Review: Asus VivoTab Note 8
Asus wants a piece of the tablet action that seems to be owned by Apple and Samsung at the moment. Their weapon of choice? The VivoTab Note 8.
First of all, let me hit the specs:
- Pressure-sensitive Wacom stylus
- Quad-core Intel Atom processor
- 1280 x 800-pixel IPS display
- 2GB of system memory
- ASUS SonicMaster Audio
- 32GB of internal storage
- WiFi
- Bluetooth
- A microSD slot that supports up to 64GB capacity cards
- A 5-MP rear camera and front HD webcam
- Windows 8.1
- Microsoft Office
Two things that you’ll note right away are that it has a stylus that’s made by Wacom. That’s important because Wacom are the best at making styluses and related accessories for artists and anyone who needs to use a pen on a computer in a serious way. In this implementation, the stylus supports up to 1,000 levels of pressure making it function and feel more like a real pen. That way you can use it for taking notes, or for drawing pictures if you have that talent. In short, it feels like a real pen. Combine this with apps such as Evernote or OneNote and Windows 8.1′s handwriting-recognition keyboard, you have a note-taking tablet with plenty of potential. The second thing that you’ll notice is that it comes with a full version of Windows 8.1 (which means that you can run any application you want on it) and a proper home button on the left side. The combination makes this tablet a lot easier to use. The inclusion of Microsoft Office means that you can use this tablet right out of the box for home or business purposes. It also comes with Netflix and Kindle apps pre-installed.
Given that the tablet is 8″ in size, that makes it easy to hold. Speaking of holding it the rubberized back makes it easy to grip and it will keep scratches to a minimum. The only negative is an exposed SD card slot. It has no protective cover or tab which means that if you put it into your bag, there is a slight risk that you might break something. Plus dust and crud can get into it. I found the IPS display to be very bright and sharp. I was able to use it comfortably in any lighting conditions. It also has clear and crisp colors as well. This competes well with the top tablets out there. So does the sound quality which is right off the top shelf. If you want great audio in a tablet, the VivoTab Note 8 is the tablet for you.
One thing I really like is that it comes with a standard micro-USB cable to charge the battery. This means that this tablet will charge off a standard cell phone charger. That cuts down on the cables that you need to carry. Related to charging the VivoTab Note 8 is the battery life. Despite running a full version of Windows 8.1, when the device went to sleep it only drained 6% overnight. That means you could go a few days between charges as I did with only moderate usage of the tablet. Nice! When it comes to performance, the VivoTab Note 8 felt snappy regardless of what I was doing.
My verdict? The VivoTab Note 8 is a viable player in the tablet market that should get the attention of Samsung and Apple. Granted, it will largely appeal to Windows fans. But it’s easily the best Windows tablet out there and is good enough that it should earn looks from people who are looking at of the the two tablet leaders. You should drop by your local Microsoft Store and have a look at it. I think you might take one home.
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