Every time I receive a new small form factor tablet to try out and I start sharing about it on social media, it is inevitable that the questions are asked about using the device as a digital notebook of sorts.
Late last year I took a close look at the NuVision 8 inch tablet offering, here is my unboxing and follow-up articles, that was on sale for $49 leading up to the holidays it ended up being an OK device but lacked pen/stylus support.
That is why when the NuVision Solo 10 Draw, the companies 10.1 inch tablet which is currently available at the Microsoft Store for $99 instead of its normal price of $249, shipped with a supported pen that can handle 1,024 points of pressure it got a lot of people interested.
Just like in the past when I started sharing about the device on social media the questions ramped up about whether this could be a functional digital notebook. It was even more enthusiastic since it included a pen in the box.
Well I have unboxed the Solo 10 Draw, see the embedded video below and the gallery images for hardware close ups, and I have started to use it for my morning and evening second screen time on the couch. My main goal is to evaluate whether this device can be a viable digital notebook out of the box.
Beyond the included pen, the Solo 10 Draw also includes a storage/carry sleeve that has a spot for the tablet and the pen and it has the following specs:
-- 10.1 inch Full HD (IPS touchscreen (1920 x 1200), 10-finger multi-touch support)
-- Intel Atom x5-Z8300 (1.44 GHz with Intel Burst Technology up to 1.84 GHz)
-- 2GB RAM (DDR3L 1600 MHz)
-- 32GB eMMC Storage
-- 2MP Front/5MP Rear Cameras
-- 802.11b/g/n (Miracast enabled)
-- Windows 10 Home (64-bit)
-- Dimensions: 10.25 x 6.25 x 0.33 in (260.35 x 158.75 x 8.38 mm) and 1.15 lbs (0.52 kg)
-- Ports: 1 Micro USB 2.0; 1 Micro HDMI; Headphone output
The manufacturer states it should get about six hours of battery life with its 6,800 mAh lithium battery and it is available in three colors - Blue, Pink, and Silver. The device I have for testing is the blue one and since I am a blue type of person I am really fond of that color!
The NuVision Solo 10 Draw is also a Signature Edition device which means it does not ship with a bunch of OEM software installed. However, I did go through and uninstall a several games and apps from the Windows Store which were installed by default.
The device arrived with the December 2016 Cumulative Update for the Windows 10 Anniversary Update installed and it just took me two update cycles to get caught up to the July Cumulative Update for the Anniversary Update. I decided to use the Windows 10 Update Assistant to get the Creators Update and now the device is on the latest Feature Update.
Just in case you are wondering, this is a Cherry Trail CPU so it is not impacted by the recent news about no updates beyond the Windows 10 Anniversary Update for those Clover Trail based devices.
As you can see from the specs, this is not a powerhouse device and it is not meant to be either. Updates are slow to download because it uses a slower Wi-Fi chipset and of course the storage and processor slows down the install process but again - not unexpected with a device with these specs. However, for consumption, note taking, and light social media use it should be fine.
Initially I have noticed that it takes very deliberate taps and pressure with the included pen to interact with the operating systems UI and to write using the Handwriting Panel. Of course, I have to keep in mind this is a sub $250 tablet and not a Surface Book, Surface Pro, or any other mid to high end device with supported pens.
Over the next couple of weeks I will be using this as my second screen as I mentioned earlier, so expect to hear more about the overall experience with this device as a digital notebook.
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