Asus VivoTab Note 8.8-Inch Tablet, 1.86 GHz Intel Atom Quad Core Processor, Black

(Purchaser's son)BACKGROUND INFO: --------------------------------------------------I am a high school senior who is currently taking multiple college classes at the local community college. For a few years, I used an old-ish 15-inch Sony Vaio laptop to do most of my homework as well as a little light gaming. The system was not anything to brag about, but it got the job done. However, the Pentium B940 and 5400rpm hard drive gradually began to show their age as I continued to use the Vaio through high school. The performance did not change, but my patience did. Microsoft Word Starter would take about 20 long seconds to load before it was ready for me to start an essay. It wasn't until recently when I decided that the old leaf blower needed an upgrade.I came across the VivoTab Note 8 while browsing around Amazon. The core hardware specs did not impress, specifically the processor and 2gb of RAM, but some of the other features were appealing to me:- Preinstalled FULL version of Microsoft Office 2013 *without the limitations of Starter 2010.- Full Windows 8.1 32bit, *can be used like a desktop.- eMMC flash storage, *much faster than a 5400rpm hard drive.- 8-inch form factor, * ~1/4 the footprint and a fraction of the weight of my laptop for much greater portability.- InstantGo, *just press the power button and it instantly wakes up from its "tablet sleep mode."Most importantly, it had a built-in Wacom digitizer and stylus for accurate handwriting and sketching, which would rid of my need for notebooks and paper for taking notes in Economics. After reading/watching some reviews of the tablet, I was sold. The VivoTab was my dream laptop and paper replacement.REVIEW:---------------------------------------------------------------------Look and Feel:There are lighter and more attractive tablets on the market, like Dell's Venue 8 Pro, but the VivoTab Note 8 does not commit any sins. Some complain about the ASUS logo placed on the bottom of the device in portrait orientation, but it does not bother me. The back has a smooth rubberized texture which is pleasant to the touch. Holding the tablet with one hand and writing with the other feels natural. Holding it with two hands in landscape orientation feels comfortable as well, since it is not very heavy.Performance:The VivoTab managed to surprise me with its performance. I was expecting the tablet to show a stutter, or at least some sign of lacking performance, but it showed no such thing. The Atom Z3740 and eMMC drive proved to be much more responsive than the old Vaio I used for school. Word 2013 now takes less than 3 seconds on average to start up rather than 20 frustrating seconds. All webpages also seem to load quicker without switching our internet plan or ISP. Opening multiple apps and switching between them is never an issue, even with only 2gb of RAM. Despite being weaker than my laptop in terms of raw power (the Z3740's Passmark score is 700 points less than the B940), the tablet feels much faster and more efficient in almost every aspect. As a result, my assignments are being completed quicker. Other reviewers will be able to describe the tablet's gaming prowess (I have yet to try a decent game on it).Camera:What do you expect? It is a budget camera on a budget device. I never use the camera.Digitizer:I was concerned about the failure rate of the Wacom digitizer as many costumers have complained about this event. Fortunately, it has not failed on me, yet. Some have claimed that updating the digitizer's drivers may contribute to its failure, so I have not attempted to update. Actually, there seems to be no real reason to update the drivers. The stylus functions very accurately out of the box, enough to correctly mimic my penmanship. However, on my specific tablet, there appears to be a small 4x18mm "dead zone" with the digitizer on the top edge of the screen just left of the camera. This does not affect my writing or sketching in any significant way. Others have experienced a loss of the stylus' accuracy along all edges of the screen. Not so in my case. I wanted the VivoTab to replace my paper and pencil, and it has served my purpose.Software:Asus was very smart in their choice of preloaded software, which included... well... virtually nothing. I was unaware that this device would be pretty close to a clean install Windows 8.1. There is no annoying bloatware to be found. A nice touch, indeed. I absolutely love the fact that I can type all my essays, create all my presentations, edit all my spreadsheets, and take all my notes on one device thanks to the preinstalled full version of Microsoft Office 2013. It's a student's dream machine.Conclusion:If a person is in need of an 8-inch tablet for internet browsing, light computing, light gaming, and general entertainment, then the Dell Venue 8 Pro or other competing tablets might be a better deal. However, I would highly recommend the VivoTab Note 8 (the 64gb model specifically) for students or digital artists who want a tablet that can be used as a laptop on a desk, a notepad or sketchpad in the hands, and pretty much everything else that a Windows 8.1 computer can be used for. The fact that this small device contains the computing capabilities of a full Windows 8.1 desktop fascinates me. The tablet has successfully replaced my old laptop, as well as provided some added functionality which the laptop never had. I am very pleased with the VivoTab Note 8.

First, the reason for the four stars: There is only one port on the computer for peripherals. This wouldn't be a problem if there was a separate port for charging the device, but there isn't. Therefore, if it's plugged in for charging then you cannot plug in a flash drive or other peripherals.Other than that annoyance (which is a serious problem), this tablet is a full-fledged computer that runs the same Windows 8 or 8.1 as a desktop or laptop computer. And this is a big deal, because Windows is the only desktop operating system running on a tablet right now.Note: Google has no desktop operating system. It has Chrome (a web browser) that runs on Chromebooks and it has the Android system running on tablets and phones, but it has no desktop operating system. Therefore, you cannot engage in full computing. Its just a web browser. Android has apps, just like an iPad, but they aren't powerful, and the apps that have the same names as true programs (Photoshop, for example), are watered-down, simplified versions that cannot handle a heavy workload.Apple has a little more to offer than Google, and they make excellent products, but you can only use their desktop operating system on their desktop computers and their laptops. You cannot use their full computing operating system on a tablet or phone. This isn't a bad thing, necessarily, but it is a limiting factor when it comes to portable technology.Microsoft Windows is the only desktop operating system currently available on tablet. This is a big deal because you can run just about any program you can think of on these small Windows tablets. I have the Asus VivoTab 8-inch and have enjoyed it very much. I am able to use the entire Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Photoshop (the full version), Lightroom and more. Plus, because it's a real computer I can organize it just like any other Windows desktop or laptop computer. I choose what the desktop looks like, with folders, files, etc. I can move folders, put folders together, and....well....you get it. It's a true Windows computer, not an entertainment device.The bonus, of course, is that you can operate it with your hands and/or the included stylus. Important note: This is not a normal stylus. It is a Wacom digital stylus, with a fine tip. This makes it great for writing, navigating and more, but do NOT lose it. I lost it and have looked everywhere. I set it somewhere and should have placed it back in the tablet slot it's meant to stay in, but I was lazy for a moment and got what I deserved. It's a $40 stylus and doesn't work the same way as they cheap ones with the soft foam on the ends. Those work on the tablet for navigating and a few other uses (just like on an iPad), but cannot access all the features of the tablet. So don't lose your stylus.Nevertheless, the tablet can take a wireless keyboard and mouse through either bluetooth or a radio dongle (cheaper). It works great with a keyboard and mouse.Also, be sure to purchase a micro USB to USB adapter. They generally run about twenty bucks and are always available anywhere you can buy Samsung phones or tablets. It allows you to use regular USB devices with your tablet.One more piece you should also consider is a USB hub. They are about three inches by one inch by a half inch thick. It turns one USB drive into four, allowing you to connect a keyboard, mouse, thumb drive, or any other external USB product.I know what you might be thinking by now: "Attach a mouse, external keyboard, micro USB to USB adapter and a USB port? Forget it, I might as well get a laptop."That's a great option, of course, but keep in mind that you can set up a few peripherals at the office and a few at home, and then take you skinny tablet with you to both places, and when you don't need the other peripherals you have yourself a small, light tablet that can view photos, watch movies, netflix, etc., and all the other web browsing fun (facebook, shopping, etc.).Technical note: most of these 8-inch tablets have 1-2 GB of RAM. The 1GB devices are fine for browsing and most light function. But do yourself a favor and get a 2GB model. For reference, all iPads have 1GB of RAM, with one exception, the iPad Air 2. All iPhones have only 1GB of RAM, including the 6+. One GB of RAM is pretty far behind for any serious computing needs, especially if you are multitasking.Be mindful of cost. An 8-inch Windows tablet with 1GB of RAM should cost close to 100 bucks. a 2GB model should run you about 200. I got this one for around 180.If you need more RAM than 2 GB or faster processor, then move to a 10-inch model. Dell, Microsoft and others make 10-inch tablets with 2-8 GB of RAM. They ate heavier and more expensive, but they work great.Again. Asus should have made a separate charging port. You can't charge the unit and plug in a USB device at the same time. Not cool.