Tech and functionality upgrades for Winmate's feature-rich, full-size 13.3-inch rugged tablet for professional-grade Windows work out there in the field (by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer, with photography by Carol Cotton) Modern-era tablets began with the Apple iPad in 2010. The iPad had a 10-inch screen and that size has remained the most popular because it's larger than any smartphone, but not so large as to be too big and heavy to casually carry around. There are, however, tasks that are best done on bigger screens, even if it comes at the cost of reduced mobility and higher weight. As a result, some manufacturers of rugged tablets are offering large-screen tablets. Among them is Winmate, which has been offering its big M133 tablet platform for several years. The M133K is the latest and most technologically advanced model in the lineup, and in this article we're presenting an in-depth analysis of Winmate's big and powerful 13.3-inch tablet. So what is the Winmate M133K? An elegantly designed, big tablet computer that's fully rugged, equipped with one of Intel's powerful but remarkably efficient 7th generation Core processors, a high-quality and satisfyingly large 13.3-inch display, full ruggedness, and extensive onboard connectivity. When the company initially announced the platform, the media release said, "When selecting technology for use in a volatile environment, choosing between the portability of a tablet and the screen size of a laptop can be a difficult call. The larger screen size of the laptop provides greater visibility, but tablets offer greater durability and portability." The clear implication, of course, is that Winmate M133 tablets deliver both. Where does the M133 tablet platform fits in a "Post PC" world There used to be desktops and laptops and cellphones, each optimized for clearly defined sets of tasks. Work was done on the desktop. A laptop was a desktop for the road. And a phone was for making phone calls. First the smartphone and then the tablet changed all that. Desktops became viewed as old-school, to be replaced by ever lighter laptops. Those, in turn, are increasingly replaced by tablets. And smartphones have become computers one can also make a call on. As it turned out, the world isn't quite ready to be "Post PC." And smartphones and consumer tablets can't do it all. So the quest these days is that of finding the right tool for the job. Desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones — each does some things well and others not so well or not at all. And the challenge is to extend the functionality of each of those platforms, making them useful for the broadest possible range of tasks. The issue Winmate tackled with the M133 platform was creating a tablet form factor that is large and powerful enough to do Microsoft Windows-based work. One can use Windows on a tiny screen, but not very well and not very productively. Hence this tough, rugged tablet with a screen larger than most. To provide a visual of how big the M133K is, below are, from left to right, a 5.5-inch Apple iPhone 7 Plus, a 9.7-inch iPad Air 2, the big 2nd-gen 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and then the rugged Winmate M133W with its 13.3-inch display. But isn't such a big, tough tablet too bulky and heavy to be truly useful in the field? That depends. The Winmate M133K has a footprint of 13.3 x 9.4 inches. That's smaller than that of most full-size laptops people take everywhere. While it's substantial, the Winmate tablet is only 1.18 inches thick. And while most full-size laptops are on the fragile side, the Winmate tablet definitely isn't. At about 5.3 pounds, Winmate's 13.3-inch tablet isn't a slender lightweight, but it isn't a boat anchor either. Below is a look at the Winmate M133K from the front and from all four sides. It's instantly obvious that this is a rugged device with ample protection against drops, spills, and all-day use out there in the field and on the job.Note that while consumer tablets generally don't have more than the absolute minimum of hardware buttons, the M133K has a Home icon button that brings up a utility that controls the unique features of the tablet; power/sleep; three programmable function buttons that each can perform two separate functions via short or long push; as well as volume up and down control. The below picture shows a close-up of the left side of the M133K, with the protective port covers removed. There are two I/O blocks on this side, each protected by a hinged rubberized plastic door with a double-lipped pressure seal. This type of door provides a very good, tight seal as long as it's firmly pushed into place. Opening is easy thanks to little pull-latches on each door. From left to right, the lefthand I/O block provides: a full-size HDMI port a reset push-hole an SD Card reader a 3.5mm Mic In/Line Out audio jack a USB Type-C port (that's the new reversible kind, and it's also new to the M133 platform) two full-size USB 3.0 ports (you can always tell 3.0 because it's blue) a legacy DB9 RS232 serial port The right side of the tablet, shown below and again with the protective port covers removed, is highly configurable. Our eval unit had power, an RJ45 LAN jack, and two USB 2.0 ports underneath a protective cover, and then the window for the optional integrated 1D/2D barcode scanner. Depending on intended use, the scanner can be replaced with an also optional Smart Card reader. As far as the port covers go, they are well designed, easy to operate, and they get the job done. In addition, all three are the exact same size and design, so it's economical for quantity buyers to stock a few spares. On the other hand, the covers are not labeled, so users must memorize which ports are where. A look inside the Winmate M133K The backside of the Winmate M133K looks impressive. It is not the usual flat, flush bottom with a couple of access doors, but a surface that's designed, structured and contoured for the various jobs at hand. It's an example of form following function, as opposed to squeezing function into whatever form is deemed fashionable at any given time.The finning in the magnesium, for example, isn't just decorative. It's there because that part of the housing dissipates processor heat, and finning increases heat-dissipating surface area. There's the battery compartment for the flush-fitting 76.1 watt-hour (7.4 Volt, 10,280 mAh). It's rectangular, 5/8th of an inch thick, and snaps into place thanks to a springloaded lever that can then be locked via a second lever. There is no battery compartment cover or seal. Sealing to the interior of the tablet is at the point of the actual battery contacts. The only access cut-out on the back of the unit is a thick, heavy, finned aluminum door secured with four small screws against a pressure seal. Underneath are two expansion connectors. An M.2 slot is for a second SSD, a mini PCI-e slot for a mobile broadband WWAN module. There is also a Micro-SIM card slot. The next thing to come off are the two protective bumpers along each long side of the M133K. While they look like they are made of solid rubber, they are actually tough flexible Polymer plastic with a grippy rubberized exterior surface (most likely TPR, which stands for ThermoPlastic Rubber). In addition to providing grip and protection, they also allow Winmate to mount antennae outside the actual metal housing of the tablet, thus making for much better wireless performance. The tough rotating kickstand of the M133K comes off easily, too. Its two anchors are secured with two Philips screws each. Note that this is one tough handle. Solid metal, with grippy rubber inserts.Now we're down to the two halves of the M133K, and they are held together with a total of 13 Philips screws. Once those are undone, the overall construction of the M133K is revealed. The backside "bucket" is very substantial cast magnesium. The front is essentially the ABS+PC bezel with a metal plate (aluminum, it seems) attached to it. The front side of the metal plate mounts the display, the back side 6 x 5.5 inch (155 x 140 mm) the main circuit board that's roughly mini-ITX size. Below you can see the very strong cast magnesium on the left, and the Polymer top with all of the electronics and the display on the right:The sealing between the two halves is via a rather delicate tongue-and-groove design that relies on a very thin rubber string seal that goes around the entire perimeter of the tablet, loosely sitting in its groove. This means that when taking the tablet apart, utmost attention must be given to that seal so that upon reassembly it isn't crimped or damaged. The overall interior design approach very much reminds of Winmate's history and experience in embedded systems where "embedded" PC boards are used in all sorts of settings and connected to all sorts of dedicated peripherals and functionality. Here, this means that one part of the M133K tablet's I/O is surface-mounted on the system board, whereas the other part sits on a daughterboard all the way on the other side of the device. This approach means that Winmate can very easily customize I/O. Given the substantial punch of the M133K's Kaby Lake Core processor, we fully expected this Winmate tablet to have a fan, but, just like the earlier Intel 5th gen "Broadwell" based version, it doesn't need one. Removal of heat generated by the processor and other electronics is handled by advanced thermal management. An extensive copper heat spreader conducts heat into the tablet's massive magnesium housing, and a substantial 12-inch copper heatpipe routes heat into the tablet's internal metal mounting plate.The picture above shows two details. On the left the extensive use of copper plates and tubing to spread and remove heat generated by the processor and ancillary electronics. This allows the powerful Winmate tablet to operate without a fan. Note the soft silicone thermal pads that optimize heat dissipation from the copper plates and tubing to the heavy die-cast magnesium alloy housing. On the right is a close-up of the separate I/O daughterboard. This design approach allows easy customization of I/O. The picture below shows more interesting details. On the left you can see how the tongue-and-groove design is implemented on the back and the front parts of the tablet. On the right is an example of Winmate's prodigious use of silicone glue to secure connectors so that they will not come loose even under the harshest vibration or impact. If need be, the silicone can be removed and reapplied.And, as is expected in a next-gen tablet, there's a full complement of sensors. An ambient light sensor, G-sensor, gyrometer, and e-Compass are all present and ready for duty in tablet apps and solutions. Fanless even with powerful Intel Core processor Keeping up with Intel's rapid-fire release of ever more powerful and ever more efficient Core processors isn't easy. With the initial models of the M133 tablet platform back in 2015, Winmate first planned on covering a wide performance range by making available not only then new "Broadwell" 5th generation Core processors (which had miniaturized process technology from 22nm to 14nm), but also Intel 4th generation Haswell Core i5 and even Haswell-based Celeron chips. In the end, however, Winmate settled on a single processor for the first M133W, the Core i5-5200U. It's four years later, and while Intel has introduced the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and recently 10th generation of Core processors, progress has come in far smaller increments than during the first few generations of Intel's high-end mobile chips. Intel remained stuck on 14nm process technology for years and mostly concentrated on refining and optimizing existing CPU microarchitectures. A welcome step came with the 7th generation "Kaby Lake Refresh) that, for the first time, made quad-core processors available in its mobile lineup. As is, when it came time for Winmate to update the M133 platform they chose a tried-and-true dual-core chip for the new M133K, the Intel 7th generation "Kaby Lake" Core i5-7200U. One might have hoped for a quad-core 8th generation equivalent such as the Core i5-8250U, but that might have required cost-prohibitive redesign.
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