Axiotron Modbook

Apple has long neglected the tablet community by not offering a tablet PC of its own. But now, another company has stepped into the breach with its take on a Mac-based tablet PC. The Axiotron Modbook ($2,629 list) is certain to pique the interest of Mac-based graphics designers and illustrators who prefer to work with a pen rather than a keyboard. Axiotron literally took an Apple MacBook 13-inch (Core 2 Duo), ripped off the lid, and fused a Wacom digitizer screen to the chassis. The Modbook is a slate tablet (rather than a convertible tablet that would have had the benefit of an integrated keyboard), but it's a better alternative to plugging a Wacom device into an Apple computer. This slate tablet doesn't come cheap, though, and it's available only through Other World Computing, an online Mac retailer.

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Apple's sole attempt at making a PDA—the Newton—was the closest thing to an Apple tablet we'd seen until now. Handwriting recognition woes (and the fact that it might have been ahead of its time) caused it to fizzle out of the market. A lot of the Newton's handwriting technology was integrated into the Mac OS X operating system and improved upon somewhat, then spun into an application called Inkwell. With current MacBooks, you can connect a Wacom device like the Bamboo Funand take advantage of the "inking," or the tablet-like capabilities, built into OS X. It's not a true tablet, however, because you have to plug in an external device. That's where the Axiotron Modbook comes in.

The Modbook is essentially a modified version of the Apple MacBook 13-inch. The screen is surrounded by three layers of metal (nickel, copper, and magnesium alloy) to form a chrome-like trim, fused to the MacBook's polycarbonate plastic base. The top of the screen is further protected by scratch-resistant glass. With all these fancy materials, the Modbook is 0.4 pounds heavier than the MacBook 13-inch, tipping the scales at 5.4 pounds. A slate tablet like the Motion Computing LE1700 weighs a mere 3.3 pounds. Even convertible tablets like the Lenovo ThinkPad X61 Tablet (4.4 pounds) and the Fujitsu LifeBook T2010 (3.9 pounds), with rotating screens and full-size keyboards, weigh significantly less than the Modbook. I can understand the difficulty in adding a rotating screen, but seeing how tablet users have embraced convertibles, Axiotron's decision to go slate might come back to bite the company later on.

The Modbook lacks the ability to change the screen's orientation. Aside from that, the features are solid. Because it's essentially a MacBook, the Modbook comes with a slot-loading, dual-layer DVD burner, two USB ports, a FireWire port, and the MagSafe magnetic adapter. Despite the lid's absence, the Modbook even managed to integrate the iSight webcam. It also comes with a built-in GPS module, which is a little puzzling on a slate tablet. I would much rather have seen an embedded Sprint or Verizon cellular modem than a navigation device used for geo-tagging and driving directions.

The Modbook's digitized pen works flawlessly with the Wacom screen. The pen flows smoothly over the tablet, and I didn't experience any lag between writing something and seeing the text appear on screen. As with Windows-based tablets, Wacom technology allows the pen to hover over the screen without actually touching it. When it came time to apply pressure to the screen, the sensitivity levels were some of the best I've encountered—512 pen-pressure sensitivity levels, to be exact. I'm not a professional artist, but I could accurately draw with Corel Painter and fiddle with Adobe Photoshop CS3 as if the Modbook were a real canvas.

Converting my handwriting to text and attempting functions in word processing, on the other hand, were frustrating endeavors. Apple's Inkwell, which comes with OS X, is an aging application in desperate need of an update. It's clearly not as powerful as the tablet capabilities built into Microsoft Windows Vista. Even with the neatest handwriting, I couldn't get Inkwell to convert what I wrote accurately to text. If you just want to doodle, scribble, or jot down basic notes and save them as handwriting rather than text, the Inkbook application (a free download, and not to be confused with Inkwell) does a terrific job. Axiotron doesn't really add any software to the Modbook. About all you get is an on-screen virtual keyboard with some cool transparency effects and some shortcut buttons preconfigured with basic Mac applications. Full versions of the trial applications that came with my review unit—Corel Painter X, Adobe Photoshop CS3, and ArtRage 2.5—are sold separately.

To save a file in the documents folder, you need to use the virtual keyboard (unless you have a USB keyboard attached to the Modbook), a process that proved to be complicated. You have to punch in the filename using the virtual keyboard on the screen. Remember, this is not like Vista's Tablet Input Panel (TIP), where your handwritten letters can be converted to text. Similarly, you can't just hover over a Web address bar with your pen to bring up any kind of input panel; you have to use the virtual keyboard to type in, say, www.pcmag.com. Axiotron is working with Vision Objects to integrate a better handwriting recognition engine called MyScripts, but there's no word on when it will be introduced. In the meantime, you have the option of dual-booting Windows Vista by installing Apple's Boot Camp. Because it's a Wacom screen, the tablet capabilities work the same way as with any Windows-based tablet. You get the best of both Mac and Windows environments with the Modbook.

In terms of energy consumption, the Modbook isn't an electricity guzzler, but it doesn't get our PC Magazine GreenTech Approved seal, either. It consumed 19 watts at idle state, as measured with our Kill A Watt meter, 5W over the Energy Star Version 4.0 requirement. Since this is considered a MacBook 13-inch, Apple has this particular model listed as EPEAT Silver and RoHS certified. Proper recycling methods would have to be done through Apple, though. By contrast, the Lenovo ThinkPad X61 Tablet complies with all the environmental standards, such as Energy Star Version 4.0, EPEAT Gold, and RoHS.

Factored into the Modbook's hefty price is the fact that you're paying for premium parts. My configuration came with a 2.2-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 CPU and 4GB of RAM, making this one of the most powerful tablets—slate or convertible—to date. My benchmark tests ran on Windows Vista Home Premium, using Apple's Boot Camp. The Modbook's SYSmark 2007 Preview Overall scores topped both those of the HP Pavilion tx2000z and Lenovo X61 Tablet by 16 percent. Because it loads 4GB of RAM, Adobe Photoshop CS3 scripts easily finished in less than a minute. I did notice that the CPU fans were working extra hard in Windows Vista, as the Modbook's 97º F temperature (as measured at its base with a Fluke infrared thermometer) was 15 degrees warmer than when working with OS X. The higher temperatures in Vista, fortunately, did not impact battery life. The Modbook scored 2 hours 55 minutes on MobileMark 2007, which is average.

The Modbook comes with a one-year warranty on parts and labor. Of course, the warranty is covered by Other World Computing, not Apple.

The Axiotron Modbook is the best way to score tablet capabilities on a Mac operating system. There's nothing else like it in the industry, although it'll cost you a pretty penny. It caters to a niche market of graphics designers and illustrators who have longed for a pen-based tablet that runs on Leopard. Nonetheless, those who need to write on a consistent basis will be better off with a better handwriting-recognition engine and a built-in keyboard, like the one found on the Lenovo ThinkPad X61 Tablet.

Check out the Axiotron Modbook's test scores.

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