Editorials
5 Windows 8 Tablets That Beat the iPad Air
Lumia 2520 | ||||||
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Until Nokia debuted its Lumia 2520 tablet, there was no such thing as a Windows 8 tablet that featured mobile internet connectivity. In effect, buying a Windows 8 device meant being permanently reliant on the free Wi-Fi of others when not at home. Or it meant adding tethering to your smartphone plan and hoping that using it on your Windows tablet wouldn't result in an overage charge. Read: Nokia Lumia 2520 Review The Lumia 2520 was Nokia’s first – and to date only – tablet made for Windows 8. All the hallmarks of Nokia design are there. It comes is bright red and with dark accents. Inside is a powerful Snapdragon 800 processor, 32 or 64GB of storage with the option to add more later on using a microSD card. A rear-facing 6.7 megapixel camera and front-facing 2 megapixel camera provide all the photo taking power users need. Key features also include a high-definition display and a built-in GPS system for getting accurate directions when they’re crucial. Microsoft now sells the Lumia 2520 without a contract for $399. Users can head to Verizon or AT&T to purchase a data package, but it’s not required. | ||||||
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Vectre
09/01/2014 at 8:34 pm
The drawback you have decided to mention about the surface 2, “it’s one of the few Windows 8 tablets still being sold that doesn’t allow users to install apps to the Desktop”, shows a bit of bias. The bias, I fear, is not yours alone but shared throughout the tech press.
You should have heard this before, if you have, you really need to listen. The Surface tablets come in 2 basic variants, the RT versions and the Pro versions.
The Pro versions I and most would describe as a laptop inside the case of a tablet. This is because of the specs and the fact it is running a full version of Windows 8.x..
The RT versions are, tablets, just like the iPad is a tablet. You aren’t complaining that the iPad will not run Mac OX software, or are you?? The main reason I see for the RT tablets to have a desktop is for the Office applications and the full browser. When the touch versions of Office apps are available, RT might lose the desktop, I hope not.
If someone is looking for a machine that will allow them to browse the internet, check and answer email, stream video, basic gaming, etc.. the most basic things that most do on computers, the RT devices are perfect. A bonus is that you lose compatibility with all the old windows viruses, and have familiar interface for anyone comfortable with the windows interface.
Should there be more apps allowed to run on the desktop? I would say yes, that would increase further the versatility of the device in the realms of multitasking when it is already ahead of the iPad there.
Gordon Burgess-Parker
09/02/2014 at 1:15 am
Interestingly the Toshiba Encore 1 (which I have) came with Office Home and Student 2013 which has a permanent licence…
Vectre
09/02/2014 at 1:08 pm
That is the result of a more recent decision to allow Office to be included with devices with smaller screen sizes.. Originally the only device that included Office (since MSoft stopped bundling it with Windows) was RT devices..