One of the great things about the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 is the fact that it charges via a standard Micro USB cable!

The ThinkPad Tablet 2 is a brilliant note taking Tablet. At only 600 grams it is micro thin and features the best active digitizer system available made by Wacom (for an even better pen experience buy the Wacom Bamboo Stylus Feel).

So for the rest of May, we’re offering the 3G, 64Gb version of the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 with:

1. Free Targus Backup Battery – 4800mAh of backup charge that plugs directly into your smart phone or ThinkPad Tablet 2
2. Free Microsoft Mobile Mouse 4000 – One of the most comfortable compact notebook mice available.

Available now for immediate delivery, but this offer is available while stocks last. Don’t forget to grab an Office 365 Subscription too!

The Targus Backup Battery for iPad anything that plugs into USB!

Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000

All free with the ThinkPad Tablet 2 while stocks last.

I was surprised to hear about the announcement of the Microsoft Surface tablet while I was in California last week (It was there too, but I wasn’t invited!! ). Microsoft kept this one very quiet so it was a surprise to many industry people (including Microsoft MVPs), not to mention an unusual achievement for them!

There is very little information available at this time on the specs of the surface. Judging by the pictures the device is very specifically targeted at playing catch up in the consumer space.

From touch to type, office to living room, from your screen to the big screen, you can see more, share more, and do more with Surface. – Microsoft Surface Website

What looks interesting about the surface:

• Slick, appealing design – showcased brilliantly in the marketing video below
• Magnetic keyboard / cover – a vast functional improvement on Apple’s “smart cover”
• USB port, Mini Display port (the same connector that Apple use on MacBooks), microSDXC card support
• ARM option for Metro only and Intel “Ivy Bridge” option for Metro and Desktop support.

This is a tablet that will put Microsoft back on the consumer map! However, I don’t think it is likely to worry many existing Windows tablet manufacturers because of what is not present:

• Security options like fingerprint readers, smart card and RFID
• Removable / replaceable batteries
• Workflow options
• Hardware buttons
• Ruggedness.

Leading tablet manufacturers like Fujitsu, Samsung, ASUS, Motion Computing and others will still have plenty of places to go even with surface on the market.

If anything, the surface will

• Further legitimise the Windows 8 tablet as a serious option in the minds of consumer and corporate users
• Serve as a working reference design tablet manufacturers who can take features like the Surface keyboard and work them into their own designs
• Push technology advancements with hardware OEMs so that everyone can achieve smaller, lighter, faster and better tablet designs.

Enjoy the Microsoft Surface marketing video below… if you haven’t already!

The Samsung Series 7 Slate is rightly proving to be one of the best selling Windows Tablet PCs ever! We’ve committed to keeping the S7S and its accessories in stock and now we’re having a May sale to boot!

All website purchases of this offer will also receive a free Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000!

Series 7 Slate models in stock and on sale now are:

• 700T1A-A04AU – Intel Core i3, 64Gb SSD, Windows 7 Home Premium – Plus free Samsung Stand Case – Was $1368 now $1099

• 700T1A-A01AU – Intel Core i5, 64Gb SSD, Windows 7 Home Premium + Dock and Bluetooth Keyboard – Was $1599 now $1399

Other models in stock now and found in our store are:

• 700T1A-A03AU– Intel Core i5, 64Gb SSD, Windows 7 Professional + Dock and Bluetooth Keyboard – Was $1699 now $1644.50

• 700T1A-A05AU– Intel Core i5, 128Gb SSD, Windows 7 Home Premium + Dock and Bluetooth Keyboard  – Was $1899 now $1799

$1099 for the best home / office / student slate Tablet PC on the market today! There’s never been a better time to send your personal productivity through the roof!

This sales will only last as long as the stock does, so get in early! Click here to see our range of Samsung Series 7 Slates and accessories.

Please note that all of our Samsung Series 7 Slate editions include the Swype Keyboard software!

All pricing includes GST.

One of the fantastic things about choosing a Windows 7 Tablet PC is choice! There are some brilliant Windows Tablet PCs on the market at the moment, so we Windows slate tablet users need not feel like we need to excuse ourselves for not using an iPad anymore!

Take a look at any of the slates below and you will see Tablets that cater to all sorts of different needs:

• Samsung Series 7 Slate
• Asus EP121 / EB121
• Motion CL900
• Fujitsu Q550
• Motion J3500
• Motion F5v

And that’s not to mention the convertibles!

Personally, I use the Motion Computing F5v for my day to day work as a road warrior. Since I’m on the road or in the air at least 3 or more days a week, I need a tablet that can survive what I put it through. 

Here are the reasons why I’m sticking with the F5v for now.

• Battery management and car charging
• Superior outdoor display and Wacom Active Digitizer
• Intel Core i7 power
• Ruggedness (MIL810G and IP54)
• Programmable buttons.

Whilst it may not be as sexy as some of the other options it just works. I simply can’t afford to use a tablet that does not get the job done. Generally I carry a car charger and a spare battery with me.

I previously used the J3500, but I switched to the F5v last June out of necessity (I had to loan out my J3500). Now I’m testing the new touch enabled version of the F5v with both Windows 7 and Windows 8.

If you have time (sorry about the marathon video), take a look at the video that I took to explain:

For more information on the Motion Computing F5v or to arrange a demonstration, contact us via our website.

Motion Computing are leading the way again with the new “Slate Mate” integrated Bar Code Reader and Credit Card / Magnetic Stripe reader option for the CL900 tablet.

The Slate Mate includes an integrated Intermec ED40 Barcode reader scan engine which is the same advanced barcode reader that is built into the Motion F5v and C5v. It is compatible with a huge array of barcode types (including EAN128) and it even supports 2D (square) barcodes.

As noted in our previous article, “Barcode Scanners for Tablet PCs,” there is nothing better for barcode scanning than a dedicated barcode scanning engine. Even better if its integrated and attached to the device so that you don’t have an extra device to charge, maintain or lose!

The added Mag Stripe reader in conjunction with you POS software will allow you to take credit card payments directly from your device.

Best of all, the slate mate version of the CL900 retains its rugged MIL-810G drop specification and IP52 rating. Perfect for the POS environment.

Motion Computing CL900 Slate Mate – Barcode Scanner and Mag Stripe Reader Tablet PC

The “Slate Mate” range will be expanded in future releases to include options such as Chip and Pin / Keypad and NFC support.

POS Vendors looking to take the hassle out of dealing with hardware and wanting to partner with a full service hardware reseller with exceptional knowledge, training, support and service should contact us for more information.

POS users looking to deploy their own POS hardware should contact us directly.

I have to admit that we’ve all been caught up in the excitement surrounding the new generation of Slate Tablet PCs that emerged from the CES 2011 show in Las Vegas this year (they’re all still on track for April BTW).

As exciting as Tablets like the Motion CL900, ASUS EP121 and Fujitsu Stylistic Q550, not one of those slates can replace my Motion J3500.

For those of you not familiar with the Motion Computing J3500, here’s a video made at Motion’s headquarters in Austin Texas…

Why is the Motion Computing J3500 still the one for me?

• The Motion J3500 will continue to be the most powerful slate Tablet PC on the market – With a Core i7 Processor it is powerful enough to replace my desktop or laptop
• The J3500’s Hydis AFFS+ Display is still hands down the best display ever built into a Tablet PC
• Integrated fast Mobile Broadband is essential to my productivity, J3500 wins here
• It has the flexibility to act as a desktop or laptop when I need it to via two important accessories – Motion J3500 Docking Station and Motion J3500 Portable Keyboard

Most of my working week is based in a car, so I need the most mobile but powerful computing solution on the market. For me, battery life and weight convenience considerations are secondary to productivity. For that reason, the Motion Computing J3500 will continue to win hands down for some time.

I’ve taken five domestic flights across Australia this week. Having the Motion J3500 with me on a flight from Perth to Melbourne last night meant getting through over 100 emails, creating many appointments and contacts,  sending 28 emails (more than one liners) and producing a new video that I will post soon. I couldn’t have done it all on a 3 hour flight with a Laptop, mobile phone or consumer tablet.

When you really do the sums, productivity like that makes the relatively higher pricing of the J3500 pale into insignificance.

That said, I am looking forward to April for the CL900 as it will certainly find a place in my daily workflow…

Fujitsu’s Lifebook TH550 features in the iSpy section of this months Royal Auto magazine.

iSpy features all sorts of cutting edge gadgets like a new solar powered Wireless keyboard from Logitech.

It’s great to see a tablet computer featuring in Royal Auto, and none less than the TH550.

The TH550 is the first netbook alternative tablet to include Active Digitizer Pen technology, which is absolutely essential for content creation activities like note-taking and writing blogs like this one!

I refer to the TH550 as a netbook alternative because whilst it is super mobile like a netbook (small, lightweight, 10" screen) it packs a more powerful Intel Core i3 processor and that means that it’s far from slow!

The Lifebook TH550 also has a 3.5G internal mobile broadband option for complete wireless connectivity.

TH550 = Pen + Touch + Keyboard + Mouse

It is the complete package for mobile workers, minus the walked garden!

Darrell Cann is the Managing Director of Apex Mobiletech Asia Pacific, but he’s also a property valuer. In this video Darrell shows us how he uses a Motion Computing F5v tablet PC to speed us property valuations.

As you’ll see in the video, the combination of Nexus and a Tablet PC enables Darrell to get the job done incredibly fast. That means: more valuations completed more accurately.

One of the major pros of a Tablet PC is the amount of information that you can access and work with on the screen. As you can imagine, for field workers like Darrell, more information means better decisions. A bigger screen is also faster and easier to work with.

To find out more about the Motion Computing F5v or the Apex Nexus program that Darrell is using in this video contact us on 03 9999 1602.