Lenovo IdeaTab Miix2 8-Inch 32 GB Tablet..
Special Price Lenovo IdeaTab Miix2 8-Inch 32 GB Tablet By Lenovo
Most helpful customer reviews
276 of 287 people found the following review helpful.
By Amazon Lover
I'm going to post this review under both the Dell Venue 8 Pro and the Lenovo Miix 8 as I believe some people may find the comparison helpful.
I will cut to the chase and say that I have decided to keep the Venue 8 Pro and return the Lenovo Miix 8. I rated both of the devices a 5 because they are both very similar and I didn't feel it was fair to dock the Lenovo just because I preferred the Dell. If I could have rated the Lenovo 4.75, I would have.
Here is what I like and dislike about both devices:
1. Screen on the Dell is better than the Lenovo in my opinion. For example, in the Kindle App for Windows 8, after changing the settings to white text on black background, you get a truly "black" background on the Dell whereas it is more of a gray on the Lenovo. Also, the colors just seem to be more accurate on the Dell. The Lenovo offers a brighter screen but the Dell is plenty bright for me. I was also able to dim the backlight on the Dell more than the Lenovo which was helpful to me for nighttime reading. These are not major issues but it was something I noticed after comparing side by side.
2. I have grown to prefer the build materials and quality of the Dell more than the Lenovo. The Lenovo is thinner and lighter which I thought was something that was important to me, but the Dell is much more comfortable to hold. This is mainly because the Dell is made from some sort of rubberized plastic material that is very "grippy". It just feels comfortable to hold. The Lenovo on the other hand is made from some sort of slick plastic and it always felt like I was going to drop it. Also, the Lenovo made a faint "creaking" and "crackling" sound whenever I held it.
3. I originally didn't like Dell's placement of the start button on top of the device, and this was one of the reasons that I purchased the Lenovo. After using them both, I have grown to prefer Dell's implementation since I don't ever power off the device. The Start button acts as my "on" button and I have grown accustomed to the placement. I thought I would prefer the Lenovo with its capacitive button, but I find myself having to hit the button at least twice to activate it which is very frustrating. I realize it must be very difficult to design a capacitive button with just the right level of sensitivity, but if Surface and many Android tablets can pull it off, so should Lenovo. Hopefully both companies will figure out a way to engineer a hard button on the front like on the iPad.
4. I thought I would prefer having the GPS that the Lenovo offers, but since there aren't currently any good GPS apps for Windows 8 touch devices, I didn't find much use for it. I tried it with Streets and Trips and the program would not recognize the GPS sensor.
5. I get slightly better sound quality from the headphone jack of the Dell than I do with the Lenovo. It's just a minor difference and probably just a matter of personal preference, but it is something that is important to me.
6. Actual user performance on both devices was about equal for me, even though the Lenovo apparently offers a slightly better processor.
7. The Lenovo offers a cheaper case and stylus than the Dell. I have found the Lenovo case and stylus for as low as twenty dollars here on Amazon.
8. I was able to pick up the Dell unit for twenty five dollars less than the Lenovo and see a lot of deals on the 32 gb version of the Dell. Something to consider.
9. Battery life seems to be similar on both but I can't say I have performed any scientific tests to verify.
Here is a list of tablets that I currently own and used as reference points in deciding whether or not to keep the Dell:
1. iPad 2. I no longer have any need for this device and find it to be too limited for its size and weight. I have handed this down to my wife and kids. The kids get a LOT of mileage out of it playing various learning and leisure games. My wife mainly reads books and plays candy crush on it.
2. Kindle Fire HD 8.9. I ONLY use this device because of the text to speech feature and only when I need to read something technical and/or boring for work. I tried to "upgrade" to the Kindle Fire HDX 7" and later learned that Amazon crippled this amazing feature (you have to buy the audio book now) so I ended up returning the HDX. I may upgrade again if Amazon ever brings this functionality back.
3. ThinkPad Tablet 2. This is my go to device for customer meetings as it is very convenient for taking notes with the screen size and dock-able stylus. That said, the device is a little slow for my taste so I'm really looking forward to the new version early next year.
4. Nexus 7 (1st gen). Too slow and battery life sucks. Pretty much collects dust now but I do use it occasionally as a controller for my Sonos system.
5. Surface 2. Love this device with the Type Cover 2 and use it as a bridge between my home pc (Samsung Series 7 Slate) and work pc.
6. Kindle Paperwhite. Love this device for long reading sessions as I don't get any eye strain like I do on my LCD devices.
7. iPad Mini (1st gen) Great for what it is, but very limited in what I can do with it. I use it mainly as a quick consumption device and ebook reader. I might end up getting rid of it now that I have decided to keep the Dell Venue 8 pro.
Well, I think that is everything I wanted to share. I do want to make it clear that I like both the Dell and Lenovo very much, and would have kept the Lenovo if the Dell wasn't a choice. Thankfully, I have a choice and will stick with the Dell.
45 of 46 people found the following review helpful.
By Rick S
I've had the Miix 2 8" for two weeks, and it's definitely a keeper for me. I plan to use this for a different purpose than many of you. I need to mount this in my sailboat for use as a navigation tool (chartplotter) by the steering wheel. I've interfaced it to my boat's instruments using Bluetooth, and all the marine software that I use is written for Windows. So I have a special requirement for a Windows tablet (not Android or iOS) with an extremely bright display for daylight viewability, which this tablet excels at better than all the Windows 8 competitors out there right now. Also, this tablet has a built-in GPS, which makes it perfect for navigation. Most Windows tablets out there right now do not have GPS (though I'm sure they'll become more common over time). A quick note of warning - Windows 8.1 supports tablets with internal GPS chips in a way that only works with Metro apps, not with legacy desktop programs that expect to see the GPS on a COM port or TCP port. But there are free and low-cost programs available that will take the internal Metro GPS and emulate a COM port and/or TCP port, so you can use your old programs with it.
For me, the screen brightness and GPS are the two features that make the Miix2 8" stand out over the other 8" tablets from Dell, Asus, and the others. Those features may not be that important to you, but if they are, this tablet deserves a long, hard look.
The only significant weakness is the low audio volume, but that can be addressed with headphones or external speakers. I plan to get some Bluetooth speakers for use on my boat. The other weakness for some is the bright display. Some have complained that its minimum setting is too high to use in a dark room. Not a problem for me, but maybe it is for you.
Let me also dispel a few myths that are out there:
Myth 1: The Miix2 does not have a GPS. NOT TRUE. It definitely has one. It shows up in Device Manager, works with Metro apps, and works with my legacy PC software when running "Geolocation TCP" freeware. (Google it.)
Myth 2: Because there is only one microUSB port, "it is impossible" charge the Miix while it's connected to an external device. (Stated in several magazine reviews.) NOT TRUE. You just need a little creativity and a few adapter cables. You need a USB Y-adapter (two Type A plugs at one end, one Mini B plug at the other end) like those used for many portable hard drives, and also a USB adapter with micro B plug on one end and Type A female receptacle at the other end. Plug the power-only USB plug (often colored red or marked "Power only") into the Miix's power cube (or similar 2-amp USB power supply). Plug the other type A plug into the Miix using the micro adapter. Now plug the Mini B plug into a USB 2.0 hub and you have multiple USB ports while the Miix charges that you can plug in mice, keyboards, thumb drives, or another SD card reader. All the required parts are available at Amazon or DX for a few dollars each. I had them all lying around from other old computers.
Myth 3: 32 GB is not enough space. NOT TRUE (maybe). Everyone's need are different, but the first thing I did was put in a 32GB microSD card. I keep it in the microSD slot all the time, and I put everything I can on it, leaving the internal memory free for stuff that can only be installed there. It is true that there is only about 10 GB of available space on the 32 GB tablet, but 7 GB of that is contained on two recovery partitions that can be moved to an external drive, so you can get some of it back. If you need more, spend the extra $$ for the 64 GB version. But I got the 32GB because it was on sale for $100 less than the 64 GB version.
Myth 4: Windows 8.1 sucks because there is no start menu. NOT TRUE. Just install Classic Shell and be done with it. With Classic Shell, it can works just like Windows 7 for PC apps, and you can always switch over to Metro apps for things that a tablet does best.
The Miix2 is not meant to be your primary PC, but if you need a portable 8" Windows tablet for under $300, this is a great one to consider.
Addendum 2/9/2014:
I did have some difficulty connecting a portable hard drive to the Miix through my USB hub. It worked fine if I directly connected to the microUSB port on the Miix, but would not come up when connected through the hub. The problem is probably the $5 hub and not the Miix - I recall having similar problems connecting hard drives to other computers through a hub.
Mice, keyboards, thumb drives, and even additional card readers connected through the hub just fine. And when you use the Y-cable adapter mentioned in my review, you can charge the Miix at the same time you're using the external devices.
43 of 48 people found the following review helpful.
By Paul A. Bigelow
The Lenovo is a good tablet and should suffice for users of previous Windows tablets and those familiar with Windows 8.1
Brief review and comparison vs. the Dell Venue 8 pro:
Processor/Memory:
The Dell has the 3740D and utilizes single channel memory -- 2GB max
The Lenovo has the 3740 and utilizes dual channel memory -- 4GB max (but the Lenovo does not allow for a memory upgrade)
A look at the System Performance file shows a 6.4 memory for the Dell and 7.1 for the Lenovo.
The other performance scores are virtually identical.
So theoretically, the Lenovo should be a bit more snappy but I haven't really noticed it yet in "real world" use.
Physical:
Under similar loads the Dell's back gets a bit warmer than the Lenovo's. The Lenovo has never become *hot*, so far.
The Dell *feels* nicer and more solid, the Lenovo makes a few creaking noises if flexed even a little.
The Dell's buttons certainly feel better with a good tactile response, the Lenovo's feel "mushy".
Screen:
The Lenovo screen can be made the brightest, but the Dell screen can be made the darkest and looks better in a low light environment. The Dell seems to reproduce colors better at the widest angles while the Lenovo washes out (both are still, IPS though). The Dell has warmer screen temperature, the Lenovo is a bit on the cool side (partially explains the perception of brighter but the backlight is a contributor also).
Sound:
I'm still evaluating the sound, Dell has released an update for both firmware and screen.
Misc:
Haven't tried the Dell active pen, no one locally has it. A Targus aluminum barreled capacitive stylus works pretty good. Both have good handwriting recognition.
The Dell has the more feature-ladden BIOS while the Lenovo's is fairly simple. The Dell also has a nice hardware diagnostic menu/program as well.
The Lenovo camera allows for panoramic shots the Dell does not (same Windows app version)
The Lenovo has GPS the Dell does not.
I had to return my first Lenovo as the SD card slot was broken and wouldn't hold the sdcard. The second Lenovo was fine.
Impression:
The Lenovo is a fine, if not extraordinarily well-built tablet. Snappy performance.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar