Laptop replacement PlayBook vs. Windows 8.1
Okay, so i've owned and heavily used a PlayBook as a laptop replacement for work since the day it was released, and continue to use it today.
However, one of the items I struggled with on business trips, was when I needed to do some heavy edits of Powerpoint or when my Excel files had pull down filters or macros. My only means of editing/using these files was to remote desktop to my home PC or use Citrix hoping the local hotel wifi was up to the task. While at times this was painstakingly slow, the benefits of carrying only the playbook during air travel was well worth it.
Well I recently purchased a Windows8.1 Toshiba Encore 8" tablet running the new Bay Trail processor for under $400 (far less than a Surface Pro) and I have to say having the real deal full Windows capability in a tablet has been awesome. It includes a micro HDMI out, Miricast, SD card, and a fully functional micro USB and MS Office Home Edition.
The Playbook user interface is still substantially better than Windows 8.1 or IOS and will continue to be my primary tablet when not on business travel. However the corporate world may have a significant competitor to consider against the IPAD now.
Full disclosure: our 3 person household has 3 playbooks, a z10, z30, BB Bold and an IPAD2, so this isn't a negative biased post, just a perspective that for me and likely many business users, having a practcal choice for a full Windows tablet (and all your existing software being compatible ) could be a big deal.