A convertible tablet that can do it all
Written: Jul 22 '04 (Updated Aug 05 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fast, versatile, capable of being a laptop and tablet
Cons: None, as long as you buy it for the right purpose
The Bottom Line: The biggest, best convertible on the market today.
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| elomin's Full Review: Gateway M275X Tablet PC |
A convertible tablet that can do it all
by elomin, Jul 22 '04
I will be starting law school in the fall and they highly recommend that we have a laptop. I spent months researching laptops and finally decided on this tablet. The deciding factoring in going with a tablet instead of a traditional laptop was the ability to take notes on the tablet. After using this tablet for less than a week I am already confident that I will not even need a paper notebook for note taking. After deciding on a tablet, I decided on a convertible because it can double as a regular laptop for everyday use. The only convertibles I really looked at were this one and the Toshiba m200. The Gateway won out because of it's larger screen size (14" instead of 12") and it's faster processor.
This tablet is currently shipping with the new Dothan family of processors. This means it has 2mb L2 cache instead of 1 md on the previous Banias family. Intel also changed their naming convention for these processors. Instead of using just the clock speed, they are now numbered, with the higher number reflecting better performance. These numbers take into account other features besides clock speed that affect the speed of the machine. For this tablet, the choices range from 715 (1.5 ghz) to 745 (1.8 ghz).
This is also one of the few tablets that you can extensively customize. You can choose your processor speed, hard drive and memory. I would suggest sticking with the base 256mb of memory and buying more online and install it yourself, this will save you $$ and you will notice a big difference in performance. With its processor and memory, the m275x is not just a tablet but has nearly replaced my desktop as my main computer. Another great feature is the standard DVD/CD-RW drive. Most tablets do not even have a cd drive and you must buy an external one.
I cannot say enough good things about this machine. My one worry was that it would not recognize my handwriting, since it very messy and erratic. But this is not a problem. Both Windows Journal and OneNote recognize about 90% of what I type on the first try. It was amazing how quickly I abandon the keyboard for every except large typing projects (like this review).
Another great feature is the Centrino technology. This not only reduces power consumption but integrates wireless network access. So far I'm averaging about 4 1/2 hours of battery life while surfing the net and just playing around with the various features.
Now for the few bad things about this tablet. It is the heaviest tablet, I believe, at just over 5 pounds. However, this is to be expected with a 14 inch screen and the power of a desktop inside. If weight is a major factor then you should consider a slate tablet or the smaller Toshiba or Acer.
This tablet also get a little warm when used on your lap for more than a half hour or so. But again, what do you expect from such a tablet with this much power.
Now to answer some common concerns people have about this tablet.
The Hinge: do not worry about the hinge breaking. It is very sturdy and the screen does not wobble when it is in laptop mode. It also comes with a 3 year warranty on the hinge, just in case.
Is it a tablet or a laptop: my answer to this is, it's both and it does both very well. I've heard many complaints from people who say it's too big for a tablet and too small for a desktop replacement laptop. My suggestion here is to buy a computer that suits your needs. If you want a small tablet, then buy one. If you want a desktop replacement, then buy one of those. However, if you want a very capable laptop with tablet features, then this is definitely the one for you.
It's so expensive ($2300): yes, it is. This is the price you pay (no pun intended) for being an early adopter. Tablets are far from the mainstream still and will remain expensive until more people begin to buy them. However, the price you would pay for a similarly configured ultra-portable laptop would be about the same and you wouldn't have the tablet functionality.
Specs:
Processor: Pentium M 735 (1.7 ghz)
Memory: 256 mb (planning to upgrade to 1gb)
Screen size: 14.1"
OS: Windows XP tablet edition
Harddrive: 40 gb 5400 rpm
CD Drive: DVD/CD-RW
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
elomin
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
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