Microsoft is pushing Tablet PC as the next evolutionary phase of notebooks. We check out the first Tablet PCs available in Australia, as well as looking at the OS that underpins it all.
The pen may be mightier than the sword, but throughout computing history, the keyboard has reigned supreme. Past attempts at creating PCs that you can write on (Apple Newton, anyone?) have gone nowhere fast. But the dream of the pen-based PC is as indelible as India ink. Today, Microsoft and its hardware allies are taking yet another whack at a new generation of pen-based PCs.
Two years after Microsoft first demonstrated Tablet PC technology, the first wave has arrived. These five tablets all run on the new Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition OS and come in one of two basic designs. Each offers an alternative to the traditional notebook, letting you enter handwritten text on your PC. But tablet PCs make sacrifices in the process, too, offering less bang for the buck than notebooks. They also have smaller displays, and many lack integrated keyboards.
These futuristic PCs are clearly first-generation machines. Loose parts, unreliable features, and imperfect handwriting recognition will keep these modules form overtaking the notebook anytime soon. Still, IDC predicts that tablets will grow from 100,000 units this year to 1.5 million units by 2005, and the best is yet to come. A second generation of products and a new wave of applications tuned for tablets will make these front-runners look as modern as Ford's Model T.
| Acer
TravelMate C100 Small and scrappy, the TravelMate C100 transforms from ultralight notebook to tablet in a flick of your wrist. Alas, it is ultimately undone by its complicated rotating hinge, and it works better as a notebook than a tablet. |
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| Fujitsu
Stylistic ST4110 With its docking-station access to an optical drive and a variety of ports, the Stylistic ST4110 does a good imitation of a desktop PC. Uncomplicated and free of a flimsy folding keyboard, the Stylistic ST4110 is the slate to beat. |
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| HP
Compaq Tablet PC TC1000 The sleek, silver HP Compaq Tablet PC TC1000 is the lightest tablet we've tested. Able to transform from a notebook to a slate to a desktop PC, this chameleon unfortunately lags in performance tests. |
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| Toshiba
Portégé Tablet 3500 Write on it, type on it, show it off. The Portégé 3500 convertible tablet is a digital jack-of-all-trades with a screen that swivels and folds flat. It's also the best-equipped tablet we've seen and the performance leader in this new field. |
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| ViewSonic
Tablet PC V1100 A simple, rugged, and straightforward tablet that sticks to the slate design, the ViewSonic V1100 has no complicated hinges or fragile folding keyboards. Unfortunately, this tablet's ho-hum configuration doesn't quite justify its bulky exterior. |
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| Windows
XP Tablet PC Edition This OS offers handwriting recognition, new tablet-specific apps, and minor interface departures from its traditional predecessor. Is it the perfect date for the tablet PC ball? |
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| Tablet
PC Benchmark Results Check out how the different Tablet PCs stack up against each other |
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CNET's Brian Nadel, John Lui, and Molly Wood, along with ZDNet Australia's Alex Kidman contributed to this report.
