Tablets with Microsoft operating system and software packages – are they any good?
Do I get Mr Mule Senior one for his birthday?

what do you want a tablet or a touchscreen computer with a removable keyboard.

Aaaaargh! I don’t know – I’m a total luddite!

A tablet I think

Buy him an iPad (or an Android tablet). The only reason to ge a Microsoft tablet is if you have to have Microsoft for work and/or full spec Office.

He would definitely want the full MS software package.

@mighty what do you mean by full software package ? He needs full function Excel and Word complete with macros in visual basic ? I’m only asking as you said you were a “total luddite”. If all he wants to do is surf web, read/write emails and write a few simple documents a tablet is fine for that and offers much more in terms of portability and other applications plus it’s a hell of a lot cheaper.

I have two ipads, a Microsoft surface and a Sony xperia.

All are good in their own way. The surface has a great battery life, is a good tablet and a passable laptop substitute. I use it for work.

I prefer the xperia for casual use.

The ipads onky get used for testing purposes, but they do have the best choice of apps so may well suit a kid better.

I see your point.

He would want Word and Excel for definite and probably access. The web surfing and e-mails would be secondary to the convenience of having a very small computer to take around.

@mighty – if he wants Access then you are right it needs to be MS platform and a more fully fledged computer. The Surface @5thElephant quotes gets good reviews but I believe is around £2k

No, the one I have was £400. I doubt it’ll run access though.

Would the Access be for development, or would he just want to contact a remote database via the wen? If the latter, then other options would work.
Perhaps you should ask him what he needs: if he’s a power user of Excel or Access, then he’d make a more informed choice than you, and obviously knows what he’s doing.

My Android Nexus7 (2012 version) tablet reads & edits simple spreadsheets and documents, which I share with my laptop via GoogleDrive or Dropbox. I’ve not tried anything complicated on it yet.

No, the one I have was £400. I doubt it’ll run access though.

ARM based Surface then?

Yes, not the pro.

I keep reading rumours MS are going to kill off the RT/Arm based variant, based on poor sales, and just keep the Haswell based pro model.

Does it matter? It’ll be landfill in 2 years regardless of whether they replace it.

Surface rt comes with word, excel, powerpoint for free so is a great deal. Can’t run access and can’t run VBA but great for most normal stuff

Surface pro is twice the price and you need to buy office but will run full office

And what 5thelehant says. If it does what you want now then buy it. It won’t suddenly stop working if Ms drop it. In fact if they do i’ll be on the hunt for cheap offers as I love it. What I particularly like is I can plug a regular mouse or keyboard in if I need to do a lot of work

I suggest you talk to your husband or it could be an expensive mistake!

Surprise him with something else if you want to, not work related technology.

What I particularly like is I can plug a regular mouse or keyboard in if I need to do a lot of work

You can do that with any tablet via bluetooth.

i’d be well annoyed if i got something for work for my birthday.

You can do that with any tablet via bluetooth.

But that’s the point. I can just grab whatever USB mouse/keyboard is around and stick it in. Don’t need a Bluetooth one, though that’s actually quite a good idea and I might just do that so I’ve got one to cover both the iPad and surface.

I can just grab whatever USB mouse/keyboard is around and stick it in.

Well if you have a proper computer, e.g. an iMac, then you’ll already have a Bluetooth Magic Mouse and keyboard…

All this cable stuff is very 1990s…

😉

Microsoft Tablets

….are hard to swallow. Wash down with plenty of cheap plonk.

In other news why not buy an Ultrabook? If he wants Access etc, doesn’t he want a real keyboard?

CaptJon – Member
i’d be well annoyed if i got something for work for my birthday

A couple of years ago I got a laser pointer for my birthday. I’ve used it loads. At work.
And in the pub, to drive their cats wild.

Same size and usability of a tablet, but as it has got an x86 CPU which means it runs the full bifta version of MS Windows 8.1 not like the semi crippled Surface RT and I’m running the full everything included version of Office 2013 on it.

http://www.asus.com/uk/Tablets_Mobile/ASUS_VivoTab_Smart/

I’d second the Ultrabook option, full functionality with a good key board, quick start up, and a more useful product.

magic mouse? 😯 wt* they call it that for

..+1 xps ultrabook, can’t beat it
or check out the acer iconia it runs windows 7/8 ..saw one of this at work and i have the feeling i want/need one 😀

The main problem with the Windows tablet is that whilst it’s good working on the Windows Metro screen, most programs drop back to ‘old’ Windows which really isn’t easy to use with a touch screen so needs some kind of mouse. I guess in time this will change as more programmes/apps are designed to run in Metro.

If he wants a small, portable Windows machine to sit alongside an existing Windows PC then a Windows tablet makes a lot of sense, as long as it comes with a keyboard with an integrated touchpad.

If it’s going to be his main machine to use in most scenarios then I’d go with an Ultrabook as it’s a ‘proper’ PC in terms us usability but light to carry.

You could go with the laptops with the removable screen like the Lenovo Helix but these are expensive for what they are (haven’t used one so can’t say how good they are). It may be cheaper to go for a good laptop, a cheap branded Android tablet and an Office 365 subscription.

Does it matter? It’ll be landfill in 2 years regardless of whether they replace it.

@5thElephant yes thats my experience of MS based products. My iPad and MacMini are 4 years old and used every day and my daughter is using my 6 year old MacBook. I do think there is a risk of finding an MS tablet is an orphan product when they just throw the towel in and give up, they are so far behind Apple and Android.

@helsengburg it’s called a magic mouse as it supports swipe gestures, swipe up down, left right with one fingered swipe doing something different to multi finger. Works very well. Have a look at demo video online.

magic mouse? wt* they call it that for

It’s a very nice design, a normal mouse but with a curved touch pad on the top, so you can combine touch gestures and mouse movement – makes all other mice seem rather primitive in comparison, but the Apple are just in a different league design wise.

As for Apple stuff outlasting MS, I did read somewhere that the iPhone is the most recycled mobile phone out there, with most being re-used second hand. My MIL has my old iPhone 3Gs and my FIL has my 1st Gen iPad, both of which are so well made, they’ll get years of use from them.

I do think there is a risk of finding an MS tablet is an orphan product when they just throw the towel in and give up, they are so far behind Apple and Android.

So what? It won’t just stop working.

My iPad and MacMini are 4 years old and used every day and my daughter is using my 6 year old MacBook.

My current laptop turned 5 last month and is still going strong as my main PC. The desktop PC it replaced had been in service for nine yeaars, and my OH’s old desktop PC which is now serving duties as a file / media server is at least that age too.

So what? It won’t just stop working.

It’s a myth that computers somehow deteriorate with age; it’s a combination of software being more demanding / expecting higher specifications, and user abuse. With a tablet it’s a little different though, how much software can you get for the Psion 5 these days? They’ll keep on working without developer support, but you’ll be stuck with what you’ve got.