Chasing Geese

So, we have our first test machine for our staff machine rollout next year.  The idea here is that the teachers get something ahead of the kids that sets the scene for our 1:1 program next year.

The machine sent to us was the Lenovo X230T (pictured).  Interesting because it’s a traditional Windows Tablet PC form-factor with multi-touch capabilities.  Available in an i5 version (which is where we’ll be aiming), it seems to tick a number of boxes, on paper at least.  Probably the only issue is how well it runs Windows 8, apparently some schools have looked at it previously, and had trouble getting some drivers to work.  I’ve been told by a reseller though, that they believe the drivers are due to be updated for Win 8 soon, so I guess we’ll see.



It’s been handed to one of our teachers for a look and the impression has been overall quite positive.  The demo model didn’t have an SSD though, which we’d require if we were to buy it.

Whether it turns out to be any good or not, it’s nice to at least have it.  It wasn’t easy to get hold of.  We were originally told by one reseller that we could have it as soon as another school was finished, only to have that reseller spend weeks trying to track it down as it went from school to school, avoiding us like we had the plague.  When push finally came to shove we were told that the particular demo unit had been arranged by another reseller and we couldn’t have it.  We contacted said other reseller and had it in our hands within a week.

Needless to say, we won’t be hurrying back to that first reseller anytime soon.

A Touch Scarce!

With the need for a specific type of Windows 8 device for both teachers and students next year, the search has begun (okay, it began back at the Dell Roadshow, but I was really just window-shopping then) for a couple of models to fit the bill.

Our consultant from the workshop was quite strong on suggesting we contact Samsung to see what they had to offer.  After some stuffing around to try and find someone to contact, I've done just that.  It'll be interesting to see if they can meet our needs.  They have some cool looking new Windows 8 devices available, but the big question is around whether they can provide local warranty and support at enterprise level (or better than retail level, at least).

But regarding getting hold of one of these new Windows 8 based machines to look at, there's not a lot available right now (September).  I've been promised a look at a Fujitsu Q702 soon, and I may be able to get hold of a Lenovo X230T as well (which may or may not be able to run Windows 8).  But other than that most of the manufacturers are telling me to wait until October 26, then they'll have something to show.  That's scarily late in the year for staff PC's, which are intended to be rolled out in January at the latest.