new sub-$1000 Tablet PC due out this year from Motion Computing

If anyone has a problem with me posting about another device, I can take this thread down. Just thought I'd post for interests sake, since I know a few of us are also interested in Tablet PCs.

Motion Computing has always made decent, rugged work tablet PCs, and this is the first one I've seen that actually seems like it could compete with "tablets" today. This is a 10" slate with gorilla glass and of course, Windows 7. It offers both touch and pen input (active pen) and weighs 2.1 pounds.

They say it'll be available Q2. I'm curious to see reviews.

http://www.motioncomputing.com/produ...t_pc_CL900.asp

I wonder how Motion Computing will fare now that iPads are bulldozing their way into every industry. The other day I saw an interview with a doctor at a hospital, extolling the virtues of an iPad in providing bedside information and immediate prescription entry - something that traditionally Motion Computing devices have been heavily marketed towards...

I think it's great to post information about other devices here. The kind of people who frequent this forum includes many "early adopters" who want to know whats out there.

I am intrigued by the Motion device you reported on. It looks pretty good, although the base model comes with an anemic 1GB of RAM, which I highly recommend against, as Win 7 will run very poorly. The price is right on, and they make great devices. I will probably buy one when they come out.

Another device was recently revealed by Fujitsu, here

http://www.shopfujitsu.com/Q550/index.php

This device comes with 2GB RAM in the base model and seems to be cheaper than the Motion device, though probably not nearly as physically rugged.

Another Windows tablet is the one from Onkyo, and having played with it in the stire, it is way too slow to be useful.

Rounding out what I know about Win 7 tablets is the ASUS EP121, which was a great experience (in the store). Very fast processor and the more expensive model comnes with 4GB of RAM, making it a great machine. It is a little big at 12.1 inches and over a kg in weight.

One thing that makes a Win 7 tablet inviting is that it is very easy to develop for, given the long history of the platform. Developing for the iPad is not so easy, especially if one wants to develop a specialty "in house" app.

re: ipad vs. Motion Computing. I guess it will all come down to apps. If the field is heavily sucked into the Microsoft vortex, then the ability to run Windows and its programs will probably be the deciding factor. But, if there's a cool app that does all you need, the appeal of the ipad is obvious. Handwriting, too is a huge issue. There still is really no excellent solution for writing on an iPad. (And believe me, we've tried.) It's fine, OK in some situations. But, it also depends on what you need to do with the writing. Again, is there an app for it, or not? What kind of OS (if any) will you have to sync with?

Thanks for posting the Fujitsu! I hadn't seen that one yet. It does look nice, and Fujitsus are great (though as you said, not as rugged) tablet PCs. I had their 8.9" convertible when it was new to the market (Lifebook P1600ish), but I found that I preferred tablets that used dedicated pens, not just a plastic stylus. We have a very old Motion Computing M1400 that we picked up used off of eBay a couple of years ago and completely upgraded the RAM, hard drive and put Windows 7 on it. It's slow, unfortunately, because it is an older machine, but quite serviceable. (Except after using Windows for a while you really do have to put it away or risk chucking it across the room in frustration.)

The new Fujitsu or the Motion Computing look like solid contenders. I'd always said that one real advantage of my edge was that it was like having a tablet-PC-lite for a small fraction of the cost of a tablet PC. But two new machines coming in under $1000? The times they are a changing!

Fully agree with what you say about writing on the iPad. Its my major disappointment with the device.

I am a real fan of OneNote (I truly believe its the killer app for tablets, and have had it since 2003) and thats why I am seeking a decent Win 7 tablet. The problem is that to date, the few that exist are terribly slow (I have 3 of them and I dont like any of them). The ASUS is really fast (I played with it at Fry's a few weeks ago), boots from zero in 20 seconds, and with 4GB RAM, is a great machine, but probably not for tossing around. Just a bit on the big side and heavy. The Fujitsu is quite light and has a replaceable battery, both big pluses for me.

Just found a comparison chart between this and the Samsung Galaxy Tab:

http://vschart.com/compare/motion-cl...alaxy-tab-10-1

Nice link. Thank you. I have become convinced, partly by all this waiting for Froyo, that Android is not a desirable platform. Users are at the mercy of the companies to provide upgrades. Lets face it, they want you to buy a new tablet or phone. I like having the latest OS, just my nature. I am convinced that once you buy an Android tablet, operating system upgrades are just not gonna happen. At least with Windows tablets, new software is available. Same with iOS devices. I am very interested in the Motion Tablet as one to drag around with me.

I am just curious if anyone knows of any Android devices that have had fairly major operating system upgrades provided (e.g. 1.6 to 2.1 or 2.2)???? I am not aware of any. I have not about any upgrades being available to 3.0.

Granted, I'm about as far from an expert on these things as one can get, but from my readings of this forum and some other websites, it seems as though upgrades to new versions of android often require huge advances in hardware that are not seen as often in windows or iOS devices. Could that be a contributing factor?

Yes I certainly agree. Hardware is probably a major limiting factor.

do ... not ... want ... windoze ... do ... not ... want ...

Originally Posted by gecko

do ... not ... want ... windoze ... do ... not ... want ...

I have an LE1700, probably the last really good full-powered PC-in-a-tablet format from Motion Computing. Got it during Dell's closeout before it was discontinued for about $1,000. (Which was about 50% off at the time.) It runs openSuse 11.3 beautifully. The install automagically recognized the wacom interface and configured the screen correctly. I need to try 11.4 next.

how is handwriting recognition in Linux? Is there a Onenote replacement?

Originally Posted by kenjennings

I have an LE1700, probably the last really good full-powered PC-in-a-tablet format from Motion Computing. Got it during Dell's closeout before it was discontinued for about $1,000. (Which was about 50% off at the time.) It runs openSuse 11.3 beautifully. The install automagically recognized the wacom interface and configured the screen correctly. I need to try 11.4 next.

Originally Posted by Dr. T

Granted, I'm about as far from an expert on these things as one can get, but from my readings of this forum and some other websites, it seems as though upgrades to new versions of android often require huge advances in hardware that are not seen as often in windows or iOS devices. Could that be a contributing factor?

I'm no expert either, but it also sounds like a lot of products that use Android as an OS use their own particular versions of Android, so even when a pure Android update becomes available, if a product has a customized version then you're left waiting for them to upgrade their Android. Maybe alefor can confirm that.

EDIT: never mind! I see that's exactly what alefor said earlier in this thread.

Originally Posted by gecko

do ... not ... want ... windoze ... do ... not ... want ...

I am *no* fan of windows. But the advantages of a tablet PC were enough to make me happy at the time. For the price, I actually think I would be more tempted to go for something like the Asus Eee Note, which is much more limited purpose, just to get a more compact electronic journal. But I'll reevaluate when this thing comes out.

Originally Posted by fgruber

how is handwriting recognition in Linux? Is there a Onenote replacement?

I'm interested in your experience, too. I know that my Nokia linux-based tablet does have handwriting recognition (in the sense that you can handwrite a web address and have it converted to text to appear in the address bar, for example), so there's precedent. But, I've never seen a larger device running linux to know how desktop/laptops work. Xournal and Jarnal should both provide the Journal function, including editing pdfs, so that won't be a problem.