ASUS VivoTab RT Review
by Vivek Gowri on October 23, 2012 3:01 PM EST- Posted in
- Asus
- Mobile
- Tablets
- Windows RT
- Vivo Tab
The cameras are also pretty highly specced, with a 2MP front facing camera ready for 1080p video conferencing in addition to a backside-illuminated 8MP CMOS with a 5 element f/2.2 lens that features a hybrid IR filter. It’s pretty impressive from a technical standpoint, especially compared to Surface’s comparatively spartan 720p cameras front and back. Of course, I still believe that tablets don’t really need rear-facing cameras, but the IQ of the front facing camera is pretty great - I’m glad that manufacturers no longer are content to ship crappy VGA front facing cameras that all but ruin the point of having one. Combined with the upcoming Skype application, the VivoTab should be an excellent device for video chatting.
Weirdly though, the VivoTab RT ships with two camera applications installed. One is the standard Windows RT camera app, which is pretty spartan. The other is called ASUS Camera and adds a bunch of options, like applying filters, changing image settings like flash, white balance, focus modes, ISO, and the like. It also adds a panorama mode. Images coming out of the two applications appear to be the same, so all things considered I’d rather use ASUS Camera. The application design isn’t as clean as the included Windows one, but the additional functionality makes up for it.
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N4g4rok - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
This review definitely made my view of Windows 8/RT tablets a little more optimistic. I'm still set on the Surface Pro or some other x86 capable Win8 Tablet, providing the price is right.Good to know RT is starting out so well. Let's hope the developers jump on it quickly.
andykins - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
I'm really optimistic and excited about Win8/RT :Dtipoo - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
Interesting that it goes from a wide lead in Sunspider to such a loss in the other tests, if I'm not mistaken the x86 IE10 does not have that kind of variance. So I wonder if it has to do with Tegra 3s memory bandwidth becoming an issue, or something else. However if it can beat the Nexus 7 by such a margin with a similar Tegra 3 that says good things about ARM IE10.lowlymarine - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
Actually, that's right in line with x86 IE10. On my Core i3-based ASUS laptop, IE10 crushes every other browser at Sunspider but is only about half as fast as Chrome at Kraken and V8/Octane.Given these results and the results from the iPhone 5 review, it's clear that IE and Safari are locked in a "who can cheat more at Sunspider" contest.
VivekGowri - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
Yeah, basically this. It's not much of a credible benchmark anymore, too many people are starting to optimize very heavily for it in software.The1nchicago - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
This is the ONLY blog site I visit where I truly believe Anand opinion is not biased. I got blessed out by people for saying the Ipad Retina was not the greatest business tool. Glad someone shares my view in a sense.JKflipflop98 - Wednesday, October 24, 2012 - link
I think you mean that his bias matches your own.augiem - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
"Side note: in Windows 8, particularly for normal notebook and desktop users, this is an entirely overblown issue - ... but people who claim that Windows 8 will ruin their desktops just sound ignorant to me. But I digress."This does not belong in a review of this tablet. And calling people ignorant who don't agree with you on how their workflow is affected by the changes to the UI is totally inappropriate.
Boogaloo - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
If you've actually used win8 you'd agree with what he's saying. It's literally exactly the same as windows 7, except with a fancy startbar. The only way someone would profess something different is based on ignorance (which isn't stupidity, it's lack of knowledge).Pirks - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
only slowpokes and lame/dumb oldfags keep saying Metro "ruins" somethingthey will slowly get it that they are wrong and the noise will disappear
don't pay attention to them. I use Win8 RTM for more than a month already and I know what I'm talking about.