2012 Win8 Sketching Tablets

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KenoLeon, thanks for sharing your review - Thinkpad II did seem like it had potential.

about the screen resolution and things being too small - I have the same X60 12in that HRhv has and the resolution is so low that the tool menus cover a third of the screen. 10in seems small anyway

It really seems that going for anything less than an i5 or i7 processor isn’t going to be responsive, and most of the tablets seem to be atom processor

HRhv - Surface Pro does have a wacom… wish they’d release it already, I really want a new machine

I think we’ve settled on a designer desktop scenario (at least until we try the stylus on the Asus Taichi31).

Now that all the hoopla is out there from CES, it’s clear that none of the Win8 tablets seem to hit all the marks, so we’re going to try a two PC approach;

For maximum productivity, we’re going with a desktop Asus AIO 2300 for each designer; http://sg.asus.com/Allinone_PCs/23_inch/ET2300INTI/#specifications 23" is big enough for good CAD work, it’s got the i7 processor, fast RAM, big SSD, all touch capable and Widi for flatscreen/presentation connectivity and most importantly has an Nvidia GeForce GPU.

For maximum portability, we’re also going with an Asus Taichi 31 laptop/tablet hybrid for each designer; http://taichi.asus.com/#SpecDetailList It can be spec’d with an i7 and pretty good RAM and SSD, but I’m iffy on the stylus responsiveness with the crappy Intel GPU but preliminary reports are positive and it’s the only 13.3" model out there, so our 14.1" Toshiba Tecras won’t be missed too much. I can see the two screens being useful.

The 2300 is available now but we’re still waiting to get a crack at a Taichi31 for a sketch test. If anyone out there sees a Taichi31 and gets to play with it, please do fill us in!

Here’s a video regarding the Taichi31 (it’s been released in AUZ) ASUS Taichi 31 Dual Screen Laptop Tablet Review and Unboxing - YouTube

He’s incorrect that it is Wacom, maybe its such a good NTrig he can’t tell the difference?? :wink:

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Great review KenoLeon!
I have a previous version of that (the X60T) which works really well for day to day sketches.

Now for a few updates:
I went to the BETT show last week, which was exceptionally useful for seeking out and trying sketching gear. Here is what I found out:

Lenovo
In addition to the 230 (which KenoLeon just reviewed) and the Thinkpad 2, Lenovo are bringing out another tablet with a wacom penabled stylus. The Helix tablet runs full windows 8 pro with a core i7 processor (I think). I managed to get my hands on it and have a go. First thoughts: Although the tablet looks great, the keyboard joining mechanism is MASSIVELY over engineered. There are prongs all over the place, catches and flaps that fold onto the back. It felt light enough in my hands, but I would be immediately worried that these would snap or break in regular use.
The keypad section though does have some use - unlike a lot of other keypad add ons, it includes an extra battery (the bloke on the stand said it brought it up to 18 hours battery life - not sure how accurate that it) and additional ports.

Unlike most of the computers on the stands, the Helix had sketchbook installed on the demo unit. This is where I found the problem. Although the stylus is small, it is still quite comfortable to use, but the accuracy was way off. Similar to the review of the thinkpad 2, the digitiser was about 2-3mm out when sketching, and despite going to the very depths of the settings of the device, I couldn’t change or recalibrate it. This for me is a deal breaker - I am looking for the tablet for purely sketching, and this coupled with the clunky mechanism and hinge rule it out.

Microsoft
Typically, the MS stand didn’t have any Surface Pros to show, but they did have some info on it. The stylus definitely is wacom, and is pressure sensitive. If the price point is low enough, this could be really good. The reviews Review: Microsoft Surface Pro | WIRED of the pro came out today, and the stylus actually looks pretty neat - much bigger than the likes of the lenovo or the samsung.

Samsung
We have talked before about the ATIV Smart PC - I managed to have a real play around with the Pro version. This for me looks like the best choice out there. There is a noticeable weight difference between it and the standard Smart PC, but it still feels light enough to hold and sketch on comfortably. The stylus (S Pen) is again made by wacom (and seems to be getting a lot of support, hence samsung buying big shares in wacom last week), and is contained really nicely in the back of the tablet. If the stylus does seem to be a bug bare in terms of size, I took out my lenovo stylus from my x60t (which is quite a bulky pen) and it worked perfectly on it - a good solution if you want a different feel when you sketch.
The machine was fast. The pro version has full windows and a core i5 processor, which makes it easily capable of running SBP and even CAD with some efficiency. I may see if I can trial one for a few weeks, or even just buy one outright. At £900 it is also one of the cheapest options out there.

Help all that helps!

In case anyone was interested in a review of the ASUS Taichi 31 (I wanted to try it out because of it’s 13.3" size) it is now apparently delayed until December 2013 (I’d bet they have their hands full attempting to gain traction with the Taichi 21 (11.6" screen)). http://www.digitaltrends.com/laptop-reviews/asus-taichi-31-review/

We can’t wait another year to upgrade sketching hardware so I’m now back on track to test a Paceblade 240 later this month.

Came to the same conclusion myself, Hywel… just pulled the trigger on a Samsung Ativ yesterday and the wife is going to pick it up in Houston next week.

I really wanted something sleek and and it fit the bill without waiting til summer or fall. Plus I don’t need that much power for sketching and presentations, as I have other computers for that

It’s got an i5, even if it is a slower one, so it should be plenty fast. If it isn’t , then it’ll go right onto ebay

That stinks Scott…

Another update on potential winners (or losers): Talked with the Paceblade folks in Sweden, who directed me to the folks they buy it from. Who would’ve thought it’s a US company;

http://www.tabletkiosk.com/products/sahara/i500_overview.asp

I’d heard of TabletKiosk before, but not for PCs…that Paceblade PM240 unit is the same as the Sahara i550, a new version of the unit above (Sahara i500).

PROs
i7 processor
WACOM (yayyyy)
widi
displayport (for multiple monitors)
5 finger multi-touch (for Windows 8 )
fingerprint reader security
12.1" touchscreen (better than 11.6!)
dual batteries

CONs
HEAVY (3.3lb)
Intel HD graphics engine (but he claims it works great in this configuration)
only a 12.1" screen (worse than a 13.3", 14.1" or bigger)
only WXGA (1280x800) screen resolution.

An interesting product with some new and some aging spec’s but still better suited to our specific needs than these mainstream Win 8 tablets we’re seeing (if you’re doing field research or serious sketching / CAD work while traveling, this is probably going to be a great unit). I’ve asked the TabeltKiosk folks to get one to us for a tryout, I’ll try to video how well it works.

In my mind, I made the decision to go withthe Samsung was because I don’t need a dedicated tablet CAD / sketch station… There’s a desktop / Cintiq for serious firepower and a sleek portable tablet was more important for me

Sure I’ll to hit the limits here and there, but I’m excited to get the Ativ pro in my hands! I’ll post a short review when I get it

I’ve been on a similar path trying to break out our activities via different machines - I’m testing out a workflow layout with an Asus 23" all-in-one that we spec’d heavy w/ an Nvidia GPU for CAD, graphics and general Win 8 admin stuff and I’ve got one of our Toshiba Tecras remaining in place for sketching-only, connected to the Asus desktop to share an external HDD, documents & sketches within our network. The Toshiba can go a short distance around the studio but not for long and not easily and it’s definitely no longer a take-it-to-Starbucks-to-sketch-out-that-idea machine so I’m excited to hear your review on the Ativ Pro. Specifically your opinion of its size for sketching and its responsiveness (I’m guessing if you don’t experience a lag while sketching and you find a place to put the stylus, it’ll be golden - and it would make a very nice mobile field research machine as well). Interestingly, the Asus 23" is a touchscreen and came with a lite version of Sketchbook Pro - since its screen is capacitive I’ll have to try the iPad styli and see if they work with any level of detail - but we’ll plan to keep sketching on the Toshiba with it’s awesome Wacom until you provide your praise for the Ativ!

Er…mah…gerd

Attn Wacom Product Managers; If you do make this tablet, make it bigger than the one shown, give it a Core i7 processor, lots of RAM and an Nvidia graphics engine. We will buy them. :slight_smile:

http://www.penny-arcade.com/2013/02/25/the-ms-surface-pro

Reviving this thread - played around with a Surface Pro last night.

Loved everything about it except the screen size (for sketching) and one unknown; GPU performance.

Has anyone tried a big SolidWorks assembly on one of these - or even a big Rhino file? Or a 200mb Photoshop file?

The HD4000 is pretty mediocre when it comes to integrated graphics. If you look at CAD benchmarks you might see anywhere from 1-10fps for certain apps.

It’s certainly possible, and may be fine for some light geometry, but my Quadro 2000M chokes on big assemblies and that’s a modern dedicated GPU.

Yep, that’s what I’m guessing will happen with the Surface Pro if we try anything of substance. If it were slightly bigger it could be a dedicated (and mobile!!) sketching / email / admin device but with the handicap of size + GPU performance, I’m still on the fence. FYI though, the Asus AIO that will make up the desktop companion to whichever tablet we finally go with is performing well (it’s got the Nvidia GEforce GT 630Mand is handling everything with ease.

Surface Pro Artist Edition anyone (14" wacom enabled screen, Nvidia GPU, 10 hr batttery life)?.

Did anybody end up trying the Surface Pro or Asus VivoTab? Was the consensus that the screen will be too small? What else is (finally) out there now? I have never used a Wacom stylus before but it is time to get into sketching with Sketchbook Pro and Photoshop.