Who makes the best slate Tablet PC?

I mentioned on the latest OnTheRun with Tablet PCs podcast that I am beginning to think about my next Tablet PC purchase.  I am happy with my HP tc1100 with its hybrid design but I have been reflecting how my usage patterns have changed over the past few months.  I find I am using the Tablet PC in slate mode over 90% of the time during the day for note taking and other tasks and while the tc1100 is a nice slate I am carrying the keyboard attached to the slate and it makes the device bulkier than a pure slate.  I can leave the keyboard behind but I do need it off and on during the day so I keep it attached even when I am in slate mode.  I also feel it is time to beef up the performance as the 1.2 GHz processor in the HP is getting long in the tooth.

I have been looking at the various slate models and have narrowed the choices down to two, because they are the only ones that offer an attachable keyboard that doubles as a cover for the slate.  This is a nice compromise for the way I work and since the keyboards are full sized they have an advantage over the tc1100 keyboard which is slightly undersized.  The two contenders are the Motion LE1600 and the Electrovaya Scribbler SC3100 (photo courtesy of TabletPC2), both very nice slates with keyboard options as I mentioned.  I decided to compare the pricing for the two and share them here to gather thoughts from the readers.  I have tried to configure them both with similar options and will note where an option varies between the two (details after the jump).

-jk

Here’s the pricing for each model:

Motion LE1600

Base price of $1999 includes the following:

Standard with every Motion LE1600 Tablet PC
- Genuine Windows® XP Tablet PC Edition
- Mobile Intel® Centrino® Technology components
--- Mobile Intel® Pentium® M Processor– 1.5 GHz
--- Intel 915GMS Express Chipset
--- Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG 802.11b/g networking
- 512MB of DDR2 RAM
- 12.1" XGA TFT display with wide viewing angles
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- Integrated Bluetooth® and IrDA
- Integrated Gigabit Ethernet
- Full-size digitizer pen
- One-year standard warranty

To this I add the following options:

• Additional 1 GB of RAM (1.5 GB total)– ($200)
• 60 GB HDD option– ($160)
• Atheros Super AG 802.11 (no charge)
• 2 year standard warranty– ($139)
• Docking station– ($260)
• Convertible keyboard– ($170)
• L-Series Optical Drive– ($200)
• Additional pen– ($35)
• Bump case– ($100)
• Extended battery– ($230)
• Accessory cable for optical drive– ($40)

Grand total– $3,292.93

Electrovaya Scribbler SC3100

Premium Unit– $2342

The premium model includes:

• State-of-the-art SuperPolymer® Lithium-ion 75 Wh 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
• 75 Wh 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
• Over $300 worth of software included

To the base configuration I added the following options:

Additional 512 MB of RAM (1.2 GB total)– ($99)

120 GB HDD option– ($249)

2 year standard warranty– ($239)

Docking station– ($390)

Convertible keyboard– (included with premium)

Wire stand– (included with premium)

Additional pen– ($30)

Portfolio case– (included with premium)

Extra battery– ($190)

Extra AC adapter– ($35)

Grand total– $3574

I was expecting prices to be high but I must admit I was surprised at how expensive these slates can be when you add all the accessories needed to make it your primary computer.  I did not include a View Anywhere screen on either slate since I don’t work outdoors and both units come standard with nice wide angle displays.  The ViewAnywhere option is $300 on the Motion and $289 on the Electrovaya.

The primary differences between the two slates:

• Weight– Motion– 3.13 lbs (4.19 lbs with extended battery), Electrovaya– 3.5 lbs
• RAM– Motion 1.5 GB,  Electrovaya– 1.2 GB
• CPU– Motion 1.5 GHz, Electrovaya– 1.6 GHz
• Hard drive– Motion– 60 GB (max.), Electrova– 120 GB (160 GB max.)
• Wire stand– Motion– none, Electrovaya– included
• Battery life (standard battery)– Motion– 3+ hours, Electrovaya– 9 hours
• Battery life (w/ extended battery)– Motion (close to a full day), Electrovaya– not applicable

I think this about sums up what I have been able to determine while comparing the two.  Pricing is very similar with the nod for weight and battery life going to the Scribbler, along with the super HDD options.  I would love to hear from owners of these two slates to get your thoughts and opinions about them.

Comments

[Rob Bushway]

Here is the review I did on the sc2100.

http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/features/article.asp?ID=31

Josh Einstein has used both slates and would be a good source of info as well. My personal favorite would be the le1600.

The Electrovaya keyboard is simply terrible, especially when comapred to the LE1600 keyboard.

[Stu Gisburne]

James, a few months ago I did the same as you and narrowed down the Tablet list to these two vendors as well. I was coming from a tablet history which included (in order of purchase) TC1000, TC1100 and Fujitsu T4010. Ths Fujitsu was a convertable and after about 6 months of use, I longed for a slate as I use inking quite a bit and the Fujitsu was just not comfortable (weight and thickness) while sitting on the couch, lounging in a chair and not to mention meetings at work. Some of the factors that I put into making my final decision to that of the LE1600 were these. 1) Accessories. At the time Electrovaya did not have many accessories for the 3100. I look at the number of accessories for a product not only from the vendor but from other companies as well. This gives me an idea on overall support as well as how established the product is. I figure the more stuff people make for a product shows how many people have purchased the product. The iPod is a good example of this. 2) I also look at the support page for driver updates. How many and how often. Unless I missed it, Electrovaya didn't have any for the entire 3xxx line which included the 3100. Motion was much like HP and had newly updated drivers. 3) This is what pushed me towards Motion, BlueTooth. I wanted to connect my cell phone, mouse and keyboard via Bluetooth. The spec sheets that I read showed that the Electrovaya did not support Bluetooth. Yeah, I could have used a USB dongle or card, but I didn't want to fool with these. Soooooo, I am now the proud and extremely happy owner of a Motion LE1600. I've had it for about 5 months now and don't regret it at all.

[Scotty]

The View Anywhere option for the LE1600 is worth it even indoors. It cuts glare coming from overhead lighting/windows. Even ignoring the glare reduction factor, I find the display is sharper and more saturated looking.

I've been doing the Vista beta on my LE1600 and it has me longing for a new slate. Not only can't I get everything working on my LE1600 but performance wise Vista just kicks the living day lights out of the iPod HDD it uses. :-( I've been trying to get a FLASH accelerator hooked up to take the load off the drive but so far all it seems to want to use is a USB drive, which isn't very handy with a slate...

In my opinion right now is a tough time to buy a slate. You know Vista is coming, and has significant enhancements to slates, and you know the existing slates are a bit under powered to run it. And you've like to get 12 to 18 months at least out of a new slate before you spin it (at least I do.)

If you had to buy one now though, and you wanted Vista, I'd go with the Scribbler. That 2.5" HDD will make a noticeable difference.

[Tyler Arnold]

James, you've deffinetly found yourself between a rock and a hard spot. Personally, I would go with the LE1600. For starters, I think Motion is just a FANTASTIC company. They also have a friendly community. If you go look on www.tabletpcbuzz.com the Motion Computing area on the forums is always busy. As for the Electrovaya, that section of the forums isn't near as busy. I don't know if that has much to do with it, but it's a start. I also think that Motion just makes better products, all around. In my opinion, the popularty of the Motion would be enough to sway me toward the LE1600.

Just a thought.

[Stu Gisburne]

One more comment (don't hold me to it though) If you are spending the $100 for 512mb, another option would be to order 1gb from 4allmemory.com for the same price.

[arebelspy]

1) The LE1600 has a small stand (like a plate stand) comparable to the wire stand.

2) Get the View Anywhere screen. Well worth it, even for indoors only. Much better than some of the accessories you listed (like the "L-Series Optical Drive– ($200)" which you will use about once a month at most I'd bet.)

I have the LE1600 and love it, but I doubt you can go wrong either way.

[Stu Gisburne]

Hey! I didn't get a plate stand with mine. I guess I was "stood" up. hehe

[Mark Sumimoto (Sumocat)]

I'm surprised the lack of integrated Bluetooth on the SC3100 is not an automatic deal-breaker, but that battery life is hard to ignore. Certainly it's what sealed the deal for me and my SC500 (that and no fan).

One observation: although I only know this from research, not firsthand knowledge, my understanding is that the external battery charger is required if you wish to charge the spare battery at the same time you charge the battery in the Scribbler, such as you would overnight. External battery charger is currently priced at $139. Drives the price up, but that doubles your battery life without worries over recharging or power management during the day. Set the Scribbler to go to standby when the battery hits 5%, swap in the spare when it does, and you're back up to full. Most people don't need up to 18 hours of use (or maybe half that if you run full brightness and regular wifi), but I like the sound of it, especially if it came up while talking to my laptop-toting friends.

Again though, this is all theory as I lack $3000 to spend on this set-up, though clearly I have been contemplating it and will snap it up if I win the lottery. And if I needed firsthand knowledge to decide on a device, I wouldn't be a Tablet PC owner (and a highly satisfied one at that). :)

[Stu Gisburne]

Sumocat, the battery life is enticing. This fact alone started me looking at the SC3100. In my usual work day, I rarely need to go more than 4 hours on battery. If I do, I use the extended battery for the Motion. Sure it adds a bit more weight, but it is really thin and snaps onto the back of the Tablet. Throw the tablet into the bump case and I really don't notice the difference. I am a bit puzzled why other Tablet vendors don't use the same technology that Electrovaya uses for battery life. Hmmmm, could be patents and royalties at play here.

[wittgenfrog]

I haven't tried the Electrovaya, but I do have an LE1600. This is a first-class piece of equipment and the screen, in particular, is excellent (View anywhere option).

Performance on the now old-hat CPU is reasonable, though the rumoured Core Duo version should completely sort any issues out in that respect.
I use mine mainly away from a desk, so typing isn't that important. I handwrite most things and use it to (wirelessly) access the internet and/or my network at work. The thinness and lightness of the tablet is important here, though even thinner & lighter would be better :).
When typing IS required (fiddling with network addresses etc) I use a cheap USB keyboard which works great, and prop the tablet up on a couple of Technical books...

The quality of the Motion is excellent (apart from the VGA socket cover, which I keep 'loosing'). Support (in terms of drivers etc) is a bit patchy, but then I tend to want the latest & greatest, which is where Intel's generic chipset drivers come in.

In summary I've had mine for just over a year and its been 100% reliable and still works (and looks) as good as new. Motion are clearly committed to their users and have a loyal user base, so if you have similar priorities to me the LE1600 (LE 1800 for Core Duo?) is an excellent buy.

[Marcus Sommer]

Just one calculation I had made once: how much weight will one REALLY gain against a regular TabletPC considering that one would need to ALWAYS carry the extra keyboard with himself (just in case), an external CD, an external mouse ....

EnjoyLife&ShareIt

Marcus M Sommer

[John Miller]

A slate does REALLY give a weight advantage. I have a TC1100 and most of the time don't carry the keyboard with me. I have no use for and don't own an external CD. It is an inconvienence to have to use my desktop shared CD to install stuff but other than that I don't use a CD. Why would I need an external mouse anyhow? The pen is mighter than the mouse! (I couldn't resist)

As for the Motion/Scribbler debate....I considered purchasing the Scribbler because of battery life and student discounts available. However the crappy keyboard (which they DON'T EVEN WARRANTY but charge $$ for it) kinda put me off. Then I found the HP for a really killer price. SO, I'll wait until next gen of slates come out to spend the big bucks on one.

John Miller

[arebelspy]

Hey James,
Any update on this?

-arebelspy

[Fernando]

Same here, just wondering where your thought process was. I am inkling towards the Electrovaya because of the larger HD and battery, but boy does that attachable keyboard look crappy.

[Daniel Zucker]

Hello,

I have owned 3 tablets - all slates. HPTC1100, M1400, and now LE1600. I personally enjoy the LE1600 for the battery mainly. I Like the form fit and function.I am a little disappointed with the video, but all ofthe motherboards in the slates use the same. Tough decision. I picked Motion to support local (Texas) business.

Thanks

Daniel

[Rick]

Hi, just wondering what your latest opinion would be for someone interested in a tablet pc, worth it, best choice? thanks. please email copy of your response to rlinet@gmail.com