Hi-Res Screen Preference On A Tablet PC

It is no secret that I prefer a high res screen on a Tablet PC and really enjoy the 1400 x 1050 screen resolution on the Toshiba Portege M200. I'm a bit concerned that what we have seen predominantly in new Tablet PC releases this year have all come with lower res screens. This is one of many preference and trade off issues that potential Tablet PC owners have to mull over when they are looking at a purchase.

For me, it comes down to screen real estate and the physical size of the screen. I frequently have a large number of windows open at a time, whether I'm at my desk or moving around. If I do, I usally am in landscape mode whether I'm using the keybaord or I flip the screen around to use the pen.

The larger Tablets released this year (Toshiba's Tecra and Satellite, Gateway) are all too large a Tablet for me to lug around. While I'm sure the larger widescreen Gateway would make up for some of the loss of screen real estate, I just can't handle that large a form factor. The 12.1 inch screen form factor fits my needs perfectly, but the newer units of that size (HP's 4200, Lenovo, Acer) all come standard with a lower resolution. I'm hoping that the next wave will yield a size and convertible form factor similar to the M200 with at least a high res option.

I'm sure cost has something to do with this as well, as OEM's fight the battle to reduce price points. But I would be willing to pay a bit more for that high res option. Maybe one day we'll get to a point where Tablet PC users won't have to deal with so many trade-offs. Here's hoping.