Forget the Apple tablet: These touch-screen laptops are available now
While the entire world (or at least bloggers) seemingly holds its breath for the announcement of a tablet PC from Apple, one might think that touch-screen computing is some kind of shocking new development. In fact, tablet PCs have been around for years, and there are several touch-screen laptops currently on the market that could easily satisfy your finger-tapping needs.
We've always loved tablets conceptually, but in real-world situations their usefulness can be dubious for mainstream computer users--most tablets are actually targeted at hospital, education, or industrial customers. Windows XP's wonky tablet support also didn't help matters (although both Vista and now Windows 7 do a much better job).
The most common type is the convertible tablet laptop, which looks like a normal notebook until you swivel the touch-sensitive screen 180 degrees and fold it down over the keyboard. HP's tx series of "entertainment tablets" is one of the only examples of a convertible tablet aimed squarely at casual consumers (we've profiled two recent versions below).
Netbooks, with their tiny keyboards and buttons, always seemed like prime candidates for the tablet treatment, and the new Asus Eee PC T91 is a worthwhile attempt, if you don't mind the small 9-inch screen.
Of course, Apple could easily steal the tablet spotlight with a well-made, easy-to-use device (especially if the company follows the hints in our Apple tablet wish list), or they may announce nothing at all in the near future. And despite the reams of mindless speculation about Apple's tablet plans, one company has already beaten them to the punch, in a way.
The current closest relative to an Apple tablet is the Axiotron ModBook, which takes a stock 13-inch MacBook, and reconstructs it as a tablet, removing the keyboard and trackpad, and replacing the display with a Wacom-enabled LCD and digitizer.
If all this tablet talk has got your fingers twitching for some tactile feedback, check out the touch-screen devices detailed below--they're not for everybody, but perhaps worth a look if you're thinking of trading your mouse in for a stylus.
HP TouchSmart tx2-1275dx
The good: Good price for tablet functionality; multitouch gestures are fun; flashy but not garish design.
The bad: Poor battery life; mediocre application performance; weighted down with bloatware; a tad heavy for a 12-inch ultraportable.
The bottom line: A fair price, an attractive design, and multitouch support may allow tablet shoppers to overlook the HP TouchSmart tx2-1275dx's middling performance and poor battery life.
Asus Eee PC T91
The good: Small and light; well-done custom touch-screen interface; good battery life.
The bad: Uses less powerful version of the Intel Atom CPU; not much space on the tiny SSD hard drive.
The bottom line: Asus does a good job combining a Netbook and a touch screen in the Eee PC T91, even if the system hits a couple of first-generation snags.
Yukyung Viliv S5
The good: Very long battery life; crams Netbook features into a compact, portable size.
The bad: Tiny 4.8-inch screen is almost impossible to read; difficult-to-use virtual keyboard; high price.
The bottom line: Too large to be a smart device, too small to be a useful Netbook, the import-only Viliv S5 is a neat proof-of-concept that is best for portable media playing.
HP TouchSmart tx2z
The good: Dual-mode tablet display; fun-looking design; decent port assortment for a 12-inch laptop.
The bad: Mediocre battery life; unimpressive performance; touch-screen response lags.
The bottom line: The HP TouchSmart tx2z Tablet PC has the features, functions, and price to convert consumer laptop users to tablet users. We just wish it could live a little longer away from an outlet.
Fujitsu LifeBook T1010
The good: Attractive case design; 13.3-inch screen provides plenty of real estate while still being portable; comfortable stylus; new Centrino 2 components.
The bad: Bulkier than other 13.3-inch laptops; small touch pad; lousy speakers.
The bottom line: With the LifeBook T1010, Fujitsu adds tablet functionality to an otherwise typical 13.3-inch laptop. It's a good choice for students and executives who prefer to take handwritten notes on the run.
Axiotron Modbook
The good: Ingenious design, marrying slate tablet to bottom half of a stock MacBook; built-in GPS and Wacom digitizer for accurate input.
The bad: Screen stuck in landscape mode; heavy; big premium over original MacBook cost; shorter battery life than the MacBook.
The bottom line: We're impressed with the engineering behind Axiotron's rebuilt, tabletized MacBook, but the target audience is likely very small, especially since Windows-based convertible tablets do so much more.
Check out some more shots of the systems detail above in our tablet gallery:
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New York native Dan Ackerman, a former radio DJ turned journalist, has written about technology and music for publications including Spin, Blender, The Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. He hosts the weekly Digital City podcast and the New York edition of Editors' Office Hours. Dan's new album, Tales Out of Night School, is available now. E-mail Dan. 
tablets are still a total niche genre in my opinion. very cool the first 30 days but i never used the tablet features beyond that. touchscreens may help move out of niche but all in all; more features you prob won't use that much unless you have really good handwriting or can write faster than you type.
great for notetaking though.. but then again, a pad of paper is even better and costs only 1/100 the price of a tablet pc :P
http://www.alwaysinnovating.com/touchbook/
Possibly touchscreen notebooks, especially the highly portable ones, aren't for everyone, but I think they're great for college students! I plan to get an Asus t91 this fall.
What I have been noticing are companies trying to make an almost "all in one" device (and Apple is definitely trying to do this). I think companies need to step back from this mindset and consumers need to be told to think about this, "is this mark 1000 all in one device better than this other device that has a dedicate purpose?" The tablet pc is practical, but only to a select few people. I want to start seeing more devices that are top notch and not trying to be the "One" device. I think the best kind of technology will be the one that allows all of my devices to seamlessly sync wirelessly. This way my many devices can fit together in a sort of hive mind.
The mac tablet is probably just going to be a high-end toy that can run full apps, not just iPhone level webapps.
If anyone buys one, can I play with it?
Its coming, maybe Apple or maybe not, but its on the way. Home/personal integration on every level for every thing you can think of doing.
A normal laptop fits in an envelope
Here again I find myself looking at an iTarded post. Fanboyism is on the loose!
maybe you need to call the manufactury to ask them y? my is HP pavilian win vista
Plus with the amount of overheating / core shutdowns / kernel task runaways on the MacBook Air, I don't think many manufacturers are keen to duplicate it. Only Apple can make such a crappy product and get a pass from reviewers.
What respect I had for CNET's impartiality and integrity has been significantly reduced by that headline "Apple Tablet Alternatives". What a joke. The best thing you could do is change the copy and take a good long look at whether you deserve to be the number 1 tech website.
Rather than carry around a required arch set of dwgs (and trust me, even at 11x 17 they are heavy and bulky), i carry the entire dwg set (incl mech, elec, etc) via my tablet AND i can zoom in/out, mark them up as i am inspecting and then as soon as i am done, email my work instantly to the contractor and my office for records. Same goes for meetings and my site review reports - i take notes on the tablet, identify action items and as soon as the meeting/review is over, i forward it all to everyone for follow-up - while i am still on site. I have access to all my files, schedules, logs, and contracts for every project i work on. If an issue arises on-site, i can quickly sketch a solution and again email to everyone for immediate pricing/implementation. I can now mark up shop drawings, site photos, fill out and sign forms and basically expedite my entire job - and all without printing a single piece of paper or going back and forth to the office!
Because of this, I am now managing more projects in the same amount of time as others doing half, hence my career growth. My only wish is for tablets to get dedicated and discreet graphics processing so that i may use more graphics/ BIM (Building Information Modelling) programs. It works well for 2d CAD but 3d modeling really works the processor and i cant do other things while it is running - less necessary in my job but would still be nice.
Yes tablets are not for everyone but i would highly recommend them and suggest this route if you or someone you know can relate to my experience above. Most of the people i work with have either switched or are trying to convince management to invest, now knowing what it can do. Just my two cents in defense of the tablet.
Keyboard must be easy to use and only Apple can do this job, as always...
Only after that, we can retire the physical keyboards...
Whatever company comes out with a useful touch screen tablet will win, but Apple seems to be in the best position to me. Folks praise Apple for being able to come up with products that work into systems. In other words, their products work well with themselves, and with applications coming out non-stop, they have proven the ipod touch and iphone can be used in any way an app designer wishes.
Picture an employee doing a briefing in the company boardroom. He (or she) brings the tablet, syncs it to the in-focus, and begins the presentation. The slides flash up on the screen, and someone from marketing has a question about last quarter's profits. Our guy pauses the slides, gets into the company network, and brings up the figures.
Or, think about a professor in school. He is teaching Shakespeare, going through the history of Elizabethan theater, and he needs a quote to drive the point home. He types, or touches a couple of words, and up comes the exact quote in context.
Lastly, your car is in the shop, and the mechanic is not familiar with changing the conifer pin on your year and model. He taps into a database, and gets the directions he needs.
It seems to me that we are often too narrow in our thinking, and too intent on bashing Apple, Microsoft, or (insert company here) to really look at the possibilities.
Eric
They're already making alternatives for an apple product RUMOUR.
- by redroen August 18, 2009 1:24 PM PDT
- well can't you do all these things with any computer? Why not spend a tenth the money and customize a thin tablet. Seriously apples are neat and all, but I could paint a thin -whatever- white and then I could still afford to eat and live in shelter and be able to get music out of good sound cards and not have to join the federation and pledge my soul just to download a song on one device.
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Showing 1 of 2 pages (32 Comments)My dad wants this cheap HP touch now and I wondered how everybody uses it if on the table in front of you? Do your arms get tired reaching up to point at stuff or do you put it in tablet and look down at your lap or the counter top all day till your neck hurts? I'd like to have the option though.
I think the ones that carry their own battery and hardware in the back of the screen and then detach from the keyboard are a good functional middle ground. But is HP any good. I' really don't know much about them other than the ones I've touched feel cheap and are packed with a bunch of junk you don't probably need.