ASUS VivoTab Note M80TA-B1-BK 8" Tablet with Integrated Professional Wacom Stylus, 32GB

UPDATE: October 6 - About 6 months after purchasing... I LOVE THIS THING! I'm very glad I got it, but I honestly wished I'd gotten a Android Tablet instead. Any frustration I feel is not with the device so much as it is with Windows 8x. Its fast, sleek, and it looks decent enough... but getting things done on it takes longer than it should, because you're fighting with the OS to try and figure out how to do what you want.... things just seem easier and more reliable with Android. OneNote, the app I use the most on this thing, now supports Ink on the Android version of the app... so an android tablet with a pen is MUCH more appealing to me now... The pen problem isn't completely gone. It happens a lot less than it did, but there are times when it goes out for no apparent reason, which can be annoying. Most of the time, resetting the driver (Device Manger - disable driver - re-enable driver) fixes it. When it doesn't, it'll usually come back after a bit and a reboot or two. I've heard rumblings with there being a hardware/design issue causing the problem, but I can't confirm that. My experience has seemed to indicate its a software issue, still. The battery life is awesome! The Wi-Fi works quite well, and the screen seems bright enough for what I need it for. Its proven a worthy device, and I literally have used it every day since I got it. I rarely bring my laptop with me anymore. UPDATE: August 15 - About 4 months after purchasing... I LOVE THIS THING! Even more than I did last month, because I think I've figured out the "Pen not working" thing. IT IS NOT THE VIVOTAB'S FAULT. When I had a "ISVO Slim Smart Cover" on the tablet, I would have to reset the pen driver nearly every day to get the pen working again... I called ASUS support, and they had me try all sorts of things. I went to my "IVSO Asus VivoTab Note 8 M80TA" Detachable Keyboard cover, and the problem was gone again. THE SLIM COVER USES MAGNETS, and that seems to affect the pen's ability to function. I noticed the "margin anomalies" were worse, and the pen would stop working far more often when using the cover that had the magnets to hold it shut. The detachable keyboard cover uses a flap to hold it closed, and literally everything about the tablet was better. The driver probably still needs work, and a 'Windows Update' happened yesterday, so its likely that it will eventually be fixed, even with the magnets in the way, but for now, if you avoid the magnets, then you should be good... I certainly was! Did I mention that I LOVE THIS THING? If I could add a star, I would. I literally use this thing every day, and it has replaced my laptop completely. I'm VERY glad I got it, and I've recommended it many times. A couple of friends actually have picked it up, and they are enjoying it also... and yes, I warned them about the cover/magnet thing. Jim --------------------------------------------------------------------- UPDATE: July 18 - about 3 months after purchasing... I LOVE THIS THING! I literally use it every day. A problem developed after a Windows update (THAT NOW SEEMS FIXED). My pen stopped working intermittently. I eventually noticed that the driver stopped working. A call early on to ASUS let me know that they were aware of it, but didn't have a fix at the time. I binged and googled it, and came up dry. I figured out that if I disabled the driver and re-enabled it, the pen would work just fine... until it stopped again. Its been working for a while now (I think the last reset was last Saturday), so maybe its fixed, but I wanted to put it here so folks are aware of it. I don't think it is hardware related, but a driver issue, which means that a future windows update will fix it (which it might already have done). I want to say again... I LOVE THIS THING. I was concerned when the pen thing first cropped up, but now that I know its software related, I'm not too concerned, and that problem might already be fixed. It really does get used daily... to take notes at work, to take notes at church, to check facebook, to read books on the kindle app, to watch movies, to do whatever I used to do on my laptop, my Kindle, and my android tablet... I even travel with a smaller bag, now, because its the only device I bring with me on trips (well, except for my phone). I Heartily recommend this thing, and if this one ever gets crushed, stolen or lost, I would get another one without hesitation. And now... check out my original comments from a week or so after I bought it: Bottom line up front: this is an incredible tablet. ------------------------------------------------------------------ ORIGINAL REVIEW: I've had this tablet for a few days now, and here are my impressions. I'm coming to this tablet from an ASUS transformer, which was a 10.1 Android tablet that I used every day for several years. I also regularly use a Samsung Slate, which is a 10.5 Windows tablet that I upgraded to Windows 8/8.1. I also use a Kindle Fire fairly consistently. My hope is that I could find a tablet that could blend the strengths of these devices (and ultimately replace my transformer, which was growing increasingly crash-happy). I needed something that I could use to take notes (both hand written and typed), do school work on, read books on, and have fun with from time to time. It seems that I've found what I needed. I purchased this device with a ISVO bluetooth keyboard cover, and I would recommend you do that. I got the 64GB version of the tablet, which leaves about ~40GB or so free, and I purchased a 64GB Sandisk Ultra SD Card, which worked perfectly. I relocated my "user" folders (Documents, Pictures, Music, Downloads, Desktop, etc) to the SD card, so that future installs do not get in the way of any documents I put on the device. I have a 250GB "OneDrive" account from Microsoft (used to be called SkyDrive, which I liked better), which integrates well with Windows 8.1. Amazon, Dropbox, Google, and even ASUS offer cloud drives, and ASUS will give you 1TB (1000GB) for free for a year when you buy this thing. Storing files shouldn't be an issue, but with more memory locally on the device, you have more flexibility when you're not connected, so having the extra SD card is handy. Set up was fairly easy... but I suppose that's more Windows than ASUS. I'm not a big fan of Windows 8, but it does do well on a tablet, and thankfully, it hasn't been much of a detractor up to this point. Its very stable, and it runs very fluidly. Thankfully, there's not a lot of "bloatware" included on the base install of Windows. There's a couple of camera-related apps, but except for Office (which does not include Outlook), you're left to install your own stuff, rather than spend forever uninstalling stuff you won't ever use. ASUS has an array of apps that are available to only ASUS devices on the Microsoft Marketplace. I haven't, but I suppose some of them would be useful to take a look at. I already used Windows 8 on my Slate, so I just had Windows import the settings from there, and I was up and running in a few minutes. The WiFi works very well. It picks up signals better than my phone does (Samsung Galaxy Note 2), about the same as my Kindle, and better than my Transformer did. The connections it makes are very stable, and the speeds seem to be very quick. I transferred some pretty beefy files (7GB) as quickly as they transferred on my laptop. The ultra SD card seems to not have slowed things down... or if it did, I haven't noticed. The screen is very bright, and quite crisp. The colors seem very rich and deep, with very black blacks. I'm not one to go on and on about resolution, but it seems at least as crisp as, and maybe better than, my Kindle Fire HD, which touts its video capabilities quite loudly. It also has better color than my Galaxy Note 2, and running MLB.TV on it produced a surprisingly clear image that looked far better than the rendering offered by the same app on my Kindle and my phone. Side by side by side comparisons of Netflix seemed to yield similar results... it was as good, or better, especially in terms of smoothness. If I want a clear, crisp image, I'll watch it on my TV from a DVD, but the video from Netflix is pretty impressive. Another pleasant surprise. My Kindle has direct access to Amazon Movies, and happily, the Vivo is able to stream them over a browser, so I'm not going to have to give that up. The screen's shape is a bit odd. Its a bit wider and narrower than my Kindle (which is a 7" model). In "landscape", you don't notice very much, but in "portrait", the view looks a bit too narrow at first. it has about the same dimensions as my phone (which has a 5.5" screen), so its not way out of line, but it does look different than what my Kindle conditioned me for. Now that I've been using it, I don't notice so much, except when I'm running OneNote, where my note space seems a bit more like a shopping list than I'd like. Its not too much of a detractor, but it is something I noticed right away, but I'm sure I will get used to it. I didn't expect to find anything that was as strong as a desktop could be, or even anything that could fully keep up with a full-sized lap top. I wanted something small, and it was expected that that comes with a price. After using this thing for a few days, I'm pretty impressed with how well it holds up under duress, and I've installed applications that I never expected to be able to install. Windows is very responsive, and apps fire up quite quickly, and the over all experience feels much like it would on a laptop. I'm a database developer, and use some beefy programs from time to time. Using VPN, I am able to access my company's network just fine, and surprisingly Microsoft's SQL Management Studio runs well enough on this thing, which is something I did not expect. I installed Visual Studio 2012, and while I'm not going to break any speed records, it works quite well, another pleasant surprise. I never anticipated that I would be able to run these types of applications well enough to use it. I'm in school - Seminary, to be more specific - and I needed a device that could edit Word documents and do footnotes. Android has some very capable options, but footnoting is beyond anything that I was able to find on that platform. Word runs fantastically on this thing! The small screen isn't really a problem, and with the document zoomed to the margins at 12pt font, the screen is VERY readable. Coupled with the bluetooth keyboard in the cover I bought with this the tablet, I'm able to do everything I need to, which is what I ultimately was hoping for. I haven't turned on my laptop since buying this tablet... it does everything i'd need my laptop for. I installed the desktop version of Logos ([...]) on my tablet, an app I didn't expect to be able to install because its so resource-intensive. It runs very well, and if its slower than it is on my laptop, I haven't really noticed yet. I'm pleasantly surprised. The windows 8 reader app for Logos works perfectly also, but having the full program available lets me untie another string from my laptop, making this Vivo Tab even more useful to me. 7GB of space is a big price, but the functionality is worth it to me. Multi-touch works great. The on-screen keyboard responds well, and the screen seems pretty accurate despite my fat-fingering (which causes problems from time to time on my phone and kindle - it seems more accurate to me). The Pen is fantastic. Using One Note, it works very well. My handwriting ends up as clear as it did on my Slate, and the transition is complete as far as my Slate goes (it will be retired). Clicking takes a bit more of a click than I'm used to - my Galaxy Note 2 also uses a pen, but I'm already used to that. My Galaxy's pen works perfectly, by the way... and the pen on the ASUS works perfectly on my phone, which probably makes sense because they're using the same technology, but I figured I'd mention it anyway. I didn't experience the "corner" or "edge" problem mentioned by others... but since I've used a Slate, which also uses a pen, maybe I'm already used to it, and wouldn't notice. I'm getting pretty good battery life. I use this thing all the time. I bring it with me to meetings, take notes on it, check my email, stream music or radio a lot... its always with me. I'm averaging 6 to 6.5 hours of steady on, and that takes me through the day most of the time. I watched two complete games on MLB.tv with it when on battery, and at the end, windows was letting me know that I had about 10% left. Ultimately, I think I've done pretty well. I've replaced my Transformer (which I do miss - I loved that thing!), my Slate (which at this point has a battery that lasts maybe a half hour, but it would cost too much - more than this device - to replace), and my Kindle (which is a great size for reading, and I enjoy the Prime Movies quite a bit - This tab is good for reading, and I can stream movies using the browser on this device). It increasingly seems that I will be able to replace the functionality I gain from my laptop with this much smaller and lighter tablet. This thing is small, light and nimble, but I have been most impressed with its ability to keep up with what I've tried to tax it with. I'll update this after a month or two, and provide more information then... but for now, I absolutely recommend this device (ASUS Vivo Tab Note 8, 64GB) without reservation.

The features of this product, on paper, were perfect for my needs. I am a Director of a software company and am frequently on the road, in the city for business. I am also an illustrator at home (hobby). When on the move this tablet serves as a quick and convenient access point. When I have free time I can illustrate from anywhere.... that was the idea anyway. Generally, I love ASUS products. They are my primary, go to brand. The quality is usually top notch and customer support has never done me wrong. So you can imagine my disappointment as you read further. Lets start with the touch screen: For finger use, it works well and detects multiple fingers; 5 I think. Very responsive and fun to use. However the display is only 8 inches which is tremendously small for windows desktop applications to be manipulated with fingers. You can make it work, but not for very long tasks. Win 8.1 has tablet support mode, which I have learned means nothing outside of using the windows app store for finger friendly, metro apps. However the win store is 80% unregulated garbage, but now I'm getting off topic. The included pen is meant to alleviate the pain from using desktop on such a small form factor, as well as add the bonus of using the device as digital paper. However, the included pen should only be used as a last resort. Its thinner than a straw. I use a Samsung pen for a device with similar Wacom technology. Works the same as the original, but feels more like a pen rather than a toothpick.... I have found pen calibration to be pointless. The screen has several dead zones or skewed zones where the pen arches around. This is extremely frustrating when illustrating. Also all edges of the device including corners and straights do not register the pen in a smooth clean way as the center of the screen. Its hard to explain, but the on screen cursor that follows the pen is much more jagged and lagged near any edge which reduces the screen size .5 inch from all edges. Terrible! Battery: It has never lasted me a full 8 hour day. Not even 4. I realize illustrating can drain the battery faster, but I draw in airplane mode with brightness turned all the way down and I get just over 2 hours. Without any illustrating, only browsing and email I can get 3.5. Not much more unless I'm staring at the desktop aimlessly. Brightness and Sensors: The brightness is adequate I can see the screen in sunlight as long as its not directly in my face, (same as my laptop) no complaints there. However the light sensor and the brightness slider are horrid. From broad daylight to pitch darkness the sensor does not change a single thing. When I use the windows built in slider brightness settings from 100% - 50% are indistinguishable. 59 - 40% is huge and 39 - 1% has a marginal change.

When anybody see me using my new tablet, they ask me what OS? And when I say Windows, they make faces, "Why did you not buy an iPad? It's the best!". And my answer is usually a mild smile. The fact is, I had an iPad 2 which I gave to my parents because it used to lay around on my table and acted more as a paper-weight. I don't like iOS and it's restrictions and wanted my next tab to be something that I would actually use. I had used Windows 8.1 on my old laptop and found it good enough for my daily use. And I definitely wanted stylus integration. This tablet had great reviews all over the internet with slight digitizer issues. I can't splurge out the money for a Microsoft Surface and this was the second best option. Here, I made my first compromise. The stylus integration is definitely a plus and is better than having none, but the execution is not very good and hence does not live up to its potential. I faced some irregularities around the edge of the screen and if you have a case with magnetic locks, then it will definitely interfere with the digitizer. Thankfully, I bought the Asus VersaSleeve and I think it's a great cover. It also has magnetic sleeves, but since you have to take the tablet out of the sleeve for any stylus use, there is no interference. Also, the stylus is too thin to be useful for long stretches of use. I should buy a Microsoft Surface Pro Pen . The lack of tablet specific apps (read metro apps) that you would easily find on Android or iOS is a problem. You can always find alternatives, some of which are actually better than their official counterparts (e.g. Hyper for Youtube, Clouder for Soundcloud), but the Windows Store has a long way to go before claiming an equal status with Apple App Store or Google Play Store. But that's not really a big worry for me. I own an HTC One and for most mobile cases, I would be using my phone rather than the tablet. The tablet is for my lectures and reading research papers. But the advantage of having the Windows desktop is really great and is the main reason I find using this tablet more often than not. You can install desktop apps and unless they are really resource heavy, they work as well as they do on an average laptop. My primary use-case was the classroom scenario and this tablet is ideal for that: portable, stylus-enabled, has desktop apps as well and I can have my research specific software like Mendeley etc. with me all the time. I have tried using iPad during lectures and it does not fit my bill. As for the positives, there are many: 1) I actually see myself using the tablet much more than the iPad 2 that I once had. 2) It's got a very nicely textured back and the proportions and weight is great for holding (even in one hand). The bezels are similar to the Nexus 7 and big enough so that you can hold it without touching the screen. 3) The palm rejection of the digitizer is really good. 4) All the metro apps as well as the desktop mode work fluently in the Intel Atom Z3740 processor. 5) Official MS Office included in the price. 6) Good battery life and stand-by time. I have not recharged for the last 2 days with mild usage. Overall, I am happy with the purchase but it has come a little short on expectations with respect to the Wacom digitizer. We can only hope that it's a software issue and Wacom will provide a fix. Note: If you zero-in on this tablet, please buy the 64 GB version. I bought the 64 GB version and it has around 35-40 GB for use at fresh start (with MS Office).

I bought this in May of this year and it's had minimal use as I own a Surface Pro 4 which I use at home, but purchased this for taking on-the-go since it's small and not as huge a risk if it were stolen from me somehow. In fact, this device was powered off for the past 4 months straight and I decided to use it two weeks ago to find the digitizer no longer functions, despite functioning perfectly fine when I was using it 4 months ago. Ridiculous, I barely ever even used this device when I did use it and it's already broken. Not only that, but it had loads of issues to begin with - one day after turning it on, the camera ceased to function and I had to troubleshoot by reinstalling drivers - I had to do this twice! - That's just one example of several similar problems that required troubleshooting at no fault of mine. Now I'm going to attempt reinstalling drivers for the digitizer, but I'm not bating my breath on it fixing the problem, given this device model's known history for Wacom digitizer failure. If you do decide to purchase this for yourself, just be aware of the risk that this could happen. If you're patient (and tech-savvy) enough to deal with these problems, then the honest truth is I really do love using this tablet when it functions properly, however, I would definitely not recommend this to anyone who isn't very tech-savvy when it comes to troubleshooting issues such as these. Some of the fixes I've had to deal with could be pretty complicated to anyone who's not familiar enough with such things. Just know what you're getting into before purchasing and expect to have some problems such as these, which can be fixed for the most part (hopefully the digitizer can too...)... Anyway... Wonderful when it functions properly... I just wish it would do so more often... *Update 12/12/16* My digitizer started working again after updating the Intel graphics driver, so now everything is alright again. By the way, another con about this device is - and perhaps mine is just a fluke - I'm right-handed and when I draw with the pen, it registers the pen input slightly off to the right... So it can be pretty irritating when trying to edit small details, as it won't be accurate and doesn't flow naturally from the tip of the pen. But keep in mind this is a very small inaccuracy, though I can't say an exact measurement, the distance it's off by is very small, but noticeable. Also, my rating was 2* when I was irritated by the digitizer's malfunction, because I was concerned it had completely failed as it had for others. Since it's since been fixed, I'm updating my rating to 4*, as I still really enjoy using my device and I personally got it at a great price. I purchased the 32GB version for $165 new, open box. Great value in my opinion and I'm very happy with it and was aware of the risk of digitizer failure prior to purchasing, but was lucky enough not to suffer from it (complete failure) thus far. *Update 09/03/2017* It became a brick and stopped even turning on within 1 month after the last update. I did not even use it at all whatsoever during that time period, then when attempting to turn it on the next time it just wouldn't. The power button doesn't do anything. Thanks for the brick. This device only lasted about months, how amazing! Rating changed to one star.

I bought my ASUS VivoTab Note 8 in July 2014 for USD229. I use it for slightly less than a year. I now own a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 (SP3). Here is my review for the ASUS after using SP3 for half a year. For those who are (still) seeking to buy this ASUS tablet, I would presume you are looking for a tablet that can take notes. This tablet came with a Wacom pen that works “like” the Samsung Galaxy Note phablet. 3 Cons to note: 1) BEWARE, most reviews mentioned that their Wacom pen stopped working after a while. Can be weeks, can be months. I am fully aware prior to purchase, google it and you will see this is a widespread issue. I took the risk, and it is still functional for me after a year. Maybe also because I am very light user of the Wacom pen after owning SP3. 2) Wacom pen, apparently is not very sensitive when writing on the edge of the tablet screen. I tried, and I admit I find myself rewriting because my handwriting was not very legible when writing near the edge. For some reason, my handwriting just goes haywire when I am near the edge of the screen. I ended up writing on Landscape mode. If you are OCD like me, you will end up rewriting and rewriting to make sure your handwriting looks neat and tidy. Although this is an 8-inch tablet, your “effective writing screen” could end up between 6 to 7 inch. And I really hate it especially when this tablet screen size is not big to begin with. 3) The Wacom pen that came with this tablet is very similar to the Galaxy Note stylus pen. And I have to say, it is too thin to my liking. For those who prefer to hold a proper pen, with proper thickness to write, you may end up like me not liking the stylus. And after owning SP3, I am very ascertained that a proper pen size to write is real enjoyable. I bought this tablet because I do not like writing on a notebook. And OneNote allows searching (even handwriting search). If you are students or you are constantly taking notes, sitting on a chair with proper table, I would suggest you pick Surface Pro 3 (12 inch), or Surface 3 (10 inch). Because you have a proper pen to write, and you are as good as writing on an A4 size notebook. Trust me, size matters, it makes you feel like writing more because you are more space to write on. If you are those sitting in a meeting, holding a small notebook to jot down a few notes (note: keywords are a few notes), maybe “to-do list” or some key words to make you remember something. And you probably do not have a proper table to lay your tablet, or you are probably too embarrass to hold a big 10 inch or 12 inch tablet in a meeting, this ASUS “may be” the right tablet for you. Because you could write with one hand while holding the tablet with the other hand. Though, I would strongly suggest you consider the Toshiba Encore 2 Write (8 inch). It is the very very very similarly spec with the ASUS VivoTab Note 8. Slightly more expensive, but the Toshiba tablet came with a better pen, thicker, more sensitive. YES, I read reviews, and it will resolve the Cons (2) and (3) above! Oh, buy the Toshiba 8 inch, not the 10 inch. The 10 inch is lower spec if I am not wrong. If you are NOT looking for tablet that can do note-taking, I suggest you look elsewhere. Hope all these helps!

I've been waiting for a mini-tablet that runs Windows for a while. Once I saw that Microsoft is not going to roll out a Surface Mini, I decided to get this device - and I'm extremely happy with it. What makes this different from other Windows mini-tablets? The stylus and touch screen. The stylus makes it possible to enter hand-written notes. And the Wacom tablet screen means you can rest your hand on the screen while writing without interfering with stylus data entry. I wanted this device mostly as a way to be able to take hand-written notes using OneNote (or to grab on my way into meetings to have my OneNote agendas with me). For this purpose, it is outstanding. I find that my phone is way too small for this purpose, and my Surface Pro is simply too big and clunky for trying grabbing "on the go" to bring into a quick meeting. This device also shines for reviewing email, surfing the web and looking at social updates. The handwriting recognition is also quite good - I can use it for quickly writing up an email. Since the device runs full Windows 8.1, I can also use standard desktop apps such as Excel and Word. Due to the size of the device, I rarely do this. But I have done this with it a few times and it works quite well. A few mornings ago I sat in a coffee shop while on vacation to do some analysis of sales figures - and I was extremely happy with the results. I certainly wouldn't want to sit for hours and have to enter information onto the tiny screen - but it is perfect for reading anything (email, web, Kindle books) and for entering short bits of information. Other nice features: speed (never had any problems running the apps I use), size (Surface Pro and iPad are both too large to read a book in bed; or to take notes in a meeting), resolution (watching movies is great), WiDi (I can wirelessly broadcast to a projector for a presentation). What is less-than-perfect about this tablet? * Battery life. I would have gladly given up on the desktop version of Windows 8.1 (in other words, using Windows RT would be fine) if I could have more battery life. I've not done extensive testing - but it is clear that this device will not make it through a full day of usage without having to be plugged in. * Windows (both a plus and a minus). Since, like most people, I have to use Windows on my desktop to be productive, I like that this tablet uses the same OS - lower learning curve and better sync between this device and my desktop. I actually like the Windows OS - but it would sure be nice if it had the range of apps that iOS and Android devices have though. * Screen: I'm not sure if this is my imagination or not - but this screen seems to attract smudges more than any other tablet that I've ever used. Maybe that's just because I use it so much - but I constantly seem to be wiping smudges off of it. * Build quality: I've not had any problems with the device yet, so it's not like it is falling apart or anything. But it just seems like a "plastic" cheap device (unlike my Kindle Fire HD, Surface Pro or iPads that I've used). * App issues: Sometimes apps take 2 or 3 attempts to start on this device (I mostly use the web and email and these are the apps that seem to have the most issues). Eventually they always do start, but sometimes it's frustrating to open them and have them instantly close 2 or 3 times before they open and stay open. With all of that said, I still think this is the best device of its type out there (size and OS) - I'm happy with my decision and would buy it again.

I have had this tablet about a week now and have easily put in 40 hours of use already, that is how much I am enjoying the tablet. For an extremely fair price, this is a great full Windows tablet. Performance - 9/10 Overall I'd compare this to a entry level laptop software performance wise. It is powerful enough to run Adobe suite software with only small amounts of lag and is able to run Civilization V in touchscreen mode with a bit of a long load time but adequate performance once its up and going. Obviously not going to run anything reliant on a discreet GPU but all lower demand Steam games should work. For development, Eclipse and Visual Studio run just fine (with a bit of a slow load time from VS though). I've had only a couple seconds of mild hangups from the device and only while running numerous desktop apps and flipping between screens quickly. Definitely performs better than I expected it to. Hardware - 9/10 The case is nice overall, matte backing is nice feeling and has no sway or flexibility and the device is reasonably thin and light. There is a bit of a lip around the screen with a slight crevice. This kind of retracts from it having a super refined feel like higher end devices, which this isn't so can't really complain. Screen is standard, glossy and smudges easily. Also with the lip around it a bit harder to clean than some devices but not bad. Pen - 8/10 The integrated Wacom pen is a big factor of this machine, and was one of the bigger selling points for this over any of the competition for me. I am overall happy with the pen, great performance for a tablet but not as spot on as some. Accuracy is pretty good once I re-calibrated it, out of the box it was off by a 1/10th of a inch or so. The only issues are that the sensitivity detection is lost near the edges of the screen causing any drawn lines to become fainter (in drawing apps that support pressure sensitivity) and any button presses harder to detect. It is not bad enough to really screw me up but I am also not a professional artist so it might be more of a sketch pad to the artists rather than a professional tool. The pen itself is longer than I expected (essentially the whole width of the tablet in length), fairly stable feeling though could be snapped in half if attempted, and the tip is smooth but has a very slight amount of sway to it which I believe is necessary for pressure detection (?). My only complaint is that the button is a bit hard to find, wish it had a bump or indent to make it easier to feel without having to look at the stylus. Screen - 8/10 Not the sharpest screen in existence but it looks good enough when watching video or playing a game. The viewing angle is impressive, really no angle where I can't make out the screen. With the brightness turned up it is bright enough to see in the sun, but at the cost of battery life. Sound - 8/10 Adequate but not amazing. In a quiet room I was able to hear the stereo on a game I was playing and decipher left and right easily. Music actually sounds pretty good through it as well. That said it is not loud enough to compete with loud noises in the area so like most tablets, headphones or external speakers are recommended. Battery - 8/10 Have only had it for a week so time will see how well it holds up. So far it seems to be better than a laptop but not as good as some other tablets. So far it will last for 6 or so hours of extensive use at default brightness with a full battery. I haven't left it alone long enough to really see how well it lasts in standby but overnight on standby the battery will only decrease slightly which leads me to believe it should last at least 2-3 days on standby without issues. As I use it more I will update this. UPDATE: I was busy this weekend and ended up leaving the tablet in standby from Friday night to Monday morning, it sat in my laptop bag the whole time and only went from 100% down to 86%. My Overall Rating - 9/10 For the price this really cannot be beat. I would recommend this device to anyone looking for a windows tablet. I would give it 4.5 Stars if that was a option, rounding it up to 5 Stars because I feel it deserves that rather than being rounded down to a 4.

Really quick, the tablet is fine and works good... except for the stylus. I chose this tablet because it brings a Wacom stylus and it did work at first. But somewhere within the first 30 days it stopped working. I went online and read that many people where having the same problem. There are some cockamamie ways to get it to work but nothing that a normal person can be troubled to pull off. I emailed Asus and they replied with some generic troubleshooting garbage that does nothing to solve the problem. So bottom line, don't get this tablet if you want it for the stylus. Other than that the tablet works fine. Oh, and another negative; it's a finger print magnet which I could have lived with (you can't tell when the screen is off.) I just returned it and ordered a Dell Venue Pro 8. But what I really wanted was a Surface Mini but Microsoft sold us out and decided not to release it. I guess Dell can thank Microsoft for my purchase and Asus can thank their crappy support for me returning their tablet.