Windows 8.1 Tablet with a Huawei Dongle

davidod1

Hi Folks,

I was looking to upgrade my old Windows 7 Netbook with a Windows 8.1 Tablet. My smartphone is an Android device but I frequently use a couple of programs that are only available on Windows.

Does anyone know if it is possible to connect up a Huawei E220 broadband dongle to and have it recognised and work?

My understanding is that W8.1 mobile is virtually the same as the PC desktop version and any program that runs on one will run on the other. However I don't want to invest in the tablet if it just won't do the job.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Dave

Alanstrainor

A full Windows 8.1 tablet will run the same programs that a normal 8.1 PC or laptop will. (As it runs the exact same OS). The main consideration will be that it will have a lesser spec, but generally it's not a big deal.

davidod1

Thanks for that info Alanstrainor. I heard a very good review of the Bush MyTablet 8 Inch Tablet - 32GB (292/3020) in Argos. It's just €99.99 there at the moment and I was thinking of investing.

The review was in the PCPro Podcast and they were seriously impressed with most aspects of it. At that time it had just been reduced to STG£100 which they said was a steal.

P.S. The spec is probably significantly higher than a five year old Netbook.

CatInABox

It should work fine, but you might need a USB to Micro-USB adaptor, as most tablets of that size don't have full size USB ports.

That tablet also only has one USB port, so if the dongle needs two USBs to work, then you might have to plug one into the wall, and I'm not sure that'll work.

davidod1

Yes powering is a very relevant point OK. I'll need to sus out what leads and adaptors I have. I have one for Mini but not too sure about Micro. I assume it'll be able to provide the required power to drive it.

Thanks for the help. At that money it's not a disaster anyway.

davidod1

Furious - Went in to get the Bush Windows 8 Tablet in Argos and it had gone back up to €129.99. Apparently it was reduced to €99.99 for the 24th February only. If I had booked it then I could have collected it at the reduced price but I hadn't. I didn't know it was reduced for just the one day. A lesson hard learned.

0lddog

davidod1 wrote: »

Hi Folks,

I was looking to upgrade my old Windows 7 Netbook with a Windows 8.1 Tablet. My smartphone is an Android device but............

Have you considered the possibility of WiFi tethering from your android ?

davidod1

0lddog wrote: »

Have you considered the possibility of WiFi tethering from your android ?

In fact OldDog I gritted my teeth and paid the extra and got the Windows Tablet. And; as you suggest I'll be tethering the tablet (assuming it'll work) with my Android phone.

Right now I was trying to get an old Huawei dongle to work with it. No success yet. Windows recognised it and and loaded the drivers but the Huawei client software can't find it. I might need to get a powered USB hub for it.

Anyway it's a new toy to play with for a while, and I was looking for something to back up photos onto when away. It's got 32GB on board and a slot to add more if required. Mind you the Netbook takes and age to boot up and is seriously slow to do anything with; so it wasn't too hard to make the decision.

Dave

DavyD_83

Hi Dave,
Just wondering 3 months in how is the experience with the MyTablet?
Considering a purchase, mostly for streaming or watching movies while travelling, and probably some light browsing when at home.

Any advice appreciated
Thanks
Dave

davidod1

Hi Dave,

On the hole I have been very happy with the tablet. It'll do any of the the things hat you are proposing.

One thing though is that until Windows 10 comes along (and that won't be very long now) you will need to understand that W8.1 is not ideal for use solely on a touch device. Assuming you know your way around 8.1 you need to be very careful when trying to press some of the small buttons or options.

In my case it's not even the main tablet as I have a Nexus 10 but that said I think it would be hard to get better value in a tablet and with the free upgrade to W10 I personally think it's a 'no brainer'

I have actually tried to put W10 TP 100074 on it but unfortunately it refuses to complete the install. Hopefully the next release will do so as I think W10 will be a 'game changer' for tablets.

Go for it - it's worth it.

Dave

davidod1

0lddog wrote: »

Have you considered the possibility of WiFi tethering from your android ?

Forgot to come back to you after trying out tethering WiFi from my Android phone. Worked perfectly. No issues with device at all other the OS and that'll be updated shortly anyway.

davidod1

Just an update on my Bush MyTablet and Windows 10 Technical Preview install.

I successfully installed Windows 10 preview on it and all is working well. A couple of little hiccups on the install but got it all in in the end. In my case it started with Ver.10074 form the Update option. It took a few hours by the time I had a working system but then it more or less went straight in to updating to Ver.10130 - the latest update.

All is working well, WiFi and WiFi printer and all the software is working. So at this stage I'm a very happy camper. Not bad for what is now a €99 Tablet.