Which tablet for a power user? Asus vs. Fujitsu

So I'm gravitating more and more to the 2710p

What a slick little machine! And much more affordable than the Toshiba R400 and has a great little slim docking bay with optical drive. Still no DVI, though!

I've been experimenting today using VGA for 1920x1200 work, and so far it hasn't really bothered me at all. So i'm starting to wane on that requirement.

My goal would be to buy the HP and then swap out the hard drive for this. The processor is slower on the HP, but I think with enough ram and this fantastic little SSD, my real-world daily performance will actually be far better than anything else.

Any thoughts?

 

A performance comparison with the ULV processor would be something similar to the Pentium-M's of 2-3 years ago. Although definitely usable for basic tasks you will notice that you are infact using an ultra low voltage processor.

 

From the benchmarks I've seen, the best match is a similarly clocked Core Duo (not Core 2) processor. So an older Core Duo 1.2ghz gives almost the exact same performance. i believe this is quite a bit faster than the old Pentium-M's (although the Core chip is based on the M).

My plan (hope) is that getting an SSD drive will offset this. I've noticed that for 90% of what I do, I'm bottle-necked by hard drive, ram, and network speed. My current machine is a Core 2 Duo 1.8ghz with 2gb ram, and 150gb 5400 rpm drive, with dedicated video graphics. The 2710p does have the x3100, which is nice, but will still suck ram. maybe I can throw in another stick and get 3gb.

Anyway, reports show that the SSD drive uses about 1/10 as much CPU while in use as a standard hard drive.

 

I would avoid the ULV processors - for the type of work you'll be doing they are definitely not up to par.

I've owned an ASUS R1F for several months now. I bought it fully spec'd out and it's a great machine but it is inexplicably slow. I work on a lot of different machines and we have two Dell's in the office with nearly identical specs to the R1F and they both run circles around it. I haven't personally had the same run of bad luck that others have with the batteries but I can tell you that with the standard battery and the modular bay battery in I'm lucky to get over four hours in battery saving mode. As a frequent traveler this has become a real headache for me. With the new TSA restrictions here in the States, having to take two spare batteries and the DVD drive out of my bag at every checkpoint is driving me nuts, not to mention all that extra weight I have to lug around.

If battery life is a big concern then the ASUS probably isn't the right machine for you. I've also had some strange issues with the stylus and the digitizer going berzerk from time to time but that might just be quirk in my particular machine. I'll be keeping it around as the 13.3" screen is a great compromise between the smaller tablets and the bigger portables but I think it's time to look to a T4220 or X61 to travel with.

 

Alright, I did a side-by-side feature-by-feature comparison, and the t4220 just makes more logical sense. The Industrial Designer in me is a little heart-broken, though..

So the T4220 looks like my best option. Just to cover all my bases, I'm now reconsidering the Gateway C-140. Here's my break-down:

T4220:
Good: Small, relatively lightweight, hi-res (SXGA+) screen, DVI w/ dock
Bad: small (12") screen, 5400rpm hard drive

Gateway:
Good: Larger display size (2" bigger), widescreen, faster (7200rpm) hard drive, more graphics horsepower (ATI HD 2300)
Bad: much heavier (2lbs heavier), larger

All things being equal, I want the slimmest, sleekest, fastest tablet possible. However, I don't ever plan on walking around while using my tablet - it would be primarily for sketching at a desk or occasional note-taking during business meetings.

My main concern is that 12" might not be enough real estate for sketching. however, the higher resolution of the 4220 might make up for that?

 

DOn't let the 12.1" screen put you off o-ron.
You will be surprised just how big it actually is.

 

And if you want a 7200rpm drive, there's no reason not to buy one separately and install it yourself.

 

I find my 12.1" XGA much easier to work on than the 14.1" widescreens at work.

 

True.

In fact, in about a year I'd probably most want to swap it out for a 64gb SSD. *that* would be fast.

 

Well, I'm ready to pull the trigger on the T4220, loaded to maximum specs.

This tablet buying process has been a bit disheartening, with more of an elimination of poor choices rather than a strong comparison of great choices.

I'm still *this close* to just forgetting the whole deal and getting a MacBookPro.

Anyway, am I missing any other options? Is there some other magical tablet PC out there that I have'nt heard about?

Here's my elimination list (eliminated because...):

Axiotron Modbook
(no keyboard! won't be shipping until November 2007)

Dell XT
(won't be shipping until October 2007)

Asus R1F
(no DVI, quality-control issues)

Gateway C-140
(no DVI, way too heavy/bulky)

Toshiba R400 - the most beautiful tablet on the market, IMH
(way too slow! external optical drive, *way* over-priced)

HP 2710p - nice looking
(slow processor, no DVI)

Lenovo X61T
(no DVI, optical drive in chunky docking bay, slower processor)

Toshiba M400
(just no longer up to par, etc)

HP TC4400
(older model, etc.)

Gateway C-120X
(too heavy for its size, way too slow)

HP TX1220US
(passive digitizer?!)

LG C1 - nice looking
(not really available in US, slow, too small of a screen)