Windows 7 tablets arrive at Computex

Has Microsoft lost the plot?

I’ve been in the market for a tablet for a long time. I was using an Apple Newton MessagePad back in the mid 90’s, and various Windows CE based PDAs since. I’ve looked at Ultra Mobile PCs (UMPCs) and tablets, but they have always been ridiculously over priced and lacking in functionality.

Recently I really wanted to buy a device with Windows (as my work revolves around training on Microsoft products) but ended up with a useless netbook; slow and poor battery life. Now, I have an iPad and I’m loving it.

Microsoft has had years to produce an OS (and possibly hardware) for a lightweight tablet device. OK, maybe the iPad has just made this form factor fashionable again and everyone is running to catch up. However, unless this 'Windows Embedded Compact 7' is something special, it will look slow and clumsy next to iPhone OS.

By Stiggy on 2 Jun 2010

Windpad 110?

Sounds like something you'd wipe your backside with if you ask me

By ProzaKc_Blues on 2 Jun 2010

There has been a number of tablet devices on the market since the Apple Newton, but the form seems to have no long-term popularity.
If I was a manufacturer, I'd be inclined to wait a few more months before spending a lot of money on developing a tablet - See how long before people find the limitations of the iPad and simply stop using them

By greemble on 2 Jun 2010

Good old Microsoft - they can't help themselves, can they? We're putting XP on a Netbook! But it's restricted because we want to make more money. We're putting Windows 7 on a Tablet! But it's restricted because we want to make more money.

Microsoft's business model is restrict the user as much as possible and force more money out of him.

No wonder their offerings are dull and uninspiring. Windows 7 is an improvement mind, but it's pretty much a straight copy of OS X.

By SwissMac on 2 Jun 2010

stokegabriel

Windows Embedded Compact 7, great just what we need more wonkey windows to support, the Android device sounds interesting though.
But I have an issue here with the sizes, these Wave 5 devices are supposed to fit in the pocket, so a 5,7 or 8" max screen size at a push.

But what will they be used for, last 2 F1 GP races has seen Jake flashing his iPad around, but never used it once. Talk about product placement on the BBC...

By stokegabriel on 2 Jun 2010

Personally, I can't wait

I am getting a bit worried by the gap between these comments, and my experiences with Windows tablets. I have a (lovely) Fujitsu 5000 series tablet running XP for Tablets which I've used on and off for years. I had a quick go with the Dell XT2 tablet and blogged from it while on an aeroplane, with the pen, in turbulence. The Fujitsu runs Autoroute 2005, which lets me do routing that I can actually see and alter, on a nice big screen, without being connected to the net. My Orthodontic surgeon loves Windows Tablets so much, his special purpose database application is built with them as a required part of the system. I even like the Asus touchscreen EEE desktop PCs. I am enormously cheered up by the way that Asus seem to have fully taken on board the "build it anyway" impulse - all the vendors who are playing the pundit game and staying out of this or that market appear to be well and truly eating their dust, as the Windows faithful just get on and grab everything they come up with. Meanwhile I am very happy with a tablet that has an IR keyboard add-on, a SD media card for cameras, FIR *and* bluetooth for phones, Wi-fi, 100BaseT ethernet and even a modem port - and it's what, nearly six years old?

By Steve_Cassidy on 2 Jun 2010

"Meanwhile I am very happy with a tablet that has an IR keyboard add-on, a SD media card for cameras, FIR *and* bluetooth for phones, Wi-fi, 100BaseT ethernet and even a modem port - and it's what, nearly six years old?"

Well said Steve!

By atomz on 2 Jun 2010

Madness

"Microsoft has had years to produce an OS (and possibly hardware) for a lightweight tablet device"
Yes, they have, but no-one wanted one or didn't even know that they existed.

"Good old Microsoft - they can't help themselves, can they?"
Microsoft isn't doing anything? It's the oem that decides what OS to use. P.s. Whats restricted about a fully featured operating system SwissMac? Ahh, your username says' it all.

"great just what we need more wonkey windows to support,"
Umm? How many versions of Android are out there right now to support?


I've owned over 16 tablet type machines over the years, from the HP TC1100, the Latitude XT2, Asus R2h and now, an Acer 1820ptz and I love them all. Heck, even the TC1100 with it's 1.1Ghz CPU ran WIn7 well.

I've been waiting for an updated TC1100 tablet for over two years and thanks to the iPad, I might just get my wish. P.s. On Windows 7, increase the Display DPI to 125% to make things very finger friendly.

By rhythm on 2 Jun 2010

@Swissmac

"Windows 7 is an improvement mind, but it's pretty much a straight copy of OS X"

Erm....you'll have to explain that rather sweeping statement cos it's the first time I've heard anything like that!

By everton2004 on 2 Jun 2010

SwissMac-bashing bandwagon...

"We're putting Windows 7 on a Tablet! But it's restricted because we want to make more money."

And the OS on the iPad is a fully-featured, non-restricted version of OS X, right? Because if it isn't, you're being massively hypocritical in your criticisms.

By bioreit on 2 Jun 2010

SwissMac = Troll

Don't, his posts are simple 'Apple good - Windows bad' with enough holes in his argument to ensure a response.

Poor thing just wants attention

By greemble on 2 Jun 2010

Handwriting input?

When I used a tablet (Windows XP) for a while, I was blown away by the handwriting recognition - well, compared to my Palm it _was_ astonishing.
I still believe that the most natural form of input to a tablet has to be hand-writing recognition and on-screen keyboards are (theoretically) a joke.
In practice, of course, reality doesn't help at the moment as pinching gestures seem good but generally seem to need capacitative screens, whereas stylus input seems to need resistive.
I'd be interested to see if any of these manage to combine the two input methods.

By AdrianB on 2 Jun 2010

That's a pretty poor comment SwissMac. You have strayed right into troll territory there. You've lost your credibility instantly

By TimoGunt on 3 Jun 2010

HershelKristofski

What about the many Android based, 7inch tablets that will sell for $100 or less.

By HershelKristofsk on 3 Jun 2010

Change the record, or should that be mp3?

Well here we go again, new competition for Apple so the fan boys are out in force with the same old arguments. Now come-on guys, don’t you think its about time you moved out of your moms house, found a girlfriend and realised that Apple is no different from Microsoft or whoever. All they are interested in is your money, so stop worshipping at the feet of Jobs and get a life. There are products out there which work as well and sometimes better than Apple’s offerings. Yes I am one of THOSE people who don’t care about a name, all I want is the device I buy to be able to do what I ask. A, B, C, D etc. However, ALL of the Apple stuff I have owned has been more like; A, B (wait we don’t support B because we hate the company, but we will sell you our alternative which no-one uses anymore), C, D (hmm we need a work around for D). These look like worthy alternatives to the iPad, and I am assuming they will run flash.

By Autodine on 3 Jun 2010

Handwriting is the missing link

...literally. Everyone has apparently forgotten the delights of "newton poetry", when people would post what a Newton did with their attempt to write plain english on it. Apple were rather hurt by that and HWR isn't a prominent part of the iPhone/iPad OS - despite it being pretty easily found in other parts of the market. I still really like the Ericsson phone which let me handwrite SMS messages, and I was stunned to watch my dentist's writing speed on his tablets - and the machine's ability to get the intensely technical jargon he was pouring into it, absolutely right. Of course, that was after many months of "training and correction" for the HWR software. If there is an accusation we can make of MS over the handling of tablet PCs, it is in underselling how good that stuff was, and how much better it is now. My ancient Fujitsu even does voice recognition, and I was hovering over a refurb HP TC1100 in the broker channel, for use as a point-of-sale system - Tablet for Windows is *such* an orphan that POS vendors can charge thousands for technology you can get for £250 on ebay, when it's inside Windows...

By Steve_Cassidy on 3 Jun 2010

@rhythm

not true to say nobody wanted them or knew they existed, BTW: wasn't there a Sony Vaio ultrasmall, the OQO, some kind of Samsung tablet - all identified as "UMPC"?

By Steve_Cassidy on 3 Jun 2010

UMPC

Yes, there was - 'was' being the objective term - and isn't that the point? If they were so popular, why is it only now they seem to be in the news, with new models being announced weekly as though these are the latest & greatest in computing?

Yes, some people had found them highly useful - but not enough to make it worthwhile for the manufacturers

By greemble on 3 Jun 2010

TC1000

I've got an original Compaq TC1000 and it runs Windows 7 quite well. It runs at a reasonable speed if you set it to Windows Standard UI. There's no way it can do Aero Glass any way.

(It was a bit of a pig to install due to a Transmeta Crusoe CPU and a very old digitizer but it got there).

I do need a new HD for it though as the old 20GB unit seems to be on the way out and it won't install Office 2010 but that is no surprise given the chipset.

The handwriting recognition in Windows 7 is superb. I look forward to trying one of this new generation of Windows tablet PCs when they are released.

By Simon_Jones_RWC on 3 Jun 2010

Looking over the fence

@Greemble: it's always odd when a sector you didn't notice before pops up and takes the spotlight. Manufacturers do all kinds of weird things; I've had IBM Thinkpads with built-in A4 yellow paper notepads and digital pens - even a touchscreen Thinkpad in a mag-alloy case with a 12 volt screw-down terminal power supply whose model number was not known to IBM... lots of strange stuff is going on all over the business. I guess you're focusing more on "greatest" than you are on "latest".

By Steve_Cassidy on 4 Jun 2010

@Steve_Cassidy

Again, we had two where I work and although everyone asked 'whats that' and 'ohh nifty' they simply didn't want to buy one. The price was simply out of their range.

Yes, the UMPC, which thet tried to rebrand with a new name, 'mids'. I've owned a Samsung Q1 Ultra, Sony UX and still have an Asus R2h sitting at home. They were also far too expensive for anyone to consider.

(But then again, people do seem to find the cash to buy iPads)

By rhythm on 31 May 2011