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Microsocft MVP: Tablet PC
Tablet PC Recap : 2007 so far
23 April 2007Posted By: WilliamPosted in: Hardware
One thing that I think this site has lacked over the past year is a good rundown of the systems available for students and a comparison of the features the systems offer. Hopefully I can now fill the role of being “hardware guy” as I love the gadget side of technology and have access to a lot of systems.
Lots of new tablets have been released in the last 6 months as well as a host of new UMPCs. Every serious notebook manufacturer now has at least one Tablet PC model on the market. This means that there is a lot of choice as well as lots of confusion for the student and consumer. Here is a rundown which is not intended as a review of each but instead a refresh, just to let you know whats out there.
Convertibles
Gateway E-155c
12.1” WXGA, Core 2 Duo XLV, WiFi, fingerprint reader, SD, firewire, up to 120GB, DVD burner, 4.5-pound, 1.17-inch thick
Gateway’s new tablet will be the 12.1” version of the already successful 14” CX-210. It ticks all of the boxes for student requirements in terms of power size and features but lacks the design flare that many of the other convertibles have.
Lenovo Thinkpad x60
12.1-inch SXGA+ display and multi-touch option, Core 2 Duo CPU , 1GB to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, up to 120GB, Bluetooth, WIFI-n, eight-cell Li-ion battery. $2,000
There has been some debate as to whether there is actually a core 2 duo version released. Nevertheless, people rave about this model. I had a chance to play with a x60 early this year and could easily see why. The thinkpad design has always promoted functionality over aesthetics but to good effect. This is a well made, well designed laptop that I wouldn’t have any trouble recommending to any student. Review
Fujitsu LifeBook P1610 and T4125
P1610 – 8.9” display , 1.4”thick, 1.2Ghz Core Solo U1400, WXGA, 512MB, 30GB, LAN, WIFI, Fingerprint, 3.5h battery standard, 7h battery extended. $1,649
T4214 – 12.1” display, 1.4” thick, Core 2 Duo, up to 2GHZ, XGA, DVDRW, WIFI, LAN, SD, 40GB, 512MB RAM. $1,799
I haven’t had any experience with either of these tablets but they seem to be very capable. I think the p1610 would be a real winner for those who need something portable but capable as it is only 2.2 pounds and a 10″ display. The T4214 looks like a good all rounder for an acceptable price.
Toshiba Portege R400
2.1” LED-backlit XGA, 1.2Ghz Core Duo U2500, 2GB RAM, GMA950, WIFI, Bluetooth, EVDO, fingerprint, Gigabit LAN, 3.79 pounds, Vista Ultimate, $3,149
This is a great tablet with looks to match. Toshiba have really shown great evolution since its early convertible models. Good design cues have been carried on and tablet annoyances have been snuffed out to the extent that the R400 is reaching perfection. Out of all the tablets released recently I would most want someone to give me the Toshiba. The key word here is give because with its steep base price, even if it is the best, is hard to justify. Review
HP TX1000
12.1”, 1.8GHZ AMD Turion X2, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD, NVIDIA Go 6150
Everyone remembers the earlier HP tablets fondly. This one has a lot of generous specifications with a clean HP design. Apparently there are some disappointments in the digitiser on this model and it also is reportedly flimsy. But, if you’re a student looking for a device that is a little more notebook than tablet and like to play a lot of multimedia on your computer then this could be for you.
Slates/Hybrids
Motion Computing LE1700
12.1” Writetouch (finger touchable),Core Solo or Core 2 Duo, 512MB, WIFI, 7-hour extended battery available. $2200 for 1.5Ghz Core 2 Duo, $2000 for 1.2Ghz ULV Core Solo
Motion are the wizards of the Tablet world, able to conjure exactly what is needed in a tablet. Available with a detachable keyboard (hybrid style) as most motions are, the LE1700 is a perfectly sized piece of equipment which would work well as both a slate and a convertible. Available with Vista or XP-Tablet, an upgrade of ram would most likely be needed if you choose Vista.
TabletKiosk Sahara i400 Series
12.1” XGA (179’) (finger touchable), Celeron M ULV 423, Bluetooth 2, firewire, esata, gigabit lan, WIFI, 0.98”, 3.3 pound. $1,795-$2295
The Sahara series are like big UMPCs, light, thin, low power slates. Powered by an ULV Celeron M, it’s doubtful whether this range could keep up with a more powerful Core 2 Duo but they will certainly get great battery life. Vista, XP and even Linux are all available as OS options. TabletKiosk has all the bases covered in configurations so make sure you choose the model which best suits your usage.
Fujitsu Stylistic ST5100 Series
12.1” transflective or 10.4” reflective display, U2500, 100GB HDD, Intel 950 graphics, WIFI, Gigabit LAN, Bluetooth, Firewire, both 3.5 pounds and 6h battery, 9h battery avail. ST5111 $2,429, ST5112 $2,199
The stylistic tablets are thin, light and stunningly beautiful. Battery life is great with the potential to be a great performer, as is to be expected from one of the more expensive tablets on the market. The bright transflective slate would be ideal for a design student looking for a tablet with a broad field of use.
Hopefully this has given people a suitable recap of the recently released systems. We will try and keep up with them as soon as they are announced from now on so that Student Tablet PC can bring you the latest and greatest. Stay tuned for a recap of UMPCs in the near future. My current tablet of the moment would have to be the X60 from Lenovo. I am a Toshiba fan and I love the style of the R400 but it is just to expensive to justify. Lenovo are currently offering the X60 for less than $2000 from the online store which is great value for a great tablet with many of the trimmings such as 802.11n and multitouch. Of course, everybody has their opinion so hit us up in comments.
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April 23rd, 2007 at 8:25 am
The thing I like best about the new Gateway unit is that they are finally using the Wacom digitizer like everyone else. I love my current Gateway convertible, but I’ve always been envious of those who can get the really cool pens from Wacom. Also, the digitizer on mine is starting to give me trouble.
April 23rd, 2007 at 9:25 am
About the HP, it’s sitting at my house right now and really sucks to write on (you have to press really, really hard). I’m in love with the design though. It does make a great laptop with a touchscreen.
April 23rd, 2007 at 10:37 am
It has been a long time since I have been a student but I really want to get a dual touch laptop. The Thinkpad X60 tablet looks really nice with nice features. I understand the new Motion LE1700 is NOT WACOM and I wonder if that might present any problems sooner or later. I have seen and played with the HP TX1000 but I wish it were dual touch and the screen has a foggy and grainy look that no one has complained about with other tablets. It does have real good speakers though and looks like a fun computer. I wish the TabletKiost had a faster processor and higher resolution, otherwise likes good and light. Bill
April 24th, 2007 at 6:43 am
ooooooooo…I soooo want that slate…
April 26th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
Can you imagine? Only one manufacturer is providing a “cheap” tablet! All the other are around 2000$…
Else for Tracy, people have been complaining about the HP touchscreen… but many also say that it gets much much much better after some time. It seems that the component has to get used a bit. See that long thread for more details: http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/showthread.php?t=5802
Thanks for the blog!
April 26th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
Interesting, I’ll have to see how it goes later down the line. Thanks, Nikoooo.
July 3rd, 2007 at 9:26 am
i am currently on the lookout for a laptop or a tablet PC, i just dont know which one to go for……the TX1000 is sexy to look at while the x60 cannot be ignored …….anyone having an experience of playing with both of them please tell me which one to go for!