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Podcast: Tablets and slates are hot; Are you buying?

By | January 13, 2010, 2:30am PST

Tablet and slate PCs were everywhere at CES 2010, but will consumers and businesses buy them? And, if they do, what will it mean for the PC industry?

The Big Question is a joint production from ZDNet and TechRepublic that I co-host with TechRepublic Editor in Chief Jason Hiner.

You can play this 22-minute episode from the Flash-based player at the top of the page or:

If you enjoy this podcast, please go to to our iTunes page to rate it and leave a short review.

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TechRepublic Inc., Big Question, Tablets, Podcasts, Notebooks, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Internet, Larry Dignan

Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and SmartPlanet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet's sister site TechRepublic.

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Larry Dignan

Larry Dignan has nothing to disclose. He doesn’t hold investments in the technology companies he covers.

Biography

Larry Dignan

Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and SmartPlanet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet's sister site TechRepublic. He was most recently Executive Editor of News and Blogs at ZDNet. Prior to that he was executive news editor at eWeek and news editor at Baseline. He also served as the East Coast news editor and finance editor at CNET News.com. Larry has covered the technology and financial services industry since 1995, publishing articles in WallStreetWeek.com, Inter@ctive Week, The New York Times, and Financial Planning magazine. He's a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism and the University of Delaware.

For daily updates, follow Larry on Twitter.

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SIZE!
kd5auq 13th Jan 2010
sad
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0 Votes
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No.
Hallowed are the Ori 13th Jan 2010
I can't think of a reason why I would need one.
0 Votes
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yes if ...
themarty 13th Jan 2010
If it can do everything I imagine I'd like a tablet to do, yes.
0 Votes
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No. I read all the time that we're all moving to smartphones
John Zern 13th Jan 2010
for our primary computing needs, that the desktop and laptops (and such) are a dieing breed.

Why would I need to buy something everyone says will be history in the imediate future.

Or where those smartphone predictions all wrong?

I don't know...
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RE: Podcast: Tablets and slates are hot; Are you buying?
mr1972 13th Jan 2010
For entertainment purposes it needs a one hour recharge time to take the unit from completely dead battery (0 charge) to 100% charge and the battery needs to last at least 25 hours on moderate usable settings. Especially if it is going to replace an e-reader. I am a heavy reader (3-6 hours a day) and I don't want my book to die when I am in the middle of a potential cliffhanger.

For light business and portable business, it might find some niche but really slim laptops offer as much or more in this space.

For heavy computing purposes, IMHO nothing replaces a desktop with an ergonomic keyboard. I own a lap top for portability and light business travel purposes but for heavy computing I still like my desk top.

If someone came out with a desk top specification based slate with a USB base station where you could plug a nice keyboard, mouse, and other peripherals into and unplug the slate from the base station for mobile applications and travel, I might be tempted but the price point would need to beat a cheap spec laptop/Heavy spec desktop combo. Basically when I replace my computer I get a higher end desktop and a cheap low end laptop together. I could almost get away with a net book for my mobile needs.
0 Votes
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Wait and see
Userama 13th Jan 2010
I've always felt that tablets are a very awkward size and configuration for a
computing device, and still do. Apple is really going to have to pull something
WAY different out of their hat to get my attention. As with phones, it will be the
"big picture" that is important, not just the device itself.
0 Votes
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Tell me 1 thing. What's wrong with having a keyboard?
Dealing 13th Jan 2010
nt
0 Votes
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SIZE!
kd5auq 13th Jan 2010
sad
0 Votes
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I want a "tablet" so badly that I can taste it, but ....
kd5auq Updated - 13th Jan 2010
they are still in early infancy of development
Tablets are currently like the 40 Lb Compaq suitcase "portable" with an 8086 processor and a 9" green CRT display -vs- an HP Mini 110 where they should/will be.

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