Windows 7 Tablets

[Nickswitz]

I've been thinking about this a lot, and I'm curious what some of you guys might have to bring to the table, mostly because I'm still heavily on the fence about this. I would like a Windows 7 powered tablet PC, if I were to get one, I would sell my iPad, no need for it, as the Windows 7 Tablet would fulfill my needs. But which do you guys think would fit my needs better. My needs being, business use, need it to be able to be used for putting together work orders quickly, filling out online paperwork, that kind of stuff. Needs to be portable, although not necessarily super light-weight, and needs to have a decent battery life.

So with this criteria in mind what do you guys think is better, keep the iPad, or move to a Windows 7 Tablet?

[Reliant121]

I remain enormously skeptical at how well it can power around a fully fledged windows 7 system, personally.

[Nickswitz]

Well, the tablet I was thinking of was this one which although it's expensive, its build parts make up for it, especially the Wacom capability.
But I think it's more than powerful enough to run Windows 7.

[Tyyr]

Ohhh, that thing is sexy.

[Nickswitz]

I know, it really is.

[Captain Picard's Hair]

Microsoft seems to really be thinking about alternate form factors like tablets in the upcoming Windows 8. They've already stated it will natively support ARM processors like those found in most phones and Tablets (though Intel is already cooking up its own answer to that...) and will probably support more touch-friendly features. I've worked with 7 on touch-screen all-in-one desktops and the only problem with the touch interface was the smallish buttons designed to interact with mouse pointers rather than fat fingers left over from the traditional Windows interface.

[Nickswitz]

Very true, which is why I love the Wacom capabilities this one supports. As well as that it's easy enough to set it to zoom rather than be the normal size on screen, but even then, I'm considering it because of how much easier it is to do productivity tasks on a legitimate Windows platform rather than iOS, because iOS really is a mobile platform rather than a standalone platform, and I really want to have a standalone platform.

[Reliant121]

The tablet is very impressive. But I sincerely doubt that for me, it would replace a netbook. The think that appeals is that it's perhaps slightly more portable and will have a sim slot. But that will have to cost a lot less than it likely will to convince me to take it over a netbook with an internet dongle. besides, i have never touch screen typed anywhere near as quickly as I can with a decent keyboard.

[Tyyr]

I would seriously consider that tablet in lieu of my laptop. Now that my MBA is finished my laptop is primarily an entertainment device anyways. Web surfing, movies, music, etc. The only downside to me is that 64gig hard drive. I can see myself bumping into that limit real quick.

[Reliant121]

I use a tablet as a quick search device, a quick SNS device that kind of thing. It has to be quick, snappy and convenient. But a netbook is a necessity for me in doing long written work which is generally what I end up doing. besides, I refuse to pay anything NEAR £900-£1000 for a tablet ( The UK price for that tablet). I wouldn't spend that on a computer.

[Mikey]

OK, I'm showing my age here... but what is the need for a tablet? It seems to me that they're just harder to use netbooks, no more portable than a modern netbook and without a full keyboard. The only real usage for a tablet that I've ever encountered is for people to say, "Look - I have a tablet!"

[Reliant121]

Most tablet touch screens are now usable enough to be as usable, if not quicker than a mouse and pointer system and they are generally much lighter, making them portable. Of course, part of their success is that the mobile operating systems they have means they can be on all the time with periodic charges meaning they can be used instantly upon request...something the windows 7 based tablets can't do, as they would run out of charge far too quickly I'd think.

[Mikey]

Meh. From what I've seen in every tablet user I've ever encountered, the primary function of the tablet seems to be to allow the user to say, "Hey - look how cool I am."

[Reliant121]

I think that tablets are useful for quick internet searches which modern ones can do faster than a computer, no question. HOWEVER, most modern phones or smartphones can do exactly the same.

[Lighthawk]

Meh. From what I've seen in every tablet user I've ever encountered, the primary function of the tablet seems to be to allow the user to say, "Hey - look how cool I am."

I'm largely in agreement with this here. A tablet seems to fall somewhere in usability between a laptop and a smartphone, which I really don't see being a necessity or even a convenience for most people. I can however see them having potential use in a business setting, with it taking up less space and being able to start up faster than the laptop, but while having a screen large enough to display information you don't have to squint at. It'd be the kind of thing you'd take to a meeting for info storage and retrieval, or playing a game why some guy drones.

I guess it really depends on how often you have days where you're going to be traveling about with frequent stops in which you don't want to keep powering on and then off your laptop, because that seems to be the chief domain of a tablet, to let you get computer stuff done in five minute intervals.