small tablet???

[dabcan]

Hi Everyone,

Please bear with me as I have many concerns as to which tablet is best for me and what I'm looking for may not even be possible as I truly want one device to serve many purposes.

I am a coach who works primarily outdoors and has a lot of data collection (numerical). Currently I record most of it into a spiral notebook and transfer it to a laptop at a later time. This seems inefficient as I'm writing the data twice. So I'd like a small tablet (I'll be holding it in my hands for 2hr practices), the screen needs to be viewable outdoors. I figured if it was small enough I could tuck it into my coat on cold days, and for rainy days I could keep it inside a waterproof map case (heavy duty ziploc).

I'd mainly use exel or access as software.

To complicate things, I'd also like something for note taking at meetings, for sketching in my spare time, and to use as a portable photo storage to download pictures from my dslr while on vacation.

After reading this forum and others like it, it seems like the Motion LS800 is almost perfect, but discontinued. I've seen them for what seems to be a decent price on ebay, but it does seem odd to buy discontinued electronics as it seems to get outdated so fast. This tablet is the same size as my current spiral bound notebook that I use.

Lastly, I'm low on funds, so I'd like to stay under $1000 if possible. If anyone has some suggestions I'd be very appreciative. I'd also like to know if anyone has used the LS800 without the view anywhere screen outside and if this works at all or not?

Thanks in advance!

[chibitrunks9]

I chose to purchase the HP TC1100 on the basis of it's size and that it can be used as a slate. Together with the fact that they are fairly low-cost, and can be upgraded fairly easily. It is also fairly rugged and you can still get the water-resistant cases...

[dabcan]

I don't think I'd ever use the keyboard though, I also currently have an HP laptop and I've had a lot of reliability issues.

[TedRx]

Hey there Coach,

Dont let the HP in the name of the TC1100 foll you .. it is one of the 3 top rated used Tablets out there.

Also, I think the keyboard is detachable , so you dont have to be weighted down with it.

The other 2 top rated used tablets are the M200 (convertible) and the M1400 (slate) but ....

Based on what you say you want, I would have to recommend the TC1100 hands down. It is light and small and durable. And on EBAY they are listed under $400 ... a very good entry level price.

And dont worry about "old tech" ... most programs today dont tax older models as the program tech is lagging behind the hardware tech advance by atleast 5 years ... except in the relm of high end gaming, which you are not going for.

And it is a JOY for sketching, especially if you combine it with ArtRage or my fav SketchBook Pro

Any questions please ask ... we are here to help.

Thanks,

[bmhome1]

Read the extensive and detailed threads about the HP1100, all posted in the past few months. The answers why it ranks so high regardless of age are clear.

[Ride wind]

I don't think I'd ever use the keyboard though, I also currently have an HP laptop and I've had a lot of reliability issues.

The TC1100 is a very well made machine, possibly one of the best ever. Actually it was made by compaq which is why on the hp site they still call it HP COMPAQ. I just bought a TC1100 myself and it really does live up to its name. Just clean up the hard drive and give it more RAM and it purrs.

Actually I myself have been using a very reliable ACER C112 tablet for many years. In my opinion rank as well as the TC1100 except the battery life is shorter. Both spot the excellent Hydis all angle screens and 10.4" form factor. The C112 don't look as sleek as the TC1100 though but it is lighter and fanless.

I also own another HP TX1222 passive 'tablet'. So I agree with your observation that the latest HP notebooks are not as reliable especially after they switch over to AMD. Don't get me wrong with AMD which actually are good CPU's but HP seems to make quite many errors in their fan mechanism and heat dissipation in their new notebooks.

[dabcan]

Thanks for all the great advice, I'll read up on this HP. The fact that it was made by Compaq is a major bonus, I had a laptop by them and it was the best I've had in a long time.

[dabcan]

One more quick question re: HP TC1100.

How is the screen outdoors? I don' t need it to be perfect, but at least somewhat readable would be of great benefit.

[Ride wind]

How is the screen outdoors? I don' t need it to be perfect, but at least somewhat readable would be of great benefit.

Your simple question however demands a tough answer. It depends. For direct sunlight, almost all the most recent notebooks/tablets will fail the test. However, in the 2nd generation, there were some models offered with outdoor screens which might work.
I will definitely not recommend the ACER outdoor. The TC1100 will depend on your use. The most comprehensive outdoor tests were done by tabletpc2.com:
http://www.tabletpc2.com/CompareDisplays.htm

Take a close look. There are many good classic models there.

[Ride wind]

I am a coach who works primarily outdoors and has a lot of data collection (numerical). Currently I record most of it into a spiral notebook and transfer it to a laptop at a later time. This seems inefficient as I'm writing the data twice. So I'd like a small tablet (I'll be holding it in my hands for 2hr practices), the screen needs to be viewable outdoors. I figured if it was small enough I could tuck it into my coat on cold days, and for rainy days I could keep it inside a waterproof map case (heavy duty ziploc).

I'd mainly use exel or access as software.

I relook at your requirement again and think that you might be rather mobile or need to be quick when you are inputing directly into MS Excel/Access. I want to caution that using a tablet PC is not yet like writing onto a paper notebook. I mean it is not as fast because you will have to input into each Excel cell via the Tablet Input Panel (TIP). Microsoft implemented the TIP to get user pen input to be recognised and convert into text or numbers. The TIP is however not perfect so it might have slight recognition error although it improve over time. The TIP can also show a number pad for your pen stylus to tap but I find tapping to input number slower than the physical keyboard numeric keypad so this will depends on how fast you need to input numbers outdoor.

The other way is to write directly in a journal file or Onenote and convert later to put into Excel. Some extra work here. Please note that OneNote is useful but it can only import from Excel but not export to Excel.

Of course, note taking and photos are no problems for any tablets but those look like your secondary requirements.

Maybe you can considered a mini notebook as small as the ASUS EE PC or the ACER Aspire ONE for a very easy to carry on your palm and using the numeric keys. The EE PC screen however I do not think is bright for outdoor. For a Touch screen tablet UMPC there are Samsung Q1, Sony, Fujitsu UMPC and Kohjinsha. Unfortunately, Samsung, Sony, Fujitsu use much slower CPU's. Samsung and Sony also has no keyboard. The Kohjinsha series is a full blown tablet with keyboard and however has been well praised for their screen even in outdoor. Depending on your needs and budgets, they have CPU speed ranging from 600Mhz to Intel Atom 1.3Ghz. I tried the Fujitsu UMPC , surprisingly not good and much more expensive.

Please note that a Touch screen tablet can also use finger nails to write. The above UMPC tablets are all very light.The downside is you will not be able to sketch properly with it. Writing cursive directly onto Journal is also difficult but notetaking via Tablet OS TIP is OK.

See these videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A056SbnSQJg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbxAnM6XHtk