Surface 2 vs Vivotab Smart

[gamecreator08]

I have been reading posts here for a while, and this is my first time posting a new thread here. Long story short, after using both an iPad and the HP Touchpad (and being somewhat dissatisfied by both), Windows 8/RT seems to be the best option for me when I type up documents, create images, and browse the web (frequently). The major dilemma is: which tablet, Surface 2 or Vivotab Smart, is the most ideal? I've grown quite fond of the Surface 2's design, with its bold and pristine edges. The Vivotab Smart...isn't quite as eye-catching, however it is light and feels solid in the hand, and its full-featured Windows 8 is definitely a plus. Both fit my budget, but my question is : Are there any serious drawbacks (not including the limitations of RT, but issues specific to these devices ex. speed, battery drain, etc.) to one of these tablets that would aid me in this decision?

--gamecreator08

 

[Doctor Pork]

Be aware of that the Vivo tab smart is a last generation product with Clover trail and not Bay trail so unless you get it for a really good price, I would be a bit sceptical of buying a last gen product. Sure my clover trail tablet has been well worth the cost, but the next generation has more than double the CPU power and 6 times the GPU power on some benchmarks. This would likely eliminate some of the stuttering in the desktop. If you are looking at the Vivo tab smart, I think the next generation Transformer book T100 is a better choice.

Amazon.com: ASUS Transformer Book T100TA-C1-GR 10.1-Inch Convertible 2-in-1 Touchscreen Laptop (Gray): Computers & Accessories

It pretty much is a Vivo tab smart with a bundled keyboard dock and included Office together with a much faster SoC. Both have lower res screen than the Surface 2. If we compare the Vivo tab smart with the Surface 2, the Surface 2 should be faster, particularly as the drivers for clover trail has been a bit more inconsistent. If we compare with T100, it should be similar and apparently can work ok as an office desktop PC...

Using the Asus Transformer Book T100 as a desktop PC (video) - Liliputing

 

[elyod]

The driver issue is a big one for me. There are a couple threads about the vivotab smart graphics driver crashing on windows 8.1, which has caused a few users to have to roll back to an older driver. I have a vivotab and my tablet display is having issues that I haven't been able to fix yet. Asus's response was something along the lines of "no driver update planned yet." So the price aside, I would look at it in terms of product support. Kind of like comparing a Lumia to an htc windows phone.

 

[elyod]

Double post.

 

[Doctor Pork]

My Vivo Tab tf810 (the 11,6 inch one with a digitizer) got the same problems but I am keeping it on Windows 8.1 even if Asus does not update it as the only major issue is the 5 second delay when waking up from sleep mode and I can live with it. Hey, we finally got a working Xbox Music app on Clover trail as it was broken and didn't play more than one song at a time for most of the year... The benefits thus far outweigh the disadvantages to stay on 8.1.

The initial first months were hillarious though in the beginning of the year with random blue screens and the audio drivers suddenly not working requiring a restart and the dock ceasing to work when waking up from sleep, but asus fixed all the issues in the spring and then it worked flawlesly until WIndows 8.1.

 

[Lurchorama]

Remember that you're comparing 2 slightly different beasts. Surface 2 runs Windows RT, whilst the VivoTab Smart run's 'full blown' windows.
From a functionality point of view, I'd take the VivoTab- but yes - there are issues (i'm currently watching mine do a full refresh in an attempt to stablise various app crashes and weird graphic glitches).
Work bought me a Surface 2 Pro, so the VivoTab has gone to the wife, but I'm currently weighing up what I want to spend *my* money on...

Nutshell version is that right now I'm torn. I'll definitely be waiting for the next generation of Bay Trail-based Atom tablets (Dell Venue Pro 8 for instance), but will probably wait until the next-next lot comes out.
Why?
Because due to some "glitches" (some bizarre incompatibility) with Windows 64bit; the next gen will still run 32 Bit Windows, and still only pack 2GB of memory.
Word has it that early next year, the next batch will come out sporting more ram and compatible with Win 8.1 64 Bit.

 

[Buren06]

At this point, the Asus T100 is a 1000X better deal than the VivoTab Smart. Far better processor, far better graphics performance, included keyboard dock, same screen, and comparable build quality. Plus, full Office pre-installed on the T100.