/ Linx

Linx 7 Windows 8 Tablet

It's been just over a week...

Since I took ownership of the Linx 7 tablet and in this short amount of time, as well as eating my body weight in turkey, I have found the time to tinker with this little bargain.
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For those that missed my earlier blog post, the Linx 7 is a budget Windows 8.1 tablet that comes with

  • 1GB of DDR3 RAM
  • Quad Core Intel Atom Z3735G CPU which runs at 1.33GHz but can go up to 1.83GHz
  • 32GB of Flash Storage
  • 1200 x 800 IPS 7 inch screen
  • Two cameras, front and back facing
  • Windows 8.1
  • Bluetooth 4.0
  • Office 365 Personal Licence for 1 year

So why am I interested?

Well there are two reasons why I am interested. One because it is a really cheap tablet, and two because it uses an x86 CPU...it is possible to install a flavour of Linux on to it. At this time, there are people trying to make this a reality and when I get chance I will tinker around to see what I can do. Also thanks to the x86 version of Windows 8 I can install a number of well known and used applications. Effectively having a desktop in my pocket.

What have I done with it?

In the past week I've had a great time playing around with it and so far I have.

Arduino Hacking

The Arduino IDE running on Windows 8.1
I installed the Arduino IDE and managed to program my trusty Arduino UNO using the USB OTG lead that you get with the Linx 7.

Painting with GIMP

Running GIMP on Windows 8
Because Photoshop is far too expensive for my level of (non) talent, I use GIMP for all of my photo editing needs.

Drawing circuits with Fritzing

Running Fritzing on Windows 8
Fritzing is an essential tool for hardware hackers such as I, and having it in my pocket is a real bonus.

Coding with Sublime Text

Running Sublime Text on Windows 8
I really do love Sublime Text, it is a great all round editor and it suits my workflow perfectly.

Keyboard and mouse

The Linx 7 can be plugged into a USB hub, and then connected to a standard USB keyboard and mouse, add a simple tablet stand and you have a fairly decent tablet / laptop hybrid that can meet simple needs.

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The Linx 7 comes with Bluetooth 4 and I just so happen to have a Kano keyboard and trackpad that pairs very easily to the Linx, enabling me to have a wireless solution when on the move.

It's still early days

But I really do like this tablet. Windows 8 in a tablet is a pleasant experience to use. Don't worry I still love Linux and I won't be jumping ship.

The Linx 7 is a rather good tablet for it's £80 price tag and well worth it as a travelling companion or simple desktop "on the go".