Imagination in VGA » tablet pcs

Latitude XT2 With SSD Review Update

Josh — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:55:13 +0000

In a previous post, I reviewed my Latitude XT2 Tablet PC with Windows 7 Beta, and I noted that I may buy an SSD in the future. Well, the future is now, and I recently purchased an Intel X-18m second generation drive and installed it in my computer.

Quantitatively, the numbers show a marked increase in both the Windows Experience Index and the HD Tune results, seen below. Qualitatively, the difference is amazing. My computer boots from a cold start to a working desktop in under 20 seconds, and it takes mere seconds to install a program like Firefox. It almost feels like I have a whole new computer. Certainly worth the ~$230 for the 80 gigabyte drive.

WEI with SSD - 7.7 for HDD

WEI without SSD - 4.6 for HDD

HD Tune with SSD

HD Tune without SSD

Great deal on Tablet PCs

Josh — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:28:23 +0000

I don’t plan to post a lot of deals here (I would refer people to Slickdeals and Fatwallet for that), but as I just took advantage of this deal, I thought I would share with other folks that might be interested in Tablet PCs.

Dell has always had good deals on its refurbished outlet items (50% off), and currently they have a Spring Clearance Sale running with a 20% coupon (CPP1002XWDHXDK), allowing users to get the Latitude XT and new Latitude XT2 for 60% off the retail price. Depending on the models available, that could mean an XT2 for $1,031, or an XT (Core Solo) for $575 (though I would go with the Core Duo for a little extra).

I have an XT, and it’s a little slow, but certainly faster than a netbook, many of which are going for $400-$500. Add in the LED, 12 inch, WXGA screen with capacitive, multi-finger touch, and you have a nice little machine that weighs under 4 lbs. It’s also one of just a few tablets that has true multi-touch, will should be an integral part of Windows 7.

Always Innovating demos a new lightweight tablet

Josh — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:41:18 +0000

With all of the cell phones, MIDs, and tablets coming out these days, it can be hard to stand out. A company that I have never heard of, the appropriately named Always Innovating, seems to be trying to break out from the crowd. Their new form factor is somewhat similar to the old HP TC1000 tablet I used to have, but smaller and with a couple interesting twists. Their new netbook tablet weighs a mere 2 lbs, has an 8.9 inch screen, and battery life from 10-15 hours thanks to a low power TI OMAP ARM processor. Of course, this means that X86 operating systems like Windows XP are out, but flavors of Linux and cellular operating systems like Android are possible. With a pricepoint of $400, it’s certainly competitive with other netbook offerings.

More information is avaible on Always Innovating’s site.

Specs:

9.4″ x 7″ x 1.4″ for 2 lbs (with keyboard)
ARM Texas Instruments OMAP3 chip
1024×600 8.9” screen
Storage: 8GB micro SD card
Wifi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth
3-dimensional accelerometer
Speakers, micro and headphone
6 USB 2.0 (3 internal, 2 external, 1 mini)
10h to 15 hours of battery life