So this isn't much of a thing apparently because both google and Microsoft have actively discouraged it. However chinese manufacturers don't usually give a damn and there are currently a few different ones out there.

Now, some people might say that this is nothing more than a gimmick. And I'd agree with them, but it's an interesting gimmick. Being able to use android apps on a device, then rebooting and using windows on that same device. There are problems with this of course but personally I'm pretty sold on the idea if only out of morbid curiosity.

Currently there are mainly 3 different models of dual boot tablets I'm interested in. All of them equipped with retina screens with a 2048x1536 resolution and 4:3 aspect ration. They are the Onda v919 the Teclast x98 and the Cube i6. I'm still thinking on which one to get if at all And I wouldn't mind recommendations, advice, counsel or even snark about the decision making process. Any little snippet or bit of knowledge anyone can offer can help avoid making a regretful decision later.

And since we're on the subject, what do you think of Windows Tablets vs Android ones?

One of my coworkers had one that he liked. I think it was about $200, I'm not sure what the brand was, but you can probably get a decent one for that price.

The Chinese brands are rather hit or miss, sometimes they work find, but other times you'll find that something non-obvious doesn't work. I had a tablet for a short while and you couldn't use it when it was plugged in because they had messed up the shielding.

I've seen several and to be honest the idea is pretty neat.
It gives you more software options, although you probably won't need them.
The problem with Chinese gadgets for me is the build quality and the support.

I'm aware of that, seems to be a thing, probably because there's no real QA and every single unit is shipped off the assembly without proper testing.

Mostly the decision is between those 3 models. There are some reviews reporting on the rather good build quality of the cube i6, for a chinese device. Plus I'd like to know what store is the least likely to rip me off.

I like the idea too, although my experience with Chinese devices in general isn't that great.

The main problem I see is storage space on a 32GB device. This can be alleviated to an extent with an SD card, which Windows can use effectively, and Android can use effectively only if the device has root access with the help of 3rd party software. I'd suggest buying a 64GB device if possible

I have both Android and Windows tablets, and I much prefer Android. I find Windows, either 8.1 or 10, less comfortable to use. Its main benefit is running Windows software, and that can be a hit and miss on a low power touch device. I have a tablet with a Wacom pen and it's still not that comfortable, I can't imagine running non-touch software just with touch. There's some software to alleviate that (for example emulate a touchpad using a portion of the touch screen), but I imagine it would still be painful.

Short of it is, from a techie standpoint I love the idea of having both, and I like the idea of having full Windows on a device, and being in theory able to play full desktop games on it, but when I take a practical look at it, I'd rather stick to Android. If I had more spare time, I'd probably have tried to make better use of the Windows tablet, but given that most of what I do with it is tinker with it in order to try to make it feel usable, I just rather not waste too much time on it. Android apps don't always work, or not work well, but the do work most of the time and they're designed for touch. I haven't been ripped of by Chinese stores yet, although I occasionally did get the wrong item or a faulty one. They do work to resolve such issues. I ordered from TinyDeal, DealExtreme, FocalPrice and BuyInCoins.

The thing with Chinese stores is that you need to be patient. I believe it took weeks for my Cubietruck (which I still haven't used yet) to ship. (The idea behind getting the Cubietruck is that I would use it to try out ARM virtualization, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. Maybe I should?)

If you're looking for a Dual Boot tablet and have a Microcenter near you, you could get a cheap Winbook and boot Linux via USB. No android (unless you get Android-x86 to run) but it is technically a dual-boot.

By the way, is there a case with keyboard for the Winbook that is rigid (in the sense that it would allow me to use it as a laptop even without a hard surface)?

The storage space is in fact a glaring problem. Here's a review for the cube that points it out and shows exactly just how big of a problem it is. For some it can certainly be a deal breaker.

Not for me though. Even though I'm a bit disappointed at only getting 4 gigs (actually less than that as free space) for android and barely 10 for Windows I expected it somewhat and still find the device attractive. That same review also points out that Win 8 is pretty much unusuable without keyboard and mouse, but once those are added, it's pretty much a powerful laptop. And even links to a keyboard that might be similar to what dtgreene is looking for.

A quick explanation. I'm starting college in a few weeks, and I thought about getting a tablet to use mostly as an e-book reader for textbooks and as a studying aid. I wanted a large screen with a high resolution and a 4:3 aspect ratio. And the retina screen offers both.

The main question is: why do you need both OS's?

Windows could be good enough for reading textbooks and as a studying aid (though I'm not exactly sure what you mean by that), and so could Android. Why waste storage space on having both OS's on a single device?