Ask Engadget: Best touchscreen-equipped ultraportable / tablet out there?
By Darren Murph 
posted March 5th 2010 12:31AM
posted March 5th 2010 12:31AM
We've yet to really see a touchscreen-based ultraportable with software to really take advantage, but who knows -- maybe Sami has a few very specific uses where finger inputs will come in handy. Drop your advice in comments below, and be sure to wave your passport as you do."I have a 13-inch MacBook and I love it. But I'm beginning to think it might be a little too big for me to carry around. I'll be going to university soon, and I do random IT support in my downtime. So, the question: Which netbook / tablet / small laptop would you recommend for me? Touchscreen would be nice, 3G is a must. I'm not going to sell my MacBook so the new gadget doesn't have to hold 'my life' in it. Thanks!"
@Jake Root
The iPhone got better?
The HP TM2T convertible tablet appears to be a great consumer tablet at a good price. Well equipped for under a $1K with discrete graphics, aluminium case, capacitive screen plus active pen.
Lenovo makes the best convertible tablets, but you are looking around $2K for the current models.
Get the real thing. Like a HP Tablet 2740p with a Core i7. That's probably the most powerfull 12" tablet around. Not cheap but as always you get what you pay for!!!
The Dell Latitude 2100 netbook has a $40 touchescreen option.
Sami should take a look at the enTourage eDGe, the world's first dualbook, which combines the ease of an e-reader with the functionality of a tablet netbook. Running Android, the possibilities for apps are endless, and a 3G version is in the works. For more information, take a look at our website at www.entourageedge.com.
I'm going to agree with Garmac and M1lt above... at the risk of forcing the asker to decide between his MacBook and the new device, I'd say that the HP EliteBook series is the best choice. No mention of price (apart from making a netbook the first one mentioned) so I'm not going to worry about that. I have an eee tablet that I stopped using since upgrading the slate/slice battery on my EliteBook 2730p. While the Elitebooks are not perfect, and they're certainly NOT going to have the fanboy-appeal of Apple products, they pack a hell of a lot of features into a tablet for under $2000 US. I just don't see how the iPad fits what this asker is looking for, except for having the latest cool thing. If he really wants a functional Apple tablet for what he needs to do, he should send his MacBook to Axiotron and have them convert it to a Modbook.
XT2...XT2...XT2....lol
XT2 works just so well for me and the slice battery allows to carry it around for the whole day without charging it
Plus the travel charger kit is quite portable compared with all other charging options...
@Atkins
Submission: FAIL!
Did you not read the question? It asks for ultraportable / tablet out there. As you well know, the iPad is not out there as of your submission.
If I was you I would get the Notion Ink Adam that come out in June. It looks like a hell of a device. It runs android, supports flash, hardrive, mouse, keyboard, it has 3g, a camera, and many more amazing features it is also multi touch. WWW.notionink.in
This post is a total scam..
"Oh I want something small, with a touchscreen, 3g connectivity, and I don't want it to hold my life in it",
Why not ask for something that has "processor designed by apple, and was introduced to the public about 2 weeks ago, that you read books on, and will cost around 600 bucks, and will have a battery life of about 10hr, and will be released in a month"?....
Total suckup to iPad post. Engadget either bought it, or is in on this scam.
@Luxury Guy
You know, waaay back at the dawn of time in 1989 there was no multitasking on macs or PC's, and yet somehow we managed to get a lot of stuff done.
@Luxury Guy apple wants you to buy two ipads for multitasking :' )
I really dont think that the perfect device is out... yet. It seems like sometime this year when we are flooded with crappy tablets, someone is going to get it and do it right. I dont think the phone OS is quite right, nor is a giant bezel so I think apple needs to have some revisions to make it more usable, but the Notion Ink Adam may have it right, and Asus is touting some pretty interesting devices as well.