It’s been a few months since the ExoPC slate computer went up for order in Canada, but it’s just this weekend that the company launched pre-orders in the US. The Microsoft Store is taking pre-orders for the tablet for $699.
For that price, you get a tablet with an 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display, Intel Atom N450 CPU, 64GB solid state disk, 2GB of RAM and Windows 7 Home Premium. Oh yeah, it also has a custom user interface which is designed to make Windows easier to navigate using your fingertips.
I happen to have a demo unit on my desk, but it will probably be a little while before I get around to a full review, because ExoPC let me know the company is pushing out a major software update soon… and another in January. While I probably won’t wait for the second update (which will include a custom on-screen keyboard that looks like it could be an excellent alternative to Microsoft’s), I do at least want to spend some time using the new software before passing judgment.
What I can tell you right now is that the ExoPC has excellent build quality, a very responsive screen, and reasonably well thought-out software. Unfortunately, like most Windows slates I’ve tested, it doesn’t have stellar battery life. I’ve only been able to get about 3.5 hours or less of run time so far.
If you’re interested in pre-ordering, Engadget reports that the tablet will begin shipping in about a week. It should also be available in Microsoft’s retail stores.
this is lame if you can’t wait for the Zacate/Ontario tablets and must have a windows tablet now you might as well get a used JooJoo tablet and load windows the N330 (true dual core) was shown to be about the same speed as the N450 plus it gets about 4 hours battery and to top all that off it has a real dedicated GPU (though ION1 it is definitely better than the Broadcom Crystal HD) that can run Starcraft 2 and do 1080p video. I’m going to get one if I can find it cheap enough used.