We're
no strangers to budget Android tablets here at The Test Pit, having
reviewed a few cheap but very cheerful models in the past. A couple
of months ago however, we reviewed a budget tablet running Windows
8.1, the Linx 7, which impressed us no end. Therefore we've decoded
to see what else is out there for those of us big on Microsoft
enthusiasm, but short on cash. We've found a corker in the Bush
MyTablet 8.
Here are your headlines, folks: this is a sub (just) £100 eight inch tablet that runs Windows 8.1. At 9mm thick it won't stun you with it's slimness, nor will its mere 1GB of RAM, but after extensive use we really have fallen in love with this feisty little fellow. As we stated in our recent review of the Asus ZenPad 8.0, eight inch tablets are our favourite slate size, so the Bush MyTablet 8 is great on both the wallet and the hand.
Just
like with the Linx 7, we found that operating Windows 8.1 on a
smaller screen didn't really take all that much getting used to. With
the addition of a Bluetooth keyboard, and with Desktop mode
activated, the tablet acts just like your Windows laptop would,
allowing you to use (should you purchase it – no freebies here)
Microsoft Office in the familiar way.
But
of course, this being Windows 8.1, the finger-pleasing tablet mode is
just as easily used, with the nice chunky Start screen buttons that
Windows 10 has largely done away with. Yes, there is only a single
gig of RAM to play with, but with 32GB of storage as standard, and
the addition of a Micro SD card slot to expand it further, this is an
extremely attractive media tablet. Day to day tasks like running apps
(the ones you can find anyway – we've said it before, but the
Windows mobile app store pales in comparison to Apple's and
Android's), creating documents, and browsing the web can be pulled
off without making the Bush MyTablet 8 sweat too much. Crank up the
usage and have multiple apps running simultaneously while downloading
or streaming content, and that single gig really gets pushed to the
limits. During heavy use we experienced several freezes and even a
total crash.
But
remember, this is a cheap eight inch tablet... what the hell are you
doing pushing it to the extreme operating limits? For steady use it
performs great, and although the 1280 x 800 display won't win any
awards, it does okay with both media and games, appearing bright and
clear for the most part. The Bush MyTablet 8's speakers were very
'meh' (a technical term), but via headphones, both connected through
the audio jack or through Bluetooth 4, everything sounded fine.
There
are two cameras on the Bush MyTablet 8, an atrocious 2MP on the back,
and an even worse, God awful, vomit inducing 0.3MP on the front. Why
they even bothered, we don't know. But at least they are there should
you suddenly need to Skype with someone you don't care about. But
again (and we've said this many, many times now) if you're buying a
tablet for photography, you're an idiot.
Less
than £100: that is the key thing to remember here. You're getting a
well made gadget that performs very decently for less than most other
decent tablets on the market. If you're looking to extend your office
experience into the palm of your hand, you could do a lot worse than
the Bush MyTablet 8. Sure, Windows apps are still lagging behind, and
push it too hard and it will throw a wobbler, but for casual,
familiar tablet use, this is great.
Around
£99