W4/W520

padgett

W4 officially announced but have not yet seen detailed specs. Which SOC it is using is going to be a critical discriminator. http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/press/2013/71577

 

ps press release had an e-mail address at Acer & just got this reply "Thanks for your inquiry. It is the Z3740 1.33GHz processor w/ LPDDR3 memory. The W4 specs will be up on our site pretty quickly."

 

Looks like there is a W4 in my future.

padgett

Acer W4 specs are not yet up but preliminary specs for Tosiba Encore WT8 and Lenovo MIIX 2 are at UMPC . Miix specs are also up the Microsoft store but they are clearly rong (dunno of any Bay Trail using DDR2 memory) with an 11/15 expected delivery.

 

Both Toshiba and Lenovo look remarkably similar though Toshiba may have a Z3770 instead of a Z3740. The big thing is that both are listing A-GPS as standasrd.

 

AFAIK A-GPS is a regular GPS receiver that can use Internet positioning "assist"  (generally within about 5 miles) to speed a fix but does not require it.

 

Certainly expect the W4 specs to include GPS, omission in W3 and W510 was noticable. I can use an app to link my Windows tablets to my smartphone GPS via BT but that is a kludge.

billsey

IIRC, A-GPS requires an active antenna. Active antennas require power from the motherboard, rather than having the GPS chip provide the power... That is what I remember from the EXOPC tablet anyway.

padgett

Think this is Assisted-GPS and not Active.

 

Pesonally could not care if the same GPS in my Android tablet and SmartPhone, if some Bay Trail tabs have and others do not then ebay and HSN are waiting.

 

Last December I was rearended when stopped in traffic. The 7" Android tab in my car recorded the exact position and time of the collision. While playing music and displaying engine parameters. If the other ins co had not done the Right Thing I was ready to subpoena the other driver's cell phone records.

 

Still waiting to see the official specs but right now Windows tabs are the underdogs and need every boost they can get. I am convinced it is the right platform but seem to be in the minority. The fact that the tab mfrs seem not to have a clue how to market is not helping.

 

For now am willing to put up with 2GB RAM and 64 GB SSD but really want 4GB and 128 GB. Plus "the big three": USB 3.0, HDMI, and miniSD card socket. Can add everything else probably just from what is already in my den (see Toyz).

 

We may have one more iteration to go (next year for sure) and with the proper marketing Windows tabs could dominate. However at this point that is just a potential and could easily go the way of BetaMax. First the hardware needs to be "Good Enough" (C).  Second the market must be created (and not with blah press releases or dancers spinning tabs on a finger).

 

I see it as a triage of purpose: smart watch/bracelet, smart phone, tablet and that is all a modern person needs.

 

Am writing this with a desktop driving a keyboard mouse and 24" monitor. In my car I have an Android tab for engine, sat-nav, rear cam, and music. For work I carry a notebook. Could do all of that with the W3 and a few extra peripherals (like a BU-353-S4).

 

"blem wit" all of this is that tabs are going to take over from the ultrabook, netbook, laptop market. Servers and Gamers are still going to need Big Iron but those will become nich markets. Covers/cases may or may not have keyboards but will be U$10 items and disposable. People will need to start thinking "multifunction" and docks at home, work, and in cars. All of the pieces are there now, just waiting to happen.

 

Only real question is will it be fast or slow and that is what marketting will decide.

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