Review of the 8 Hour Tablet: Electrovaya Scribbler

Lisa Gade, the chief geek over at MobileTechReview.com, reports that they've just published an in-depth review of the Electrovaya Scribbler SC2200. "It's a Windows XP Tablet Edition with lots of the features you'd expect on a high end slate machine like a 12.1" screen you can write on, a Dothan 1.4GHz processor and WiFi. But its real claim to fame is the huge capacity 10,200 mAh SuperPolymer battery which will get you through a work day without a charge."

Comments

Keyboard

[Stigmata669]

While this looks like a step in the right direction for tablet PCs, the docking style keyboard looks like a recipe for trouble, it looks like it's dangerously easy to break (snapping off because of the upright screen design) or at least damage the contacts from constant plugging and unplugging.

The burden then relies on XP Tablet edition to get good enough to rarely need a keyboard... something I don't think is likely to happen any time soon. So good in theory, but not quite the magic form needed to bring tablet PCs into the mainstream.

Re:Keyboard

[NanoGator]

"Seems to me it alot adu about nothing. Marketing is getting really slick. They keep selling people the same things, just with new names. Just like the republicans..."

Uh, okay.

To answer your question: Tablet PCs are more mobile since they don't require a flat surface to operate on. You can use one standing up, for example. That's definitely a huge plus in my opinion. I can carry my TPC around and use it in a lot more places than I could my old laptop.

Whether or not you care is entirely up to you, but I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss TPCs as 'the same things with new names'.

Interesting, but I think I'll pass

[kennyj449]

I can't help but think that, for that pricing and performance, one would be better off getting a more conventional laptop or tablet and keeping an extra battery or two around. It's nice to see a notebook that actually acts like a portable, but sadly the battery life is about the only thing that this tablet has going for it.

Just how many days?

[Nom du Keyboard]

10,200 mAh SuperPolymer battery which will get you through a work day without a charge.

Just how many days will it get you through, before its capacity degrades below 8 hours?

Re:Not bad

[BFaucet]

That's a joke, right?

I highly doubt this tablet was designed with heavy computing in mind. 1.4 GHz Intel chip is more than enough to do word processing, email, watch video, paint, even play many popular games.

I don't know anyone who would get a tablet for heavy processing.

Re:Not bad

[lucabrasi999]

8 Hours is good, but a 1.4Ghz processor.

Keep using your laptop with a three hour battery. It may take me five more seconds to open up MS Excel each time, but that five seconds will be meaningless when your machine has run out of battery power.

Re:Tablet PC's?

[Mumpsman]

There is quite a high demand for these kinds of things in the medical field where physicians do indeed need to use a computer standing up. They need to be able to roam from one exam room to the next without having to drag a cart full of paper medical records. They also tend to work long hours and have low tolerances for having to do un-godlike things like swapping out batteries or returning to a docking station to get a new tablet.

All of which typically would mean that this might be a welcome advance in the medical field except the software is still all crap...

Re:I didn't see any mention of heat...

[sholden]

You must have missed this part:

"When unplugged, the unit stays surprisingly cool and won't toast your arm."