Vcds and laptops
 

Hi guys, planning to purchase vcds but not sure what tablet to buy on a budget as it will only be used for vcds etc?

Ta

Get a cheap secondhand laptop. VCDS runs happily on old stuff, even XP!

Do you want the new one that runs via a web browser over WIFI.
TBH, anything with a web browser and WIFI will work and if you don't already have a tablet or need one for other stuff I would just use a cheap laptop as you can leave it open on the passenger seat and also can search the net for stuff while VCDS is minimised. A tablet *might* be a pain in the ass due to no physical keyboard and needing to hold it.
A tablet in one of those tough rubber cases might be nice though. You could load on the service manual PDFs and use it when working on the car.

If I was buying specifically for VCDS, I would probably invest in something with a decent, bright, anti glare screen.....

The amount of time I waste on a 'nice' day squinting at my laptop screen trying to make out what is going on......

I'd also consider a tablet over a laptop if budget allows, having a keyboard bashing up against your steering wheel etc when trying to work on things is quite annoying.... !

Not sure what others are already using, but I bought a Lenovo Thinkpad X200 off eBay four years ago, and still going strong. Since it's mainly for VCDS, the relatively low specs don't matter. It also has a touchscreen (via stylus), so you can turn it into a tablet. Only a 12" screen which means it fits into the glovebox.

Also I'd look for something with a fairly low resolution screen like 1366x768. Since VCDS has fixed-size windows, there's no point in having something full-HD where the window would be tucked in a corner. Or indeed 4K where it'd be the size of a postage stamp!

I came across this setting in the options to adjust the whole window size of the application. It's in the 'User Interface and Identification' tab and ranges from 8 to 27. The numbers don't correspond to anything at all but you can adjust it so VCDS takes up the whole screen which is useful.

http://i68.tinypic.com/2nu13yg.jpg

Ha! I never knew that :D Does it just zoom in and make everything bigger or does it display more content in the window?

Enlarges the whole window so it fills your screen but the quality of text doesn't diminish. Need to hit Apply/Save to accept the changes and it will remember it for future.

Everdays a school day, how useful +++