HP Omni 10 review: A tablet for working men

Over four years after Apple introduced iPad - and dazzled the world - tablets remain a work in the progress. iPad is more or less amazing at what it does. But at the same time, it is a device that has limited appeal, especially in the developing countries where people don't want to carry more than one or two devices at a time, because of what it can't do. For most people it doesn't replace a laptop. People who carry an iPad also carry a laptop with them. Usually.

Microsoft, which realised the disrupting power of tablets late, understands this. Windows 8, launched in 2012, was an attempt to combine the power of PC into the convenience and appeal of a tablet. It didn't succeed. But Microsoft and its hardware partners haven't given up. The company has worked on improving Windows 8 while its partners have polished the hardware that is supposed to replace the tablet-laptop combo with one device.
Omni 10, a tablet by HP, is one such device. Powered by Windows 8.1 (upgradable to Windows 8.1 Update 1 for free), Omni 10 promises consumers full Windows functionality in a form factor that offers the ease and convenience of a tablet. Does it succeed? Let's find out...

Build quality, screen and camera
Compared to some other Windows tablets - Microsoft Surface is one example - Omni 10 is a budget device. But HP has managed to strike a good balance between keeping the price low and opting for premium build material. The shell of Omni 10 is made of plastic that has soft rubber coating. The tablet has a tried-and-tested rectangular design with rounded edges, which makes it easy to hold. The whole design is very minimalistic. On the back, there is a shiny engraved HP logo and a small camera slot. On the left, there is a 3.5mm jack for headphones. On the right, there is a volume rocker that sits flushed with shell of the tablet. This too adds to the minimalist design.



The power button is on the top right. The tablet has stereo speakers, which are very loud for their size but the quality of sound is nothing special. The speaker grills are on the bottom side along with a micro HDMI port, a micro USB port and a covered micro SD card slot.
The ports and buttons are well disguised and that gives the tablet a design that looks clean and seamless.

Omni 10 has a 10-inch screen, covered by tough (Gorilla Glass 3) glass. The screen has a resolution of 1200 X 1980 pixels. It is not among the best screens we have seen in a tablet but it gets the job done. Colours look punchy on Omni 10 and contrast is good. The brightness is on the lower side, but is adequate unless you are standing under the sun.

Compared to the screen in iPad Air, Omni 10 doesn't look that good. The iPad screen is sharper, has better viewing angles and shows punchier colours. But compared to screens that you will get in a similarly priced laptop or a Windows tablet, HP Omni 10 does a very good job. The Omni 10 screen won't dazzle you but whether you are browsing the photos you snapped during your latest holidays or reading a book on it, it will look pleasant to you.



The tablet has two cameras. Both are passable. The 8MP primary camera shoots images that lack contrast. Though the level of detail it captures is decent and focus is usually sharp. If you are using Omni 10 for taking photos - we don't recommend it because it is a large tablet and it is little awkward to hold it as a camera - you can click images that are fit to be shared on social media. But just don't expect it to match the images that similarly-priced smartphones can click.

The 2MP camera on the front captures noisy footage, especially indoors where it is likely to be used. But it offers enough clarity to hold video chats.

While it is mostly a good show from HP in Omni 10, we have one complaint: The capacitive home button under the screen is not sensitive to touch. There were instances when we had to tap on it twice or thrice before it registered the touch.



Overall, we like the design and build quality of Omni 10. The quality of plastic used to build the shell of tablet and the use of Gorilla Glass give it a solid feel. Finishing is top notch, buttons don't wobble and due to the rounded edges it is easy to carry and use Omni 10.

Software and performance
Omni 10 runs the full and fat version of Windows. It uses Windows 8.1 and not the Windows RT that some other tablets use. In terms of hardware requirements, the full version of Windows is more demanding than the iOS that powers iPad or Android.
Omni 10 is powered by Intel Atom Z3770 quad-core processor running at 1.46GHz. It uses 2GB DDR3 RAM and 32GB Samsung hard drive - of which around 10GB is available to users.

Atom Z3770 is top of the line processor. In a tablet like Omni 10, it is a necessity too. For most part, Omni 10 offers performance that is very good. A user gets the full Windows experience optimized for touch and with Omni 10 you can do almost everything that you can do on a laptop.

Earlier Windows tablets suffered due to performance issues but Z3770 offers enough speed and power to make the experience better on Omni 10. Web browsing is smooth on Omni 10. And so is working on Word or PowerPoint documents. Demanding games like Asphalt 8 can be played but the gameplay is not entirely smooth and there is a hint of lag.

The biggest strength of Omni 10 is that it runs the full version of Windows. This means you get access to the "desktop" mode as well as the Modern UI mode. This also means that you can install almost any Windows application on it.

In terms of user interface, Windows 8.1 one big advantage over iPad or Android tablets: Full multi-tasking. If you use Omni 10 in desktop mode, you can enjoy the same multitasking that you get on a laptop or computer. Even in modern UI mode, you can snap two applications side by side - the windows are resizable - and work on both of them simultaneously.



But the biggest disadvantage of Omni 10 is also Windows. It is not as elegant or easy to use as an iPad or an Android tablet. If you are familiar with computers and like working on them, you will feel comfortable with Omni 10. But it will not delight you the way an iPad does.

Omni 10 can run almost any Windows app. But the good Windows apps that are optimized for Windows 8.1 and are available through the Windows App store are still not as abundant as iPad specific apps or Android apps. If you are using an iPad or an Android tablet, you will have access to higher quality games and better looking apps compared to what you will get with Omni 10.

In the past, battery life has been an issue with Windows tablets. Omni 10 fares better. It still doesn't offer 15 hours of battery life that the latest iPads or some Android tablets can manage but depending on your use, it is easy to get battery life of around 10 to 11 hours from the device. The fact that Omni 10 is a Wi-Fi only device (it doesn't support cellular connectivity) also helps.

Should you buy it over iPad?
In general, Windows tablets are still not at a stage where we can recommend them over iPad or a good Android tablet. But there are some specific exceptions.

If you are looking to get a Rs 30,000 tablet to browse the web and social media sites, use apps like Gmail, watch movies an play games, we still recommend iPad. But if you want a good portable device that can run some specific Windows apps that you use at work, or offer you a fully-functional file system, Omni 10 is a good option. It is not as good as Surface Pro but then it also costs almost half of what Surface Pro would cost if Microsoft launches it in India.

In a way, with a price of Rs 29,990 Omni 10 is a poor man's Surface Pro. It is fast enough and good enough to be recommended over a Rs 30,000 laptop if you are looking for a portable Windows device. Buy it if you REQUIRE a Windows tablet. Don't buy it if you just want a tablet because in that case iPad Mini/iPad Air or a device like Nexus 7 is a better option.

LG G3 for Verizon Leaks in Press Photo

- LG G3 for Verizon

Next week, South Korean mobile phone maker LG Electronics will make official its next flagship Android-based smartphone, the LG G3, and it seems that Verizon Wireless will be one of the carriers to add it to its offering. Leaked press photos with the Verizon flavor of the high-endmobile phone have emerged online today, courtesy of evleaks, showing the very same design that the device was already spotted with a while ago. The carrier’s branding is clearly visible on the back plate of the smartphone, as well as on top of the screen, so there’s no question about the availability of the handset on its network. However, we should note that other wireless carriers in the United States have been said to plan on launching the smartphone as well, including T-Mobile and Sprint. For those out of the loop, we should note that LG is expected torelease the phone on May 27 and that it will unveil it with a 5.5-inch 2K screen, as well as with a 2.3GHz quad-core processor, paired with 3GB of RAM. The phone is also said to pack a 13-megapixel camera on the back, with 4K video recording capabilities, as well as a front camera for video calling. It will run under the Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system right from the start. SOURCE:- SOFTPEDIA

Xbox One Might Soon Get External Hard Drive Support – Report

HARD DRIVE SUPPORT

The Xbox One could soon get access to an upgrade in terms of firmware that will allow all those who are using the next-gen console to attach an external hard drive in order to get extra storage capacity for all their video games and media.

The information has not been confirmed by Microsoft directly, but NeoGAF quotes a Reddit poster who has previously offered trustworthy information about the platform and who posted a screenshot that suggests that external hard drive support is being planned.

Microsoft says that it plans to deliver monthly firmware updates for the Xbox One in order to tweak the core abilities of the console and improve the user experience, but the company has not yet offered a full list of change notes for the version that’s set to be deployed next.

Eternal hard drive support will probably be delivered at some point during the summer because that’s the moment when the device is also set to get access to a host of new exclusive series under the Originals name.

buy Xbox one and peripheral here

Some users have already said that they are unable to keep all the games and the media content they are interested in on their internal storage and that as more and more titles are launched for the Xbox One, the situation will become even more complicated.

Microsoft has not said whether it plans to allow gamers to use any hard drive with the game console or if they are planning to deliver a special piece of hardware created to suit its specific needs.

No info on the cost of such a solution has so far been mentioned.

When the Xbox One was first announced, the development team focused on its multimedia capabilities and on how important streaming would be, but many users still like to have all the content they own installed on their hard drives.

Recently, Microsoft has announced that starting in early June, all interested customers will be able to pick up a new version of the next-gen console that no longer includes the Kinect motion tracking system.

The price has been reduced to 399 dollars or Euro in order to make the device all attractive and match the cost of the rival PlayStation 4 from Sony, which has been surging ahead in terms of sales.

Rumors have also suggested that the elimination of Kinect might allow Microsoft to increase the performance of the device in the near future.

Watch Dogs Gets Leaked PS4 Gameplay Videos Showing Destruction, Visuals

- Watch Dogs promo screenshot is much better than actual gameplay

Watch Dogs has just received a couple of gameplay videos showing off the PS4 edition in action, not to mention its pretty great visuals, the destruction, and the cop systems from the open world title. Watch Dogs is set to officially launch later this month, on May 27, but it seems that some early copies of the game have already been sold to lucky consumers around the world. Some of those early owners have started sharing their gameplay footage with others, and a set of gameplay videos has made its way onto the web, via AGB. As you can see in the two short videos below, the game runs on the PS4 console and looks pretty good, particularly in the second one that's more about the graphic effects. The first bit of footage, however, shows what happens when players begin causing havoc in the streets of Chicago by shooting innocent pedestrians. The NPCs begin to call the police and Aiden can exit the area of the crime in order to avoid pursuit from the cops. If he doesn't, he must face off against the authorities, but you can employ not just weapons but also your powerful smartphone, which can, among other things, take out the police chopper hovering overhead. Expect to see more leaked gameplay until the game is released next week.