[murdic]

Even older 32-bit Atoms will handle 2D CAD OK.   You don’t need rendering for 2D CAD, that’s what sucks the processing.  I’ve used TurboCAD, SharkCAD and FreeCAD on a Cube iWork 10 flagship (z8350) for 3D and 2D work for a couple of years, not many of my models (3D) have more than fifty entities in an assembly but some of them range up over 150Mb file size and they’re still responsive – provided I’m not expecting real-time rendering while I’m manipulating.  Those programs create 2D views and sections themselves from models, instead of the drafter having to do it.  Styluses aren’t the greatest for CAD, mouse and keyboard (increasingly even voice input for parameters) are usually more productive because they give you instant access to zoom and pan, and orbit for 3D, and hot key/short cut access to tools, but pens can be useful for onsite sketch and edits.

[murdic]

Thanks for the link!  At face value, that seems even more tasty than i5 (Not much consistency to the model naming!  The “i7” model has an i7 CPU, the “i5” has a Pentium?).  It gives a shipping date, which might be true or not, but it’s some sort of indicator, and that  page implies that it’s got faster charging through USB-C too.

[murdic]

Where did you find a reference to the i7 version, Chris?  Voyo’s site doesn’t reference the thing at all.  I’m very interested in the performance of the stylus, so I might buy the i8 Plus Android device to see what that feels like.  I like to draw and paint digitally (there’s a painting app called Rebelle that processes  the physics of watercolour, the virtual paint bleeds through virtual art paper.  Like wow, man) but my budget doesn’t stretch to a high-end Surface variant, or even an Eve V (a Finnish crowdfund startup that offers a Surface Pro/Asus Transformer 3-like tablet with the best specs about 20%-25% less than Surface Pro prices), and even though I laugh at myself for thinking that there’ll be difference that I can feel between 256 levels and 2048 levels, we’ve got to make decisions on specification and hope that reality matches up.   If this Voyo doesn’t come back, there’s a company here that sells a variant of Chuwi Hi13 with N4200 and 3G/4G.

What part of NZ are you from?  I’m Oz/kiwi dualie in Sydney since the 1970s, a granddad but still passionate about new kit.

[murdic]

The  10.6″ Galaxy doesn’t get an AMOLED screen like the 12″ either.  I lust for Core M, but  money is a barrier, so I just went for an Onda 10.1″ with Atom Z8700, keyboard and two active styluses for less than a third of the price of a bare Surface 3 in Australia (if it still exists.  MS probably knew the Galaxy was coming, so have quietly dropped it.  Interesting to see how Samsung’s S-pen, no-battery Wacom I think, compares with MS’s surface pen).  We haven’t been told how much Samsung’s going to charge for its tablet yet.  As for the Onda,  I didn’t expect MS quality, but it’s better than that cost equivalence suggests.  The worst thing about it is that naff gold colour.

[murdic]

You’re right – palindromic.  Able was I to think it until I tried to write it…  Not up to anything in particular, I just bought an Onda 2 in 1 that’s the same format as the cube I mentioned, and Onda are pushing “tent” format to stand the device on a table for viewing.  It occurred to me after I framed the question that the Onda might be just like the Cube and be unresponsive to the keyboard when the tablet’s reversed on it, but I won’t know until it arrives.

[murdic]

X5, though?  Onda oBook 10 pro is selling for less than a third of Surface 3’s cost right now, with similar specs (X7 Z8700, 4Gb RAM)  except for the small battery and 16:10 screen, single-band WiFi.  It has DC port and USB-C, though, which Surface didn’t, so a power bank should see it through a day.   I expect build and stylus performance to be unflattering in comparison, but it’s currently AUD 300, USD 225 with keyboard and stylus – the active stylus recharges via micro USB, too, no AAAA battery needed.  Lenovo’s own IdeaPad 10.1″ with Z8700 was Surface 3 price level, too.

[murdic]

I’ve just received a couple of them that I bought from geekbuying…nine weeks and AUD 50 each later.   They’re less satisfying to use than the Wacom and Hanvon passive digitiser styluses that I’ve got on Asus VTN 8″ and Pipo W5 8″.  The Cube styluses take a greater range of pressure to modulate, the tips tap noisily on the screen (they’re bigger and heavier than the batteryless styluses and made of metal rather than plastic), the onscreen stroke lags slightly behind the stylus tip (and the lag isn’t consistent), and I find myself nigglingly distrustful and worried for how long the  battery will last.  I do like the very fine onscreen stroke for sketching in apps like Sketchbook and Fresh Paint.  I also have a Vido W10i Windows/Android tab that has a stylus that hadn’t worked because the battery spring had become dislodged, so the Cube stylus (which looks similar but which is slightly different in every dimension, no commonality at all) showed me how that should work.  The more expensive proprietary Cube active stylus obviously gives them considerably more margin than the third-party ones that can be used with other brands, but in my opinion the Hanvon is better than the Wacom, and the Wacom is better than the active styluses.  Meh, I think I’m going to buy the lower-res 32-bit Z3736 CheWi Ebook 10 just because it’s got onboard Hanvon passive.  Love 1920 x 1200 screens and useful USB ports, but styluses that feel more like pencils on paper trump them.  Not needing batteries and being able to be used on other tabs is gravy.

[murdic]

It recognizes 128 Gb.

[murdic]

I’ve bought a Yuandao/Vido W10D from fasttech that’ s been shipped, due very shortly, and I’ve just noticed that fasttech have updated the product page with new pictures of that tablet’s stylus – which looks like the cube CEP02 stylus.    I think I’ll get the Vido before the cube stylus, so it’ll be interesting to see if its stylus is compatible with the cube…

[murdic]

It’s a nice enough netbook, quite good build, but I bought this thing for the stylus.  Before the thing was released, they teased Wacom, then there wasn’t Wacom.  They teased 1024 levels of pressure modulation, then 256.  I bought the tablet from gearbest, the keyboard from cube-tablet, the pretend-CEP02 stylus with the clear disc tip like Adonis Jot from them too, now I’ve ordered the new-active-CEP02 stylus from geekbuying, because they’re apparently unable to coordinate simultaneous availability.  Completely unimpressive.  They obviously want to have their own proprietary stylus so that they get a compulsory margin, but I hope the bloody thing works reasonably well, or I won’t be going out of my way for another cube.    Styluses that require batteries aren’t my favourite thing, either.

[murdic]

Does the stylus work in Android OS at all?     Has anyone used it for suitable apps?

[murdic]

Not current, I don’t think.  Asus’ 8″ is gone, Pipo did one run of W5, also gone, Vido did W8S and gone.  Someone might still have stock of each.  I have an Asus and a Pipo, the Asus is Wacom stylus, I believe the Pipo and the Vido both have Hanvon, neither battery or powered.  The Vido and the Asus both have storage for the stylus in the tablet, but the Pipo is smaller and more comfortable.  My Asus had a dead band about 25mm wide that didn’t respond to the stylus along the bottom edge of the tab when held landscape, currently it doesn’t respond to the stylus at all, which is apparently a common problem, but fixable.  My Pipo’s stylus (it’s unpowered EMR, no battery, like the Asus’ Wacom) has been reliable, it seems to have the same sensitivity right up to the screen edges, and its pressure sensitivity feels like the Wacom’s too, thick and thin lines in Sketchbook no probs.  I prefer it to my Asus.  Those are/were the Windows options, so far as I know.  Since their production, there are current and upcoming stylus Chinese 10″ tabs, Cube iWork10, Vido W10D, Chuwi EIA10 plus ebook, and Asus T100 Chi.  Cube’s the only one with 4Gb memory, 64-bit OS, unless Asus is 64-bit with 2Gb.   Asus has a fast Atom with 2Gb, Vido and ChuWi are  dual boot, ChuWi’s 1280 x 800, the others 1920 x 1200 resolution.  Asus reportedly uses N-trig stylus with battery, Cube reportedly uses Wacom, I’m assuming no battery, dunno about Vido, ChuWi, ChuWi’s stores in tab body silo, doesn’t appear to have battery.    I did notice that there’s a new powered fine-tipped capacitive stylus offered at deal extreme and tinydeal, http://www.dx.com/p/usb-rechargeable-capacitive-stylus-pen-w-ball-pen-for-ipad-air-more-black-382705#.Vp7q9jhf3IV  and http://www.tinydeal.com/mini-capacitive-touch-pen-stylus-f-iphone-smartphone-tablet-ipad-p-157582.html    won’t have pressure sensitivity but might be alright for handwriting or line art on any tablet.

[murdic]

Gearbest have also posted a video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQi-XErL1O0, and at 2:05 it confirms that it’s 64-bit OS.  Yay.  Doesn’t show the stylus or give any hint of what type it is, though.  Aha!  Cube Russia has also posted a video, and it’s *Wacom*.  Ticking all of my boxes so far.  I hope the user experience lives up to the promise.

[murdic]

I’ve just ordered an iWork 10, so I’ll be interested to find out what stylus it does take.   I’ll be mildly bummed if it isn’t Wacom, that’ll mean another stylus to keep tabs (ironic pun!) on.  I’m not a fan of the single-angle keyboard/dock for the 10.6″ one and the one in the promo pictures isn’t being sold anywhere…

[murdic]

Glanced at a Toshiba Click 10 in a store the other day.  Z8300 and 4Gb, 64-bit Win 10 too.  Intel’s spec page is wrong.

[Author]

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