Many of our readers are looking to get in to a tablet pc for the very first time. As one might expect, the terrain can be a little difficult to navigate. Tablet PC 101 will be a periodic primer series focused on the basics of Tablet PCs. While this is just a primer series, I’d encourage all readers to dig in to our forums for more in depth information on tablet pcs.

There are two basic types of Tablet PCs: convertibles and slates. Convertible Tablet PCs are full computers and look just like a notebook pc, only the screen swivels around so it can also be operated in “slate” mode. Slate Tablet PCs are also full computers, but they typically lack a notebook style keyboard, with some even offering a slide-up or built-in keyboard to the face of the screen.  Both convertibles and slates can be operated by a digitizer pen, a finger, a keyboard, or a portable keyboard. Input using the pen is done by handwriting a note, writing in to a input window which then converts your handwriting to text, or is pecked out using an onscreen keyboard. Input can also be accomplished by using the keyboard or speech recognition.

Let’s dig in a little deeper to slate Tablet PCs:

Thanks to Steve, GBM forum member, we just learned that Electrovaya has released the SC4000 slate. No word on pricing - you have to call Electrovaya for a price.

Learn more here and here (pdf).

Here are the new features:

Camera
Integrated 1.3 MP camera

Blue tooth
Bluetooth 2.0

Dual Array Microphone † System (Standard)

Useful in reducing environment noise while recording.
Depending upon user defined acceptance angle, the voice out of angle will be decayed. Microphone Array will also enhance accuracy of speech command when recognition feature of MS XP TABLET O/S and other third party applications are used. Dual Array Microphone and Acoustic software provide echo cancellation and background noise suppression.

Outdoor Viewable Screen ‡
(Optional - $289)
Enhances the visibility of text and graphics and under direct sunlight the display gets even brighter rather than becoming washed out. In low light conditions, the display's front light can be adjusted to enhance viewability.

Electrovaya is well known for their long battery life Tablet PCs, but more known for their PowerPad batteries that can be used on a number of laptops, Tablet PCs, and accessories.

Yesterday, Electrovaya announced the availability of new PowerPads - the 95 and 130. Here is their press release and a link to their website for more information, and a link to their compatability list.

Electrovaya Inc. (TSX:EFL) announced today that it is launching a new series of PowerPads^® that meets the needs of not only mobile notebook computer users, but also powers such products as the IPod^®, cell phone, PDA, Blackberry^®, Palm^®, and Pocket PC. These new PowerPads^® are expected to extend the benefit to users in the mobile community who already enjoy the longer run times on their laptop computers and now can also power their other hand-held electronic devices.

The PowerPad^® 95 has an MSRP of US$199, which costs 20% less than the predecessor PowerPad 80 and has 18% more energy. The PowerPad^® 95 and 130 each have a 12 month warranty.

Compatible with almost all mobile notebook computers, the PowerPad^® series 95 and 130 are compact at only 10.6" x 8.2" x 0.6" and weigh only 1.8 lbs and 2.1 lbs. respectively. The PowerPad^® 95 and 130 series deliver longer run-times, of up to 2 and 3 times respectively, than a notebook internal battery. Both the PowerPad^® 95 and 130 series have digital fuel gauges, with MSRPs of US$199 and US$299. The superior features of these PowerPads^® are expected to be ideal for healthcare, education and mobile professionals. The existing PowerPad^® 160s and 300s will continue to serve mobile users that require more energy.

I’m trying folks, I really am. I’ve been begging Lyn and Olga at Tabletology to continue their review series of the Electrovaya SC3100, and it looks like I’m making some headway. They are getting down to serious business here with part 2 of their series and they still promise more to come. One of the interesting features of the review is they compare the usability of Scribbler to their beloved HP tc1100 and how they have to adjust from one Tablet PC to another. Good job. Looking forwad to more, and Lyn and Olga, part III will be published when?

I’ve been waiting for this. The Tabletology Team, Lyn and Olga, have finally started posting their review of the Electrovaya Scribbler SC3100 Tablet PC. If you haven’t frequented Tabletology, and you should, Lyn and Olga are great fans of their HP tc1100’s, and do some remarkable photography with their Tablet PCs as subjects. The first segment of the review covers what they received with the review unit and the specs. I’m looking forward to the next segment which covers their impressions. This will be a great resource as we very seldom hear much about the Scribbler in reviews. Check it out here.

This is really interesting review of the Electrovaya SC-3100 Tablet PC by Pen Computing Magazine. Here’s a snippet from the conclusion:

Overall, the SC-3100 is a truly excellent product. You have to hold it in your hands to fully appreciate just how slender and well-made it is. It exudes quality in a way that many other tablets do not. There is no flex whatsoever, and nothing looks chintzy or designed as an afterthought. The increased power and performance are very noticeable, and make the Scribbler suitable for any application (with a small price to pay in extra heat dissipation).

The piece de resistance, of course, is the extra-long battery life provided by Electrovaya's SuperPolymer battery. Electrovaya claims up to nine hours, and the company is now offering a 92 watt-hour battery of the same size, further distancing itself from the competition.

While the reviewer doesn’t quite seem completely up to speed on Tablet PCs, the review is well worth checking out if you’re interested in the Electrovaya Tablet PCs.

Hat Tip to Sumocat

Electrovaya has just announced a series of price cuts on Scribbler Tablet PCs and accessories calling it a “summer sale.” The mark downs will run through the end of August 2006. I’m wondering if this presages a refresh or something new coming from Electrovaya?

In any regard, you can get your hands on a Scribbler for 10% off or more, memory upgrades are 50% off, HD upgrades 30% off, and more. Check out more on their website.

Laptop Magazine has awarded Electrovaya’s SC-3100 its Editors Choice

Along with Motion Computing, Electrovaya is one of the only manufacturers to work almost exclusively on tablet design, and this laser focus shows in the quality and usability of the Scribbler SC 3100 Premium. It represents only a modest tweaking of last year’s SC 3000, but this is one of the most versatile, if costly, pure slate tablets available. A superb screen, rock-solid feel, and very good all-around performance add up to a model that should be on any tablet shopper’s short list.

Via TabletPCTalk

Linda Epstein, Tablet PC MVP, writes up a really good review of Electrovaya's SC3100 Tablet PC. She's taken a lot of good close up pictures as well. If you are in the market for a slate Tablet PC, especially one with the longest battery life on the market, you should give this review a look.

"It is our opinion that Electrovaya continues to provide the absolute best "Out of Box" user experience there is. Form follows function and everything is designed to make the out of box user experience as user friendly as possible."

Electrovaya has just released a new Tablet PC model to their Scribbler line: the SC3100

• State-of-the-art SuperPolymer® Lithium-ion 75 Whr battery
• New BOE Hydis 180° viewing angle screen
• Dual Array Microphone System for better quality of sound†
• Now available “Outdoor Viewable Screen” for your Scribbler‡
• Extended battery run-time of up to 9 hours*
• Fast Intel Centrino 1.6 GHz processor with 2MB L2 Cache ensures superior performance, efficiency and power management
• Very bright 12.1 inch Pressure Sensitive Screen
• Light Sensor adjusts screen-to-environment brightness
• Integrated Biometric Device for Finger Print Sensor
• Integrated IEEE 1394, Intel 802.11a/b/g wireless network connectivity, gigabyte RJ45 LAN
• Sleek, thin, and lightweight design