Speaking of Tablets
Photo: TechRepublic 2006 review
Now that we all saw the iPad: if you want to do more with a tablet than just consuming media, the HP TC1100 with Microsoft OneNote still is amazing. Leave the hardware keyboard at home and just take the slate. It has just to right size and grip. Write on it, and your handwritten notes become searchable and reusable. Add notes and markers to the texts you are reading or write things down, it is just like your Moleskine. Because it is like your Moleskine, you can use it without errecting a visual barrier between you and the people around you. As it runs on XP or Windows 7, it even multitasks and runs any application.
Also note its familar body design. It dates back to the year 2002. This device was ahead of its time as then, mobile web access was limited at best. Now we have decent and affordable UTMS coverage and things come together. Weak spots: battery life (but you can warm-swap batteries and fresh ones are available on the aftermarket), typing longer texts on the provided snap-on keyboard (the setup's center of gravity is very high when used in laptop mode, use a Bluetooth keyboard instead) and it is a bit difficult to get your data out of OneNote (because it is like your Moleskine). It is one of the most productive computers I have ever used. They are discontinued, but getting a used one won't set you back by more than 250 €.
