ExoPC Slate has iPad looks, netbook internals, Windows 7 soul

[stustaff]

I have to admit that I am too tired to go on, and just wanted to post my leaving thoughts.

How you can call something thats primary purpose is not to get on the internet and functions in many other areas an internet appliance is beyond me.

How you can completely ignore the actual definitions of what things mean as i have quoted(I note no one else is able to use an actual dictionary to back up their points) to decide something isnt a personal computer is also beyond me.

How something can be called not general purpose when it is again by definition has multiple purposes is beyond me.

Im clearly not able to keep up and understand this so i'll bow out as its also rather circular now.

[guyanonymous]

I used a dictionary. :P

[JWLaRue]

Since when did "general purpose" have to equate with "infinite purpose"? I think there is some confusion over capability vs. an artificial marketing restriction.

Plus.....let's face it, the definitions of PC and internet appliance have become so stretched that does it really matter? Who the heck cares?

-Jeff

[petermillard]

Originally Posted by fugazied

That's it. They have thrown in netbook components into a tablet and run into battery issues... Not sure about HDMI out, but it would have flash support, multi-tasking, USB, User replaceable battery in etc. Just buy 3 batteries and rotate them to match the iPad 10 hr battery life.

Looks like VGA out - specs and comparison table with iPad and Archos 9 on this page - in French, but you can get the gist of it. I wouldn't bank on being able to swap out the batteries easily; my guess would be that it's a screwdriver job, but who knows?

I think it's quite telling that the best they've managed to build is something almost twice as thick as an iPad but with less than half the battery life. Building one of these is clearly not quite as straightforward as some folks seem to think...

Cheers, Pete.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by petermillard

I think it's quite telling that the best they've managed to build is something almost twice as thick as an iPad but with less than half the battery life. Building one of these is clearly not quite as straightforward as some folks seem to think...

Cheers, Pete.

But it has also more functionality than the Ipad. It is also a tad smaller in size.

It can read SD cards, has LAN, 3 USB ports, VGA (+ composite?) and webcam.

I'd rather a thicker device which has those ports (which I think does explain the thickness a bit) than one without them. I'd especially miss the USB ports and SD card reader.

[stustaff]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

But it has also more functionality than the Ipad. It is also a tad smaller in size.

It can read SD cards, has LAN, 3 USB ports, VGA (+ composite?) and webcam.

I'd rather a thicker device which has those ports (which I think does explain the thickness a bit) than one without them. I'd especially miss the USB ports and SD card reader.

It does seem that choosing either is a trade off!

If you need USB and win 7 then this looks a nice machine.

if you want longer battery and dont mind apples UI/OS then the iPad looks a nice machine.

One reason why I wouldnt choose any tablet running win 7 though is demonstrated in a video here from poor finger usability to slooow boot time - http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/01/e...t-strictly-me/

The rest of the time he uses the stylus to move through those far-from-finger-friendly Windows 7 menus. If you're wondering why Windows 7 still needs additional software tweaks to work on a purely finger-driven tablet device, spend 10 minutes watching the video below. Or just listen to The Weepies' awesome "Gotta Have You" -- which perhaps not coincidentally ends when the tablet's done booting.

[Sweetpea]

I don't care about finger usability myself. I'd use a stylus, and only occasionally my finger. And long boottimes? Long is relative. If I have a few minutes to kill, I'd probably take out my real reader. And when I have more time, who cares about a longer boot time?

[zacheryjensen]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I don't care about finger usability myself. I'd use a stylus, and only occasionally my finger. And long boottimes? Long is relative. If I have a few minutes to kill, I'd probably take out my real reader. And when I have more time, who cares about a longer boot time?

Why is anyone talking about boot times, who reboots? I haven't rebooted my laptop or my iPhone for months, except to apply a kernel-level security update. Why would a tablet pc need to reboot for any other reason?

Though I guess with Windows you'll be rebooting every week. But still, that's once a week. Unless, do you expect it to crash or something? I don't get it. I have a Windows laptop too and I never reboot that other than security updates either.

I don't get why anyone cares how long it takes to boot up a computer anymore. If a computer can't properly go in and out of sleep mode reliably, then you need a new one because this technology has been common in consumer computers for almost 20 years now. I've personally been using it for 13 years or so, based on the earliest computer I can remember the feature working on.

And with a proper tablet, not some full-on PC shoehorned onto hardware it has no business running on (read the actual reviews on the archos 9, I was excited for it til I learned how horrible it performs, and that it only comes with support for windows 7 basic which has none of the touch features enabled), you're not even going to need sleep mode as the standby modes enable the low power mode of the processors actually designed for such devices and battery consumption goes waaaaay down, which is what enables a cell phone to stand idle for days and still take calls.

I've been interested in tablet PC's for years and I can assure you, every windows-based offering to date has been incredibly underwhelming. When you look at dimensions, don't underestimate the weight. At 1.5lbs, even the iPad seems on the heavy side. I think it will be ok, but most tablet PCs are more, approaching 2 lbs for the light end, and most just giving up entirely and running 3lbs without a battery in it. Oh yeah, and by the by, the industry standard for weight reporting on spec sheets is with every optional component removed, that means the battery, which itself will likely weigh 8-16 oz. Now that your tablet PC is 3 lbs, and its PC hardware is producing oven temperatures on your arm and blowing the exhaust into your face, you're going to wonder why anyone thought it was a good idea.

Really, if I was looking at the iPad and thought "Ugh, I hate apple, I want openness!" I would not look at windows based computers, I would look at android-based tablet competitors, like all the various MIDs that showed up at CES. They're going to be running on ARM based SoC platforms like Tegra 2 and will be much better suited to portable convenience computing than a windows based tablet.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by zacheryjensen

Really, if I was looking at the iPad and thought "Ugh, I hate apple, I want openness!" I would not look at windows based computers, I would look at android-based tablet competitors, like all the various MIDs that showed up at CES. They're going to be running on ARM based SoC platforms like Tegra 2 and will be much better suited to portable convenience computing than a windows based tablet.

Wouldn't that completely depend on what you want with it? I want to run Windows applications. Not some android applications that I don't know and probably won't be able to do exactly what I want them to do.

Why do I want a tablet? I want to be able to install the Complete National Geographic on it. I want to install Kindle4PC on it. I want to install Paint Shop Pro on it. And if it's even remotely possible, I want to install Visual Studio on it.

If you only want it to watch some movies, surf the web and maybe some books (epub, mobi?, ereader?), yes, I'd agree with you.

[zacheryjensen]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Wouldn't that completely depend on what you want with it? I want to run Windows applications. Not some android applications that I don't know and probably won't be able to do exactly what I want them to do.

Why do I want a tablet? I want to be able to install the Complete National Geographic on it. I want to install Kindle4PC on it. I want to install Paint Shop Pro on it. And if it's even remotely possible, I want to install Visual Studio on it.

If you only want it to watch some movies, surf the web and maybe some books (epub, mobi?, ereader?), yes, I'd agree with you.

Well Tablet PCs capable of what you want exist, but they cost $2000 in useful configurations, have awful battery life, are heavy, loud and hot. But they do exist. Dell, Lenovo, Toshiba, and HP all sell them. I imagine some others, like fujitsu or NEC maybe. They aren't anything you'd enjoy reading a book on, though, and that's kinda the point of this site isn't it? eBook reading?

The upshot is those classic tablet PCs are generally capable as midrange general computers and so their gamut of usefulness is much more broad. Just a matter of sacrificing comfort in usage, is all.

[Sweetpea]

For the three applications I mention I really want to install on it, you don't need a very heavy PC... But you do need a Windows machine. So, for me, an android machine just isn't enough.

[zacheryjensen]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

For the three applications I mention I really want to install on it, you don't need a very heavy PC... But you do need a Windows machine. So, for me, an android machine just isn't enough.

Yeah, right, let me watch you use Paint Shop Pro or Visual Studio on an Atom-based computer. Just let me free up several days time for VS to start, or PSP to run a filter...

Fact is you need at least a medium-range performing laptop for those two apps. Though I'd agree, Kindle4PC should run on the crappiest of crap at least remotely usably.

[LDBoblo]

Originally Posted by zacheryjensen

Yeah, right, let me watch you use Paint Shop Pro or Visual Studio on an Atom-based computer. Just let me free up several days time for VS to start, or PSP to run a filter...

Fact is you need at least a medium-range performing laptop for those two apps. Though I'd agree, Kindle4PC should run on the crappiest of crap at least remotely usably.

I use a single-core Atom to run InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop, sometimes concurrently on Win7.

Not ideal for the job, especially if doing batch processing, but it gets the job done.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by zacheryjensen

Yeah, right, let me watch you use Paint Shop Pro or Visual Studio on an Atom-based computer. Just let me free up several days time for VS to start, or PSP to run a filter...

Fact is you need at least a medium-range performing laptop for those two apps. Though I'd agree, Kindle4PC should run on the crappiest of crap at least remotely usably.

If I can run PSP on my old AMD 700, I think I should be able to run it on an Atom-based computer... And as LDBoblo already said, it might not be the fastest, and not specifically made for it, but it should work. And if I want speed, I'll take my laptop... But I want something easier to take with me if I go away, which will still allow me to do some of the things I'd normally bring my laptop for.

[zacheryjensen]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

If I can run PSP on my old AMD 700, I think I should be able to run it on an Atom-based computer... And as LDBoblo already said, it might not be the fastest, and not specifically made for it, but it should work. And if I want speed, I'll take my laptop... But I want something easier to take with me if I go away, which will still allow me to do some of the things I'd normally bring my laptop for.

AMD 700 based CPUs? The very slowest AMD 700-based CPU is a far sight faster than the fastest currently released Atom. Really, they're incomparable. The Atom's original performance target was a Pentium II after all.

Maybe a Pinetrail/Tegra 2 based tablet would be tolerable. I'd consider giving something like that a try. But the example linked for this thread is going to be a painful experience with anything beyond browsing the web. Even that would be awful if you needed to access flash-heavy sites. And sure, PSP would work, but it would be very slow. It probably wouldn't even keep up with tool actions. But if that's not a problem... well I'd recommend you at least be sure you can return the thing.