Consumption Tablet - Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx or Surface RT

[garak0410]

I've had a few posts about looking for a secondary tablet to go with my Surface Pro. I love my Pro but seems l settle down for tablet mode, the battery is low and I am tethered to the wall. I did consider a Surface RT for consumption only but want the luxury of full Windows in the event I need it. I did see where Amazon has the Lenovo Lynx with Windows 8 for only $349, same price as the 32GB Surface RT. While the Surface RT may be better constructed, the Lynx seems like a better buy, especially if I primarily want to consume. Any opinions?

 

[inteller]

I would want to know the battery life of that device. I'm not convinced it would get me by with 3 days of moderate use like my RT does.

 

[mase123987]

I would go with something smaller than those devices considering you have a Surface Pro. Considering that the only 8in Windows tablet is crappy, I would consider a Nexus 7 (2013).

As far as RT devices go, I hate how basically the Surface RT is the only one with a full size USB port on the tablet portion of the device. Having a full size USB port with all of its advantages is one of the biggest reasons to go RT. You really wants to always carry around an adapter?

 

[garak0410]

It claims to be close to 8 hours. And full Windows isn't a requirement but something I'd like to have. I think it's CPU will provide a little more processing power for me if I want to send videos to my XBOX 360. The Surface RT doesn't have enough "ummph" to get the job done (videos end up caching a l lot during playback.)

 

[garak0410]

I would go with something smaller than those devices considering you have a Surface Pro. Considering that the only 8in Windows tablet is crappy, I would consider a Nexus 7 (2013).

As far as RT devices go, I hate how basically the Surface RT is the only one with a full size USB port on the tablet portion of the device. Having a full size USB port with all of its advantages is one of the biggest reasons to go RT. You really wants to always carry around an adapter?

I had a Nexus 7 for a few days. Loved the form factor, screen and speed but I'll be honest, I really like the Windows Ecosystem better, despite the fact I can get just about any "app" I want with Droid. There just isn't anything good (yet) in the Windows world for 7-8"...the Iconia W3 would be a waste of money.

 

[mase123987]

I had a Nexus 7 for a few today. Loved the form factor, screen and speed but I'll be honest, I really like the Windows Ecosystem better, despite the fact I can get just about any "app" I want with Droid. There just isn't anything good (yet) in the Windows world for 7-8"...the Iconia W3 would be a waste of money.

I do understand liking the ecosystem better with Windows products, esp when you have Windows computers and phones already. What type of consumption are you talking about? Give me an idea of what you do that most and where this consumption usually takes place. I might be able to help more knowing that.

 

[garak0410]

I do understand liking the ecosystem better with Windows products, esp when you have Windows computers and phones already. What type of consumption are you talking about? Give me an idea of what you do that most and where this consumption usually takes place. I might be able to help more knowing that.

As mentioned, I love my Pro but if I use it here and there during the day and then come home or somewhere, where I want to use it for reading/surfing/light gaming, I have to be mindful that it may need charged. A tablet with 8-9 hours of battery life is what I'd like as my Surface Pro basically is my laptop.

I am still uncertain of the future of RT and needing the luxury of full Windows 8, should I need or desire it. Though I may be open to it just to have better build, USB port, etc.

So bottom line, Windows 8 would be nice...because I could load some of my classic games from GOG.COM on there... (though I'd need a keyboard and mouse to make it work better.)

I see you are a cross platform junkie...my life is so busy, which is why I decided to keep it all in one Ecosystem...if Microsoft had allowed Office Mobile and XBOX Music on the Nexus 7, I may have stuck with it...

 

[mase123987]

As mentioned, I love my Pro but if I use it here and there during the day and then come home or somewhere, where I want to use it for reading/surfing/light gaming, I have to be mindful that it may need charged. A tablet with 8-9 hours of battery life is what I'd like as my Surface Pro basically is my laptop.

I am still uncertain of the future of RT and needing the luxury of full Windows 8, should I need or desire it. Though I may be open to it just to have better build, USB port, etc.

So bottom line, Windows 8 would be nice...because I could load some of my classic games from GOG.COM on there... (though I'd need a keyboard and mouse to make it work better.)

I see you are a cross platform junkie...my life is so busy, which is why I decided to keep it all in one Ecosystem...if Microsoft had allowed Office Mobile and XBOX Music on the Nexus 7, I may have stuck with it...

As far as Office goes, I just use the web apps on devices that don't have a native versions. It seems to work well for me. As far as Xbox Music goes, MS continues to shoot themselves in the foot by not allowing it to truly be on every device. They were there before a lot of other services and could have absolutely dominated the market. Oh well though right?

If you hadn't mentioned light gaming, I would say you should try a Chromebook. It does everything that I do on a tablet (besides games) but does it in a clamshell form factor. Plus, it does work with the Xbox Music web app. I use it on the couch all the time. To me, having a proper keyboard and touchpad is a much when I comment a lot on sites like this.

 

[jmerrey]

If you are looking for a consumption tablet, something to read, check twitter, play games, etc. I'd suggest the iPad mini or Nexus 7. Nice size and battery life, and you can get almost any game, book, or movie on it. I personally wouldn't consider a 10"+ screen for a consumption device; I like something I can carry with me, or take to bed, with little hassle. I plan on waiting a month or so and see if some very compelling, small device comes out with W8. I really like the size of the Acer tablet, but the screen and processor are holding me back. Something like that, but with a Core i3 and better screen, would be great. The Atom processor is fine for most tasks, but some of the better games in the store, like Hyrdo Thunder, really struggle with it.

 

[garak0410]

If you are looking for a consumption tablet, something to read, check twitter, play games, etc. I'd suggest the iPad mini or Nexus 7. Nice size and battery life, and you can get almost any game, book, or movie on it. I personally wouldn't consider a 10"+ screen for a consumption device; I like something I can carry with me, or take to bed, with little hassle. I plan on waiting a month or so and see if some very compelling, small device comes out with W8. I really like the size of the Acer tablet, but the screen and processor are holding me back. Something like that, but with a Core i3 and better screen, would be great. The Atom processor is fine for most tasks, but some of the better games in the store, like Hyrdo Thunder, really struggle with it.

I think I'll be patient and wait for the rumored Surface Mini and try to find ways to extend battery life on the Pro (uninstall battery hogs and the like)...