toshiba r10 tablet pc review
This is not a favourable review:
Many new technologies are so heavily hyped that when they finally hit the shelves we cannot help being disappointed. The Windows-based tablet PC rode high on the hype wave and was dumped hard when the first under-powered and over-priced models hit Australia more than two years ago. Since then, Microsoft has polished the tablet PC operating system and manufacturers such as Toshiba have improved the balance between price and performance.
But tablet PCs are yet to redeem themselves in the eyes of users and Toshiba’s Satellite R10 is a good example of why.
It goes on:
The software is improving but Toshiba is hampered by a notebook-centric vision of what a tablet PC should be. Maybe it’s a ploy to snare users also reluctant to stray from the notebook form. Apart from the price tag and the weight, there is nothing wrong with the R10, except it doesn’t live up to the futurist vision many of us have of a tablet PC - namely a sub-1 kilogram, A4 or A5 slate no thicker than your average notebook’s display panel.
Toshiba has embraced some features from mobile devices, such as the tiny mobile phone-like joystick on the front of the R10 for accessing features while in tablet mode, but it needs to go further. The ability to quickly remove the DVD burner seems like a good idea but it does little to reduce the weight and nothing to reduce the bulk. Perhaps Toshiba should shed the keyboard, ditch the optical drive and aim for something more akin to an overgrown PDA than an under-grown notebook.
I would really like a tablet pc. Yet, when I came to buy a new notebook a couple of weeks ago, I didn’t buy one. Why? Because as this article suggests you are looking at paying $1000 for the privilage. When I listen to Marc Orchant and James Kendrick on the tablet pc podcast I find myself yearning again and it seems that the prices in the US are more reasonable.
I am now thinking of buying a secondhand slate just for the purposes of carrying my notes to meetings etc and sticking with my sony vaio.
July 13th, 2005 at 2:57 am
Phil: I’m glad to hear you enjoy the podcast (and yes, our mates Cam and Mick have confirmed that prices are quite a bit higher down under). I think picking up a used slate is an ideal way to get into the Tablet PC experience. It’s not an easy thing to adopt as a primary PC - there are tradeoffs. In my case, the M200 does not have a built-in optical drive. Not a show stopper for me but it has proved inconvenient at times.
As Omar Shahine recently pointed out, the screen on a Tablet is also a bit “muted” compared to a conventional laptop due to the protective coating most manufacturers use to protect the active digitizer. I’ve seen a “peeled” M200 and the screen is stunning but I would be so paranoid about damaging it that I can’t bring myself to do it.
Let me (and James) know if we can help with any advice or suggestions. And keep on blogging - Geeky Info is a daily read I have really come to enjoy.
July 13th, 2005 at 4:45 pm
Thanks Marc for your thoughts.
When I get some money together I will drop you an email asking for some input. I assume I will need to get $1500 australian together for a slate?
October 18th, 2008 at 3:33 am
travesti