Tablet with USB?

[vancouv]

Are there any tablets, like the very nice looking but non-USB provided iPad, that actually have a USB port to allow external things to be connected?

And does anyone have a favourite make other than iPad - I know the iPad looks good, but I hate Apple as these days they seem to have out-Windowed Windows with their restrictive practices.

[mixture]

USB connector to do what ?

Apple has the "iPad Camera Connection Kit" featuring a USB port. There are also various third-party options floating around the internet, but I will leave that between you and Mr Google.

I hate Apple as these days they seem to have out-Windowed Windows with their restrictive practices.

Cut the un-necessary Apple bashing please.

I could name you 101 restrictive Microsoft practices that beat any Apple ones you can name. It's a fact of life in the IT industry, all manufacturers impose restrictions in some form of another.

Fact is, that if you ploughed the same amount of time and money into R&D that Apple do, you too would want to ensure you see a return on your investment and maintain the quality of your product.

[Bushfiva]

One of my machines is an Acer 500W. At its pricing point, it does a very good job. I can understand how the iPad/Android fraternity would mock it, but fuk'em. I did bang a better CPU and drive in it, which is beyond most people.

[hellsbrink]

Are there any tablets, like the very nice looking but non-USB provided iPad, that actually have a USB port to allow external things to be connected?

Some examples

Asus EEE Slate EP121

Fujitsu Q550

Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet

Lenovo Ideapad K1

Lenovo Ideapad P1

Lenovo A1

Tablet Kiosk (Oooh, an i7 CPU)

Samsung

Toshiba

Etc etc etc

Otherwise you have to look at Dell/Fujitsu/Lenovo/etc machines which are, basically, laptops with a touchscreen.

Look here (page 1 of 3) (http://www.tabletpc2.com/Compare.htm)


The biggest issue with having a USB port on a tablet is then you make the tablet thicker, and that goes against the concept of "thin is beautiful" which is all the rage nowadays, and that's why they don't fit them to things like the iPad (as well as the manufacturers who do not fit USB ports being able to charge an arm, leg and testicle for the "hub" which you add which allows you to have USB ports).

[Airborne Aircrew]

The Viewsonic Viewpad 10 has 2 and a spiffy little MicroSD slot along with HD out... :ok:

Don't get the 16Gb version. Win7 fills it up too quickly. It boots to Android too if that floats your boat.

[007helicopter]

Rather than start a new thread, any ideas please for

Tablet PC with USB, plus built in GPS, plus readable screen in sunlight, plus windows.

The intention is to use it for weather radar in the cockpit via a sat phone link, that side I have more or less sorted just researching the best tablet to be dedicated for this job, long battery life would also be nice.

[Milo Minderbinder]

007
from the way you've phrased that question, I take it you need a Windows based tablet, not an Android one?
If so, hang off buying anything for a few months. Most of the normal "big players" in the PC market are holding back on releasing a full range of windows tablets while they wait for Microsoft to make a move: M$ are threatening to release their own hardware in competition with the usual suppliers and its very uncertain just what is going to happen.The big boys are very very pissed at present. You may find windows tablets die (another) death. You may find in a few months that the range available suddenly explodes......
Don't forget that before Windows 8 M$ had at least two abortive failures with "tablets" - who remembers XP tablet edition? (I still have a setup disk for that somewhere.....) and the attempt at a Vista tablet

[mike-wsm]

Yes, I have comprehensive experience of this much misunderstood topic.

Most tablets in the low price range have usb capability extending to use of flash memory stick, external keyboard and 3G dongle.

This comes via the mini usb socket which has OTG on-the-go capability.

The socket can be used in the normal way to a computer for download of files. In this case you use a cable which is a normal full-size male usb to the computer and mini usb to the tablet. The cable carries power FROM computer TO tablet. The mini plug has FOUR used pins for supply and data.

The otg socket can also be used via the CORRECT adaptor to convey power FROM tablet TO peripheral. In this case it is a FIVE pin mini usb plug with pins 4 and 5 (nomenclatures differ) linked together within the adapter. The link tells the tablet it has to supply power (not receive it).

The CORRECT otg adapter has the five-pin-with-link mini usb otg plug on one end and a full size female usb on the other end to accept the peripheral. The adapter may be solid or it may be a short cable.

BEWARE - There are a whole lot of dud otg adaptors on the market. They have the wrong mini usb plug and do not have pins 4 and 5 linked. I made a test rig to check continuity and isolation of otg adaptors, occasional items had line-to-line shorts, over half had the wrong mini usb plug, and relatively few actually worked. One pair of right and left hand connectors included one ok and one dud. Quite a lot of those shipped on the slow boat from the orient were dud. Most of those from the uk tributary of a South American river were ok.

[Milo Minderbinder]

on top of which add the obvious problem (on an Android tablet) of no drivers for most peripherals
at least with a Win8 based tablet drivers should be available for most things you'd want to plug into it

[mike-wsm]

Android is great. Luvvit! :D:D:D

[crewmeal]

As I have just bought the new ipad mk4 so to speak, I wonder what Apple can do for the 5 version. Maybe a USB port? I don't think so! That would mean you wouldn't have to use itunes and Apple wouldn't like that very much.

Samsung's Kies (Their answer to itunes) is useless. It won't even recognise my Note. So I have download music and movies direct via the usb utilities.

[mike-wsm]

crewmeal - The iPad 4 will accept the iPad Camera Connection kit which in turn will accept usb connectors and sd cards.

[crewmeal]

Thanks I'll check that out as I haven't seen a kit with the new Apple smaller connector. All the online stores including Apple show the broader (older) fitting. What a pain. if it works well why change it?

[mike-wsm]

Ooops, sorry, that connector is a problem. My apologies.

[ExSp33db1rd]

USB connector to do what ?

Shove in a Memory Stick ( or whatever name you use ) with data on it.

I purchased an Asus Eee Notebook for my last overseas trip, and carried all my address book and passwords (yes I know, but do you know how many numbers I have in my life - and I'm retired ? - and I do try not to access them if I'm Online ) and some document files that I knew I might need.

Couldn't have done that with an iPad, and I'm not too great a fan of dropbox or 'cloud' computing either - don't trust anyone these days.

[mixture]

Couldn't have done that with an iPad, and I'm not too great a fan of dropbox or 'cloud' computing either - don't trust anyone these days.

and

carried all my address book and passwords and some document files


The iPad has an address book, is capable of securely storing passwords, and there are other ways to get documents onto it that don't require using a cloud service.

Do your homework before bashing away at Apple please.