Motion LE1600 user reviews (Pentium M 758 1.5GHz, 512MB RAM, 30GB HDD, XP Tablet 2005)

Pros Flawless operation

Cons A bit heavy when using the extended battery

Summary I use this tablet every day in my business. While it gets a bit heavy with extended use, I could not live without it. Working in real estate, I can tour a property, take an inventory, hand write searchable meeting notes and e-mail a contract to my broker without ever stopping to enter data by keyboard. Try that with your laptop!

Pros The tablet is light weight and functions like an oversized PDA running Windows XP. The handwriting recognition is near accurate.

Cons The tablet gets warm when using it for extended durations and will shut down if you work the processor.

Summary I needed another computer and didn't want a conventional laptop. They're more than I need; I use a mac already, with a 23" monitor and that's my primary computer. So my reasons were to take notes in school and collaborate with other students who use a PC. Also for the reason that many computer programs bundled with school textbooks are PC based and don't work on a Mac.

I decided I was interested in the 1.5Ghz Centrino Motion Computing tablet using the programs: OneNote, Word and Excel. As a student, OneNote makes the tablet more functional because notes can be taken all day and organized by class. The tablet is comfortable to write on and the pen glides on the screen, just make sure not to leave the pen at home as without it, the machine is a paperweight. It's like a big PDA with a solid screen. I'm not sure about a screen protector, but I've noticed some small scratches within the month that I've owned it. Additionally, the tablet includes a built in microphone so when recording lectures at school, my notes are highlighted as the lecture is played back. I think the OneNote program is a must have for the tablet.

Furthermore, I think a keyboard is something you want to get right away, because I accidentally downloaded some Privacy blocker from a reputable vendor and couldn't log back onto my machine. I didn't have a USB keyboard, and this is key because as much as I'm into my bluetooth keyboard, my Mac still has a keyboard as it's a traditional laptop. I found myself helpless as when the machine goes into safe mode, the handwriting recognition feature is inoperable. Buy an inexpensive USB keyboard, and put it away just in case.

The programs I mentioned earlier are low processor demanding programs that consume very little of the tablets power to run. Average battery life is about two-three hours. Less while recording.

The issues I've had to date involve heat. This machine gets warm under normal use. Also, while I don't play games, I found myself exploring the programs installed on the tablet and played a game called Helix, a logic game. After about 30 minutes of playing, the tablet got extremely warm and a message flashed that the display was going to dim automatically. After another 20 minutes, another message popped up that the tablet was going to sleep because it got too hot.

So, while the game is not the deal breaker, if you decide to run some resource heavy programs, the tablet may not be for you. This is due to the slim size of the body (3/4"), which lacks the ability to dissipate heat quick enough. Even though a fan exists at the bottom of the unit, I've never heard it turn on. Although, I'm glad the unit has the ability to shut down, I'd be disappointed if I had a project due and counting on the machine to stay awake with me while I power thru something.

In terms of size, the tablet resembles the screen on a 15" laptop. Due to the thin size it doesn't have a DVD drive but offers plenty of ports, two USB, a video but no firewire. It does have a PC card slot, so you could get a converter. I use the SD card to work with word and excel documents and this works between my mac and pc. However, the tablet doesn't come with much, so you probably want to think about purchasing a DVD drive. The tablet comes with bluetooth and Wifi built in and both work great. Windows doesn't always want to go into hibernate and I've had to hold the power button until the tablet shuts down, but I believe that's Microsoft and their wonderful suite of products that crash even on my Mac.

Functionality wise, everything about the tablet is designed great. The buttons on the side are recessed and when your wrist is wresting on the display, it doesn't affect the buttons and trigger things. The finger print reader works great, just need to remember which fingers you programmed because it can get confusing when the display is rotated. Especially when the tablet asks for you for your fingerprint and the screen is turned differently.

My final thoughts are that Motion Computing put together a solid machine. The tablet is sturdy, a couple of tabs could have be done away with. It's a small suggestion, and it's Motion's attention to detail. Thank you guys! Motion places a little cap over the video connector and I find the cap falls off frequently, so I leave the piece at home. Otherwise, for what I expect of this thing, the tablet functions great.

Moreover, Motion advertises that the fingerprint reader also works as a mouse, but I found it too sensitive and either all on or off, top of the page or bottom. If you keep in mind the high portability factor of the machine, but consider the price doesn't include a DVD or keyboard and compare it to laptops that convert to tablets, it's not a great deal. However if you're looking for a computer that functions as a pure slate tablet to partner up to your existing computer system, then this tablet is worth the investment.

Pros Light weight, Fast, Sleek, Fingerprint reader for passwords, 3 microphones

Cons Expensive but worth it, Expensive accesories that may not be worth it, no attached keyboard, no CD-ROM drive

Summary This is a great tablet for anyone that needs to carry it for long durations. I use this tablet for taking notes in class and I don't think any other tablets could beat it. When factoring the price, you still need to buy an external CD-ROM drive. I also purchased the convertible keyboard which snaps on the back or front of the tablet when not in use. This keyboard is a must for anyone planning on typing. It holds the tablet up very well and can be moved for many different viewing angles.

Pros No returns on anything

Cons Awlful customer service

Summary support is terrible....and don't buy ANYTHING from Motion and ever expect to be able to return it....bought a battery for $160.00 and when it didn't work, they would not let me return it...no nothing....no return...what a rip-off