Hector, a UMPCPortal reader, has sent us a great owner review of the Samsung Ativ PC 500T along with some really useful videos. For anyone considering a Clover-Trail based tablet or ‘transformer’ convertible, this is a must-read; Especially the battery life section!
Don’t forget to subscribe to Hectors YouTube channel here. Follow him on Twitter here and check out his blog here. Thanks Hector
Samsung Ativ Smart PC 500T Tablet Review
With the release of Windows 8, Samsung has finally released the ATIV Smart PC. The ATIV has the new Atom processor known as Clover-Trail. With the Clover-Trail processor, we should see better performance compared to the previous version of the Atom processor. So if you have been on the fence on purchasing a tablet running full Windows 8, and not the Windows 8 RT version, the ATIV Smart PC has the power and is very thin and portable like the current iPad and Android tablets but is much more capable. The ATIV Smart PC has the ability of running full Windows 8 application without compromises and run the Metro apps.
For specifications and more information and links on the Samsung Ativ Smart PC 500T, see our information page.
The Samsung ATIV Smart PC is equipped with the new Intel Atom Z2760 dual-core processor capable of maxing out at 1.8GHz. It runs full Window 8 applications, includes the Intel graphic media accelerator 3650 an 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 display with 400nit, a 2mp front and 8mp rear cameras, 2-speaker system, 2GB of LPDDR system RAM, 64GB SSD with 41GB free, 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, 30wh battery and option docking keyboard with internal battery for all day computing.
Let’s do a quick walk around of the ATIV Smart PC. For starters, having a full size USB 2.0 on such a thin device is something I have always needed. Usually other current tablets you need to purchase some type of cable or dongle to be able to transfer files or pictures to your tablet, unless you use Dropbox or Box to keep your files synced. This of course requires for you to be connected to the internet. This works best when sharing files between other users in a meeting or on the road with a flash drive. No need to pull out a dongle, especially when you want to carry as little as possible with you. Don’t forget that you also can charge your mobile phone, so in theory the ATIV Smart PC is your phone charger as well.
USB external hard drives will be no problem. Just plug in your USB hard drive and access all your files you need. You don’t have to worry about the external hard drive not going to work because not enough power from the USB port, since the ATIV Smart PC is a full computer you will have enough power coming out of the port.
Also on the top next your USB port you will find the Auto rotation button, power on/off button, dual microphone and your headset jack that is also your external microphone jack as well.
The Samsung ATIV Smart PC has a microSD slot that is capable to read 64GB microSD cards. This on top of the 64GB SSD can give you some great storage options. I have a 32GB microSD card installed in the ATIV Smart PC, which I use for all document storage and I have installed Microsoft Office 2010 to run off the microSD card. This isn’t possible with Android tablets or an iPad tablet at this time. I haven’t tried this on the Microsoft Surface tablet, will have to give it a test later. I also have my Google Drive to use the microSD card to sync my files. The port next to the microSD slot is for the ATIV Smart PC that will come with 3G built in, so at this time, it is only a cover.
To the right of the Samsung ATIV Smart PC you will find nothing but a smooth edge, by the way the tablet is designed in such a way that it rounds off at the ends making it comfortable to hold in your hand in either portrait or landscape mode. No sharp edges.
On the bottom you will find the port to dock the optional keyboard. The magnetic catch will allow you to drop the ATIV Smart PC into the docking keyboard which also houses a built in battery to extend your mobile experience. I wasn’t able to get the keyboard dock at the moment, but I am looking forward to picking up the keyboard dock to give it a test. I would like to see how well the keyboard keys are, and also to give it a test with the battery life. In comparison with the MacBook Air 11.6-inch, the ATIV Smart PC will be just a thin as the MacBook Air at the thickest part of the MacBook Air. This would also put the ATIV Smart PC at about .37kg heavier than the 11.6-inch MacBook Air. This is only with the optional keyboard dock.
Samsung has decided to add the PSU at the bottom of the ATIV Smart PC, which can be a plus if you are not planning on using it on a stand, but I can see that Samsung wanted to keep the sides of the ATIV Smart PC clean. Lucky that my stand I am using is high enough to allow me to charge the tablet and at the same time keep it on the stand. The charging tip is an “L inch shape allowing me to charge the tablet without any problems on my stand.
On the left side of the ATIV Smart PC you will find the volume button and the micro HDMI port. The volume button is in one piece with the ability to press on the upper part to raise the volume or press the lower part to lower the volume. The button feels solid when you press the volume control. Again many tablets don’t have built in HDMI. I would have liked to have seen a full size HDMI port, if Samsung was able to get a full size USB, would have been nice to see it for the HDMI also. I tested the ATIV Smart PC to run on my 24 inch monitor and used it as my work machine; everything ran smooth without any noticeable lags of any kind. This just worked as my current setup I am using for work, which is the Samsung Series 7 Slate tablet. Never the less, having the micro HDMI is great, this will only require me to carry one cable for when I need to use the Samsung ATIV Smart PC to my 24 inch monitor.
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