Windows 9 Preview: What the Next Microsoft OS Will - and Should - Bring

 Microsoft did something very...er... interesting in October 2012. It launched Windows 8, the operating system that would "unify" Microsoft's platforms across PCs, phones and tablets. Except, there was a fairly large flaw in the plan.

Microsoft's vision of unification wasn't just from an engineering perspective. The company also wanted a unified user interface across all its devices.

Now let's think about that for a second. Traditional PC users (both desktop and laptop) were used to mice and keyboards. They had been using these two devices pretty much since the advent of the PC. Various companies had also managed to add support for other input devices over the years, but no one was really using a touchscreen on the desktop.

Microsoft's presence in the tablet market was non-existent, for all intents and purposes. Very few "tablet PCs" existed, running full versions of Windows 7 with the lowest power Intel Core processors available at the time. They were heavy, didn't have great battery life, and only seemed to be useful for designers and artistic folk, who'd use a stylus to draw.

Most people were either using iOS or Android tablets, and few people were clamouring for a Windows equivalent of these two.

Finally, let's consider the phone market, where Microsoft had slight success with Windows Phone 7 and has since had a little more with Windows Phone 8and 8.1. Its market share was fairly insignificant, and the company would have really needed something special to make things work out.

There were, at the time, around 1 billion Windows PCs in the world, 99 percent not using a touchscreen monitor. Less than 5 percent of smartphones ran any version of Windows Phone, and there were barely any tablet PCs. In that backdrop, Microsoft's decision to release an OS that was optimised for touch-screen devices, rather than traditional input methods, seems premature to say the least.

What's worse is that the UI was aesthetically, and in many cases functionally, seen as a regression from Windows 7, which is still the most popular PC operating system. Bringing back the Start Menu is an example that Microsoft is backing down from its aggressive way of teaching users new behaviour.

After two years of bug fixes, patches, question marks over the future of Windows RT, and an awkward operating system that was arguably a bigger flop than Vista in terms of adoption and user satisfaction (despite being technically more sound), Microsoft has slowly come around to accepting the reality.

September 30 is the speculated date for the "preview" version of Windows "Threshold", also informally called Windows 9 by most of the tech press. Siteshave generously leaked videos and screenshots of a legit-looking preview build of Threshold.

Looking at the videos, you'll be able to see that the interface is still mostly flat and boring like Windows 8. I'm curious as to why they made an OS as pretty as Windows 7 and then went back to the flatness of the Windows 3.1 days, though that's down to personal taste.

Moving on, we see the return of the start menu , just with tiles thrown in. If you compare this start menu to the present one of Windows 7, it strikes me as less useful, as it simply links to fewer things. The entire right column is filled with tiles. What used to be in the right column (Control Panel, Documents, etc.) end up as pinned items, quite obviously taking up space used for pinned programs in Windows 7.

Of course, when compared to Windows 8, this is much better than making obscure "charm" gestures, or receiving a face full of that jarring start screen.

Metro (or Modern) UI apps can now be (mercifully) run in windowed mode, and can be minimised. While some may question the utility of these in the PC version of the OS, the main complaint with Windows 8.x was not having a choice, so I guess this is step in the right direction. The same goes for the existence of "PC Settings" when the Control Panel exists, and two different calculators, one for touch screens and the other being the old one we're used to on Windows 7. Of course these are still early days, and all this may yet be fixed before Windows 9 reaches the consumers.

We'll also most likely see virtual desktops, like on Linux systems and OS X. You can switch between different desktops, and have different windows on each. This would, in theory, allow you to switch between multiple workflows. The actual implementation looks a bit sketchy, however. I'm specifically talking about window management; the creation, removal and navigation of virtual desktops looks good enough.

Long story short, from whatever we've seen so far, Threshold seems like a mixed bag. It's sort of Microsoft saying, "Hey, we made really bad decision with that Modern UI stuff but here's a compromise." But it's clear that the company still hasn't quite let go of those tiles, which suggests the company is continuing to walk the tightrope between listening to user feedback and going ahead with what it believes is the future of Windows.

Microsoft must keep in mind that the function of a good operating system is to provide a stable and secure environment for applications and users to interact in, not sell itself as one giant overblown "app".

Unifying the interfaces of PCs, tablets and phones wasn't a good plan either, as Windows 8 proved. Three different type of devices and two different input models can't be fitted into one box. Even Apple and Google keep PC and mobile separate, so one wonders if Microsoft is on the right track with its one size fits all policy. Kernel code sharing doesn't mean having a common UI. And blindly sharing features is known as taking a shortcut.

Asus PadFone X: First Impressions

Companies often blend old products to give you something new.

This summer, AsusTek Computer Inc. claims you don't need both a phone and a tablet - as long as you get its new PadFone X. The PadFone works like any other phone and has a screen that measures 5 inches diagonally. When you want a tablet experience, you simply slip the phone into a slot on the back of the tablet display, which is included. All the apps on the phone now work on the 9-inch tablet. The phone is what runs the tablet. Asus is bringing this concept to the U.S. for the first time.

In some cases, apps switch to the tablet screen automatically, so you don't have to restart the video or reopen the mail app. In other cases, you'll have to close the app and reopen it after attaching the phone to the tablet screen.

For apps that have been optimized for tablets, the layout on the PadFone rearranges automatically to use the extra space. Yet it's fundamentally a phone. You can make calls in tablet mode, using earphones or the device's speakerphones.

Nice price
It's like buying a phone and getting a tablet for free. Available only through AT&T, the PadFone costs $550 without a contract, or about $100 cheaper than Apple iPhone 5s (Review | Pictures) andSamsung's Galaxy S5 (Review | Pictures). With a two-year service contract, it's the usual $200 that most carriers charge for a high-end phone.

AdvantagesBecause the two parts count as one device, you don't need a second data plan, which typically runs $10 a month for a tablet under AT&T's sharing plans. This setup also ensures that the tablet has cellular connectivity. Many other tablets work only with Wi-Fi.

In addition, you don't need to install apps twice. Whatever you get on your phone automatically appears on the tablet. You just pick up where you left off whenever you switch, with no need to sync data or settings.

Compromises

The phone on the back adds bulk to the tablet. It's about three-quarters of an inch at the center, where the phone slot is located. It's also heavy. The combination weighs nearly 1.5 pounds, compared with a pound for the iPad Air.

Do you need it?
I'm typically a fan of having multiple devices for different circumstances. Here, you're getting extra thickness and weight in fusing the two gadgets.

There's a case for the PadFone, though, if you're someone who uses a tablet only at home. You can carry the phone with you during the day and attach it to the tablet screen when you get home. You don't have to worry about what apps and data are on which device.

Asus could have gone further, though, making a range of tablet screens available. You might want a 7-inch screen for reading, but a 12-inch screen for video. Why not offer choices to mix and match?

Retina MacBook Pro Lineup Refresh Brings Faster CPUs, More RAM Standard; India Prices Slashed

Apple has refreshed its lineup of Retina MacBook Pro laptops, giving each model a speed bump and an increased amount of RAM by default. Further, the India prices of all Retina MacBook Pro variants have been slashed, with most models receiving a Rs. 5,000 price drop, while the most expensive variant has seen its price cut by Rs. 20,000. The non-Retina MacBook Pro has received a price drop of Rs. 11,000.

All 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro laptops will now come with 8GB RAM standard. Earlier, the 256GB and 512GB SSD storage variants came equipped with 8GB RAM, while the entry-level 128GB model had 4GB RAM standard. The 128GB and 256GB SSD storage variants will now come with 2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, instead of the 2.4GHz processor they earlier came with. The 512GB SSD variant gets a speed bump from 2.6GHz to 2.8GHz.

The 15-inch 256GB SSD variant of the Retina MacBook Pro will now come with 16GB RAM as standard to match its 512GB SSD counterpart. The CPU on the 256GB and 512GB SSD variants has been bumped up to 2.2GHz and 2.5GHz respectively, a jump of 200MHz for both.

Rest of the specifications of both 13-inch and 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro models can be found on the Apple website.

Apple has also slashed the price of all variants in India. The 13-inch 128GB MacBook Pro Retina will now retail at Rs. 94,900 (down from Rs. 99,900), the 256GB at Rs. 109,900 (down from Rs. 114,900), the 512GB 13-inch variant at Rs. 129,900 (earlier Rs. Rs. 134,900), and the 15-inch 256GB variant at Rs. 144,900 (earlier Rs. 149,900).

The biggest price drop is on the high-end, 15-inch 512GB variant MacBook Pro Retina, which will now retail Rs. 179,900, compared to Rs. 199,900 earlier. This variant has received a price cut of $100 in the US market, while the price of other models remain unchanged.

The prices (before taxes) in the US now stand at $1299 (13-inch, 128GB), $1499 (13-inch, 256GB), $1799 (13-inch, 512GB), $1999 (15-inch, 256GB), and $2499 (15-inch, 512GB).

Finally, the old 13-inch non-Retina MacBook Pro has also received a price drop. The 13-inch MacBook Pro with a 2.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor alongside 4GB RAM and a 500GB hard disk drive at Rs. 78,900, down from Rs. 89,900 earlier.

Computex 2014: The Asus Transformer Book V 5-in-1 Hybrid

1. Taking the stage at Computex, Asus Chairman Jonney Shih introduced the Transformer Book V.

2. Asus calls the Transformer Book V the "world's first five-mode, three-in-one converged laptop that features a Windows and Android laptop and tablet as well as an Android smartphone."

3. Here, all five modes of the Transformer Book V are seen - it comprises a laptop with a detachable 12.5-inch screen that becomes a separate tablet and a 5-inch smartphone that docks into the tablet.

4. Shih said, "In each of the modes, we offer an uncompromised experience, no matter whether for communication, productivity or entertainment." The Transformer Book V was met with applause from the audience.

5. The five-inch phone docks into the tablet and promises speeds up to four times faster than 3G. As a laptop, one "hardware button" switches between the two operating systems.

6. The Asus launch followed Taiwanese rival Acer's announcement of its first smart wearable Friday, the Liquid Leap wristband with fitness tracking, phone and SMS notification and music control.

7. As a laptop, Transformer Book V includes a full Qwerty keyboard and touchpad, and runs both Windows 8.1 and Android 4.4 KitKat. A dedicated hardware button provides instant switching between the two operating systems. The laptop features a next-generation Intel Core processor.

8. The Transformer Book V in tablet or laptop mode has a 12.5-inch HD IPS display. It comes with up to 1TB of storage.

9. As a tablet, Transformer Book V also works as a standalone Windows 8.1 tablet and an Android 4.4 KitKat tablet when the phone is docked. Switching between the two systems only takes a tap on the screen.

10. The tablet has a built-in storage of up to 128GB, and has access to the Google Play store and Windows Store.

11. As a phone, Transformer Book V runs Android 4.4 KitKat, and is said to be the world's first 5-inch LTE smartphone powered by an Intel Atom quad-core processor.

                          

12. The phone offers Long-Term Evolution (LTE) support, and a 2500mah battery that provides up to 10 hours of web browsing time.

13. Docking the phone displays Android interface displayed within Windows 8, and it can also be switched to a full Android 4.4 (KitKat) tablet interface.

14. As a tablet/ laptop hybrid, the Transformer Book V can run both Windows 8.1 and the latest Android.

Microsoft to shutter security notification service

Will suspend the venerable email list July 1 because of ‘changing government policies’

Computerworld – Microsoft on Friday said it would shut down its email notification service for security warnings next week, telling IT and security administrators that they should instead subscribe to RSS feeds from the firm.

The message was sent to anyone who had opted in to a mailing list set up long ago to alert them about new security advisories, new or revised security bulletins — the term Microsoft uses for its monthly patch updates — and revisions to both the advisories and bulletins.

“As of July 1, 2014, due to changing governmental policies concerning the issuance of automated electronic messaging, Microsoft is suspending the use of email notifications,” the company told the mailing list’s members.

The use of the word “suspending” leave opens the possibility that Microsoft will resume the practice at some later date.

The mailing list harked back to at least 2002, a year before Microsoft instituted its “Patch Tuesday” of pre-scheduled security updates, which occur on the second Tuesday of each month.

In lieu of the mailing list, Microsoft advised IT and security professionals to subscribe to one or more of the available RSS feeds. Those feeds can be accessed from the Microsoft website. Other communication channels include the Microsoft Security Response Center’s Twitter account.

Some have tied the decision to a new Canadian law set to take effect July 1, and the timing of the closure supports such speculation. The Canadian anti-spam law has received little attention outside that country, but has been characterized as among the world’s strictest. The legislation requires definitive opt-in authorization by recipients.

Of interest is that the new law has a three-year grace period, which allows companies to continue sending email if a business or non-business relationship had been established prior to July 1; the Microsoft security mailing list, which was always opt-in, seems to fit the definition of an ongoing relationship.

An FAQ on the anti-spam law has been posted on the Canadian government’s website.

Microsoft may be erring on the side of caution — penalties for violating the Canadian law are severe, including fines of up to $10 million — as it sorts out the details of the law. Or it may have simply wanted to dispense with the list. Hints of the latter included the continued delivery of other email, among them ones provide the company’s monthly security newsletter to customers.

Microsoft Canada has created an opt-in form for continued promotional emails; to entice Canadians to give their authorization, the company is randomly drawing names for a $500 gift voucher.

HP Pavilion 10 TouchSmart review

The netbook category might be dead now, but for a few years not too long ago, netbooks redefined budget computers, and every single PC manufacturer jumped on board when it seemed they were sweeping the world. Netbooks were intended as inexpensive computers for first-time users in places where PC penetration had typically not progressed due to cost limitations.

While popular in India and other developing markets, they also really took off with buyers in Asia and Europe who just liked the idea of having a light, reasonably cheap second or third PC that they could travel with, give their kids to use, or simply keep around as a spare. This market preferred netbooks with slightly larger screens, more attractive design, and full Windows licenses, which drove prices up and alienated budget buyers.

Then, tablets became popular, and buyers who were willing to pay for the portability and convenience of a netbook found that tablets suited them much better. In almost no time at all, manufacturers began announcing that they were exiting the netbook market to focus on tablets and portable but expensive ultrabooks instead.

Thus, there currently exists an unserved market segment for affordable computers capable of being used for real productive work. Is HP's new Pavilion 10 TouchSmart a fresh take on an old product category, and can it plug that gap? Read on to find out.

Look and feel
So, is the Pavilion 10 a netbook? It certainly looks and feels like one. A quick glance at the list of specifications seems to confirm that it is indeed equipped with just the bare basic hardware to run a desktop version of Windows. But there is one critical departure: the price. At nearly Rs. 30,000, the Pavilion 10 costs around twice as much as the last few netbooks still available in the market.

This might be explained by HP's curious decision to use a touchscreen on such a low-end machine, but even so, it seems a bit excessive. The Pavilion 10's performance will need to match its price if it wants to successfully transcend its netbook shell.

The Pavilion 10 TouchSmart does look quite distinctive, with a smooth, shiny, silver polka-dotted lid. It definitely isn't the kind of machine you'd want to carry into a stodgy corporate boardroom, though it might pass off in a less formal work environment. The design continues on the inside, with a darker version of the same pattern on the front and sides of the keyboard deck.

                             

The keyboard is cramped and smaller than normal, which is a total throwback to the old netbook days. HP's trademark squashed arrow key cluster is even more annoying than usual thanks to the space crunch. By default, hitting any key in the Fn row will perform its secondary function, such as changing brightness and volume, turning the trackpad and Wi-Fi on and off, and controlling media playback. The F6 key, which doubles as a mute button, has a little embedded status LED which is a neat touch. The keyboard is cramped and shallow, so typing isn't exactly comfortable. At least all the important keys are in the right place.

The trackpad is also squashed up against the front edge of the device. It's nearly as wide as a regular notebook trackpad, but significantly shorter. There's also no physical button at all, though the lower edge is clickable. The trackpad is also slightly recessed, making Windows 8's swipe gestures difficult to use. We wound up inadvertently switching apps when we didn't mean to, since the trackpad is small but still detects swipes near the edge as if they originated beyond its borders.

Around the edges you'll find two USB 2.0 ports and a very welcome USB 3.0 port in addition to an Ethernet port, 3.5mm headset jack, HDMI video output and SD card reader. There's a power indicator on the power button above the keyboard, and for some reason, another one on the front left edge, next to the hard drive activity indicator. A separate charging indicator is placed next to the power socket towards the rear of the right edge.

The Pavilion 10 is certainly not ultrabook-slim, but 225mm is still reasonable. Its overall proportions, curves and weight make it seem squatter than it actually is. It might fit easily in a backpack or handbag, but at 1.45kg, it's definitely going to be noticeable.

Speaking of bags, we wish HP had thrown in a sleeve or slipcover with the Pavilion 10. Very few bags have pouches that will fit devices this size, and considering how glossy its lid is, there's no way you'll avoid scratching it up if you let it rattle around with other objects.

                               

Features and specifications
Here's where the Pavilion 10's netbook heritage really makes itself felt. The CPU is a terribly weak, low-power AMD A4-1200, codenamed Kabini and based on the Jaguar core architecture. The A4-1200 itself is one of the least powerful Kabini models, with two cores running at only 1GHz, and with 1MB of L2 cache between them.

AMD calls its products which have CPU and GPU logic integrated on the same die APUs, or Accelerated Processing Units. The GPU component of the A4-1200 is called the Radeon HD 8180, and as the low numbers suggest, it cannot be compared in any way to discrete Radeon GPUs. This one runs at a paltry 225MHz. Interestingly, AMD has claimed superiority on the integrated graphics front for a long while, but this particular model is a low-power unit that poses hardly any threat to Intel's offerings. Forget about high-quality gaming; there's barely enough meat on these bones for basic 2D and 3D graphics.

The most attractive specification of this APU is its extremely low power consumption. At just 3.9W, the Pavilion 10 should stay cool and quiet even when stressed.

The rest of the specifications are par for the course: there's 2GB of DDR3 RAM, a 500GB hard drive, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 + LE. HP describes the webcam as "TrueVision HD", but even though the 1280x720 image and video resolution just about barely qualifies as HD, the quality is severely underwhelming.

The Pavilion 10's screen measures 10.1 inches and runs at 1366x768, which has been the lowest common denominator for years now. At this small size it isn't a problem, and text is actually quite sharp. The screen itself is dull, and we found ourselves running it at or very close to its maximum brightness setting throughout our time with the Pavilion 10. Viewing angles aren't that impressive either.

The only feature that really stands out is the touchscreen. Considering how weak the Pavilion 10 actually is and how little you're likely to use it for, we were initially of the opinion that the touchscreen was unnecessary, and probably drove up the cost too much. However in day-to-day use, we found ourselves reaching out to jab the screen quite often. We played a few Windows 8 games and enjoyed them, but this is when we really missed being able to detach the screen or fold it down flat like a tablet. The Pavilion's hinge is also not that firm, so the screen does wobble just a tiny little bit when tapped.

                                 

Performance
The Pavilion 10's performance was completely disappointing, and that's putting it mildly. We noticed stutters in ordinary usage, long app loading times, and occasional lags when going about the most mundane tasks. We'd be okay with using this device for basic Web surfing, email, social networking, streaming the occasional YouTube video and throwing together a Word or Excel document in a pinch. For any task beyond that, we would get frustrated pretty quickly.

Our 720p test videos seemed to play well, but even our most lightly encoded 1080p sample was completely unwatchable, thanks to lags, dropped frames, and audio sync issues. Sound was okay for a notebook, but nothing spectacular.

By the time we got around to running our benchmark suite, we had no illusions left about the kind of results to expect. The SunSpider test took an astounding 850.5ms to run, and BrowserMark gave us a score of only 1593. POVRay took an excruciating 50 minutes to render its built-in benchmark, which is nearly four times as long as a machine in this price range should take.

Scores in our other test runs were equally dismal. The mechanical hard drive caused SiSoft Sandra's Physical Disk module to compute a Drive Index of only 54.4 MB/s, whereas an SSD would have scored at least ten times that. 3DMark simply refused to run, and CineBench returned a CPU score of only 35, as opposed to the low hundreds that we're used to seeing on mid-range PCs.

Battery life was a reasonable 3 hours, 44 minutes in our standard Battery Eater Pro rundown test, and 6 hours 52 minutes in the far less intense reader test, which basically just keeps the screen on with almost zero CPU or GPU activity. 

Simply put, performance is nowhere near the level we'd expect from a machine in this price class. We're now completely sure that this device deserves to be classified as a netbook, despite its touchscreen and price tag.

                                      

Verdict
The Pavilion 10 TouchSmart is grossly overpriced. It could have been a great budget option, filling the void left by the netbook category's demise. At this price you can easily buy a much better laptop from pretty much every manufacturer out there, including HP itself! You should look for at least a 14- or 15-inch screen and an Intel Core i3 processor, though the RAM, hard drive and screen resolution would likely be the same.

If you're really interested in having a touchscreen device, this might be the cheapest one you can find. Still, due to its non-hybrid design and weak performance, you won't really enjoy the features that a Windows 8 tablet or hybrid can offer. A touchscreen is nice to have, but we don't think this is the kind of device that benefits from having one.

Unfortunately, we're left with the conclusion that a netbook by any other name is still a netbook. Given a choice between this machine for Rs. 30,000 or an exact copy minus the touchscreen for half or even two-thirds the price, there's no doubt we'd choose the latter.

Price: Rs. 29,990

Pros:

• Touchscreen
• Good looks
• USB 3.0 and decent connectivity

Cons:

• Uncomfortable keyboard and trackpad
• Generally poor performance
• Highly overpriced

Ratings (out of 5):

• Design: 3
• Display: 3
• Performance: 2
• Software: 2.5
• Battery Life: 3
• Value for Money: 2
• Overall: 2.5

Acer Iconia W4 review

Windows 8 has an identity problem. The Modern UI, with its big, bright tiles and touch-friendly apps still isn't useful for anything more than the occasional game. Microsoft's most recent updates seem to have been designed to make life easier for non-touch laptop and desktop users, making the traditional Windows desktop more prominent and consigning the Start Screen to the background.

We like Windows 8.1 on desktops and laptops, and like many users, we have adjusted to the lack of a Start menu. Once we're in the desktop, there's almost no need to ever deal with the Modern UI, but we don't mind dipping into it occasionally. On most laptops and hybrid ultrabooks, we often forget that the screens are touch-capable, and frankly, that isn't a problem at all.

Perhaps that's why Windows-powered tablets have all but disappeared from the market. Sure, we've got plenty of ultrabooks and hybrids with keyboards that either detach or fold away - but pure tablets are few and far between.

Microsoft has responded by moving away from premium devices and into the budget space. Acer'sIconia W4 is an 8-inch compact tablet, and is one of the first such products to be offered and advertised without a keyboard dock. It sheds nearly everything that makes hybrid ultrabooks so expensive, and in doing so, creates a whole new market category.

Look and feel
The Acer Iconia W4 has an 8-inch screen, and though its body is comparatively larger than other tablets of this class, it does a good job of disguising this. It's noticeably bigger and thicker than aniPad mini, for example, but this is still impressive considering it's a full-fledged Windows PC.

There's a a fairly standard black glass bezel around the screen, but also an additional grey plastic lip on the bottom, where the physical Windows button, speakers and ports fit. The W4 is smooth, but easy to hold. There are no vents or air passages around the sides.

The left edge is completely blank, but you'll find a microphone pinhole, volume rocker, Micro-HDMI port and microSD card slot on the right edge. There's a power button and status LED on the top, plus an unmarked indentation that might be for snap-on accessories. Twin stereo speakers, a 3.5mm headset jack and Micro-USB port are on the bottom.

The rear panel has a faux brushed metal texture, but it's totally plastic. There's a silver Acer logo in the centre, but we were surprised to see no fewer than five ugly stickers on the lower back. Apart from the multi-coloured Intel and Windows stickers usually found on laptops, there's another for the device's serial number, one for regulatory information and logos, and another warranty hologram. These were all faded and peeling on our review unit, which is not surprising considering the tablet has to rest on tables and in bags. We've seen subtle engravings and smaller logos on other products, so it's odd that Acer would go with these ugly stickers here.

There's a lot to like about the Iconia W4. Having the power of a full PC in a small 8-inch tablet form factor, including full-blown Windows desktop software like the Microsoft Office tools, is an unusual experience. We also found ourselves spending a fair bit of time getting reacquainted with the Modern UI, which we had so far distanced ourselves from. With a screen this size and no stand or keyboard, we ended up using the W4 in our hands much more than on a table, which also led to a more hands-on approach to apps and desktop software.

Specifications
The Iconia W4 is not a powerhouse PC. It gets by with an Intel Atom Z3740 CPU, which is codenamed Bay Trail and uses the relatively modern Silvermont architecture. This particular chip is a quad-core model, and runs at 1.33GHz. It also has integrated HD Graphics, though that name is a little optimistic considering the weak 667MHz graphics clock. It's more than enough for playing video files, but don't expect any major gaming prowess.

It's worth noting that while the CPU is 64-bit, Acer has gone with a 32-bit copy of Windows. This might be due to limitations imposed by Microsoft's low-priced Small Screen Touch licensing arrangement, but it's disappointing nonetheless.

There's 2GB of RAM and either 32GB or 64GB of built-in storage. Neither of these is user-accessible or upgradeable, so we'd always advise going for the highest capacity you can afford. There's a microSD card slot which can take 64GB XC cards and potentially higher capacities as well, when they're available.

The 8-inch screen runs at 1280x800, which is about average for tablets this size. It's nowhere near the resolution of the iPad mini with Retina Display or the 2013 Nexus 7, so if you're used to either of those devices (or today's full-HD smartphones), it will definitely feel grainy. Text and on-screen elements in the Windows 8 desktop are still quite small, and some people will find this uncomfortable. We raised Windows' DPI scale from 100 percent to 125 percent, which definitely made a difference to us.

You can't use the microUSB port to transfer data from a PC, like you would with an Android or iOS device. However, like all Windows PCs, the Iconia W4 is fully capable of being a USB host for pen drives, hard drives and all kinds of USB peripherals. Micro-USB pen drives are becoming commonly available now, but you'll have to use an On-The-Go adapter for all standard USB peripherals, and fortunately, one is included in the box.

We would have loved to have had a full-sized USB host port, like some larger tablets have, but you'll have to remember to carry the adapter around or invest in a Micro-USB pen drive if you want to copy files to or from the W4.

For wireless communications, there's Wi-Fi b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0. The battery capacity is 4960mAh, and is rated for 8 hours of continuous video playback. The front and rear cameras are 5- and 2-megapixel units respectively, which is fine since you probably won't want to use them for more than the occasional casual shot.

Software
Windows 8.1 has a number of useful improvements over Windows 8, but we still ran into a few adjustment issues thanks to the W4's pure tablet form factor. You really have to remember that the Charms bar exists, since you can't do things like begin a search by just typing a few characters. Windows Store apps aren't always as well designed as their iOS and Android counterparts, but things that frustrated us on larger screens, such as excessive scrolling and wasted space, are more palatable here.

Conversely, the Windows desktop is quite difficult to use with touch input alone. DPI scaling helped, by making tiny elements easier to target, but we quickly found ourselves scrambling for that USB OTG adapter and a hub for our keyboard and mouse. The desktop on-screen keyboard is different from the Modern UI keyboard, blocks too much of the screen, and doesn't appear automatically when you tap a text input field.

If you're planning to use the Iconia W4 in a work environment, or as an alternative to a cheap laptop or netbook, you'll definitely want to buy a portable keyboard. Bluetooth models will save you the hassle of dealing with the OTG adapter, but keep in mind that an external keyboard is another thing to carry and charge. Acer sells its own such accessory, which also has a slot which you can use to prop up your tablet.

We also ran into a few compatibility issues thanks to the 32-bit edition of Windows. 64-bit software used to be quite exotic but it's mainstream enough now that some programs just won't run, or you'll need to find 32-bit editions of them.

The unique Windows license also covers a full copy of Microsoft Office (not a time-limited subscription), which is a fantastic value addition. The Home & Student 2013 edition includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote, and otherwise retails for Rs. 5,499. For comparison, a one-year subscription to Office 365 would cost Rs. 4,199 for a single year. 

Acer also throws in a few of its own utilities for audio, video, photo and file management, called Acer Media, Acer Docs and Acer Portal. You can read about these in our previous review of the Acer Aspire S7 ultrabook.

Performance
We're happy enough with the level of performance the Atom CPU provides. You won't notice any sluggishness compared to a current model iPad or reasonably powerful Android tablet, but you also can't expect the speed of a mainstream laptop.

Our benchmarks threw up middling results, with especially low graphics and multimedia scores. SunSpider ran in 410.3ms, which is about twice as long as a current low-voltage Ultrabook would take. SiSoft SANDRA's CPU Arithmetic results were also consistent with this, at 20GIPS integer and 10.93GFLOPS floating-point scores. SANDRA's storage subsystem tests were also pretty weak, coming in closer to results for slow spinning disks than modern SSDs.

3DMark threw up 130 points overall, which makes the Iconia W4 completely unsuitable for modern gaming. We also noticed a bit of stuttering while playing our 720p and 1080p test files. Luckily, there's plenty of software available for Windows 8 so format incompatibility just isn't a problem.

Photos taken with the 5-megapixel rear camera are surprisingly decent, although performance depends very much on ambient light conditions. Objects in the foreground are clear, but ones at a distance tend to lack detail and look noisy. There isn't any control over focus or any manual settings.

The battery lasted for 3 hours, 46 minutes in our Battery Eater Pro benchmark in Standard mode. In regular usage we got well over a full day of casual Web surfing, music and video playback, and general PC tasks.

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Verdict
The Acer Iconia W4 is cheap enough to make Windows RT devices feel totally pointless. There's just no reason now to buy a Windows RT tablet and restrict yourself to the Modern UI and Windows Store apps. You might find yourself spending less and less time in the Windows desktop, but it's really good to know it's there, and that all familiar Windows software is just a few taps away.

You won't have the kind of tablet-optimised software library that we now take for granted on iOS and Android, so if you're willing to grapple with tiny on-screen controls in Windows desktop software, this is a decent option. Keep in mind that any specialised Windows software you need will have to run on the relatively puny Atom CPU.

For us, the killer application is Microsoft Office. It's definitely easier to use (with a keyboard and mouse) than the recently launched Office iOS apps, although those are adequate if you're mainly interested in reading documents, not editing them. After years of frustration with tablets, there's also nothing like the feeling of freedom we had with a full file system, Windows Explorer, and full USB support.

Interestingly, Microsoft has just announced that it will not charge license fees for Windows on devices with screens smaller than 9 inches anymore. This is unlikely to mean a price drop for the Iconia W4, but it could point to cheaper successors and more competition if other manufacturers decide to take advantage of this.

The Acer Iconia W4 isn't brilliant as a tablet or netbook replacement, but it's an adequate bridge between the two worlds. You'd just have to be certain you wouldn't be better off with a more traditional, more purpose-oriented device.

Price: Rs. 24,999 (32GB); Rs. 26,999 (64GB)

Pros

• Runs full Windows 8.1
• Free Microsoft Office Home & Student edition
• Portable
• Decent battery life and performance

Cons

• Can be a bit difficult to use at times
• Slightly chunky and heavy  

Ratings (Out of 5)

• Design: 3.5
• Display: 3.5
• Camera: 3
• Performance: 3.5
• Software: 4
• Battery Life: 4
• Value for Money: 4
• Overall: 3.5