Hands on with Windows RT (finally)

With this week's unveiling of a handful of Windows RT devices, we finally have a chance to see how well the previously mythical RT desktop works.

Windows 8 has been under a microscope for nearly a year, but its sibling, Windows RT, has been almost a complete mystery until now.

At IFA 2012 in Berlin, the first wave of ARM-powered devices for Windows RT have finally been unveiled, and I had a chance to spend some quality hands-on time with one of them—Samsung’s new ATIV Tab. My colleague Avram Piltch of Laptop Magazine brought along a video camera to record our experience so you can judge for yourself.

Read more at source:
Hands on with Windows RT (finally) | ZDNet
 
I still don't understand why anyone would want to use the desktop on an RT device for anything other than Windows Explorer and Office 2013. However, the review was decent, even if it was all about the desktop on a device that won't run any desktop apps other than inbox ones...
 

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I still don't understand why anyone would want to use the desktop on an RT device for anything other than Windows Explorer and Office 2013. However, the review was decent, even if it was all about the desktop on a device that won't run any desktop apps other than inbox ones...

You just answered your own question.

See, a 500 dollar tablet that doesn't have a USB port or a UI to copy and paste files is awful. For some people, having the ability to have a USB port and being able to expand storage and copy and paste files and back them up is a big one. And having Office versus a drab lite version that are on android and ios that attempt to outdo Office is a big one too. It seems WinRT tablets are geared towards the media consumer niche of the user market.

Then there are the apps. There will be LOTS of them soon.
 

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Yeah, the RT's restrictions don't appeal to me either. And Coke Robot, that's not the full office suite, its a watered down version just for the RT. I do believe Outlook for one is MIA, and that's something I use everyday. It's going to have to have a lot more going for it than just a USB port and file coping support for me to buy one.
 

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If you're looking to get work done, and not a consumption device, an intel "pro" device would be recommended anyway. RT isn't designed to "get work done", at least not yet. We'll see if Intel can get the ultra-low-power variants out next year and that they work with decent performance (i.e. NOT an atom CPU). If not, I think there's some bet-hedging going on here too. Once Microsoft can get the majority of apps into the new UI, having intel compatibility or a desktop won't really be necessary and would allow RT-based devices to be more of a "work" device too.
 

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    Corsair AX760i
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    Fractal Design Define R4
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    Noctua NH-D15
Or if you want to consume and work and work while consuming, an Intel or AMD powered tablet is the choice. WinRT can consume. But we'll have to see how this pans out in a 3-5 year timeframe in how the ARM technology develops and the amount of content creating apps from the Desktop get ported over to WinRT. AMD's new Trinity APU can be FANTASTIC for tablet and mobile usage. I believe Intel's third generation mobile I-series processors are also great. Both companies are planning and developing on more energy efficient and more powerful chips within a couple of years. It's literally like the race we say 10 years ago on the desktop space processor wise, and what has been unfolding for a while now with laptops and now with tablet PCs. Pretty exciting stuff!

The WinRT variant of Office 2013 has a few limitations like third party add-ons (pretty obvious there), macros, and no VBA support. Other than that, it's still the full Office suite. It's not necessarily watered down, just more battery optimized just like it is touch optimized. Now, a REAL watered down version of Office 2013 are the new Office Web Apps. They're WWWWWWAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY better than google's offering, and with features that Office 2010 Starter had. Or simply put, Word Web App has three tabs of content on the Ribbon whereas the installed Word app has eight tabs of content.
 

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    16 gig DDR3
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    ASUS R9 270
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    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
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    OCZ 500 watt
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    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
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    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
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    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the preinstalled version of Office 2013 RT, the equivalent of the current Home and Student version? If so, I personally don't consider that "the full office suite".
 

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Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the preinstalled version of Office 2013 RT, the equivalent of the current Home and Student version? If so, I personally don't consider that "the full office suite".

In the context it was written I believe it is "Full Office Features" not "Suite", other than not supporting Macros and VBA it has all the features of Word, Excel etc.
 

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I think it might be, as Outlook hasn't been shown. It sounds more like Office Home and Student, which kind of reaffirms the target demographic here: students and casual users.
 

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    16 gig DDR3
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    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
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    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
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    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the preinstalled version of Office 2013 RT, the equivalent of the current Home and Student version? If so, I personally don't consider that "the full office suite".

In the context it was written I believe it is "Full Office Features" not "Suite", other than not supporting Macros and VBA it has all the features of Word, Excel etc.

Yeah, I know, but somebody else in this thread posted "it's still the full Office suite" and that brought about my post. ;)
 

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    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
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    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
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    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
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    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
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    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
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    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
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    Thermaltake TR 620
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    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
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    Stock heatsink fan
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    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
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    Internet Explorer 11
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I guess by full suite, I meant it's more, feature complete versus using the Office Web Apps. There functions are mainly there, minus a few apps. My bad...
 

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    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
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    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
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    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
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    Microsoft Touch Mouse
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    Internet Explorer 11
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    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
Its not you Cokie, its just that I see it advertised as "Comes with Office Preinstalled" as a selling feature. After you read the fine print(if its there) you find out its just a select few of the office apps. When I see somebody say "its the full office suite" I have a hard time letting it go. Many because you can't upgrade that version (not yet anyway) to the full suite even if you wanted to. The off the shelf version that you can buy won't install on an RT anyway. At least with a netbook that came with office starter, you could install your own copy and get full use. RT is pretty well locked down to Metro apps and what ever Microsoft Software they decide to port over to run on it. I'm really wanting to get a tablet but my budget is really limited. I've been reading up on the RT and the more I read the less I think I want one. I just have that feeling that if I buy one I'm going to regret it and wish I hadn't bought something else with full Windows (on Intel or AMD) support. Something that will run all my programs and maybe some of my games. Its going to be interesting to see what the price difference between the two types of tablets, RT versus Windows on Intel or AMD ends up being.
 

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    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
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    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
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    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
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    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
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    Stock heatsink fan
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    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
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    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
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    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
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    Internet Explorer 11
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    Windows Defender
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    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
If you're going to be needing all of your programs to run on a budget, Intel Atom based tablets could work. Budget friendly, Desktopping, and MAYBE a few games. The best I've tried on an Atom processor was the first generation chip that was able to play Halo 1. But I don't know about the latest generation Atom chips. They do seem promising.

If AMD gets their poop in a group and get the APU chips used by OEMs, their latest Trinity APU and later incarnations will be budget friendly and graphically competent, which by the way, would be better than Intel on the Windows 8 front as ALL the metro apps as well as recently with Desktop apps are all handled by the GPU. AMD's APU lineup beats its Intel counterpart in the stock graphics department hands down.

WinRT right now isn't a huge market as of now. But it seems more like Microsoft got into ARM based software because at least they can make some headway into it going in the future.
 

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    16 gig DDR3
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    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
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    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
I'm very AMD loyal so it will be interesting to see what they offer up. I'm in no big hurry to buy so I've got lots of time to wait and see what shows up once Windows 8 finally goes public. I'm not so much interested in Windows 8 as I am the new devices that will show up. One of those ASUS hybrids with the detachable keyboard dock would be nice. lol, I might be able to afford one if I can buy the dock as a separate purchase.
 

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    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
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    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
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    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
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    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
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    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
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    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
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    Stock heatsink fan
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    Internet Explorer 11
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I don't get it. Those videos showed nothing you can't do on Windows RT that you can on Windows 8. So how is it a limitation?
 

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The limitation is that none of your current Windows software will run on it. Try installing Microsoft Student Encarta, or Streets + Trips, not going to work. Want to try one of your games? Sorry but you can't get there from here.
 

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System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
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    PC/Desktop
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    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
The limitation is that none of your current Windows software will run on it. Try installing Microsoft Student Encarta, or Streets + Trips, not going to work. Want to try one of your games? Sorry but you can't get there from here.

A Surface RT will work fine for me as I need something for just content like internet, email, news apps the odd game etc. Something I can just relax on the couch with, I currently use my Windows Phone but it's killer on the eyes after a while. It'll also come in handy on my business trips on the plane without having to pull out my ultra book which is big in todays cramped planes. For anything more than that I'll just use my laptop with 8 on it, unless I decide to replace it with a Surface Pro next year. My wife has been talking about getting an RT device also. The Surface RT is basically like an iPad except better because it isn't an iPad or Apple device.
 

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    Windows 7, Windows 8 RP
Yes, it all depends on what you need or want. I'm sure they will sell. Hopefully people do their research so they know exactly what they are buying. More than likely there will be some that buy it thinking its a regular Windows PC and end up disappointed.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
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