Marc Orchant is upgrading to the Gateway s7200 Tablet PC from a Toshiba M200. I imagine Marc will admire the extra performance and the s7200’s bright display. I’ve been using a Gateway M280 which is comparable and these are my two favorite features of the Gateway.
Eventhough I’ve been using the M280 more and more for development (in large part because it is now the fastest Tablet I have), the Toshiba M200 is still my primary Tablet.
I’d really, really like to see Toshiba update the M200 though. Just a few tweaks would be nice. I’d like a brighter, view anywhere display, a faster processor, Vista-capable graphics, and maybe a half-pound or so shaved off its weight. The 12.1″ display size is perfectly fine for me. It’s just right when sitting in an airplane seat. Not too big. Not too small. I also don’t mind not having a DVD/CD burner built in, but if Toshiba can figure out how to squeeze one in, that would be fine by me too. I’ve also begun carrying two batteries wherever I go. So a DVD bay that I could swap out with a second battery would be ideal, since I carry the second battery anyway.
Loren – you’re right. The M200 is definitely ready for a refresh and all of the things you cited would be welcome improvements. In the famous words of the pilots in Top Gun, “I feel the need for speed” and the new Gateway models are nicely tuned for high performance (admittedly at the expense of weight and size). As I’m not on planes very often and have found that my Treo 650 is quite capable when I’m in a “walkabout” environment (like a trade show or business conference), I’m feeling like the extra size and weight will not be a terribly big issue in my work style.