Windows 10 Tablets

[DSummZZZ]

Hey all, I'm writing an app that will be used by 'field' personnel on portable devices. I am researching some Windows 10 tablets and would like input on pros, cons, etc. Any experiences or preferences anyone has with VFP apps - not a full VFP/IDE install - on tablets.


-Dave Summers-

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[Tom Borgmann]

Hi Dave,

you will have to use ruggedized tablets that even might be conform to military standards.
Regular 'home' tablets can't survive outdoor. Panasonic has a long history with rugged laptops and meanwhile has that kind of tablet as well as many other manufacturers.


-Tom

https://www.blogger.com/profile/08903165976787522012

 

[Mike Lewis]

Dave,

I can't give any advice on Windows 10 tablets, but I did once develop a VFP app for Windows 8 tablets (with touch screens, no keyboard or pointing device). Basically, the app ran as expected. The main problem was that I couldn't use the MouseEnter or MouseLeave events. There might also have been a problem with RightClick and DblClick, but I can't remember the details. Everything else worked fine.

Sorry. Not much help. I hope someone else will give you some more useful information.

Mike

__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

Visual FoxPro articles, tips and downloads

 

[Olaf Doschke]

There are more and more nice Windows tablets also aside of MS Surface. Today I browsed for yoga 900 prices once again, eyeing with such a notebook since about 2 years, and discovered the Lenovo Yoga Book, though it's not that new, from early 2016, I think.

See

https://www.engadget.com/2016/10/17/lenovo-yoga-book-review/

and

http://www.pcworld.com/article/3130...ch-features-let-you-be-hands-on-creative.html

These two review videos I saw both suggest it's still too early for this type of convertible, because of its low end atom processor. In the review videos you can see a lag time in its reaction to the pen. Highlight: The paper digitizer letting you draw on paper. Also this shows the same lag, though. So this low end cpu contradicts the concept of a sketchbook. It wouldn't be a core feature I'd need, anyway. Conference notes? Well, taking photos is simpler, isn't it? I know someone working as graphic designer, often doing graphic recording. For that, it could be nice, as it could be projected.

The cheapest seriously usable I think is a Miix 310, but you have many options, not only Lenovo. A Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro S with AMOLED display? My current Nexus10 Android tablet is getting old and the display wears off. It once had a bleeding edge display, today you can take that literally, showing false colors and brightness bleeding effects at the display egde. OLED is not yet widespread and top notch, said to fade faster in their brightness but lifespans of 20 years are far beyond how long devices will last anyway. And they can't have that bleeding effect, since OLEDs are not backlit like LCDs. OLEDs emit light themselves.

Bye, Olaf.

 

[TamarGranor]

I have a Yoga 900. I don't think I'd classify it as a tablet; it's really too heavy for that, though it does have lots of cool, tablet-like functionality.

Tamar

 

[DSummZZZ]

I appreciate the input from all of you.
Tom: This app is only used indoors, so no weather issues. I will buy cases though, as the people using them aren't gorillas, but everyone has a tendency to drop stuff.
Mike: This is a simple data entry app (reading meter data) so I only need really basic functionality. Input a value, go to the next field, input a value, tap 'Save', 'Print', etc.
Olaf: I am definitely looking for low end models. No graphics processing, no video, no internet, ... And color requirements are not much beyond maybe a simple red highlight for missing data.
I ordered a "Surface" to test on, so we'll see what happens from there.

Thanks again!


-Dave Summers-

Even more Fox stuff at:

http://www.dave-summers.net/foxprolinks.htm

 

[DSummZZZ]

Thanks Tamar.
I am really trying to stay small. The people need portability, so I'm trying to stay with 11" models or less. If I was more sure of 8" model being big enough to see the app on, I would have even gone with that. I'll just have to see how this one works out.



-Dave Summers-

Even more Fox stuff at:

http://www.dave-summers.net/foxprolinks.htm

 

[Olaf Doschke]

Well, the Yoga Book is a 10 inch tablet available with Android and Window 10 Pro.

And yes, the Yoga 900 rather is a notebook with touch display.
Since it has that, you can devlop using some API functions only available on tablet with touch screen, can test and debug with the comfort of a notebook...

And, well, Dave, that's my idea. You don't develop on a small device, of course end users will have that and you do a usability test - last test phase - on such a tablet. But there is no need to have one for developing the application.

Bye, Olaf.

 

[DSummZZZ]

Just a quick follow-up, the Surface tablet so far is working great. It hasn't been field tested yet (as in, data entry in a dark location), but the supervisor is quite happy with the size and portability, so I'm not going to bother looking for anything smaller at this point.
I also ordered a small-ish somewhat portable single sheet printer for receipts etc., rather than the usual thermal roll printer. Wifi communications, printing, data entry, ... all that stuff seems to be just peachy.
So I'll considered this thread closed for now unless anything else comes from the usage of this setup.

Thanks again for the input.


-Dave Summers-

Even more Fox stuff at:

http://www.dave-summers.net/foxprolinks.htm