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Windows 8 Pro Diary - replacing a laptop and desktop with a tablet

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Is it possible to replace a laptop and a desktop computer with a tablet PC running Windows 8 Pro? Matthew Stibbe tries an HP ElitePad 900 for a week to find out. Read some entries from
his diary.

Monday

It’s my Monday morning video conference with my Turbine development team. I use the ElitePad’s HD web cam and the Windows 8 Skype app to talk to them. They’re in Ukraine and I’m in London but the tablet brings us together as if we’re in neighbouring rooms.

Then I have my weekly conference call to discuss Articulate’s upcoming copywriting work. I load up Microsoft’s free OneNote app to take notes while I talk – just using the onscreen keyboard works fine for this. I can create tasks just as easily using the touchscreen display. It’s actually more intuitive to do this on a tablet.

Tuesday

It’s a busy writing day so I drop the ElitePad into its docking station and connect it to the big monitor on my desk and a full size keyboard. Using Microsoft Word 2013, I quickly finish off two articles. The way that the new version of Word sinks into background and brings my copy to the fore is impressive. The new design is very slick with nice details like a smoothly animating cursor and support for touch as well as mouse-based editing.

Wednesday

Off to a meeting with Edelman to plan out more content for HP Business Answers. I use the ElitePad on the tube trip to Victoria to go over my notes, which I’ve downloaded to the device via Box. (And yes, I listen to some music on my headphones while I’m doing it!) When I surface, I use Bing maps to find my way to their offices. On the way back, I pick up my email at St. James’s station using the Virgin Wi-Fi there. Cool.

Thursday

Another writing day but with a few interviews. I’m working on some brochures for HP and a couple of case studies from other clients. For the HP call, I use HP Virtual Rooms on the ElitePad so that my client can show me a presentation while we talk. I take notes in OneNote during the call so that I have a record of the conversation.

Swiping in from the edge of the screen is like alt-tabbing between apps and I can quickly check the calendar while I’m talking and make sure that I don’t overrun into my next meeting.

Friday

It’s billing time and I use Excel to open up the tracking spreadsheet on my server and log into FreshBooks to actually create the invoices. More housekeeping: I check my social network accounts, reply to a few emails … the usual stuff.

And suddenly, I realise that I could quite happily use the ElitePad as my main computer, especially with the docking station and I’m sad to have to give it back. I really can’t say that about the other tablets I’ve bought over the past couple of years.

I’ve just downloaded the Netflix app and I’m looking forward to watching some TV over the weekend. The ElitePad is a capable, everyday business computer shrunk into lightweight tablet form factor with a responsive touch screen and Windows 8 Pro. But that doesn’t mean it can’t have a bit of fun on the weekend!

 

This is a guest post from the HP Business Answers blog .

Comments

  • Anonymous
    May 16, 2013
    your having more luck than me. I received my Elitepad yesterday and after joining it to the domain, installing office, a few basic apps and VPN client I was ready to go. The problem was there was hardly any memory left by the time offline folders and Outlook in cache mode had sync'd. I was down to under 1GB of usable memory. The atom processor is very sluggish at doing anything, the battery life average and when docked and connected to my 24" HP monitor the resolution is terrible. The cover is a joke as it doesn't fit over the power button properly so keeps powering off, also it won't dock with the cover on. It only supports USB 2 and the mobile data card is only 3G. Back to a notebook until the Toshiba comes out