We had a clever idea (which just proves that it does happen now and then): why not get hold of an x86 tablet, and install Linux on it? After all, if it’s x86-based then we can install pretty much anything on it, right? So, here’s our roundup of tablet-ready distros.
We managed to get our hands on a rather nice Acer Iconia W500, with a dual core 1GHz AMD-C50 CPU, 2GB DDR3 RAM, a 1280 x 800 10.1-inch WXGA capacitive screen, an AMD Radeon GMA 6250 and a 32GB SSD. It all comes with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, dual cameras (front and rear), USB ports and MicroSD – so in essence it’s not a bad little bit of kit. In addition, there’s also the accelerometer function which, among other things, allows the tablet to flip the screen when it is turned on its side.
We wanted an all-out distro to satisfy the needs of every function the tablet has to offer, preferably straight out of the box, so we picked five recent releases – Ubuntu, Android x86, Fedora, Kubuntu Active and OpenSUSE – and put them through their paces, as either a live USB, or installed, to see just how far we could go with this interesting little endeavour.
Read more at TechRadar.
