Asus ME400 Windows Tablet - First Impression

   I had the opportunity to test Asus' VivoTab ME400 tablet.  At first site, it looks small/short compared to typical 10" tablets.  It is one of the lightest 10" tablets at only 1.3lbs which is as light as the Samsung Galaxy 10.1.  Also one of the thinnest at .4".

   The 10.1" screen has an 1366x768 resolution capacitive screen which looked great .  It is one of the nicest looking screens that I have seen.  The screen is apparently scratch resistant.  The screen also has 178 degree viewing angle.


   The ME400 sports 2GB of RAM with 256MB internal memory and 64GB of storage.  There is a micro-SD slot so it is expandable.  The ME400 does run Windows 8 so it an Intel Atom Z2760 1.8GHz processor.  This processor was made for battery conservation so one cannot expect to do video editing or playing graphic intensive games.  Unfortunately, I was not able to test any games with this demo unit.  Overall the tablet ran fast for the most part.  There were occasional lag when opening applications.  This being Windows, applications do tend to take a little time to load unlike iOS or Android apps which as almost instantaneous.  Hopefully, this was specific to my test unit and not the norm.  There is a speaker on the back which I personally do not like.  Speakers should be on the front so sound is projected towards the user.  There is an 8MP rear camera and 2MP front camera.  The ME400 also has Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n wireless LAN and NFC.  Very important to note that this is not a Surface tablet.     

     Overall, I was impressed with the device in the limited time that I used it.  With a great looking screen, light weight, micro HDMI port (to connect to HDTV), the ME400 may be a tablet to consider.  However that being said, at $499, it is tough to compete with say a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 which is priced at $349.  On the other hand, it is competitively priced in terms of other Windows tablets.  With Android and iOS having a major head start in terms of apps, Microsoft is behind in its quest to compete in the tablet market with Windows OS. The occasional lag was a concern but it could have been the demo unit.  The "tile" environment (aka Metro) in Windows 8 does shine on a tablet.  I do like them but does take a little time to get use to this Windows 8 Metro environment. You are able to use full Microsoft Office on this tablet although I believe it does not come installed.  Add a keyboard (although it doesn't "snap" like the ones you see in commericals) with Cover and you have a semi-functional laptop.  If you really want a Windows 8 tablet, this is one to consider.