Full Review

I received My TransNote on 05/14/02, and am very impressed by the build quality. In some ways it really is a very large PDA: think of an HP 720 x2 or x3.

The screen brightness can be controlled. It's brightly colored and crisp. Unlike most PDA's that I know of, it's anti-glare. A reflective screen would be nice, but then it's sealed, and I don't have to worry about DUST! (Most reflective TFT screens suffer from dust getting between the screen layers.) It's really nice to have the touch-screen. I can get by very well with a stylus and/or my finger and the TrackPoint, though I see adding a travel mouse in the future.

The Ink Manager software for the digitizing tablet works well, but will take some getting used to, mainly because of the need to learn how images are stored and how the files are archived. The keyboard, in typical IBM form, is excellent. Since I don't touch-type and am used to the Targus and GoType keyboards for PDA's, the size doesn't bother me at all.

Currently I'm using my 565 as a Compact Flash drive to transfer files or small apps via the TransNote's built-in CF slot. A dedicated CF card reader would be much faster.

The system is set up such that no data will be lost if it shuts itself down because of low power, even in the middle of an application. It can be set in hibernate mode so that it doesn't need to boot up to start, kind of like a PDA running PPC 2002.

One of the (few) shortcomings of the TransNote is the lack of an internal CDROM drive. I can understand why one wasn't included from a power saving standpoint though. As soon as I find an external CDRW drive that also plays DVD's, I'll buy it.

The lack of handwriting recognition software on the device doesn't bother me, as this can be added via third-party software. I plan on installing either MyScript or something similar. Grafitti would be wonderful if I can find it for Win2K Pro.

I installed MusicMatch Jukebox yesterday, so I can get MP3's via the stereo out jack. I will be doing a battery test to see how long the unit plays MP3's before shutting down, with the screen off. Some reviews have criticized the 2.5 hour quoted run time on battery power, but from my experience with notebook computers, this seems to be middle of the road. It's not that big of a deal to carry the power supply. Many PDA's don't get more than 3-4 hours on a charge.

I highly recommend this as a very functional and well made sub-notebook. It's a crying shame that IBM axed it so soon, without even giving it a chance to get established in the market.

The bottom line is that I think this, in tandem with my HandEra 330 will suit me very well for the type of work I do. I'm an industrial designer and have had a hard time trying to go to meetings with just a PDA. The screen is never big enough to sketch on. The ThinkScribe tablet solves this problem, as well as giving me a hard copy that can be handed to a collegue or client. Most notebooks have been too large for my tastes. This is a neat package that includes a rugged portfolio cover, pad and powerful subnotebook in one unit.

At $3000 the TransNote was overpriced. It may be a good buy at $1600, but for $700 it's a steal.