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Windows tablet to replace laptop?

John78

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John78

John78

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I've been looking around at netbooks just to make my setup a bit more portable than a 17" CAD laptop.  Then I saw some real cheap Windows tablets on the well known auction site...

This one is actually branded for £50!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Acer-Iconia-W1-810-Tab-8-Inch-1GB-32GB-Windows-10-Wi-Fi-Tablet-White-/331910046179?hash=item4d476161e3:g:KDkAAOSw9NdXtQlu

So the question is, will it run CdC, APT, PHD and EQMod properly?  Is it genuine Windows or mobile version?  The acer I linked only has a a microusb, so it needs an otg cable to connect my powered hub?

Is no keyboard/mouse a bad proposition when in the field? Touchscreen an issue in the freezing weather?  Should I just stick with the netbooks plan running real Windows?

Any suggestions gratefully received.  We're an iPad home so have no experience of windows mobile tech :)

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StuartJPP

StuartJPP

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Being an Intel Atom processor I am sure it is a full version of Windows. As you mention, you will need an OTG cable and a powered USB hub. Although I kept on toying with getting something like this myself I went down the netbook route recently...by the time you have clagged on the OTA cable, the USB hub and power to the hub it no longer looks as sleek as it did...but for £50 it is pretty good value...

 

I use a (2nd hand) Lenovo Yoga 3 11" netbook with 8GB RAM and 128GB SSD. It can work as a laptop or tablet. Even with a "proper" keyboard and touchpad it still gets frustrating in the field...I'd imagine everything being purely touch based to be even more frustrating. That isn't to say it won't work.

I have no issues regarding it being a cut down version of Windows unable to run some software, it runs everything I need...and I mainly use Stellarium, CdC, PoleMaster, PHD2, APT and even PixInsight...the battery will last all night using a custom low power profile, even in the cold.

The reason I got the specific model above was that I needed 3 USB ports, but now that I use a powered hub attached to the mount I only need one USB port so a much cheaper netbook would have done :happy8:

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michaelmorris

michaelmorris

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I have Connect 8" Tablet running a FULL version of Windows 10 which seems to run everything just fine.  I have a little Bluetooth mouse and keyboard for when I want to use it as a small laptop.

I went down the tablet route rather than a netbook because I wanted a tablet, and a small laptop and one of these seemed a good compromise.  The real disadvantage of a tablet is the fact that you can't charge it and run devices simultaneously unless you get one of the more expensive 10" models that come with a separate power input.

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/computing/tablets-and-ereaders/tablets/linx-1010b-10-1-tablet-keyboard-32-gb-black-10143641-pdt.html

 

 

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John78

John78

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Thanks for the insights, one question would be the storage inside the tablet is likely to be an SD card one would assume, but a netbook will be a proper hard drive?  Is that significant in terms of reliability you think?

We already have 3 iPads, 2 iPhones and a high spec laptop at home so I don't need a tablet or laptop I just want a small elegant last all night Astro solution.

Does a Windows tablet accept a Remote Desktop connection?  When I'm at my parents house I won't have to go to a literal field I can setup in there back garden and control from indoors :)

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John78

John78

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28 minutes ago, michaelmorris said:

Yes, you can load team viewer and it works fine.

If you are after something to run all night, then you are probably going to be looking at something plugged into an external power source.

Well, 'all night' might be a strong statement, my current laptop is flat in under 2 hrs with the brightness as low as it will go,and the charger is like 18.5v 8amps so field powering it is hard.  6 hours of usage on a battery would be perfectly acceptable for me.

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happy-kat

happy-kat

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The Linx 7 (our one came with 8) and is now running Windows 10 desktop (it can switch to tablet mode). Though I don't know if the free download to windows 10 is still available though we run 8.1 on our Linx 10, didn't upgrade that one. We don't overly tax the 7 so I can't comment on battery useage but it is crazy to get a highly portable PC in such a small format.

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BritAngler

BritAngler

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I bought the Linx 1010 (10 inch Win 10) just because it has 2 USB sockets (more with a hub) and I could use it with Stellarium or CdC to run my 'scope without taking the laptop out. It's a great little machine that you can either plug a standard keyboard into or buy the dedicated keyboard instead.

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MarkVIIIMarc

MarkVIIIMarc

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Through work I have a now Windows 10 laptop the screen pulls off of. It supports a remote desktop / VPN for our point of sale. It also runs Stellarium quite well.

The physical keyboard and touchpad are cheap. It also has a pretty limited hard drive. Overall though no complaints.  FWIW I am glad it has a real keyboard so it can function like a pc. Touch screens are too slow.

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