Most companies are rushing in with new products to adapt to the latest trend : the tablet PC. Why is the tablet PC so nice compared to other types of devices we’ve already had around on the market? Because it makes perfect use of a touch screen and adapted user interface and it’s so much easier for people to get basic things done (web browsing, reading e-books and user such stuff) by tapping a finger on the screen or moving it around. Some people love laptops and can handle a touch pad quite well but several others will agree that it doesn’t compare as precision and comfort to a mouse. The tablet PC eliminates the need for any type of input device because your fingers are the most precise pointing ‘object’ ever invented. Plus tablets are decently small and highly portable because they eliminate the need for a physical keyboard and mouse-like controls (so the whole bottom part which you’d normally find in a netbook, for example, is dropped).
Like all the other companies, ExoPc also has big plans for its future product which will be a tablet PC. The company initially announced its intention to come up with such a product but ended up delaying the tablet multiple times. Recently, ExoPC posted on its forum the date on which its latest achievements is expected to start shipping.
On 3 September the ExoPC Slate will go on pre-order. The first 1200 members of the forum will get to order their own slate and they’re estimated to receive it at the end of the month (September 30). On the very same day of September 30 the company will also start taking orders from developers. A bit earlier, on September 20, 120 production units will be shipped towards potential retailers worldwide. The future partners will test out the final hardware and software of the device and decide whether they’re going to start selling it. Several units will also end up at journalists and bloggers for testing and reviews.
Canadian users will most likely get the slate first, probably around the 15th of October, the manufacturer estimates. The tablet which seems to be called Ciara Vibe will also become available in the US (online only for starters) around the same period of time. The company will then wait for an US partner to actually start shipping the devices there.
This is all ok, but what does this tablet have to offer? Well, it looks like it’s going to feature an Intel Atom N450 processor, 2GB of DDR2 Ram, GMA 3150 onboard graphics and a 11.6 inch screen with a native resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. On top of that it will also include 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, USB 2.0, a mini HDMI port, a 1.3 megapixel web camera and an SD/SDHC memory card slot that will sport memory cards of up to 32GB storage capacity. The battery life offered is estimated to be 5 hours and the tablet should weight about 950 grams. What ExoPC failed to mention so far is an estimated price for its future product.
