Ready to Take the Plunge

**HeavyHanded** · 03-17-2009, 11:28 AM

Hey Fellas,

First off, I have spent the ENTIRE DAY on this forum researching the tablet I'm going to purchase. First off, I thought that I would purchase a convertible, the ThinkPad X61 that was on sale for $649 last week, but I decided to go with a Motion Tablet.

My primary applications I plan to use are
1) Manga Studio 4
2) Art Rage 2
3) PDF Reader
4) MS Reader
5) Some sort of Video Player

I have a 1/2 hour commute each morning on a train, and I wanted something I could use to read e-books, listen to music and watch movies and podcasts.
In between jobs I like to draw at the coffee shop and the like.

I have a PC at home for 3d work, but I want a Tablet for 2D.

With all that said I have narrowed it down to the Motion LE1600.
Question for the experts:
Is it worth it to spend the extra money, in this case $200, for a View Anywhere Screen?

Also do you guys use screen protectors with your tablets? What else should I buy to enhance my experience?

I plan to purchase by tomorrow. Thanks for your help. And Great Forum you have here!

**tpope** · 03-17-2009, 12:39 PM

Originally Posted by HeavyHanded

Question for the experts:
Is it worth it to spend the extra money, in this case $200, for a View Anywhere Screen?

I haven't seen a side-by-side comparison, but the View Anywhere on my M1400 is FAR superior to any laptop I've ever used, from both light level (full sunlight is pushing it, but anything short of that and the screen remains readable) and from viewing angles (I can read the screen at least 30 degrees past any angle where I could conceivably want to use it). On those strengths alone, View Anywhere is in my "must have" list for my next tablet.

Also do you guys use screen protectors with your tablets?

I don't and don't see much need, at least from a protection standpoint. The overlay of the screen is glass, and my tablet was heavily used for a few years before I got it, but still has not a single scratch on the screen. You'd need more than the stylus to scratch it.

The only reasons I can think of for a screen protector would be for glare reduction (not a problem for me) or to give a more paper-like drawing surface (also not a problem for me).

What else should I buy to enhance my experience?

An extra stylus or two would be good, as you will lose one sooner or later. I think the LE1600 has one button and an eraser, so you're well off there. I find for Photoshop and Illustrator work the keys I miss most are Alt, Ctrl, Shift and Space Bar.

So, I bought a two pack of Fujitsu replacement stylus pens that don't fit all the way in the silo but do have a second button and eraser (which the M1400 pen lacks). That second button gets alternately mapped to Shift or Alt or Space bar, depending on whether it's more useful to lock proportions, copy objects or pan the screen.

Wacom also sells a two-button+eraser stylus that won't fit into the silo but is probably a bit better form factor for drawing than the Fujitsu.

The clip-on keyboard (if sold separately) is pretty handy every once in a while for doing email. Mostly this would be for travel for me, I've got my desktop for day-to-day stuff.

...and all of the standard laptop accessory purchases apply here, depending on how you can balance convenience versus money. Extra battery, carrying
case (sfbags.com makes nice ones) extra power cord (one for bag, one for home) etc, etc...

**Steve S** · 03-17-2009, 01:16 PM

Heavy:

...tpope's comments are well-taken, so I will only add a few short addenda:

<> I agree that the VA screen is probably worth the extra cost; if you're going to be outdoors at various times, visibility is the most important issue for slates...

<> I admit that tpope has a point about the durability of modern tablet screens; nonetheless, I recommend that you consider using a screen protector. Think of it primarily as a safety measure because accidents happen and, again, the screen is your primary interface with your slate. Even small distractions can be significant. Screen protectors come in many types and at many prices, so there's plenty of selection. (See the "Screen protector shootout" by Trac Bui at GottaBeMobile.com)

<> Agree with tpope's other comments...

**PaulB** · 03-17-2009, 05:48 PM

Make that three for View Anywhere. I can't imagine having a tablet PC without it. The brightness, wide viewing angles and color accuracy all make for a very pleasant experience.

**HeavyHanded** · 03-18-2009, 10:57 AM

Thanks everyone for the valuable input. I have a snag in that I had to create a new paypal account and now I have to wait for verification. Hopefully I'll get it soon.

**HeavyHanded** · 04-01-2009, 07:39 PM

My tablet should arrive any day now. I plan to get newer HDD when I get the tablet and a big SDHC card. Hopefully I can get a 5400RPM HD drive to work with mine. And a 32GB SDHC card.

I was wondering does anyone use the PC Card slot on their Motion Computing Tablets? IF so, what for?

**kvanderlaag** · 04-05-2009, 08:32 PM

I'd just like to point out that Motion do state that no LE1600 is SDHC compatible.

The bigger hard drive you may or may not be able to accomplish, depending on whether it's a ZIF or IDE/ATA connector.

**tomcap** · 04-07-2009, 02:39 AM

Hey Heavyhanded, I just got my LE1600 this week and I love it. I love the handwriting recognition software that comes with it. It came with Win 7 build 7057 installed. The cover/keyboard is convenient but the Tablet pc Input Pen is more fun to use. Although the wifi works great and the tablet can see the internet it cannot see my Main computer where I have a CD/DVD drive, disk drives and printer. Because Win 7 builds will cease working on August 1st I intend to reinstall Win XP on the tablet soon.

TomCap

**HeavyHanded** · 04-07-2009, 03:54 AM

This Tablet really is fun. l enjoy using the pen ink to write. My tablet is used and has a small crack around the speaker but that is just a minor complaint. Maybe I'll look into the extended battery. The View Anywhere is fantastic!