[mgmueller]

In the last few weeks I've checked out quite a few Windows 8 tablets.

For Windows RT, I'm perfectly fine with Microsoft Surface RT, no alternative needed.
I've seen a few, but in my opinion they all can't compete design- and quality-wise.

For Windows 8, I'm waiting anxiously for Microsoft Surface Pro.
There was a rumor, obviously linked to some Microsoft helpdesk staff, it would be available in Germany only 2 weeks after the release in the US.
Well, those 2 weeks are over and no sign of Microsoft Surface Pro.

So I've checked out the alternatives:

Sony Duo 11:
Great display, very well received in lots of reviews.
I bought it and it actually became one of the few gadgets I gave back.
a.) The fan is annoyingly noisy. Even with standard tasks such as surfing the web.
b.) I find the design not very appealing. To me, tablet mode is more important than ultrabook mode. When one folds the keyboard back and goes for tablet mode, the upper part with the display is about 5mm smaller on each side than the keyboard part. If you hold it in your hands, there are some edges. It doesn't look very "monolithic".
I would have accepted b.) because of the great display, but a.) eventually (after 5 hours of normal usage) did kill it for me.

Toshiba Satellite U920T:
The mechanism is similar to Sony PSP Go.
I was extremely tempted.
The display isn't very bright and did receive harsh reviews.
I love the option to adjust the display in ultrabook mode in free angles.
But the keyboard killed it for me. It feels and looks extremely cheap and I didn't like the haptic either. So I decided not to buy it, although my experience with Toshiba notebooks in the past was great.

Acer Iconia W700:
Classic tablet, no hybrid.
It's supposed to have a great sound system, but I can't tell from the noise level in German Media Markt, when checking it out there.
But it's gigantic. It looks and feels like 2 iPads glued back to back.
I can't imagine myself enjoying to hold this brick-like tablet.

Samsung Ativ Smart:
I came to kind of dislike Samsung tablets.
I did like Samsung Galaxy Note, but hated the problems with App2SD. Permanently had to struggle with memory. Not an Android problem, but specifically with some tablets: Sony tablet S (whereas Sony tablet P doesn't have this problem), Sony Xperia PLAY, Samsung Galaxy Note 1.
But leaving this isolated problem aside: I simply don't like the design of Samsung. Even the famous Galaxy Note 1 does have this cheap "plasticky" feel and the battery cover really is infamous for that.
Even worse so in my opinion with Ativ Smart. The back panel for me is too smooth to hold it comfortably and this shiny plastic simply doesn't do it for me.
The display unit a few weeks ago was surprisingly sluggish, but someone in another thread stated this could be solved via firmware update.

Asus VivoTab Smart:
I only had one Asus tablet so far: Asus EeePad Transformer.
I didn't like it at all. Kind of sticky display (couldn't smoothly slide my finger over the display), not very stylish design.
To me, Asus has the feel of a "low budget" manufacturer.
And I decided for Asus VivoTab Smart under exactly those assumptions: It's cheap and in some areas it really shows. But for this low price, it delivers.
It's one of the few Windows tablets that's light and thin enough to actually feel like a tablet instead of a laptop.
It's no beauty, but acceptable design-wise.
I don't like the fact that it's using eMMC instead of SSD, but obviously this has to be accepted in that price range.
Strange enough: When booting and in some other reproducible instances, there are some clicking sounds. Strange, no harddisk or other moving parts. Where's that clicking coming from?
Why did I buy it? I want to have a Windows tablet. Full blown Windows, not Windows RT. I can live with a bluetooth keyboard, I don't need a hybrid and want to avoid the bulk.
It has to be light enough to use it for a few hours on the couch or the train.
Fot the low level tasks I'm doing on this tablet, I don't want to have fan noise. It seems, all i3/i5/i7 processors need a fan, so probably one has to stick to Atom processors.
I get all this from Asus VivoTab Smart and for a "backup" tablet it's fine enough.
I still will go for Microsoft Surface Pro, simply because I love my Surface RT.
And actually: The more Windows tablets I see from other manufacturers, the more I come to admire Surface...