Originally Posted by labens (Post 42398122)
Tablets that can be made and sold for $200 or less all have low end resistive touch screens, not capacitive; have low resolution 800x480, not 1280x768; have free Android OS, not MS Windows 7; and lack ongoing support. If a netbook suits your needs and touch screens don't interest you, then don't look at tablets. But comparing a netbook/notebook LCD to that of a tablet is far from equal. Not only does the touch component add cost, but putting the motherboard, CPU, RAM, storage and battery behind the LCD requires everything to be smaller and tightly packed. When it comes to electronics, smaller equates to higher cost. Yes, the prices will come down over time, but there will always be a price premium related to something that is bigger. Just like a laptop is more expensive than a similarly spec'd desktop.
After paying $400 for a 32GB HP Touchpad a few weeks ago, which was a fair price prior to the fire sale, I realized that even though it was an awesome tablet with better multi-tasking than iPad and Android tablets, it still didn't compare to the windowing freedom of a Windows device. That's when I looked at what kind of Windows tablets might be available for a similar price and came upon the Acer W500. I bought a refurb W500 for $430 and returned the HP a few days later. I'm using the W500 right now. Typing this on the touch screen while lying in bed in the dark (try that on a laptop).
Some will argue that the AMD C-50 processor is woefully under powered, but having used several A110, Atom, and Neo MV-40 based machines, the C-50 is a joy to use. It is especially nice when it comes to video, graphics, and battery life. And those other mobile CPUs all run rather hot, making it unpleasant to have in your hand or lap for an extended time. The W500, although it does have an internal fan, runs very quiet and very cool compared to any netbook, UMPC, convertible, or laptop that I've used.
Compared to a comparable 9-10 inch Android, iPad, or Touchpad tablet, the W500 is slightly thicker, slightly heavier, and slightly less finger friendly. But, that's fine by me. I now have a fully capable computer, internet browser, entertainment device that I can work and play on and don't have to delay any task until until I get back to "a real computer." And when it comes to the touch interface, Windows 7 is really very good. Enable the virtual mouse and you can click on anything. Adjust the the virtual keyboard to the size that you like and move it around to see the part of the screen you need to see. Install Internet Explorer 9 which has a really nice touch interface. Those are the only tweaks I've done so far and I'm more productive than I was with any other tablet.
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