You need good IPS FullHD screen.

Sony made Vaio Tap with 11" screen with quantum dots (so 99% sRGB coverage on tablet). Dell also has some products.

Remember to always look at screen measurements, as even IPS screen can have horrible colors.

Look for refurbished brand tablets and laptops.

No, it is not.

It is bad TN screen, very slow eMMC disk and old processor.

Depending on your definition of "cheap," you might consider a 2011 Macbook Air 11".

Thanks for the suggestions. I visited Fry's, Best Buy and Walmart today. Incredible that the the affordable laptops were locked into into anti theft devices resembling a 19th century bear trap. They were missing keys and couldn't power up. None of the salesmen could tell me what advantage a chromebook has over a windows mini laptop. The prices aren't much different. None could tell me if I can connect an external hdd to a chrombook via usb and view video files. Complete exercise in futility. Are they giving up on bricks and mortar retail? I did see a functioning Asus ebook. must have the cheap tn screen because colors were dull. Wallmart carries a brand that seems a good value, and has a great name: Vulcan. Did Spock use it? Of course it didn't power up. The salesguy said it's "Made in America".

Here's a current eBay deal on a manufacturer refurbished Surface Pro 2 for $330:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/172127939098

Add a keyboard and you're set!

I find the display fine. It's an IPS, and according to this article has more accurate colors compared to the Surface Pro 1:

http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinions/surface-pro-2-vs-surface-pro-what-is-different

Here's a better review with measurements:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Microsoft-Surface-Pro-2-Tablet.105769.0.html

Certainly not the best, but it's an IPS screen and quite good for the price at this point in time, especially with calibration. The Surface Pro 3 is better, and the Surface Pro 4 better still, but the original poster was looking for a budget choice. Here's the review of the other two:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Microsoft-Surface-Pro-3-Tablet-Review.122170.0.html http://www.notebookcheck.net/Microsoft-Surface-Pro-4-Core-m3-Tablet-Review.153843.0.html

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/11-6-Inch-Laptop-1920-1080-Onda-OBook-11-Windows-10-Tablet-PC-2GB-RAM-32GB/32560947466.html

ASUS T300CHI 12.5" Touch Transformer 2-in-1 M5Y10 4GB 128GB, FHD IPS screen, $358

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ASUS-T300CHI-12-5-Touch-Transformer-2-in-1-M5Y10-4GB-128GB-Win8-1-T300CHI-F1-DB-/252345071257

Thanks Vitaliy. I ended up just getting a cheap earlier generation $150 Asus T100. It's nothing special but a pretty good value if anyone is interested. The GOOD: small and light; well built, USB 3, good battery life, touchscreen/keypad, The BAD: because the screen detaches, in notebook mode it doesn't have a full range of motion; ugly red color The MEH: It's an IPS screen but it's just okay. could be worse, but doesn't pop. not a speed demon. adequate for simple function though.

Overall, if you're like me and spend a lot of time on your computer doing important stuff like Facebook, it's well worth having a touch screen + mechanical keyboard. Takes physical stress off fingers and wrist.

There are good deals. I saved about 80 bucks or so. And mine was the last one they had. They move off the shelves if the price is good....

HP Elite X2 G1 11.6" Ultrabook/Tablet - Intel Core M 5Y51 - 8GB RAM - 128GB SSD, $449

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121686085644