after 5 years, i was on the hunt for a new laptop. like last time, i was looking for some particular features. i travel a lot, i know the difference between a sub 4 pound notebook, and those goliath 8 lbs monsters. it's usually the first spec i look at...
i was also very reluctant to buy another acer, after all the trouble i've had with my travelmate 350, and broken promise of bluetooth there. but i do like the keyboard. the curved scimitar style keyboard is a dream to type on, in a perfect layout with all the right (esc, del, control, alt) edge/corner keys in place. i would have bought the next version, subnotebook travelmate in my series - but that line transformed into their tablet pc line (Travelmate C100). i didn't particularly like some elements the new design, but the tablet concept was curious. one minus, the C100 also has a smaller screen, the bevel has to make room for the electronics - i wasn't thrilled about that. it looks a little funny.
anyway, people online say that *all* laptops will be tablet pc's in the future. now, there's a vote of confidence. there are some things i think might work better with a pen over a mouse. i also thought as a DJ, i might set up the screen in a different orientation that might work better than the traditional setup -- or even mounted in my car with a map display. having the screen in slate mode could offer some cool possibilities.
the more i thought about it, the more i felt like giving it a try. i spent some time in the stores looking at alternatives. i tried to find some tablet pc's, but stores don't have them on the shelves. when i called a local store, they said they sell them but never actually stock them. i spoke to the sales rep, and got the low down on some features. i was concerned about screen, if the pen would scratch it on heavy usage etc. he said his boss uses one like crazy with no issues. he also noted a nice feature about the Travelmate C300 was that the screen size fits a full 8.5x11 sheet of paper. plus, you might use it sitting on a cramped plane in slate mode. hmm.
that got me thinking. ok, so if go with a slightly heavier laptop, and give the tablet pc a shot, i could view documents at a 100%, full size. that's cool. at 6 lbs and if i didn't really like the weight, i could just set it up in the car or at home -- get another model later on to carry around. other specs like battery life and chip speed were suitable. it has a touchpad, which i really like, including the synaptics drivers/interface that has some really nice features. i wasn't totally thrilled with the overall looks, whereas i think the travelmate 350 is just beautiful. and of course, the c300 has the trademark arched keyboard.
so yes - after vowing never to purchase acer again - i settled on the Acer Travelment C300 series. i found a good deal on 'last years' model and pick up a travelmate C302CiX for $1350. seemed worth another $100, i also splurged on an extended warranty this time!!
see my other post for a review on this model.