Windows 8 touch screen laptop test drive

Yesterday, I tried out the Asus Vivobook S200E, a Windows 8 laptop with touch screen, courtesy of Currys in Oxford Street.

I was very impressed, both in terms of the laptop and Windows 8 with touch screen. I think touch screens on laptops will take off in a big way – unlike on desktops, where it doesn’t seem a good proposition. A laptop is used in a different way to desktop pc and is usually in much closer proximity to the user – plus it has a proper keyboard. As for tablets, I must admit, I’m not really that keen on the whole tablet thing, even as an iPad user. So to me, a touch screen laptop which has a good keyboard is ideal – you’ve then got both options, as you’re not forced to use the touch screen.

The laptop is sturdily made which also helps the touch screen experience. I tried Windows 8 touch screen also on a Sony laptop and the build wasn’t very sturdy, so when touching the screen the display kept flapping about – looks like it would be broken in a month of use. Maybe that’s because it’s a display model in a shop, but that gives you a general idea of how it may be after a few months use.

One of the best things with the touch screen is that everything is touchable, such as any links/icons/buttons in Internet Explorer.

Big pluses with the touch screen:

– reaching out and touching any part of the screen

– pressing links/icons/buttons on the screen

– swiping up and down through long browser pages

– swiping back and forth through multi-screen things, such as lists of Apps etc

– zoom in and out using two fingers

When I get round to replacing my current Windows 7 laptop, I would definitely consider one of these. One thing to check will be the longevity of these touch screen laptops, as maybe after a lot of use they might fall apart. On your normal laptop, you only really interact with the keyboard and mousepad thingy.

Pat is an excellent one-stop-shop for testing Apps and Websites. He is a self-starter who just knows what needs to be done and gets on with it, and is responsive to requests for any specific testing requirements. He provides test plans and reports as a matter of course and was a pleasure to work with. I will definitely be working with Pat again if the opportunity arises.

Andrew Birley, PM, Storythings

Pat has been absolutely incredible at testing each of our projects he works on. He’s very professional, organised and diligent. I look forward to using him again in the future.

Oliver Thurtle, Director of Technology, Drum

We’ve worked with Pat Walsh on a number of very different projects, from interactive video projects to mobile apps. His work is very thorough and has quickly become an essential and important phase of all the production work we do at Storythings. He’s thorough, diligent, and a pleasure to work with.

Matt Locke, Director, Storythings

We hired Pat to help with QA of a music streaming app. We needed someone with that magic “6th sense” of where the bugs are lurking; the ones which developers tend to miss. Pat more than fulfilled this need, with highly methodical approach and a great eye for detail.

Subsequently Pat has provided QA services for a personal app project of mine, finding a significant issue which had been lurking for some time.

Pat is a real asset to any team – highly competent technically but also easy going and a great guy to work with. Highly recommended!

Andrew Ebling, Head of App Development, Composed

Pat performs comprehensive website testing for us, across all the main browsers and platforms, including mobile devices. His flexible approach to testing and clear feedback enable us to have confidence that the business end of our website is still working smoothly after system updates and changes.

Steve Liu, Manager, Wicked Lasers

Pat came to Composed to respond to our (increasingly urgent) need of QA on mobile and web and I can testify he more than fulfilled the task. On the Android side, his very structured approach (first exploratory testing, then focus on defining test plans for a variety of scopes) and his clear knowledge of the latest mobile technologies have quickly paid off. He was involved directly with the developers (including myself) and this very dynamic relationship enabled us to annihilate bugs swiftly and efficiently.

David Ferrand, Android Developer, Composed

Pat Walsh fixed my site within hours of my contacting him – his WordPress website fix service clearly works!

Douglas Green, Douglas Software

Pat Walsh provided Kingston Valdes with a professional and personable service that was excellent value. The site was built and tested quickly, we are delighted with the results, and we have already had positive feedback from some of our clients. If you’re thinking of building a new site or adapting an existing one, I’d certainly recommend speaking with Pat about it.

Kathy Valdes, Kingston Valdes

Couldn’t recommend Pat highly enough. He goes beyond what you’d expect of a QA tester, commenting more broadly on user experience and even design. He’s quick, efficient and thorough – couldn’t ask for any more.

Rob Calvert, Director, Click