I really wanted to get a full featured Tablet PC – something that would be able to run Longhorn and Avalon great. Of course, Avalon and Longhorn will run on most of today’s hardware, but for doing demos and presentations I wanted a machine that would really just blow people away (hopefully!).

 

The Tecra M4 is the first tablet that I’ve owned, so I have feedback not only on the machine, but also the general tablet functionality.

 

Specs

I loaded the M4 up – 2GB RAM, 80GB HD (5400RPM), DVD, Wireless A/B/G, Bluetooth, 2.13Ghz M. It’s fast, it’s heavy, it’s big. But so far it seems setup to be a good desktop replacement laptop, with tablet functionality. The display is only 1400x1050 on the internal screen, which at 14.1” means that the DPI is much lower than most tablets. However, the 128MB NVidia 6600 TE is smoking, and can do things in 3D that are amazing, especially for a 5W part.

 

Mechanics

I’m not sure how it will hold up over time, but the build quality seems pretty good. With the notable exception of the single hinge for the screen, this is way underpowered to hold the 14.1” screen. The screen bobbles slightly when I type, however it doesn’t squeak like my old Dell used to. I like the keyboard, it is responsive. I had a Toshiba long ago, so the funky placement of some keys don’t bother me too much. The placement of the DVD eject button and “one note” button are in a bad place for using it in tablet mode, but there is a software “off” button for the DVD, and a physical lock for the “one note” button.

 

My main concern about getting the machine was size – weight and physical dimensions. The weight isn’t horrible, definitely not a comfortable one hand hold, but acceptable. The physical dimensions are totally tolerable, until you try to read in tablet mode. The screen is just too big (not something I thought I’d ever say about a laptop). The display is bigger than an 8.5” x 11” sheet of paper, making it actually a little straining to move your heard around to read a document form the top to bottom of the screen.

 

Performance

So far, absolutely amazing. The hard drive is notably the weak point. The default settings on the HDD protection (stops the disk to avoid damage when shaken) are really sensitive, which means it pauses a lot while walking. The 5400RPM isn’t spectacular, it’s probably the thing that I’m least impressed with (even a 7200RPM laptop drive isn’t spectacular). The video card is just awesome. Startup on the machine is relatively quick.

 

The number of little crapplets that come with the machine is ridiculous. By the time you log into your desktop there is 450MB of programs running (something like 72 processes!!!). Every component of the system has some special application.

 

Docking station

I got the “port replicator” instead of the bigger docking station. So far it is the fast dock/undock I’ve seen on a laptop. I’ve yet to get it into the doomed “laptop thinks it is docked but it really isn’t” mode that plagued me with my last dell. The replicator has DVI out, lots of USB ports, firewire, etc. Overall a very functional simple design.

 

Battery Life

I’ve ordered the second (drive bay) battery, so right now I’m just living with the built in. I get about 2.5 hours of continuous use, including running some Avalon apps that exercise the 3D card. The power management app that comes with the machine is nice and allows you to have settings for DVD playback, full power, max life, etc. I run on ‘normal’ for battery and ‘full power’ for AC (defaults). The recharge of the battery is pretty slow, while using the laptop, it seems to take a long time to charge back a couple hours of usage.

 

Software

The tack-on application that come with the Tosh are overall pretty nice. They look good, and most of them are function. The Cross-Bar menu application is pretty cool (hold down the four way joystick and you get a menu of common functions that you can easily use with the pen). The power management console replacement is nice and simple to understand (but has way too many options). The HDD protection control is, well easy to control. Besides having way too many of them running by default, they are acceptable.

 

Style

The Toshiba dual tone black/silver motif won’t win any design awards or get anyone to turn their heads (unlike the Apple and Sony industrial design). The design is simple, and relatively clean. A net neutral for the machine.

 

Windows Tablet Edition

Since this is my first time using a tablet as a primary machine, a big part of my experience is Windows. In general it works. It recognizes my hand writing pretty well. Trying to type my password using the pen is tough, but most places it works. The built in applications (Ink Art!) are cool and elegant. The ink panel is a little hard to get to come up sometimes, and there are way too many small things to try and click on with the pen. We really need a more pen friendly set of resize gadgets, menus, etc.

 

Summary

Overall the machine is a bit bigger and heavier than I would like, but it means I really only need on machine for meetings and presentations, which is a huge win. I’m not 100% blown away with the machine, but it is really nice. The upcoming set of tablets this summer will be spectacular, but if you want a desktop replacement machine I can recommend the M4.

 

Score: 3.5 (out of 5)