The Lord said "...and upon this tablet you shall Appraise!"

Woody Fincham, Research Fellow

Here is a quick run down of the tablet I have been gifted to use and play with during my tenure here as a Labs Fellow. The machine is a Motion Computing LE1600 with a view anywhere display. It measures about 12 inches by about 10 inches overall. It is not overly heavy, about a normal text book, and a little thinner than 2 DVD cases. It runs on a rechargeable battery pack that when in use will work for around an hour and a half, in my experiences with it.

I love the machine in most regards. It works as well as any computer I have ever used. The screen is easier to read in sunlight over any laptop, or similar device I have used. I will say the view anywhere coating is mandatory and is worth the extra couple hundred of dollars. The stylus and writing recognition software processes my messy handwriting pretty well, so I was able to make legible and lengthy notes with it. It is not 100% accurate all of the time, but it does miss it is only by a letter.

Da Vinci, seemingly, was made to work with this platform. It really pairs well with this machine. Running through the lists in Da Vinci is really easy with the stylus, as is editing and adding check boxes and setting up the data form. Sketching is easy: you can write on it just like a clipboard. Touching the screen with your palm does not affect the screen, as the stylus is active unlike a touch screen UMPC.

Prior to Da Vinci getting to the point it was very usable in prototype form, I was using the Microsoft Journal program to do some sketches and note taking with, which was pretty much like taking out a clipboard and a blank piece of paper to do an inspection. It worked well enough to make my file as I normally do. The real benefit of spending this much money is only realized once it is paired with Da Vinci. Once I got through the learning curves, which took me a matter of two fake inspections I did, one with a trainee at a vacant home, the other my own home, I had down what I needed. The checklists are easy enough to maneuver through and still be personable with the home owner.

Using a disto I was able to velcro the two together and free up both my hands. Hopefully disto will see the opportunity to make some things to pair the two together. I would recommend the bump case with a strap. I have even measured with a tape, and it still works well, just placing it under my arm while I pull tape. Since I got the high end machine, they sent me a cheapo portfolio cover to keep it in, that doesn't work doing inspections, it basically is only used to pad it in my lap top bag. The strap on the bump case though will be worth the extra investment, as you can make sure you don't set it down.

The list on the current version on Motion's site has it at $1,699.00 - $3,094. You can get all kinds of options between the two numbers; some are needed, and most are over kill if you are just planning on having it as a field machine with a desktop to use for the office. I ran through the site pricing options using the 30 gigabyte model, with a view anywhere screen coating, a docking station, keyboard and bump case I was right under $3,000. It is expensive, but anyone that needs a tax right off, this is the thing to splurge on. Is it worth it? I have one on order for me right now, and will be getting two more for my other staff guys. I am waiting around just a bit to see if the price is going to drop anytime soon, and also to see what competition may be bring out soon. I know there is a comparable model with Sahara Computers, but it costs more. Dell is a reseller for this line as well as many other quality retailers. You probably won't find one in local store, as only specific industries have found use for these as of yet, but that will change as people realize it is out there.

If I had to choose between a UMPC and this slate style tablet, I would choose this all day long. The screen size is what matters most here. Anyone who feels like it's too big, or just making excuses, or detracting from it just to do so. If you had both styles available to use on the same house, you would pick the slate, as it is the most functional of the two platforms. It really is no different then a clipboard, and the extra weight is of little notice.

For all the good things about the machine, this is not really something I would use to replace my desk top. Think about that for a second: You will be taking it out in the field, and there is always the potential to drop it, or get it wet, or what have you. While I would certainly use it as a desktop, it would be as a second machine on my desktop, possibly linked together. That way I can make sure I back it up properly and use it as it is intended, for the field work.