Just ordered the Toshiba Encore Mini!

[xTmX Korrupt]

I ordered it from the MS Store. It is on sale for a $100 right now. It seems like it will be a good device for just basic PC use.

 

[xTmX Korrupt]

Just opened it and setup my account. The first thing I noticed, the colors seem washed out on the display. Running updates right now and I will try out some software on it to see how it runs.

 

[ToddKlindt]

I just got mine today. I haven't done much more than unbox it. I'll make the Recovery drive tomorrow then start messing with it. I also noticed the screen wasn't as nice, but it was $100, so I'm tolerant of that kind of stuff.

Tk

 

[trivor]

I"ve had mine for a couple of days and so far the biggest challenge is the lack of on device storage. When you first turn it on you only have 4 GBs of space out of the 16 GB on board. I didn't even try to install the free MS Office 365 on the device as it would have taken the storage down to almost nothing and nothing kills SSD/eMMC storage quicker than filling it all the way up. I haven't really found much to uninstall to free up some space (this is a MS signature device). The second biggest challenge is a familiar one for Windows Phone users - a lack of apps. I only found a one of my finance apps (Bank America, no Amex, USAA or my credit unions), no UPS or Fedex (although there were some third party solutions), was surprised to find my football teams official app was there (maybe because of the Big MS Surface NFL tie in), MLB At Bat was only there in MLB.TV form, and was just generally disappointed in the quality of the Universal apps so far. There is no touch compatible MS Office app (still waiting for the MS Office that has rolled out to both Android and iOS). The Netflix app was petty poor quality as all my other devices get HD video quite easily and this had pixelated video that never settled down (I have 20Mbps down, 10 up). The built in WiFi seems somewhat weak in its 802.11n mode compared to my other laptops and tablets (3 Android, 1 W8, 2 W7). Didn't really care for the in hand feel due the hard plastic back. Other than that the performance is fine - especially when you consider it only has 1 GB of RAM and the CPU is a 1.33 GHz Quad Core Atom (bursts to 1.86, I believe). The IPS display seems pretty nice (especially considering the price - $99). I added a 64 GB micro SD ($24.99 storage @ NewEgg) (must factor this into the purchase because there is no way to make this tablet usable without it) and seems to play music and video without too many problems. The Frankenstein nature of Windows 8 rears its ugly head as too often you are dropped into the desktop version of the Control Panel with hard to hit targets to set things up. I also find it difficult to figure out where certain settings were (even having used Windows 8/8.1 for the last 6 months - my laptop is non touch so I only use desktop apps on it). Not sure if I'm going to keep it or not - it's definitely a decent value @ $99 but isn't up to par against my closest competitor - an Asus M176 (7" tablet, 1280x800 IPS screen, 16 GB with 11 GB free, 64 GB micros SD works great, same quad core atom as the Toshiba and 1 GB RAM. The display is a little washed out but otherwise is much more usable than the Encore and it's regular price is $125 (have seen it as low as $110) with no taxes and free shipping. And the app situation and usability as a tablet is WAY ahead of the full Windows 8.1 Desktop/Universal app mess.

 

[ToddKlindt]

I got my Encore Mini yesterday. I made a quick unboxing video.

I haven't used it much yet, so I don't have a good feel for its performance.

 

[senaji]

I find it has a very good price, is it its real price or juste a promo ?

 

[ToddKlindt]

All the advertised prices before the Encore Mini came out priced it at $129. It's feasible that it stays at $99, but the worst case is that it goes back up to $129.

tk

 

[xTmX Korrupt]

I found many things Trivor said to hold true for me as well. I had to make some system adjustments and got the free space up to 5gb. Which is not much and I cannot get Window Store apps to install to the sd card for the life of me. Overall screen quality is decent for the price range but this is just a place holder tablet for now. I think it is just good for basic web browsing, email and the occasional Windows Store app.

 

[trivor]

The new HP Stream 7 has a similar screen (1280x800 IPS), 1 GB RAM, same Atom (Baytrail M) processor and 32 GB storage which will make all the difference in the world in the utility of the tablet. So far have not been able to buy one - list price is $99.

 

[ToddKlindt]

I uploaded another video on the Encore Mini. This one is on how to create a Recovery drive so you can free up some space.

I think my next video will be on how to delete the Recovery partition and expand the C drive.

tk

 

[xTmX Korrupt]

Awesome I will check it out

 

[ToddKlindt]

The Encore Mini works fine with the Plugable Pro 8 Dock that was engineered for the Dell Venue 8 Pro. Here's a video I made of using them together.

Not sure it's going to replace my desktop PC, but it's usable.

tk

 

[xTmX Korrupt]

Right now trying to figure out how to remove the recovery partition. Giving me more trouble than I thought it would be. As of right now though I am over 4gb.

 

[ToddKlindt]

Right now trying to figure out how to remove the recovery partition. Giving me more trouble than I thought it would be. As of right now though I am over 4gb.

What have you tried that hasn't worked?

tk

 

[xTmX Korrupt]

I have not been able to remove the recovery partition.

 

[Broomcorn]

Bought one for $80 on 12 days of deals. The screen is really bad and made for an undesirable experience. I returned it to get an HP stream 7 or something similar.

 

[ToddKlindt]

I recently picked up an Insignia Flex 8 for $99 and it's pretty good, Insignia 8" Intel Atom 16GB NS-15MS08 - Best Buy Its screen is much, much better than the Toshiba, it ships with a 16 GB micro SD card, and it has a micro HDMI port. Better in every way as far as I can tell.

tk