In 2007, I bought Cowon Q5W, which is a premium media player, that has a 5 inch LCD screen, a 60 GB hard disk, could play most audio and video file formats, connects to the TV, supports keyboard, PS2 controllers, had WiFi and ran on Windows CE. It was a remarkable device but it was retarded in many ways. That was my first brush with tablet computing, granted it was not a tablet per. se. but you get my drift.

Since than, my device hopping took me to Android which I found to be really good but true mobile desktop computing still eludes us. Android does have it’s bright features and you can do almost all the job a Windows based laptop / netbook /desktop can; but given the choice, most Android tablet users will opt for a capable Windows desktop. Nothing beats the ease of computing and familiarity that Windows bring.

Two versions of Windows

Windows 8 is an attempt by Microsoft to bridge the desktop and mobile computing divide. Devices based on Windows 8 are slowly appearing in the market but there are some problems, like

1. There are two version of Windows 8 that run on tablet PC’s and it is very important that you are getting the one you are looking for (I am going to explain this is detail).

2. They are very expensive and the price is beyond the reach of many.

3. Manufacturing companies like Samsung, Lenovo et. al. have a confusing line up of Windows based tablets and they are taking their own sweet time to release them. Couple this with location-based releases and you have a confused market.

Difference between Windows 8 and Windows RT

Microsoft released Windows 8 for two different processor architectures

1. ARM

ARM cpu’s are the ones that power most tablets and smart phones nowadays. Companies like Qualcomm, Nvidia, Samsung are the major manufacturers of these CPUs.

2. x86/x64

x86/x64 cpu’s are the ones that power your desktop, laptop and netbook. Intel, AMD are the major manufacturers of these CPUs.

If you want the same Windows 7 / 8 and other software that runs on a desktop to run on your tablet; you should buy a Windows 8 tablets that is powered by a x86/x64 based CPU. The tablets powered by ARM runs on Windows RT. The RT version looks and works exactly like Windows 8 but has a very important difference; it can not run software written for the desktop version of Windows 8, Window 7, Vista and Windows XP. It can only run apps that were specifically written for RT most of which is available on the Windows App Store. The recently launched Samsung Series 7 Slate XE700T1A runs Windows RT.

Windows RT? Meh!

I am not too excited about buying a Windows RT device, since it does not make any sense for me. Android is proven on mobile devices and there are tens of thousands of apps available for it and there is a huge user and developer base for Android. If I want Windows on my tablet, I will go for the full featured Windows not some me-too version of Windows that tries to do what another OS is already doing for me. The high cost of Windows RT based tablets are not improving the situation.

Low cost Windows 8 tablets.

Thankfully, OEM and small manufacturers in China are one step ahead and are already selling tablets that are based on x86 processors from Intel and run Windows 8. The prices are nominal and you do not have to rob a bank to pay for a tablet.

I have shortlisted 3 tablets bought by customers from around the world and they are happy with their purchase. The tablets in question uses the Intel Atom N2600 or the Atom N2800 CPU and runs Windows 7 or Windows 8 (you can choose the OS). Some of the tablets I found can also dual boot in to Android. As of now, Intel Atom N2600 and the N2800 are the best that is on offer from the x86 mobile camp and they are quite powerful for their purpose.

Intel Atom N2600

This is a dual core x86 CPU running at 1.6 GHz and is manufactured with 32 nanometer fabrication technology. It has a 400 MHz Intel GMA 3600 GPU, draws 3.5 volt at it’s peak and works on only 1.8v.

Intel Atom N2800

This is a dual core x86 CPU running at 1.86 GHz and is manufactured with 32 nanometer fabrication technology. It has a 640 MHz Intel GMA 3650 GPU, draws 6.5 volt at it’s peak and works on only 1.9v.

Some good Chinese friends of mine were kind enough to review and send me the videos.

Livefan F1-Note

LiveFan seems to be the most popular and recommended of OEM manufacturer for low cost Windows 8 tablets. Almost all the tablet models that I could find from this manufacturer are powered by either Intel N2600 or Intel N2800 , two of the latest mobile x86 CPU that Intel has on offer. The specifications of their tablets are decent and are value for money. If we go by the reviews left by buyers, they are satisfied with it.

There are multiple versions of this tablet with prices from $429 to $595. The price difference is due to inclusion of faster CPU, higher capacity SSD drives and internal 3G

Specifications of the Livefan F1 Winpad

Some photographs of Livefan Windows tablet

LiveFan Windows Tablet running Windows 8

Side view of the LiveFan Windows 8 tablet

Since it is a windows machine, you can easily connect any USB 3G modem, if you buy the non internal 3G version. You can buy the LiveFan F1 tablet here

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/EMS-Shipping-wifi-3G-Windows-8-ATom-N2600-dual-core-1-6GHz-2G-RAM-32G-SSD/575960908.html

http://www.techtoys2go.com/livefan-f1?category_id=50

Hedy Winpad P200 Dual Core

This Windows tablet is powered by a Intel Atom N570 1.67 GHz dual core CPU. It is less powerful than the N2600/N2800 CPUs. The N570 has a 200 MHz GPU and supports both DDR2 and DDR3 800 MHz RAM. It consumes 8.5 at it’s peak which makes it less energy efficient than the latest N2600/N2800.

Specifications of the Hedy Winpad

Photographs of the Hedy Winpad

Hedy Winpad running Windows 7

Back view of the Hedy Winpad

There are multiple versions of this tablet with 32GB/64GB/128 GB internal storage, internal 3G/external 3G. Hedy Winpad 200 sells for for $339.00 to $497.00

http://www.techtoys2go.com/winpad-p200?category_id=50

BBen Windows tablet

The BBen tablet runs on an Intel N2600 dual core CPU. This tablet is cheapest of the three. The specifications are comparable to that of the more expensive Livefan F1. The screen is a “squarish” 9.7 inches with 4:3 aspect ratio.The screen is IPS but the resolution is pegged at 1024*768.

Specifications of the BBen tablet

Photographs of the BBen Windows Tablet

BBen C97 Windows Tablet on WIndows 8 Pro

Back view of the BBen C97 tablet

This tablet sells for $289 to $527.00. You can buy the BBen tablet here

http://www.techtoys2go.com/bben-c97?category_id=50

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/wholesale-C97-Windows-7-N2600-Dual-Core-Tablet-PC-9-7-IPS-Capactive-Touch-screen-2G/598563269.html (1265)

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