Hewlett Packard Compaq tc1000 (DG986A#ABU) Tablet PC

great looking laptop, however the processor is not fantastic, but you can live with it, the touch feature is excellent and the removable keyboard if great, its a lightweight little super device.
recommend to a light user, and for wireless tablet features,

:)

Brilliant for lectures + coffee shop browsing.
Needs more RAM to get the full potential and transmeta processor means great battery life.

Perfect go anywhere tablet/laptop - all power, none of the weight, a true portable

Sorry to say it, but I don't rate the Transmeta processor. I've used a sony vaio laptop with one and compared to the pentium version it was left behind. I've used the HP Tablet with a Transmeta as well... same story. I love the idea behind the Transmeta processor and it is a feat of engineering, but when it comes to the crunch - I wouldn't touch one. They just seem so much slower than a pentium of the same speed. Sorry :-(. Regarding the Compaq tablets.. I'd start at a TC1100 Pentium 1.1Ghz with 512MB or better. Checking the reviews the Motion Tablets come out very well - and they are very good.... Personally I just have something for the Compaq Slates though :-)

When I first looked into the Tablet PCs, I found two distinctive types of styling. The primary difference between the two I found was that one kept the keyboard permanently connected, while the other had distinctive docking functions with the screen able to detach away from any docking unit. I am particularly fond of this latter design. The attached keyboard just didn’t make sense.

The TC1000 uses the new Tablet PC XP Pro operating system which is very similar to Windows XP Pro. It also means it comes with a good deal of drivers already built-in and it recognized my ZIP drive and my USB ZIP CD drive without having to search for drivers. Tablet PC XP is a very good operating system.

The other thing I really like is the built in WLAN. Although the TC1000 does not come with a drive, by using the WLAN, I managed to link my TC1000 with my desktop PC such that I can use its drive, if and when necessary. Hence, whether installing programs/drivers or downloading data, I can accomplish much of this without having to buy another drive. To save on battery life, you can turn off the WLAN connection as well.

There are buttons on the side of the PC that help you navigate some of the menus and settings. There are buttons for e-mail, the escape key, and a jog dial, to name but a few – all of which do help make pen navigation a bit easier. Most of the buttons are smartly placed on the sides of the tablet. The overall shape of the Tablet is a very simple rectangle and I like it much better than the designs of the Fujitsu, which has a very odd shape, or the other Tablet PCs which look too much like a normal laptop screen, just laid down flat. The corners are rounded, the ports are protected by a neat cover, and there is even a little kick stand to prop up the tablet on a table. All in all, I think this is the best looking Tablet PC of the models I have seen.

The pen is an “active” pen, which means that it needs a battery (one AAAA.) These I'd never heard of until i bought the tc1000. I thought i'd need to order them specially but surprisingly these are available in ASDA and other places.

One fun part about the Tablet PC is that you get to orient the screen in any way you want. I really like looking at web pages in the portrait mode because pages tend to be long. When attached to the docking station, which can also swivel and bend into new positions, this allows the screen to be orientated many different ways.

Also whilst attached to the docking stand it allows the TC1000 to take over more of the functions of desktop PC. You can attach an ethernet cable, External monitor, Speakers, USB mouse and Keyboard and USB DVD Drive to the docking station. Use it as a static PC with Easier input and more functions. Then when you want it mobile with one click you can un-dock the Tablet screen. It switches over to WIFI and you can use it on it's own with the Active pen and side buttons or have the folding tablet keyboard attached.

It’s so easy to have that I carry it back and forth to the office everyday now instead of my PDA. Having said that am I going to need my PDA again? Maybe not. That’s just me though and I’m sure others could never part with their PDAs. I’m sad to say that I may not get a new PDA for sometime now – I’ve been spoilt by the Tablet PC. Anyway, there are always other gadgets to get. For now, the best gadget to have is a Tablet PC and among the choices, the Compaq TC1000 is the ESSENTIAL choice.