@rubberbandito

I suggest to look for Windows tablets.

W500 has two USB ports, SD slot and you can play 1080p video using hardware acceleration.

@rubberbandito

You are wrong in almost all points.
I don't see how <$450 tablet (with many even $400 refurbished or slightly used available on ebay) that can run normal video editing software, has quite good screen, has replacable 1.8" SSD (so you can put larger one, like 128Gb or 256Gb, for quite cheap) can be compared to Tegra 2 crap.
Tegra 2 tablets are unsuitable even for normal HD video playback, it is widely known.

Windows 8 works on W500 absolutely fine. Download from Microsoft site and you can work on it in instant if you liek Windows 8 specifically. Plus it has quite good keyboard with stick required for any real long work with complex Windows software (that I like as I am ThinkPad fan).

@rubberbandito: Thanks for the tip... I had pretty much ruled out tablets for my purposes up to now, precisely because they can't be used to transfer files from SD to a portable hard drive, which is absolutely crucial. So instead, I've been carrying a crappy first-gen Atom netbook whenever I go on vacation/extended travel, and needless to say that's a far less snappy/fun/convenient experience than most tablets these days for anything else other than the aforementioned file transfers (i.e. internet browsing, watching videos, playing games, etc.)

Now that I know the Thrive can do USB hosting and read SD cards, I might just upgrade... Although I'm hopeful that if I hold out just a little longer, we'll get some even nicer options.

thanks vitaly, i probably would have done a little more research before buying had i known about the w500 and that i could throw on w8. i don't know if w8 is any good or not, but i heard good things that it is a great interface for touch. but for a few months i think the thrive will work for transferring files in the field. i basically only need for what @KeithLommel is saying here.

@rubberbandito

About Windows 8. Main things for normal user is fast turning on, better apps laucher and better browser.
Almost all of this can be done with special tablet lauchers for Windows 7. As 90% of time you are working with application, and this has nothing to do with Windows 8.

@rubberbandito

I suggest you to read various forums. As far as I remember Tegra 2 has common problems and tight restrictions son HD playback.

@chauncy

I am sure that you'll see FullHD screen in Windows tablets this year that could do it all.

Windows tablets normally can play any MTS file with reasonable bitrates, as real restriction here is not slow SSD, slow CPU bus or anything like it, only AMD HD accelerator restrictions.

you were right vitaly. I am disappointed in the Thrive. The only video you can watch are streamed from vimeo, youtube, etc, or if you render an h.264 down to 2Mbps which is a joke. they have a long way to go. the saving of files from SD card to external drive also a difficulty since it only reads and writes to exFat, not fat32, not NTSC. there are many older windows tablets sub $300 even with core 2 duo processors. They may not be great at touch but probably better in every other way.

I do not know, as do not use any insane bitrates. It must play any reasonable ones.

I don't either use super high rates. I checked winpad, too expensive for me. I am searching hard and able to find some letting go of w500 sub $300. Thanks for your help

My public service announcement: 1. I played a 90 minute 720p h264 file rendered at 22Mbit through HDMI to a big screen TV outputting at 1080p and it played without one stutter. 2. It stutters very bad when playing back 1080p (HBR mode) Intra I 88Mbit AVCHD mts files from the GH2 hack, to point of it not being good at all to use as a playback viewer (I have not tested the 24p mode) 3. The 44Mbit hacked files playback much better but do have small stutters in video and audio especially when first starting to play.

Side note: do not use the 88 Intra I codec settings. My camera completely froze while on and only way was to pull battery to reset. Did this 5 times in 20 minutes. I use Class 10 cards and got tons of errors also. As well there were jagged lines in the footage. Very bad! Maybe it works with no movement by the camera, but I move my camera so don;t know. I was using the unified EOSHD settings. I changed to the 44 Mbit, much better.

The Toshiba tablet only played back h264 files that were 2Mbit, so the W500 blows it away. My tests were using W7 not W8 on the W500.

My main thought though is that when you use the tablet in the field the SD card transfer is slower then small laptops that i have used and you will need to plug in an external drive to one of the USB ports. This is all good but it is a little bulky when you have external drive connected. You have two things laying there. With a small laptop that has a decent size hard drive you just have one thing to carry around even if it is a little heavier. But for the fun of it, it is great to have a tablet you can carry around and show people your work right there and hand to them like a book. So it is a trade off.