Asus' VivoTab Smart ME400C tablet reviewed

dirtyvu

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a very thorough review of the Asus VivoTab Smart ME400C at TechReport. Lots of good info so if you're interested in a budge tablet, check it out:

http://http://techreport.com/review/24720/asus-vivotab-smart-me400c-tablet-reviewed

only excerpts (refer to full article):

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Today, the most affordable Windows 8 slate is the Asus VivoTab Smart ME400C, which sells for $429.99 with free shipping—$70 less than it did at launch. It has a 10.1" display and an Atom processor, and it runs both touch-friendly tablet apps and legacy x86 software.

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In other respects, the VivoTab Smart is generously outfitted for the price. It has 64GB of solid-state storage, a micro HDMI output, Near Field Communication, front and rear cameras, and a microSD card reader. The collection of internal sensors includes a gyroscope, a compass, and a GPS, so you can find your way around with the Maps app and play motion-sensitive tablet games—provided the integrated graphics can handle them.

And despite all this gear, the VivoTab Smart still weighs less than the iPad and measures only an extra 1/16" or so in thickness. The claimed battery life is in the same ballpark, too—9.5 hours, compared to 10 hours for the Apple tablet. Not only that, but the VivoTab Smart's 64GB storage capacity is four times that of the base iPad. On paper, the Asus tablet's only obvious downside is its display, which has a lower resolution than Apple's Retina panel.

I think the VivoTab Smart may be the first serious Windows 8-powered competitor to Android- and iOS-based tablets.

No, really. It's priced competitively. It's as thin and light as the best of 'em. It's quicker to boot up and to handle JavaScript-heavy websites, and the battery life is in the right ballpark. (Heck, our Android-powered Transformer Pad Infinity had a shorter run time when undocked.) Also, the Atom processor is fast enough to make the Modern UI interface snappy and fluid. When used as a tablet for basic tasks and web browsing, the VivoTab Smart feels like it's in the same league as the iPad in terms of speed and responsiveness.

On top of all that, you're able to run Windows 8 and legacy x86 software. In a pinch, you can fire up LibreOffice or Photoshop or Quicken and get some real work done. The experience may be somewhat punishing compared to what you'd get out of a desktop PC or an ultrabook. However, being able to do something slowly is better than lacking the option to do it altogether.
 

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I looked at one at BestBuy a couple of days ago and I was very surprised at how responsive it was. Still a bit concerned with the Atom processor.
 

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    Windows 8 Pro w/Media Center, Windows RT
yeah, but it's a you-get-what-you-pay-for. it come with a lot for a little price though. if you can live without playing the more intense games and you can live with 2GB of RAM, it's a good small PC. I've never seen the Asus myself. I need to get out to the stores again and check out some different models.

I just wish Clover Trail supported SATA. eMMC sucks in comparison. It's going to be fixed in Bay Trail, but that's toward the end of the year.

I just wish AMD could get picked up by vendors. It's more battery hungry than Atoms but it provides a lot more power on the graphics side. So it could slot between the Atom and the Core processors (more power but less battery than Atom; more graphics than Core but slower CPU and more battery than Core). But so far, only Vizio has shown one and Vizio is a slow company and pretty terrible with tablets.
 

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  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
I looked at one at BestBuy a couple of days ago and I was very surprised at how responsive it was. Still a bit concerned with the Atom processor.

Ask yourself this question. What will you use the tablet for? People have been unfairly criticizing the clover trail atom processor. If you just depend on tech reviews of it, you'd think that it's as slow as a snail. People have trouble understanding the concept of a niche. If you're not going to be spending hours building 3-D models using autocad or play 3-D games, then the clover trail will work perfectly for you.

Ever since I lost my desktop to a burglary, I've been using my clover trail hp envy x2 for everything. It has absolutely no problem with document editing. I've been playing starcraft and galaxy on fire HD on this thing. No lag at all.

Here's the thing. It's ideal to get an i5 or i7 processor on your tablet, yes. But if you're not going to be building 3-D models, then it's a waste of processing power and money, not to mention the sacrifice in battery life.

If it's nice outside and you want to go along the bike trail, would you ride your bike or would you take your car? If you want to go visit a relative 2 hour drive away, would you take your car to drive there or would you buy an airline ticket to a 747 and fly there?

So, again, what will you be using the tablet for? Building 3-D models or simple work stuff?
 

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    windows 8
I brought one of these a month or so back. It a brilliant little device. It's not powerful enough to replace a proper laptop but I never wanted it for that. I wanted it to give me the full Windows experience on something that I could use when I don't want or can't carry my laptop.

For that it is a great machine. I have four or five clients that I sysadmin their IT system and I need to be able to get onto their systems at more or less any time. For this a Windows 8 tablet is perfect.

It's great as a iPad replacement, which I also had and have passed onto my wife, except the lack of a decent Modern Video player (poor MKV and playback resumption in most of them) it is also great.

I decided to not spend the £100 on the bluetooth keyboard and case, I brought a cheap case from Amazon instead. The Transleeve and keyboard pushed the price towards the Acer or the Samsung and I couldn't justify that cost. There are plenty of BT keyboard and mices on ebay when I need on.

The only downside I've found so far is that it isn't possible to plug something into the USB port (which needed a OTG Adaptor) and charger at the same time.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
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