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New Cheap Windows Tablet - Page 7 — Parallax Forums

New Cheap Windows Tablet

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  • ercoerco Posts: 20,244
    edited 2016-05-06 19:59
    My other WM tablet combo (Nextbook) mentioned earlier has this feature (detachable keyboard) and works perfectly. Multiple choices in power options under "when lid closed".

    http://www.walmart.com/ip/Nextbook-Flexx-8.9-2-in-1-Tablet-32GB-Intel-Quad-Core-Windows-10/46664254
  • erco wrote: »
    My other WM tablet combo (Nextbook) mentioned earlier has this feature (detachable keyboard) and works perfectly. Multiple choices in power options under "when lid closed".

    http://www.walmart.com/ip/Nextbook-Flexx-8.9-2-in-1-Tablet-32GB-Intel-Quad-Core-Windows-10/46664254
    How is the Nextbook? I keep being tempted to buy one because they're really cheap and they don't look too bad in the store.

  • ercoerco Posts: 20,244
    I like my Nextbook a lot, it just barely fits into a big cargo pocket on my dork shorts. The unit is really beefy, great hinge, when I first saw it I thought it didn't detach, but obviously it does. Nice sturdy keyboard, the only drawback is touch pad is ridiculously sensitive, sometimes the cursor "moves itself" from the slightest brush or breeze. Takes some getting used to. I thought it was defective at first, but it's commonly mentioned in the reviews.

    The Cambio keyboard has the superior feel though. Still "Chicklet" style keys but much better than average IMO.
  • One of my coworkers, who was ironically a world class iApple fanboy until recently, got a Microsoft Surface a few days ago and is slowly being seduced by the dark side of the Force and he keeps needling me about all the cool features and how much I could use one myself.
  • Originally I bought the Icraig tablet to have a windows tablet with bluetooth so I could set up propeller (Activity Bot) to PC communication, control and data transfer. The windows program I was using was RobotBasic.

    Things were going well until one evening, the tablet screen went dark, and the windows update warning (do not turn off) popped up. I let it go through the update, it then turned off and started rebooting. The ICRAIG logo screen started, the little spinner spun, the screen dimmed, and then went black. It never booted up again.

    I had a replacement warrantee; they just sent a gift card, so I tried the RCA windows 10 tablet that erco mentioned. I was finally able to complete my ActivityBot RobotBasic BT control programs (It is new and sometimes frustrating experience programming multiple computers with different languages that have to work together.)

    My first effort is posted at

    http://forums.parallax.com/discussion/164454/activitybot-simpleide-bluetooth-and-robot-basic#latest

    Tom
  • localroger wrote: »
    One of my coworkers, who was ironically a world class iApple fanboy until recently, got a Microsoft Surface a few days ago and is slowly being seduced by the dark side of the Force and he keeps needling me about all the cool features and how much I could use one myself.
    I've bought mostly Apple computers for quite a while and I'm attracted to the Surface Pro because I understand it runs a real desktop operating system. Am I correct in thinking that the Windows Propeller dev tools could be installed on a Surface Pro? What about VirtualBox running Linux in a VM? It seems like that should be possible. That would be much more attractive than the relatively closed iPad.

  • ercoerco Posts: 20,244
    @Tom: Did you try a recovery media to restore your Craig tablet? Mine's still going strong, I could make you one if you didn't make one to keep. I've restored mine a few times just for practice and also because the audio stopped after I upgraded it to Win10. Restore media is on an 8GB USB flashdrive.

    BTW it's good to hear that your warranty paid off. Someone here posted not-so-nice reviews of that warranty service provider.
  • @erco
    I didn't think to try recovery media. I waited a few days to see if anything changed; it didn't. A couple of times it looked like it might start after using the reset button, or using another reset method for an older ICraig tablet (I think it was press the volume button while pressing the power button -- but I could be mistaken about the special buttons.

    I checked on line to see if others had the problem and if they managed to fix it. The one method recommended required opening the tablet and disconnecting the battery to do a hard reset. I expected that doing that would void the warranty, so I took the easy way and used the extended warranty. I had hoped that they would repair or replace the tablet with another icraig. But once I sent the tablet back, they just sent a gift card for the full purchase price.

    Office Depot didn't have anything similar, so I bought the RCA tablet from Walmart (thanks for drawing my attention to it). I'll use the gift card for toner for my laser printer.

    Tom
  • The second iCraig I bought for my wife did the infinite iCraig reboot thing. While it was "shutting down" I held the power button down long enough to force the power supply to shut off, and then it cold-booted normally. She declared herself tired of it (and got herself another Win10 netbook) but I'm still using it at work.
  • I can't believe all the prices for RCA 10.1" at Walmart:

    http://www.walmart.com/search/?query=RCA Cambio

    There are no $59 units, the Windows 8.1 are $148 on clearance?!?
  • Cluso99Cluso99 Posts: 18,066
    edited 2016-06-26 01:35
    Since Intel are exiting the Atom processor market which competes with ARM, I guess either Intel is no longer virtually giving the chips away and/or the manufacturers/retailers are making a quick profit before supply dries up.

    The ms surface 3 is also likely becoming extinct.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,244
    localroger wrote: »
    The second iCraig I bought for my wife did the infinite iCraig reboot thing. While it was "shutting down" I held the power button down long enough to force the power supply to shut off, and then it cold-booted normally. She declared herself tired of it (and got herself another Win10 netbook) but I'm still using it at work.

    Didja try reinstalling Win8 from recovery media?
  • Arg, was just reading over at AT some comments about how with Intel dropping SOC Atom, the very low-end tablet market is probably going to disappear in a while.

    Just when I was thinking of looking for one as a remote workstation to carry around to all my projects which will include an ESP8266/32....

    Has anyone gotten some form of Android/Jide/Chrome running on one of these cheapies that is useful for more than just a couch surfing machine?
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,244
    As of yesterday, my Craig tablet is now working well with Windows 10. I had previously done a clean install of Win10 but the audio stopped working. I restored to Win8 using a USB media drive I had created. Craig support was utterly useless to suggest a solution through several emails (we're on our own, guys). So yesterday I did a Win10 upgrade (instead of a clean install) and all's well.

    Which leaves me with 2 desktops and a laptop to upgrade to Win10 before July 29. I'm debating whether to put Win10 on my old Acer Aspire netbook. It has XP, would need to put Win7 on it (I have an extra family pack license). I know it works from http://www.techtimes.com/articles/71296/20150723/this-old-acer-aspire-one-can-handle-windows-10-video.htm but who knows, maybe an XP machine will come in handy for something like an ER-1 robot.
  • I don't want to toast any of my applications, so I keep an XP laptop, two Win 7.0 Pro desktops, a Win 8.1 tablet, and a Win 10 laptop. Not to mention two 386's for my DOS programmers. My Toshiba T3200 probably does not come into the mix, but it dos have an ISA slot. :)
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,244
    Publison wrote: »
    ...but it dos have an ISA slot. :)

    A Freudian slip, Mr. Greenscreen?

  • erco wrote: »
    As of yesterday, my Craig tablet is now working well with Windows 10. I had previously done a clean install of Win10 but the audio stopped working. I restored to Win8 using a USB media drive I had created. Craig support was utterly useless to suggest a solution through several emails (we're on our own, guys). So yesterday I did a Win10 upgrade (instead of a clean install) and all's well.

    Which leaves me with 2 desktops and a laptop to upgrade to Win10 before July 29. I'm debating whether to put Win10 on my old Acer Aspire netbook. It has XP, would need to put Win7 on it (I have an extra family pack license). I know it works from http://www.techtimes.com/articles/71296/20150723/this-old-acer-aspire-one-can-handle-windows-10-video.htm but who knows, maybe an XP machine will come in handy for something like an ER-1 robot.

    Hmmmmm.....
    I have a pair of Acer Aspire One laptops (circa 2012). The first says its ready to install Windows 10. But, the 2nd needs many many Windows 7 updates, before it is ready to install Windows 10, and trying to get Windows 7 updates takes soooo long. I don't know that the updates can be downloaded and installed before July 29th.

  • ercoerco Posts: 20,244
    Hahahahaha, definitely not over my slow DSL connection!

    At some upgrade path in the past (probably XP), it was sufficient to let the computer "see" your original installation CDs as proof, and you could actually skip the intermediate installation. But no longer. Alas, the price of "progress".
  • erco wrote: »
    Publison wrote: »
    ...but it dos have an ISA slot. :)

    A Freudian slip, Mr. Greenscreen?

    Actually an orange screen, and it DOS run DOS 3.3. :)

    286 1MB ram 40 MB HS

    Just fired it up. Why is the CMOS battery dead after 22 years? )

  • ercoerco Posts: 20,244
    Publison wrote: »

    Just fired it up. Why is the CMOS battery dead after 22 years? )

    So per the internal clock, you're gonna party like it's 1999, 00:00:01?

  • erco wrote: »
    Publison wrote: »

    Just fired it up. Why is the CMOS battery dead after 22 years? )

    So per the internal clock, you're gonna party like it's 1999, 00:00:01?

    Yea, It comes up 01-01-1980. I'm going to reset my body clock to that date.

    (May have to call Doc Brown). :)


  • ercoerco Posts: 20,244
    The RCA Cambio which tonyp12 found is now listed at $30 but out of stock everythere I looked. I think Walmart is just messin' with us. But heck, check stock near you. Would be the best deal yet!

    http://www.walmart.com/ip/RCA-Cambio-with-WiFi-10.1-Touchscreen-Tablet-PC-Featuring-Windows-10-Operating-System-Black/49532862
  • Nothing within 100 miles here.
  • tonyp12tonyp12 Posts: 1,950
    edited 2016-08-01 16:20
    It shows four $30 units in Miami, I had to fight with them to open a few doors to lock for them, I only looked at half the storage as they were really pissed off.
    So I may missed them, but customer service is so bad, I don't think they are excepting customers who are not joe-schmoe.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,244
    edited 2016-08-01 15:01
    Ah well, they were still a great deal at 78 bucks. Mine was actually 70, it was a display model (only one left) so they knocked off 10 pct.

    So now I have two computers recommended by tonyp12, this Cambio and a big Toshiba laptop from Staples from 3 or 4 years ago, still going strong. I just put Win10 on that one, a piece of cake.

    You the man, tony.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,244
    edited 2017-04-09 18:23
    erco wrote: »
    Win10 9" combo at WM clearance for $70, micro USB only. Decent reviews.

    http://www.walmart.com/ip/Nextbook-Flexx-8.9-2-in-1-Tablet-32GB-Intel-Quad-Core-Windows-10/46664254

    Jeepers, this Nextbook I got has doubled in price to $140 at Walmart in a year. A shrewd investment.



  • ercoerco Posts: 20,244
    These things just won't go away. Fry's has a sale ($76) on an eMatic which looks just like the elusive iCraig, except the Windows button is on the side. This one comes with Win10 preloaded.

    BTW, I did get a prompt refund on my iCraig fro OD, so all's well in ercoland.

    http://www.frys.com/product/8665050?site=204premail041617

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    440 x 340 - 215K
  • TorTor Posts: 2,010
    edited 2017-04-20 17:54
    Turns out Microsoft sets a limit on these types of computers. They can't have more than 32 GB storage, and the RAM must be limited, plus other limitations - otherwise they drastically increase the Windows tax. And that's why the specs on these things are always very close to unusable.
  • So are these any good for programming props and ardiunos?
  • I got a very nice but not so cheap tablet: a Microsoft Surface Pro 4. I mostly bought it on Heater's recommendation. It seems to work quite nicely. Later tonight I'm going to try to connect its dock to my two 27" monitors.
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