After being a laptop owner for quite a few years, I now want to get a decent 10" tablet to use at home & for when I visit different places. I was looking at various convertible tablets as even tho I do love touch screens, I also like the feel of a keyboard & the ability to fold the screen down onto the keyboard like a laptop / netbook.

The main models that I was looking at was

A Windows 8 based Acer Iconia W511 (3G version of the W510), I am not sure if this is Windows 8 where you can install Windows 7 compatible programs on, or if it is the other Windows 8 where you can only install apps from the store. This model is tempting for me as I am able to get it on a business tariff contract with my network.

The Asus transformer range (EEE Pad / Prime / Infinity / Slider)

I am not the richest of people so can only afford about £300 on a tablet if buying outright or a more expensive tablet via a network provider. The main things I need it for are

A lot of use at home & for long train / coach journeys, for watching films, playing games like candy crush & for viewing flash based streaming sites. Decent battery power is essential especially for long journeys & I understand that both the Acer W511 and Asus Transformer prime, come with a battery within the keyboard dock. 3G would be good but isn't essential providing I can connect using my Mifi or mobile tethering.

Opinions please

Well since no-one has replied so far I will. I've had a Transformer and later a Transformer Prime and found them both to be excellent - especially with the keyboard dock which doubles as a useful stand when on the train, aeroplane etc., as well as doubling battery life.

The ability to take a micro SD card is also very useful as you can preload this with films etc.

The lack of 3G didn't bother me as I either used a MiFi modem or, more usually, WiFi.

I sold both of mine on eBay where, with a little care, you can pick them up quite cheaply.

I would stay away from the Transformer pads for now as refresh is due. There are also problems stemming from bad or lack of TRIM which means after a long period of use, the tablet may start to lag on even basic tasks. There are some fixes out there but it requires rooting which is a bit techie. When do you intend to buy?

At that price range, transformers/convertibles are mainly Android.

A Surface RT may be an option as the prices are starting to drop as they are clearing stock.
The Dell XPS 10 is also in your price range.

Both of the above run Windows RT so only Windows Store apps but they do have full flash, something you can't come by easily on modern Android devices.

An alternative could be an iPad Mini with a keyboard cover?

I'd avoid the Surface RT as any sort of replacement for a laptop.

As a laptop it is very limited, mainly as you can't run standard Windows applications.

As a tablet it has very few apps available in the store, and the ones that exist don't seem as good as the same apps on other tablets.

Thank you for taking the time to reply as I had started to give up hope. I have heard a lot of good reports about the Transformer pads, so am keeping them in mind.


What is it you mean by refresh ?, is it like new products getting released ?. The TRIM thing does sound quite nasty & while I have upgraded Android firmware in the past & jailbroken Iphones, I have never rooted an Android device, due to not needing to do it. I am not afraid of learning how to root as I am quite tech minded & do love my gadgets, which kinda explains why I still haven't got a decent tablet as yet as I keep reading up about every one that catches my eye.

I intend to get the tablet in the next couple of months, I have been offered 3 different tablets on contract from my network which are the :

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 (£49 down payment then £26 per month for 2gb data)

Sony Xperia Tablet Z - (£0 down payment then £32 per month for 2gb data - The tablet itself is quite nice but according to every review, the battery life is horrendous when compared to other 10" devices)

Acer Iconia W511 (£79 down payment then £36 per month for 5gb data - The tablet itself is really nice & runs Windows 8 Pro, which means that you can install Windows applications on & are not limited to the ones on the store). The only downfall with the device is that it runs on a Atom processor & things like video playback with certain codecs becomes really choppy & unwatchable.

I have:

A Nexus 7
A Transformer TF01

Both served different purposes. The N7 was great for casual pickup and browse whereas the TF01 was great for taking away with the keyboard acting as protector, stand, and (most importantly) extended battery and even phone charger!

Recently, however, i have bought a touchscreen laptop with Windows 8.

I will admit that, even as an Android fan, the laptop is getting way more use than the tablets these days. I bought mine for under £500 (and that was a mid-range one i guess as you can get smaller screens or lower powered ones for significantly less) so my advice would be to seriously consider a touchscreen laptop as an option ..... particularly if you intend to use it at home with a power point accessible.

wow ..... thats a lot of money to shell out if you are talking 2 year contracts

I intend to use it at home for basic internet use, watch flash based streaming sites, odd film, basic flash games & need it for traveling for the same purposes, so decent battery life is a must.


Yes I do agree with you there almost a grand in total for the Windows tablet, but then saying that the 3G version of it currently retails at about £600 new, so just over £300 for 5gb data each month for a 2yr period, isn't that bad. At the end of the day should you get a mobile or computer on a data tariff, the network isn't going to give you the unit for free, you always end up paying for it. However as I am on a low income with a atrocious credit file, the only quick way of getting the tablet is by a contract on a data tariff. If I were to save for one, I would be looking at New Year at the earliest & I really want one to use on long journeys in the next couple of months.

Fair enough

A very generic reply. Did you read anything other than the thread title?

I wrote in my post, it only runs windows store apps plus flash.

OP said they wanted something for watching movies, browsing websites with flash and playing basic games.

The Surface RT can do all of those. iPad has no flash and modern android doesn't directly support flash.

I would strongly urge you to save and buy one at New Year when the next generation of devices will be available. Windows tablets that are cheaper, longer lasting on battery, thinner,cooler etc than now will be available then.

A couple of months' sacrifice is worth it if you're going to be using this quite a lot.

I am not sure but if the op has been checking reviews as they have stated, then they would surely know of the limitations of Surface RT & that the windows based tablet they were thinking of was one running Windows 8 pro, which means they wouldn't be faced with the same limitations of RT & were able to install apps that were not part of the store.

If you can stretch to another £50 the Note 10.1 is excellent.

The Transformer line's build quality isn't anything special.
I first had a TF101 (the original Transformer Pad) which had to be returned due to creaking/light bleed.
Slow internal storage also crippled both tablets, (I until recently had a TF300T). Web browsing was a nightmare due to slow write speeds/lockups.
Banding also appeared on the TF300T (due to a poor quality screen). When I sent it in they sent it back to me scratched and with the casing popping out, and the LCD screen was not straight. Argos saw this and offered me the Note 10.1 (+ £50 cash back as it was cheaper).

The experience did teach me one thing though. After giving Asus a second chance, steer clear of their tablets

Also, rooting voids the Asus' standard warranty as the bootloader needs unlocking.

Yes, there's a new line of transformer pads in the coming month or so with Tegra 4 and/or better chipsets.

It might not be the TRIM or there lack of but as Mr Cool says there are issues with slow internal storage (which may due lack of TRIM which helps to keep the flash memory working at optimal efficiency). At any rate Tegra 3 is a generation behind now, possibly 1.5 if there's such a thing!

The Galaxy Tab 2 has a pretty poor and slow dual core chipset by today's standards so definitely no. The Xperia Z (phone and tablet) have a S4 Pro which is also found in Nexus 4 which I own. This chipset is Qualcomm Quad core and has the same graphics chip as those found in the new S4, HTC One etc. In essence, the system really flies and the only flaw is laggy browser but that's specific to Chrome on Android and not the tablet itself. In addition it has a 1920x1200 display which, although not as high as the Nexus 10 is still really good for a tablet.
I honestly can't recommend a W8 tablet, even if it is not RT; until Haswell is rolled out to the mobile range including the Atoms, battery life and performance will just be subpar and give an inferior experience.

Toshiba are releasing their Excite Pro with a Nexus 10 matching display and Tegra 4 chipset on July, I've seen that a dock may be on the cards but I don't know much more than that. Basically, hang tight till July or just get the Xperia Z.

Wow that is very useful information, I haven't heard of Haswell, will have to do some more research it seems. I have noticed that Samsung are doing a event tonight, where it is expected that they will reveal the Galaxy Tab 3. So will wait & see what comes of that.

I was considering the note 10.1 as it did look a really nice bit of kit, but there has been many reports of it not charging properly, especially after a firmware update.

I can't really comment on that because (touch wood) it's not happened to me.