Below is a very simple demonstration of the native support for digital ink in Microsoft Office programs like Word, Excel and PowerPoint as well as the amazing handwriting recognition capabilities of Windows 7.

In reality, it’s much easier to ink when you have your tablet undocked and in your hand or flat on the tablet. I’m thinking that Tablet in the video might be set in the dock to show the fact that it has a docking option.

And that reminds me, the Australian version of the Samsung Slate Series 7 Tablet PC that is set to arrive next week includes the dock and keyboard as shown in this video.

The dock is very small and portable but it gives you the ability to use your Tablet like a PC when you want to. Inputs and outputs on the dock include:

• Power – Just dock the tablet to charge

• Full size HDMI – Connect to a Projector, Monitor or TV with ease
• Ethernet – Essential for corporate networks and maximum network speed
• USB 2.0 – Connect a Keyboard, Mouse, USB Memory, Camera, Phone – anything
• Audio – Headphones, Speaker, Microphone.

Of course it also props the display up at a nice angle. The keyboard is a nice compact Bluetooth model.

As a person who spends most of my time on the road, this dock is a very attractive option. During the day, I use my Motion F5v tablet as a slate, taking handwritten notes, writing emails, preparing quotes and showing people information on screen.

At night though, I could be at a hotel room, and I often need to type up some more lengthy information that I’d be more confortable typing. Whilst I can write on screen faster than typing on a touch keyboard (30-35wpm vs 20-25wpm), as a computer geek for most of my life I can still type faster when seated at a tablet with a physical keyboard (60wpm).

With the Samsung Slate PC Series 7 you could carry the dock in your bag and bring it out when needed to make an instant PC!

Anyway, it’s great to see Samsung rediscovering the Windows Tablet PC and finally seeing the benefits of the Wacom Active Digitizer Pen!

The Intel Core i7 versions of the J3500 and F5v went from the i7-640UM 1.2Ghz processor up to the i7-680UM processor at 1.46Ghz. The core i5 version also got a bump.

Whilst the low power Intel Core i7 processor in the F5v and J3500 is still the last generation “Arrandale” chip, it is still between four to ten times more powerful than the Intel Atom based processors found in many rugged Tablet PCs depending on the test performed.

Of course you can’t beat an Intel Atom based tablet for battery life, but there are several reasons that sales of F5v and J3500 with Intel Core i7 have increased at pace with the introduction of the Motion Computing CL900:

• 4-10 Times more powerful than Intel Atom
• Up to 8Gb of RAM
• Desktop replacement power

Whilst the CL900 is fantastic for basic computing tasks like field data collection into web forms, PDF files or Microsoft Excel, it cannot match the performance of the F5v or J3500 for people who need a go-anywhere mobile office.

Judging by the number F5v and J3500s going out with 8Gb RAM on board, a surprising number of people do need brute computing power in the field.

The Motion J3500 also gets a bump up to the faster Gobi 3000 mobile broadband chip with GPS.

The first video is very technical and detailed. If you’re looking for more of the actual usage experience, skip video 1 and start with videos 2 and 3.

Video 2 shows the Q550 engaged in web browsing, handwriting recognition, Outlook and OneNote. The windows touch pack is also briefly demonstrated.

The last video shows the Stylistic Q550 in video playback on YouTube, using the USA Today news app and Netflix (not available in Australia). Finally the last part shows the boot-up time.

Thanks to cmcdeed1 for sharing these videos. Couldn’t have shown the Q550 better myself!

The Fujitsu Q550 and Motion Computing CL900 both feature Intel’s new generation Atom Oaktrail processor allowing manufacturers to create lightweight small tablets with up to 8 hours battery life.

Like the extremely popular Motion CL900 the Q550 is based on Intel’s new Atom “Oaktrail” processor which consumes a tiny amount of power to deliver all day computing. It’s thin, lightweight and flexible. Best of all it runs all of your standard Windows 7 Professional applications without compromise!

Key things to note about the new Q550 are:

• Removable battery with up to 8 hours run time and several days of standby
• Integrated Fingerprint Reader and Smart Card Reader
• Ultra light weight from 730 grams
• IPS Display with 180 degree viewing
• 3 year Australian warranty.

Check out out video review part 1 below:

While you wait for us to tell you more about it, we thought we’d share a review with you from Dr Conrad Blickenstorfer of RuggedPCReview.com. The review goes into a lot of good technical detail and gives you a good overview of where the CL900 product fits in the tablet market. Read it here: http://www.ruggedpcreview.com/3_slates_motion_cl900_full.html

What we like about it:

• Wide viewing angle (essential for Tablets and something that has been lacking on the cheaper Fujitsu convertible tablets)
• Bright 400 nit display
• Active Digitizer (smart pen) and 4 point multi-touch
• Weighs around 700 grams
• Removable / user replaceable battery and 8 hour battery life
• Smart card and fingerprint reader security built in.

Take a look at this Fujitsu Stylistic Q550 promo video:

The Fujitsu Stylistic Q550 is due in Australia in May. It is definitely an important contender in the productivity and enterprise Tablet space. It should even be a hit with home users and students…

We all know that the promised flood of consumer accessible Slate Tablets in 2010 did not eventuate, and the only Tablet that did slip through (HP Slate 500) has failed to ship and will be out of date and dead in the water by the time it actually does ship.

That’s about to change as a whole host of interesting devices are about to emerge at this years CES conference in Las Vegas. Here’s a teaser of what’s coming from ASUS:

There are a number of hardware advancements that have been ticking away in the background that will make these Tablets remarkable.

• Better speed and processing power for low cost
• 8 hours+ battery life
• Better screens and display resolution
• Pricing around AU$1000

We’ll keep you informed on the Tablet PCs that make our stringent cut. Stay tuned – CES starts on Jan 6th US time.

The HP state 500 is finally on its way to Australia. Whilst HP are yet to announce any details on the availability of the HP state 500 to Australia, we are happy to announce that we have a number of demo units on the way out from the us in anticipation of its arrival.

We’re expecting the tablets to arrive with us in late December, so keep in touch with us for demonstration dates.

What’s all the fuss about?

The HP slate 500 is the first of a select number of lightweight "companion" slates expected to land in Australia in 2011.

The key feature of these new lightweight super mobile states is the combination of:

Touch + Active Pen

This makes the devices much more than consumer targeted media consumption devices. These devices will be used heavily for:

• Note taking (students, executives, sales people)
• Form filling
• Data capture

Contact us via our website or on 03 9999 1601 for more info.

The Motion C5v is of course commonly used in the healthcare sector while the Motion F5v can be found in field service sectors like construction, mining and emergency services.

The C5v and F5v have retained the successful MCA form factor as well as the exceptional Hydis AFFS+ reflective and transflective display and the recently added super tough Corning Gorilla Glass.

Highlights of the revamp include:

• A choice between Intel Core i5 and i7 processors (battery life v performance)
• 4Gb DDR RAM
• Gobi 2000 global mobile broadband option with standalone GPS
• MIL 810G ruggedness certification (up from 810F)
• 30% better battery life, now up to 5 hours
• Hot swappable batteries (up to 5 minute runtime without a battery)
• Intel vPro™ for advanced remote management (even from a fully powered off state)
• New front facing webcam for video conferencing and an upgraded 3mp rear cam
• A USB port – sorely missed on the current C5 and F5

This revamp will massively increase performance over the Core 2 even on the i5 model thanks to the new front side bus and DDR 3 support. Unlike other MCAs and field slates that use Intel Atom processors, the C5 and F5 has enough power to replace a laptop or desktop.

What I personally like about the F5 is that it is very mobile, based around a 10.1” screen, but it still has the power to be my mobile office. When I’m in the office, I have it docked with an external screen and keyboard and I use it like a multi-display desktop.

The combination of a fully operating Windows 7, Office 2010 (especially OneNote and Outlook) makes the F5 more than just a companion device. It much smaller and lighter than most laptops, and you can just grab it and go without limitations… And that’s what I want from a full time slate computer!