User:Anthony Salvagno/Notebook/Research/2010/02/10/The Search For a Tablet PC
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We need one in the lab and having one truly kicks ass. Here is a list of Tablet PC's being made, their costs, and their release and other info I deem worthy.
Worthy Tablets
| Company | codename | price | available | website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple | iPad | $499 | late March | [1] |
| Camangi | WebStation | $399 | now | [2] |
| Archos | 5,7, or 9 | 5-$250 9-$550 | now? | [3] |
| Creative | Zii Egg | $399 | now | [4] |
| ICD | Vega | ??? | ??? | [5] |
| ExoPC | Slate | $599 | March | [6] |
I don't get this table. It changes formatting every time I use it.
Apple iPad
We all know about this. Maybe it is worth the price tag of $499 for the 3G-less iProduct, but at this point we need a iCamera on the device and iApple didn't ibring it. But in the interest of research, I'll list it here anyways.
Camangi WebStation
Sold through Amazon and free shipping. Runs off Android 1.5 (the Droid is 2.0). Seems we'd have to get a microSD card and it supports 1-16GB of that.
Archos Tablets
It seems this company makes a bunch of stuff. They have 3 tablets from what I see:
- Archos 5 Internet Tablet designed for surfing the web using Android
- Archos 7 Media Tablet does what the 5 does but supports film editing, TV DVR, etc
- Archos 9 full tablet PC with Windows 7 and webcam (forward facing)
The pricing plans are slightly different. The 5 is 5" in size and is the cheapest but can be $500 for 500GB HDD. The 9 is 9" and is $550, but according to the website out of stock.
Zii Egg
From the looks of this thing, it is mighty impressive. I'm not sure I fully understand its capabilities but it has many. Its chip is labeled a stem cell chip and apparently it is supposed to be fully customizable to the applications of the chip, meaning the chip's functions can be altered to suit your needs instead of having a chip that does what the device is set to do from the start. The Egg supports Android and comes with its own Plaszma OS, what that means I'm not sure. It features 2 cameras (one on front and one on the back). It retails for $399 as well. I can't tell if this thing is a phone either. One thing I have learned is that the Zii Egg is designed to go to 3rd parties for their integration of stuff. So we'd basically buy this thing and design everything we'd want it to do. This would be nice because we could have our own notebook stuff and integrate the zii into that. It would be something I would look to do down the line.
I think they are working on a consumer model called the Creative Zii which should be more polished, but I have no information regarding its release or anything like that.
ICD Vega
This thing looks totally badass. The Egg looked badass, but was the size of a phone. This thing is a full tablet and looks like it rocks. I have no real info on it, but sent an email to the company asking for product details (pricing, release, etc) and asking to beta test it (might as well give it a shot). From what I can see it docks via a sweet stand magnetically. It has 32GB internal SD and is expandable to 32GB more via SD card (I think). It has a 15" touch screen, has a forward facing camera, and runs off Android. I'll write more details when I know more.
ExoPC
I don't know what this is, but Andy mentioned this thing to me and so research I shall. The website is in French, but it provides a nice summary of its features on one page. It is very comparable to the iPad, but uses Windows 7 as its OS. It also compares it to the Archos 9 (which uses Windows 7 starter) and it seems to be better. Check it out here.
My thoughts
Out of what I have seen there is a lot still in development and it seems that Android is the new Windows (for devices not PC). There are some things I didn't post as seen here, but that is because there almost no details available. I like the Zii the best because of it's small size, dual cameras, and complete customizability. I also like the Vega and the ExoPC as well, maybe eqaully. If we go for the lab, then one of those two (or maybe two) would be better because of it's large interface area. I'll wait for reviews before making an educated decision.
