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A few posters above have given the meaty basics on this thing so far so I won't go into all of those again. I will provide some of the technical features of this device.
I will add to this review as I figure things out a little more. But I figured that I would post this here for now. I just purchased this from a Microsoft store as well. No Samsung apps on it as TechNurse said. It is also very top heavy and will fall over if not on a hard flat surface. Here are a few key points that I have noticed.
There are four different models of the 700T1C which end in A01, A02, A03, and A04. I reviewed the Samsung site and found all specifications for each one. I can tell you I don't even think Samsung knows what these things have since they are so new. I did my research and found right off the bat that Samsung's specs are wrong on this model. I have the XE700T1C-AE02US.
Samsung's website states it as having a 32bit version of Windows 8. This is incorrect. It has a full 64bit version of Windows 8.
Another thing I found right away is that Samsung lists this model(A02) as only having a 1.5ghz processor which is also incorrect. It has a 1.7ghz processor just like the rest of them.
It shows the A03 and A04 as having a TPM security chip, and the A01 and A02 as not having this chip. I don't know if they just have them disabled for a reason or if they think people don't know what they do. I was able to activate mine on my A02. You have to go into the BIOS and enable it. You cannot do this from the desktop, etc. Once it is enabled via BIOS, then you install and configure it via the desktop. So here is one more thing that it doesn't list, but it does have it.
The other main difference in the A04 model is that it comes standard with Windows 8 Pro whereas the other 3 do not. It also looks like it comes with some type of Office as well for the $150 price difference.
There is only one other thing that I found that the A02 does not list which the other 3 do. That is having the built in WiDi. I started researching that and it is basically from transmitting Wireless Display to a capable TV set and a few other products. It is made by Intel. It seems to me like it is more of a software download than hardware but I could be wrong. I need to check on that as well.
Ok so another question I see a lot of is the 3G/4G capabilities. I don't know if there is some kind of adapter needed to get the SIM cards to fit, but I tried both a Verizon and an At&T SIM card both out of cell phones. They were both way too small to fit in the slot and they just fell right in. I was thinking that there might be an adapter or maybe the SIM cards for tablets are different sized. Either way I will try to see what I can find out.
One thing I do not understand is why they would have four different models that are pretty much the same thing, and three of them are the same price. The A04 is the only one that seems to be more expensive, but is also the only one that comes with Windows 8 Pro.
Heat: So far I have not had this thing get very warm at all. I never hear the fan kick on either. I have not ran it too hard but plan on watching some Netflix and stuff over the weekend and will see how it goes then.
Battery life: I have ran this thing watching youtube videos, surfing the web, and downloading stuff. The battery lasted 6 hours before needing recharged. As stated, these things do not have a battery in the keyboard so what is in the tablet is all you get.
Keyboard: Seems a little cramped but gets the job done. No backlighting which is unfortunate. Not too bulky which works out fine. I think the overall thickness of the tablet and keyboard together is a lot thicker than many ultra books as well as heavier.
One last thing to note is that upon opening and looking at the instruction manual, the front of it said that it was for the 700T/701T models. There is no 701T models out yet so maybe this could be either the 256gb hard drive version with the I7 processor...who knows???
Problems so far: I am not sure why but I have had this thing freeze up a few times now where I have had to restart it to get it back to where it will run again. Very irritating to say the least. Not sure what is causing it but I will probably be reformating it anyways with Windows Pro here in the next few days.
Any questions feel free to ask and I will try to answer them for you.
Update:
***How to turn on TPM module***
Since there have been a few people that can't figure it out, I will give a step by step on how to do it. I take no responsibility with anything you choose to do in the BIOS. Changing things around can mess up your computer if you don't know what you are doing. If you choose to continue, that is completely on you and you are doing so at your own risk.
1. Go to "Settings" tab. It is the little gear shaped icon in the side menu.
2. Click on "change PC settings" which is right underneath the keyboard symbol.
3. This will take you to a screen that says "PC settings". Click on the "General" tab.
4. Scroll down on the right side of the screen until you see an option that says "Advanced Startup". It is at the very bottom. Underneath this option there is a box that says "Restart Now". Click this box.
5.The system will restart and a blue screen will appear. It will say "Choose an option" at the top and give you three boxes to chose from. You want to pick the middle one, or the one that says "Troubleshoot".
6. It will then give you 3 more boxes to choose from. You want to click the bottom one, or the one that says "Advanced options".
7. It will now take you to another screen that has 6 boxes to chose from. You want to click on the box that says "UEFI Firmware settings".
8. It will now say "Restart to change UEFI firmware settings". Click the little box that says "restart".
9. The computer will now restart and take you to the Samsung BIOS configuration. It will give you 5 colored boxes on the left side of the screen. You want to click the box that says "Security". It is an aqua colored box. It will give you the security options on the right side of the screen.
10. You will see at the bottom an option that says "TPM Configuration". Click on this option.
11. It will now say "TPM Device" and have a little box to the right of it that says "Disabled". This is a drop down box. Click on it and click on the "Enabled" option.
12. It will now give you another option called "TPM State" with another drop down box. Click on this and select the option that says "Enable and Activate".
13. Now click on the "Save" tab on the right side. It will pop up a white box that says "Save and Reset". Click on the box that says "Yes".
14. Your computer will restart and take you back to the login screen. TPM is now enabled. You now have to go to your desktop screen. You will see the TPM icon in the right hand side of the toolbar, next to the clock. You have to click on that and go through the settings to initialize it.
That is it. If you don't know how to do it from there, you probably shouldn't be messing with any of it in the first place. Take it to a computer place that knows what they are doing and they can help you further. Good Luck.
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I chatted with Microsoft via there online chat support, and I called my local store November 12th and nobody had any idea when they might be getting the 700T in stock. I had read that people were getting them at their local Microsoft stores from the Q&A section on Amazon discussions as well as from a few other forums. Apparently this tablet has a pretty large (and frustrated) following.
I myself was just about to throw in the towel and think about maybe going with the Sony Duo Slider or buying a series 7 slate and downloading windows 8 to make it more usable. I really want the active digitizer and the only reason why I didn't jump on the Sony Duo was because its Digitizer is the inferior N-Trig.
Today on a whim I called my local Microsoft again and held my breath as the store clerk went to check to see if they had the 700T in stock. When they guy got back on the line and informed that YES THEY DID HAVE IT IN STOCK I almost keeled over!!!! After all this waiting I could finally get my hands on the elusive Samsung Ativ PC Pro! I asked the store clerk if I should RUN over because seeing how they are selling out like hot cakes online I figured they must be in store as well! He didn't seem to think they would sell out before the afternoon, but let me tell you I got in the car and booked it over there anyways!
I wrote a quick review earlier but it was pretty useless so I am rewriting my review to see if I can more effectively give people some insights on this wonderful tablet. Here are my first impressions -
Build Quality I had read online that some people felt the build quality of the Ativ 700T was cheap. I disagree; while it is made of plastic I think it feels quite nice in my hands. I previously purchased a Series 7 slate and returned it because I disliked how wide it was and now I remember why I disliked it! in landscape mode the tablet is wonderful! But turn it to portrait and its pretty long and awkward to hold. However, since I use my ipad for reading and web surfing and I plan to use this for digital art and light photo editing I think the width will end up working in my favor. I also think that the design is improved over the series 7 slate. There is now a slot for the S-pen which is much more practical (though it also has caused major design changes for the s-pen over the pen that came with series 7 which I will talk about later) and its seems slimmer and lighter though I haven't actually compared the specs. I also like the black color I think it looks more professional and less like a toy.
S-Pen As I mentioned above in order for the S-pen to fit into the unit Samsung has changed it significantly from the stylus that came with the series 7 slate. I liked the build quality of the series 7 stylus but it was useless to me if I couldn't keep it house in the unit. I think for long periods of writing I will see if the stylus from my intuos 6 tablet will work with the 700t. For my smaller hands I don't think I will experience too much discomfort while writing or drawing with the tiny stylus but for a man with large hands I think it would be uncomfortable quickly.
The S-pen works great in the s-note ap! No lag and shows nice pressure sensitivity. However, I don't really think the s-not ap is that practical for storing all my drawings and prefer more mainstream ap's like one note and Corel Painter. So far I downloaded Corel Painter and did some quick sketches and the S-pen worked pretty good! I am not noticing very good pressure sensitivity I think its there but it is not as responsive as in S-note. I am going to try out art rage and some other programs and also experiment more with Corel and hopefully get some better results. However, the performance of Corel Painter was really good and I am very satisfied. I downloaded the one note ap in the microsoft store (free version) its not full one-note its and ap version of one-note its not great performance wise there is no lag but its hard to navigate and I think the full version will be better and more familiar. However, I can't really complain when something is free.
Performance wise I am pretty happy! The microsoft guy showed me computers with the same specs so that I could see just how impressive the internals are of this device crammed into such a slim shell. It is responsive and snappy and the tile mode is SO BEAUTIFUL and easy.
I got the version XE700T1C-A02US version which is supposed to be 32 bit but it ended up being 64bit nobody seems to know what is what with these models. The store clerk informed me there was no keyboard with this model well when I opened it much to my surprise there WAS A keyboard included! I think Samsung has some clarification to do on their models!
So the keyboard was my one point of disappointment I couldn't snap it on when I tried and then I realized that there was two little plus in the holes I felt like an idiot and was glad I didn't rush back to the store to complain I had gotten a faulty item (Though I am not sure the microsoft store people even know enough about this product to know these plugs exist and might have thought there was a problem with the item as well) I didn't like the keyboard because for some reason it feels cheap to me. It's so light compared to the tablet it seems really unnatural and when its up and running it looks like I am working on a computer with the keyboard side up. I bet the 500t looks way sexier with its keyboard attached. I do think its an extremely practical design (I like it way better than the surface snap on covers with the stand in the back of the tablet, and way better than the series 7 keyboard solution with its individual dock and keyboard. My biggest gripe is it does not allow you to tilt it back far enough so when you use it on your lap its a bit to forward to be comfortable. I think maybe one more generation of keyboard docks and Samsung will get it right. However, I have to say the keyboard is cool and practical and makes the tablet a complete laptop replacement for users who need to do allot of typing. The track-pad is pretty slippery I really dislike it, but I overall I love that this thing can be used with a keyboard so nicely.
Battery, I have not used it long enough to clearly asses the Battery. On the series 7 I got horrible battery life I think I see some improvement on the Ativ. I think the solution here is to just get a portable battery pack. I loved the 500t's longevity but I would rather sacrifice battery life for improved performance in my favorite programs.
Overall I think this tablet is great! I think if you don't use intensive programs but you want the wacom digitizer for writing go with the 500t. I think if you only plan on having ONE tablet go with the 500t (I can't imagine doing my daily new york times reading on the couch with the honker of a tablet in my hand) Honestly, If it is for surfing, email, kindle etc... I would still go ipad... but if you want productivity this is the only tablet to go with!
I hope I have helped some people out with my story and I am always happy to answer any questions I can! I will also try to post some updates as I use the Ativ 700T more.
Update* I'm changing my rating down to four stars it is a great tablet but I have had some problems with force quit and crashes while doing corel with multiple layers also noticed some lag. I also HATE THE KEYBOARD and believe it has some unforgivable flaws. Overall this is still a good tablet especially if money isn't and issue. It is amazing to run programs in something this compact. I am returning mine, mostly because I think that tablets coming out in 2013 with Haswell will suit my needs better.
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UPDATE:
I've made the hard decision to return this item. I use my laptop 70% of the time, tablet functions 30%. I can't justify the cost on a product half baked. Between some win 8 bugs and the issues already documented below, I've opted to update to a ultrabook laptop. HP Elitebook Folio 9470m which you can read my review here: http://www.amazon.com/HP-EliteBook-Folio-180GB-Notebook/dp/B009PHUR66/ref=cm_aya_orig_subj
In 6 months, there will be better devices, hopefully one that addresses the shortcomings of this device. By then Win 8 patches should be in place and more sites will address IE 10 compatabilities. Even Amazon's site struggles with IE 10.
Hopefully the Elitebook Folio will have a touchscreen and stylus option with a tablet option by then.
I find that I need to work via laptop 6-10 hrs a day and then I want to relax and use the tablet functions, but with battery limitations with this device, you don't have this option. So when I actually want to use the tablet, the battery is already drained from the day use, unless I was plugging it in everytime I returned to my desk which sometimes is not an option.
So for now, I'll continue to use a laptop and switch to a tablet as needed. As a tablet, this product is awesome. The question you have to ask is, $1,200 awesome? For me, not right now.
UPDATE:
You can read my updates below, but I put this on the very top. I have to echo the review by Isaac related to the keyboard. I've mentioned the issues below, but the price for just the tablet doesn't justify not having a functioning keyboard. The top heaviness and the lack of being able tilt the tablet further back and that it's just a basic keyboard without much more to add to the tablet functioning, I've dropped my original 4 star rating to 3 as this combo just fails as a combo. As a tablet, wins hands down, but I didn't spend this much money for just a tablet. Samsung sells the keyboard alone for $130 which is ridiculous since it has little to offer that another external keyboard couldn't offer. I'm hoping Asus comes out with a pen input device as they already nailed the keyboard design with the SD card, extra battery. The only missing item would be extra storage option.
For those looking at tablets with pen options, here's a link that compares the tablets:
Previous Review:
Fortunate to have a Microsoft store near me and they had just received a shipment, hadn't even had time to put it on display.
They do not charge a restocking fee and they are in their holiday timeline, so I have until Jan 14 to decide whether to keep or return. Just to make sure, I had them write this on my receipt.
Ok, not that any of the above really helps in the review, but in the event you have one of these Microsoft stores nearby, it may be an option, especially since Amazon seems to still be sold out.
I have an asus transformer 1st gen, kindle fire, ipad 1 & 2, I use a Toshiba R835 Ultrabook for most of my day to day computer work.
I'm looking for something that can replace essentially the need to carry a tablet and a laptop and can handle windows software for business.
I will update this review as needed. I'm not going to repeat the typical reviews on specs, etc. There's plenty out there, this will be on a more simplified level, from an end user perspective.
INITIAL FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
Tablet is big. As a computer it's almost too small, but it's a compromise. Weight as a tablet felt heavy, but not as heavy as my first gen asus transformer, but I'm use to carrying the ipad 2, weight as a laptop feels fine. Nice and compact, although a bit on the thick side, but a nice smooth profile.
Cons: No backlit keyboard, touch pad is narrow, no full size SD card, no VGA port (I hate carrying dongles and adapters). Wish the keyboard had an extra battery and storage, ie. another hard drive, this would help weight down the keyboard. The keyboard base is light, making it top heavy. Wish they used USB 3 ports in the keyboard base instead of USB 2. And it would of been nice if the ports were together so you could use an external DVD drive (which requires 2 usb ports typically).
There's a large learning curve, mainly due to the new OS. What doesn't help is, no manual. It comes with a vague quick start guide. I'm still trying to figure out how to turn the blue tooth on and NFR. I'm sure there's a pdf, just have to find it.
I did load a 64 GB micro sd card and the system recognized it without problems. The power adapter is nice and compact, about half the bulk as my Toshiba R835 which was light to begin with.
Even though it comes with a 128 GB hard drive, you actually have 78 GB of 101 GB available, so space will be tight.
Before you dock the tablet to the keyboard, you have to remove 2 plastic tabs which I ended up having to use a knife to pry them up and out they were very tight fitting.
Also they don't plaster stupid stickers all over the device (Except for 2 on the back side of the tablet. No bloatware which is something Microsoft stores pride themselves on.
Anyway, I know this is not much to go on, but I'll update this the more I start using it in real world work, once I load my programs and get use to the navigation. Hope this helps.
ADDITIONAL UPDATES:
Took about an hour for the battery to charge to 100%. I've now been using it for almost 3 hours and the meter still says about 3 hours left. The screen resolution is fantastic.
I haven't really stressed this computer out yet. Mainly just learning how to navigate windows 8. I did come across setting up my blue tooth and I have it paired with my Samsung S3, no really I'm not a Samsung employee, but it's one of the few that offered a pen input solution along with the other added benefits.
I did come across an option to have the fan run automatically, at reduced speed, or not at all. It's default is off, so I changed it to auto.
So far, the unit's remained cool, but again haven't stressed it with lots of videos or intensive applications.
Viewing angles are definitely better than my Toshiba R835. The stylus is short, about 2/3 size of a normal pen and it's very narrow. It's housed in the tablet and it's a very snug fit. I'm sure it'll loosen over tine, but if I had nails, they'd be breaking trying to get it out.
Also one thing to note is the screen when docked with the keyboard doesn't tilt all the way back. I'm finding myself wanting to tilt the screen back just a bit further, but that's just me. Probably done this way to prevent the unit from falling over, referencing the top heavy design.
More Updates:
The Box I have says OB 4 GB Ram which to me means On Board RAM. The hard Drive says 128 SSD 4mm, which I'm guessing means it's part of the mother board also, since most SSD footprint are the typical 7-9 mm in height. I see no means of removing the back without damaging the plastic. I wish I could upgrade the storage and RAM. Samsung really missed an opportunity not having extra storage in the keyboard, no backlit keyboard, no full SD card slot and no extra battery. If they had done all of that, there would be very little reason not to like this completely. It would also address the top heaviness. If this had a battery on the bottom with twice the capacity of the tablet portion and it could charge the tablet, I would definitely take the added weight for that additional run time.
As far as the camera appears to be 2 MP on the front and 5MP on the back based on running the camera app and they have a size selection and the back only went up to 5MP.
The Samsung apps are found in the apps store. Tap on the store tile, scroll to the Samsung picks. All the aps are listed right there. Somehow I totally missed these the first time because I checked there first since I figured it made sense. Samsung must of added them between the first time I looked and after my factory restore.
I'm not too impressed with the Samsung apps, they appear to be just the overgrown version of what you see with the Samsung S3 android apps. I ended up downloading the free MS one note.
BTW, I tried one notes, handwrote a bunch of stuff, lassoed it and was able to move the items with very little lag. Yes, there was a slight one, but nothing that wasn't usable.
I like that the device has a palm detection so when it senses the pen, you can rest your palm on the screen. That may be more the software, but it's worked with one note and S note.
I'm really not liking this keyboard, feels cramped and trying to hold the unit by the keyboard is not comfortable as all the weight is on the top so it places a strain on your wrist when carrying or holding. You'll probably find yourself holding the top which to me seems awkward as I don't do this with a laptop.
I'm having work load Windows 8 Enterprise as my work requires the Pro edition of Windows 8. That's more related to my work, not the device, but once they do this, they'll load the MS office and I can start loading additional software. So far, I've been using it more for typical tablet use, which I definitely am enjoying. I'm seriously thinking of just getting a Bluetooth keyboard.
Also this device is abnormally long in length, making it long and narrow (bigger than a pad of notebook paper, yet narrower than a typical pad). Which means at meetings, it looks a bit odd. I have to look for a business folio that I can place this in, unfortunately I don't think many folios will be accommodate something this tall. I'll let you know if I find one. I would of preferred one that was the same size as a pad of paper. Could of used the height to even the look and that would of given the touch pad some added room too in the height department.
Also, Samsung has included a Samsung utility called quick starter that includes the start menu, so if you get really stuck, this will help.
Of course if you've made it this far in this review, I'm impressed as I know this is getting long, but hopefully this is helping.
As soon as I get Win 8 Pro loaded and MS Office loaded, I'll really be able to provide run time in real world usage. So far just browsing and basic tasks, the fan doesn't kick on and I'm getting roughly 6-6.5 hours. I did watch about 45 minutes of you tube videos, which the fan did kick in and the top felt slightly warm, but nothing like my laptop. It was barely noticeable to the touch and I had to hold my ear to the vent to even detect the fan was running.
*** I just loaded a few pics ***
Update: The 3G/4G slot next to the micro SD card slot is an empty shell. I'm guessing there's no antenna as there is definitely not a card slot, if you try to place your sim card, it will just fall into an empty space and good luck trying to retrieve it. Explains why the slot isn't marked. Little disappointed as I took optional as if I went to a cell carrier and asked for a sim card and an account, I'd just be able to put the sim card in and I'm good to go. A bit misleading. For me, it's not that big of a deal as my cell phone on 4 LTE has the capacity to be a hot spot for no extra charge.
Also, the hinge for the keyboard appears to be loosening up a bit too much in which the tablet will move by itself once it passes a certain point. I'm thinking that I'd prefer a backlit Bluetooth keyboard built into a portfolio tablet case. At least I have until Jan to see what else comes out. Perhaps Samsung will create another optional keyboard base with all the missing features that were mentioned above. Ok, one can be wishful.
Other issue noted is attempting to upgrade to Windows Pro and having difficulty having the tablet boot via a usb. Changed the bios boot order, but so far it's not booting from the USB device with the wind 8 Pro install files. I'll update this when it's successful.
Honest reviews on Samsung ATIV XE700T1C-A01US Smart PC Pro 700T
I purchased my Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T at the Microsoft store in Atlanta, GA on Tuesday November 13. I cancelled my two week old order with Amazon. The Microsoft Store had it first. Sorry, Amazon.
The plus with buying at the Microsoft store was getting their Microsoft Assurance insurance policy. I'm fully protected for anything except loss or theft. I can drop it or spill liquid and I'm covered. In addition I get 3 years of phone or in-store Microsoft Support. For me getting the insurance/support policy was a no-brainer. I'm covered no matter what for $329 for 3 years.
After a week of use, I'm more than pleased. The IPS screen is absolutely stunning at 1920 x 1080 with no discernible pixilation and with over 400 nits of brightness the only screen that currently compares is the iPad 4. The keyboard has a great feel and won't drain the battery as there is no back lighting. I touch type and have no need for a backlit keyboard as I never look at it anyway. I strongly disagree with the reviewer who said the keyboard was flimsy and cheap. On the contrary, I was impressed with its high quality and light weight. There are all degrees of quality in plastics, all the way from cheap toys to high grade ABS plastics used by NASA. Too bad there is such a negative connotation to the word "plastic". Samsung uses a very high grade as after a week of heavy use carrying it everywhere I go; there is not a mark or scratch anywhere. The entire unit has a very high quality feel.
Don't make the mistake of thinking you are buying a laptop. This is a very high grade "tablet" PC with a great keyboard dock. If you want a laptop, then buy an ultra-book. However, if you want a powerful tablet with full PC capabilities that will totally blow away any Android tablet or iPad, then this is your baby. (I own a quality Android tablet and there are several iPad's in the family, so I do have a basis of comparison.)
The Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T has a Wacom pen. The pen stores in the lower right corner when looking at the screen and is very handy to get to when needed. There is a huge difference between an ordinary pen option for just writing and marking and Samsung's Wacom pen with 1,028 degrees of pressure sensitivity. A Wacom pen is an artist's tool. I use mine mostly with Photoshop CS6 for photo retouching and it has completely replaced my old external Wacom pen and tablet combo. It's a real pleasure to now be able to do my photo retouching directly on my screen. When using the tablet without the keyboard dock and mouse pad, the pen can also literally replace the functionality of a mouse.
Several reviewers were dismayed that when attached to the lighter weight keyboard, the combination is top heavy. Of course it is. It's a 1.8 pound tablet (that is only 6 ounces heavier than an iPad) and can be attached to a light weight keyboard dock. The electronics and weight are all in the tablet and not in the keyboard base.
I have no problems when docked to the keyboard. If one roughly rocks the tablet in the keyboard dock, I suppose you could cause the connection to make and break.
I have installed Photoshop CS6 and my Interactive Brokers stock trading platform. All my data files and pictures are stored on my Microsoft SkyDrive with a backup on a local 3 Terabyte Western Digital Live drive attached to my NetGear R6300 router. The SkyDrive and the Western Digital Live can be accessed when home on my internal network and when I'm away from home on the Internet. I was initially concerned that the 128 GB SSD would not be enough. Now that I've added SkyDrive and my 3 Terabytes of local network storage, the 128 GB SSD is more than adequate.
The bottom line: I wanted a tablet that had all the power of a desktop in tablet form. This is the fastest and most useful computer l have ever owned. I love it. For me Samsung got it right. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would.
Addendum:
Several reviewers have said their units have defective connections between the tablet and keyboard dock. My tablet makes the chime sound when it first connects to the dock, but after it snaps in to place I can attempt to rock it fairly roughly and it will not break the connection. My connection between tablet and keyboard dock is definitely not defective and is very solid.
I've been frequently using it as a laptop in my lap and experience no problems. The connection never breaks and remains solid. I find after 10 days of using it, my division of use between tablet and laptop is about 50/50.
I have 3 days left on my 14 day return period at the Microsoft Store in Atlanta. As of right now I'm quite satisfied with mine and have no intention of returning it.
Addendum 2:
It's Dec 13th and I've had my Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T for exactly one month. Reading the reviews following mine with the number of 1, 2 and 3 stars, it makes me wonder if we're reviewing the same unit. One of the biggest negatives I read in the reviews is keyboard problems. Mine has no problems with the keyboard whatsoever, and in fact I really like it. When I got mine the first thing I did before anything else was do my Microsoft system updates and in particular I ran Samsung's "SW-Update" to update all of Samsung's hardware drivers. I have to wonder if having done that eliminated many of the problems I see other reviewers having.
My pen is accurate everywhere and I love using it. When using my unit as a tablet, the pen functions beautifully as a mouse and makes the tablet an absolute delight to use as I've got pin-point accuracy and non of the problems of fat-fingering a touch screen. I have no problems using the supplied pen and having it always available in its slot on the back of the unit as amazingly handy. In tablet mode I go to it all the time.
I purchased a Logitech Blue Tooth laptop mouse and use it all the time in laptop mode when on my desk. It works very well. Highly recommended.
I had a lot of trepidation with what I though would be a very small 128 Gb SSD drive, but adding 100 Gb of storage to my SkyDrive gives me all I currently need for a $50 annual cost and I can always add more if/when needed. I also have a large NAS drive attached to my NetGear R6300 router that duplicates what I have on my SkyDrive, so I have all my irreplaceable files and pictures stored locally as well as off-site. My pictures and data are very secure and I'll never lose anything. A month later I still have 74 Gb free on my Samsung 128 Gb SSD drive.
I've owned dozens of PC's since my first IBM PC in 1982. This is the best and most useful PC I've ever owned by a very wide margin.
Addendum 3:
I've now had my 700T for over two months.
Everything still works just as before.
I have zero problems with my keyboard, it works perfectly.
The 128Gb size of the SSD is absolutely no problem with Microsoft SkyDrive and my large NAS drive on my router.
My Wacom S-Pen works perfectly and is highly accurate.
The speed and power of this computer is amazing.
My old desktop and old laptop sit unused.
This computer has exceeded all my expectations in every way.
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Here are my initial impressions after a day of use.
Pros:
Wacom digitizer technology
Real computer in a tablet form factor
Can run Photoshop without getting too hot
Better display and higher resolution than a 12.1" Cintiq
Cons:
Not quite the same features as a professional Wacom that artists use
No programmable physical buttons, like Ctrl/Alt (but you can buy a bluetooth keyboard)
Crippled stylus (but you can use an alternative Wacom stylus)
[edit: Previously I said any Wacom stylus, which may be incorrect. My Fujitsu stylus works with the ATIV, but the Intuos stylus may not.]
Wide screen format is impractical for note taking (either too narrow, or not tall enough)
Tips over extremely easily in laptop configuration
Keyboard only works when physically attached
Make no mistake, the Samsung ATIV 700T is not your average toy for browsing and reading books. It is a real Tablet PC with an Intel i5 processor, running the full desktop version of Windows 8, which means you can run Photoshop, Illustrator, OneNote, and Visual Studio. As an engineer and photographer, I have used a Tablet PC since 2007. My old one was large, heavy, slow, running extremely hot, even when idling, and the battery life was dismal. I'm happy to report that this Samsung has none of those issues at all.
The device's outer shell is made of plastic, but it is very solid. There is no flex, and the dock connection is surprisingly rigid. The main issue with the laptop configuration is that it's unusually top heavy, which means it easily tips over and falls on the ground. The keyboard portion has no battery, and unfortunately it does not function at all unless the machine is attached to it. That means I have to use a different external bluetooth keyboard, because I don't care for the laptop configuration. Otherwise the keyboard would be quite usable, if it was bluetooth. The touch pad is multi-touch, the whole touch area works like a single mouse button. It isn't as smooth as a MacBook's glass pad, but still functional. Of course touching the LCD is vastly superior.
I have not experienced any heating issues so far. It does not really get hot, not even when running Photoshop. The built-in fan is pretty quiet, barely audible from a working distance. If you put your ear close to the vent, you will hear it, but not when it's on my desk. It's heavier than your average toy tablet, but only slightly so. I can hold it comfortably in my hand. It's not going to burn you at all.
Windows 8 needs some getting used to, but I've had no big problems. I haven't tried to install OS X on it, I'm not sure if it's possible, but I really like Microsoft OneNote anyway, and Windows has pretty good touch support and handwriting recognition. It is surprisingly easy to operate with a finger, even without a physical keyboard. You need a physical keyboard for certain things, such as using Photoshop (for the shift, alt, control keys). If you touch the screen with 3 fingers, a toolbar will pop up with buttons like undo, copy and paste. The orientation can be automatic, or locked to either landscape or portrait.
Of course you do not buy this computer for the touch screen, you get it for the Wacom digitizer. What Samsung calls S-Pen is really Wacom technology, with a pressure-sensitive pen. The included stylus is small and comes with a soft tip, so it feels like writing on glass. I would say it's too basic, with only one button that is difficult to operate, and no eraser. However, you could use any Wacom stylus -my Fujitsu one works, only it has a harder tip, so you might want to use a screen protector in that case. The pen is super precise, it has many times the resolution of the display. You can write really tiny letters with a super thin line in OneNote. It's not your capacitive iPad stylus for sure. The included Samsung app isn't nearly as good, it's raster-graphics, like a JPEG; OneNote is vector-based.
When you put the pen close to the display, the touch sensor turns off, so you can rest your palm comfortably. This requires a little getting used to, because as soon as you lift the pen too much, your palm can register a touch. I'm using OneNote, where a touch is registered as a scroll. In other apps you could accidentally ink something just by touching the screen, which is very frustrating. You should get into the habit of hovering the pen while resting your palm, or turn off the touch feature, which isn't easy to do (you can't just quickly switch it on and off). I'll try to write a small app for turning the touch sensor on and off and pin it on the task bar. If I can figure out how to do it, I'll let you all know. I would have preferred if Samsung had included a quick switch.
The display is wide, bright and sharp. It is a glossy one, so you can see plenty of reflection in bad lighting. However, even a matte LCD reflects the overhead lights, this is a common problem with tablets. The resolution is amazing, 1920x1080 at 11.6 inches. It is not quite an Apple retina display yet, but for all intents and purposes, individual pixels are not noticeable, and you get a good sized working area. The retina iPad still has the edge for reading books and magazines.
The device comes with some pre-installed junk, although many of the apps are useful, and you can uninstall what you don't need. Sadly an Office OneNote license is not included for free. Evernote and Skype are there. After installing Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop, I still have 70 GB of free space, plus you can add a Micro SD card for extended storage.
I think this is an excellent tool for those who need it, albeit a highly specialized one. Apple could make a better device, but they won't, and the cost of the ModBook is astronomical. The reason I bought the ATIV is the combination of the Wacom and the real desktop OS in a near-tablet form factor.
I'm not sure how good it is for a real artist, since it is not quite the same as a Wacom Cintiq or an Intuos. You don't get the same pressure sensitivity, the angle and orientation sensing. If you normally use Photoshop on a Mac, it's awkward to have Windows as a second device, and Adobe won't allow you to use the same license.
Perhaps the most excellent use is engineering and note taking, if you need to draw a lot of charts, sketches, diagrams, formulas, tables, schematics, or anything that you can't type with a keyboard, then you will love the Samsung ATIV. The wide angle form factor is a tad inconvenient, I would much prefer a US Letter or an A4 size. The ATIV's display is 5 3/4" x 10" (145mm x 254mm) -imagine an iPad stretched all the way to be wide-screen long.
If you just want a tablet and a laptop, then you're better of buying a separate netbook and a tablet. If you don't get instantly excited about the possibilities of a Wacom stylus and a tablet PC, you'll find this device an overkill. A simpler consumer tablet costs less than half, weighs half as much, has no fans, and the battery lasts twice as long on a single charge. This is a hard-core tablet, folks, for those who need a real Intel processor and a super accurate stylus.
