Decision Criteria
From Mobile PC Wiki
Decision Criteria
When deciding on Tablet PCs or Ultra Mobile PCs these are factors that will weigh heavily in your decisions. You might use some or all of these with the Rationalizer.
Presented in alphabetical order:
Contents |
Accessories
e.g. availability of bump cases, docking stations
Active Digitizer
- (Yes/No/Dual Mode) (vs. Touch)
- Yes: Typical Tablet PC uses an active stylus with pressure sensitivity. One feature is hover or the ability to detect the presence of the stylus when it is near but not touching the screen
- No: No special stylus required. No hover no pressure sensitivity.
- Dual Mode: Screens that work with both an active digitizer (with the stylus) AND touch.
Availability
Can you get what you want by the time you need it? This is not as simple a question as it first appears. If you have heard rumours about a release of a new model, these may or may not be true. If a manufacturer has announced that it is shipping a new model, but no one is receiving shipments, then availability could be an issue for you. If the unit you want is available in a retail store, and is in stock - terrific - no waiting.
Battery
Some of the terminology is relevant and some, less so. From a user standpoint, you are probably most interested in how long you can use your device on batteries and under what conditions.
Battery Life
This is usually expressed in hours and minutes, but key an eye on the test conditions. Backlight intensity, wireless on/off, applications running.
Battery Expansion
Many systems have expansion battery packs that can (up to) double your run-time. These add more bulk and weight, but for many people, freedom from a power outlet is worth it.
Digitizer
See Tablet PC Digitizer List to see what type of digitizer is in the device you are considering.
Durability
If you know that your device will be subjected to rough or careless handling, then you will want to be aware of the reputation of the vendor with respect to durability.
Expansion / External Storage
Form Factor
- Convertible / Hybrid / Slate / Ultra Mobile PC
- This relates to how the keyboard and screen are attached (if they are) and what you have to do to do some typing.
Hard Disk Drive
It is fairly common practice to buy a minimum configuration and upgrade. You will want to investigate the size and type of drive that is installed in the machine you are considering so that you can know your upgrade options.
- Capacity 20 to 160 GB
- Type SATA / IDE
- Size 2.5 or 1.8
- Rotation speed / RPM 4800, 5400, or 7200. Faster rotation speeds generally translate into faster access to data. Caveat: once data is already in memory (once a file is opened or program launched) the impact will be minimal, and when a file is in the form of a stream (like playing an audio/video file) there will be little difference because the system can predict what data will be needed ahead of time and preload it into memory. Many newer 7200 RPM drives have been designed with reduced power consumption in mind, and as a result take up little or no additional power beyond the typical stock 5400 RPM drives.
Memory
This can be tricky. Most new Tablet PCs come with at least 512 Megabytes (MB) of Ram memory, and this works fine for most business or productivity applications - especially if you have only one to three of them running at a time. However, if you plan to install a larger amount of memory in your tablet, there are a few things to consider:
- Installed Memory - most 'budget' tablet models have 2 x 256 MB sticks installed. If you pick a customizable model online, you can increase this, or change the amount of sticks installed (1 x 512 vs. the usual 2 x 256).
- Slots available - tablets typically come with 2 slots for memory. If you'd like to upgrade your memory to something above 768 MB, you will need at minimum 2 x 512 sticks of RAM. Upgrading to 1 x 512 pre-installed, and then buying another memory stick is usually cheaper than having to replace both of the 2 x 256 sticks that are the default config.
- Maximum - the maximum memory the motherboard / system as a whole can handle ranges from 2GB to 4GB at present, however getting your hands on 2 x 2GB sticks will cost a pretty penny!
- Major suppliers of memory
Newegg typically has good prices on memory (currently just over $100 for most brands of 1 GB sticks), and a wide variety and quality of RAM.
Also: Beware of 'bargain basement' / 'cheapest memory you can find' - these are infamous for failing right after the 90 day warranty expires. It would be a good idea to test any new memory (including the preinstalled sticks!) using Memtest.
Pressure Sensitivity
This is applicable to Tablet PCs with active digitizers that use a stylus. This generally refers to variability of line darkness or width (or both), depending on the amount of pressure exerted on the screen with a pen stylus.
Price
Screen
Aspect Ratio
- Wide XGA 4:3 16:9 16:10
Screen Resolution
Screen Size
- in inches measured diagonally
- 4.5 5 8 10 12 14 17
Take the Screen Resolution (above) into account when considering screen size. This can give you dots per inch (dpi).
Screen Dots per Inch
Screen Viewing Angle
Size (of the device)
Touch
- (Yes/No)
- See Active Digitizer above
Touch Sensitivity
Typical values: 80 gram or 120 gram, these represent the amount of pressure required to register on a touch screen. The lower value suggests that it would be easier (take less pressure) to make a selection or tap a button, but it carries with the price of false positives. This means that you likely cannot rest the palm of your hand on the screen while writing with a stylus. An oversimplification: 80 gram will give a better touch experience, 120 gram will give a better ink experience.
Video
Video Subsystem
- Integrated
The majority of configured models come with integrated graphic chipsets
The following are the most common:
Intel GMA 945 Intel GMA 950 (insert more comprehensive list here..)
- Discrete Graphics Card
A few configurable models have the option of a discrete video card:
- Toshiba Tecra M4 (no longer available direct Toshiba) - 64MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 6200 TE or 128MB 6600 TE graphics card
- Toshiba Tecra M7 - NVIDIA® Quadro NVS 110M with TurboCache, 128MB of dedicated graphics memory
- Gateway CX210X - ATI Mobility Radeon X1400, 64MB dedicated graphics memory
These are all considered "workhorse" graphics cards - they are built primarily for rendering video or graphics - not gaming. Nonetheless, the dedicated graphics memory should theoretically boost performance (any tests to show how much?). Quadro cards also have hardware support for line antialiasing (as opposed to the full scene antialiasing used by games) which may or may not have an impact on ink.
Video Memory
Shared
Video Connectivity
Most devices will have a standard VGA connection (standard connection for external monitors or projectors). Some of the smaller devices require a docking solution or special adapter.
Weight
- UMPC are 2 pounds or less
- Ultralight Tablet PCs are typically 2 to 4 pounds
- Light Tablet PCs 4-6 pounds
- There may not be a polite name for Tablet PCs that are over 6 pounds except that these may be seen more as Desktop replacement machines with inking capabilities.WN 12:33, 10 August 2006 (PDT)
