TeacherTabletPC

If you’ve been reading a while, you’ve probably noticed that most of my hardware references have been to convertibles. For me, the first foray into Tablet PCs was a rather tentative one, and I suspect it would be for many people. Not knowing exactly how I was going to end up using it, I couldn’t really even consider a slate.

Having used this X41 (I’m typing on it now) for over nine months, I can safely say that I’d give strong consideration to a slate. I rarely use the keyboard (though I am now). When I do, more than half the time I’m doing data entry which is sufficiently annoying on a laptop keyboard that I have a USB numeric keypad (though with CompUSA closing all their Chicago area stores, I found a good deal on a wireless full keyboard that’s just small enough to fit in my Timbuk2 bag, but that’s probably a whole separate post).

Despite this, if I were buying a tablet today, I think I’d almost certainly end up with the Thinkpad X60. The crux of the issue is the same one I’ve mentioned with nearly ever hardware mention here—I want small and light with a 12″ screen. I have not seen any slates (please comment and correct me on this if I’m wrong) that have roughly the same specs as the X60 and are either thinner or lighter. So, while my biggest use for the built-in keyboard is typing emails, blog posts, or shell commands while my students take quizzes and tests, I don’t have any motivation to give up te built-in keyboard.

(If I’ve missed something significant, please do tell me. I really feel like I’m looking for a reason to go with a slate and just not finding one.)

Maybe it’s more of a small ripple than a wave, but in perusing the few dozen blogs I’ve plugged into Google Reader I found a number recent Tablet PC reviews. Then it turned out to just be two reviews, each blogged about repeatedly (for instance here, here, here, and here), so I figured I’d jump on the bandwagon. (And it doesn’t hurt that the Lenovo X60 is in here…)

Business Week reviewed the X60 and said:

The Good: Extremely portable; Active Rotate feature automatically adjusts screen

The Bad: Lacks an internal CD drive; relatively expensive

The Bottom Line: It’s not much to look at, but it is a capable and easy-to-transport tablet doubling as a laptop

CRN looked at the HP TC4400, the ThinkPad X60, and the Toshiba M400 and said:

All three convertible tablet computers impressed Test Center engineers with above-average quality and similar feature sets. Price/performance came out roughly equal, as performance ratings were similar and the difference in list prices varied by only $112 between the lowest- and highest-priced units.

Lenovo garnered points for being the smallest and lightest unit tested here (excluding its expansion base), giving it a boost for ease of use. But by leaving out a built-in optical drive, that win came at the expense of features. Toshiba’s choice to include a built-in optical drive—a key decision that in the eyes of Test Center engineers creates a more versatile tablet PC—made it heavier than Lenovo’s X60 but on par with the weight of the HP unit, giving the M400 the advantage on features.

Users seeking the combined functionality of a notebook computer and tablet PC in a single unit will prefer the Toshiba Portg M400-S4032 over the HP Compaq tc4400 and Lenovo’s ThinkPad X60, which affords the lowest estimated partner margins among the three. But if low weight is a priority, then Lenovo is the way to go.

All in all, I think if I were buying a machine right now, I’d go with the Lenovo ThinkPad X60, but as I’ve said before size and weight are critical to me and battery life is a close second and I don’t really need an optical drive built in.

The Rogersville Review in Hawkins County, TN reported that the school there is sending back a large number of Gateway Tablet PCs:

City school board members voted Tuesday to return the laptop computers, which have not yet been distributed to students, and terminate the lease agreement because of the company’s inability to provide maintenance as specified in the contract.

It’s good to see that at least some people take quality of service seriously. The last time I dealt with Gateway was way back in 1995, right when they first became big and couldn’t handle the increased volume of production, much less the increased customer service load. I have been hearing good things about their tablets, though.

I haven’t taken advantage of it (yet?), but Allegiance Technology Partners has a 48 hour demo period.

Our 48-hour Tablet demo program has the following requirements of participants:

1. Sign the 48-hour Tablet demo program agreement
2. Provide credit card information in case unit is lost, stolen or damaged (credit card will not be charged except as stated in agreement)
3. Pay for shipping and insurance charges in both directions (usually $59-$95)

This is almost certainly the route I’d go if I were considering buying a tablet they carry (Motion LE1600 with View Anywhere Screen, Motion LS800 with View Anywhere Screen, Fujitsu ST5112 with Indoor/Outdoor Screen, Fujitsu ST5111 with backlit outdoor screen, Toshiba Tecra M7 Duo Core, Toshiba Portege M400 Duo Core, Fujitsu P1610, Tablet Kiosk UMPC eo 7110, Coming soon – IBM/Lenovo X60 with Multiview/Multitouch screen).

The EdHolloway.com entry on SizeEasy has this image, which I think shows the size difference between the X60 and the M400 that I mention when I talk to people about what tablet I’d recommend and why I like the X41/X60.

Mind you, that slight size difference means a lot more when you’ve got the thing in your hands all the time. Yes, the pictured UMPC is much smaller, but the X60 has what I’d consider a usable keyboard, which is also a big advantage for me, and the screen on that UMPC is smaller than I’d be willing to go (I might consider a 10″ screen, but right now I’d tend to say that 12″ is the bare minimum for usability).