Win8 Tablet--Is It a "PC"?

Yes, steer clear of the "RT" versions.

Shouldn't be any problem running videos from one of these tablets. One of the prime uses for a tablet is as an entertainment device so they are generally designed to excel at video playback.

Yeah, I checked the Dell site last night and found a couple models that say you can run Win programs. So a "full" version of win8--not "RT" will do the trick? Only issue is now we're talking about $700-$800.

As far as running portable programs, I can ixnay that. I was hoping the USB drive could be seen as a permanent drive.

Otherwise it looks good. I'm thinking of fabbing a bracket for the center dash/console, right in front of the entertainment center.

Stupid question, are these tablets robust enough to play 720X480 avis and ifo's?

Thanks for the help!

There are quite a few tablets out there that run the full Windows 8, just make sure you don't get one that is designed for Windows 8 RT since that version will NOT run your old Windows software.

Having your data on an external USB drive is fine but as far as running programs from that drive, that's a little tricky. Some programs can do it while others can't. The ones that can are referred to as "portable". Programs that aren't portable need to be installed on the computer itself. You can do a custom install and put the bulk of the program on an external drive but certain files need to be installed in the system folders and entries need to be made in the Windows registry.

Here's a link to a site that lists many portable apps: portableapps.com

You will have to install the programs on the tablet- I doubt that Windows will let you run most of them from a USB drive, unless they were installed on the USB drive- I could be wrong though, as I don't do windows.

There are a few tablets that run Windows. The Microsoft Surface Pro has an i5 processor and runs Windows 8 Pro.

The Lenovo Yoga has been highly rated. It can be purchased with up to the i7 processor.

Do a search on Amazon for Windows tablets and you will find others. Be aware that Windows RT will not run standard Windows software.

Nope, Windows 8 RT Surface tablets are designed for ARM processors. Won't run existing Windows 8 PC programs.

You would have to look for a tablet that comes with something similar to an Intel Atom or Celeron processor for instance, that can support the PC version on Windows. Generally, big bucks, and low battery life.