Windows Hybrids - My research and questions

[mcbain942]

I think the trend of having a laptop that i can take the screen out of a(docking station, or just a shell) and it now acts as a tablet is the future in my opinion.

What im trying to do is the following:
1) have the device act as a workstation at work, i do not need disk space or battery at this point since i have the network and its servers
2) when i am mobile, where i no longer need a cell phone. thats right, ditch the cell. There is inbound skype, and google services where a phone is no longer needed. But i will need to still purchase a USB antenna and pay the fee to be on their network. I can have an ear piece on bluetooth to answer my calls while my hybrid is in bluetooth distance. I can also use my optimum wifi account to get better internet access where availalbe and other paid hotspots around to get better bandwith if needed.

My issue is the battle of getting full blow windows 8 or windows RT and getting a i7 or a quad or dual atom. I have been keeping a spreadsheet of each vendor and what they offer in the device. the file is attached. some data is solid, some specs might change, and as i get closer i will details this spreadsheet better (what usb is 2 and 3.0 and which one is on the docking station and which on on the tablet itself) it was also hard to get the weight of the devices.

I think Sony is going to do the best Job in my opinion but dont know the weight or battery life. I can always have an extra battery, and car charger,usb charger but i want to pick the best to fit my scenerio above. any suggestions?

fyi, ethernet is a must

I cant attach a file here but i will past in comma delimited format and if your techy enough you can open it in excel

Name,CPU,screen,HD,RAM,USB,HDMI out,face camera,rear ,ethernet,release date,blue tooth,pen,,weight,notes
Toshiba U925T U920T,icore 5,12.5,128 SSD,,(2) 3.0,yes,yes,,no,26-Oct,,,,3.2 lbs,slider/ no ethernet
Acer Iconia W700,i5,11.6,64 SSD,4 GB,(4) 3,mini hdmi,5 mp,1.3,,,,,,,thunderbolt port
Samsung S7 AIO,i7 3770T,27,1 TB,8gm 1600,3,yes and out,? ,?,1.0 gb,oct 26th,4,,1699-749,,It looks like Samsung is calling these tablets “ATIV” tablets in the global market. Reps tell us Samsung hasn’t decided if it’ll use this label in the U.S.
Lenovo ThinkPad 2,intel atom,10.1,64,,,yes,,,,,,,,1.3lbs,
Dell XPS Duo 12,icore7,12.5,,,2,,,,,,,,,,hinge not detachable
HP Envy x2,Intel Atom,11.6,64,,,,HD 8pix,hd yes,,oct 26th,,,,,
Sony Vaio Duo 11,i3 i5 i7,11.6,128-256SSD,8 gb,,,hd yes,hd yes,,,,,,2.9 lbs,

 

[Rallicat]

Well keep in mind the following general rules;

The Windows RT tablets will likely give you the best battery life
Windows RT tablets are less likely to provide support for devices where the drivers are not available through Microsoft.
Tablets with Intel or AMD CPUs will be more powerful, can run regular software, but battery life will suffer as a consequence.

I think if you have demanding requirements, then 'out of the gate' a Windows RT tablet is unlikely to suit you. If you can stand to wait a while then the picture on what can, and can't be done on an RT tablet will become clearer. Windows RT tablets are certainly going to be the ones that compete most closely with the iPad in terms of size, weight, and power efficiency. I plan to get one (the Surface if possible!), and simply use my Lumia's Tethering capability to provide internet when I need it.

 

[mcbain942]

I know but for me to throw my cell phone away, an expect a driver for verizon 3/4g usb connector for Windows RT is going to be slim to none.

I also want to run this is a workstation. So i need Microsoft Visual Studio 2012, Developer software. The only usb devices i usually use are for a phone, which im trying to get minus out of the equation. Although it would be nice for a external hard drive, or a usb drive to move a movie over or 2

 

[mcbain942]

im not even sure if these devices will have detachable batteries so i can have another charged. another column to add to my spreadsheet.

 

[twelve25]

I think we are still a few years away from the single uber-device. We are getting close, though. I would suspect within the next decade some phones will be powerful enough to run almost any desktop app and will be able to dock at home for use on a large monitor, or a laptop type carrier. foldable LCDs are being developed now, so that could mean a pocket device that unfolds into a 7" tablet. So for most people, their phone will also be their tablet, laptop and desktop. Desktops will move to niche uses like high end games and media generation. Laptops will probably die before desktops.

Right now, I think Windows 8 tablets are a step in the right direction, but aren't going to do what you want.

 

[Guest]

look at Windows 8 TV add, Microsoft gets crazy