Yvonne came back from shopping with a Medion ¥ tablet (or is that a laptop?) running Microsoft Windows 8.1, that was on special at ALDI today.
Physically it's a very big tablet (11.6") with a docking station. That's rather like what I mused about three years ago. But what do I want with a Windows device? I was driven to it by Android. At least with Microsoft you have access to normal software, even if the implementation is dubious. But with Android you don't. I went through the first year's experience with Android a month ago. Here's how things compare:
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Normal computer functionality, including word processing, web browsing, social networking and all those things you used to need a computer for.
Android: The examples work, some of the time. The lack of a keyboard makes it really difficult to do things like word processing. Things like web browsers are castrated versions.
Microsoft: All the standard programs. It also comes with a docking station and a real keyboard. The toy keyboard is not as good as the Hacker's keyboard app on Android. But you can stop programs!
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A fully functional telephone with many extras.
Android: I'm still trying to find out how to use the phone functionality with the least pain. But it works.
Microsoft: Big lose. No phone. Other Microsoft-based tablets have it, but considering that the tablet costs 3 times the price of an Android, you'd expect better.
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A camera, allowing both still and video.
Android: Present. two different cameras.
Microsoft: Present. only one camera facing the user.
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Networking capability, both 802.11 and HSPA.
Android: Present. This allows it to play streaming audio and to be used as a web browser, along with many other things that don't interest me. It also allows me to control my camera via Olympus' OI.Share app.
Microsoft: 802.11 available, no HSPA. OI.Share doesn't work on it, but OLYMPUS Capture, arguably a better program, does.
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A GPS receiver.
Android: Present, but pretty useless because I can't find a usable app.
Microsoft: Not present.
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Ability to read documents on it, replacing books or eBook readers.
Android: Present.
Microsoft: Present.
So out of 6 functions, the Microsoft tablet only has 4, and that with some limitations. Is it worth it? It doesn't have this castrated view of the world, and I can run the same programs on it that I run on other Microsoft-based systems, even things like DxO Optics Pro . I haven't tried it yet, but it seems that I should be able to mount file systems from the network via SMB.
Spent some time trying to configure the thing. Setup includes creating a Microsoft account , which seems to be for access to the app shop. No, thanks, I'll use real software. Decided to call the machine oberflueche, from the German word for Surface as modified by my old friend Fritz Jörn. Somehow it seems to fit a Microsoft device.
I'm beginning to agree with the Microsoft crowd: Windows 8.1 is a pain to use even compared to other versions of Windows . Spent some time looking for COMMAND.EXE, without success, and spent much of the rest of the day installing (again!) cygwin. And I still have issues with the physical user interface. The touch pad has no buttons. Presumably there are all sorts of gestures you can make (I can think of one), but of course it's a modern machine, so it comes with no documentation.
Once again I've come to the conclusion that touch screens are a really poor substitute for a keyboard, and somehow I get the impression that, despite everything, Windows 8 is not really well adapted to this kind of interface. I had a hit rate of about 60% on some touches, and I was left wondering whether I needed the equivalent of a double-click. But my impression may change if I ever get to understand it.
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