The Verdict is In on Tablet PCs and They ROCK !!
I began my Tablet PC Experiment by purchasing a Motion 1300 slate Tablet PC off E-Bay in 2003. I bought it on the recommendation of a friend who had one and said it was the best thing he had ever used. When I first got my Motion tablet, I thought the same thing, this thing rocks. It was light, very portable and easy to use, especially the way I work by taking notes in clients' offices. The downsides were that it did not have an integrated CD-ROM drive, and I had to purchase about $600 of extras to make it practical for me to work in my office with a docking station, and a full keyboard and mouse. I had the tablet for 6 months, and I had to go on a business trip to Colorado and I took my tablet with me. During the trip I found that I had to compose a couple proposals and work orders on the tablet. I did not bring a keyboard and was forced to tap out all the proposals and work orders with the on screen keyboard. I could not use the handwriting converting tools on the tablet because of the formatting I needed on the documents. I became so frustrated that I told myself that I was going to sell this tablet and get one with a convertible keyboard. Good as my word, I got back to my office and the next day I put the Motion on E-Bay. I sold it for almost as much as I bought it for. During the time I was waiting for the Motion to sell, I started researching convertible tablets. I looked at Fujitsu, Toshiba, Gateway, and IBM. I was partial to the IBM X41 Tablet. It seemed to have everything I wanted and the PC publication were giving it very good ratings. It still did not have an integrated CD-ROM drive like the Gateway or Fujitsu, but it was the lightest of the bunch. I finally decided to take the plunge and bought the IBM. I could not be happier with a computer. It performs flawlessly and FAST! I maxed out the RAM to 1.5 GB, eliminated the paging file and turned off non-essential services, and the tablet just plan performs! The X41 series includes the fingerprint reader for logons, the hard drive protection system to protect from drops and falls, and it includes the superior IBM keyboard. I have since upgraded my X41 to a Lenovo X61. It has a faster processor, larger hard drive, and more memory. I use it as my primary computer and have no complaints!
Tablet PC Links:
Windows XP Tablet PC Home Page
Tablet PC Talk - Your place for Tablet PC News and FAQs
Tablet PC Buzz.com - Your premier source for Tablet PC news and information
Tablet PC Magazine, a production of Pen Computing Magazine
Tablet PC 2 - Tablet PC Comparisons, Information, News and Reviews