Intel on Tablets: "Stay tuned for Computex"

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I'm very interested in tablets or convertibles, as long as they are 11-12". And it should run windows. I've absolutely no use for android or linux. Battery life isn't that important to me, as I wouldn't take it with me on camping trips, but rather use it at home, mainly for study purposes.

See SIZE does matter not how long it runs or how it works.

[Sweetpea]

hmm, if you look at it that way...

[WillAdams]

pboss, the stationary tablet has been done --- the problem is they were too expensive for people to justify secondary usages such as you describe, and too awkward for long-term primary use (how much you could use them is determined by how long it takes for fatigue to set in from holding your arm out in front of you).

Wacom Cintiq's are a good compromise, but pricey.

William

[kennyc]

Just saw this:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-20005084-265.html

[Crowl]

Originally Posted by pboss

They wouldn't have flopped if manufacturers weren't fixated on either the smart phone or the netbook end of things. Why couldn't tablets be stationary, e.g. attached to the refrigerator, to check on your emails, things like that.

They flopped in the past because the balance of performance, weight and battery life wasn't right, it is one of the reasons why non-windows os are appealing to quite a lot of people since you trade some flexibility away for a clear step up in battery life.

As far as static tablets, there are some devices out there such as the sony dash, the chumby and some of the more advanced digital picture frames, presumably the thinking in not taking that route in general is that you would tend to be a lot more limited in the amount of uses you would find for such a device and the demand for them is likely to be lower.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by kennyc

See SIZE does matter not how long it runs or how it works.

To be on topic to that post, both matter to me. I want 11-12" (ideally A4 or 8.5x11") AND good battery life. At least 6-8 hours, preferably 8-10.

I'd use mine mostly in the home or office, but the problem with tablets is they're very awkward to use while plugged in. It's no big deal on a laptop as you're keeping it in one position on your lap or on a desk so the cord isn't on the way.

But on a tablet you're moving around more, going form portrait to land scape mode etc. and the cord does get in the way.

Put the cord on the bottom (like the iPad) and it's awkward to sit and use in portrait as the bottom is usually resting on your lap or chest (whether sitting or laying down and reading). Left side is better, but then it's either on the top or bottom when in landscape orientation which is annoying.

Point being, it really needs to get enough battery life to handle a days use and just get plugged in at night for me.

I don't really need full Windows. As long as the OS has a windows explorer/my computer like file system and straight drag and drop, that's about all I need. I wouldn't do real computing work on it. Just reading and marking up documents, and the rest would be just web surfing and multimedia consumption.

But others do need a full OS, so hopefully we see some slick Windows 7 Tablets in the near future! I'd be very interested in it if they really tweak the OS for touch navigation and find a way to get the battery life up to around 8 hours.

[Maggie Leung]

If you want the plug on top of the iPad, you just flip it upside down. Works fine, except the home button is temporarily on top while you charge. Of course, I'd love longer battery life.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by Maggie Leung

If you want the plug on top of the iPad, you just flip it upside down. Works fine, except the home button is temporarily on top while you charge. Of course, I'd love longer battery life.

Of course, but it's still annoying up there. Cords will just always be annoying to me on tablets do to the way you use them compared to a laptop.

On the iPad, it's a non-issue as the 10-12 hours is more than I'd ever use a tablet in a day, so I could just plug it in at night.

If we're talking another tablet that say gets 5 hours battery life, then it becomes an issue as many days I'd use it more than that at the office etc. So then you get to the hassle of needing to plug it in during the lunch break etc.

[Maggie Leung]

I hear ya. I hate cords, too. I am hoping iPad or a competitor will be cheaper soon, so I can buy a second. Then I can use one and charge the other.