Tablet PCs - Stealing Comdex 2002

FIC

We were able to catch a glimpse of a few interesting mobile items over at FIC. Although not tablet related, the AM37 is a wireless terminal that proved to be interesting. Basically, the system consists of a unit in one location and a touch-screen monitor in another. The VGA signal is sent via 802.11b to the touch-screen LCD and the touch-screen LCD sends input commands back to the computer via 802.11b.

We didn't get to play with the AM37 for too long but the concept does seem to be a neat one that works quite well.

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What really won our attention at the FIC booth was the SlateVision: FIC's tablet-PC solution. The SlateVision proved to be among the more impressive tablet-PC solutions we saw at the show for a number of reasons. First off, the design of the SlateVision is both rugged and elegant. The system is conveniently sized and nicely weighted with integrated 802.11b. The screen, input functions, and software suite all proved to be impressive as well. Basically, the parts of the SlateVision combined to produce a very nice tablet-PC solution. Below is the unit hooked up to the optional keyboard and stand. A full docking station is also available and offers additional ports and an optical drive.

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As nice as the features of the Crusoe TM5800 SlateVision are, the thing that really got us was the price. At $1300, the SlateVision is, by far, the most aggressively priced tablet-PC we have seen (others go for $2000+). FIC has big plans for the SlateVision, as they should given our first impressions of unit. FIC plans to sell the SlateVision in North America at large retail chains such as Best Buy, CompUSA, and Frys. Again, from our first impressions given the price of the SlateVision and its feature set, the unit should have no problem at all selling given a large retail presence. On the other hand, we have seen retail plans fall through in the past and almost destroy a product's chance for success in the North American market. Let's hope this is not the case for the SlateVision.