By Apple has become quite a trend-setter when it comes to design. First the “iPod” gave birth to a whole new world of portable music players, then the “iPhone” emerged a new generation of mobile phone devices and recently came the “iPad” which started turning heads towards touchscreen mobile computing (that already existed).
The web has already started gathering reasons as to why the iPad just isn’t worth that much attention ranging from 5 or 6 motives up to 12 or even more. After making a thorough study and after taking review after review, we ask ourselves – what are the better alternatives?
First of all, the average user is mainly interested in a capable device that can offer the comfort of the latest Windows operating system with all accessories and some even figure – if it can run Windows, it can run anything. The latest ideas on the subject came our way mostly through the latest edition of CES – 2010.
One of the more affordable items out there, is the 10.1“ multi-touch Lenovo S10-3t convertible netbook with a $549 starting price on the official site. The standard configuration includes the latest N450 atom processor, 1GB DDR2, 160GB 5400 rpm hard drive and a 4-cell battery.
Newegg has even started selling the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t convertible netbook for only $489.99, with a hybrid 8-cell battery capable of providing up to 10-hour operating time.
Another feature is the Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid. This 11.6” touchscreen notebook looks and feels like any Core 2 Duo CULV notebook out there with one major exception: the touchscreen is actually a detachable independent slate pc. With the help of its own Qualcomm 1GHz Snapdragon CPU and a custom Linux OS, the slate can easily be used as a light entertainment platform, while the base computer runs a regular Windows 7 installation. The IdeaPad U1 is set for launch this June and a few sites have already reviewed pre-production units.
Hanvon is also preparing the BC10C 10” slate tablet, powered by a 1.3 GHz Celeron M ULV 743 CPU and GMA4500 graphics. There are some preproduction reviews and all of them talking about the snappy performance and excellent build quality but coming at a price – $877.
The Viliv S10 Blade is another entry from the convertible multitouch netbook class to be launched later this year with a starting price of around $699. UmpcPortal has already posted a detailed review of the preproduction unit emphasizing its “silent, rugged operation”.
HP also has a Windows slate project almost ready, an 8.9” multitouch slate powered by the Atom Z630, 1080p capable with 1GB DDR2 and up to 5+ hours autonomy. It is rumored for launch later this year starting at $549.
That covers the latest tablets/convertibles that can do more than just browse pages, play online movies and read books for the average user.
Now, if you don’t think much about your budget or you can pull off some really good deals, you are also able to find some real touchscreen devices for your computing experience.
Some of the best devices out there are still of the rugged/business kind. If you want you can try the latest Thinkpad X201 Tablets from Lenovo starting $1,509 or you might as well get a decent X61 tablet off eBay starting around $500 up.
With a tank-like magnezium construction, a 12.1-inch display, 1.6GHz Core2Duo L7500 CPU, 1GB DDR2,160GB, Wifi and 8-cell battery, the X61 still is way more dependable than many gloss-shine Atom powered plastic toys the shops throw at us.
The HP Touchsmart series is also a very mature choice in this 12.1” convertible range, having a wide variety of configuration options up to Core 2 Duo SU9600, 512MB ATI Radeon HD, 8GB DDR3, 500GB 7200rpm SATA.
The professional series is represented by the HP Elitebook 2740, ready to launch this month, having up to a Core i7 processor.
The Dell Latitude XT2 is another strong contender in the convertible multitouch class. It has the same 12.1” display based on Led technology, Core 2 Duo ULV, GMA 4500, up to 5GB DDR3 and rugged design targeting business.
TabletKiosk brings us a series of expensive but quality slates, oriented again towards business use and providing a variety of configurations.
And last, but certainly not least, Panasonic Toughbook C1, “World’s lightest 12.1 inch Convertible Tablet PC”, as claimed by the manufacturer. This machine has everything you can think of, from the Core i5-520M processor and hot-swappable batteries to top-notch quality, 30” drop rating and spill-resistant keyboard.
