Gigabyte S1082. Analysis
In October last year, Taiwan's Gigabyte announced its Tablet PC S1082 powered by Windows 8 This product had been released in the early of that year with Windows 7. The adoption of Windows 8 enhanced the usefulness of a tablet with its own personality.
With the low capacity of storage units being the dominant trend in the tablet market, the S1082 model opted for another concept, offering a hard drive of up to 500 GB, or an SSD of up to 256 GB. The rest of the components and price of the product place the S1082 in the segment of domestic consumption.
h2. Gigabyte S1082 outside
The S1082 model's display is a capacitive multi-touch screen with a size of 10.1", and provides a resolution of 1,366x768 pixels, the minimum of the first set of Windows 8 specifications. Starting at the top corner On the left, we have a light status indicator.In the center is the only 1.3 MPx camera, since it does not have a rear camera.
The camera is flanked on the left by its operating indicator light, and on the right by the light sensor. This set is in turn surrounded by two microphones, placed approximately one third of the distance between the vertical axis of the screen and the edges.
On both sides of the tablet's horizontal axis, we find other unusual controls on this type of device.On the left side of the screen, there are two buttons that offer the functions of a mouse: the upper one corresponds to the left and the lower one to the right.
On the same axis and located on the right side of the screen, we have another button, similar in appearance to an infrared sensor, which activated simultaneously with the mouse, offers the same function as on a conventional keyboard you have the key combination + + .
In the center of the bottom edge of the screen, the Windows key is located. On the back of the tablet there is nothing but the logo of the device manufacturer, as well as those of the operating system and processor, in addition to the CE specifications and additional information.
Walking around the metal arch that borders the device in a clockwise direction, we find the loudspeakers in the upper area, arranged at each end. On the right side, in the upper area, are the ventilation grills, the first of the USB 2 ports.0, SIM card slot, HDMI port, D-sub connector for external monitor and power supply connection.
In the lower part of the tablet, the supports and connectors are enabled to attach a dock that considerably expands the capabilities of the device. Although we didn't have the accessory available for testing, it offers three extra USB 2.0 ports, an optical disc drive, and several additional ports.
Finally, on the left side and following the rotation criteria, the Gigabyte S1082 has an RJ45 Ethernet port, microphone jack, headphone jack and second USB 2.0 port before the group of mouse buttons. Behind these, we find the SD card reader, volume control, rotation lock and power button.
As we have had the opportunity to see, the Gigabyte S1082 is well equipped in terms of external connections by itself and without the need for the dock, having everything necessary to turn the device into a PC in terms of management.It is precisely the connectivity of the tablet one of its strongest points.
h2. Gigabyte S1082 inside
The heart of the Gigabyte S1082 beats to the rhythm of an Intel Celeron processor. There are two options: model 847 at 1.1 GHz and 1037 at 1.8 GHz, both dual core, 2 MB cache and 64-bit instruction set. The test model is the one with the most modest processor, responsible for the low index (3, 9) of the ">
The Gigabyte S1082 tablet has a single memory bank, where you can insert from 2 to 8 GB DDR 3 . In the tested model we have had 4 GB. The chipset is the Mobile Intel NM70. The graphics system is handled by an Intel HD Graphics controller.
The storage capacity, another of the strengths of the analyzed product, ranges from 320 to 500 GB on a 2.5" hard drive>
Communications is in charge of an Ethernet 10/100/1000, Wireless 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and WWAN 3.5G. This is another strong point of the device, especially the LAN card. The built-in battery is a 29.6 Wh lithium polymer (LiPo). The optional extended lithium-ion battery is a two-cell, 20.25 Wh (2,700 mAh).
"The operating system of the test unit is plain Windows 8>"
h2. User experience
Gigabyte S1082 is a product that surprises for better and for worse. The screen has a good response to the touch and quality when it comes to displaying the elements, but it has a drawback that does seem relevant to me: the reduced viewing angle .
"The slightest deviation from the eye-screen perpendicular makes it look really bad. This aspect makes it difficult to get into a comfortable posture to work with your hands off a table.In the photographs it is quite noticeable, those that are not perpendicular offer a milky appearance>."
"In terms of performance, despite having had the weakest processor, the performance numbers should not be misleading; For the usual jobs we do with this type of device, the processor works with dignity. Playing video in HD quality, the weight of this component is not noticeable."
Regarding the sound quality, nothing to object to the distance of use. Both with low volume and at maximum power, if the audio source is correct, the sound perception is more than reasonable .
The battery that incorporates the product is at the limit of what is convenient, in my opinion. With a 100% charged battery, you can barely play 100 minutes of video. With 85% charge, in the conventional distance of a movie, you can miss the end.Regarding charging times, starting from total exhaustion, the battery recovers 28% in 30 minutes, 55% in an hour, 80% in 90 minutes and after two hours it reaches 98% capacity.
Taking into account that the Gigabyte S1082 product is a Tablet-PC, what I am going to comment on now, more than a defect, is a slight inconvenience. The device came into my hands with the factory settings, so when I started it for the first time I found that it had three options accessible through function keys... a keyboard is necessary to whet your appetite.
As for the built-in mouse, it is useful to get out of trouble (most of us are not used to handling a pointing device with our left hand and vertically). Still, it's a welcome facility.
In any case, the connection possibilities available to the Gigabyte S1082 model allow you to work with a keyboard (via Bluetooth, for example), a USB mouse and an external storage unit, connected to a monitor big>"
Finally, there is the issue of weight: 850 grams with a 500 GB hard drive and 790 grams with an SSD, in both cases with battery. It is not a team to have a lot of time in the hands, in addition to what has been said regarding the angle of vision. However, despite the fact that we have had high temperatures on the days that the test has been carried out, the device has not given off enough heat to consider this aspect uncomfortable.
h2. Equipment
The Gigabyte S1082 tablet comes in a box that is inconspicuous in size, so we cannot expect it to contain a myriad of add-ons. Under the first layer of the packaging, which is the one that contains the device, we find a cover, which, although it is comfortable to anchor the device inside, has a system to vary the angle of the tablet a bit... from another century: brackets! !
The current transformer and its cable are packed on the side of the box. The size is similar to that of most 10" Netbooks: small and easy to transport. On the last level of the packaging we will find a brief user manual in several languages, including ours, and a DVD with software. Specifically, it has with Power Director.
There is one detail that I want to highlight: the software that comes with the device for system recovery. it is well designed and intuitive, easy for almost any level of user. The only drawback is that the complete restoration to the factory settings takes more than three hours, a time that seems excessive.
Not having an official price for the product, searching the Internet for companies that sell it in Spain, I have found prices ranging between 563 and 579 euros, VAT included and without transport costs. This information is a simple guide, since the search has not been exhaustive.
h2. Data sheet
Processor : Intel Celeron 847 (1.1GHz) / Intel Celeron 1037 (1.8GHz). Memory : 2/4/8 GB DDR 3 (one bank). Hard drive : 320/500 GB SATA 2.5">
h2. Gigabyte S1082, conclusions
The impression after a week of using the Gigabyte S1082 Tablet-PC is that it is an unbalanced product. On the one hand, the device has several important points in favor: storage capacity, excellent connectivity, fast memory and in sufficient quantity in the tested model.
In the middle zone is the performance, mainly due to the processor, the lack of a rear camera, weight, user manual and case (its hooking system in particular). And as for the most prominent defects, the almost zero angle of vision outside the perpendicular and a somewhat fair battery.
Gigabyte is a long-standing hardware manufacturer, manufacturing prestigious components such as motherboards and graphics cards, among others. This experience is evident in the Gigabyte S1082, a product that is well built and looks very robust, whose screen detracts from the good work behind it.
