Acer Aspire 1810 Tablets Thread

Some new footage, rather poor however.

http://media.digitaltrends.com/digital-trends/ces-2010---hands-on-with-the-hp-tm2/

 

Yeah, major fail for Acer. I just checked local websites for the 1820pt and STILL nothing. Not even a preorder. I dare say if they had shipped before Christmas as they said they would, a lot of us would've bought it.

The TM2 looks great, better than the 1820pt. Only thing I'm concerned about is weight.

 

I'm going to wait and see what Apple is doing. There are a few patents out showing Apple has a Stylus and a rumor they revamped iWork (like office) to work with it and touch.

If its true, I'm curious if they managed to improve inking.

 

Thanks for mentioning that, up until now i thought Apple's tablet was going to be completely touch based like the iPhone. Pen input gives it more potential for productivity.

 

If the thing get's officialy announced before I can purchase a TM2 I might change my mind, but I don't see it being released before summer. I don't Like waiting anymore. The only reason I waited this long for acer 1820p and TM2, was because until now everything was just undereperforming overpriced crap+I wasn't making my own money. Waiting anymore for me would be pointless.

The only way an apple tablet would be better for me than a tm2 it would mean that it does everything that the tm2 can do -windows + it needs to have a pixelqi screen which I seriously doubt they would sell south of 1k$.

 

You're welcome. Everything about the Tablet has been rumor. The only hard stuff is the patents. They do have patents for a tablet, and a stylus pen, along with other touch patents.

Its not that big of a wait now. If they don't announce it on the 27th not that big of a deal. I am curious though. If iWork has been revamped that means this has computing power and isn't like all the crap (minus the HP) we saw at CES this pass week.

I still can't believe how much crap was at CES as far as tablets go. And Lenovo should be shot for not putting a pen with its netbook.

Info on Stylus Patent. Its fairly recent to so that makes me hopeful. Here's another for inkwell which is suppose to be embedded into snow leopard. And here is the iWork rumor I found. And interesting stuff on a possibly keyboard but I have no idea how that would work.

One things for sure. If Steve Jobs can make you hungry for this like he did iPhones and iPod's, this would be a good way to ease people onto the Mac Platform. He might actually get a lot of converts out of it. If its big as iPhone he could end up with more people/companies make Mac software which is good for everyone.

 

If you really like the form factor of the Lenovo tablet then you could buy the tablet and combine it with a external pen. Something like this. For web browsing you can use the capacitive display and then when you want to ink you attach one of those things and disable the touch screen (assuming you can).

Adds a cumbersome attachment and about $80 to your cost but still cheaper than a TM2 with a more portable form factor. You could do the same with the 1820 but that would put your cost into TM2 range and all you gain is a slightly lighter computer.

 

Ahhh, thanks for the link. I didn't know they had pens like that. That is a interesting option. I actually like how fat the pen is. Skinny pens make my hand tire faster for some reason.

 

Pens like that have been around for a while now, but most of em seem to only be compatible with 15 inch screen( this is old info) and most reviews seem to say they break easy( old info again). So in case you decide on purchasing such a device I recommend thorough research.

 

Thanks. I was just watching a lot of youtube demos and reviews on it. So far it looks pretty good. If Apple disappoints me, I might go with something like this and the Lenovo. And a nice SquareTrade warranty.

We'll see.

 

True. I've had one of these, they feel cheap (very light raw plastic build, unsturdy plastic buttons), come with replaceable felt tips (= one day you'll need to buy new ones) which make awful noises when you write on paper, and get unprecise (sometimes the cursor even jumps) if you use them in the upper corners of the screen or far away from the stationary laptop attachment (due to design). For 20$ one could just toss it into some dark place you'd never look again, for 80$ its a very bad deal.

 

''Laughs'' That doesn't sound to good. Did you have that exact model of pen from that company?

This is a good option if nothing else comes along. I still prefer my pen docks with my tablet as I'm more prone to losing it before I break it.

 

It was from some other company, but the device looked exactly the same, so I guess it was rebranded.

 

I wouldn't hold my breath on Apple patents, they're like the Thomas Edison of patents. While, some are as brilliant as a light bulb others just sit there, perhaps so others don't use them.

Further, there's no debate about how good the iPhone 3GS is nor it's 3G iPod touch. I have both, actually on the latter only 2G 32gb.

But, it took them 3.5 generations to get the iPhone right. Even the 3G phone is slow and lacks ram. The iPod 2G is faster then the iPhone 3G.

In addition, the only good reason to have either one of those devices is to be Jailbroken and/or unlocked, thanx to George Hotz and co.

So while I will say that the iSlate or iTablet will be the thinnest we have all seen (cause they have a patent on thinness too), it may take several generations to get it where everyone loves it like the current 3GS.

Also, imagine all the restrictions they will put on that tablet, thus the much needed jailbreak. I mean they put so many stupid restrictions, like running one app at a time...behold the underground app: Backgrounder that allows several apps simultaneously. Theres many other examples but why beat a dead horse?

I will eventually jump on the Apple tablet but will wait for the pilot version to hit the market and after a gen or two will also make sure it's fully hackable or at least partially.

There's already talk that they will add a huge list of ebooks for the tablet app store a nice feature to have. I'll wait and see on those prices.

Many things p1ss people off about apples' prison. Just take a look at the difference between the Nexus One and iPhone when it comes to battery. The former, the end user can change on their own. I mean how hard could a be to change a battery, right? Well try change your battery on the iPod/iPhone and you'll run into a brick wall called Apple.

Now if you have said lets wait for the M$ Courier, I would have to agree but even they may take several gens to get it right.

 

On the TM2, I'm gonna be doing all that I can to increase the battery: Like software control to keep cpu usage down, undervolting , and an SSD, so I'm curious if you have any other ideas?

Like would it pe possible to turn off touch or the pen on command to save more energy and stuff?

 

Well so far JKKmobile recommends the tm2 for inking per his tweets.

Also, been tweeting back and forth with George Hotz (GeoHot on twitter) he's at the CES as I type and just tweeted his latest reply:

"yes!! got to see the tm2 after all. screen is real quality, al chasis feels well built, and fans weren't out of control like tx2...may buy"

 

I've no doubt its good for inking. The previous one did inking very well also. For me its the weight. I'll have to hold one on my arm to see if it becomes to heavy. Its in the running if its not to heavy, but from other users I've seen even with 3.8 pounds they claim it gets to heavy after a while.

If anyone here does pick it up I hope you come back to give us your impressions.

 

I'm curious as to what scenarios you're planing on using a tablet in?
Me as a student I don't think I'll have to hold it in my hand to much. The longest thing I've had to do up till now is hold my 7 pound 15 inch lappie in the palm of my right hand with the elbow against my body for around 15 mins until I finished my Powerpoint presentation and it wasn't tooo bad.

And something about the tm2 that might be a good designing decission. The battery is in a L position with the chassie but that makes easy to grab and hold without straining the wrist if you ask me.

 

We all differ, if it was lighter it would be a plus. However, every chance I get i'm at the gym. While i'm not as big as MuscleNerd (a well known and respected iPhone hacker) I can hold my own.

So if its a tad too heavy, I can live with it.

Now if it had heat/battery issues like its predecessors then it's a FAIL in my book.

 

Here's a short youtube vid on inking on the tm2, from a member of another forum.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE2o1xDkMxY

 

Bah, that only tests the handwriting software, which is part of the OS. I wanted to see the pen in action in other areas of the screen, including the edges near the bezel where precision has traditionally been lacking.

Another area where I'd like to see tablets in action is the buttons along the bezels.

 

Yeah me 2, but I guess we need to w8 another week till some1 gives it a full review. I hope it launches in Japan soon after.

 

So, Does anyone have any new news about the Acer Timeline 1820 Tablet? Since the HP is over 4lbs, I think the Acer has it's place. I think the Acer will be a good replacement for my Samsung Q1U UMPC. I've been perfectly happy with Inking input on this device running Windows 7, but I would like a little more performance on the CPU side.


There's a good active thread at http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/showthread.php?t=30045 discussing the HP TouchSmart TM2.

--

 

Sry, nothing new here from Japan.
They are basically the same just that the acer is a bit lighter and cheaper, and the tm2 has the looks+ a bonafide wacom digitizer. Oh and an optional ati gpu in which I have no interest unless you can turn it off like you can on the envy series.

 

A site in my - european - country has 12th of February as availability, although with a question mark, so far from certain.

 

I found this bit on another site....

 

I heard a lot of the people that got them at the dev conference had trouble with the Acer's.

 

Bad luck on Acer's part, real bad luck.

 

Found HP tm2 specs here: http://gdgt.com/hp/touchsmart/tm2/specs/

Height: 1.56 inches (3,96 cm)
Weight: 4.7 lbs (2,15 kg)

AND HP LISTS TM2 WEIGHTING 4.92 LBS!

http://h71036.www7.hp.com/hho/us/en...uchsmart-tablet-pc.html?jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN

If this is confirmed tm2 is a total fail: compared to tx2 doesn't have drive, yet weights more and is thicker.

Active digitizers don't need palm rejection, because they can only recognize special pens. Modern digitizers from Wacom and N-Trig offer dual (active and passive) technology, and they ignore the capacitive sensor when the pen approaches the screen. Resistive, multi-touch digitizers must employ software palm rejection.

Active digitizer: good for inking, doesn't recognize fingers/palm, great pressure sensitivity (up to 256 levels).
Passive resistive digitizer: good for touch, recognize pens -- like nokia Xpress or old PDAs.
Passive capacitive digitizer: great for touch, doesn't recognize pens -- like iPhone.
Dual Technology digitizers: combine the best of both worlds, but still there is some occasional problem, especially with N-Trig drivers. In any case you can switch one technology off and work with the other.

Historically inking features have been targeted to the professional market, designing expensive tablets, while finger touch capabilities have been integrated into consumer products. Now, thanks to dual technology, the trend is to have both touch and inking in the same device.

 

Acer has been extremely disappointing with this tablet. Promised a before Christmas delivery and it has been delay after delay since. I hope they're upgrading it in some way and it's not some kind of poor management on their part.

 

For $900, the weight isn't that big of a deal. If weight is a big deal, pony up the cash.

 

Anybody have any idea how many grams an ATI mobility discrete card weighs?

Other things that might add to the weight are : The new Wacom digitizer compared to the old N-trig digitizer.
The aluminum slabs
A heavy duty cooling system?(I doubt it)

But I still think it's light enough to carry it on a daily basis.

But in general, Doesn't it seem like most Hp notebooks are heavy compared to other manufacturers?

 

I mean...speaking from an engineering prospective, it isn't acceptable. Why put out a 12.1" tablet that weighs that much? A mobile computer has to be mobile in all aspects really, that one flaw ruins the mobility (in my usage anyway).

But look at it this way guys, without a dvd drive that thing still weighs as much as the tx2. That aluminum casing must be like plate armor xD...

or the tx2 was made of some seriously dense plastic

 

It's the metal casing that adds significant weight. 5 lbs isn't as heavy as you guys make it out to by. I see the skinny college girls around here carrying textbooks that far outweigh 5lbs. And they are starving themselves along with the fact that half of them walk to class.

From an engineering prospective, there is only so much $900 buys you. The Dell XT2 weighs about as much with the battery slice. 4.9 lbs tablet isn't exactly out of this world. Take it from a guy who uses tablets daily.

 

If you complain about weight so much, just follow this guy's example.
2.04 is the jawdropping part but u need to see it all.
width='560' height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Nuj4IvVbvhI&hl=ja_JP&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Nuj4IvVbvhI&hl=ja_JP&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width='560' height="340"></embed></object>

Link to the article
http://www.gottabemobile.com/2010/01/07/gear-im-using-to-cover-ces

 

That girl's voice is annoying.

"Oh my gosh!!!"

"That's insane!!"

 

Its about that time for Dell to refresh their XT2 isn't it? I'm wondering if they are going the same route as HP and switching to Wacom. Dell is so insanely expensive though for the spec's.

I agree with aznguyphan. I'm a girl and I don't want to carry around a five pound block. I am spoiled from using 3 pound machines. I have a 5 pound MacBook, a 7 pound Asus. I had the previous HP tablet that was so fat and heavy it was to awkward to use in tablet mode. Not to mention the weight would put my arm to sleep.

Right now, its the best bang for the buck though. If not for the weight and how thick it still manages to be it would be perfect. Still waiting for Apple to wow me before I make up my mind.

 

And buy what ? Is there a better buy than tm2, expensive, but lighter. with comparable specs ?

 

We can only hope that the islate is a single screen version of M$ Courrier.

 

Yes there is. The x200T, the XT2, the old XT all are more expensive, but lighter.

Pony up the cash boys.

 

No name 10.1 inch pinetrail slate that only works with stylus input

http://techreport.com/discussions.x/18290

According to the scribbles in Windows Journal the pen doesn't have pressure sensitivity but that could be just because they forgot to turn on pressure sensitivity in Wjournal.

 

Nope, those mentioned do not have HDMI port, like TM2 (heavy and thick as hell) and 1820PT (useless for inking).

The only real alternatives are Fujitsu T4410 and T4310, still thick and heavy but at least with DVD-RW, HDMI and Wacom multi-touch.


EDIT @surfasb: generally I don't consider HDMI a make or break feature, especially for lower end / cheap notebooks. In this case, following the quoted replies, if I'm going to "pony up the cash" for a better HP TM2, then I PRETEND HDMI.

 

I still shake my head when I see HDMI as a make or break feature.

 

Has anyone gotten a good look at the tm2 screen in comparison to others or the tx2z? Unless it is significantly less grainy/sparkled I don't see very much drawing me too it vs. the t4310. My wife has the t4310, and generally speaking, it's quite good. The screen is the only thing that bothers me. The t4310 has dvd-rw or space for an extra capacity battery. Even with the extra battery it's less than the tm2's weight.

I'm curious as to the screen clarity of the acer when compared to other multi-touch netbook offerings as well, in particular the new lenovo s10-3t. Too bad it doesn't have a stylus

 

All tabletPCs are grainy to begin with. I don't see the tm2 looking much worse or better than the x200T or the XT2.

 

Edit, never mind.

 

Sorry for this newbie question, but looking at this forum I'm trying to choose my first tablet: 1820PT is really "useless for inking," or simply low performance (not so much pressure levels, and so on)?
With 1820PT, in your opinion, I can take some pages of handwriting notes, or is really impossible because of the technology adopted (but I saw in Denosha's review that he use the pen to write... )?
I may prefer the 1820PT because is half Kilog. lighter than tm2 and I have to travel everywhere everyday of my life, carrying with me a lot of other stuffs (books, paper documents etc.). I don't really need for my work 256 pressure level in photoshop, but if I can't take note with the pen, why buy a tablet?

Thanks!

 

You can take notes fine with the 1820pt, It's by no means useless. It's just that you will have a hard time adapting to the glitches of the palm rejection software. The bigger problem is if the 1820pt Will even start shiping in most of the world with all the delays.

 

This sums up our current situation.

Looks like logistics is the biggest factor right now.

 

Well, it is useless for extended or real time inking, it's fine for short notes (1-2 lines), or comments on PDFs. If you look at the video uploaded by the good Denosha, you can see he misses a letter AND the first horizontal tract of 't', which he then completes after the vertical tract.

If you want smooth inking performance you need an active digitizer. Latest Wacom is probably the best right now.