ViewSonic ViewPad 1000 review

It's clear that a 600MHz Transmeta Crusoe simply isn't powerful enough for a desktop PC, and that's where the ViewPad could potentially offer more. It has an 800MHz Celeron at its core, and while not a huge amount faster its benchmark score of 0.40 makes it adequate as a desktop replacement. It also offers Wireless LAN, making it possible to browse the Web from anywhere in your wireless office, and its battery life of 126 minutes in our intensive rundown test is also respectable next to the PaceBook's disappointing 89 minutes. It's also worth noting that, while our ViewPad sample came with Windows 2000, the finished product will ship with Windows XP. Its downside is that the CPU needs active cooling, which means fan noise that's pleasantly absent on the PaceBook.

Like the PaceBook, the ViewPad is also half-marketed as an LCD PC and comes with an infrared keyboard and mouse to make this possible. The main problem with this, though, is the flimsy stand needed to prop it up. There's just one pullout stand along the bottom, which can stand the ViewPad in portrait or landscape mode, but it feels like it's going to collapse at any moment. The keyboard isn't great either. Its most annoying feature is the thumb-pad mouse, which is difficult to control and isn't nearly as responsive as the PaceBook's high-quality touchpad. The PaceBook's keyboard also has a nice design, which feels solid and is easy to type on, with everything in the right place.

The problem is that both are flawed. Neither the ViewPad or the PaceBook are really practical in any of their uses. They're too slow to be PC replacements, particularly the PaceBook; the tablet PC functionality is limited without a proper keyboard, especially if you're trying to use a full version of Windows; and they're too heavy and bulky to be practical alternatives to a PDA.

The PaceBook is a flashy piece of kit with a lot of functionality but lacks speed, while the ViewPad is faster but has fewer features. Both cost far too much for what they offer. Our advice is to go for a cheaper, faster and more functional notebook for the moment, and wait until Mira comes along before seriously looking at tablet PCs.

Author: Ben Hardwidge