Tablet PC

By Joshua Erdman and Zach Babich Brown
Digital Foundation, inc.

The Tablet PC has been little more than a novelty in the past, but they have grown in popularity and shrunk in price in the last year or so. The factors have lead to them becoming much more mainstream and have convinced more companies to produce and push their Tablet lines. Just a few years ago, one could only find a couple options for Tablet PCs. They were made by either Toshiba or HP and they were very expensive. Now more manufactures offer atleast one Tablet, with many carrying several Tablets in their product lines. With the new realm of options, it is important to really know all your options out there.

Body Styles

There are two main body styles for the tablet PC. Those that have a built-in keyboard and those that do not. When using a Tablet without the keyboard, usually referred to as "Slate you are expected to write using a handwriting recognition tool. If you intend on using your tablet as your main computer, it is best to get an external keyboard that can be connected when you dock, or one that is built in. The Tablet PCs that have built-in keyboards are called Convertible Tablet PCs. They are usually a laptop but with the ability to turn the screen to face out when you close it over the keyboard.

Speed

The first Generation of Tablet PCs were limited to a speed of about 1GHz. Most of these versions were using a Pentium M CPU or a Celeron. Most of the newer Tablets' processors range from 1.5-2.0 GHz, with 1.73 GHz seeming to be the most common. Any of the mid-to-high line Tablets come with 512MB of RAM, although several come with 256MB. I would truly recommend 512MB, simply because many of the table feature tend to be rather memory intensive and will slow to a crawl if using only 256MB.

Resolution and Screen Size

The typical Tablet PC has a 12.1" screen, although sizes vary from 10.1" to 14.1". 12.1" is considered the perfect size when you are holding it in your arms. Most Tablet PCs are limited to the resolution of 1024x768, which is fine for text.

But once again Toshiba has upped the ante and designed their M200 Series with a screen resolution of 1400x1200 using their Digital Ink technology powered by an nVidia GeForce FX Go5200 Graphics Processor. This Tablet PC is the only one powerful enough to use for Gaming and high end graphics! All this is squeezed into a 12.1" screen, making this a very portable solution.

Honestly, I prefer the 12.1" screens. The idea of Tablet PC (even more so than a regular laptops) is to be very portable and light. This is one of the few instances that bigger is not necessarily better.

Summary

The Toshiba M200 was a innovative piece of technology when it first came out and has continued to be a strong Tablet PC, while dropping drastically in price. Even with the small 12.1" screen, if you are looking for a powerful desktop replacement the Toshiba is the way to go, just add an extra monitor on your desk for the Toshiba to plug into and you have an amazing versatile machine.

If you want just the tablet and have no need for a keyboard or mouse then the HP tc1100 is what you need. This machine is not powerful enough to be a desktop replacement but its small foot print and long battery life will give you the mobility you are looking for.

Cost

Manufacturer	Starting Price	Product Image
Toshiba M200	$999
Gateway CX2618	$1499
HP TC4200	$1849

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Article last reviewed: 01/09/2004

Created by: Digital Foundation, inc.

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