My next Tablet PC

Throughout the year, I’ve made it no secret that the Lenovo Thinkpad X41 has been my favorite convertible Tablet PC. I thorougly enjoyed it – the size, the keyboard, the weight, the extended battery, etc. The only negative I had was the speed – it handled my day to day to tasks well, but after evaluating a few faster machines, I quickly realized how slow things were. To put things in a bit of context, it is important to realize that I am a bit of a power user. I typically have SQL Server, Dreamweaver, Flash, IE, Outlook, MindManager, Windows Live Writer, and few other things going at the same time. Not to mention the need to process large chunks of data, edit gigabytes of video, etc.

So, I sold my X41 and replaced it with a used Core Duo 2ghz Toshiba M400 Tablet PC. My intention from the beginning was that the trade-out was only going to be temporary until the new Thinkpad Tablet PCs came out. I enjoyed the Thinkpad that much. The M400 is a very nice Tablet PC, very fast, and well worth your consideration. It suited my needs fine. However, I felt like I gave up a lot in order to get the speed I wanted. Mainly, the M400 is thicker, felt a little flimsier with its casing, and the screen quality was poor and grainey. 

Now with the Thinkpad X60 Tablet PC announced, I sold the M400, looking toward purchasing my new Thinkpad. I’m sold that the X60 will be my workhourse Tablet PC for at least the next year or two. My battle right now is in the choices that Lenovo has offered up: Touch and Active digitizer at 1024 x 768, or SXGA with only Active Digitzer.

I love high resolutions, but I primarily use them when docked and have multiple monitors hooked up. Having used the Fujitsu P1610 this past week as an ultra-portable, I am definitely seeing why I would love to have that improved multi-touch experience on the X60. In fact, the experience on the X60 will be even better because the Active Digitizer is there, as well as touch.

So, the touch version of the X60, with a 100 gb 7200rpm harddrive and 2 gb of ram will be my next Tablet PC. I also plan on getting integrated WWAN, and the ultra-base as a mobile docking solution. I know the price tag will be pretty steep, but that is the price we all pay for having so much available while mobile.

So, I’m down to owning two Tablet PCs – the Fujitsu P1610 Tablet PC for ultra-mobile needs and the Lenovo Thinkpad X60 Multi-Touch for workhorse, daily processing, mobile needs. When I go to CES in January, I will likely be bringing both Tablet PCs with me, but I’ll be carrying the P1610 around the expo floors for blogging, answering email, taking notes, etc. The X60 will be at my hotel for video producing, getting billable work done, etc. I could actually get down to having just one ( the X60 ), but I don’t like being down to one machine, and readily see the value of having both in their roles.

What the P1610 has shown me is the value of an ultra-mobile companion device like the Origami’s. What I won’t give up in a companion device is unobstructed inking, a keyboard, and a pc card slot, though. I’ll pay more for those features and not look back.

So, there you have it. My current setup for at least the next year – an X60 Multi-Touch Tablet PC and a Fujitsu P1610 Tablet PC.