What is the best Tablet PC for development for the money?

Question

I am buying a Tablet PC before the end of the year. I want to be able to use it for development work. Which one will give me the most Bang-for-the-Buck?

I realize this is not truly a programming question, but, as I am going to use it for programming and I have been unable to find an answer elsewhere I thought I would post it here.

Answer 1

dont is the simply answer - personal expereince - had 3 starting with the orginal HP then then an updated square box from HP and now a Toshiba.

They are all aweful for dev machines.

Small screens, slow ish processers and cant seem to squeeze enough Ram in them.

Answer 2

I have seen HP tablet PC going on sale for 750 CND a few month ago.

For the best bang for the buck, it really depend on your development schedule. If you only do a prototype or a a single project, get the cheapest you can get.
On the other hand, if you want to do a lot of development, get the best you can afford.

Answer 3

The question is, Why would you use it for development work? Will it be used for programming? Or Modeling? Whiteboard type usage?

Answer 4

TabletPCReviews list the most popular models. Personally, I think the Lenovo's Thinkpad Tablets are really good. They are definitely not the cheapest, but in the case of a Tablet, I think they are worth paying a little extra.

Answer 5

I've got a Fujitsu that I use on a daily basis (though for general "office" use - I almost never use paper anymore - and for software testing, not for development) and regularly interact with a client who has some Dell and Motion tablets. My Fujitsu has been rock solid; it's got a Core2 Duo 2000-something, 2 GB of RAM, etc. My biggest issues with it from a development perspective are lack of screen real estate (1024x768) and very small keyboard - though that's a common complaint on just about any laptop. You can get a docking station, but then why have a tablet in the first place? :) I purchased a modular bay battery since I rarely use the DVD drive - if I can't download it or transfer via a thumb drive/SD card, I don't bother. With the extra battery, I get about 6 hours of battery life vs. 2 on the standard battery alone.

The new Dells are thinner and lighter; power-wise they're probably about the same. They also have the benefit of a dual-mode screen - it is touch sensitive in addition to the tablet pen. For my client, this is a good thing for what they're doing, and they get it out of the box.

Motion are now defunct (bought by Dell) and their big thing was that they were super-light and super-thin BUT didn't have a keyboard. Again, this was perfect for the niche goals for the client, but made daily use somewhat problematic.

Answer 6

I've just ordered a Latitude XT and intend on doing development on it, so i'll try and remember to note how it handled on here..

Answer 7

My latitude XT has arrived, and having installed Visual Studio 2008 on it, it seems to work fine. Thought there is not much stuff clogging it up yet.

Specs.

1.2 Dual Core Intel, 3GB Ram, 100GB HD,