http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/blog.php?49218-Michelle-Mastin TabletPCBuzz: Tablet Computer News and Forums en Fri, 24 May 2013 09:17:10 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/blog.php?49218-Michelle-Mastin http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?64-Enspert-Identity-Tab-E201-comes-to-the-US-via-Dynamism Sat, 29 Jan 2011 20:07:46 GMT

One of my favorite 7" Android tablets, from a company you've probably never heard of will indeed make it to the US. Enspert was hoping to partner with Best Buy to come to the US, but it looks like Dynamism picked them already. They will begin pre-sales on February 1st for just $349. That's a pretty good deal for a device with internals similar to the much pricier Galaxy Tab (android froyo 2.2 on a Samsung Cortex A8 1GHz CPU) . The only real drawback is the lower res screen at just 800x480. On the other hand, that means that most Android apps should run fine natively, without the scaling issues the Tab can have.

The tablet has great design and felt good in the hands. It won't be coming with 3G, but it will have full google certification, which means market access. I still hope they make it to Best Buy, as this is a good compromise between the cheaper, junky android tablets, and the pricier Samsung Galaxy Tab. You still get good performance in a solid, well designed shell. The only things you have to give up are 3G and the higher res screen.

Source: jkkmobile ]]> Michelle Mastin http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?64-Enspert-Identity-Tab-E201-comes-to-the-US-via-Dynamism http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?63-Viewsonic-ViewPad-7 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 19:16:11 GMT Viewsonic is covering all the popular form factors with their new tablet line-up and this is the 7" version.



While it has some bells a whistles like GPS, 3G, a gazillion sensors, two cameras, and full Google access, it's still stuck with a low res screen (800x480) driven by a slower (only 600 MHz) processor.



With an ESP of $459, even with retailers trying to come in lower, I don't find this tablet to be a particularly good value. Unless you need the GPS and 3G, the Archos 70 provides a 1GHz processor in a similar package for only $275 direct (when they have them in stock again). If you do need the GPS and 3G, the Samsung Galaxy Tab is coming down in price. ]]> Michelle Mastin http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?63-Viewsonic-ViewPad-7 http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?62-Viewsonic-s-history-of-tablets Tue, 18 Jan 2011 19:00:33 GMT Viewsonic (http://www.viewsonic.com/)brought a lot of new tablets to show off at CES this year, but they also brought some old ones. Attachment... Viewsonic brought a lot of new tablets to show off at CES this year, but they also brought some old ones.



They had a neat lineup of their tablets from the past. It was a nice collection of slates, convertibles, and PDAs. Viewsonic's been in this game for a while. ]]> Michelle Mastin http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?62-Viewsonic-s-history-of-tablets http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?61-Viewsonic-ViewPad-4 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 18:57:19 GMT It's pushing things to be calling a 4" device a "tablet," but there was a crowd around the bigger tablets, and this thing was free, so I played with it and I like what I saw.



The ViewPad 4 is a PDA sized Android tablet running 2.2 on a 4.1" (800x480) capacitive multitouch screen. The "tablet" will be driven by a 1GHz Qualcomm processor, making it more of a mid-range performer against all the Tegra 2 phones coming out. And yes, as it turns out, it will have the capability to make voice calls when it comes out in mid 2011. Pricing will be up to the carriers according to ViewSonic.



It's a solidly built device that felt really sturdy, although a little heavy. It will come with both a front facing camera for video chatting and a rear facing 5MP camera for photos/video. A nice bonus that comes with full phone functionality is full access to the Google experience, which includes the app store.



On it's own this is a neat little device. As an android based iPod touch competitor, it's a neat device as it would only be competing against the Archos 43. But as an Android based smartphone, it would have to be very well priced to have a chance. ]]> Michelle Mastin http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?61-Viewsonic-ViewPad-4 http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?58-Samsung-7-series-sliding-PC Sat, 15 Jan 2011 19:46:33 GMT The Samsung 7 series is an interesting take on the convertible tablet. Rather than look for a new way for the screen to rotate, like Dell's Inspiron Duo, Samsung went the slider route. This form factor is common among cell phones, but does is it work for a 10" tablet?



Yes, yes it does. Samsung has managed to keep their slider to 2.2lbs, which is the same weight as the ExoPC and clones. Sure, you're getting 1" less screen space, but the same number of pixels, and a full physical keyboard. Samsung has also managed to get their slider to open to a much more useful angle than Asus. The Asus slider's screen still sits back at a pretty steep angle, even when fully open. The Samsung's screen will come up to a normal netbook level. The main advantage to this option over the tablet + BT keyboard option (which are best on a table), is that the Samsung will sit comfortably in a lap in laptop mode. With no twisting hinge to bulk the device up, it's also smaller and lighter than other traditional netvertibles like the Asus t101-mt, which was also on display at the Intel booth. While Samsung was rather stingy with their device, hiding them behind velvet ropes and never letting them leave the hands of the reps, Intel's tablet folks allowed me to hold it in both tablet mode and netbook mode, although they did the sliding. The tablet is thin and light for being a full convertible, and would definitely be worth the minimal bulk over a slate for those who want an attached keyboard.



Now for the meaty bits. The 7 series will be powered by an Atom Oaktrail processor running at 1.66GHz, which is a notch up from most of the Oaktrail machines we've seen. It will also come with 2GB of RAM, and either a 32GB or 64GB SSD. WiFi and Bluetooth will be standard with optional 3G connectivity. The 10.1" capacitive multitouch screen runs at 1366x768 which I find to provide a significant boost in usability over the netbook standard 1024x600. Samsung is also promising 9 hours of run time.



A final bonus usage case as described in the press release:

"The Samsung 7 Series acts as a connective hub with other devices to improve the entertainment experience thanks to Samsung's device-to-device connection solutions. Samsung AllShare™ enables users to control, search, swap and play videos, photos, and music across a full range of DLNA® (Digital Living Network Alliance) certified Samsung devices, ranging from cameras and smart phones to TVs and PCs. " ]]> Michelle Mastin http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?58-Samsung-7-series-sliding-PC http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?57-Netbook-Navigator-Nav-7 Thu, 13 Jan 2011 20:06:16 GMT Netbook Navigator was one of the first to actually get a Windows slate to market after CES 2010, and they're back in 2011 (although in rather harder to find, out of the way booth) with two new slates and an upgrade to their current Nav 9.



The Nav 7 will be the first of their new slates to make it to the market. It's got a 7" (1024x600) capacitive multitouch display with an accelerometer for rotation. Like their other slates, it will be powered by an Atom processor (Z515 or Z530) with 1 or 2GB of RAM. Storage will be 16 or 32 GB SSD options. Wifi and bluetooth are standard, and 3G will be optional. There is also a front-facing 1.3MP camera for videoconferencing.

Windows on 7" capacitive screens can be more difficult to control, as UI elements start to get very small for the less accurate capacitive screens. The Nav 7 adds a touchpad to the back of the device, under where your right hand fingers will grip, to give greater control over the cursor. Then, there are mouse buttons on the other side that sit comfortably under left hand fingers.



The Nav 7 is lightweight, and I love the 7" form factor for one handed holding. However, Viliv has raised the bar on thinness with their new x70, which leaves the Nav 7 feeling a little chunky and bezelly.

The highlight of the Navigator series is their Windows 7 overlay, the Nav UI. I've seen many attempts at creating a more "touch friendly" overlay to windows 7, but they generally amount to little more than a fancy launcher with laggy animations.

It does have a nice app launcher, but with easy access to all the application on the machine, not just the few shortcuts that can take a while to configure.



I really liked the notification center as a one stop overview of incoming communications and news feeds.



There are also widget options and a fast way to switch between currently running applications.



Orientation switching via the built in accelerometer was medium fast.



While it's not as solidly built and svelte as the Viliv x70, it's coming up for pre-order in just two weeks, and should ship a month later, much sooner than the Viliv will hit the market. Also, it should come in at a much friendlier price point than the Korean import. ]]> Michelle Mastin http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?57-Netbook-Navigator-Nav-7 http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?56-MSI-WindPad-100W-Windows-7-Slate Thu, 13 Jan 2011 19:04:53 GMT

MSI's Windows based Windpad 100W is a 10.1" (1024x600) capacitive touchscreen slate, powered by an Atom Z530 at 1.6GHz, with 2GB of RAM and a 32GB SSD. These are pretty standard specs for current Windows slates, but so many of the slates shown at CES were already working on the Oaktrail platform.



It's a step up in performance from the slower Z515s with only 1GB of RAM (I have both an Archos 9 and Viliv x70 on those older specs, and they are adequate for simpler tasks), but not all the way up to Oaktrail, and MSI has priced it accordingly. The 100W should be out in Q1 2011 for $499. This is not a bad price for those unwilling to pony up for an ExoPC or clone, or for one of the slates with an active digitizer like the HP slate or Motion CL900.



That said, you won't be writing anything on these unless it's with the Windows TIP keyboard. The screen response is just too slow for inking with a capacitive pen to be useful.



The build quality also fits more with a second tier slate. It's relatively lightweight at only 1.7lbs, but the thickness makes it feel a little cheap. The viewing angles are also pretty bad. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to try the Wind Touch UI experience, but I have a feeling that with these specs, plain Windows is going to be a much more responsive way to get around the device. ]]> Michelle Mastin http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?56-MSI-WindPad-100W-Windows-7-Slate http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?55-While-we-re-on-exo-clones-Meebox-Slate Tue, 11 Jan 2011 20:08:41 GMT

It's just an exoPC in with red accents. They did also have a touch screen all in one desktop, and a strong focus on media consumption. My organizational skills are failing though, as I can't find the notes I thought I took. Perhaps I never actually wrote anything down, in which case, I need an indexer for my brain. Luckily, they are on the internet, if you'd like more information.

From their website, it does look like they've managed to hit some compelling price points. They also have offices in Mexico and plan to target emerging Latin markets. ]]> Michelle Mastin http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?55-While-we-re-on-exo-clones-Meebox-Slate http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?54-MasterPad7-so-hot-they-didn-t-even-need-to-be-there Tue, 11 Jan 2011 19:47:12 GMT Attachment 789 (http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=789) And that was Friday morning. Slashgear ...

And that was Friday morning. Slashgear managed to catch them while there were still there. Looks to be just another clone of the exoPC. ]]> Michelle Mastin http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?54-MasterPad7-so-hot-they-didn-t-even-need-to-be-there http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?53-The-Motorola-Xoom-and-why-I-don-t-care Mon, 10 Jan 2011 20:51:33 GMT

This thing is wining CES awards left and right, so why don't I care? Because you can't really evaluate it. Notice that in the photo, the Xoom is in the hands of a Motorola rep. They would not let people touch it, hold it, or play with it. Not only that, but that amazing Honeycomb OS that it's running is just a video demo! You can't touch it and it's just looping a video that shows off a demo of the OS. How are you supposed to form any kind of informed opinion off that? Sure, it's got a lot of potential to be amazing.

It's thin:



It has a great back camera and another in front for video conferencing:



And it has a crazy high res screen (1280x800), but how are we supposed to know what that even means for the Android interface when we can't actually control any of the apps?

I don't know. I don't how this thing is winning awards when the people giving out the awards haven't even been able to hold one or test the software. Maybe I'm just jaded by all the cool stuff from last year that never materialized. I mean, this is Motorola, I'm sure it's not vaporware. But I'm also not going to get all excited about something that I'm not allowed to touch and poke through the software on. ]]> Michelle Mastin http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?53-The-Motorola-Xoom-and-why-I-don-t-care http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?52-Vision-Objects-MyScript-Notes-Mobile Mon, 10 Jan 2011 05:23:35 GMT Attachment 785 (http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=785) Vision objects (http://visionobjects.com/en/) is a French company...

Vision objects is a French company with an intriguing set of handwriting recognition softwares. They have a whole software layer, and SDK kit and all for integrating the engine into apps and other such things that are over my head.

The really neat thing they've done is put it together into an app called Notes Mobile. Suddenly the mass of Android tablets just became useful for notetakers. You can leave your handwriting as handwriting, convert it to text later, or convert it to text on the fly. Notes can be shared by email, facebook, or twitter (think emailing it to your evernote account!), or export to Quickoffice. You can also search both converted and handwritten text. It also manages notes in collections of notebooks. This opens up the world of super thin, light, and crazy long battery life Android tablets to the mobile note taker.

I managed to be so enthralled by the demonstration, I seem to have forgotten to take pictures or video. Luckily they have a good demo video, and I can say the app really does work like it does in the video.



Additionally, they have a lot of really neat classroom tools that work with interactive whiteboards. ]]> Michelle Mastin http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?52-Vision-Objects-MyScript-Notes-Mobile http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?51-Evolve-Three-s-Maestro-and-Oaktrail-triple-booter Mon, 10 Jan 2011 04:10:55 GMT Attachment 777 (http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=777) Evolve Three (http://evolvethree.com.au/) is an Australian based...

Evolve Three is an Australian based company with some very interesting entries into the crowded Windows slate market. There are two main things that set their tablet apart from the others though:
1. They put an Atom N475 in their tablet, kicking it up a notch from all the N450 based slates.
2. They dual boot Android.



Other specs are the more standard 10.1" capacitive touch screen running at 1024x600, a 32GB or 64GB SSD, 2GB of RAM standard. The weight was impressively kept under 2lbs. A lot of the current Atom based windows slates are just over 2lbs, but that little bit makes a difference. After 3 days of picking up and playing with a zillion tablets, this one felt thin and light. I had no problem holding it in one hand while navigating or writing with the other.



Speaking of writing, the screen responded well to the Targus stylus. It took a little more pressure than the iTablet (the best pen response I've seen in a capacitive screen), but was still quite workable. And they said this is available now, and can be shipped to the US for under $550, but I can't quite seem to find how to go about getting one.



Now, take all that and make it better and you get their upcoming Oaktrail based tablet. They just got a model finished in time to bring it to the show, and it gets even thinner, lighter, and more responsive. This one will have both and Android and Meego option in addition to Windows 7. They say they've been getting 16-20 hours in Android, and about 8 running Windows. This one will be coming in April with the release of Oaktrail and will go for about $100 more.




Accessories options will include a clamshell style keyboard dock(!), and a desktop dock with HDMI, USB, and ethernet. They are also including some heftier security options including facial recognition login, an optional fingerprint reader, and TPM. This one just made the top of my 10" capacitive list.
]]> Michelle Mastin http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?51-Evolve-Three-s-Maestro-and-Oaktrail-triple-booter http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?48-Asus-Eee-Slate-121-inking-and-Art-Rage-video Sun, 09 Jan 2011 15:50:23 GMT The Eee Slate video made it overnight. It's a bit noisy and as I was just in Asus room with a million others who wanted to see it. Is Art Rage normally that bad?



UPDATE! Take two is a better demonstration of Art Rage using proper tools by someone who can actually draw. (and yes, I did manage to flip it before posting)

]]> Michelle Mastin http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?48-Asus-Eee-Slate-121-inking-and-Art-Rage-video http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?47-Motion-CL900-Hands-on-video Sun, 09 Jan 2011 06:55:36 GMT The video made it to the intertubes! Enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezv3DMsDSnc The video made it to the intertubes! Enjoy.

]]> Michelle Mastin http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?47-Motion-CL900-Hands-on-video http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?46-HP-Slate-500 Sun, 09 Jan 2011 06:51:57 GMT Attachment 772 (http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=772) Look what I found tucked between display cases at the Intel booth! ...

Look what I found tucked between display cases at the Intel booth! That is an HP slate 500, they do exist. My first impression on picking it up was that it was quite thin and light. Especially light. I have an Archos 9, which is the same size screen, but the slate is much lighter. It made all the difference to get to a weight that is comfortable to hold in one hand. The reason the Archos didn’t make the cut to come to CES with me is that I felt it would be too heavy to hold in one hand and write on it all day. I think the HP slate is light enough that it would be okay to hold in one hand while writing with the other for much longer periods of time. The textured back also makes it very comfortable to hold.





I had to borrow the pen from the Motion CL900 to test inking on it, so these results may be effected by using a different pen. They are the same technology though - battery powered n-trig. The hover distance on the slate is very short, making it much easier to leave palm drawings if you don’t get the pen to the screen before your hand. The ink and cursor both did a little skipping when I was trying to write the note in Journal. It's not worse than the vectoring I deal with if I'm not careful enough on a resistive screen. Then again, the whole point of the active pen is to eliminate those problems completely.



The portability of this machine can't be beat if you want any amount of active pen. And the dock and case that come with it just add to the usefulness. However, you have to be willing to be a little forgiving of the pen. It's a very nice machine for handwriting, but I'm not sure how useful it would be for more complicated input.

As a neat side note, I ended up fielding a bunch of questions from both onlookers and the booth guys after my little testing session. People really don’t know how useful Journal and handwriting can be, let alone the awesomeness of OneNote. ]]> Michelle Mastin http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/entry.php?46-HP-Slate-500