The sub-par cameras are not big cons in my opinion as 1.3 megapixel resolution is sufficient for video chatting and I'm not going to be taking pictures with a tablet.
However, both Amazon and Newegg give its weight at 3.3 pounds. That's nearly two pounds heavier than an iPad 2, and a dealbreaker to me. The article says it weighs 1.87 pounds. Clarification...?
And for what it's worth, I'd take MSI's word over the newegg spec sheet. I love newegg to death, but it is not unheard of for them to have an inaccuracy on a spec sheet.
No. I have a desktop w/ 30GB SSD. Windows 7 installed fine & only took <1/3rd of the space. 1 yr later & Windows 7 now occupies >20GB with most of the space dedicated to the dreaded winsxs folder. The latest service pack won't install because i'm down to <100MB free space.
I was thinking the same thing. I always loved having a small C:\ drive and Windows 7 initially leaves you to believe its going to be slick and small. Microsoft definitely needs to do something about the winsxs folder, while I know it prevents driver hell, there has to be some reasonable way to get it to a manageable state.
i might buy this i.s.o my ipad2 but only when the OS would be more tablet oriented, i am affraid that win7 just won't cut it with the features like other tablets have, but then again not sure since i dedn't test it yet.
on the other hand its easier with all the windows apps that are out there and common used...
good lord you guys need to friggin LEARN what the winsxs folder is. You windows folder is NOT as big as right click -> properties says. That method counts most of the files twice (or more).
Also turn off hibernate and / or make your swap file smaller.
<sarcasm> So let me summarize: you are playing HD movies on a tablet, and your biggest problem is that it has artifacts. Man, do I admire you....
Ok, I'm not a big movie fan, I rarely ever watch them, and that's in a proper cinema. There I'd be pissed off to see artifacts, but I usually don't...
Would I ever crave for watching movies on the go, I wouldn't give sh*t about the picture quality, given the resolution is at least 800x480...
But I have an idea: Get yourself a 22" HD LED display, and get a sizey UPS to power it, while you travel. Now you all have to do is to duct tape the tablet to the display, and connect them via HDMI. I bet image quality will be good enough. Oh, also be sure to get an IPS panel display...
What is the obsession with high resolution on ~10" display. I've worked on 1080p 15.6" laptop before and it was god awful. I have a perfect eye sight but after a week of using it I probably needed some glasses. I work with a lot of spreadsheets and generally if one does not fit in 720p it won't fit in 1080p. If all you do on a tablet is watch movie, then be my guest. For everyone else 1080p on a 10" screen is a waste (burden).
Making a screen high resolution doesn't mean that all text on it has to be small and hard to read. The best example is the difference between the iPhone 4 and it's predecessors; Apple quadrupled the resolution without changing the scale. You can adjust the scale of text globally in windows, and android scales everything. If the text on your device is too small, change the scale. If you can't change the scale, it's a software problem, not a hardware problem.
Eyestrain doesn't cause bad eyesight. That's a myth that has lived on for far too long.
Looking at a screen is no different from looking at a sheet of paper at a similar distance and under similar lighting, but eyestrain can cause problems, same as straining any other part of your body. It's usually temporary (same as any other part of your body), but as you get older things are more likely to "snap".
I know a professional photographer (in his 50s) who went from normal eyesight to having to wear glasses (presbyopia, right eye only) after an intensive 2-day photoshoot. There was probably already something wrong with his eye, but clearly the extra effort caused some damage that his body just gave up on repairing.
Are you sure that isn't just a problem with the video player, video hardware? It shouldn't be showing any artifacts no matter how you scale the video.
Moving to 16:10 will make scaling much less of an issue for this tablet. Sure, 1080p would be ideal, but it's pretty easy to turn 1080p video into 720p.
The artifacting is caused by the crappy scaler on the iPad. This tablet has a real GPU. Open a movie on a system with a UVD Radeon GPU, scale the window to 1280 pixels, and you'll see the scaling is fine.
There's no real benefit to having 1920x1080 on such a small screen; if your eyes are far enough to focus, they'll be too far to make out the individual pixels, and vice-versa. Increasing the resolution will only make text and icons smaller (and many applications don't let your resize their font).
Windows 7 is great for tablets, all the articles that say it's not are just written by retards repeating what they hear without ever trying it for themselves. And if you "dunno about x86 on tablets", shut up and just stick with an oversized phone that can't even make calls instead. For some people, running real programs is important.
Indeed, I'd only get an x86 tablet if I was getting one at all. Still don't think I need one. My next portable device will either be a netbook or tablet, but I think smooth 1080p playback and 1080p native resolution will be what I'll be looking for. Not just because I would use those things, but being able to handle video smoothly will probably automatically mean it has the minimum hardware requirements to not be crappy in general.
Perhaps I'll grab a tablet later on based on AMD Khrishna running Windows 8.
Well I was going by the photo in the article. It could be that they just superimposed a Win7 desktop onto that tablet, but if that's what it really looks like, it doesn't seem very good at all unless you have a mouse going. The system tray / notification area would be pretty much impossible to deal with using a finger alone. Of course, Microsoft appears to agree since Windows 8 will have a more tablet-oriented customization. Oh and run on ARM too.
That doesn't mean MS agrees, it means MS thinks windows 8 will sell better if they do this. If enough people are convinced that x86 is crap and you need a dumbed down interface on a tablet to be able to use it, it doesn't matter if it's not true because you wont sell your x86 full featured interface system.
x86 tablets/slates work just fine. I've been using an ASUS EP-121 for the past 4 months with no interface issues whatsoever; and guess what ... flash works and no mysterious iPad reboots. It would be great to see a review put the MSI head-to-head with the ASUS to see if it really is a good lower cost alternative to the EP-121. I will definitely say that having now used Win7 on a slate for a while, there's no way I could go back to the limited functionality of an iPad or Android based tablet.
Lol, you know, just for kicks I visited this idiots site. Terrible. Some stupid store hosted on the world's slowest server with crap web design. Diaf Captain Spamhole.
Would Anandtech consider looking into a roundup of bargain basement ~$100 tablets?
I see brands such as Eken, MID and Genica offering 8" tablets based on VIA hardware which can run Flash videos (at least according to Youtube vids of some of these devices). Resistive touchscreens for sure but the pricing puts them closer to ebook readers, and I'd be interested to know what the positives are to picking a cheapo tablet over a Kindle for instance. Almost an impulse buy.
A friend bought one from China. Actually the second one worked. And sucked big time... It is a $100 7" Android device, but I'd consider it at its price for $40... It did actually work, but it was no fun in using it...
I'd like to help with a few issues people seem to have about this tablet.
1. Space: 32GBs isn't alot of a windows tablet. There will be a 64GB model coming out most likely, but for those who don't want to wait just buy a SD card. 32GB class 10s aren't even that bad price wise and ussually you get charged $100 for ever storage upgrade on a table model anyways.
2. Windows + Touch Screen = Bad: Not alot of articles are pointing it out but this model has a optical mouse that supports right clicking build it. Not much harder to use then a touch bad on a laptop. This is the main reason I'm buying this one over the Acer like it.
3. Can't Right Click: Yes you can. See comment # 2.
With this have a dualcore APU w/ DX11, flash, and HD video support, it blow away everything intel has out right now for netbooks and tablets. You not limited to crappy apps since its has Windows. You can run any program you want. I plan to use it for multimedia and run quickbooks on it so I can take mobile payments and keep track of records easily. Also going to come in handing for easily viewing PDF manuels while doing onsite repairs. The full size usb port and Windows native device sport are also a blessing. Try getting a Android tablet to work with any device you want to hookup to it. For busness users like me, this is a life saver. I'll leave Android and iOS to my cell phone.
"Windows + Touch Screen = Bad" I disagree, I have used Windows 7 on tablets ever since early beta (on a M912X) and am now using it on a TM2, it works great. But I won't go about this again here, I've repeated myself enough in many other posts already. I just wonder, have you ever used it yourself to form an opinion?
And about the optical trackpad of the 110W, yeah that's a nice idea. I don't like the "rightclick" by click and hold though, thats the same way as the rightclick by touch and is not usable in games or other apps that require faster rightclicks. It wouldn't have killed them to add a dedicated button for it and would have improved usability so much more...
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crispbp04 - Thursday, July 7, 2011 - link
I have my pre-order in at newegg... taking a gamble!Gigantopithecus - Thursday, July 7, 2011 - link
The sub-par cameras are not big cons in my opinion as 1.3 megapixel resolution is sufficient for video chatting and I'm not going to be taking pictures with a tablet.However, both Amazon and Newegg give its weight at 3.3 pounds. That's nearly two pounds heavier than an iPad 2, and a dealbreaker to me. The article says it weighs 1.87 pounds. Clarification...?
crenshaw1979 - Thursday, July 7, 2011 - link
Shipping weightGigantopithecus - Thursday, July 7, 2011 - link
From Newegg:Physical spec
Dimensions
10.66" x 7.20" x 0.61"
Weight
3.3 lbs
...Are those the dimensions of the box it ships in, too? :P
From Amazon:
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
cscpianoman - Thursday, July 7, 2011 - link
From MSI's own website: 1.87lbs.http://www.msimobile.com/level3_productpage.aspx?c...
GaMEChld - Friday, July 8, 2011 - link
And for what it's worth, I'd take MSI's word over the newegg spec sheet. I love newegg to death, but it is not unheard of for them to have an inaccuracy on a spec sheet.Spacecomber - Thursday, July 7, 2011 - link
After windows 7 is installed, how much hard drive space is left? Will this be enough for this device?sammsiam - Thursday, July 7, 2011 - link
No. I have a desktop w/ 30GB SSD. Windows 7 installed fine & only took <1/3rd of the space. 1 yr later & Windows 7 now occupies >20GB with most of the space dedicated to the dreaded winsxs folder. The latest service pack won't install because i'm down to <100MB free space.Cashmoney995 - Friday, July 8, 2011 - link
I was thinking the same thing. I always loved having a small C:\ drive and Windows 7 initially leaves you to believe its going to be slick and small. Microsoft definitely needs to do something about the winsxs folder, while I know it prevents driver hell, there has to be some reasonable way to get it to a manageable state.duploxxx - Friday, July 8, 2011 - link
My 1,5Y old netbook with win7 premium has 11GB windows space used.Laptop with win7 Ultimate 19GB windows space used.
depends on what you install on the platform.... I am sure the MSI guys are clever enough to deactivate and uninstall the garbage.
duploxxx - Friday, July 8, 2011 - link
i might buy this i.s.o my ipad2 but only when the OS would be more tablet oriented, i am affraid that win7 just won't cut it with the features like other tablets have, but then again not sure since i dedn't test it yet.on the other hand its easier with all the windows apps that are out there and common used...
extide - Saturday, July 9, 2011 - link
good lord you guys need to friggin LEARN what the winsxs folder is. You windows folder is NOT as big as right click -> properties says. That method counts most of the files twice (or more).Also turn off hibernate and / or make your swap file smaller.
prime2515103 - Thursday, July 7, 2011 - link
Throw in Gorilla Glass and a pen and I'll take one.surt - Thursday, July 7, 2011 - link
I want a 1920x1080 tablet so I can play movies in native resolution and not get the horrible artifacting from the rescaling that you get on ipad2 etc.LGrill - Thursday, July 7, 2011 - link
Thinking the same, not so much for movies but just a higher resolution in general. Plus the fact NVIDIA Tegra 4 is around the corner.ppeterka - Friday, July 8, 2011 - link
<sarcasm>So let me summarize: you are playing HD movies on a tablet, and your biggest problem is that it has artifacts. Man, do I admire you....
Ok, I'm not a big movie fan, I rarely ever watch them, and that's in a proper cinema. There I'd be pissed off to see artifacts, but I usually don't...
Would I ever crave for watching movies on the go, I wouldn't give sh*t about the picture quality, given the resolution is at least 800x480...
But I have an idea: Get yourself a 22" HD LED display, and get a sizey UPS to power it, while you travel. Now you all have to do is to duct tape the tablet to the display, and connect them via HDMI. I bet image quality will be good enough. Oh, also be sure to get an IPS panel display...
</sarcasm>
jonup - Friday, July 8, 2011 - link
What is the obsession with high resolution on ~10" display. I've worked on 1080p 15.6" laptop before and it was god awful. I have a perfect eye sight but after a week of using it I probably needed some glasses. I work with a lot of spreadsheets and generally if one does not fit in 720p it won't fit in 1080p. If all you do on a tablet is watch movie, then be my guest. For everyone else 1080p on a 10" screen is a waste (burden).Wieland - Friday, July 8, 2011 - link
Making a screen high resolution doesn't mean that all text on it has to be small and hard to read. The best example is the difference between the iPhone 4 and it's predecessors; Apple quadrupled the resolution without changing the scale. You can adjust the scale of text globally in windows, and android scales everything. If the text on your device is too small, change the scale. If you can't change the scale, it's a software problem, not a hardware problem.Eyestrain doesn't cause bad eyesight. That's a myth that has lived on for far too long.
Justin Case - Friday, July 8, 2011 - link
Looking at a screen is no different from looking at a sheet of paper at a similar distance and under similar lighting, but eyestrain can cause problems, same as straining any other part of your body. It's usually temporary (same as any other part of your body), but as you get older things are more likely to "snap".I know a professional photographer (in his 50s) who went from normal eyesight to having to wear glasses (presbyopia, right eye only) after an intensive 2-day photoshoot. There was probably already something wrong with his eye, but clearly the extra effort caused some damage that his body just gave up on repairing.
Wieland - Friday, July 8, 2011 - link
Are you sure that isn't just a problem with the video player, video hardware? It shouldn't be showing any artifacts no matter how you scale the video.Moving to 16:10 will make scaling much less of an issue for this tablet. Sure, 1080p would be ideal, but it's pretty easy to turn 1080p video into 720p.
Justin Case - Friday, July 8, 2011 - link
The artifacting is caused by the crappy scaler on the iPad. This tablet has a real GPU. Open a movie on a system with a UVD Radeon GPU, scale the window to 1280 pixels, and you'll see the scaling is fine.There's no real benefit to having 1920x1080 on such a small screen; if your eyes are far enough to focus, they'll be too far to make out the individual pixels, and vice-versa. Increasing the resolution will only make text and icons smaller (and many applications don't let your resize their font).
jwcalla - Thursday, July 7, 2011 - link
They need Windows 8 on that thing because that interface looks very difficult to deal with.Also I dunno about x86 on tablets.
Visual - Friday, July 8, 2011 - link
Windows 7 is great for tablets, all the articles that say it's not are just written by retards repeating what they hear without ever trying it for themselves.And if you "dunno about x86 on tablets", shut up and just stick with an oversized phone that can't even make calls instead. For some people, running real programs is important.
GaMEChld - Friday, July 8, 2011 - link
Indeed, I'd only get an x86 tablet if I was getting one at all. Still don't think I need one. My next portable device will either be a netbook or tablet, but I think smooth 1080p playback and 1080p native resolution will be what I'll be looking for. Not just because I would use those things, but being able to handle video smoothly will probably automatically mean it has the minimum hardware requirements to not be crappy in general.Perhaps I'll grab a tablet later on based on AMD Khrishna running Windows 8.
jwcalla - Friday, July 8, 2011 - link
Well I was going by the photo in the article. It could be that they just superimposed a Win7 desktop onto that tablet, but if that's what it really looks like, it doesn't seem very good at all unless you have a mouse going. The system tray / notification area would be pretty much impossible to deal with using a finger alone. Of course, Microsoft appears to agree since Windows 8 will have a more tablet-oriented customization. Oh and run on ARM too.Finraziel - Sunday, July 10, 2011 - link
That doesn't mean MS agrees, it means MS thinks windows 8 will sell better if they do this. If enough people are convinced that x86 is crap and you need a dumbed down interface on a tablet to be able to use it, it doesn't matter if it's not true because you wont sell your x86 full featured interface system.ludikraut - Monday, July 11, 2011 - link
x86 tablets/slates work just fine. I've been using an ASUS EP-121 for the past 4 months with no interface issues whatsoever; and guess what ... flash works and no mysterious iPad reboots. It would be great to see a review put the MSI head-to-head with the ASUS to see if it really is a good lower cost alternative to the EP-121. I will definitely say that having now used Win7 on a slate for a while, there's no way I could go back to the limited functionality of an iPad or Android based tablet.l8r)
GaMEChld - Friday, July 8, 2011 - link
Lol, you know, just for kicks I visited this idiots site. Terrible. Some stupid store hosted on the world's slowest server with crap web design. Diaf Captain Spamhole.ProDigit - Friday, July 8, 2011 - link
Probably 3 to 4 hours operating, 8 standby in battery life?Mugur - Friday, July 8, 2011 - link
I'd say more like 5-6h of heavy browsing on wifi...munky - Friday, July 8, 2011 - link
I've been tracking this one for a while. Instead of spending $600 for oversized phones, I'd rather get something like this with real capabilities.ouchtastic - Friday, July 8, 2011 - link
Would Anandtech consider looking into a roundup of bargain basement ~$100 tablets?I see brands such as Eken, MID and Genica offering 8" tablets based on VIA hardware which can run Flash videos (at least according to Youtube vids of some of these devices). Resistive touchscreens for sure but the pricing puts them closer to ebook readers, and I'd be interested to know what the positives are to picking a cheapo tablet over a Kindle for instance. Almost an impulse buy.
ppeterka - Monday, July 11, 2011 - link
A friend bought one from China. Actually the second one worked. And sucked big time... It is a $100 7" Android device, but I'd consider it at its price for $40... It did actually work, but it was no fun in using it...Zap - Friday, July 8, 2011 - link
Finally someone is making a netbook without a keyboard, LOL.funkdat - Monday, July 11, 2011 - link
I'd like to help with a few issues people seem to have about this tablet.1. Space: 32GBs isn't alot of a windows tablet. There will be a 64GB model coming out most likely, but for those who don't want to wait just buy a SD card. 32GB class 10s aren't even that bad price wise and ussually you get charged $100 for ever storage upgrade on a table model anyways.
2. Windows + Touch Screen = Bad: Not alot of articles are pointing it out but this model has a optical mouse that supports right clicking build it. Not much harder to use then a touch bad on a laptop. This is the main reason I'm buying this one over the Acer like it.
3. Can't Right Click: Yes you can. See comment # 2.
With this have a dualcore APU w/ DX11, flash, and HD video support, it blow away everything intel has out right now for netbooks and tablets. You not limited to crappy apps since its has Windows. You can run any program you want. I plan to use it for multimedia and run quickbooks on it so I can take mobile payments and keep track of records easily. Also going to come in handing for easily viewing PDF manuels while doing onsite repairs. The full size usb port and Windows native device sport are also a blessing. Try getting a Android tablet to work with any device you want to hookup to it. For busness users like me, this is a life saver. I'll leave Android and iOS to my cell phone.
Visual - Friday, August 12, 2011 - link
"Windows + Touch Screen = Bad"I disagree, I have used Windows 7 on tablets ever since early beta (on a M912X) and am now using it on a TM2, it works great. But I won't go about this again here, I've repeated myself enough in many other posts already. I just wonder, have you ever used it yourself to form an opinion?
And about the optical trackpad of the 110W, yeah that's a nice idea. I don't like the "rightclick" by click and hold though, thats the same way as the rightclick by touch and is not usable in games or other apps that require faster rightclicks. It wouldn't have killed them to add a dedicated button for it and would have improved usability so much more...
boenxx - Wednesday, July 13, 2011 - link
Windows 7 with AMD z-01, is it much power to drive win7?