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Winbook tw802 Review and June Giveaway

Ever have $80 dollars in your pocket and decide: I should buy a full fledged Windows PC that operates on an 8 inch screen? Man, ten years ago I would have sawed off an arm or two for that kind of technology. Anyway, I recently bought a Winbook 802 from Microcenter. I’ve decided to do a write-up for it, and give it  away as it won’t be replacing my Nexus 9. (See the end of this post for the giveaway.)tw802 Winbook

As previously stated the WinBook is an $80 tablet from Microcenter that runs Windows 8.1 on an Atom Z3735F. Other specs include an 8 inch screen with 1280×800 resolution, 2 gigs of RAM, and 32 gigs of flash storage. By no means is this tablet a gaming powerhouse, but I found it plenty snappy for some internet browsing, light gaming (think Windows store stuff) and word processing. I even threw a Virtualbox instance running Lubuntu on there just because I could.

I find this type of tablet (as most any tablet) to be great for consumption, but not necessarily for creation. That being said, a few things make this tablet very unique.

  1. It has a full sized USB port
  2. It has an HDMI (micro) out
  3. It has a Standard MicroUSB charging cable

Aside from the uses above, I found this tablet very useful for running Synergy and using it as a second monitor for my laptop while traveling, though the text can get a little small (Windows 10 should eventually do a better job than 8.1 with scaling). I also threw Windows 10 Tech Preview on the tablet, used the aforementioned ports to connect it to an external display, mouse, and keyboard… and played with Windows 10 for a while. While the OS is not fully baked, it’s already a hell of an improvement over Windows 8/8.1. The ports on this tablet are enough to make it stand out for someone who wants a tablet that can double as a PC in a pinch.

The biggest cons of the tablet to me are:

  1. The display – I find the 16×9 aspect ratio awkward on tablets, and this is no exception. THough the screen does seem to perform okay.
  2. It does feel a little underpowered… but what do you want from an 80 dollar tablet?

Overall I quite like the little tablet, and while this space (8 inch Windows tablets) is becoming quite crowded,The TW802 sets itself apart with price, and ports. The TW does enough to carve out a niche for itself in a crowded space, and for that I give it an 80% awesome rating.

If you want this little tablet for $80 go to Microcenter. If you want it for free with Win10 tech preview on it, submit a comment (with a real email address so I can contact you) and I will draw a winner at random at the end of June and send it to you 100% free of charge. Good Luck!

 

95 thoughts on “Winbook tw802 Review and June Giveaway”

  3. Thanks for the giveaway! I’ve been hoping to get a tablet so I can read online comics while doing planks.

    Reply

  4. $80 is a great price for a tablet. From your review it looks to be a great tablet. I’d love to win one. Please sign me up for the drawing. Thanks for the opportunity.

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  8. THIS WOULD BE GREAT TO TAKE WITH ME TO MY DOCTOR APPOINTMENTS. I WOULD ALSO LET MY GRAND DAUGHTER USE IT TOO. THANK YOU FOR THE CHANCE TO WIN.

    Reply

  11. Wow! This is a great tablet! My son id going to college in Aug. would love to win this for him! Thanks for the chance!

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  17. I could really use a new tablet as my old tablet broke. This one looks like it would do what I need it to do. Thanks for the opportunity.

    Reply

  22. I have been looking for a windows tablet. The fact that it has Windows 10 preview on it makes it that much more better. Thanks for this opportunity.

    Reply

  23. I really enjoy Windows run tablets. This looks like a good one to keep in my purse for on the go! THanks!

    Reply

  24. My mom is still chained to an older desktop PC. This tablet looks like the ideal portable replacement for her.

    Reply

  25. My kid has been asking for a tablet, but I haven’t gotten the raise needed to afford it for her 🙁 winning this giveaway would make her so happy!!

    Reply

  28. I would love to win it for my daughter. Her current device is dead and I can’t afford a new one.

    Reply

  38. I want to win the WinBook. I don’t have a tablet and have been looking at reviews in hopes of getting one. Thanks for the opportunity

    Reply

  39. I think this would be an awesome first tablet for someone just plain needing one, just learning, or just learning responsibility (teen/tweens). I think from the description it would be simple to use and a good starter like I said. The details on it aren’t bad and competitive with some other tablets. Good Luck everyone!

    Reply

  43. I would LOVE to win this! I’ve been needing and wanting this for a couple of years!! Eventually I’ll have it. I can do so many things more during my day if I had one.

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  47. welll please sign me up,,a great gift for my girlfriend who has wanted a tablet in forever!!

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  56. I’ve been on the lookout for a small inexpensive tablet that Dad can use to play solitaire, etc on while we wait at doctor’s appointments. (Lightweight is key because I will be the one carrying it in my purse with everything else!)

    Reply

  64. This would be amazing to have!! We have one computer we share at home and usually our 3 year old wins the argument (it’s our movie watching device) so this would be wonderful to have to write grocery lists or just to read a book! 🙂

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  70. I really enjoyed your review. I do transcription work as a second job and I know a couple of the girls that use one of these so they aren’t stuck at a desk top working. I’ve tried Apple and Android tablets and really do lean toward the Andriod tablets, I’ve been really wanting to try a Windows based one out.

    Reply

  71. Sounds like it’s a nice little machine — I would love to have it for traveling when I don’t want to haul the laptop.

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  73. Your review was great and informative about the tablet. It does really seem more for light easy activity than for most things. Thank you for the chance.

    Reply

  74. Sounds like a decent little tab for content consumers. It would be great for when I have to hit the road with little notice and may need to hit internet-based reference material.

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  76. I was actually just looking at Microcenter for a tablet. My oldest kid is ready for one since they’re using them for school so often.

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  77. This Winbook looks and sounds like exactly what I need. I have been really wanting a Windows based tablet. Thanks for the chance!

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  82. I am both excited and apprehensive for Windows 10. I also love that this has a full USB. That’s one of the things that’s held me back with some tablets.

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  83. Wow.. this would mean so much to me and my family to have to use! Thank you for the chance to win!

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  85. Wow.. I’d love this. It would fit in my purse. It’s the perfect size to entertain my kids when we are out and about. And the price is right. Awesome.

    Reply

  89. This seems like a good tablet for the price! I love the full USB port! I would definitely love to win and use this tablet for myself and my kiddos! Thanks for the chance.

    Reply

  93. My daughter would freak over this tablet. She has a cheap one from Wal-mart that doesn’t have many good features.

    Reply

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