Lenovo, Toshiba Tablet PCs Get High Marks For Function, Design

Wright Business Technologies is a general IT solution provider based in Houston that supports customers in the oil and gas, health-care, legal and business markets. Stephen Wright, president of the company, reviewed the following three Tablet PCs.

Tablet PCs have come a long way, and many of the latest models offer light weights, large sizes, rich feature sets and many uses for employees in general business settings or vertical markets.

In a review of the Hewlett-Packard tc4200, Lenovo X41 and Toshiba Tecra M4 Tablet PCs, the Lenovo and Toshiba units received the highest ratings. The Lenovo X41 is lightweight and has a smart design and a useful built-in fingerprint reader. The Toshiba Tecra M4 was the largest unit of the group and had the best feature set, while the HP tc4200 had several serious design flaws which limited its performance.

All three vendors back up sales of their Tablet PCs with three-tier channel programs offering varying levels of training, marketing resources, financing, incentives and technical support.

HP Compaq Tablet PC tc4200

A full featured tablet, the tc4200 is a solid unit in terms of raw features and functionality but it lacks several key ingredients that make up an exceptional ultra-portable tablet PC.

The review unit had an external DVD/RW drive, but did not include a docking station. The unit&s 12.1-inch screen rotates and lays down the same way most convertible tablet PC's operate.

The unit&s physical attributes make it ill-suited for most tasks. At 1.35 inches thick and 4.6 pounds, it feels way too heavy for today's ultra-portable tablets. Yet, with only a 12.1-inch screen, small keyboard and no internal media bays, it absolutely is not a desktop replacement model either.

The system offers the traditional set of ports such as USB, SD Card, PC Card, LAN, Modem and Video Out. It also delivers on what has become a mandatory feature for all portable appliances, 802.11b/g wireless networking. As an option, users can offer integrated Bluetooth technology, which is a useful feature on portable systems.

When operating with the keyboard, the system offers both a touchpad and a mouse pointer for control, and having the choice is helpful. However the top row of keys are difficult to use because they have been shrunken nearly in half to make room for all of the keys. The touch pad does include a scroll area on the right side which is handy when scrolling through long documents or Web pages.

When operating the system in tablet mode, once again the system performs well but lacks the subtle features that make a tablet PC more useable to users. While it does offer a scroll button and a portrait/landscape toggle, it does not offer easy access to basic commands such as enter and escape. Additionally the power button&s location makes it easy to accidentally turn the unit off while working.

The tablet&s stylus is well designed. Most tablet PC manufacturers make their stylus these light and flimsy things that are difficult to get a feel for. HP nailed the stylus. It's a solid device that actually feels like a pen. To top it off, HP added an electronic eraser to the stylus that works within the applications.

The hardware platform is strong for an ultra-portable. The tc4200 offers performance as high as a Pentium M 2.0-Ghz processor, 2 Gbytes RAM and an 80-Gbyte hard drive. With the rest of the system being so strong performance-wise, it should have included the ability to utilize a higher screen resolution. This system offers a maximum of 1024x768 for screen resolution, and having the choice of utilizing a 1280x1024 setting would be better.

The unit costs $2,241.

Although there is nothing technically wrong with the unit, it still lacks the necessary features to separate itself from the crowd. Combine that with its extra size and weight, the tc4200 does not make the cut. In HP&s defense the tc4200 has been out for quite awhile in Tablet PC terms. Hopefully HP's next model will be more aggressive in terms of size and conveniences.

Lenovo ThinkPad X41 Tablet PC

For years, IBM was one of the few major OEMs that did not sell a tablet PC. But after purchasing IBM&s computer division, Lenovo quickly unveiled a tablet pc for the Thinkpad line, based on a design that IBM engineers had been developing.

Solution providers with experience selling IBM&s Thinkpad notebooks will be thoroughly impressed with the X41, as it lives up to the quality and features the product family is known for.

Make no mistake: this is absolutely an ultra-portable device. There are no media bays for CD/DVD burners in either the tablet or the docking station. The X41 weighs only 3.2 pounds, and the screen is clear and bright, but measures only 12.1 inches. Best of all, the tablet felt solid to work with. Although it is noticeably small and light, it does not feel exceptionally delicate.

The screen swivels and lays down like most convertible tablet PCs allowing you to use the system in a more traditional notebook fashion or in tablet mode with the keyboard covered up. When operating in tablet mode, the system still offers a logical and handy set of buttons for easy access including power, enter, escape, scroll up and down, and of course Portrait/Landscape toggle. Combine these buttons with the stylus and touch screen, and there is nothing you can't accomplish.

Of course a review of this tablet just wouldn't be complete without dedicating an entire paragraph to its integrated bi-directional fingerprint sensor. The sensor is easy to set up and use and is very reliable, though it should be better integrated with the system. The fingerprint authentication seemed to be limited only to power on and operating system security, instead of allowing logins for applications and Web sites.

The hardware platform is sufficient, especially for an ultra portable, offering a Pentium M 1.5 Ghz processor, 512 Mbytes RAM and a 40-Gbyte hard drive. The built-in wireless which has become mandatory for the portable market was of course present and performed as expected.

One criticism of the hardware platform is its hard drive. At either 40 or 60 Gbytes, it leaves quite a bit to be desired. After all, when was the last time you heard “I just have too much free space.” It would be better to have the base model sport a 60-Gbyte hard drive and allow for an upgrade to at least an 80-Gbyte drive.

It would also be better to be able to use a higher screen resolution. This system offering a maximum of 1024x768 for screen resolution, and access to the 1280x1024 setting would make the tablet more useful.

The tablet as well as its docking station offer the expected collection of I/O ports such as USB, external Video, LAN, integrated Modem and PC Card and an SD Card reader.

The review unit included two batteries. A slim battery fits into the tablet and offers 2.6 hours of run time according to the company. A larger battery adds about 1.5 inches to the depth of the unit and provides six hours of run time. The batteries were easy to add/swap and having the choice is helpful.

The included stylus was certainly functional and comfortable to use, and best of all can be stored securely in the chassis. Having said this, while most tablet manufacturers provide feather-light styluses, the X41&s and other tablet&s styluses would be easier to use with a little more weight. Functionally the stylus and screen worked flawlessly though.

The X41 costs $2,059.

All-in-all, this is an excellent tablet PC for the user that needs ultra portability. The unit&s light weight, compact size and of course the biometric sensor are sure to raise the coolness factor a notch or two above its competition, and at the same time provide an extra level of convenience and security.

Toshiba Tecra M4 Tablet PC

With a 14.1-inch display and full-size keyboard, the Toshiba Tecra M4 is one of the largest Tablet PCs available and a pleasure to work with, even for long periods of time.

The system is less portable than the smaller and lighter HP and Lenovo units, but it also offers many advantages to compensate for that. For example, the Tecra M4 has an internal DVD-RW drive, stereo speakers, and of course a very large display.

When the unit is open it closely resembles and operates as a normal notebook PC. It offers the use of a touchpad and a mouse pointer for control, depending on a user&s preference. While in tablet mode, the system offers a nice large workspace and access to the convenient features that makes working on a tablet PC a real pleasure. A discrete mouse pointer allows users to scroll in all directions, and portrait/landscape enter and escape buttons are easily accessible. Plus, Microsoft&s excellent OneNote software comes installed on the tablet and a button on the face is designed specifically to launch the software.

The hardware platform is exceptionally strong for a tablet PC. The Tecra offers a high performance system capable of running a Pentium M 2.13 Ghz processor, 2 Gbytes RAM and a 80 Gbyte hard drive. The built-in wireless performed as expected. Bluetooth is available as an option.

The display offers a maximum resolution of 1400x1050 which is very nice given the size of the screen. The rich screen performance only adds to the appeal of an already very attractive package.

The tablet and docking station offer the expected collection of I/O ports such as USB, external Video, LAN, Integrated Modem and PC Card. It's also worth noting that the Tablet PC includes an SD Card reader integrated into its chassis.

The unit&s primary battery provides approximately three hours and 10 minutes of runtime, but if additional runtime is needed, users can replace the DVD drive with a secondary battery. Together, the two batteries offer an estimated six hours and 10 minutes of run time.

The included stylus is functional and offers a digital eraser for use in supported applications. However the the stylus is a bit too light weight. Heavier styluses are usually easier to control and harder to lose. The M4 starts at $1,699.

For users preferring extra performance and convenience over portability, the Tecra M4 is an ideal choice.