Ok… I know I'm being a little obsessive with all the Gateway posts but there's a lot of buzz building around these
new convertible notebooks (beyond the noise I've been making).
NetworkWorld just gave the new Gateway
CX200 (the consumer model found in Best Buy stores) four stars. They seem to understand where this line fits in the
Tablet PC continuum - it's a desktop replacement Tablet PC not a mobility solution. Duh!
Some of the comments I've seen made about these admittedly heavy devices make me wonder if the authors have any idea
how dumb they sound when they compare these 6-7 lb. beasts to a lightweight and tiny Tablet. It's apples and oranges
kids! Figure it out.
No - this is not the Tablet PC you want to be looking at if you're constantly on the move, on your feet, and looking
for the perfect balance between portability and performance. There are a number of excellent options that fit that use
case. If, however, you are looking for a very nicely built and equipped widescreen notebook computer that also provides
full Tablet PC functionality and amazingly long battery life (which carries the cost of weight), this might be a device
you'd want to look into.
One size does not fit all.
Four stars for Gateway's convertible
Reader Comments
(Page 1)2. I agree with you wholeheartedly about one size fits all. I have the CX200S and I love it. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think it's unbearably heavy or unportable as many users make it out to be. However, if I was going to be on my feet all day, I'd look for something lighter, like a slate. I think it should be reiterated that there is no "One Best Choice" for all users; it all depends on what you do and how you want to do it. Keep blogging about your Gateway!
Posted at 6:17AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Wesley
3. Walter, Wesley - Thanks for the comments and the encouragement. I don't want this blog to turn, even temporarily, into a Gateway commercial. But so many people seem to be really curious about the new convertibles and I am, of course, very excited with my new toy ;^)
Posted at 6:17AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Marc Orchant
4. I'm a med student and our class has ordered three so far. Overall, our experiences have been mixed with the CX200. One has worked perfectly, but one had the bad stylus described in another post and another (mine) was basically DOA (no power). I'm supposed to have my replacement today though, only 5 days after the original, so here's hoping.
Posted at 6:17AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Preston
5. Preston - I was just discussing this phenomenon with a couple of my co-workers yesterday. No matter what brand you pick, there are good and bad stories to be found. I had a particularly bad experience with a number of Sony Vaio laptops years ago and can't bring myself to even consider buying another (made easier by the fact that they don't make Tablet PCs I must add). I've had generally great experiences with Toshiba but have certainly seen more than a few not-so-positive recountings of support gone awry. And Dell... well the whole "Dell Hell" thing has been well documented. But I regularly encounter people who swear by the company's products and claim to have either never had a problem or gotten great service.
What I can say is that my initial experiences working with Gateway Support have been 100% satisfactory. I expect glitches in first generation products - I have been on the bleeding edge for too many years not to have figured out that the price you pay for shiny new baubles is that they often have imperfections that shake out in subsequent revisions.
Please let us know if your replacement arrives as promised and in good working order. A single person's experience is nothing more than anecdote.
Posted at 6:17AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Marc Orchant
1. Marc,
Kind of reminds me of the movie critics who go to a Steven Segal movie and give it one star cause it has no plot... DUH (as you said) ... its not supposed to have a plot... One goes to that type of movie for pure mindless escape.
If you are going to review something, you need to set the ground rules first about *what* you are reviewing in terms of what it is intended to be. Then go from there.
I've enjoyed your posts - the Gateway may be my next Tablet since I, like you, spend most of my time at a desk or with co-workers just down the hall.
Keep telling us about your experiences.
Posted at 6:17AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Walter