Nextbook 8 PC tablet: Should you buy the $99 PC from Walmart?

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- You will soon be able to get a PC for less than $100.

The Nextbook 8, a PC tablet that runs the latest version of Microsoft Windows, will be available for just $99 on Black Friday at Wal-Mart. It is currently selling for $149.

There are some tradeoffs to buying a $99 Windows PC tablet -- it has no built in mouse or keyboard, the processor isn't great, and it only has 16 GB of memory. But the good news for consumers is that PCs are hitting bargain basement prices across the board.

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The average selling price for Windows PCs during the last three weeks of October was $430, according to NPD. That's the lowest pricing for Windows computers in history. Prices were about 10% higher during the same time last year.

Those super-low prices are helping drive moribund PC sales significantly higher.

PC sales were up 16% over last year in the first week of October, all driven by sub-$300 PCs, NPD said.

'Black Friday pricing has clearly come very early to the Windows notebook market,' said Stephen Baker, PC analyst at NPD, in a blog post. 'The real question is what does the Windows PC market look like when we come out of the holiday season?'

Microsoft has been subsidizing some PC prices to make them more competitive against Google's Chromebooks. Google's laptops only connect to the Web, but the increasingly popular devices can be had for as low as $150.

Meanwhile, Apple took its highest share of the U.S. PC market in its history last quarter, after it sold 5.5 million Macintosh computers.

But NPD's Baker notes that Microsoft might be shooting itself in the foot with its extremely aggressive pricing. Sales of Windows laptops that cost more than $300 have fallen 10% in the past three weeks. That means fewer customers are buying the more expensive touchscreen laptops and tablet/laptop hybrids that make Windows products stand out from the competition.

That's why Baker forecasts 'a significantly weaker PC business, less able to support Windows 10, less able to compete with a surging Macbook market, and less able to clearly differentiate what makes a PC a compelling choice against a tablet or a smartphone.'

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Government Spends $114M on Content for Tablet Computers

Photo by: JIS Photographer

The Government has spent $114 million for the provision of electronic content on the tablet computers, under the Tablets in Schools pilot programme.

Content is available for the subject areas of Mathematics, English Language, and the Sciences from the lower primary to the secondary level.

This was disclosed by Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, during a $76 million contract signing ceremony with members of the local and international publishing fraternity for the supply of additional electronic content on the devices.

The signing took place on Wednesday, November 12, at the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica building, in New Kingston.

'The contracts being signed are for the purchase and satisfactory delivery of content for the Tablets in School Project and includes publication in e-book form as well as web-based resource material,' the Minister said.

He informed that the process used in selecting the five local and four overseas content suppliers has been transparent and every effort has been made to ensure cost effective delivery.

'The content and general uses of the computer tablets are in tandem with the curriculum approved by the Ministry of Education and as far as possible, local books that are available electronically and satisfies the Ministry's criteria, have been considered,' he said.

The Minister noted that through the use of this critical aid, the educational landscape in the country is being transformed.

In his remarks, Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, said the ultimate objective is to ensure that the new curriculum, which is being developed, will be available by virtual means.

'This is not a substitute or disrespect for books, but it is to centrally locate the future of education and a very significant element of it is in the realm of virtual learning,' he said.

Distribution of computer tablets to schools forms part of the Government's $1.4 billion Tablets in Schools pilot programme.

The one-year pilot will be carried out in 38 educational institutions and will see the distribution of tablets to benefit 24,000 students and 1,200 teachers in six pre-primary, 13 primary, five all age and junior high, and 12 high schools; one teacher's college; and one special education institution.

The pilot programme, being implemented by E-Learning Jamaica Limited, also involves the distribution of computers and multimedia devices, including interactive white-boards/projectors, scanners and printers to pre-primary and primary schools. This is in addition to the installation of Wi-Fi at all 38 educational institutions.

Following a review of the pilot, the programme will be rolled out across the island, to benefit 600,000 students and teachers.

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Handy, lightweight Bay Trail

DLI 8

Lehigh Acres, Florida based DLI was founded in the early 1990s as a manufacturer and reseller of wireless data collection devices. The company carries mobile computers, rugged ultra-mobile tablets, handhelds, scanners and vehicle mounted computers. The DLI 8 shown here was introduced in November 2014 as a compact ruggedized tablet solution with capacitive touch and the ability to run either Windows or Android. Handy, lightweight Bay Trail-powered mobile tablet computer with capacitive touch and an innovative 5-in-1 payment snap-on module

Though DLI already seemed to have a mobile tablet for just about any application, the DLI 8 does address the demand for a roughly iPad mini-sized thin tablet that doesn't weigh much, yet is still considerably tougher than consumer tablets. The DLI 8 meets those requirements with a 9.1 x 7.1 inch footprint, a slender (for a professional product) 0.7 inch profile, and a low (again, for a professional product) weight of just over two pounds. The display measures 8 inches diagonally, framed by a ruggedness-oriented design with distinct protruding corner guards.

As for display specs, customers get standard 4:3 aspect ratio 1024 x 768 pixel XGA. XGA began looking obsolete a few years ago, but then the original iPad stayed with that aspect ratio and resolution, and Apple continues to use 4:3 in its tablets to this day. Another advantage of XGA is that there is plenty of legacy POS and other vertical market software with this format, so no rewriting is required.

Note that the DLI 8 uses projected capacitive touch with its effortless tapping, panning, zooming and pinching. Procap on a small screen works best with Android which is available for the device, as are both full and embedded versions of Windows 7 and 8.1. Using legacy Windows on it is a bit frustrating unless the tablet is used in a dock with a mouse for navigation.

The DLI 8 isn't just a standard tablet computer; it benefits from DLI's many years of experience in putting durable tablet devices to work. Of particular interest here is the optional 5-in-1 module that attaches to the back of the tablet and can provide:

Barcode scanning with a 1D/2D imager RFID for NFC and contactless payments Magstripe reading Smartcard reading with an EMV ISO/IEC 7816 contact reader Keypad for debit card code entries

For communication there's 802.11a/b/g/n Cisco CCX4 certified WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, u-blox 7 GPS, and various mobile broadband modules.

Processing power is provided by a quad-core Intel Bay Trail N2930 running at 1.86GHz. Note that Intel is branding this chip with the Celeron name although it's based on the 'Silvermont' processor architecture, the first true architectural update to Atom since its introduction in 2008. The N2930 includes the same advanced GPU architecture as in Intel's Ivy Bridge Core processors.

Storage can be a 64GB of mSATA Solid State Disk, and DLI offers 4GB of DDR3L onboard RAM. On the OS side.

The impact-resistant housing provides IP54 sealing, and the requisite shock (4-fot drop) and vibration resistance for operation in vehicles. The operating temperature range is a wide 14 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit.

While DLI targets the rugged DLI 8 mobile tablet computer at applications in retail and hospitality where its optional 5-in-1 payment module comes in especially handy, we can see numerous applications in other fields that benefit from a compact tablet that is considerably tougher than consumer hardware, but without a lot of extra size and weight.

(by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer)

Specifications: DLI 8

Added/changed

Added 11/2014

Form-factor

Rugged mobile tablet

OS

Windows 8.1 32bit/64bit, Windows 7 32bit/64bit, Windows Embedded 7, Windows Embedded 8, Android 4.4.4 KitKat

Processor

Quad-core Intel Bay Trail N2930

CPU Speed

1.86GHz

Chipset

Intel SoC

Standard/Max RAM

4GB DDR3L 1066MHz onboard

Disk/drive

64GB mSATA SSD

Card slots

None external

Display type

Indoor/outdoor readable TFT, 400 NIT LED backlight

Display size/res

8.0', 1024 x 768 pixels

Digitizer

Projected capacitive touch

Keyboard/scale

Onscreen, optional external

Sealing

IP54

Temperature

14° to 122°F (-10° to 50°C)

Shock

Operating 30G, (11ms); Non Operating 40G (11ms), Crash 50G (11ms)

Vibration

5-500Hz 1G PTP

EMI/EMC

FCC Class B, CE

Housing

ABS+PC polymer with rubber molding

Size (WxHxD)

9.05 x 7.1 x 0.7 inches (230 x 180 x 18 mm)

Weight

2.04 lbs. (925 grams) w/ battery

Power

Removable rechargeable 4,040mAh lithium ion battery ('6 hrs.')

Cameras

Front: 2.0mp, rear: 5mp with flash

Interface

2 x USB 2.0, VGA via cradle, audio

Wireless

Intel 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi (Cisco CCX4), Bluetooth 4.0, optional u-blox 7 GPS, various WWAN radios (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile); optional 5-in-1 module (MSR, RFID, SmartCard, debit pin pad, 1D/2D scanner)

List price

Inquire

Webpage

DLI 8

Brochure

DLI 8 spec sheet

Search

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Rugged, versatile mobile Intel Bay Trail tablet offers full service payment ...

The DLI 10 is a timely product as it addresses the rising demand for a contemporary tablet solution that's more rugged and more durable than popular consumer media tablets. Providing capacitive multi-touch with its effortless tapping, panning, zooming and pinching, and supporting various versions of Windows 7, Windows 8 and also Android 4.4.4., the DLI 10 brings versatility and ease of use into numerous mobile point-of-sale applications.

While the company introduced the DLI 10 late 2014, the product is actually based on the earlier DLI 9000, which was initially launched early 2011, one of the first vertical/industrial market tablets to offer procap. At its announcement RuggedPCReview.com said that introducing the DLI 9000 looks like a smart move at the right time. This means that the DLI 10 is actually a second generation product.

In terms of hardware, the DLI 10's 10.5 x 8.1 inch footprint is just a bit larger than that of the iconic iPad. As a rugged product, of course, it's thicker (0.84 inches) and heavier (2.6 pounds), but still remarkably compact and handy. The 9.7-inch display with 1024 x 768 pixel XGA resolution is the same size, format and resolution as the original iPad and iPad 2.

What has changed from the DLI 900 is the processor. The original was based on the 1.5GHz Intel Atom Z670 whereas the next-gen DLI 10 uses a quad-core Intel 'Bay Trail' N2930 running at a base frequency of 1,83GHz and capable of reaching burst speeds of up to 2.16GHz. While 'Bay Trail' uses a significantly overhauled Intel Atom processor architecture that now includes Intel HD Graphics, the N2930 is actually sold under Intel's Celeron brand name and is an entirely more powerful platform.

Do note that the performance impact of this processor switch is likely drastic. Based on RuggedPCReview's benchmark database, the new DLI 10 should be much faster than the older DLI 900, with an overall performance increase in the 3-4X range. That is very noticeable in everyday use. RAM has doubled to 4GB of faster DDR3L memory, and for storage there is a 64GB mSATA Solid State Disk.

For wireless connectivity, the DLI 10 offers dual-band Cisco CCX4-certified 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, optional ublox 7 GPS, and optional mobile broandband. On the wired side there are two USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI 1.4a port, as well as I/O and antenna pass-throughs to a cradle. There are also two cameras, one facing forward (2mp) for conferencing, the other (5mp, LED illuminator) on the backside for documentation. Both cameras have higher resolution now.

While the DLI 10 has appeal in a wide variety of business applications, DLI initially introduced the DLI 900 specifically as a mobile payment processing system. To that extent, the DLI 10 is available with a 5-in-1 payment module that includes a magstripe reader, a debit pin pad, RFID/NFC contactless payment, EMV Smartcard reader, and 1D/2D CMOS barcode imaging. The optional 5-in-1 module bolts onto the back of the tablet. An optional 3-in-1 module with RFID/NFC and MSR is available also.

As the 'rugged mobile tablet' description suggests, the DLI 10 was designed for use in the field where conditions can be rough and accidents can happen. The impact-resistant ABS+PC polymer housing provides IP54 sealing which means the device is protected against dust and also against water spray from all directions (though both with limited ingress permitted). The operating temperature range is a wide 14 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. The tablet can survive multiple 4-foot drops to concrete, and also the degree of shock and vibration commonly experienced in vehicles.

The next-gen DLI 10 is undoubtedly an important part of DLI's broad lineup of tablet computers, each providing a unique set of tablet functionality. What the 10 offers is the familiarity of the iPad form factor, screen size and capacitive multi-touch digitizer, but with a choice of either Windows or Android, and now with significantly more powerful Intel Bay Trail processor technology.

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Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Reviewed: Is This the Future of Tablet

Despite the rising demand of the tablet computers, they have not been able to replace the laptop once and for all! However, experts predict that this demand is set to surge further, which raises hopes of a tablet-only future.

Tablet makers, however, need to work a little more if they wish to replace the conventional laptop. Microsoft has taken the initiative and has tread in the correct path with the Surface Pro 3. This tablet is reliable and is well equipped to take on most practical applications, unlike the gadgets manufactured by Samsung, Google, etc.

Microsoft is well aware of the needs of the business-centric group and has strived to offer a product that fulfills the requirements of this category. The best part about the Surface Pro 3 is the dimensions, screen size, display type and resolution, along with the advanced hardware and support for accessories. However, every positive aspect has its downsides and the Surface Pro 3 weighs in a lot more than the conventional tablet. Hence, transportation is a little difficult.

The mechanical keyboard on the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is a welcome addition, as the 'click' sounds enhance precise typing over the digital keyboard. The keyboard is decently spaced, making it easier to type as compared to other tablets and the Surface Pro 2. The Surface Pro 3 runs Windows 8.1, which makes it instantly compatible to various applications and software.

The Surface Pro 3 features a 12-inch HD display sporting 2,160 x 1,440 pixel resolution with dual 5-million-pixel cameras fitted at the front. Customers have the benefit of choosing from the second generation i3, i5 and i7 processors, which has a direct impact on the battery life of the device.

The tablet is available in 4 and 8 GB variants and features a solid-state drive that is capable of storing info in the range of 64 - 512 GB. The chassis alone weighs near 800 grams, let alone the additional weight on the keyboard. This is in stark contrast to the Apple iPad Air 2, which weighs in a total of 437 kg.

If you plan on moving around with the keyboard, the Surface Pro 3 will weigh more than a kg. However, this is still more maneuverable than the conventional laptop. Hence, we are not complaining. However, future tablets should improve upon the current statistics too, and we are hopeful that Microsoft will come up with something useful soon.

Microsoft has achieved quite a bit with the Surface Pro 3, and this is what we expect the future tablets from the company to resemble. Modifications are welcome, although, the general vision should stick!

Stay tuned for additional news, reports and updates from the world of technology.

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