The Tablet PC: An in depth look with the FIC SlateVision

The Options

Now that we know more about the software side of Windows XP Tablet PC Edition than the basic "it can translate handwriting into text" it is time to take a look at the two types of hardware solutions out there. Tablet PCs come in either slate or convertible form, each with their own pros and cons.

Slate form factor Tablet PCs are display driven Tablets. Rather than attempt to emulate a notebook computer, Tablet PCs combine a screen and a system in one unit. These units typically include an external keyboard that the slate docks into or can be used with an external USB keyboard and mouse. Of the two configurations, the slate configuration is the more radical of the two. On the go it requires one to use the pen input options only. The benefit of this: slate system are typically smaller and lighter than convertible ones.

The other type of Tablet PC is the convertible Tablet PC. Convertible tablet systems resemble classic notebooks at first glance. They open like standard notebooks with the screen lifting to reveal a keyboard and touch pad in most cases. The system can be used in notebook mode just like any other notebook computer but what makes convertible Tablet PCs unique is their ability to turn into a tablet resembling a slate. The screens on convertible Tablet PCs fold back on themselves and over the keyboard to close like a dedicated tablet machine. Although the units bring notebook-like functionality to the Tablet PC, they are typically larger and heavier than slate-only systems.

We covered a number of different tablet solutions in our Comdex coverage a few weeks back. Check out that review to see what venders were showing off on the Tablet PC front.

The first tablet we have gotten the chance to look at is a slate form factor tablet created by FIC. Called the SlateVision, we were excited to see the tablet in Comdex and even more excited to get our hands on an engineering sample just last week. Although the sample we received is a prerelease version of the tablet (we should get the retail version in a week or so), we were more than happy to take a look at the system and evaluate it based on our experiences with it. We choose to hold off on benchmarks for this review simply because this version of the SlateVision uses an 800MHz Crusoe TM5800 processor while the retail version will ship with a 1GHz version of the chip. Instead we will have a quick look around the system and check out some of its internals to tide you over until the final SlateVision arrives in the lab for full testing.