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Old 02-28-2013, 10:00 AM   #1276
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Is it true that the Dell Latitude 10 has a 32bit version of Windows 8? That's what the specs say. Is the Atom not a 64bit chip?

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Old 02-28-2013, 10:32 AM   #1277
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Is it true that the Dell Latitude 10 has a 32bit version of Windows 8? That's what the specs say. Is the Atom not a 64bit chip?

BOb
I don't know about the Specs for the Atom processor.
My order confirmation for the Latitude did say "Windows 8 Pro 32bit", so you seem to be right.
But I don't mind. I never expected powerful performance of those entry units anyway. For my demands on the road, they're fine enough though.
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Old 02-28-2013, 03:14 PM   #1278
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WACOM Stylus on Dell Latitude 10

I love it (the pen/stylus).
As advertised: When you approach the screen with the tip of the stylus (or is it a pen? What's the difference?) = ca. 1cm distance, the finger touch gets de-activated.
Meaning: When using the pen/stylus, you don't have to worry about your palm.
I have to test handwriting, but it already had been working great on Windows XP.
It's obviously way heavier than Asus VivoTab Smart. Quite impressive, how light Asus could make their unit.
In direct comparison, of course I very much prefer Dell Latitude 10 over Asus VivoTab Smart. No surprises there, for twice the price you should expect that.
I still will have use for Asus VivoTab Smart: It's one of my lightest (feeling) tablets. It will make for a great travel companion.
But Dell Latitude 10 certainly is way more stylish and way more fun to just hold it in your hands. Not quite Surface RT style, but close enough.

But again: Kudos to Microsoft. The more Windows 8 tablets I see, the more I come to admire Surface RT. And same probably is true for Surface Pro. Very stylish, very elegant, very well thought out.
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Old 05-03-2013, 03:22 PM   #1279
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Is it true that the Dell Latitude 10 has a 32bit version of Windows 8? That's what the specs say. Is the Atom not a 64bit chip?

BOb
Most of the SoC Atoms are indeed 32 bit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atom_%28system_on_chip%29 http://ark.intel.com/products/70105/...Cache-1_80-GHz . Bear in mind there's no guaranteed advantage over 64 bit if you're using 2GB or less. If you're using 3-4GB, there's some limited advantage in that you can be sure all memory will be addressable and either the kernel or programs can use the full amount of memory (or as much as the OS allows) whereas without 64 bit with most OSes or at least without PAE it's possible not all memory will be addressable (particularly with 4GB) and the kernel or programs will usually be limited to 2GB or so each (depending on the OS and set-up, sometimes it may be 3/1 or other possibilities). Above 4GB, some memory will definitely not be accessible (again without PAE) with 32 bit.

Ignoring RAM issues, note that even on a x86-64 CPU, there's no guarantee 64 bit programs will run faster then their 32 bit equivalents, it depends a lot on their optimisations and design.
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Old 05-03-2013, 04:25 PM   #1280
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Most of the SoC Atoms are indeed 32 bit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atom_%28system_on_chip%29 http://ark.intel.com/products/70105/...Cache-1_80-GHz . Bear in mind there's no guaranteed advantage over 64 bit if you're using 2GB or less. If you're using 3-4GB, there's some limited advantage in that you can be sure all memory will be addressable and either the kernel or programs can use the full amount of memory (or as much as the OS allows) whereas without 64 bit with most OSes or at least without PAE it's possible not all memory will be addressable (particularly with 4GB) and the kernel or programs will usually be limited to 2GB or so each (depending on the OS and set-up, sometimes it may be 3/1 or other possibilities). Above 4GB, some memory will definitely not be accessible (again without PAE) with 32 bit.

Ignoring RAM issues, note that even on a x86-64 CPU, there's no guarantee 64 bit programs will run faster then their 32 bit equivalents, it depends a lot on their optimisations and design.
Just as an additional note:
Microsoft recommends, installing the 32bit version of Office over the 64bit (even on Microsoft Surface Pro) version due to potential compatibilty/performance issues.

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Old 05-26-2013, 07:01 PM   #1281
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Google Chromebook Pixel

I've just bought the 32GB, WiFi-only, model via Ebay.
No launch in Germany in sight, so I used eBay (although I'm no fan of Ebay).
It seems to be from the batch of gifts, Google gave out on their press release.
This seems to be the only way to get them, on the Google website I see "not for sales yet".

Why did I buy it?
I've tested Google Chrome on my Surface Pro.
If the Chrome browser more or less represents the OS, I never would consider it as my sole or my main unit.
But it seems to be a nice 2nd or 3rd unit.
And the hardware, at least on the pictures I've seen, looks impressive.

I'm using my Surface Pro more and more often.
I still love Dell Latitude 10 for it's mobility and form factor and exchangeable battery.
And I still find Surface Pro a bit bulky and heavy.
But it's a beauty.
Looks and feels "valuable".
I expect the same of Google Chromebook Pixel.

I thought about the LTE model.
But in 2 reviews I've read "can't use 3G". I didn't check further, but I wasn't sure whether I actually even could use it in Germany.
(ZDNet: "The LTE Pixel is available to US customers only on Google Play for $1449 and is tied to Verizon's 4G network. Since it lacks 3G radios, it cannot operate on mobile networks outside Verizon's 4G coverage though.").
The LTE model comes with 64GB instead of 32GB. But this shouldn't be much of an issue, it's all about the cloud anyway.

I will have it on June 3rd or 4th.
Last time I was that excited about a new gadget was with Microsoft Surface Pro.
And I expect quite a lot of similarities between Google Chromebook Pixel and Microsoft Surface Pro:
Stylish and great build quality.
A bit heavy and bulky.
Pricy (but one shouldn't worry too much about costs for hobby. They rarely make sense, but hopefully lots of fun).
More of a case study than an "average tool". But again: Fun.
I really look forward to having it. And I hope, it really looks as great as the pictures suggest.

Last edited by mgmueller; 05-29-2013 at 06:44 PM.
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Old 05-26-2013, 10:45 PM   #1282
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Asus VivoTab Smart & Windows updates

I sold it.
I rarely do this. Usually I just let my gadgets collect dust.
But in this case, it really did annoy me and had to go.

You find tons of threads on numerous websites about the issue that bothered me:
Asus delivers updates via their proprietary software.
The initial update was painfully slow. After canceling it half a dozen times after 30 minutes and more without any progress, I found a website stating to be patient. Finally, after maybe 2 hours, the update of some 10MB went through.

But, over-critical as I am, I had to do some hard resets. And after the first hard reset, the Asus update simply didn't work anymore.
Hundreds of users report the very same.
I couldn't repeat the initial update, not to mention the tons of updates afterwards.
You can download those updates manually from the Asus user forum.
And you can uninstall the Asus update software, of course.
But I hate stuff like that.
I don't like to uninstall pre-installed software, that's why I prefer a "pure" Windows installation without bloatware and such.
And I hate to manually search for updates on some obscure websites.

It's a shame. For € 500 (now you even get it for € 400) it was a steal and did perform surprisingly well..
It's not quite up to par with Dell Latitude 10. But for only half the price, it had been a worthy competitor.
But the update process simply was too painful.

I'm not a fan of the Dell update process either on Latitude 10.
You download the updates manually from their website.
But at least it automatically recognises your configuration and automatically recommends the most crucial updates.

But of course the update process on both Microsoft Surface tablets is the most convenient one.
Firmware, graphic drivers and the usual Windows updates all are downloaded via the Windows update process.

Frankly, in general I sometimes prefer the update process on iOS or Android.
From time to time, maybe once per quarter, you flash an update of the entire system. You don't have to worry about outdated system libraries and stuff.
On Windows, from time to time, updates fail and seeing this in the update history still is bothering me. Why did it fail on the initial try and did succeed 2 minutes later? And why did I get an update with the very same name 30 minutes later?
In this instance, Windows is a bit too transparent for me.
But over all, the Windows experience still outshines the competition by far.
Yes, you see faults as well.
But everything is transparent and can be managed by yourself.
And you can decide for single tune-ups instead of "all or nothing".
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Old 06-07-2013, 06:41 AM   #1283
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Google Chromebook Pixel

Just got mine!
It was sent on Monday from San Francisco.
Did get it on Friday.

Pictures attached.
The seller got it as a gift on Google's developer congress.
You see it on the package: "For Development Purposes Only!".
No problem for me, I knew that before.
And so far, all units I've seen in eBay and the likes had been the same.
I didn't find a way to buy directly from Google either.

The box hadn't been sealed.
The seller told me, that's the way Google has handed them out.
But the Chromebook itself still is in its original shrink-wrap.
Again: As expected and fine by me.
I wouldn't have wanted it without shrinkwrap, though...

Impressions:
As I had hoped for: Not too bulky and extremely "valuable".
I'd say, it's in the same class as Microsoft Surface Pro.

No surprises, when booting for the very first time:
Connecting to the web is the very first action and is core.
It's downloading an update now. 8 minutes left...

The display, as advertised, is great.
I only see the download window and parts of the desktop background.
But of course it blows my MacBook Air with it's meager 1366 x 768 out of the water.
Design-wise I'd say it's great, but no "revolution" compared to my MacBook Air.
No fan noise so far, but I'm only downloading the update now of course.

Not that easy:
I have MAC address filtering on my router.
I know: Many consider it a stupid and easy crackable kind of protection.
Anyway...
How do I find the MAC address of my Chromebook Pixel? Hmmm...
I found it: In the lower right corner, similar to Windows desktop, there's the symbol for WiFi. Here one finds "i" for info. Mac address and further details can be checked from there.

Just briefly checked "Plants vs. Zombies".
Wow! The speakers are really powerful. From the sporadic sound effects and the simple background music I can't really tell about the quality. But nothing to lament so far.
Touch screen is working fine in "Plants vs. Zombies".
I've read different reviews. Some claiming "single touch only", others praising the multi touch. I expect the latter, but I'll check.
Edit: After having set the respective flag, I can pinch and zoom in the browser. So it can't be single touch. Whether it's 5 or 10 touches...

The fan is relatively loud now.
I'm only browsing the web, but I clearly can hear it.
Surface Pro is quieter, MacBook Air as well. I'll track that.

Checked the highly recommended flags (some kind of special settings).
Important: Activate "pinch & zoom", else it's not present in the browser. Strange for a touch-enabled device. Working fine now, after setting the flag.

My verdict for now:
Great!
Exactly as expected/hoped for.
It definitely will be my main unit for surfing the web.
Yes, it's not much different from using Chrome on Surface Pro, for example.
Chromebook Pixel starts in less than 10 seconds, but Surface Pro is almost as fast.
Maybe, when I have to travel light, I'll choose Surface Pro as my multi-purpose unit.
But when I freely can choose at home, on the couch, Chromebook Pixel looks and feels great.
I have a touch screen, but I have a full blown keyboard as well. And (one of) the best display around.

Only potential issue I have to track: Fan noise.
Maybe it's just because of the bad circulation now. I've put it directly on the couch. I'll check the fan noise, when putting it on a flat surface.

Just redeemed my free 1TB Google Drive.
Didn't work at first: "Your device is not eligible...".
For whatever reason, suddenly it did work.
Not essential for me, but for free of course I gladly take 1TB...

Wow!!!
The introduction offers "take your display for a test drive".
It's the demo "Timescapes".
Slow/motion and time-lapse cinematography.
What a test drive this is!
Speakers hidden below the keyboard, but surpsisingly powerful and clear!
And the colors - just great.
Absolutely nothing to complain.

The fan more or less is constantly on.
Not loud, but without any additional sounds you hear it.
Even without load.
Not annoying, but strange though.
MacBook Air or Surface Pro sometimes get louder than what I hear now on Chromebook Pixel.
But they can be entirely quiet as well, whereas Chromebook Pixel seems to have the fan constantly on.
EDIT: The fan is not constantly on. Chromebook Pixel sits next to me, while typing this on my MacBook Air. No load = no fan noise. The fan starts rather quickly, but not without any load at all.

What's pretty obvious:
Google -what a surprise- seems smarter/more experienced re. advertising/marketing.
When using Surface Pro for the first time, you struggle a bit (where/how can I search for apps in the store?). You go through the help sites and eventually you find it all. And then Surface Pro respectively Windows 8 are a pleasant surprise.
Google, for starters, has prepared kind of a "beginner's portal" (last 2 pictures). Here you find impressive demos and tips.
No biggy, after 1 or 2 hours of testing it won't matter anymore. But it's a different approach and makes for quite a difference in the first 20 minutes or so.

Again: Imagine the branding of Apple, the marketing of Google and the software capabilities of Microsoft, bundled in a single product...

Interesting:
As so often, I did a hard reset after some time.
I didn't find a way to get rid of the 2nd user account I had activated.
I didn't have to repeat the update after the hard reset.
Most units you really reset to the stone ages. Here obviously the update is flashed and conserved. Nice!

There doesn't seem to be any auto-brightness, just 16 manual steps.
The display is phantastic inside the house. Outside, in direct sunlight the usual of course - but I've seen worse.

I have no idea, how (or whether at all?) I could use my surfstick.
But my MiFi is working fine of course.

EDIT:
Only a snapshot of course after just 1 day of usage.
But so far, battery duration seems to be ca. 4 hours under full load.
Full charge takes ca. 3 hours.

Just briefly testet an MP4 file: Tintin.
The display is great of course.
But the real surprise are the speakers: Very crisp and extremely powerful. I've got the volume around 25% and it's perfectly adequate for a movie.
I have to directly compare. But I'd say, for movies superior to all my tablets.
Nice: It remembers where I stopped the movie. I miss that on most tablets.

What's a bit weak (OS, not hardware): No Google Earth and no Picasa or Panoramio webapp from Google. At least Google Earth I'd really expect.
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Old 06-07-2013, 07:46 AM   #1284
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Not that easy:
I have MAC address filtering on my router.
In know: Many consider it a stupid and easy crackable kind of protection.
Anyway...
How do I find the MAC address of my Chromebook Pixel? Hmmm...
I'm with the 'stupid and easily cracked'-crowd, but if you must, you can see the MAC address of the Pixel in the DHCP client list of your router, if it will display that (most will, in my experience).

You'd have to disable the MAC filtering first, of course, or the Pixel won't even get an IP address to begin with...

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Old 06-07-2013, 08:28 AM   #1285
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I'm with the 'stupid and easily cracked'-crowd, but if you must, you can see the MAC address of the Pixel in the DHCP client list of your router, if it will display that (most will, in my experience).

You'd have to disable the MAC filtering first, of course, or the Pixel won't even get an IP address to begin with...
Something like that would have been my next try.
But I found the MAC address in the info screen for WiFi.
It's not that hard to find, when knowing where to look...
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Old 06-08-2013, 06:21 AM   #1286
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This is one of the best thread ever seen in Internet forum. Thanks to mgmueller
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Old 06-08-2013, 08:45 AM   #1287
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This is one of the best thread ever seen in Internet forum. Thanks to mgmueller
Thanks a lot, glad to hear that!
Although the thread isn't that good for my bank account
But that's another story.
And of course it's not the thread, it's my crazy collector's fever.

Anyway...

I really like the Google Chromebook Pixel.
I've never tracked my time.
But my gut feeling says, I'm spending about 80 hours per week on the PC.
I guess, about half of that is in the web. Doing research and emails, buying stuff being social and the likes.
For this second half of my PC related time, Chromebook Pixel will be perfect.
I'm not sure about the other half, yet.
You can process your office documents on it. Brief tests didn't show any serious problems. The options may be a bit limited, I probably wouldn't generate an entire Powerpoint presentation or complicated Excel sheet on it. But making some changes or something like that should be no problem.
Still: When having to decide for a single unit on a trip, I probably will choose one of my Windows tablets over Chromebook Pixel.
My next trip is from this Sunday to Wednesday. I won't travel light, it's by train within Germany.
I'll most likely take with me:
MacBook Air = my "working horse" and this probably will remain that way for some time.
Chromebook Pixel = the newest gadget of course has to come with me.
Surface Pro or maybe Latitude 10 instead = my Windows tablets offer the broadest spectrum of possibilities.
Kindle Paperwhite = one of my all-time favorite readers. With its free 3G I can buy books globally, wherever I am. Even if it would be my sole unit, I never could get bored with it.

Interesting experience:
So far, I didn't use the touchscreen on Chromebook Pixel very often.
I've tested it of course.
After setting the respective flag, pinch & zoom is working fine.
I always thought to myself: "MacBook Air + touchscreen, this would be it".
But, as some reviews for Surface Pro for example have stated: It's a bit awkward, to actually lean forward and touch your screen.
When typing on a notebook, my hands are about 10cm from the screen.
When browsing without typing, I normally lean back and my hands are on my knees or something like that and about 30cm from the screen.
If you quickly want to scroll down for example, my natural impulse is to go for the touchpad and not for the screen (which is another 15cm further away).
Maybe it's just a matter of routine. But I think, it will remain a bit "forced".
Probably the best solution really would be, using gestures in mid-air, tracked by a camera.

Still: For web based tasks and fun, Google Chromebook Pixel delivers perfectly.
I don't miss a single thing and look forward to play with it again.
This message is typed on Macbook Air, though.
I have to send out some letters this afternoon and will continue to write and print them on my MacBook Air.

Last edited by mgmueller; 06-08-2013 at 08:52 AM.
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Old 06-08-2013, 10:04 AM   #1288
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That new Sony Vaio Duo 13 looks like the best laptop/tablet combo available at the moment, with the new processors and 10 hours battery life.
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Old 06-08-2013, 10:32 AM   #1289
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Originally Posted by HansTWN View Post
That new Sony Vaio Duo 13 looks like the best laptop/tablet combo available at the moment, with the new processors and 10 hours battery life.
I had bought the Sony Vaio Duo 11 ca. 4 months ago.
Reviews had been quite favorable: Great display, good enough keyboard, stylus.
I didn't like it. It's the only gadget I ever gave back.
a.) I didn't like the fan noise. It more or less was constantly on. On Microsoft Surface Pro for example it's way less frequent.
I had considered to go for the bigger one instead: i7 instead of my i5. The sales guy told me (couldn't test it though, they don't have i7 on stock), fan would be even louder on that. My thought was: More powerful = less load = less fan noise. But, given the sales guy's description, the opposite seems to be true: More powerful = more heat, no matter what load.
b.) I didn't liket the form factor. As an ultrabook, it's nice. But as a tablet, I found it almost unbearable. The display is smaller than the lower part with the keyboard. If you slide the display over the keyboard, to use it as a tablet, it's not a homogenous "block", but kind of a pyramid. If you look at it from the side, there are a few "steps" from the keyboard to the display and the display itself is trapezoid form.
c.) There are "feet" at the bottom of the keyboard. For a notebook, this makes sense: Better air circulation. But in tablet mode, how to hold it? If you hold it in your hands, you've got the "steps" and the feet in the back. If you lay it flat, the angle isn't right.

Basically, I found it a great design study, but of not much use in daily operations (although I only had it for maybe 3 hours).

I looked at the Toshiba Satellite U920 then.
I prefer the sliding mechanism and the design over all.
But its display is only 1366 x 768 and of low(er) quality. And the keyboard felt and looked "cheap".

In theory, the concept is great.
But in real life, I haven't seen the right hybrid for me yet.
So I eventually decided for the Surface Pro. Not the perfect keyboard. But I favor tablet mode anyway. And here it's way more comfortable and less bulky of course than the hybrids.

Last edited by mgmueller; 06-09-2013 at 07:14 PM.
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Old 06-11-2013, 03:33 AM   #1290
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mgmueller View Post
I had bought the Sony Vaio Duo 11 ca. 4 months ago.
Reviews had been quite favorable: Great display, good enough keyboard, stylus.
I didn't like it. It's the only gadget I ever gave back.
a.) I didn't like the fan noise. It more or less was constantly on. On Microsoft Surface Pro for example it's way less frequent.
I had considered to go for the bigger one instead: i7 instead of my i5. The sales guy told me (couldn't test it though, they don't have i7 on stock), fan would be even louder on that. My thought was: More powerful = less load = less fan noise. But, given the sales guy's description, the opposite seems to be true: More powerful = more heat, no matter what load.
b.) I didn't liket the form factor. As an ultrabook, it's nice. But as a tablet, I found it almost unbearable. The display is smaller than the lower part with the keyboard. If you slide the display over the keyboard, to use it as a tablet, it's not a homogenous "block", but kind of a pyramid. If you look at it from the side, there are a few "steps" from the keyboard to the display and the display itself is trapezoid form.
c.) There are "feet" at the bottom of the keyboard. For a notebook, this makes sense: Better air circulation. But in tablet mode, how to hold it? If you hold it in your hands, you've got the "steps" and the feet in the back. If you lay it flat, the angle isn't right.

Basically, I found it a great design study, but of not much use in daily operations (although I only had it for maybe 3 hours).

I looked at the Toshiba Satellite U920 then.
I prefer the sliding mechanism and the design over all.
But its display is only 1366 x 768 and of low(er) quality. And the keyboard felt and looked "cheap".

In theory, the concept is great.
But in real life, I haven't seen the right hybrid for me yet.
So I eventually decided for the Surface Pro. Not the perfect keyboard. But I favor tablet mode anyway. And here it's way more comfortable and less bulky of course than the hybrids.
The Duo 13 is very different from the Duo 11. But thanks for your input, I will have to have a good look at a real life sample before I take the jump. The Surface Pro has such a short battery life and small screen, my wife got my Surface RT, so I need something.

Last edited by HansTWN; 06-11-2013 at 03:57 AM.
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