Database Users

(Q) modding a phone into a tablet

Can this be done? I am asking this because I am getting sick of messing with all these tablets none of the 7' ones have optical batteries and it is hard to find one that doesn't weigh like a pound with a huge bezel which is the main reason why I was looking at doing this I feel the tablet would really benefit being light weight. My main question is if I found a decent cellphone with a broken screen for cheap would it be difficult to be able to adapt a 16:9 7' LCD panel and capacitive digitizer to the connector? I'd really love to have a small pocketable 7' tablet that has moddable space for some of the cheaply available cellphone batteries or extended batteries etc..
I was close to getting what I wanted with one tablet but it didn't have USB charging.

you can try on openmoko phone,they are coming with full customization opensource phone so you can modify it.

buzz86us said:
Can this be done? I am asking this because I am getting sick of messing with all these tablets none of the 7' ones have optical batteries and it is hard to find one that doesn't weigh like a pound with a huge bezel which is the main reason why I was looking at doing this I feel the tablet would really benefit being light weight. My main question is if I found a decent cellphone with a broken screen for cheap would it be difficult to be able to adapt a 16:9 7' LCD panel and capacitive digitizer to the connector? I'd really love to have a small pocketable 7' tablet that has moddable space for some of the cheaply available cellphone batteries or extended batteries etc..
I was close to getting what I wanted with one tablet but it didn't have USB charging.
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If I read this correct, you want to be able to remove the tablets battery and/or swap it with a cellphone battery? Would it work? Yes. No. I have a 5in. Galaxy Player that has a non-removable battery but I removed it just to see if I could. If you manage to correctly wire everything together you have to consider how to get it in a pocketable shell. Also phones and tablets have different shaped batteries and those batteries have different amperage/voltage. But hey, if you got expendable cash and a little "know how" by all means go for it.

i was talking modding a phone with a broken screen into a tablet by replacing the screen with a 7' lcd and a capacitive digitizer and designing a shell while maintaining the phones ability to use its own optical batteries. I am just trying to get a feel for whether this would he a viable idea.

But do u think a 7 inch is pocketable? Even if its weightless? Lol, i almost dont put my hd2 in my pockets, its hell of a big.
But as ans for ur doubts its possible. Unless u manage to get a proper display. Batt isnt that much prob. U can make packs with several batts, if u know how to.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using xda premium

Wouldn't one extended battery suffice? and yes a 7' tab is pocketable the main issue that makes these non pocketable is the huge bezels on some of them.

First and foremost you can't wire a different screen or digitizer into the system. The LCD driver is build and configured for that exact display and resolution. A better solution could be to slave a LCD panel using the hdmi and integrate a mouse into the housing to control it.
As for batteries there is a reason they are the way they are. It is easier to integrate it (smaller profile) and it is easier to deal with. You would need a huge battery if you wanted any sort of run time.

giritrobbins said:
First and foremost you can't wire a different screen or digitizer into the system. The LCD driver is build and configured for that exact display and resolution. A better solution could be to slave a LCD panel using the hdmi and integrate a mouse into the housing to control it.
As for batteries there is a reason they are the way they are. It is easier to integrate it (smaller profile) and it is easier to deal with. You would need a huge battery if you wanted any sort of run time.
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I was going to say, the biggest problem will be the driving hardware for the LCD as almost each lcd has a different one. In order for this to work you would have to find one that works exactly the same way as the screen that you are taking off.
Battery power will also be a problem. The battery for my Captivate is 5.5 Watt Hours which at 3.7-3.8V is 1450-1500mAh. The battery an iPad 2 is 28W which at 3.8V is 7380 mAh. Basically, bigger screen = bigger backlight. Bigger backlight = more power. The most battery two most battery draining items on the phone is the cell receiver and the lcd backlight.

pongkite said:
you can try on openmoko phone,they are coming with full customization opensource phone so you can modify it.
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Wow. I haven't seen a reference to openmoko in a long time.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

What's wrong with having a bezel around the screen? It is actually useful when you hold the tablet cause your fingers won't touch the screen as you're holding it

Get a Samsung galaxy note!

I agree with this guy ^^^^
I had the same trouble as you, but now I have a Galaxy Note, its only 5.3 inches though not 7, but after moving up from an iPhone it feels huge.

Yes on the Galaxy Note -- have one and am pleased
I have the Galaxy Note and recommend it as well.
Give that, my read is you may find an option of using an andriod phone put a mod on it (an example cyanogenmod) and BOOM phablet
I am digging into this as an option as well (welcome comments). I have been trying to get a device from ebay without luck todate (recommendations welcome).
I also ordered a Window N50 (N5Zero) as another option
let me know if this helps

Unless you really need the phone functionality of an actual phone, wouldn't it be much simpler to buy an existing 7" tablet and then mod it to take removable batteries? Some dremel work, bit of plastic plates for support and some spring contacts and you're good to go.
China makes some very nice android tablets. I've got a 9.7 one that runs ICS and the experience on it is at least as good as my old HTC desire minus the phone and 3G. Supports external 3G dongles but dang they're ugly..

For the record, I have a galaxy note.
Just buy a kindle fire, root it, and install ICS. Or just install a launcher like my GF did. For 200 dollars you will not do any better than it, period.
The kindle fire is pretty impressive in terms of RAM and processor power for the price, and while the screen isn't perfect, I found it hard to justify $700 at the time for the Gnote over her free smartphone and $200 dollar KF.
Even in terms of gaming, emulation, etc, I have yet to find anything running significantly slower than on my Gnote, even though the specs are just a 1ghz dual- core processor and 512 mb RAM. I think the playstation emulater ran ever so slightly slower with a 3D game, that's it.
My girl seems to get around 3-4 days on standby with some moderate gaming and a lot of e-reading, etc. I'm sure you can get a generic micro-usb 'external battery' which will charge your device etc. Personally, I just carry around a micro-usb cable and/or charger. Unless you are taking this hypothetical tablet into the woods I can't see how you wouldn't be able to charge it at least for an hour or two somewhere in this day and age.
One of the reasons that you will not find tablets with removable batteries is that the batteries themselves are massive and make up much a pretty sizeable chunk of the phone. I can't state the specifics, but the point is you can't just 'remove the back and plop in a new battery'. What, were you planning to run four galaxy S2 batteries in series or something? How would that be useful? And do you really think that the result you will get will be superior to something you could buy? Have you ever tried soldering onto PCBs before? Do you have the proper equipment to do so?
+1 to the lower-cost tablets coming out of China, etc. I have heard some good things about them.
Summary: economies of scale have all the answers you need

The Toshiba Thrive has a removable battery. The 10 inch, at any rate.
Sent from my AT100 using Tapatalk 2

[Q] TF810 vs Ativ 500T

Seems simple as they are almost the same we should go for cheaper one...but...
is getting Samsung really a better deal?
Your thoughts? Which hybrid with Atom is the best choice and why?

I own the Samsung 500t. What I like about it besides being $200 cheaper, is the rotation lock button, full sized USB port, and a slot to store the s-pen. What I don't like is the glossy slippery plastic back, the weak speakers, and lack of second battery in the dock.
The TF810 looks like it has better build quality with mostly aluminum and some plastic, shouldn't be slippery, I think the "Quad-Speakers" are probably going to sound better. It's got a brighter Super IPS+ screen which helps if you need to use the tablet outside. And it has a second battery in the dock. Oh and it is just better looking too.
The Atom is okay, but it's video playback kinda sucks. It seems many of these Atom tablets have various driver quirks that are still being worked out. Things just don't seem to be quite ready yet and I'm already second guessing the wisdom of spending $750 on the Samsung. So I definitely wouldn't pay $950 for the ASUS (with dock).
I'm looking at the HP Envy X2 also. HP has it on sale for $750 (not sure how long this sale will last), that includes the dock. I really like the all aluminum build and the latch mechanism doesn't stick out as much as other tablets. It's also get a second battery in the dock, but has no stylus or a Wacom digitizer (apparently uses some cheaper digitizer). And some day the keyboard isn't that good either.
Seems like all the Atom tablets have some downsides that we have to figure out which ones we can accept.
I'm also thinking about just giving up on the whole keyboard docking thing and saving some money and getting a 10 inch ASUS VivoTab Smart. At least it'll make a better tablet being lighter and easier to hold. And I can prop it up in a stand and use a bluetooth keyboard. And lastly I won't feel so bad spending so much money to be a first generation Windows 8 tablet guinea pig.

Lenovo Lynx is looking pretty good too. $600 for the tablet, $150 for the dock.
http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/tablet/ideatab/lynx-k3011/?menu-id=learn&ref-id=learn
Being a Lenovo that means the keyboard should be pretty good, and the keyboard dock has a battery. Built quality looks quite nice overall, and a textured back appears grippy and finger print resistant. It has no pen though. And what really makes me nervous is the specs say the micro SD slot supports up to 32GB. No SDXC in 2013, seriously? I'm really thinking that's got to be a mistake, but I'm not sure. It's definitely a deal breaker if it isn't a mistake.

Ravynmagi said:
I own the Samsung 500t. What I like about it besides being $200 cheaper, is the rotation lock button, full sized USB port, and a slot to store the s-pen. What I don't like is the glossy slippery plastic back, the weak speakers, and lack of second battery in the dock.
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That is a true downside. I got Galaxy S3 and I have dropped it few times beacuse back has no grip at all , I suppose laptop/tablet will be less mobile than phone but still it should allow me to carry it in safety.
Ravynmagi said:
The TF810 looks like it has better build quality with mostly aluminum and some plastic, shouldn't be slippery, I think the "Quad-Speakers" are probably going to sound better. It's got a brighter Super IPS+ screen which helps if you need to use the tablet outside. And it has a second battery in the dock. Oh and it is just better looking too.
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My thoughts exactly. So fat I have only seen 500t in reality as Vivo Tab is not in shops yet... but I just like the way it look.
One more downside of Asus in Poland is TERRIBLE warranty service. Services are being run by small companies that have agreement with Asus Poland and in most cases they blame user for everything - standard reply is "Seal was broken/tempered with - warranty void" even having pictures of it before send for repairs is not helping .
Ravynmagi said:
The Atom is okay, but it's video playback kinda sucks. It seems many of these Atom tablets have various driver quirks that are still being worked out.
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What exactly are your issues?
This device that I will buy has to be able to play (smoothly) most video formats, most popular being .mkv 720p.
If this has similar problems to "old" Tegra 2 devices (remeber?) than it is a BIG PROBLEM.
On the other hand I used to have old Asus 1201n netbook with dual-core Atom 300 and first gen. Nvidia Ion onboard and it played everything without an issue (12" screen with 1366x768).
So... what is going on here?
Ravynmagi said:
I'm looking at the HP Envy X2 also. HP has it on sale for $750
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Saw it... don't like it either. Had HP/Compaq in the past and always had problems with them.
Since hardware of HP and 500t is the same I would go with Samsung in this one (I guess).
Ravynmagi said:
Seems like all the Atom tablets have some downsides that we have to figure out which ones we can accept.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More details, please
Ravynmagi said:
I'm also thinking about just giving up on the whole keyboard docking thing and saving some money and getting a 10 inch ASUS VivoTab Smart.
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I was considering it, but in my case size of screen matters . When I write texts I work with few windows an 10" is just to small .

What's the difference between the tf810 and the tf810c? Is there a tf810 with LTE or any cellular connectivity?
Also the Samsung device looks to be a afterthought device from Samsung. Avoid
If its possible, I'd say wait another season or two for more competition.
If not, go TF810.

WingCero said:
What's the difference between the tf810 and the tf810c? Is there a tf810 with LTE or any cellular connectivity?
Also the Samsung device looks to be a afterthought device from Samsung. Avoid
If its possible, I'd say wait another season or two for more competition.
If not, go TF810.
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Can't wait I am waiting last 2 year to replace iPad with something that will do what I need.
I need Windows to work, I need mobile device to work away from home during weekends ( yes I know)
And I dont want just laptop as I has to be entertainment device as well.
Why do you say: Samsung device looks to be a afterthought device...?

galtom said:
Can't wait I am waiting last 2 year to replace iPad with something that will do what I need.
I need Windows to work, I need mobile device to work away from home during weekends ( yes I know)
And I dont want just laptop as I has to be entertainment device as well.
Why do you say: Samsung device looks to be a afterthought device...?
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In terms of the Samsung device, its build quality looks to be just as bad as it's phones. Samsung laptops are probably the best in the world (Series 9) To see the ATIV coming from them is a clear sign that they didn't really put much thought into it, especially when you compare it to DELL and ASUS' hybrids.
Looks like we're in the same situation. I cannot wait either :-/
I just posted this so maybe you'll find some help alongside of me.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2093981

Thanks for link.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

I have a TF810C and it's beautiful, the battery life is quite incredible. I consider this device perfect, except for the downsides:
-Slightly visible pixels at normal viewing distance, due to lowish resolution screen
-The pen bugs out when drawing 1cm near the edges of the screen
-The pen lacks drivers, and so does not work for Photoshop or nearly anything else. It works with some Windows 8 apps and both desktop & metro OneNote. When it does work, it works really well.
-Tinny speakers that are situated at the back of the tablet. They get a little bit distorted.
-No complex gestures for the touchpad. I like to tap on the right click area instead of pressing down, but the drivers for the tablet don't allow this!
-Dodgy, dodgy chipset drivers. Expect a BSOD every 2 days, sound that completely breaks until you reboot once a day, stability problems, unresponsive touchpad when waking from sleep, etc. These can happily be fixed by installing Samsung/HP/Acer drivers.
-No ASUS support at all. Drivers are not being updated, and the website doesn't even list the device correctly.
-The CPU can't handle fast-moving 720p 10bit .mkv files in VLC Player. Media Player Classic works, but it breaks for complex subtitles. Thankfully, a kickstarter for Windows 8-style VLC Player has been funded, and may offer better performance.
...And that's pretty much it for the problems. Every last one of them.
The tablet is thin, light, shiny, has a colourful and bright display, well-balanced with the keyboard dock, brilliant in every other way.
I can definitely recommend it, and hope that ASUS will eventually get around to fixing these problems rather than making users depend on other devices' drivers.

galtom said:
What exactly are your issues?
This device that I will buy has to be able to play (smoothly) most video formats, most popular being .mkv 720p.
If this has similar problems to "old" Tegra 2 devices (remeber?) than it is a BIG PROBLEM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's fortunately not as bad as the Tegra 2. I'm not sure if it's a hardware issue or maybe just a driver issue. I have trouble playing back some 1080p videos, there are noticeable frame drops. Stream HD video from Amazon Prime or YouTube gets choppy sometimes (not referring to buffering issues) as it's dropping frames. The ABC Player app in the Windows Store also drops frames. The Netflix app however seems to work flawlessly. And if I download 1080p YouTube videos and play them back with VLC that seem to work fine usually. 720p MVK files work most of the time, think I've had some higher bit rate ones that got choppy sometimes.
I have a smoother and more reliable video playback experience with my Kindle Fire HD. I'm hoping this is just a driver issue and things will get smoothed out soon.
Other driver issues...
Wireless sometimes has trouble reconnecting to an access point with bluetooth is being used. Some have also mentioned dramatic slows with wifi using bluetooth, though I haven't done any file transfers while using my bluetooth mouse yet, so haven't seen that first hand yet. If I disable the bluetooth the wireless never seems to have trouble reconnecting, only with bluetooth on.
The keyboard/trackpad don't seem to go to sleep when the tablet does. With the tablet in the keyboard dock, if I close lid this often causes the tablet to wake back up, even the screen will come back on. And it make stay on. I've also found that apps I didn't open will open up after I close the lid. I the tablet coming within close proximity of the trackpad while it's close is causing it to register clicks or interaction and wake up and run apps. I now have to manually press Fn-F5 to disable the track pad before closing the tablet lid on the keyboard. This seems to help a lot and now the tablet will go to sleep most of the time. Hopefully a driver update will make the keyboard/trackpad also sleep at some point.
However I don't think the keyboard/trackpad is the only issue preventing the tablet from going to sleep. Seems like if I have some applications running it has trouble sleeping as well. So if it doesn't sleep I may need to close some apps or go back to the Windows Start screen.
The audio is inconsistent. Sometimes the volume sounds good and sufficient and other times I have a real hard time hearing it. It's different on an app by app basis. Hopefully this can be improved through drivers.
galtom said:
More details, please
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Click to collapse
I seem to run into big cons with each tablet I look at...
Samsung 500T, slippery back, no secondary battery.
ASUS TF810, expensive, no pen silo.
HP Envy X2, No pen, poor keyboard.
Acer W510, Too small, poor keyboard.
Lenovo Lynx, No pen, 32GB SD limitation.
Lenovo Tabet 2, No keyboard dock.
Dell Latitude 10, No keyboard dock, too small.
Pick your poison. I'd prefer a keyboard dock that converts the tablet into a clamshell laptop design (so I'm not a fan of the Surface kickstand and type cover design). 10 inch tablets mean the keyboard is going to be too cramped, so the W510 is too small (and the Dell is too if it had a keyboard).
Originally I didn't care about a pen, however after using the Samsung 510T for a while, I'm starting to realize the pen is pretty nice to have. It helps with desktop apps, such as when I want to highlight some text in the browser, which seems to be impossible to do by finger. I don't ink on my tablets, so the pen is just to make working with the desktop apps easier. And I need to be able to store the pen in the tablet otherwise it'll be hugely inconvenient. This is probably the one con I can overlook, I think I could live without the pen, it's just something I'd really like to have.
Seems like on the Lenovo Lynx has the 32GB micro SD limitation. I already own a 64GB microSD card and I got to be able to use this with my tablet. 64GB is going to already be cramped on the tablet (only about 32 to 40GB is available depending on the size of the recovery partition). I'm hoping the 32GB limit is an error in the specs list, but it's mentioned more than once in different places.
Lack of secondary battery is more an annoyance. So far I've been able to get through an entire tablet with my Samsung 500T despite not having a second battery. I'm also not using the tablet constantly all day long, but I do use if frequently through out the day. And the battery life of the Atom is already impressive. So it's disappointing there is no second battery, but it's not a deal breaker.
A slippery back on a tablet almost is a deal breaker. While I don't feel like there is any danger of dropping it, it's so huge, so it won't slip out of your hands that fast. But it does make holding it even more awkward than the weight and size already make. Fortunately this potential deal breaker issue is somewhat solved with a skin I put on the back from Decalrus. The skin is smooth, but it is still a decent improvement than the glossy plastic of the tablet. It doesn't feel slippery anymore.
At this moment I'm probably going to end up keeping my Samsung 500T. If the Lenovo Lynx supported 64GB micro SD then I'd be highly tempted to switch to that. However if the sleep issues with the Samsung keyboard keeps bothering me, it's possible I just may give up on a tablet+keyboard=laptop dream and just go with a pure 10 inch tablet without keyboard and get an ASUS ME400 (VivoTab Smart) and save myself $250. And wait for the Bay Trail tablet at the end of the year.
---------- Post added at 08:52 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:38 AM ----------
One positive thing about the 500T. Despite some driver issus with the wireless, it seems like Samsung has been doing a good job with driver updates. And the tablet has been quite stable. I've never had a bluescreen of death and don't need to reboot it.

Ravynmagi said:
A slippery back on a tablet almost is a deal breaker. While I don't feel like there is any danger of dropping it, it's so huge, so it won't slip out of your hands that fast. But it does make holding it even more awkward than the weight and size already make. Fortunately this potential deal breaker issue is somewhat solved with a skin I put on the back from Decalrus. The skin is smooth, but it is still a decent improvement than the glossy plastic of the tablet. It doesn't feel slippery anymore.
QUOTE]
It seems a couple people posted about the slippery back of the Samsung ATIV 500T. I have owned this tablet for about 3 weeks now and I have had no issues at all with the material on the back of the tablet. Honestly I dont even feel like it is slippery. Its not like my fingers glide across the back when I am gripping it. Or I have never set it on a surface and feared that it would glide to the other end and fall to the ground. Just my opinion.
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knlmwq said:
It seems a couple people posted about the slippery back of the Samsung ATIV 500T. I have owned this tablet for about 3 weeks now and I have had no issues at all with the material on the back of the tablet. Honestly I dont even feel like it is slippery. Its not like my fingers glide across the back when I am gripping it. Or I have never set it on a surface and feared that it would glide to the other end and fall to the ground. Just my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The back is smooth glossy plastic. When your hands are perfectly dry there is no issue. Unfortunately for us humans, up to 60% of our body is water and most of us have a little bit of moisture that forms in our palms. So unless you are constantly rubbing your hands dry and wiping the back of the tablet with a cloth, it's going to get slippery for most people.
I have no fear it's going to just pop out of my hands like a wet bar of soap. But it's difficult to hold in the palm of one hand while interacting with the screen, because it keeps slipping.
This back is one of the big reasons I'm returning mine. It's just too much of a hassle.

In all those devices with 64GB SSD - how much space is left for user?

A base Win8 64-bit install will use ~15GB, counting pagefile, hiberfile, etc. (size highly variable on the amount of RAM installed, among other things). Adding things like Office and the legacy .NET frameworks will drive that up somewhat. Realistically, If there's a recovery partition (likely), it'll probably be at least 5GB and possibly as much as 15GB (if there's a ton of pre-loaded crap) but that just depends on where you get it from, and you can create external recovery media (flashdrive or similar), nuke the recovery partition, and extend the main partition into the space. Realistically, I'd say you should expect to have 30-40GB of fully usable free space - you can go higher than that, especially if you disable hibernate, but it will slow things down if the storage gets too full.

Thanks for the info - that is all I needed to know.
As far as I understand there will be no problem in moving recovery partition to USB drive/NAS disk/ or even to cloud (Skydrive) just for storage?

galtom said:
Thanks for the info - that is all I needed to know.
As far as I understand there will be no problem in moving recovery partition to USB drive/NAS disk/ or even to cloud (Skydrive) just for storage?
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You can move it to a USB flash drive, it needs about 8GB of space. I probably wouldn't put it in a cloud drive since if you actually need it it'll need to be on a USB flash drive anyway.
BTW, with my Samsung 500T, I sometimes had to reboot twice before it would recognize the USB recovery drive (USB boot is weird on this thing).

Hi Guys, I had both the Ativ 500t and now the TF810. For me the 500t seemed slower and seemed to freeze. so I returned it and last week I got the TF810 for my Bday. It is so much better quality and performance. I also had a huge problem with the keyboard disconnecting on the 500t. The keyboard is soo much better with the TF810 and the battery adds atleast an additional 8hours. All this aside I ended up winning a contest at work and will receive the surface pro when released so I will probably sell the TF810 and throw in the Keyboard for free. It turns out we just missed out on the extended return with Amazon holiday because Adorama is only 15days into the new year.
Out of the 2 the TF810 for me was the far better machine. Granted I have only used it for a week but everything from the Pen on is so much better.

Great to hear that my decision to spend more and get Tf810 was/is a good one

Before you sell the TF810, it would be interesting to observe your comparison with the Surface Pro. I have the Surface RT and love it, but I'd like to see some comparisons of the x86 options. The Surface is very tablet-y; it can be used as a laptop (I have the Touch Cover, which works but is not perfect) but even with the kickstand and all, it feels a bit more natural as a tablet. I'm worried that Surface Pro may try a little too hard to be a tablet (despite its disadvantages in weight, thickness, etc.), and end up being good at neither.

If I still have it when the Pro comes I will do the comp video. But right now it is on EBay with keyboard included for only $799 so I doubt it will last long. As it is priced to sell.

[Q] Asus Vivotab Smart ME400 microSD Support

Hi All
Could you advise on MicroSD support on Asus Smart? what is maximum capacity you have been succesfully using?
Ausu mentioned MiniSDXC up to 32GB but on some reviews I read that 64 are supported as well, on others that there were some issues with it..
What cards and what capacity you can recommended as working without issue?
What do you think about this sandisk?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-SDS...KM30/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360367319&sr=8-1

I use a Sandisk micro sdxc 64GB (same as the one you linked) and it works fine. Also worked with Surface RT. It's fast enough for 1080p video which is all that matters to me, I don't use it for programs.

Thank you for your answer. I have ordered this sandisk as well. Now one last thing to find the case. Otherwise all is ready and waiting for ME400 delivery. Can't wait

Andrew_j said:
Thank you for your answer. I have ordered this sandisk as well. Now one last thing to find the case. Otherwise all is ready and waiting for ME400 delivery. Can't wait
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Case is the one thing I have not found. Amazon have the BlueRex for $15 but no picture yet and no ETA.

I've had my Vivotab Smart ME400C for a couple of weeks now. Lovin it.
DEFINITELY glad I did not go with an RT device. IMO, if you're going to go RT, might as well get an Android tablet.
From what I can see, the form factor is nearly identical to the Vivotab RT. So I shopped (my wife actually) for a case that is compatible with the RT. Seems that searching on Amazon also brings up results that reflect that the RT is compatible with the Transformer? Haven't looked in to it.
Judging by the images (I know they can be deceiving), it looks like the case should fit the ME400. Case also rotates.
The case also comes with a neoprene carrying pouch.
Hopefully, it will arrive in less than a week. Also ordered a matte screen/anti glare screen protector. These two items for less than $30 + $7 or so for shipping.
I've also ordered a 64GB Micro SDXC Sandisk memory card and OTG cable.
Asus seems somewhat inconsistent. SOME of their sites (various countries) show just SDHC and some show SDHC (SDXC compatible memory cards). And from what I've read here, I'm going to go with SDXC works for our ME400. (Crossing my fingers!)
Keep y'all posted on the stuff I've ordered.
Here are links to the items I've ordered for your reference/opinions/input.
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00AXW5W08/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00B6AI7XA/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://www.amazon.ca/SanDisk-MicroS...AJTO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361537292&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.ca/eForCity-Compa...3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1361537569&sr=1-3

My experience with those 360 degree cases are not pleasant. That one could be different but it looks identical to the one I got for my Nexus 7. It was very cheaply made, and the rotation was simply a button-clip design so I could spin it in a circle continuously if I wanted. Stability when it was in portrait was not strong. It would slowly start to bend backwards due to the flimsiness of the case.
I've ordered a few of the matte protectors from ebay that were for the RT Vivo. The only major difference I can see is the ME400 is ~1mm thicker than the RT version. Not sure how much that would affect cases for it. Some maybe, other's not.

goofball2k said:
My experience with those 360 degree cases are not pleasant. That one could be different but it looks identical to the one I got for my Nexus 7. It was very cheaply made, and the rotation was simply a button-clip design so I could spin it in a circle continuously if I wanted. Stability when it was in portrait was not strong. It would slowly start to bend backwards due to the flimsiness of the case.
I've ordered a few of the matte protectors from ebay that were for the RT Vivo. The only major difference I can see is the ME400 is ~1mm thicker than the RT version. Not sure how much that would affect cases for it. Some maybe, other's not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know what you mean. I've played around with a few cases from those kiosks in shopping malls. Not really thrilled with the build quality, I agree. I'm not expecting the best for sure. However, considering I have dropped my ME400 twice already (low level), but has chipped the outer bezel on both corners (one corner per drop, lol), I need to get something asap.
The thickness...well with the ME400 being slightly thicker, I'm hoping it just makes for a tighter fit.
I just hope the screen protector has the proper areas exposed, ie camera, light sensor etc. Don't want to do a hackjob on the screen protector.

Hi Guys
I got myself this one:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B007SGV26U/ref=aw_d_var_2nd_clothing_img?vs=1
And I am really surprised by its quality. It fits perfectly and provides quite good level of protection. It's rather stiff and has those jelly bubbles inside.
Still will be looking for portfolio case.
In this matter I am waiting for MoKo case which is already available in US but still not in UK.
It looks quite nice.
Unless somebody is willing to buy me one off US amazon page and sell it to me on eBay

Ordered a folio style case that is for the Vivotab RT from amazon. Other than 1mm thickness difference, they are identical. Will let you know when it arrives how it fits.

Amazon tracking has told me my Sandisk Micro SDXC 64GB card has been delivered.
2 more hours of work to go before I can trek home and plug this baby in.
Crossing my fingers!

It's working just fine I have been using sandisk 64gb for a while without any problems.

Andrew_j said:
It's working just fine I have been using sandisk 64gb for a while without any problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Throughly enjoying the 64GB SDXC. I was worried because the Asus site was a little flakey in terms of information. Some of their sites show just SDHC, some sites show SDHC (SDXC compatible).
Now...just waiting for my cheap aftermarket case, anti-glare screen protector and OTG cable.:good:

double post

Andrew_j said:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00BL0DPGO/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1361977638&sr=8-3&pi=SL75
Just ordered. Will update you when it will arrive
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi guys
I have received this case and I will describe it in one word AVOID!!!!!
This is scam, this case is for some device but for sure not for ME400C. Additionally I saw a cow in my life and I don't remember it to be made of cheap plastic. Or I don't know how leather looks like.
Just to summarise I am sending it back, quality is a joke, windows button is covered same as ambient light sensor and volume down rocker.
I have attached some photos below

Probably best off with just getting the official case from ASUS

Looks more like a case for the Transformer TF600. That might explain the extra cutouts and the covering of the windows button?

This is what I thought. Still if you are in need for a case you cad go for TF600 cases if you don't mind few things not be perfectly in line. Side wise those two devices are almost same.

Andrew_j said:
This is what I thought. Still if you are in need for a case you cad go for TF600 cases if you don't mind few things not be perfectly in line. Side wise those two devices are almost same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ordered a case that was for the vivotab RT, hopefully everything is still accessible.

goofball2k said:
I ordered a case that was for the vivotab RT, hopefully everything is still accessible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here, should arrive next week. Will post results.
Vivotab RT Screen protector arrived, which I ordered for my Smart. Dimension wise it fits, camera hole is a little off centre, so I had to do a little hackjob. for $5 and change, free shipping, no harm done. Will order an official one from Zagg probably soon.
I've already dropped my Smart twice. Top left and right corners of the bezel are already chipped. Thus I need my case (even if it's not 100% the right one) asap, and is also why I opted to get the RT screen protector for the time being.

Got mine in. The Greatshield case is nice but it does cover the volume down button slightly. Since it is for vivotab RT, I wasn't expecting a perfect fit. The light sensor is almost covered as well. It can't go into the lower stand case, it can only do the high stand style. There is no smart cover-style feature on the vivotab smart so the magnets don't put it in sleep mode. Overall, a nicely built case.

Sony Vaio Duo 11

How does the Duo 11 compare with the rest of the current Windows 8 tablets/ultrabooks?
From all the reviews that I have read, it seems to be a very capable machine with a lot more ports and features than anything else available in the market.
Any one has any experience with it ?
Sent from my HTC One X+ using Tapatalk 2

After looking at Lenovo then waiting for surface pro to come out, I bought a duo 11, had it over a month now and I am very satisfied.
Sent from my PG41200 using xda app-developers app

GraileR1 said:
After looking at Lenovo then waiting for surface pro to come out, I bought a duo 11, had it over a month now and I am very satisfied.
Sent from my PG41200 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Surprisingly there is not a whole lot of talk about Duo 11 anywhere, even though it a full featured tablet/ultrabook.

ajamils said:
Surprisingly there is not a whole lot of talk about Duo 11 anywhere, even though it a full featured tablet/ultrabook.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Early reviews wrote it off for cramped keyboard and no trackpad. They basically disregarded the form factor entirely for this model. All reviews said it's an awesome machine, with bad battery life, and heavy, difficult to type. Some dinged it for always having the screen exposed. Nice looking machine though, I looked very closely at that one.

I ended up ordering one. Lets see how it turns out.
Sent from my HTC One X+ using Tapatalk 2

I have one. Battery life is only about 3 hours unless you get the additional sheet battery which doubles it.
I like it a lot. I use it as a desktop most of the time (with 4 monitors and wireless keyboard and mouse) and as a laptop or tablet occasionally. As a tablet it is heavy but powerful. The keyboard is cramped but fine for on the go use.
The form factor is fantastic on planes.
They have apparently brought out a new version in Japan with better battery life, bigger hard drive and faster processors.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

I received my Duo 11 on Friday and I like it a lot so far. It is the latest version with 1.8 Ghz i5. I have not tested the battery yet but it does seem a lot less than my Acer W700 (which easily lasts around 6-7 hours). I plan on picking up the sheet battery and case but it seems like both items are out of stock everywhere, specially the case.
In my little use, I have found that I have absolutely no use of the pen and having no place to put it in the tablet makes it even worse. I already lost it couple of times so I just ended up putting it back in the box. Hopefully, once I get the case or sheet battery, I will take it out.
Has anyone found any good case of the tablet (other than the Sony one) ? On another forum, people mentioned that we should be able to use Macbook Air 13" cases but I have not test that.

The sheet battery has a slot for the pen. The Sony case doesn't seem to have space for the power supply nor a shoulder strap so I returned it without opening it. I ended up with a targus 13" case that is OK without being flash.

Be wary if planning to do any photo editing etc the pen drivers are not compatible with apos like Photoshop etc
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium HD app

Riche101UK said:
Be wary if planning to do any photo editing etc the pen drivers are not compatible with apos like Photoshop etc
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
fixes have been promised for that.

SeanX said:
The sheet battery has a slot for the pen. The Sony case doesn't seem to have space for the power supply nor a shoulder strap so I returned it without opening it. I ended up with a targus 13" case that is OK without being flash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which Targus case did you get?

Good to know but time will tell. Its the one thing that put me off it as i do photography
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium HD app

ajamils said:
Which Targus case did you get?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This one (I think)
You could probably go a bit smaller so long as you have space for the power supply.

Currently using mine at the moment while writing this post. I have small hands and so the keyboard does not feel very cramped at all to write on. Another thing I would like to mention is that this machine is very capable of running almost everything I've thrown at it, from editing software to video games. It probably wont run crysis 3 or anything, but handles Skyrim fine at 30fps on low settings. My girlfriend owns the Microsoft surface pro and side by side the Sony duo 11 is slightly thicker and of course a bit larger (11.6 vs 10.6) but not to where it's a monster compared to the surface. The duo does have a slightly thicker bezel which makes the length a bit longer but this gives my hands ease of use without the fear of accidently touching the screen while handling it in different positions. Another huge plus is that the windows key is an ACUTAL button unlike other tablet/pc devices so your hands don't accidently graze the bezel and get sent to the start screen (a problem my girlfriends surface has). In terms of weight between the two devices is pretty small and not noticeable at all. Although the surface is about 1.8gs and the duo is 2.8gs the weight distribution is much better on the duo and causing it to feel almost lighter then the surface.
So if your trying to decide what to get, the question you first must ask yourself is what do you want more; portability, or functionality? The surface gives you the same specs but in a smaller package(plus the totally awesome touch/type covers) vs the Sony duo which offers a larger screen estate and more ports (2x usb 3.0, vga, hdmi out, SD/pro duo slot, Ethernet port) Performance they are very similar in processing power and battery life, however the Sony duo does offer a sheet battery option that will double the life of your device, at the cost of weight, and portability. For all you graphic artist out there who are wondering about the pens that are included in both devices, the surface pro uses Wacom tablet pen vs the Sony's N-Trig pen. There is much debate about which is better but overall they have their pros and cons. Wacom tablets have more pressure sensitivity, but the screen tracking on the surface is horrid (gets especially worse near the edges), while the N-Trigs have more accuracy but lacks pressure sensitivity. Neither has wintab drivers for pressure sensitivity on adobe software, and both promises further support but that has yet to be seen.
Ps. Did I mention the Sony has a gorgeous backlit keyboard

I bought a I7 Duo, the latest version Sony came out with. The battery life is better, and I like the laptop. Very powerful, and I have big hands. The keyboard is fine to me. As for the mouse, I bought a bluetooth fold mouse for that. Worked fine. I have a 256 drive, and a 1tb passport. Works well. Hell I may even load WoW to see how it runs.
Just need to get use to windows 8.

Ninjack said:
I bought a I7 Duo, the latest version Sony came out with. The battery life is better, and I like the laptop. Very powerful, and I have big hands. The keyboard is fine to me. As for the mouse, I bought a bluetooth fold mouse for that. Worked fine. I have a 256 drive, and a 1tb passport. Works well. Hell I may even load WoW to see how it runs.
Just need to get use to windows 8.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which mouse did you get?
Sent from my HTC One X+ using Tapatalk 2

sweetfish said:
Currently using mine at the moment while writing this post. I have small hands and so the keyboard does not feel very cramped at all to write on. Another thing I would like to mention is that this machine is very capable of running almost everything I've thrown at it, from editing software to video games. It probably wont run crysis 3 or anything, but handles Skyrim fine at 30fps on low settings. My girlfriend owns the Microsoft surface pro and side by side the Sony duo 11 is slightly thicker and of course a bit larger (11.6 vs 10.6) but not to where it's a monster compared to the surface. The duo does have a slightly thicker bezel which makes the length a bit longer but this gives my hands ease of use without the fear of accidently touching the screen while handling it in different positions. Another huge plus is that the windows key is an ACUTAL button unlike other tablet/pc devices so your hands don't accidently graze the bezel and get sent to the start screen (a problem my girlfriends surface has). In terms of weight between the two devices is pretty small and not noticeable at all. Although the surface is about 1.8gs and the duo is 2.8gs the weight distribution is much better on the duo and causing it to feel almost lighter then the surface.
So if your trying to decide what to get, the question you first must ask yourself is what do you want more; portability, or functionality? The surface gives you the same specs but in a smaller package(plus the totally awesome touch/type covers) vs the Sony duo which offers a larger screen estate and more ports (2x usb 3.0, vga, hdmi out, SD/pro duo slot, Ethernet port) Performance they are very similar in processing power and battery life, however the Sony duo does offer a sheet battery option that will double the life of your device, at the cost of weight, and portability. For all you graphic artist out there who are wondering about the pens that are included in both devices, the surface pro uses Wacom tablet pen vs the Sony's N-Trig pen. There is much debate about which is better but overall they have their pros and cons. Wacom tablets have more pressure sensitivity, but the screen tracking on the surface is horrid (gets especially worse near the edges), while the N-Trigs have more accuracy but lacks pressure sensitivity. Neither has wintab drivers for pressure sensitivity on adobe software, and both promises further support but that has yet to be seen.
Ps. Did I mention the Sony has a gorgeous backlit keyboard
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You did not mention the Sony keyboard.
I've just bought Sony vaio duo 11 with Core i5 and 128G SSD and I have some comments.
First, although the keyboard is quite small, so sometimes i feel annoy but by the time i feel more comfortable.
Second, I have Galaxy Note 10.1 and i ensure that writing on Note 10.1 by Wacom stylus is more likely than Duo 11.
Furthermore, When surfing on the internet, Wifi suddenly disconnect...
Finally, with duo 11 screen, if I use a brown colour background, I can see the screen is waving like a low refresing rate on an old screen, although I set it to 60Hz. Does anyone try it? using a brown colour.
But i feel satisfied with it. I hope that in the future Sony will upgrade it

Just ordered a duo 11
I was browsing for a suitable sleeve, and found that Elecom make a Zeroshock that should be the perfect size - the model reference is ZSB-IBUB03 (then BK for black or WH for white). The only place I've been able to find one is ebay (coming from Japan), price in the £20 to £25 range, so I now have one on the way

got one of these today. Great machine but i need out how to enable the pen scrolling?

I got an i5 4gb ram 128ssd vaio duo last week. Absolutely love it. one question:
Which ram do I need to upgrade this beast!?

[Q] PIPO W5 with active stylus

Guys have you check out PIPO W5 its 175 USD now on aliexpress and really I think is a game changer because it has active stylus rumoured come from hanvon.
Any of you have experience with the device?
Or, what do you think?

iyancoolbgt said:
Guys have you check out PIPO W5 its 175 USD now on aliexpress and really I think is a game changer because it has active stylus rumoured come from hanvon.
Any of you have experience with the device?
Or, what do you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had mine since December 2014. Pretty zippy, screens a lot more brighter than my old Asus Vivotab Smart me400. The build quality is pretty good. The only spot that is creaky is where the headphone jack is.
The bezels are very small and the back is metal giving it a premium feel. However, it also makes it slippery compared to a plastic back.
I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and the stylus and I would say this tablets stylus input is about 80% close to the experience on my Note 4.
Writing and input with the stylus is pretty accurate and an overall good experience.
I found that the screen input technology is the same as Hanvon (a chinese rival to Wacom).
So if you lose the stylus just goto Aliexpress type in the search box "hanvon stylus" and buy anyone of those as a replacement.
Overall I'm quite impressed with the tablet. I use it to take notes at work and surf the net here and there. Being Windows OS its pretty easy to use (if you can get over it Windows 8).