First, Update Your Bluetooth Drivers

You may already keep your computer up-to-date with Windows Update. Unfortunately, neither Windows nor your computer manufacturer typically has the latest drivers for the specific Bluetooth chip in your computer. Getting the latest Bluetooth driver directly from the Bluetooth manufacturer can resolve a lot of issues.

Identify Your Bluetooth Device

Click the search bar on your computer and type “Device Manager”. Open it.

Click the small arrow beside “Bluetooth.” The name of your Bluetooth device should be displayed.

Install Drivers directly from the Manufacturer

Do a quick Google search for the name of your Bluetooth device, followed by the name “driver.” This should hopefully take you to the manufacturer’s website which will typically have the most up-to-date version of the Bluetooth driver.

Poor Sound Quality

If your device is connected, but the audio quality is poor:

• Make sure the audio is playing through the Bluetooth device. Select the Start button, then select Settings  > System  > Sound . Under Choose your output device, select the Bluetooth audio device.

• Verify that stereo is selected for the Bluetooth device in order to ensure the best quality audio. To do this:
  1. On the right side of the taskbar, click Volume  and then select the chevron  icon to choose a playback device. 
  2. Select the Bluetooth device, and make sure the Stereo option is selected. (The lower-audio quality option is Hands-Free.)
  3. If stereo is not available as an option, remove the device in Settings  > Devices  > Bluetooth & other devices and then re-add the device. Then, check the Volume  panel again to make sure that stereo is selected.

Volume Controls on Device Do Not Work

1. Make sure you’ve installed the latest updates from Windows Update. (Actually, a solution for this issue was included in the October 24, 2018—KB4462933 update for Windows 10 version 1803.) 
   To check for updates, select the Start  button, and then go to Settings  > Update & security  > Windows Update > Check for updates.
2. If the volume controls still do not work, manually disable the “Absolute Volume” feature by making a change in the registry. To do this, go to Start and type cmd. Right-click Command Prompt in the Search results and select Run as administrator.
3. In the Command Prompt window, type the following command:

reg add HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Bluetooth\Audio\AVRCP\CT /v DisableAbsoluteVolume /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

You may need to restart Windows for the registry change to take effect.

If you need to undo this change later, go to Start and type cmd. Right-click Command Prompt in the Search results and select Run as administrator. Then type the following command:

reg add HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Bluetooth\Audio\AVRCP\CT /v DisableAbsoluteVolume /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

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PROs

• Windows AND Android: Can’t decide between a Windows tablet or an Android tablet? Now you don’t need to. This tablet comes with both Windows 8.1 and Android 4.4 pre-installed. You can easily reboot the tablet from one operating system to the other. So if you’re invested in the Android ecosystem but occasionally need to run a Windows-only application (or vice-versa), this tablet is ideal.
  To boot from Windows to Android: Go to Desktop mode and tap the Android icon on the task bar.
  To boot from Android to Windows: Swipe down from the top-right of the screen and tap “OS Switch”
• Quad Core Processor: Whether your checking Facebook or playing games, a responsive interface is important. No one likes delays or “stuttering” when trying to scroll a web page or start an app. The tablet comes with a quad-core processor. It may not be top-of-the-line, but I found general web surfacing and app loading to be very good, with only occasional hesitations. Some games do run choppier than they would on other tablets, but the Subway Surfers game showed in my video performed very well. The Geekbench multi-core score came in at 2011.
• 32GB of storage: This refers to how many apps, photos, videos, and music files you can store directly on the tablet. There is 32GB, but please note that it is split between the Windows and Android operating systems. About 5GB is free for Windows and about 7GB is free in the Android operating system If that’s not enough space, you can expand the storage with inexpensive Micro SD cards, like the ones you would use in your phone and some digital cameras. +
• IPS Display: It’s not very often that you find an IPS display in a budget tablet, but Dragon Touch includes it on the i8 Pro and it looks great. IPS means that you can look at the display at an angle and it does not appear to be washed out or “reflective”. This tablet has a colorful display and an appropriate 1024×800 resolution for web browsing and many games. It doesn’t have a Retina resolution, but it is widescreen and works fine for watching Netflix or YouTube.
• Bluetooth: This tablet also has Bluetooth so you can use it with Bluetooth keyboards and Bluetooth speakers. Sometimes Bluetooth is omitted on lower-end tablets, so I’m happy to find it on this tablet. This also makes navigating Windows’ Desktop mode easier by pairing it with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.
• Two cameras: The tablet features both a front and rear-facing camera. Low light performance is not great, but the front facing camera is fine for a Skype video call. I wouldn’t depend on taking stellar photos with the back camera, but it’s nice to have the option to grab a quick snapshot.

CONs

• Windows 10 free space issue: I received a message within Windows 8.1 stating that I was eligible to upgrade to Windows 10 on this tablet. However, the Windows partition does not have enough space for the Windows 10 installer to proceed. You may still be able to upgrade the tablet by using a Micro SD card, but I have not verified this yet.
• 1GB of RAM: While this is a good amount for Android, it is on the low-end for Windows. This may limit the number of applications you can run at once it Windows, or you may notice performance degrade when you have multiple windows open. If you tend to focus on one application at a time and do not switch back and forth very often, this may be less of an issue for you.
• Cameras: While I like that there are cameras included on this tablet, they are low resolution and the picture quality is poor in low light. However, its better than having no camera for quick Skype calls.

Overall, I’m impressed that this tablet packs both Windows and Android operating systems into one unit at a low price tag. The tablet performs very well for basic web browsing and gaming.

Check out the Dragon Touch i8 Pro on Amazon

— Sample provided for review

The post Dragon Touch i8 Pro Windows 8.1 and Android 4.4 Tablet Review appeared first on Technically Well.

Although I’m not a fan of Windows 8, I like that this Dragon Touch i10X tablet provides many of the capabilities of a full laptop computer. It even includes a free year of Office 365, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

PROs

• Processor: The included Atom Quad Core gives you laptop-like power in a tablet. It features 4 cores at 1.33 GHz, giving this tablet snappy performance and helps make it very responsive. I was pleasantly surprised to find that web pages loaded very quickly and the lag was minimal while scrolling. Apps also launched very quickly and playback of HD YouTube videos was very smooth.
• 2GB RAM: The RAM also helps with performance as the more RAM that a device has, the more applications can run quickly at the same time. 2GB is the higher end for many tablets (the current iPad Air 2 also sports 2GB of RAM). Again, I was impressed by how fluid and quick it was to switch between apps on the tablet.
• 64GB of storage (about 45GB usable): This refers to how many apps, documents, photos, music files, etc you can store directly on the device. If this isn’t not enough, you can expand the storage of this tablet with an inexpensive Micro SD card (up to 32 GB).
• 10.1″ IPS Screen: This display on this tablet is very nice. Colors are rich and onscreen text is crisp and sharp. IPS means that the screen is viewable from the side or at an angle (older screens would look “washed out” unless you were viewing them head on, but that’s not a problem with this tablet). The display is widescreen, so web pages may look too narrow when the tablet is held in portrait mode.
• Windows 8.1: Although I’m not a huge fan of Windows 8.1, I know that a lot of people use it and are (somewhat) familiar with it. This tablet comes with the “real” Windows 8.1 (not the limited Windows RT version) which allows you to run many familiar programs, like Microsoft Office, on this tablet. In fact, this tablet comes with a 1-year subscription to Microsoft Office 365, which gives you Word, Excel, and PowerPoint free for one year. I will say that using Windows 8.1 on a tablet such as the Dragon Touch has been a better experience for me than using it on a laptop or desktop computer.
• Included keyboard: Typing on the on-screen keyboard of most tablets can be a pain. Tablet Express includes a keyboard that helps make typing emails and documents a lot easier. The tablet connects magnetically to the keyboard. The keys feel like normal laptop keys (not squishy silicon buttons) and typing feels natural on it.
• Included case: The case can prop up the screen to a comfortable reading level. The keyboard is also built into the case. There is also a magnetic closure to help keep everything secure while you’re on the move.
• Build quality: This tablet is definitely thicker and heavier than the iPad Air 2, but it is still very portable and, even with the included keyboard and case, is easier to carry and transport than a full laptop. The tablet is lightweight and, when removed from the case, the soft, matte back is comfortable to hold.
  2 cameras: There is a front-facing camera as well as a more powerful camera on the back. This is usual for making Skype calls or taking photos, although the photo quality won’t compete with most point-and-shoot or even iPhone cameras.
• Pre-applied screen protectors: This is a big “PRO” for me, because installing screen protectors can be a pain. I was happy to see that Tablet Express had already applied a screen protector to this unit. Be careful when removing the instructional overlay from the screen as the real screen protector will be underneath it. My protector did have some specks of dust under them, but they are not really noticeable when the screen is on. I will get around to removing them eventually. This can be done by using a piece of tape to lift up one edge of the protector, then using another piece of tape that is rolled up to go in a “pluck” out the piece of dust.

CONs

• Non-standard charging cable: While this tablet has a Micro USB port, it cannot be used for charging. You will need to use the included 2.5mm barrel charger plug to use with this unit. If you’re prone to losing chargers like I am, you’ll be happy to know that Tablet Express sells additional chargers on Amazon.
• Sound: There are two speakers located on the back. The sound quality is not the best and is a little “tinny”, so you will likely want to use headphones or external speakers if you plan to listen to music. This device does have Bluetooth that can be used for wireless listening.

Overall, I am very impressed by the performance of the Dragon Touch i10X. It is very responsive to my touches and swipes and has a great form factor for both reading and playing games, or for connecting it to the keyboard to get some work done. The display is bright and vivid, and the included 1-year subscription to Office 365 provides the familiar Word, Excel, and PowerPoint programs.

Dragon Touch i10X Tablet PC

Sample product provided for evaluation

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