nextbook Flexx 11 Review

  I have been looking for a replacement to my Franklin Planner for a while now. Every year I spend at least $28 dollars for the next year's replacement pages and my page holder is wearing out.
  After looking at different tablets, I settled on the nextbook Flexx 11.

Specifications

• Processor
• It has an Intel Atom Z3735F Quad-core processor, 1.33 GHz with Burst up to 1.83 GHz, 2 MB cache
• Graphics Card
• Intel HD Graphics
• Display:
• It has a large 11.6" touch screen
• 1366 x 768 pixels
• Intel HD Graphics
• IPS (In-Plane Switching)
• Storage and Memory
• It comes with 2 GB system memory
• 64 GB of storage which can be expanded an extra 64 GB with a micro SD card
• Slots
• Micro-SD slot (up to 64 GB)
• Audio
• Built-in microphone and speakers
• Input and Controls
• Pogo keyboard with touchpad that comes off like the Surface 
• The keyboard protects the screen when closed
• Touchscreen on the tablet
• Input / Output Ports
• Two full sized USB 2.0 ports on the keyboard
• Micro USB 2.0 port on the tablet
• Micro HDMI port on the tablet
• Headphone jack on the tablet
• Connectivity
• wifi 802.11b/g/n 
• Bluetooth 4.0
• Camera
• 2.0 MP front-facing camera
  2.0 MP rear-facing camera
• Power
• Lithium-ion 9000 mAh
• Security Feature
• Security lock slot
• Dimensions and Weight
• Width: 11.25-inch
• Depth: 7.66-inch
• Height: 0.37-inch
• Weight: 4.45 lbs
• Color
• Black Matte finish
• Other Features
• 3-axis G-sensor 
• Operating System
• Comes loaded with Windows 8.1 and it will download Windows 10 when it comes out
•  All my current programs can run on it and there's more
• Price as of July 2015: $227 or less 

Unboxing
  See my Unboxing review 

  Once you unbox the nextbook flex11, I recommend you fully charge it which takes around 4 hours the first time. An odd thing is that the charging light shines RED while charging (it takes up to 4 hours the first charge) and ORANGE when it is fully charged. I don't know why they wouldn't have used GREEN when it's fully charged. See pictures below.

Charger plugged in and charge indicator light

Charger plugged in and charge indicator light

Micro SD slot

One of the USB 2.0 full sized slots

  If you look above, you will see that the speaker connection is at the back of the tablet and the charging cord is to the right of that. Make sure you push the charging cord into the correct hole.
  As you look at the above picture, the tablet is on top and the keyboard is at the bottom.
  When you open the tablet, it is a friction fit and will seem very hard to open. It doesn't have lock or release button. As you swing the tablet up, you will notice the keyboard tilt up from the back.
 

nextbook closed

Plastic protects the screen when new

  When you open the nextbook for the first time, you need to peel off the clear plastic protector. I found it kind of difficult to grab hold of. Ask someone with nails to help get it off. There is a piece of very thin tissue paper over the keyboard. Remove both of them.

Manuals and Quick Start Guide

  The manuals are under the nextbook in the box. There is a very nice quick start laminated paper guide shown above on the right that you can refer to.
  When you turn it on, the Windows software will load and you will need to go through a few items that are pretty standard on any new device with Windows loaded.
  Connect to wifi and then Go to the PC Settings screen and Activate Windows. If you don't have wifi at the time you turn it on, you can activate windows using a toll free phone call. It involves writing down a lot of numbers that are broken in groups A through H with 6 digits in each group. That's how I activated Windows and it wasn't too hard.

Keyboard has a blue background

Do Windows Update once you Activate Windows

   Once Windows is activated, you should do Windows Update. There are a LOT of updates to Windows 8.1 so this could take the better part of a day. You will need to restart the tablet many times during all the updates.

Windows Updating

More Updates

  At some point you will have all the updates and eventually the Windows 10 reservation logo will show up on the lower right if you don't have it yet. Reserve your copy of Windows 10 by clicking on it.
 

General Observations

  If you are typing on the keyboard, the right shift key is smaller than normal and you will keep hitting the up arrow. This takes some getting used to.
  If you lift up and walk with the tablet with the keyboard attached, you will hear some beeps to tell you that the keyboard connection is intermittent. Don't worry about it; you won't be walking and typing at the same time.
  Use a mouse instead of the touchpad. It will make you much happier.
  Unhooking the tablet from the keyboard: This is very easy. Just push down on the button in the center and lift the tablet off the keyboard. Attaching it is very easy too but it takes a little practice before you get fast at doing it.
  The keyboard can be lit up by pressing the function key and the upper left keyboard key but don't get all excited. All you have is back light blue LEDs so all the keys look like black squares. If you know how to type, it won't bother you but I don't type in the dark so I don't care.

Final Verdict?
  So far I really like it. I have loaded Open Office and Microsoft Office 2013 and both seem to function just fine. I've also loaded many of the programs I run on my PC like Avast and Malwarebytes and they all seem to work perfectly.

Additional accessories that I bought:

• The Friendly Swede Disc Stylus, (2 Pack), Black 
• BlueRigger High Speed Micro HDMI to HDMI cable with Ethernet - 15 feet  
• SanDisk Ultra 64GB UHS-I/Class 10 Micro SDXC Memory Card Up to 48MB/s With Adapter- SDSDQUAN-064G-G4A [Newest Version]
• StarTech.com 5in Micro USB to USB OTG Host Adapter - Micro USB Male to USB A Female On-The-GO Host Cable Adapter 
• Cable Matters® 3-Port SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Hub with RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter in Black
  
  

Update on 1/18/2017
A visitor asked me which Ethernet adapter worked with my Nextbook. I bought the adapter from Amazon and I'm still using it every day. It plugs into the full sized USB port on the left side and it is about 4 inches long. USB connector on one end and Ethernet on the other. Also, it has lights to show you activity.

Here is the information:

Thanks for choosing the Plugable USB2-E100 USB 2.0 10/100 Ethernet adapter!

If you are using Windows 10/8.x, Mac OS X 10.6+, Linux 2.6.35+, or the latest ChromeOS, the driver is already pre-installed in your operating system. You don't need to install any additional driver for this adapter.
If you are using older versions of Windows, OS X or Linux, you can download and install the latest software from our website:Please visit http://plugable.com/products/usb2-e100/drivers

Any questions or problems? We're on your side and happy to help. Save this email and reply anytime to reach our knowledgeable Seattle-based online support team. If we ever ask, the model you have is the Plugable USB2-E100 and your order id was 110-5038079-0905832.
Customer reviews have a big impact on a small business like ours. Once the product arrives, and you've had a chance to try it and contact us with any questions or issues, your feedback is deeply appreciated athttps://www.amazon.com/review/create-review?asin=B00484IEJS
Thanks again for joining the community of Plugable users!Bernie ThompsonFounder, Plugable Technologies


Update on 1/18/2017
A word of caution on the Nextbook power supply. I did experience problems with it charging after a while. The solution was to replace the Power Cord charger. The plug that plugs into the Nextbook was cheap and if you wiggled it in the Nextbook, the charging was stop. I ordered a replacement from eBay and then contacted Nextbook. They did send me a replacement.