Tablet PC Question? M200 Or Not M200?

Sep 6, 2004 gadgets suggest edit

Toshiba M200 So I am in the market for a Tablet PC and after a bit of research, the Toshiba Portege M200 is the top contender for my hard earned dollar.

I’m trying to cut down on the time I spend sitting at a desktop by using a tablet PC for email, reading and writing blog entries, etc… Basically non gaming and non development tasks. I think the high resolution of the M200 makes it a nice choice for reading.

So my main question for you is do you think there’s a better Tablet PC out there (or about to be released) worth me looking at over the M200? Let me know. Thanks!

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Comments

16 responses

iggy • September 6th, 2004
i haven't used m200, but i have a protege 3500 that i use as a desktop computer. my preferd tablet is motions 1400 with VA. Anything else is a bad deal, most important avoid convertibles, detachable keyboards, docking stations make an attached keyboard unneccesary...motion tablets also have speak anywhere technology so that you never need a mic (voip, dictation, voice command). The also have more accesories than anybody else.

In my opinion the only interesting thing about convertibles is the ooohhhs and aahhhhs you get when you swivel that display like inspector gadget!!!
Niels Hansen • September 6th, 2004
Same here. I had one and got rid of it in about a month. (I did have one when they very first same out, so I am not sure how they are now though.) It was only cool when I pulled it out for meetings to take notes. Besides that, it was pretty much as useful as the Calendar on my cell phone. I was not impressed with the CPU power and screen resolution. Until there is that "killer app", I would really reconsider your purchase. Plus I hear rumors that Apple is thinking of creating one! :) If anyone can get it right, it will be them!
Haacked • September 6th, 2004
Well that's part of the appeal. I hope to write a "killer" app on the Tablet PC. In my spare time. Of which I have none. ;)

Also, I don't already have a laptop. Since they're not that much more expensive, why not get something that will allow me to do some handwritten work as a break from typing.
Kiptonite • September 7th, 2004
I got an M200 and love it. I would only consider the M200 if I had to do it again. But that is not because I am biased to Toshiba, but rather because that is how I work. I like the faster proc and the 1400x1050 screen. I use it with a 17" flatpanel as an extended desktop. For honest reviews of all tablets, see www.tabletpcbuzz.com

Frankly put, the M200 or any other tablet is not a replacement to a keyboard. I (and probably everyone reading this) can type much faster than I write. But that is not the point.

The point of the tablet is to allow one to elevate handwritten ink from merely being a graphical footnote to ubiquitous text to being equal to text. There are a lot that you can do with a Tablet that you can't do with a keyboard and mouse. As to killer apps, OneNote is pretty close for me. I use it at least 2 hours a day. It orders things that are difficult to order otherwise.
WNewquay - Tablet PC MVP • September 7th, 2004
If you have looked at the other Tablet PCs and are leaning towards the M200, let's assume that you have decided on a convertible.

If you have decided on a convertible,

- and like the 12" screen

- and higher-than-anybody-else's 1400x1050 resolution....

- you can do without a built-in optical drive....

Then no - there is nothing better right now.

No one has figured out why Toshiba doesn't mention this in their marketing efforts, but the M200 has array microphones that work very well for speech recognition.

There is always speculation about what is around the corner, but if you are ready to buy now, then you have to ignore the speculation and just dive in.

You didn't mention the whole question of slate vs. convertible in you question - so I'll not go into it now.

I've had several Tablet PCs and the M200 for nearly 6 months. The M200 is a very nice machine and has been reliable, sturdy, and a joy to use.
WNewquay - Tablet PC MVP • September 7th, 2004
Oh, and you might want to drop buy TabletPCBuzz - Toshiba forum

http://tabletpcbuzz.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=22
phil's wife • September 7th, 2004
what's the best slate type out there?
Haacked • September 7th, 2004
Good question. I'm starting to lean towards the slate because its lighter, and many come with a keyboard you can attach.

As Iggy mentioned, the Motions 1400 with VA looks appealing because it can be viewed nicely at wide angles etc...

I also type faster than I write, but I'm not planning to use a Tablet for speed. Mainly to reduce up the amount of time I'm sitting at a desk typing. I spend too much time typing and need to break up my day more. ;)
Koba • September 10th, 2004
Index cards and a rubber band are great for organization too.
Koba • September 10th, 2004
It seems like it would be good for charts and diagrams... things that don't lend themselves to the left-right, up-down nature of typed text. But, then again, so is pen and paper.
Haacked • September 10th, 2004
Yeah, but pen and paper is so 19th century. ;) And it's much harder to post to my blog using pen and paper.

"Damn it! I can't seem to shove this into the ethernet port!"
Scott Hanselman • September 14th, 2004
I love mine...

http://www.hanselman.com/blog/SearchView.aspx?q=m205
lee • May 4th, 2006
what does a tablet pc do
Blake Gideon • August 8th, 2006
Wait for the core 2 duos. they will have 64 bit support.
Scott • August 29th, 2006
Here is what is driving me nuts. Tablet PC manufacturers are appealing to every market except the ONE that tablets are virtually made for by design... ILLUSTRATION. I want a tablet PC because I want to draw on the screen like I draw on paper. I was told that PC tablets lack pressure sensitivity like the Wacom tablets have. If they do, why, since most license the tech from Wacom anyhow? I gues what I'm asking is this, does anyone know how the M200 or any these slates or tablet PCs handle Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator or Macromedia Flash8?
Thank you for your time.
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