn't going to work for me.

 

[kjoe51689]

I'd like to clear up my experience between the two systems.

I own both the samsung galaxy tab 10.1 2 and the windows Surface rt. Please note this is my opinion

TLDR: I'll put this up front. Windows RT feels like a computer in a tablet form, Android tablets feel like a phone with a bigger screen.

I owned my galaxy tablet since release, whenever that is, but I found myself using it for surfing the web and playing games. Occasionally I would watch tv on the tablet and follow sports scores while watching tv but thats all I did. Once I got my galaxy phone though I realized it felt as powerful as my tablet and i could do everything I could do on the tablet and it sat in my corner turned off for months.

When the surface tablet came out I gave into temptation and bought it. I found and still find myself using it a month later while the galaxy tab sits in the corner. The tablet just feels like a pc. I'll check my emails, play games, and watch movies while surfing the net just like with my android device. The difference is when I need to do work. I used to turn off my galaxy tablet and go to my computer whenever I needed to do research and work but now I don't touch it at all. I do all my planning, research, and design right on my tablet.



In my opinion the android tablets have their use with the right consumer... But its not me. Its hard to explain how the surface works without using it for a month. It just works and it does it well. Every week I get a new update either to my apps or the system itself and you can feel it getting faster and more polished as time goes on. The biggest thing for windows over galaxy is my surface will be updated and supported for years to come. My galaxy tablet is already outdated and not going to be supported only one year into owning it. Its nice to know a company isn't going to sell me a product and leave me in the dust.

 

[HippsieGypsie]

Hello, kjoe51689. Welcome to Eight Forums. It's good to have you aboard.

Thanks for your outlook on the differences. Sweet and to the point. I learned a lot from that.

 

[kjoe51689]

Glad to help.

 

[rmeigs]

GPS tends to be built into cellular chipsets, so it's only typically available on devices that have 3G or 4G. This is the same with the iPhone/iPad and android devices. Surface does not have 3/4G so it doesn't have a GPS, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have location services.

My Nexus 7 Wifi only has a GPS, so at least some non 3/4G tablets have it. I really wish the W8 RT did.