Hey, folks!
I'm facing to a hard dilemma. I can't consider, whether i schould pick an a100 piece from Acer or Dell.
I've read a ton of topics about dell on my favorite xda, so the shortcommings of this one are for me clear:
1. Display. For me that isn't a major shortcoming, cause i'm blind, i have a -4.5 diopters and 'm currently without glasses :sad:
2. Battery. At first, i wanna mention, that i want a non-3g version, cause AFIAK rumors are saying that it sucks the battery less. I know about "removing phone.apk, connectivity.apk and stuff like that" tweek, and anybody, who had tested this, mentioned that it doesn't give a drastic result ("4 times more"- the title of that toppic says :huh:, thats a little bit naive.)
I don't wanna my unit to last 2 hours with a simple WiFi browsing.
But, one user at well-known here russian forum 4pda (i'm from Moscow) told me a riddicously unbeliveable thing. He told me, that his WiFi-only unit lasts 2 days (!!!) without switching WiFi off, with 3 hours playing Samurai 2 and reading an Ebook. Is he F<>ing kidding me?!
As for Acer, this is kinda new piece, without any deacent information and any clear future situation with community. But the one drowback of this we know.
Again, this is a stupid lack of battery! Why?!
Another question: why the Acer's unit have TWICE as small battery as Dell's Streak 7 (1530 mah vs. ca. 2800) and lasts longer(8 hours of Web-browsing)?! Or the person on 4pda has done the apk's trick and he's right?
I don't realy know.
Please, folks help me. And i'm sure for many other people this information will be usefull.
Sorry for the maybe too strong emotions and for a little bit wrong spelling.
Thank you.
Let me share my experience with you. I have the wifi ds7 running Stockrom 2.2.2. The only thing I have the done is root it and remove the phone & telephony apk. I set my power setting to "aggressive" so that the data connection shuts down when the ds7 is in standby. I use my ds7 mainly for web browsing and I get 8-9 hours battery life. This is good enough for me because I charge it each night. I hope this help you.
otnos said:
I use my ds7 mainly for web browsing and I get 8-9 hours battery life.
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Click to collapse
You are usually browsing with WiFi, right? And how much time of thouse 8-9 hours do u browse?
So, another question, everybody knows, that Honeycomb has a eternal bar at the bottom. And Dell Streak has 800x480. Do the most games run properly on Honeystreak?
However, thank you, Otnos for your reply. But i want to hear any other oppinions, cause we all have a little bit different use conditions
The Acer A100 is a year newer than the streak 7, its motherboard, chipset, screen, wifi adapter, will all be slightly newer, more energy efficient than the streaks.
It also comes with honeycomb 3.2, so it wont be putting any of its energy trying to ping (looking for) a mobile network. Even the wifi only version of the streak 7 does this, being android 2.2 (a phone built OS), one of the benifits mentioned of honeycomb for the streak 7 in all the 'honeycomb coming for streak 7 articles' you might read. So you won't need to worry about the phone.apk and all that anyways. (With the wifi version airplane mode would of done it anyways!)
"Who brings out a wifi only gadget that try's to ping mobile phones networks, for any reason, then tries to pass off blame to the way the used the Android linux code"
I've been considering the move to an Acer for a while now. Theres about £50 difference in it here in the UK. These are portable touchscreens, seeing as they have the same function, the ONLY difference i see really is the screen and the battery. There is nothing else.
You say the screen resolution isn't that much to you. Not on numbers maybe, but this is nothing but a screen you touch, and will be doing for however long you use it. All have the same function, so really screen res and battery are the only difference. And trust me, you can tell, it may not sound a lot when looked at with numbers; 800×480 vs 1024x600. But that % difference on a small screen makes a huge difference.
As far as battery is concerned, the battery of the dell may have 40% more (mah) than the Acer. And I believe your friend. I can get almost 2 days out of my streak with airplane mode and the cpu underclocked with general wifi use. But despite the Acer's battery is smaller, most the components are a year newer and alot more energy efficient. So for a general use I believe they would be about the same, but the Acer's screen would look nicer the whole time. !!
At the same time, if you were deciding to play games or watch movies the whole time, the things that will push and pull from the cpu, gpu and tegra 2 chipset, you will get more time out of the streak 7 and its bigger battery. The tegra 2 setup draws as much power as it did a year ago when asked.
I've been a proud owner of the streak 7 for nearly a year now. And I cant say its a bad toy. Its a fun unit. But I don't see Dell in the tablet market. They have released 2 (or 3 if you count the streak 5). I see them now as a company who try and catch their PC and laptop market with the and cash in with the occasional tablet. And yet cannot do it aswell.
Acer, have made many and many, and are obviously putting a lot of resource all year into doing so. Android tablets and windows. They have been making tablets a lot longer than dell, and have made more, and will be doing so. Dell will use their PC/Laptop brand to sell one every now and then and cash in.
And I know when I come to upgrade a year or two from now, the Acer I have will be worth more, and I will spend that time looking at and touching a nicer touch screen!!! That can do the same. Maybe with a little less battery life when im pushing with games. And there's a guaranteed fact I will get more software upgrades and support.
"Who brings out a wifi only gadget that try's to ping a mobile phone network, for any reason, then tries to pass off blame to the OS they choose to use, and even after a year of potential update's still havn't sorted it"
Thank you for such great and helpful post, medseven.
No problem. As you can guess i've been thinking about the same lately.
Or should i pick the Playbook?
There is no useable Android java maschine on it currently, but it defenitlly have one in the future.
And how about portability?
Just wanted to add some info. The battery is fairly decent in the streak, I was able to watch 3 2hr movies and still had juice to browse the web for a bit (left wifi on while the movies were playing). HoneyComb (3.2) can be easily flashed to the Streak 7, and its pretty stable (just look for honeystreak, it gets updated pretty darn frequently). As far as dell releasing it with 2.2.2 and not updating it, its actually not their fault. From what I understand either google or t-mobile will not allow them to release 3.2, can't get a straight answer from them. But, Dell has had working versions of 3.2 for it for MONTHS but are unable to release it.
The A100 looks like a great tablet, but its $100+ more than the Streak7 in the states (Streak7 can be had for $200-250 while the 16GB A100 is $350+). I would much rather have the nicer screen on the A100, but it's just not worth the price difference. Also, the Streak 7 doesn't have HDMI while the A100 has micro-HDMI out.
Moises08 said:
Or should i pick the Playbook?
There is no useable Android java maschine on it currently, but it defenitlly have one in the future.
And how about portability?
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Click to collapse
Dont buy anything right now wait fot black friday all theses tablets will beon fire sale or save your money for ipad 3 ultimate tablet...plus chicks will dig you lol
Related
So, right now, I have a desktop PC and a laptop PC that I use on a regular basis. The desktop is my master system and is good for another 2 years definitely. My laptop has been aging and we're on the verge of a revolution in small PCs.
I have a Dell XPS M140 that I upgraded to 2GB RAM. It has 80GB of hard disk space, CD/DVD burner, and Windows 7. It's getting old and I wondered if everyone could chip in some advice for a replacement.
I spent like $600 on it originally, so I'd like to stick with that price or less. I use it to browse the web and watch internet videos on it while I play XBox360 or when I have people over. I use it to feed to my TV when I have a movie to watch (movie file, not a DVD). I also take it with me on any vacations in the hotel room to keep connected to the internet.
For a replacement, I'm looking for the following...
-CD/DVD drive
-video out
-at least 120GB of disk space
-ability to run Windows 7 Ultimate with Aero
-ability to have 2GB of RAM at least
-USB ports
-Wifi (of course)
-A good processor
-HARD keyboard
-multitouch screen
-$600 or less
Preferred but optional
-ethernet port
-webcam
-4 USB ports
There may not be anything out there just yet that meets all the requirements, but if anything's close, let me know.
I have a Dell XPS M140 too. Great system. I loved the battery life -- 7.5 hours when I bought it like 3 or 4 years ago. But now its old and I rarely use it.
I've migrated to a Samsung N120 netbook. The keyboard is great even though its smaller form factor. The portability is excellent. It's so comfortable to use even with the 97% sized keyboard and 10" screen that I am still able to do most of my programming on it. So it can be used every day for hours with no eye strain or me wanting to throw it cause the keyboard is awkward. I love it.
I've run Windows 7 on it and it runs great once I upgraded it to 2GB. I did go thru the Windows Services and set to manual/disable some of those that I don't need (heavy networking ones) that made it a little faster. It can run OSX too as a side benefit. You can pop in a 640GB in here for cheap if you feel comfortable taking it apart.
I know there is going to be complaints about the processor speed...its a slow Atom. For daily browsing use its not that much difference than the M140's 1.73ghz P-Mobile. I do agree that its slow on Youtube videos and having multiple flash animations on the same page. The newer generation of netbooks are faster and will probably do a better job. Also Adobe is releasing a new version of Flash very soon that they have tweaked and stating would allow the Netbook to view Youtube without the jitters.
If you already have a desktop that is powerful enough for the heavy lifting tasks (photoshopping/video editing/filesharing/etc) then if I were you I would look into a netbook for its portability and convenience. It can still photoshopping btw, just going to take a little longer with the filters and handling large image sizes. And of course it is harder on the small screen.
You can get a great netbook in the $300-350 and get an external slim DVD burner for $50. If you do a lot of traveling or working away from home like at a cafe or just like having it on your lap surfing while you are in front of the TV, a 10" netbook is the way to go.
for the touchscreen thing,
i think you should buy additional hardware such as DUO.
Hmm. Very interesting! Thanks for the feedback.
I really appreciate that another M140 user out there has spoken. I haven't found anyone with this "XPS mini"!
When I upgraded to Windows 7, I can't believe how smooth everything ran. It really sold Windows 7 for me. Yeah, my desktop was faster but, wow, it turned by old M140 into a new PC. I haven't done much programming since college and even then, I did more making Counterstrike maps on their CAD-like interface software than anything.
I was really considering netbooks and your advice fits in well. I like the idea of add-on hardware like DUO to make anything touchscreen, but I would like to be ahead of the game with my new purchase. I felt like even my M140 purchase was behind the game. My desktop was nicely fit with a quad-core masterpiece at the time. Now it's commonplace.
I think a netbook fits my needs perfectly, but maybe I'm waiting for the next wave to include multitouch netbooks. The technology is definitely there, and fortunately it shouldn't be that expensive. I was waiting for someone to post the latest Eee multitouch PC, but I know that the processor is child's play.
I guess I see myself owning 3 systems...
Desktop PC - currently fulfilled need
Multitouch PC - for portability and ahead of the game portacomputing
Slate Phone - I know there's phones and then there's slates, but I won't be buying a replacement for my Rhodium until a nice slate phone arrives (with slide out hard keyboard, of course)
These 3 systems will practically make me have a mess in my pants. We're on the verge of #2, but I know I might have to wait 2 years for a good #3.
I'm staying away from virtual keyboards forever. I know how they are and I know what they can do, but I cannot accept 30 wpm slower. Unacceptable.
Great advice guys, and I really do appreciate your input. Tablet PCs are going to erupt soon, to prove that the iPad is garbage. And I just can't wait for the results. I dream of a day when I can just pop out my multitouch netbook in the comfy Hyatt hotel bed and respond to the next great XDA post.
I actually was looking tonight and there really isn't anything out there right now. I really hope this market picks up. The closest thing is the newest Eee PC, with a processor at 1.66 MHz. My M140 is at 1.73, so I can't go lower. Let's hope for a nice push in products...
Dell should hit this up. The only Multitouch tablet they offer is over $2k!!!!
I bought a LOADED HP tx2000z two years ago because I thought that I'd actually use the touchscreen/wacom digitizer. Boy was I wrong. 2000 bucks later, I honestly wish I would have bought a macbook pro over this POS.
Using a mouse or keyboard still is faster. Windows is not designed well for using a touch screen. Plus, that tiny swivel point where the screen connects to the rest of the computer isn't quite as strong as I had once thought, and all the wiring inside of it, over time, starts to get shorts in it. My sound crackles as I swivel the screen. Also, HP doesn't have the best of build quality in general. However, the digitizer does do an excellent job of speeding things up in photoshop.
My advise: Stay away from laptops with touch screens. Unless you spend the majority of your time in photoshop, it won't be worth it.
got the earlier tx1270 little brother of tx2000z
it get too hot to use in tablet mode and it's too fat and it makes too much noise
speedfan say the gpu is 89c in idle
the heat caused the wifi to stop working
but it was good for reading eComics on if I could stand the heat
I'm not put off tablets yet though
what laptop to get is really down to what one use it for
if it's surfing in the sofa netbooks are great and got long batt
but some people like to game on their laptops in which case they end up having to pay
a lot
got 2 dell work laptops both ugly and plastic'ish but better quality then crappy hp
and got a acer very underpowered one but manage with xubuntu
gf got a new macbook pro cost an arm and leg and kidney but the build quality is pretty good
osx remind me of linux really in a closed platform version though
if I were looking to get a laptop now I would look at tablets without combi keyboard option like the hp got
otherwise I would look at asus eebooks or whatever they are called
Hmm, good points. I guess my consideration for getting something with multitouch is basically to make sure that I'm consistent with the market. If that's what people are buying, I want to have my copy, just in case software erupts for it.
But I'm surprised at the story about the shoddy HP hardware.
I could, however, see how I can use a touchscreen with Windows 7. I won't touch Apple products because they don't suit my needs, but I guess that's why I won't spend $2k on a tablet PC. It sounds like it's just not worth that much.
Rudegar said:
got the earlier tx1270 little brother of tx2000z
it get too hot to use in tablet mode and it's too fat and it makes too much noise
speedfan say the gpu is 89c in idle
the heat caused the wifi to stop working
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Click to collapse
I've had the SAME exact problems with my tx1219. Too loud, too hot, wifi stops working, and also the touchscreen is horrible.
I've only worked with the tx2000 for 10 minutes, so I can't comment on the problems, but the the touchscreen was really good on it.
yeah tx2000 and up have vacom active digtizer and some got capative with dual touch
but I don't trust their quality so even if they look good on papir I don't want to pay that much with such a high risk of being ripped off
With so many tablets coming out over the next few months, it seems to be a task just to find out which is the best value. We have some dual-cores, which are about 2X as much as the Archos 101 tablet; Google employees stating that Android's current state is not meant for the tablet form-factor; Android 3.0 (Gingerbread) on the horizon, which should be optimized for tablet-use.
The ones that I know about (and I'm sure I'm missing some)
Samsung Galaxy Tab
Archos 101
Archos 71
eLocity
Folio
So with all that said, for those of you planning on buying an Android tablet, which are you going to get? Are you going to be looking for one thing in particular (i.e. dual-core, or the first Gingerbread tablet), or are you just going to get the first one out?
I'm a little torn right now. With Google TV coming out soon (expected within one month), I honestly don't know if I can find the money for all of these gadgets, including getting the first dual-core 3.0 phone. I'm in need of other peoples' opinions.
Yesterday I was 100% certain I was going to get a Galaxy Tab. I woke up this morning and my RSS feeds are telling me it won't have voice capabilities, so now there is a 0% chance I will be picking one up. Even with the 4 carrier blitz, I suspect the Galaxy Tab will be a flop, but who knows..
I'll probably just get a Windows Phone 7 phone and wait for HTC's Q1 2011 tablet. Hopefully there will be native VOIP in Android by that time and I can get a Wi-Fi only tab off-contract for less than $300. I think the 7" form factor is the way to go too.
A part of me hopes WP7 flops just so I'm not tempted to get one. We'll find out soon.
I'm also with you that 7" seems to be the way to go. I'd still like to do a side-by-side comparison with a 10" though.
Tired of waiting.
When I heard Google saying that Froyo wasn't for tablets I realized I'd be waiting a while for an Android based tablet. Or I'd be looking at a Chrome OS tablet and I said screw it and bought an iPad.
Ipad is a little too large, and Tab is a little too small. I want something 9x6, just like a steno pad. I also wouldn't mind Chrome instead of Android as the operating system.
PS: Video chat and VOIP over wifi only? WTF is Samsung thinking? Why would Android owners buy a 3G model when our phones are freakin' hotspots?
Notionink Adam
Since the launch of iPad, sometimes I stop and think - why the hell would anyone need a tablet, and what exactly is this oversized phone good for?
Its functionality is lacking severely when compared to any normal laptop, but these things still require a bag to carry them around, because of their size. And if I want some productivity and have to carry a bag anyway - I'll most definitely be taking my laptop with me. For anything else, I have my phone that doesn't require a bag. So what's good in them? What can you do with one? Surf the web and watch videos? That's all?
Jack_R1 said:
Since the launch of iPad, sometimes I stop and think - why the hell would anyone need a tablet, and what exactly is this oversized phone good for?
Its functionality is lacking severely when compared to any normal laptop, but these things still require a bag to carry them around, because of their size. And if I want some productivity and have to carry a bag anyway - I'll most definitely be taking my laptop with me. For anything else, I have my phone that doesn't require a bag. So what's good in them? What can you do with one? Surf the web and watch videos? That's all?
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With my Nexus, I would say I use it 5% of the time as a phone (SMS, calls), the other 95% of the time is spent surfing the web, playing games, and watching videos. I feel like I am an ideal candidate for a person who would find a tablet extremely useful. It's not about productivity for me, and when it is I go straight to my laptop. For me it's about the leisure time, killing time, comfortably -- and not having to squint when reading webpages.
I think a tablet would be simply my home go-to device. If I'm the type of person who would rather surf the web on my phone vs. my 17", 5 lb laptop (due to size, weight, convenience), then I'm definitely the type of person who would prefer a 7-10" tablet over my 3.7" phone.
bigmout said:
Ipad is a little too large, and Tab is a little too small. I want something 9x6, just like a steno pad. I also wouldn't mind Chrome instead of Android as the operating system.
PS: Video chat and VOIP over wifi only? WTF is Samsung thinking? Why would Android owners buy a 3G model when our phones are freakin' hotspots?
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Click to collapse
I bought a wifi iPad because of my N1! I agree 9x6 would be nice. But, games on a bigger screen and books is what did it for me.
I think Google should pick ONE manufacture and create devices like they did with the n1. Android is getting to be a little to all over the place, especially now that tablets are becoming something the general public wants. If Google wants Android or Chrome on tabs, they need to figure it out now.
I love Google products but I also would rather spend my money on something I know will work great and look great. I would like to see my Android apps on a bigger screen, but not if they look like crap.
I'm looking at the Archos 101, as long as I can fenagle the Android market onto it.
Jack_R1 said:
Since the launch of iPad, sometimes I stop and think - why the hell would anyone need a tablet, and what exactly is this oversized phone good for?
Its functionality is lacking severely when compared to any normal laptop, but these things still require a bag to carry them around, because of their size. And if I want some productivity and have to carry a bag anyway - I'll most definitely be taking my laptop with me. For anything else, I have my phone that doesn't require a bag. So what's good in them? What can you do with one? Surf the web and watch videos? That's all?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll have it on a dock in my living room....it will serve as a toy for my 3-year-old daughter (she loves my n1...even more than my mom's iphone! xD), laptop "replacement", as well as my universal remote once I get my Google TV set-top box.
I read all the negative reviews on the Streak 7, but the price was something I just couldn't pass by. I went to my local T-mo store and checked it out and loved it.
Brought it home and honestly, I don't see what so many people are complaining about.
Screen: My husband and I sat side by side watching a youtube clip and both of us could see the screen perfectly. Neither of us has had a problem seeing the screen from different angles.
Battery: I turned off the data, background sync, use it wirelessly and I am really getting decent battery life. With a full charge the Streak was turned on at noon, used off and on lightly thru the afternoon. Left on stand-by the rest of the time until my husband got home from work around 7. He gave it a pretty good workout (it is actually supposed to be his - a Vday present!) with youtube, streaming music and web browsing. He was still using it around 11 p.m. and it still had over 25% battery life.
Camera: We took several pics with it last night and it does a decent job. As good as my HD2 phone.
The Streak is a snappy unit! Fast web browsing, fast opening of apps, etc. etc. It moved a lot faster then the Galaxy Tab at the store.
I have a rooted Nook Color for myself, but am happy with the Streak 7 purchase.
I hope people won't be put off by the bad press. I don't know anything about development, but think that there is a whole lot that could be done with the Streak!
Totally agree!
Hey, me too, it was to good to pass up....
Sent from my Dell Streak 7 using XDA App
At first I didn't care for my Dell 7, but after I rooted it and change some settings I get a little better battery life. The screen isn't the greatest, but the size makes up for it, great for traveling.
Great data speeds her in Central California.
Can make calls using Sipdroid with my Google voice account.
Can't wait for Skype video.
Regarding battery life...anything that makes use of graphics system kills the battery fast. Full charge, played lets golf for 2 hours and down to 40%....30 minutes of tv show and down to 20%. Unacceptable...gonna return it tomorrow. Sad...i love it otherwise. Can this thing even make it through a full movie?
Sent from my Streak 7
Dell Streak 7
Galaxy S Vibrant - Whiskey Rom + Voodo
NookColor - Honeycomb port by Deeper-blue / OC @ 1.1ghz
Bandage said:
Regarding battery life...anything that makes use of graphics system kills the battery fast. Full charge, played lets golf for 2 hours and down to 40%....30 minutes of tv show and down to 20%. Unacceptable...gonna return it tomorrow. Sad...i love it otherwise. Can this thing even make it through a full movie?
Sent from my Streak 7
Dell Streak 7
Galaxy S Vibrant - Whiskey Rom + Voodo
NookColor - Honeycomb port by Deeper-blue / OC @ 1.1ghz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sadly no it can't..I saw a review the other day where they tried to watch Avatar the movie & this device was dead before the movie even ended..I love mine but it's going back today..That battery life has put the nail in the coffin for this device..what were they thinking at Dell when they released this with such a weak battery..Guess i will be at bestbuy sunday for the pre-order sale on the Motorola Xoom.I hate going a full week without a tablet but this Streak 7 has got to go.
Arun01 said:
Sadly no it can't..I saw a review the other day where they tried to watch Avatar the movie & this device was dead before the movie even ended..I love mine but it's going back today..That battery life has put the nail in the coffin for this device..what were they thinking at Dell when they released this with such a weak battery..Guess i will be at bestbuy sunday for the pre-order sale on the Motorola Xoom.I hate going a full week without a tablet but this Streak 7 has got to go.
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Click to collapse
Hey. Before you guys decide to take your Streak 7 back, try rooting it with super one click root. It made a huge improvement in battery life. Hope it helps.
Heres the link:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=939921
mine is already rooted and still very bad on battery, i can deal with the screen and usb charging but would rather them be better, so im returning my streak tomorrow. my streak was fully charged at 7 and already dying out at 9 and all i was doing was surfing the web and not even heavily, just on and off.
i would definitly be able to deal with it except for the fact that this year will bring many more dells which will probably be better and come with honeycomb. if the upcoming dells are not better than streak 7 ill go for the htc flyer.
i love this thing but i gotta return it before im locking in for 2 years
ScReEmZ said:
Hey. Before you guys decide to take your Streak 7 back, try rooting it with super one click root. It made a huge improvement in battery life. Hope it helps.
Heres the link:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=939921
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Click to collapse
& here's the link to some tests done on the dell streak 7.Also the part where this thing died before a movie went off.....took mine back & going to bestbuy & get the Motorola Xoom.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2379219,00.asp
Not as bad as all that
I have recently (yesterday, in fact) gotten the S7 and of course wanted to run it through it's paces. I saw a similar issue for the battery life, having run it down within about 3.5 hours in the afternoon. To give some background, I am not a uber-online guy. I don't post to twitter or fb feeds with my tablet, and I use it mostly to stream media, email, etc. while at home OR reading while on my commute.
After full recharge (powered off, and it still took about two hours) I did the following:
1. Turned on Airplane Mode2. Applied the "Power Settings" widget to an open home screen3. Powered on the wifi radio
This effectively shut down the cell/data radio and the GPS radio. I was getting intermittent 4G/EDGE signal throughout the first run, and you could just watch the battery meter go down. With the cell radio off, I got about 5.5 hours of use from the Streak 7 before it hit 15% battery remaining.
One thing: I'd like to be able to shut off the cell radio in settings, but found no way to do this. Does anyone else know if you can just shut the radio off via settings as opposed to applying Airplane Mode and then turning on whatever radios you want to use?
I am now on my third discharge, and have all radios off at this time. I will give feedback when I have used the battery up, but in about 2.5 hours of constant use (reading ebooks), I have only brought the battery down to about 75%
So, I think these negative reactions are a bit over-done. I understand disappointment in not having a full (almost) 3 hour movie play all the way through. But the battery isn't as horrible as some may indicate. Then again, I am a DInc user, and I am used to quick battery depletion...
Additionally, I am in a bad service area for T-Mo, as I imagine many people are. If the cell radio keeps trying to reach a tower every thirty seconds, That would explain a quick battery drain.
And, for the price (on contract, or off) you can't beat this tablet - great build quality, responsive OS (pretty much a vanilla Froyo) and Gorilla Glass. Did I mention I broke my last tablet when I dropped it? Thanks for the Gorilla Glass!
Dinc user lol i feel your pain. I dont believe there is a way to toggle radios on/off other then airplane mode.
sent from my re-engineered dInc
The screen is absolutely terrible compared to the galaxy tab. Go to a tmobile and hold them side by side. Even the menu transitions are horribly stuttery compared to the smoothness of the galaxy tab. Holding the Streak 7 in landscape mode, the shifting of colors starts within just a couple degrees of vertical tilting (horizontal rotation when in portrait mode), which is very irritating to me. Battery capacity is a fraction of the tab's.
In spite of even the tegra 2 in the streak, its no wonder its cheaper than the older galaxy tab.
There definitely pluses for the streak 7, but the cons are very real. I have a free streak 7 and im already thinking of selling it.
Sent from my Dell Streak 7 using XDA App
Chris123234 said:
The screen is absolutely terrible compared to the galaxy tab. Go to a tmobile and hold them side by side. Even the menu transitions are horribly stuttery compared to the smoothness of the galaxy tab. Holding the Streak 7 in landscape mode, the shifting of colors starts within just a couple degrees of vertical tilting (horizontal rotation when in portrait mode), which is very irritating to me. Battery capacity is a fraction of the tab's.
In spite of even the tegra 2 in the streak, its no wonder its cheaper than the older galaxy tab.
There definitely pluses for the streak 7, but the cons are very real. I have a free streak 7 and im already thinking of selling it.
Sent from my Dell Streak 7 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
Price please?
From my CM7 urban themed Glacier
Chris123234 said:
The screen is absolutely terrible compared to the galaxy tab. Go to a tmobile and hold them side by side. Even the menu transitions are horribly stuttery compared to the smoothness of the galaxy tab. Holding the Streak 7 in landscape mode, the shifting of colors starts within just a couple degrees of vertical tilting (horizontal rotation when in portrait mode), which is very irritating to me. Battery capacity is a fraction of the tab's.
In spite of even the tegra 2 in the streak, its no wonder its cheaper than the older galaxy tab.
There definitely pluses for the streak 7, but the cons are very real. I have a free streak 7 and im already thinking of selling it.
Sent from my Dell Streak 7 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
The screen difference is barely noticable but the Galaxy is MANY MANY times slower... no comparison there... just use them side by side.
Yep the galaxy tab only has better graphics than the streak 7..as far as performance goes..the streak 7 runs all over the galaxy tab.
WookieFan said:
So, I think these negative reactions are a bit over-done. I understand disappointment in not having a full (almost) 3 hour movie play all the way through. But the battery isn't as horrible as some may indicate. Then again, I am a DInc user, and I am used to quick battery depletion...
Additionally, I am in a bad service area for T-Mo, as I imagine many people are. If the cell radio keeps trying to reach a tower every thirty seconds, That would explain a quick battery drain.
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Click to collapse
Not to argue with you here...but I'm kind of a gadget whore, and currently own several devices (GTab / 2x Vibrants / Archos 70it / TMobile Galaxy Tab / NookColor) and the puny battery Dell decided to use with the 7 is pathetic. Even the Viewsonic GTablet has a Tegra2, and gets amazing battery life in comparison!
I figured on the 7 being perfect for road trips, and hence an interest in its multimedia performance. 2780 mAh compared to 4000mAh in the Sammy Galaxy Tab. (milliampere-hour) What were they thinking? 1/2 the size of a device that they doubled in hardware specs! Just ludicrous
And comparing the two...Yes the 7 blows away the Galaxy Tab in most areas (based on CPU performance)...just kinda retarded that it can only do so in 3 hour increments. (Gaming on the Sammy lasted hours...I had a Let's Golf 2 binge, 4 hours and Battery was @ 65% when finished)
Anywho...not trying to dissuade anyone here...simply put, they rushed a product to the shelves to make a quick buck before the 3.0 tabs started selling.
I have noticed you have a large collection of devices! I have a Archos 101 that I bought for my wife, and I agree that the battery life is better on most tablets. Heck, the A101 is almost all battery.
But for about $100 less than my S7, the performance is atrocious. So much so that I don't let my wife watch how smoothly the S7 operates. So, in the end, I think we are talking apples and oranges. The S7 has fantastic performance, from a company I trust. The Sammy has a bigger battery and a nice LCD, but from a company I do not trust, as far as Android development goes.
And, since I am not spending three hours gaming at a time, I can afford to shut off unnecessary battery hogs and I get hours of use from my S7. Anyway. I think I have beaten that dead horse long enough. Enjoy your Xoom!
Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk
I love my Dell S7 but battery is bad, but I didn't buy it to game, I bought it to surf, txt and email, I am mainly in a 4g 4 bars area, and when I am at work and home I go wifi with airport off, I also rooted it and added performance tweaks, I can get about 6-7 hours.
Honeycomb will make the battery better.
Use Juice defender, task killer and power manager software and you should be good, as for the viewing angles, I kind of like it, because no one can see what your doing (great privacy).
Calling is great with Sipdroid and Google voice.
I use slingbox and the picture is fine.
Thanks
Lou.
lou0611 said:
Honeycomb will make the battery better.
Lou.
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Click to collapse
Uh...how ya figure? Small battery is a small battery. If anything, HC will only drain it faster with more animations, etc.
This device might have been a more compelling offering if it shipped with at least 2.3 on it. That might have been a logistical impossibility though? I hope Dell skips 2.3 in favor of 3.0.
this coupon
http://reg.e.staples.com/c/s/tagfrm...d3Bnb0JBUmtBQUdwMFZ3d0FBQUU2&PID=552179&n=927
= $199 streak 7
is it worth buying, given the low resolution? how's the battery life?
Grabbed one after seeing the link at slickdeals, couldn't resist it for $200.
I was waiting to be able to grab a tablet of such quality and bran for a good price.
Not gonna lie, I"m incredible tempted.
However, some things are holding me back. Namely the sort of meh dev activity, the resolution, the lack of GB at least, and some other niggling things. Dunno though, 199 is amazing for a device of this quality.
EmilVee said:
Not gonna lie, I"m incredible tempted.
However, some things are holding me back. Namely the sort of meh dev activity, the resolution, the lack of GB at least, and some other niggling things. Dunno though, 199 is amazing for a device of this quality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless you wanna wait another year or get some chinese chong ching ARM questionable quality, 30 day shipping and no warranty tablet, the DS7 at this price and of such power and quality is the best option in the market right now for under $400 because it'll do what any other tablet does.
Root it, get a clean ROM from DJ_steve, OC it and it'll be just as good as any other tablet in the market right now regardless of the size of the screen. This monster runs a dual core tegra 1GHz that can go as high as 1.4ghz(reaching Xoom/Iconia levels).
I happily jumped on this deal without doubting it. Waiting to get out of class and get back to my dorm to finally get to play with it.
Anyone find any teardown for this tablet ? I want to know how easy is to replace the battery ? How long do they last ? 2 years ?
I just picked one myself just now ... Any tips on what I should do next ? Honeycomb 3.2 ?
GhostXtreme said:
Anyone find any teardown for this tablet ? I want to know how easy is to replace the battery ? How long do they last ? 2 years ?
I just picked one myself just now ... Any tips on what I should do next ? Honeycomb 3.2 ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dell has said an official Honeycomb 3.2 is coming, unless i hear otherwise, i think i'm gonna stick with the stock for now and delete the stage UI widgets, which seem to slow down the tablet quite a bit.
we need to bring the community back to life now!!
RavenSEAL said:
Unless you wanna wait another year or get some chinese chong ching ARM questionable quality, 30 day shipping and no warranty tablet, the DS7 at this price and of such power and quality is the best option in the market right now for under $400 because it'll do what any other tablet does.
Root it, get a clean ROM from DJ_steve, OC it and it'll be just as good as any other tablet in the market right now regardless of the size of the screen. This monster runs a dual core tegra 1GHz that can go as high as 1.4ghz(reaching Xoom/Iconia levels).
I happily jumped on this deal without doubting it. Waiting to get out of class and get back to my dorm to finally get to play with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know, I'm Chinese. I could be offended by your comment and say something equally offensive, but I'm just going to let you feel stupid. Then again, self-righteousness is a powerful thing.
RavenSEAL said:
Dell has said an official Honeycomb 3.2 is coming, unless i hear otherwise, i think i'm gonna stick with the stock for now and delete the stage UI widgets, which seem to slow down the tablet quite a bit.
we need to bring the community back to life now!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just install Zeam Launcher/ADW Launcher/Launcher Pro/etc. Stage UI will never even come into play; the device is vanilla FroYo with a custom launcher and a few added apks (like Swype).
EmilVee said:
You know, I'm Chinese. I could be offended by your comment and say something equally offensive, but I'm just going to let you feel stupid. Then again, self-righteousness is a powerful thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, i knew someone was gonna say something about that. Then again, i am describing the quality of their tablets, not the people <3
My personal advice: get it! I love this thing, and I'm on FroYo (I might upgrade to DJ's HC 3.2, but we'll see).
There have been a lot of posts on this, but I know it can be a pain to wade through the forums so I'll summarise the good and bad for this device.
The Bad
Might as well get it out of the way.
First, the battery. It sucks. This is my main device (computer, phone, camera, etc.), which puts me in a pretty good position to rate this. It's livable if you're OK with frequent charging, but if you're going to go for long stints away from a power supply and with heavy use, this is a dealbreaker. If you're normally near an outlet, this is simply an inconvenience.
Next, the screen. It's definitely not up to snuff with the likes of the Nook Color or the Galaxy Tab series, but it's really not that bad. It has one viewing angle that's pretty poor ("down," in portrait mode), but it really isn't a bother. Long and the short of it: you won't notice if you don't have it next to a Galaxy Tab (even then; my wife has a GTab 7, and I like the contrast better on the Streak7 screen).
Next, in the inimitable words of Steve Balmer, DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS! I used to have the OG Droid, which was one of the most developed for devices on the planet. The Streak 7 is one of the least. This may or may not be an issue for you.
The Good
This is a bit broader of a category, and, of course, varies by model.
First, the T-Mo version has 4G. This is incredibly nice and puts it ahead of a lot of the other guys out there.
If you're on the WiFi version, you can disable the cellular stuff and greatly increase your battery life (I do mean greatly; cell standby is the number one battery drain on this device). This isn't exactly a "pro," but it does negate a con if you're going WiFi only. You must be rooted to do this, though.
The processor. Oh, the processor! Tegra 2 is a phenominal little SoC. Don't listen to the detractors (who rely mainly on crappy benchmarking software; there are no good benchmarks for mobile devices right now- not Quadrant, not Egypt, etc.). Think of it this way: the Snapdragon may not have been the "best" of the smartphone chips in the last run of single core phones, but it was the reference hardware. Thus, almost everything ran faster on it due to being optimised for it. The same goes for the Tegra 2, which can be found in the Streak 7, Moto XOOM, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, ASUS Transformer, and on and on. All reference hardware from Google (basically, the XOOM and GTab 10.1) run Tegra 2. Everything I've seen works very smoothly and very quickly.
Cameras. It's got two. Don't expect stellar shots, but the quality is head and shoulders over the iPad2 and it also has a flash.
Gorilla Glass. Enough said.
Size, if it's what you're looking for. I prefer the 7" size because I take it everywhere with me. If that's not an issue for you, you might prefer the 10.1" models. Even without needing portability, though, I think I'd still opt for 7" (I know; that's what she said).
Full size SD card slot. This is great for reading camera memory, purchasing an extra card for media storage, or just saving cash on a second SDD for use as dedicated memory.
Vanilla Android. In it's stock form, the Streak 7 runs a skinless version of FroYo. It can't really be overstated how welcome this is for the type of people who crawl XDA.
Well, that's the long and the short of it. Is the Streak 7 right for you? Maybe. Depends on your usage. I got a Streak 7 for me and a Galaxy Tab 7 for the wife. We both wanted the 7" size, but she benefits more from the long battery life, nicer screen, and even TouchWiz (yes, there are people out there who find it useful). The Streak7 would drive her nuts, but the Galaxy Tab would drive me nuts. Different strokes, you know?
Z4nd4r said:
Just install Zeam Launcher/ADW Launcher/Launcher Pro/etc. Stage UI will never even come into play; the device is vanilla FroYo with a custom launcher and a few added apks (like Swype).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didddddd
Z4nd4r said:
My personal advice: get it! I love this thing, and I'm on FroYo (I might upgrade to DJ's HC 3.2, but we'll see).
There have been a lot of posts on this, but I know it can be a pain to wade through the forums so I'll summarise the good and bad for this device.
The Bad
Might as well get it out of the way.
First, the battery. It sucks. This is my main device (computer, phone, camera, etc.), which puts me in a pretty good position to rate this. It's livable if you're OK with frequent charging, but if you're going to go for long stints away from a power supply and with heavy use, this is a dealbreaker. If you're normally near an outlet, this is simply an inconvenience.
Next, the screen. It's definitely not up to snuff with the likes of the Nook Color or the Galaxy Tab series, but it's really not that bad. It has one viewing angle that's pretty poor ("down," in portrait mode), but it really isn't a bother. Long and the short of it: you won't notice if you don't have it next to a Galaxy Tab (even then; my wife has a GTab 7, and I like the contrast better on the Streak7 screen).
Next, in the inimitable words of Steve Balmer, DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS! I used to have the OG Droid, which was one of the most developed for devices on the planet. The Streak 7 is one of the least. This may or may not be an issue for you.
The Good
This is a bit broader of a category, and, of course, varies by model.
First, the T-Mo version has 4G. This is incredibly nice and puts it ahead of a lot of the other guys out there.
If you're on the WiFi version, you can disable the cellular stuff and greatly increase your battery life (I do mean greatly; cell standby is the number one battery drain on this device). This isn't exactly a "pro," but it does negate a con if you're going WiFi only. You must be rooted to do this, though.
The processor. Oh, the processor! Tegra 2 is a phenominal little SoC. Don't listen to the detractors (who rely mainly on crappy benchmarking software; there are no good benchmarks for mobile devices right now- not Quadrant, not Egypt, etc.). Think of it this way: the Snapdragon may not have been the "best" of the smartphone chips in the last run of single core phones, but it was the reference hardware. Thus, almost everything ran faster on it due to being optimised for it. The same goes for the Tegra 2, which can be found in the Streak 7, Moto XOOM, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, ASUS Transformer, and on and on. All reference hardware from Google (basically, the XOOM and GTab 10.1) run Tegra 2. Everything I've seen works very smoothly and very quickly.
Cameras. It's got two. Don't expect stellar shots, but the quality is head and shoulders over the iPad2 and it also has a flash.
Gorilla Glass. Enough said.
Size, if it's what you're looking for. I prefer the 7" size because I take it everywhere with me. If that's not an issue for you, you might prefer the 10.1" models. Even without needing portability, though, I think I'd still opt for 7" (I know; that's what she said).
Full size SD card slot. This is great for reading camera memory, purchasing an extra card for media storage, or just saving cash on a second SDD for use as dedicated memory.
Vanilla Android. In it's stock form, the Streak 7 runs a skinless version of FroYo. It can't really be overstated how welcome this is for the type of people who crawl XDA.
Well, that's the long and the short of it. Is the Streak 7 right for you? Maybe. Depends on your usage. I got a Streak 7 for me and a Galaxy Tab 7 for the wife. We both wanted the 7" size, but she benefits more from the long battery life, nicer screen, and even TouchWiz (yes, there are people out there who find it useful). The Streak7 would drive her nuts, but the Galaxy Tab would drive me nuts. Different strokes, you know?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hm... What are we talking about in terms of battery life here? As long as it's at least 8 hours, I don't think this should be an issue.
I may try it out. It's definitely a steal @ $199. If things don't turn out well, then I'll just return it or maybe re-sell it for profit once the promotion is over.
Thanks for the info!
EmilVee said:
Hm... What are we talking about in terms of battery life here? As long as it's at least 8 hours, I don't think this should be an issue.
I may try it out. It's definitely a steal @ $199. If things don't turn out well, then I'll just return it or maybe re-sell it for profit once the promotion is over.
Thanks for the info!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That depends: are you going WiFi? How many hours of that is actual usage? I can get 15 hours of light use out of the 4G version; would easily be a full day out of the WiFi with phone.apk and telephony.apk disabled.
If you're talking full usage, I wouldn't expect much more than 4-5 solid hours from the WiFi version with the cell radios disabled (but WiFi on). Maybe a little more if you installed Honeycomb. Less for the 4G version; maybe 3+ hours of continued use.
Z4nd4r said:
That depends: are you going WiFi? How many hours of that is actual usage? I can get 15 hours of light use out of the 4G version; would easily be a full day out of the WiFi with phone.apk and telephony.apk disabled.
If you're talking full usage, I wouldn't expect much more than 4-5 solid hours from the WiFi version with the cell radios disabled (but WiFi on). Maybe a little more if you installed Honeycomb. Less for the 4G version; maybe 3+ hours of continued use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I'm going wi-fi if I get this. When you say 'full usage', what do you mean? 4-5 hours is kinda... ****.
Also, can I safely assume that the Streak will never have CM7? I just read an earlier topic that sort of came to that conclusion.
EmilVee said:
Hm... What are we talking about in terms of battery life here? As long as it's at least 8 hours, I don't think this should be an issue.
I may try it out. It's definitely a steal @ $199. If things don't turn out well, then I'll just return it or maybe re-sell it for profit once the promotion is over.
Thanks for the info!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the 4G version, but do not use the 4G. The most I get is around 3 hours with constant use over WiFi.
EmilVee said:
Yes, I'm going wi-fi if I get this. When you say 'full usage', what do you mean? 4-5 hours is kinda... ****.
Also, can I safely assume that the Streak will never have CM7? I just read an earlier topic that sort of came to that conclusion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want battery life drop 500 on a different tablet. I could get through 3 hour long shows and then need to charge. Dell really should have made the battery replaceable.
Glad I just sold my 4g version for 250 before this happened (the deal)
Found myself not using the tablet much after getting a ThunderBolt. I'd much rather have a 10 inch empty shell that a phone slides into then a tablet at this point. Spent too much time trying to figure out where I was on my twitter timeline between devices. Same thing with games. They need a way to upload your save state so you can swap between devices.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App
nrfitchett4 said:
If you want battery life drop 500 on a different tablet. I could get through 3 hour long shows and then need to charge. Dell really should have made the battery replaceable.
Glad I just sold my 4g version for 250 before this happened (the deal)
Found myself not using the tablet much after getting a ThunderBolt. I'd much rather have a 10 inch empty shell that a phone slides into then a tablet at this point. Spent too much time trying to figure out where I was on my twitter timeline between devices. Same thing with games. They need a way to upload your save state so you can swap between devices.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hearing this, I think... I might just go with the Nook Color.
yup picked up dell streak 7 today using this coupon
awesome deal! - I picked up a dell streak - can't wait to put honeystreak on it! I'm returning my crappy two day old Coby Mid7016(with bootleg coby ginger**** with no flash support LOL)
Here is link for $100 off any tablet with exception of E readers and HP tablet, my co worker used the coupon for a Samsung Tab 10.1 16 gig for only $399 with coupon - Awesome!
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13845_3-20081008-58/get-an-acer-iconia-10-inch-android-tablet-for-$299.98/
dell streak 7
i recently bought my dell streak 7 after searching the prons and the cons on the internet.
some people complain about the battery time
and some others complain about the screen.
after playing with it for some time, i don't think that the screen is that bad. the colors are pretty good, the resolution though could have been better BUT i have heard that if you manage to change the "density" of the screen its like changing resolution. i haven't tried to change it yet but i will, when i find time to do it.
now about the battery. i only use wi-fi so i have "flight mode" enabled at all times and i switch on the wifi when i need it. i have also deleted the "Stage UI" and am using Launcher Pro Plus.
The standby time is very good, i lose a little less than 1% of battery/ per hour. i went to sleep at 1am (80% battery) and i woke up at 10:30am (73% battery). 7% of battery for 9 1/2 hours
The "use" time is a bit of a problem. i have wi-fi on and i play order and chaos online. The volume bar is set at half and i get around 4 hours of playtime for the tab to run out of battery. When i surf the web i can get up to 6 hours if i don't watch videos, since sound drains the battery faster. i haven't tried to mute all sounds and play games to see if it gets any better.
i have read on another post that when you flash honeycomb on the device you get better battery time on both standby and playtime.
So you can wait for the official HC update or you can even flash DJ_Steve's 3.2
I haven't played on another tablet except ipad but i thing that DS7 its worth the 200$. i paid 400euros (galaxy tab 7 costs 320euros) to buy it since i live in Europe
i hope that my post helped you clear some things on your mind.
alucardnos said:
i recently bought my dell streak 7 after searching the prons and the cons on the internet.
some people complain about the battery time
and some others complain about the screen.
after playing with it for some time, i don't think that the screen is that bad. the colors are pretty good, the resolution though could have been better BUT i have heard that if you manage to change the "density" of the screen its like changing resolution. i haven't tried to change it yet but i will, when i find time to do it.
now about the battery. i only use wi-fi so i have "flight mode" enabled at all times and i switch on the wifi when i need it. i have also deleted the "Stage UI" and am using Launcher Pro Plus.
The standby time is very good, i lose a little less than 1% of battery/ per hour. i went to sleep at 1am (80% battery) and i woke up at 10:30am (73% battery). 7% of battery for 9 1/2 hours
The "use" time is a bit of a problem. i have wi-fi on and i play order and chaos online. The volume bar is set at half and i get around 4 hours of playtime for the tab to run out of battery. When i surf the web i can get up to 6 hours if i don't watch videos, since sound drains the battery faster. i haven't tried to mute all sounds and play games to see if it gets any better.
i have read on another post that when you flash honeycomb on the device you get better battery time on both standby and playtime.
So you can wait for the official HC update or you can even flash DJ_Steve's 3.2
I haven't played on another tablet except ipad but i thing that DS7 its worth the 200$. i paid 400euros (galaxy tab 7 costs 320euros) to buy it since i live in Europe
i hope that my post helped you clear some things on your mind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sounds about right for my 4G version. I stay in airplane mode and turn on WiFi when I turn on the tablet. I get around 3 hours, maybe 3:30, before I have to recharge. For stock use, the 4G modem is always activated, and there is no way to deactivate it without rooting the device, which I don't want to do.
I'm starting college next year, and I need a laptop! I better one than my current laptop anyways... I currently have an Acer Aspire S7 391 - purchased it used, and it just has too many cons that just don't make it worth the $600 I paid for it.
It gets too hot for Lap use, battery life is about 2-3 hours, the fan gets crazy loud... too loud for my high school classes, and the trackpad is jumpy, slow, and just.. terrible.
So I need a new laptop! Here are some things I would like to mention that may help tell you what I'm looking for.
1. Good Battery Life. A minimum of 6 hours.
2. Atleast a 1080p display. (Prefer touchscreen)
3. 13 inches minimum display size.
4. Slim, and powerful for it's size. I don't need to be editing videos or playing games, but being able to do some tasks that require a little more power would be nice!
5. The fan, if there is one, simply can't be loud. I don't know why this bothers me so much, it's fine if it's my desktop, but for a laptop, ugh..
I'll also be bringing my desktop to school, this Laptop will mostly be for taking notes, and being able to do all of my school "stuff" on a portable device, so I can work... anywhere!
Your suggestion doesn't need to match any of the specifications I mentioned, I'll certainly take a look at anything recommended!
Thank you so much!
(In-case it makes any kind of difference, I'm going into Business at an above average university, 30,000 students total)
I forgot to include a budget! haha! I'm willing to look into used versions of the laptops recommended as well, to possibly save a hundred bucks or so, I would say mu budget is just around $1,000. (Possibly being able to find it used for maybe $800 if any are available used).
Dell Inspiron 13 may be a fit for you.. If not the Surface Pro 3 was OK
I reckon surface pro, but if your looking for a bargain, look at some of the sub $200 Windows 8.1 tablets. Ad some accessories such as a keyboard, mouse and battery pack, and you could have a decent laptop replacement for under $300.
I would even suggest something such as the cube iwork7 dual boot tablet (android and windows 8.1) for ~$125USD from geekbuying
http://www.geekbuying.com/item/Cube...GB-32GB-HDMI-IPS-BT---White-Black-341909.html
This is all you really need for school imo, and after adding accessories such as a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, battery pack and usb hub, you could have a moderately powered computer for about $200.
I seriously considered doing this myself, but the school gave us Lenovo ThinkPad yogas (current model), which is also a good option.
Ive been wondering about this also. Im about to start my computer science degree this year.
Look into Asus. By far the best in terms of hardware and build.
I'm particularly fond of the N range, though those might be a bit too powerful for regular use. (still, €1299 for a laptop(N76VB) that can run Dragon Age Inquisition on Ultra at 58FPS is well worth the money to me.)
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