Tablet Options for Notebook replacement?

[digitalleftovers]

I've got an 8 year old Gateway laptop that, needless to say, is not really a laptop anymore and rarely gets used (for that reason).  It has no battery to speak of and overheats quite quickly (the mobile P4 was a poor choice).

While thinking about replacement options the other day, it dawned on me that perhaps, I, as a mechanical keyboard user, would have a use for a tablet.  I almost never use a laptop on my lap, I like my tenkeyless keyboard.  Why not just prop up a tablet when I'm in a coffee shop or meeting and pull out an awesome keyboard to use with it?  After all, I have to earn hipster-cred since I'm from the Great Northwest.

Problem: what tablets will work as a laptop/netbook replacement?  
- Can run linux
- not tied to a wireless carrier
- has enough power to do lots of text editing and some code debugging (run at least 4 applications simultaneously)
- has at least a 10" screen.
- Isn't expensive (under $1000)

I'm curious what everyone's thoughts are. I was hoping to see HP's windows tablet released, but instead they released an ipad clone.

[HaveANiceDay]

I don't think you will be happy with a tablet running a desktop OS. The current generation of tablets is heavily targeting consumers and only consumers, if you wan't to do more than watch youtube and browse you should get a laptop.

[digitalleftovers]

A laptop will not help my hipster-cred! Perhaps I should consider a laptop convertible?  Those kinda went out of style 10 years ago, but I know most companies still make them.  They are generally expensive, though.

[NamelessPFG]

Go look on eBay for a Lenovo ThinkPad X200t. (Actually, you're better off searching for "X200 Tablet".) That would be a good start.

Alternatively, look at the HP EliteBook 2730p or 2740p, or if you're lucky enough to find one for under US$1,000, the Fujitsu LifeBook T5010.

I personally don't think they're out of style, certainly not with the way they keep being released. It's just that most people don't know about them, and those who do can't afford the exorbitant new prices. (This is where eBay comes in handy, if you don't mind not having the latest and greatest.)

[HaveANiceDay]

Yeah, too bad that thread died. It had my only few posts worth reading.

[ricercar]

If you're thinking of looking at an x86-based tablet, you might want to do a search on

"Burt Keely" tablet

to see some really slick tablet users in action ... from 2001-2006 era! It'll give you some much-needed perspective on the last decade of non-Apple research paving the way for the 'new' tablet industry.

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If you're going to get a convertible tablet/notebook, look for a 1400×1050 resoution (vs the other Microsoft-approved tablet resolution of 1024×768, which is FAR FAR more common). The 2006-vintage Fujitsu t4215 I serendipitously aquired has the hard-to-find 1400×1050 resolution.

Having used 1400 × 1050 for 6 months, I'd NEVER go smaller. Web designers no longer design pages for a browser window only 768 pixels wide. The 2011 web is 1024 pixels wide, baby. Every once in a while I down-res to 1024 tall × 768 wide for as long as I can take it—minutes, not hours. 768 width makes me pitty da fools with iSteve/XOOM/etc trying to surf comfortably in 768-pixel wide portrait mode.

Cynically I wonder some days if the iSteve is going to hold back web design, by reaffirming a 768-pixel web page width.

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Thinkpads make an excellent platform for Linux—consider looking at a new or used ThinkPad tablet convertible if you're stuck to Linux.

[godly_music]

Linux is cool and all that, but I would forget about running that on a tablet. They're all relatively new technology and usually don't use a standard OS but something homecooked. Linux doesn't catch up quite that fast. I also wouldn't get Apple. There's some cheaper alternatives with less restrictions.

[NamelessPFG]

Believe me, I'd love to see another 1440x1050 SXGA+ convertible, but they just don't make 'em with that resolution any more. Latest one I know of was the Lenovo ThinkPad X61t, and even on those, the SXGA+ screens weren't exactly common. Most just had 1024x768 screens. You're either getting resolution or under-the-hood performance.

Now, they've pretty much settled on 1280x800...with the exception of the ThinkPad X220t shaking up status quo by going 1366x768. Damn 16:9 taking over everything...

[chongyixiong]

I would recommend the X200t with the flushed panel for the extra cred or just the older fully tricked out X61t for about US$500 (saw one over at Thinkpad forums the other day)..

Can't recommend others though as I am extremely biased towards Thinkpad's build quality.

[digitalleftovers]

The inspiron Duo is intriguing, but I do not trust the durability of this design.  Maybe if the frame is metal and the hinges are bolted through, but I highly doubt that in this thing's price range:


The Thinkpad X201 looks awesome, but its price is high, and if it is going to have a keyboard, I don't think I want it separating from it completely.  

The HP Slate 500 seems like the best option for a laptop replacement out there (err, netbook replacement).  But aside from the SSD, it has the same specs as my 2008 Dell mini 10, so just about any used convertible made in the last few years will beat it.


Then again, I don't need that much power for client side web stuff.  I may just have wait and see what gets released this summer.

[NamelessPFG]

The Thinkpad X201 looks awesome, but its price is high, and if it is going to have a keyboard, I don't think I want it separating from it completely.

It's undoubtedly expensive, but you said you wanted to keep it under $1,000. Here's one just under that mark. I wouldn't recommend it to you otherwise.

If you're prefer to take the price even lower, you could go with older, Core 2 Duo-era hardware like the ThinkPad X200t. Here's one for $625, but you'll probably want to replace the RAM (around $80 for 2*2 GB of DDR2 last time I checked) and add an OS (not a single cent if you are indeed going to install Linux). Hard drive's also a paltry 160 GB, likely at 5,400 RPM; whether you replace that with a better HDD or SSD is your call.

[gilgam]

hi

did someone tested an hhkb on a tablet ?

i'm looking for a tablet running linux (ubuntu 11.04 Will be fine) and i plan to plug my hhkb. iPad seems nice but no wired keyboard officialy supported on ipad (went to apple store and asked the apple guy, a funny experiment...), and the others are android (which really sucks).
@Ripster is the xoom nice? did you tried linux on it ?

Thanks