Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Linx7 Windows tablet - bargain or bin-job?

I spotted a bargain on-line the other day, and rushed in to purchase without thinking things through properly.

So, yes, I got a good deal, but I'm somewhat regretting it now.

Which is shame, because the actual physical thing I bought is perfectly fine. Well, ish.

The problem is - the software - or more accurately, the operating system.

So, the tablet itself, a Linx7. Not the best specified device in the world, but perfectly acceptable for the price. I paid forty quid for it, delivered.

For that you get a 7" tablet with quad-core Intel Atom Bay processor (Z3735G, 1.33GHz). It has a 1280 x 800 screen, terrible front and rear cameras, and a micro-SD can add 64 gig to the 32 gig it comes with. And 1 gig of RAM.

The cameras are both awful, both 2 megapixel, the front facing is just good enough for Skype, the rear is totally useless. The battery life is diabolical.

It has Bluetooth. No GPS. But the phrase 'for the money' needs reiterating at every point. It IS cheap!

BUT... it is 'blessed' with the Windows operating system. Now I've got a 7" tablet already, with Android OS. I'd got a bit tired of it, and fancied a change. And, hey, I know Windows - it would be refreshing to have a tablet with Windows on it. Turns out, no it isn't refreshing. It's a pain.

The Linx7 comes with Windows 8.1 on it, which does it no favours, so once offered the chance I upgraded to Windows 10 at the first opportunity. The upgrade didn't go particularly smoothly, and once it was finished I discovered the cameras didn't work any more. A search of the internet resulted in a lot of other folk with the same problem, eventually I tracked down new drivers and managed to get it all working again.

My previous experience with Windows 10 is not good. I upgraded my laptop and really didn't like W10 - the laptop isn't touch, so it all seems a bit forced somehow. So I decided to leave my desktop on Windows 7, but the bloomin' thing is really annoying me now, constantly trying to get me to upgrade. And it won't take NO for an answer. Apparently you can edit the registry to stop it. Seriously?!

My HP Stream laptop/netbook is also asking to Upgrade, and so, as it is a touch device, I said, Yes, go ahead, upgrade. But it won't. Not enough 'disk' space to achieve it apparently. It refuses to use the SD-card memory to do it, so it's an absolute mare to get it done apparently, so much faff (according to t'internet) that I can't be doing with it. Of course it keeps badgering me to upgrade, how annoying is that?

And so to this tablet. Here's the thing... W10 it isn't as good at being a tablet OS as Android. It just isn't. And the split personality when you flip back and forth between Apps and 'old' Windows is painful.

Just to put the tin lid on it, the Windows App store is poor. For example there's an eBay app, but it doesn't work properly. There isn't a nice YouTube app. There's just a lot of iffy Apps which largely have bad reviews. Dear oh dear.

So. Not a bad device, for the cash, but ruined by a dodgy OS. Microsoft I despair of you. Oh and the battery life, as I mentioned, deplorable. It goes flat even when it's off. Which makes me think the blame for that may be laid at the door of the OS too.

I am therefore in a position to recommend that you do not fall for the bargain price. Keep your cash and save for something better, I wish I had.