It's a slate.
If that's a non-starter in a tablet form, then too bad for you, since you'll be missing out on the best product at Macworld that is actually a Mac. The engineers Axiotron, along with their distribution partners at Other World Computing, are bringing out the iTablet from Apple that will never be because Steve can't stop punishing the Newton for John Sculley's sins.
Enter the ModBook.
Sure, you lose the standard LCD and the spiffy Apple logo, but you pick up an interactive display from WACOM, the leaders in digitizer technology. You also get a reinforced frame. ModBooks don't bend, but the extra strength doesn't mean extra weight, and the increased thickness is measured in a few millimeters. According to reps, the battery life doesn't suffer either. My other mod concern related to heat, but, again, the engineers were on that. According to them, the sealed hood provides better airflow.
The familiar WACOM stylus slides into the lower left, and like all WACOM pens it requires no batteries. If you've never held one, the stylus is hard, but not uncomfortable. Position is updated 133 times per second, and there 256 pressure levels. Screen resolution remains 1200x800 on the display, though it is brighter, a 500:1 contrast ratio versus 400:1 for a MacBook.
Approaching an orgasmic fugue state that robbed me of my ability to remember details, I think the little lights have to do with the GPS. Why include a GPS in a tablet? I don't know, but it scores nerd points, and right now it's a free upgrade if you preorder. Besides the power switch, the other button may or may not be for switching from landscape to portrait mode. Either way, it won't work. Only external displays can do that in Tiger, however the engineers assured me that Leopard will have that capability readily available. So, if you want to take that as *confirmation* that Leopard will be shipping about the same time as the ModBook, I am powerless to stop you.
Ignore the vise-like stand at the top to keep people from doing a grab-and-dash with a ModBook. The iSight camera is tilted slightly, so you don't end up getting a shot of the ceiling. Of course, people might be able to see under your arm if you are cradling the ModBook, so better wear sleeves or shave the pits when video conferencing.
What better way to test the handwriting recognition of the ModBook then to give it someone who writes like a five-year-old? The ModBook uses Inkwell, the system-wide handwriting recognition that includes gestures. Here, I am using an application that leverages that technology, InkBook.
First, the screen itself is coated in some kind of substance that was made with stuff—big chemical words, but it's supposed to be good. It's scratch-resistant, which is very good because the screen is always exposed—a good sleeve is a necessity for the ModBook, I think. Now, the all important pen-and-paper feel of the tablet. For those who don't know, there is an ThinkPad X41 in the Jade household.
The ModBook feels better. I'm impressed.
Unfortunately, and through no fault of Axiotron, the handwriting recognition seems better on the X41. While I could hardly do any realistic testing on the expo floor, it's no secret that Microsoft has put huge resources into the technology, perhaps in a vain effort to make Bill Gates prediction concerning the TabletPC becoming the most popular platform by 2006 come true. Having said that, I liked InkBook, and I've used Inkwell, and I think the ModBook would get a passing grade, though that would require Axiotron giving me one for a couple of weeks—hint, hint.
What else can be said of the ModBook?
I want one, even though the price of owning a ModBook is pretty steep, $2200 being the preorder special. It also would have been nice if a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse were included, and someone needs to make a display stand for the ModBook yesterday. Still, don't be too worried for Axiotron and OWC, as it's rumored preorders are heavy.
ModBook: the iTablet for the rest of us.
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