WinBook TW700 - the 7" Windows 8.1 Tablet for under $60 - 2-day Review

Here is an unboxing of my new WinBook TW700 7" Windows 8.1 Tablet from MicroCenter.

It cost me (and is still currently on sale as of the time of this writing) only $59.99 plus tax (normally $89.99).

Here be the specs:

• 7" 1280x800 (16:10 aspect ratio) IPS LCD 5-point Capacitive Touchscreen
• Intel BayTrail-T Z3735G 1.33GHz Quad-Core CPU
• 1GB DDR3 RAM
• 16GB Flash Storage
• Windows 8.1 + Bing Operating System
• 1-year subscription to Microsoft Office 365 included (via code on card, not pre-installed)
• microSD Card Slot
• Full-sized USB 2.0 slot
• MicroUSB
• MicroHDMI video-out
• WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
• Bluetooth 4.0
• GPS
• Stereo Speakers
• Built-in Microphone
• 3.5 mm Headphone/Mic combo jack

Windows 8.1 + Bing

Don't let the "+ Bing" thing scare you.  All it means is that the manufacturer got the OS for free from Microsoft with the guarentee that it would ship the product (in this case, the tablet) with the defaults for Internet Explorer all set to Bing and MSN.  This is normally the case anyway on Windows 8 - but some companies make deals with Google or Yahoo to change those defaults.  As the consumer, you are free to change all the settings you want.  You are not locked into Bing.  You never have to use it at all, and you are free to use Google, or Yahoo, or Ask, or Alta Vista... (is that even still a thing?) or whatever.

So you are getting a full Windows experience.  This is not WindowsRT, or even something like the Windows 7 Starter Edition.  This is full Windows 8.1 - with all that entails, the good and the bad.  So don't freak out about the + Bing.

I do also want to point out that Windows 8 by itself sells on the Microsoft Store for $79.99.  

Microsoft Office 365

There is a folder and icon for Office 365 on the tablet, but it's not actually installed.  Clicking that starts the installation process, and you have to input the code from the card that is included in the box with the tablet in order to authenticate your subscription to the service. I haven't installed it because I'm not sure I'm going to use it, and since it is a subscription and not a straight install-once-use-forever thing, I'd rather wait until I'm sure I need it before I activate it.

The license is good for "1 Tablet + 1 PC/Mac" - but I don't think it has to be *this* tablet.

A one-year subscription to Office 365 costs $79.99 (or $7.99 per month) - so, again, like with Windows, the cost of the tablet is less than the cost of the software.  (Although, to be fair, the $79.99 subscription gives you 5 installs instead of 2.)

Initial thoughts

I've only had it a couple of days, but I am certain I'm going to get my money's worth out of this one.  Like I said, Office 365 alone is worth more than I paid - but even aside from that - I got a full brand-new Windows computer for less than $60!  That's amazing.

The full-sized USB is important to me.  That gives it far more of a computer vibe and less of a tablet vibe.  I mean, I know technically any tablet/phone/device with a USB-OTG port, regardless of size (full, micro, or mini) can have peripherals -- and I know BlueTooth peripherals exist.  But the convenience of being able to just plug something directly into the side of this thing makes it feel a lot more like a PC to me.  

No adapters or limitations - just any other USB slot on any other computer I've used over the last 15 years.  Easy Peasy.  I've plugged keyboards, USB drives, etc. into the thing, and it just works.  Sure - you have to install drivers for certain things, just like on any Windows computer - but there's nothing strange about the process just because it's a tablet.

The device has a 16GB internal flash drive, but you only have access to 8GB of it, I'm not sure what's up with the other 8GB, but I assume it's something like a recovery drive or something, but it's not visible in Explorer.  I didn't look before I started installing apps and software, but even after installing LibreOffice and a few other decent sized programs, I had over 2GB left.  And it has a MicroSD slot, so I've got a 32GB card in there.  That should hold me for a while.

I do wish the RAM was upgradable.  1GB isn't much.  If you aren't multitasking too much or playing graphics-intensive games, it shouldn't be a problem.  But having too many Google Chrome Extensions installed (like I do) does slow things down a bit, especially when streaming audio in one window and trying to surf in another.  (There is an 8" model with 2GB of RAM available [currently on sale] for $139.99, but that is more than twice the price.)

I am a Mac user, and I have Windows installed on a small partition of my MBP, but I rarely use it.  This tablet will let me quickly and easily run lighter Windows-only apps.  And with the full-sized USB I can do things like root my phone quickly and easily (which is not always simple on a Mac).

I wouldn't recommend it as your main computer, but if you are chugging along on something that is 5 years old, or if you just want a second machine for the living room or something - this is far more functional than a phone or Android/iOS tablet, and it costs less, too.

"Netbook" naming nonesense news

Well, it seems that Dell has joined the fight against Psion, claiming that their supposed claim to the word "netbook" is not just nonsense, but actually fraud! Way to go Dell. I think it may be too early to say that the legal battles are over, (I still want my Cease & Desist order!), but having a deep pocketed tech giant like Dell stepping up to the plate, the fat lady might be warming up for her song.

Triple Boot Netbook Status Update: My MSI Wind has arrived!

It's here! I got my MSI Wind netbook. Here's a quick run down of the specs, (more indepth specs at the end of this post):

• 1.6GHz CPU
  
• 1GB RAM
• 160GB HD
• WiFi N
• 6-Cell Battery
• Webcam, BlueTooth, VGA, USB, SD Card reader
• Windows XP
  

As I noted before, I picked this netbook because it's completely compatible with Mac OS X, and I plan on doing a triple-boot with Windows, Mac, and Linux. What's really cool about this, is it comes pre-partitioned!

The 160GB hard drive has two partitions out-of-the-box. A 40GB partition where Windows XP lives, and the rest on another, empty, drive. (Technically, you know how those hard drive makers are, it's a 145GB HD with 39GB for XP, and 106GB for the other drive, with 1GB on the second drive missing even though its blank.) So I have 105 GB for Mac OS X and/or Linux, even without repartitioning.

I ended up getting mine from zipzoomfly.com for $349.99 - and that's shipped ground for free. But I was impatient and spent another $28.91 for overnight shipping. So for $378.90 total, I got this kick-butt computer overnighted to me. Considering this exact same model sells for as much as $459 or higher on other sites, I think I found a great deal. It wasn't used, refurbished, open box, demo unit, or anything. It was just a great deal. There was one slight issue, but I'll talk about that in a minute.

A note about buying an MSI Wind. Much like the Eee PC, there are a TON of different models out there. It's really insane. First, there are what I call the big number differences. There are 5 lines for MSI Wind netbooks, the U90, U100, U110, U115, and the U120. To my knowledge, only 3 of those lines have actually shipped, at least to North America - those being the U90, U100, and U120. Here are the differences:

• U90 - 8.9" Screen, lower specs. I don't think this model is being made any more.
• U100 - what most people think of for the MSI Wind, most popular model (actually group of models, I'll explain in a minute) - 10" Screen, 1.6Ghz CPU
• U110 - (just demoed from what I can tell) - Touchscreen, everything else just like the U100
• U115 - (another not-yet shipped model) "hyrid storage" part Solid State Drive / part Hard Drive
• U120 - (pre-orders and possibly shipping now) Exactly like the U100, except there's a 3G card (or card slot) - it's two-toned, and it cost at least $100 more and/or it is missing features (no BlueTooth, no WiFi N, 3-Cell battery instead of a 6-Cell, etc.)

I got a U100. I don't do the data-plan thing on my cell phone, and I don't want to spend more for a less powerful computer. (Which is why I think the MacBook Air is a horrible computer.) If the touchscreen model was available, I might have ordered that, since I plan on adding a touch screen anyway, but it isn't out yet, so here I am.

Now, within the U100 galaxy of products, there is a wide range of model numbers and features. But it basically comes down to 4 things.

• 120GB HDD vs. 160GB HDD
• WiFi G vs. WiFi N
• 3-Cell Battery vs. 6-Cell Battery
• 0.3MP Webcam vs. 1.3MP Webcam
  

Obviously, the later of the options is better in my list. And, in my searching, it was usually all from the first list, or all from the second list. The uber-good deal I got was from the all second list option. So I am happy.

There are other options, mostly what color you want (white, black, pink, or other), what kind of keyboard you want, (US, international, other), etc. The only real complaint I have about the model I chose was that I didn't realize at the time that it was an international (French and English) keyboard. So watch out for that. I'm not sure, but I believe it the model number ends in US, you are looking at an all-English US keyboard, if it ends in CA (like mine did - CA for Canada, I'm guessing) then you really need to make sure if it is English only or French-Canadian like mine.

That said, it's really not *that* different from any other keyboard I've ever used. It just has 2 or 3 extra keys which make touch-typing a little iffy for shifts and returns, and there are tons of extra letter on the keys themselves that are like for alt-typing. That doesn't bother me at all, since they are in a different place than the standard letters, and I rarely look at what is printed on the key anyway.

Of course, this being a netbook and not a notebook, there is no optical drive. So installing any operating system or store-bought software is difficult, unless you buy an external DVD drive. These are not expensive. If you don't need a burner (which, with 3 USB ports and a card reader, I don't know why you would, unless you don't have any other computers), you can easily find a DVD/CD-ROM external for under $50.

I haven't decided if I'm going to go the easy route or try any number of tricks to install operating systems via USB drive or SD card. I'm leaning (heavily) toward just buying the DVD drive, since I'm sure I'll use it again later.

Just a side note, for anyone wondering what happened to my Asus Eee PC 701 4GB Surf - I traded it for an iPod Touch 8GB First Generation, with a $15 iTunes Card, a Griffin iTrip FM broadcaster / car charger, and $50 cash. I might blog about my iPod later. But I will say the step up from the granddaddy of all netbooks - the Eee PC 701 - to the powerful MSI Wind U100 is a huge one.

I went from:

• 4GB to 160GB
• 900Mhz (overclocked) to 1.6Ghz
• WiFi B to WiFi N
• No webcam to 1.3MP webcam
• No BlueTooth to Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• Having to hack Windows onto to having it pre-installed
• A tiny, cramped 7" keyboard to a nice sized 10" one
• From having to keep my 8GB SD card in the slot at all times for needed applications to being able to use the card slot like a card slot is supposed to be used - for swapping data from one device to another.
  

I'm not saying the Asus was a bad computer, or unusable, or anything like that. It served me well. It's just the MSI Wind will serve me better. The Asus Eee PC 701 (with a webcam) was available at my local Best Buy for only $199. That, to me, is a very reasonable price for an ultra-portable laptop. And, at that price, I would recommend it if you don't have a notebook yet.

Here are the promised detailed specs on my particular MSI Wind netbook model:

• MSI (MicroStar International) Wind (or Windbook) Netbook Model: U100-422CA
  
• 1.6Ghz Intel Atom Processor N270
• 533MHz FSB / 512MB Cache
• Intel 945GSE+ICH7-M Chipset
  
• 160GB 2.5" 5400RPM Serial ATA HDD
• 1GB PC2-5300 (DDR2-667) RAM - (Supports up to 2GB)
  
• 10" 1024 x 600 WSVGA LED Backlit Display
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 (GMA950)
• 802.11b/g/n WiFi
• BlueTooth 2.0 + EDR
• 1.3MP Webcam
• Built-in mic
  
• 4-in-1 Card Reader - SD, MultiMedia Card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro
• 3 USB 2.0 ports
• Fast Ethernet Lan 10/100
• VGA out (15-pin, D-Sub)
• Microphone in (Line in)
  
• Headphone port
  
• Built-in stereo speakers
• "Genuine" Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition - Service Pack 3
  
• International keyboard
• 6-Cell Battery (5.5 hour battery life)
  
• Closed dimensions - 10.23" (width) x 7.08" (length) x 0.748"~1.24" (thickness)
• 2.6 lbs (with the battery)

My netbook plans - 4 OSes, touchscreen, BT, WiFi-N, and less than $500

Check out the Mac OS X Netbook Compatibility Chart for the best options for installing OSx86 aka Hackintosh on a non-Apple netbook, (of course, there is no non-non-Apple netbook... let's see 3 negatives... the last two cancel out... yeah, that's right). According to the chart, the two netbooks that are most compatible are the MSI Wind U100 and the Dell Mini 9. Since the MSI Wind has more storage, costs less, and doesn't have a compatibility exception (the Dell Mini 9 doesn't sleep in some models), and since MSI has officially released drivers for the WiFi under OS X - I suggest the MSI Wind.

In fact, that's what I plan on ordering as soon as I get my next check. My plan is to get the 160 GB model with the 6-cell battery, do a triple boot of OS X, Windows XP Pro, and Linux. Then on top of OS X, install SheepShaver to run Mac OS 9. Four powerful operating systems on a system that costs less than $400 and weighs less than 2.7 pounds - that ain't bad.

I also plan on, eventually, adding a touchscreen kit - (which comes with drivers for all the operating systems - except OS 9, I imagine) - so make that a ultraportable tablet with four operating systems for under $500.

Oh, and did I mention it comes with Bluetooth, WiFi N, a built-in webcam, and card reader... Not too shabby.

Meet the Zonbu - the $99 Open Source, User Friendly, Good for the Planet Computer

Zonbu, makers of the Zonbu Mini Desktop, have a long standing commitment to at least 3 times that I can relate to.

1. Open Source software. All Zonbu applicances run the Zonbu OS which is a variant of Gentoo, one of the major distributions of Linux. On the Zonbu OS you'll find such great open source programs like Firefox, OpenOffice.org, and GIMP.
2. Ease of use. The Zonbu makes computer using a snap - just plug it in and go. It works right out of the box, (as long as you have the keyboard, mouse, monitor, and broadband). If you can use Windows, if you can use Mac OS X, then you can use Zonbu. It's not identical to either of those, of course - but it is just as easy to use. Plus, you don't have to worry about all those nasty Windows viruses, so there's no need for anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-adware, anti-malware, etc. And since it's Internet connected, you're always going to have the latest and greatest version of the OS without having to do anything. The Zonbu automatically keeps itself up to date.
   
3. Being Environmentally responsible. Some desktop PCs have power supplies measured in hundreds of Watts. The Zonbu clocks in at a mere 15 watts. That's less than a standard incandescent light bulb! They also do carbon off-sets and recycling of your used systems. And, since the device is so small (unlike the supposedly eco-friendly gPC that uses a full sized tower), there is far less use of fossil fuels and other materials than other computers.
   

And on top of all of that, they have a real commitment to customer service. Unlike some big brand name computer companies (I'm looking at you, Dell!), they really care about their customers. I've had a few issues with my box (I received one of the eariler beta versions), and they sent me out a new one, with WiFi, no questions asked!
Once I received my new system, the Vice President of the company and a tech support guy worked with me to solve a problem with my ISP. Not a problem with the Zonbu - it was my ISP and my network - but they kindly, patiently, and happily walked me through the problem. I tell you something - no way any other computer company will do that! I can't even get my ISP (Charter - bleh) to help me with my other network stuff.
They just announced that now they have a laptop available, and I will be getting one soon, Lord willing. It's much more powerful than the EEE PC, and unlike the gPC - it's a notebook, so it will go with you anywhere. It is more powerful than the desktop (which is counterintuitive, but a good thing), and it's also eco-friendly, user-friendly, and Tux-friendly. I don't think this is an offical name, but I'm going to call it the Zonbook. (Zonbu + Notebook... get it? Pretty clever, huh?)

As I test it out and put it through the ringer, look for more posts about this $99 computer that seems to have everything the average user needs. For more information check out their website, as well as a blog called "Mr. Zonbu" who has been using the Zonbu as his main computer for several months now.

An Open Letter to the Tech Community

Please thoughtfully consider my request.

Please leave any comments, suggestions, or rebutals in a comment. Thank you.