Powerful Tablet PCs Arrive
Anush Yegyazarian
Latest crop offers notably better performance and battery life.
New Tablet PCs: Gateway's M275XL (left) and Electrovaya's Scribbler SC-2010.
Tablet PC devices have come a long way since their November 2002 launch, especially in terms of battery life and performance. Now mobile professionals who want to lose the paper pad and keep the functionality of a laptop have effective alternatives. Two good examples: Electrovaya's $2599 Scribbler SC-2010 and Gateway's $2100 M275XL.
Although they're not the first portables based on Microsoft's Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system to make use of Intel's Centrino technology (which includes the Pentium M processor, Pro/Wireless 802.11b wireless networking, and the 855 chip set), these two shipping units use significantly faster Pentium M chips than the previous Tablets we've seen, and it showed in our tests. The 1.6-GHz Pentium M-based Gateway received a whopping 121 score on our PC WorldBench 4 test, which is nearly 20 percent higher than the average score of two 900-MHz Pentium M-based Tablet PCs that we looked at in our August issue ("Tablets Gain Oomph"). The Electrovaya, using a 1.2-GHz Pentium M, wasn't far behind, earning a score of 114. (All scores were for systems with 512MB of RAM.)
Moreover, these scores fall well in line with those of full-featured notebooks we have reviewed in our Top 15 Notebooks chart, so you're no longer sacrificing performance if you opt for a Tablet PC.
Battery life also takes a leap forward. In this respect the Scribbler stood out, lasting an impressive 6 hours, 5 minutes in our tests. That's not quite the 9 hours Electrovaya touts, but it's still about 2.5 hours more than previous Tablet champs and it's enough to last the better part of a workday. Gateway's M275XL fared well also, lasting 4 hours, 39 minutes in our tests--again, a significant improvement over previously tested Tablets.
Tablet to Go
Of the two, the pearly off-white Scribbler is a more traditional tablet, and its 3.7-pound weight makes it easy to carry. A separate, collapsible wire frame lets you position the system for comfortable stylus input. Or you can use the bundled keyboard to prop up the display for typing. (The keyboard has a secondary function: You can attach it to cover the screen, although doing so adds half a pound to the unit's carrying weight.)
The Scribbler's stylus and touch screen were responsive, though the stylus sounded as if it was scratching the surface of the screen (it wasn't). Between the nimble stylus and the many quick-launch buttons for the Tablet PC Input Panel, the Windows Start menu, the Windows Journal, and other features, I found using the Tablet sans keyboard easy. Also, one button quickly switched screen orientation from portrait to landscape, which made reverting to keyboard use a snap. However, the Tablet PC OS's bad handwriting recognition--Microsoft's problem, not Electrovaya's--remains frustrating.
The unit features a 12.1-inch screen with 1024 by 768 resolution; a 40GB hard disk; built-in 802-11b Wi-Fi, ethernet, and modem; FireWire and USB ports; and a PC Card slot. Notably missing are an optical drive and a floppy drive--you'll spend extra if you need one or both (as most people do). Electrovaya offers third-party, USB-based external drives, including a 24X CD-ROM drive for $149 and a floppy drive for $79.
The company does throw in a nice bonus for the security-minded: a built-in fingerprint biometric scanner and Sofex Omnipass password manager software to protect your data. The software bundle also includes Corel Grafigo, a trial version of Franklin Covey Tablet Planner, McAfee VirusScan 7, and Alias Sketchbook, among others. In addition, you get a portfolio case.
Test Report: New Tablets Provide More Speed, Run Time
The latest Tablet PCs with Centrino technology show gains in performance and battery life.
Convert Me
Gateway's M275XL serves those who are in the market for a conventional notebook with Tablet PC features. This attractive silver and black convertible unit has a large, 14.1-inch screen (1024 by 768 resolution), a roomy 60GB hard drive, an 8X DVD-ROM and 16X/10X/24X CD-RW combination drive, and a four-in-one flash media reader. Of course, these features weigh it down: It's nearly 6 pounds (without the AC adapter).
You also get a PC Card slot; built-in 802.11b Wi-Fi, ethernet, and modem; one FireWire port; and two USB 2.0 ports. The full-size keyboard and the touchpad both worked well, but the layout of the directional keys is nonstandard and may take getting used to. In addition, the button designated for changing screen orientation didn't work on my shipping model (Gateway sent us a software fix and says the problem is corrected on units shipping now). The system's screen swiveled flawlessly from notebook to tablet mode, and the unit's DVD video playback was smooth, with fairly good audio quality. The software includes Microsoft Works and a trial version of Symantec's Norton AntiVirus.
Wait It Out?
Poor handwriting recognition continues to plague Tablet PCs, but Microsoft expects to release an upgrade to Windows XP Tablet PC Edition by midyear that is supposed to improve this feature (see "Your Next OS: Windows 2006?").
So if handwriting recognition is the key reason you're considering a Tablet PC, you may want to wait to see if the update offers substantial improvements. For buyers who need a Tablet now, either of these units should serve you well--and in the Scribbler's case, it should serve you nearly an entire workday, too.
M275XL
Gateway
Top performer gives you a large screen and good battery life, but it's a bit weighty.Price when reviewed: $2100 Current prices (if available)
Scribbler SC-2010
Electrovaya
A powerful tablet with a long-lasting battery, but it lacks an included optical or floppy drive.Price when reviewed: $2599 Current prices (if available)