Fortunately for me there’s no shortage of tablets on the market: Windows OS, Android OS, iOS. Crud, based on reports from CES 2012 I’ll have a much bigger selection within another 6 months or so.

The iPad is out. Been there, done that. It didn’t meet my needs.

I’ve thought many times about going with an Android device. After all, I’ve used an Android smartphone for the better part of 3 years and love the operating system. The Samsung line of Android tablets is awesome, and the Asus Transformer Prime is nothing short of spectacular. If I were to purchase an Android tablet I’m certain that it would be the Prime, but alas, as a productivity device the Android tablets suffer from the same shortcomings as that fruity device.

Which brings us to the Windows tablets. I’ve been eying Windows tablets for a while, but I’ve been a bit underwhelmed. In addition I’m a fan of convertible tablets and those have virtually disappeared as everyone seems to be going to a slate model these days.

After looking over my options I think the Samsung Series 7 Slate is my best bet. It’s a fully functional Windows computer with no compromise. In addition it has decent battery life, good specs and works well with both touch and a pen – yes, I still prefer a pen for note taking. A friend and colleague recently purchased a Series 7 Slate and he’s been raving about it. I spent a little time playing with it today and I must say that I found it to be quite impressive.

So there you go. If I were to purchase a new tablet today it would be the Samsung Series 7 Slate. Then again, I did drool a little when I read about the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga.

And now for the bummer, it’s only available in Japan. Doh! Why can’t the U.S. have all these cool toys too?

The first video below shows the gesture control while the second is just a basic overview of the hardware and software.

In my mind the ASUS Eee Slate EP121 (who comes up with these names?) is currently the best tablet PC slate on the market. I’ve spent quite a bit of time messing around with it at the Microsoft Retail Store at Bellevue Square in Washington. The employees in there must think I’m some kind of stalker.

As far as the EP121 goes the inking is great, the touchscreen responsive, it’s fast, it’s the perfect size and it just “feels right” in my hands. So what’s the problem? The battery life is terrible? The information on the tablet states that the battery life is less than 3 hours. Online reviews have it at about 2 hours. That’s ridiculously bad in this day of hi-tech.

I looked hard at the Motion Computing CL900, but just don’t think it has enough muscle for me. It’s a bit slow and clunky. That’s a bummer as on the surface the CL900 looks like the perfect device.

While rummaging around the Motion Computing website for information on the CL900 I stumbled across an old friend, the Motion J3500. I’ve used it’s predecessor, the J3400 before and it was a great machine. I found the J3400 to be a good mix of functionality, toughness and battery life. With upgrades to the hard drive, processor and display the J3500 may just be the best option currently available, which says something about the tablet market; the J3500 is over a year old.

However, it wasn’t the Vizio tablet that captured my attention this week. It was the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet. According to the Lenovo website it should be available at the end of this month.

I already have a couple of Lenovo machines – a T410S laptop and a x201 tablet pc – so it’s not much of a leap for me to be excited about the introduction of a Lenovo Android slate.

What separates this Android tablet from others is that it is targeted at business users. This basically means it comes preloaded with some productivity software as well as a couple of other nice touches like Gorilla Glass, ThinkPad Tablet Dock, ThinkPad Tablet Pen and foldable ThinkPad Tablet Keyboard Folio case.

Specifications:

• NVIDIA® Tegra™ 2 Dual-Core 1GHz processor
• Android™ 3.1
• 10.1” WXGA (1280×800) 16:10 IPS panel with Corning® Gorilla® Glass
• Multitouch display with digitizer input (pen optional)
• Starting at 1.65 lbs
• Up to 8 hours battery life (with WiFi enabled)
• Up to 64GB storage
• Bluetooth®, WiFi and 3G connectivity
• Native USB 2.0 and micro-USB ports, full-size SD card slot and mini-HDMI output

I really like what the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet has to offer. I’ve been patiently waiting for the right Android slate to come along before I purchase another device. I was convinced that the Samsung Galaxy 10.1-inch tablet was it, but I think I’ll wait for the Lenovo to make my final decision. 

I jumped online and opened a ticket with Lenovo through their customer service portal. A few days later a box with appropriate shipping materials arrived. I packed it up, delivered it to the UPS store and sent it on its way. A few days later I logged into the Lenovo customer service site to check the progress of my repair. Imagine my surprise when I entered my ticket number and nothing appeared. A few minutes later I was on the phone to Lenovo. The gentleman on the phone was polite and courteous, but ultimately he couldn’t help me because my help ticket was no longer in their system. Doh!

Needless to say I was in a bit of a tiff wondering what the heck happened to my laptop. The next day I called the UPS store only to find out they couldn’t help me either. Double doh! Anyway, as I was ranting to my wife and threatening to hurt people I’d never met there was a knock at the door. When I opened it there was the UPS man headed back to his truck, and on the doorstep was my laptop freshly repaired by Lenovo.

Lenovo came through like a champ. They turned the repair around in just a few days and returned my machine to me in perfect condition. It just doesn’t get any better than that.

The most common problem, for me at least, has been short battery life. Less than four hours just isn’t an option, which eliminates what I think is the best slate tablet on market the Eee Slate EP121. So you can imagine my elation when I saw the specs for the Fujitsu STYLISTIC Q550. The screen size of the Q550 is a little small, but the pen and multi-touch input along with the claims from the manufacturer of extended battery life, up to 8 hours, caught my attention.

I had the opportunity to play with the Q550 today, and I’m sorry to say that I wasn’t impressed. Writing with the stylus was painfully bad. I use my tablet computers to take notes and prefer using a stylus over my finger for navigation in many cases.

One of the first things I do when looking at a new tablet computer is rest my hand on the screen and start writing. You can see the results in the image below; pretty crappy. The screen kept registering my hand, making writing difficult. The writing became instantly better when I moved my hand off the scree; bottom right of screen.

The other problem with the tablet was the speed. It was downright clunky. According to the placard at the Microsoft Retail Store the Q550 runs an Intel Atom Z670 1.5GHz process. Well, I don’t know how good the processor is, but it runs like a dog in this tablet computer.

Overall I was disappointed with the Q550. It’s not even on my list of potential tablet PCs anymore.

Still waiting for the right tablet PC to come along to waste spend my money on.

Update (8/4/2011): Someone commented that the problem was the settings on the Q550. I went back to the Microsoft Store and gave it another go. I changed the setting to be more pen friendly. It worked. The pen recognition was much better. Unfortunately it made the touch interface much worse. Doh!

AUSTIN, TX – June 02, 2011 – Motion Computing®, a leading global provider of tablet PCs and supporting mobility solutions, today announced that its first small form factor, rugged tablet PC designed for productivity and business integration, the Motion® CL900, is now shipping. With a 10.1-inch display that enables both touch and stylus input, powered by the Intel® Atom™ Processor Z670 Series and running Windows® 7, the CL900 is a robust tablet PC that offers seamless business integration and enables access to and utilization of data while mobile.

Tweet this: @MotionComputing ships the ultra light #rugged CL900 #tabletpc http://bit.ly/i5SaXR #mobilecomputing #ssd

Motion’s first shipments include customers and partners in Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, France, Germany and the United States, representing industries across Motion’s target markets including retail, field service, construction and healthcare.

“Since Motion’s inception, we have continuously delivered unique, quality products that have transformed the productivity of mobile workers,” said Mike Stinson, vice president of marketing, Motion. “The first shipment of the CL900 is exciting news because it means that Motion is now delivering the broadest, most comprehensive lineup of tablet PCs available for business.”

For mobile workers, tablet PCs are powerful productivity tools used to access, enter and transmit up-to-the-minute data, increasing efficiency and saving both time and money. The CL900 allows users to continuously communicate as well as analyze, report and act on data findings, all while in the field. Lightweight at less than 1kg (2.1 lbs) and with a bright LED backlit display, robust connectivity options and a variety of peripherals to support field use, the CL900 delivers on-demand access to critical applications and information to mobile workforces.

The new Motion CL900 offers advanced durability, connectivity, and mobility features including:

• IP-52-rated, sealed exterior and chemical-resistant chassis with aluminum-alloy internal frame
• Up to eight hours of battery life for uninterrupted productivity
• Lightweight, thin design that offers the protection of the MIL-STD-810G specification and includes Corning® Gorilla® Glass for enhanced durability
• Robust connectivity with optional integrated Gobi™ connectivity with GPS, WiFi 802.11, Bluetooth® 3.0 and a wireless SIM port for advanced communications
• 10.1-inch display that enables both touch and stylus input
• 30GB or 62GB solid state drive (SSD), and up to 2GB of RAM
• Front and rear-facing cameras to support documentation, video conferencing and collaboration (3.0 MP Rear Camera and 1.3 MP Front Web Camera)
• A full complement of ports, including USB, SD Card, audio and HD video to simplify the use of industry standard peripheral solutions
• A unique countertop docking station that optimizes the CL900 for touch input and adds a simple and easy way to integrate peripherals

Additionally, IT serviceability and enterprise support options help ensure uptime and reduce IT resource drain. Business benefits include:

• Manageability and security offerings available with Windows 7 and Computrace® Complete by Absolute® Software
• The performance needed to simultaneously run multiple enterprise applications
• The ability to deliver crisp, colorful HD video and graphics (HD 1366 X 768 resolution)

The Motion CL900 Tablet PC will also offer a unique peripheral module that will enable simple device expansion. Tightly secured and integrated into the device, the peripheral module will incorporate key documentation tools without compromising durability. The optional feature is expected to be available later this year.

It will be interesting to see if the CL900 can keep pace with the slew of new tablets hitting the market. While it looks like it has potential the one thing that concerns me is the inking demonstration in the video below (about 1:08 in). The user never touches the screen with his hand. So can the device support inking while resting your hand on the screen?

Screenshot:

Video:

This is one of the best touch optimizations I’ve seen to date on a Windows 7 tablet PC. It makes me rethink my position on my next tablet purchase.

I can just see the discussion at Microsoft now…

Product manager: “Standard Windows 7?”

Others in the room: “Yep”

Product manager: “Some big buttons with scripts attached?”

Others in the room: “Yep”

Product manager: “$20?”

Others in the room: “Yep”

Product manager: “Uh, why didn’t we think of that?”

Blank stares.

Just sayin’.

The new x220t is every bit as impressive as the x201t, but has a slightly larger 12.5-inch Gorilla Glass touchscreen. In addition it has a new ThinkPad battery pack that should provide the user some serious portability without the need to continuously be tethered to a plug. I get about 5-6 hours of continuous use  on a single charge with my x201t extended battery pack. I expect the new x220t will get at least that. Throw in the new batter slice and users could potentially get up to 16 hours on a single charge. You simply can’t ask for more than that.

In my opinion Lenovo tablets are the benchmark by which other convertible tablets should be measure. The only things I would ask from Lenovo if I had the chance to speak with them would be:

1. Option for convertible models offering 13.3-inch and 14-inch touchscreens. The Lenovo T410s that I have is one of the best machines I’ve ever owned. On occasion I reach up and try to rotate the screen and flip it over, which of course it isn’t capable of doing.
2. Develop an equivalent slate model

More information on the x220 Tablet PC can be found at the Lenovo site here.

I can get more work done with it than the other 2 combined. I can run all the same apps on my Win7 laptop and on my Duo. I can start a project on one, email it to myself, and continue it on the other. I also know that no matter what I download I’ll be able to open it. Neither mobile OS has any real support for Office formats, not even basics like RTF, ODT, or others.

The same goes for all my other data. Just a few minutes ago I copied 70GB of work files onto the Duo. I didn’t need more than about 100MB, but copying the files over was so easy that I went ahead and grabbed them all. I know that I will be able to open whatever I happen to need, so why not?”

While I don’t completely agree with everything the author says I’m slowly coming to the same conclusion myself, i.e. that a Windows tablet is the way to go. I experimented with an iPad last year, but it didn’t meet my needs. I’ve been seriously considering an Android tablet, but just can’t seem to pull the trigger; can’t really say why. One thing I do know is that I use Windows 7 for a majority of my computing needs, including on my current tablet of choice, the Lenovo X201 Tablet PC.

The Inspiron duo is an interesting machine. I’ve played with it at the Microsoft Store in Bellevue, WA and wasn’t all that impressed with it. But I must say it’s a refreshing change from the standard slate and convertible designs I’ve seen over the past couple of years.

It just goes to show you that one size definitely doesn’t fit all. Different strokes and all that jazz.