As I prepare to return the review ExoPC Slate it’s time to sum up my conclusions about the device.  If you missed the first three parts of this review you can catch them at Part1, Part 2 and Part 3. So what’s the ExoPC like to live with day to day?  Obviously there’s been talk here in the article comments about battery life which I haven’t mentioned yet. 

The quoted battery life is 4 hours and this is accurate.  It’s long enough for some light use on an evening but if you really want to put it to heavy work it might be worthwhile investing in the (forthcoming, currently in production) docking station.  The battery is set to last two years after which time you’ll need an authorised service centre to replace it, but after two years anybody could be looking at a new tablet anyway as these things are bound to get some knocks during that time. Then there’s the size and weight. 

I was mostly using this tablet, crashed out on the couch watching TV, for some light web browsing and email, but was also occasionally carrying it around too.  The size and weight of this tablet are superb.  It’s great when watching the BBC iPlayer to get full screen 16:9 video, which you can’t get on the iPad due to it’s 4:3 aspect ratio.  On this point the ExoPC Slate scores highly (though you do look a bit like a warehouse foreman if you walk around with it cradled in your arm). 

You would probably not want to use this out and about except perhaps for long train or coach journeys, but I’ve not seen anybody using an iPad or any other tablet outdoors either. The screen is great, even after you’ve smudged it you can still see it clearly and not finger marks.  This is something you definitely must have in a tablet. 

The graphics performance lets the tablet down a bit though as the graphics weren’t up to running the Surface Lagoon interactive pond program in the Microsoft Touch Pack, so complex games might be out. It’s on the software and performance though that things aren’t quite so great.  As the machine is non-upgradeable I found myself wishing that it had come bundled with a bit more than 2Gb of RAM.  It has a dual-core Atom processor and a solid state hard disk which make it nippy, but pairing those with just 2Gb of RAM spoils the show and can make Windows 7 feel sluggish if you have a few windows open. 

 If you already have a netbook and are used to the performance they offer then you won’t mind, but tablets aren’t falling into the netbook price bracket and so I hoped for more. I’ve found, oddly, that I can actually live with Windows 7 on a tablet but the ExoUI still needs works and polish.  That said they’re on this every single day and had yet more announcements as I was getting ready to write this article, more on those in a bit. Of the few Windows 7 tablets on sale at the moment this is undoubtedly the best. 

It has the best build quality, screen, size, weight and interface of them all.  If you want a Windows 7 tablet and can afford to be patient for a few months while they update their UI then I’d buy one as soon as they go on sale in your region.  If you want the full whizzy tablet experience then you won’t get it here, at least not with Windows 7 on board, those people should get an iPad. Windows 7 has clear advantages over the iPad in many ways however despite not being designed for a tablet and we’re now only a year away from Windows 8. 

Some of you I know are beta-testers for Microsoft like me and we can look forward to getting Windows 8 sooner rather than later.  This again can make the ExoPC a compelling purchase. There’s been fresh and recent news from ExoPC Towers however that not only is a new tablet coming later in 2011 with upgraded hardware, but that it will also come with a glasses-free 3D screen, and this is literally news that’s broken in the last 12 hours.   

I’m not so sure how a 3D screen will work with Windows but as ExoPC are claiming that in a few months you’ll be in their UI “90% of the time” perhaps it doesn’t matter.  Upgraded hardware is definitely a plus though. So in conclusion is it worth buying an ExoPC Slate.  If you need a tablet and want the power that goes with Windows 7 then I’d say that the ExoPC is definitely the tablet to get. 

The only caveat is the occasionally sluggish performance, but as I said if you’re used to a netbook this won’t bother you. ExoPC should also be supported as they are a start-up and we all know the perils that can befall such technology companies.  They are doing excellent work though and I can’t overstate the fantastic build quality of this device enough.  If they carry on like this then the upgraded UI in the spring and a new tablet later this year will be something truly special indeed.

If you missed the first two parts of my in-depth review of the new ExoPC Slate Windows 7 tablet you can find part 1 here and part 2 here.  So far I’ve looked at the hardware, which is fantastic, and the custom ExoUI interface.  Admittedly this interface is still in beta and it needs work but it’s already accomplished and polished and it will be very interesting to see the deeper integration that’s being promised in the next few months.

For now though I found myself dropping down to Windows 7 itself and I made reference yesterday to how this wasn’t actually as bad as I’d thought.  Let me explain why as there are several reasons.

Now it’s true that the main venom people reserve for Windows 7′s interface on a tablet is down to things like the minimise, maximise and close buttons and for context menus and the like.  I have to say all these really are as hateful as I’d expected.  Some other parts of Windows 7 quite surprised me when used by touch.  Windows have a nice bounce to them when you swipe up and down and reach either the top or bottom of the page, and almost all panels in windows are already touch sensitive to a degree, accepting simple swipe gestures to scroll up and down lists, and simple taps to highlight multiple files and documents.  It’s already much more accomplished than I’d expected.

The biggest surprise came in the form of the ribbon UI.  I’d installed Windows Live mail and the ribbon lends itself well to a touch interface with it’s large buttons.  As this UI type finds its way into more Windows 7 programs, this will certainly help people who want to use the software with touch.

The real revelation though is one that many of us have already experienced before on our smartphones.  While it might be difficult to use Windows 7 sometimes browsing the web is a truly awful experience.  I wrote last week about the touch web, and the lack of touch support on websites which still insist on using small hyperlinks is something that needs urgent attention.  I’m not just talking about small websites either, this applies to Amazon, eBay, Facebook and all the major websites.

This helps level the playing field for Windows 7 on a tablet somewhat as much of the time, no matter what tablet we’re using we’ll be browsing the web.  This experience will be equally awful on an iPad or a Samsung Galaxy Tab.  Those tablets have a distinct advantage over Windows 7 of smoother zooming, but who really wants to have to zoom into and back out of a web page every time you want to click on a link.

So I found that using Windows 7 on a tablet isn’t anywhere near as bad as you might expect and it was surprising to me just how quickly I adapted to it.

So now all that’s out of the way what is the ExoPC like to live with on a day to day basis?  I’ll be writing about this tomorrow.

Yesterday I published part 1 of my in-depth review of the ExoPC where I looked at the hardware, and we’re off to a cracking start as it’s extremely impressive.  The most noticeable thing about this tablet however is the custom interface that ExoPC have provided to make working with this Windows 7 tablet simpler and more enjoyable.

Before I look at the UI let’s have a look at exactly why it’s needed.  With Windows 7, Microsoft have continued with their philosophy of merging the consumer and business versions of their core OS that, only a few years ago, were seperate entities with different development teams.  The upshot of this is that we now have a Windows that’s much more stable and secure than anything else before it, but where the business-focus has taken precedent over any consumer considerations.

There have been attempts with features such as Media Centre to simplify and consumerise the Windows UI, but even Media Centre has always felt like a type of lost bolt-on.

Now we’re in a situation where Windows simply cannot cope with the demands of a touch interface but in some ways it doesn’t matter, and I’ll come to why in the next part of this review.

The main UI is based around a series of pages on which there are 80 circles.  These circles on each page are customisable and by default the UI comes with links to settings, games, a web browser (which is a skin on top of the installed copy of Internet Explorer 9), a files browser, mapping software and more.

You can add additional icons to these panels which at the moment requires modifying an underlying file to add a web link but is much simpler with programs, even ones not designed for the UI (I had it launching the Live Essentials Suite).

There are also other apps supplied with the ExoPC that you can install or download from their website.  Already there are quite a few but the quality varies.  The best selection though are games and it’s here that a tablet will excel if they’re a good and useful selection.

Now it’s worth pointing out that, as with just about every other piece of software out there at the moment, this UI is still in beta.  ExoPC tell me that the plan is to tap into Windows 7′s APIs and create an interface that people can stay in “90% of the time”.  They’re working on this actively too and intend to be able to deliver much of this in the next four months.

There’s consistency in the UI as well with an attractive brushed metal effect set against a black background.  All in all there’s been as much attention to detail gone into this UI as has gone into the hardware, and this is very important as it could so easily have been overlooked.

The browser is a good example of the in-development nature of the UI software, as there’s currently no bookmarking or tabbed browsing support, but these are coming soon I’m told.  Also the pinch zoom falls prey to relying on IE9 and isn’t smooth like you’d find on other tablets, in fact it’s quite jerky and only has a few settings.

This is a very well laid out and organised UI with a home button permanently in the top right and a Windows key in the bottom left should you need to drop back to the Windows 7 desktop.  The running apps appear on the right side and you can simply slide them off the screen to shut them down, which is a lovely touch.  Removing icons from the UI is also simple, you just slide them to the left and a recycle bin appears.

These problems aside there’s a lot to like about this UI.  It’s very polished already and the guys at ExoPC are very excited about the ways they’ll be improving it in the next few months.  It’s very simple to update too, and can be done with just a few clicks.

It will be very interesting to see how this UI develops.  It reminds me, fairly obviously I suppose, of the work HTC did to mask the horror that was Windows Mobile on my HTC Touch HD.  At first the Malina interface they added was only skin deep, much as things are here.  They persevered though and that UI then won universal acclaim and ended up being ported to Android.

For myself I found I was using the standard Windows 7 interface on the tablet more than the custom UI because there’s still work to do.   I can easily see myself enjoying using it though in a few months when it’s been upgraded.

Coming next : Windows 7 on a Tablet

Here at The Long Climb you’ll know that I’m always bringing you the best and latest news and as of late last year, in-depth hardware reviews (with my in-depth review of Windows Phone and the HTC Mozart handset). I’ve still more to come with a bumper review of NetGear home AV kit next month, but to kick-start the new year I’ve obtained one of the very first ExoPC Windows 7 slates and, this week, I’ll bring you a complete in-depth look at this tablet, what it’s like to run Windows 7 on such a device, the unique ExoUI interface and how it stacks up against the competition, namely the iPad and the Samsung Galaxy Tab.   

So what is the ExoPC slate?  This new slate from a Canadian start-up is essentially a netbook in a different shell with an Intel Atom running at 1.66GHz accompanied by 2Gb of RAM.  ExoPC are clearly making this a luxury product though by including either a 32Gb or 64Gb SSD and a 11.6 inch capacitive multi-touch widescreen display with a native resolution at 1366 by 768 pixels.There is also 802.11 b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth 2.1 and a built-in 1.3MP webcam.  On the side are two USB 2.0 ports, a headphone jack, power socket, HDMI port, SDHC card slot and a SIM card slot.  Finally on the bottom of the tablet is a socket for the forthcoming dock.  It’s interesting to note though that this luxury won’t necessarily come at a luxury price, as the ExoPC Slate will be priced very similarly to the iPad, this could make things very interesting.   

The build quality of the ExoPC Slate is simply stunning and up to the standards of Apple and HTC, the front is one solid piece of high quality glass and the back of the machine is a lovely rubber finish.  There’s no sign of a screw anywhere (though this makes it non-upgradeable, including the battery) and I really can’t overstate the attention to detail that’s gone into the design and build of this tablet.  It’s just lovely.

Click to view full size

There are a few vents to keep the tablet cool and they work too, even when pushed I could barely get this PC to utter any whirr of fan noise, it’s almost completely silent the entire time.The power button is on the back in the top left corner (as you’re looking at the screen) and has a lovely blue hue to it when lit.There has the same amount of attention to detail gone into the box, packaging and accessories too.  The box, as you can see above is very attractive and of excellent quality, exuding the same air of luxury as the tablet, and this attention to detail extends to the power supply and power cord, both of which are very small and light.  You can use this tablet while plugged into the mains without the cable getting in the way or weighing the machine down.

Click to view full size

About the weight too I’m impressed.  While you may not want to walk around carrying an 11.6 inch screen, you can’t walk around with the 10 inch iPad either, for casual use it’s not very heavy.  Weighing in at 950g I was mostly using it while sat on the couch watching movies over Christmas and for this type of scenario it’s weight is just right.So far so good, this is an excellent quality piece of hardware but how has that attention to detail translated onto the Exo’s custom UI that sits over Windows 7?  In the next part of this review I’ll look in-depth at the ExoUI.

My new book Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out from Microsoft Press is now officially on sale (and obviously I had a few drinkies last night to mark the occasion).  You still have time to enter a competiton to win copies, but as a taster, here’s an excerpt from Chapter 13… Why Problems Occur with Windows.

———————>

So many things can go wrong with Windows because every single PC is unique . It is highly unlikely, especially outside of a business space, that another PC exists with exactly the same hardware, installed software specification, and updates as yours . Your PC will contain a unique mix of software and hardware components, and there would be no way for any person or any company to ever test all of the possible combinations for stability . There are logo certification programs for Windows hardware and software, and a great many vendors do indeed put their products forward for testing by Microsoft . All that these tests prove, however, is that on a basic Windows system, they will be stable and not cause the system to crash . What can’t be tested is how a certain piece of software or hardware will interact with other software or hardware on your machine, some of which might not have been submitted for certification .

Keep Things Simple

The sheer number of software packages you have installed or the number of hardware devices you have plugged in can also cause problems on your computer . I always keep my Windows systems simple and uncomplicated . When it comes to hardware, I like multifunctional devices such as printer/scanner combinations, and I avoid unnecessary USB devices, such as USB attached speakers . Your PC already comes with audio out jacks that are perfectly good .

I also try to avoid installing all the software that comes with a new device . Wi-Fi adapters and printers are common culprits for loading your PC with bloatware . You may also find, if you have a new PC, that it came preloaded with lots of software that you don’t need and will never use . The software packages that come bundled with hardware devices broadly fall into the following categories .

• Trialware Software that will expire after a period, normally 30 days . If you do not intend to buy the software after this time, you should uninstall it because it might, especially in the case of trial anti-virus software, leave programs and services running that can slow down Windows 7 or cause other problems .

• Dupliware Programs that duplicate Windows features, such as Wi-Fi connection software, media players, or CD/DVD burners .

• Craplets ‘Useful’ utilities that your PC supplier might have preloaded onto your computer . They are intended to simplify certain tasks, such as writing notes or accessing media files . They will always run when Windows launches at startup, although you will probably never use them . 

Don’t Install Programs that Duplicate Features in Windows

Why would you want to install a software package that simply duplicates Windows func­tionality? By default, the operating system can burn CDs and DVDs (including audio discs and ISO image files), play media (video, TV, and audio), display photos and images, and much more .

Although a few Windows functionalities available in Windows Vista have been removed from Windows 7, such as the Calendar and Email software, a great many functions still exist . (Note that these programs have been moved to the excellent Microsoft Live Essentials Suite, which you can get from http://download.live.com .)

The more software you install on your PC, the more problems you invite . If at all possible, avoid having software packages installed that duplicate functionality that’s already in Win­dows . CD/DVD burning software is a good example . You should need these only if you have a Blu-Ray burner in your machine .

What Are the Causes of Common Problems?

It’s very rare for Windows 7 to fail . Windows will fail on its own only if something disastrous happens, such as a power surge or a sudden reset while Windows is modifying a critical system file . Problems are more commonly caused by something outside of Windows, such as software, updates, and drivers . Physical hardware almost never causes problems in Win­dows . (But I will talk about diagnosing hardware problems in Chapter 19 .)

A great many of the problems with Windows are caused by poorly written software or hardware drivers or by having too many devices or programs installed on or in your PC . In my experience, the most common problems within Windows are caused, in order, by:

• 1 . Device drivers

• 2 . Poorly written software

• 3 . Poor security

• 4 . BIOS corruption (See more information on resetting the BIOS in Chapter 7, “Hardware”)

The Domino Effect

Some problems can cause what is called a domino effect, where one event sets off a string of other events, so it’s always advisable to diagnose and repair problems as early as you can after they first appear . One unchecked problem can then lead to others, because a malfunc­tioning process, service, or driver can cause other programs or Windows functions to fail, since these processes, services, or drivers are often shared by several applications or Win­dows components . For instance, you might have a problem with Internet Explorer crashing repeatedly . This could be because a component Internet Explorer shares with another Windows program, such as Windows Explorer, is corrupt or because another program or process is causing it to crash . I’ll cover the sometimes complex process of repairing Internet Explorer in Chapter 15, “Advanced Repair Methods .” The point is that the source of a prob­lem is not always obvious; a failing program may not be the root cause of the issue . In these cases, you can use more advanced diagnostic methods and tools to diagnose an issue . I will cover these in Chapter 14 through Chapter 16, “Windows Problems Demystified .”

Have You Tried Turning It Off and On Again?

If you’ve ever called an IT support department, the first question the support person prob­ably asked you is, “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” This is a running joke with IT support professionals, because you might be amazed how often it fixes problems!

It might not be a permanent fix if there is something more serious happening, but for odd occasions when a software package suddenly crashes, restarting the PC will often fix the problem . Software crashes are common, and just because a program crashes once does not mean it will continue to do so . Crashes can be caused by freak conditions that are unlikely to recur, such as two programs trying to access the same file simultaneously.

With all IT problems, be they hardware or software, this is a good thing to try . You should also restart all external hardware devices attached to your PC when you restart the com­puter by manually switching them off and on again when you restart your computer.

The Blue Screen of Death

The Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) is notorious and, although not frequently seen in Win­dows 7, is still feared by many Windows users . The BSOD is the ultimate sign that Windows has died . However, the BSOD can provide some very useful information when you are troubleshooting problems that have caused it .

Figure 13-4 shows an example of a BSOD . I have marked two useful messages within the screen . The top one is the error type that caused the critical stop, in this case a PAGE_ FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA, indicating a memory problem .

The Perpetual Restart

Figure 13-4 The Blue Screen of Death

The second callout, located in the Technical Information section of the screen, is the actual error code, in this case STOP: 0×00000050 . A BSOD may also provide additional information . The BSOD in Figure 13-4 indicates the Windows service that has failed: SPCMDCON .SYS .

If a BSOD provides this type of information, you can use it to search online for more infor­mation on the error . In this case, SPCMDCON .SYS is a “mini command console,” which isn’t the most useful description, but a search for the error code reveals that there are several problems with Windows 7 that can cause this specific error . You can search through the results to find a fix that works for you and your PC .

By far the most common cause of BSOD in Windows is a hardware driver error, especially from unsigned drivers that have not been tested and certified by Microsoft . On occasion, other issues, such as a poorly written piece of software or even a power drop, can cause the dreaded BSOD .

The Perpetual Restart

Sometimes Windows 7 will automatically restart when it encounters a critical error . This can cause terrible problems, with a PC constantly restarting and never loading the desktop .

You can disable automatic restart on the boot menu shown in Figure 13-5 . To access this menu, press F8 on your keyboard after the BIOS screen disappears but before the Starting Windows logo appears .

Figure 13-5 Disabling Windows automatic restart on system failure

Select Disable Automatic Restart On System Failure from the options list, as shown in Figure 13-5 . At the next critical stop, Windows will display the error message on the BSOD instead of automatically restarting . You may discover (unless you’re having an extremely bad day) that after making a note of the stop error code, you can start your PC in Safe Mode .

Summary

Honing your troubleshooting techniques is one of the most useful computer skills you can develop; every person will find a method that works best for him or her . Because comput­ers are so complex, using a step-by-step approach and attempting to eliminate first what a problem cannot be, will ultimately help you to identify the source of a problem . This is by no means the only way to troubleshoot a PC . You should never forget that sometimes you need to take a step back and sleep on a problem, or you may never find it .

My new book Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out from Microsoft Press goes on sale by the beginning of November and.

You can pre-order it here and from Amazon and it will be available from online retailers and all good bookshops.  Now as an exclusive I’m giving away a free chapter from the book, so you can see what to expect when it’s released.

The book is 526 pages and 27 chapters including everything from preventing problems from occurring in the first instance to identifying and fixing problems with Windows, your software, drivers and even the hardware inside your PC.

Chapter 16 “Windows Problems Demystified” covers what Windows 7 really is and talks about the core file types that make up the OS.  It talks you through how you can perform advanced file restore to repair the operating system and about the useful System File Checker that can use to check your copy of Windows 7 against the original install files from your installation DVD, and repair any files that have become corrupt, damaged or deleted.

Finally the chapter talks you through the process of creating a slipstreamed installation DVD, ready for the release of Service Pack 1.  This will enable you to install Windows 7 with SP1 already installed, and it will be essential for the system file checker to work once SP1 is installed on your computer.

You can download the free chapter HERE.  My “Windows 7 Power Users Guide” is still available to buy in paperback and as an eBook here.

Get free shipping on the Windows 7 Power Users Guide until May 5th 2010, saving £2.99 on the standard price.

The Windows 7 Power Users Guide is a book for people who use Windows 7 at home or at work and know it can do more for them, but who don’t know how. The Windows 7 Power Users Guide contains helpful how-to’s, full colour pictures and quick tips to guide you through everything from using the Start Menu and Taskbar to backing up your documents and identifying and fixing problems.

Just enter the code FREEMAILUK305 at the checkout.  Buy your copy today at http://stores.lulu.com/windows7

UPDATED : You can also get 10% off the total cost of your next order by using the code VOLCANO at the checkout.  Tis voucher is valid until 30th April 2010.

Valid all weekend until 6th April 2010, just enter the coupon code EASTER when making your purchase of either the eBook at £3.99 or the paperback at £29.99 to get your discount.

The Windows 7 Power Users Guide is a book for people who use Windows 7 at home or at work and know it can do more for them, but who don’t know how. The Windows 7 Power Users Guide contains helpful how-to’s, full colour pictures and quick tips to guide you through everything from using the Start Menu and Taskbar to backing up your documents and identifying and fixing problems.

You can buy your copy here.  Maximum discount £25

Yesterday I published the article Why Windows 7 search is the way it is, and what lies ahead, in which Dan Plastina, the group manager for the Find and Organise features within the Windows 7 beta explained why the search, organisation and library features in Microsoft’s latest operating system turned out the way they did.

Despite the best efforts of Dan and Microsoft to make search in Windows 7 as easy and as intuitive as possible the use, a great many people still find some aspects of using search, especially some of the more advanced search options, frustrating.

So as a special freebie for Windows7News readers I’ve compiled a unique 18 page guide explaining every aspect of how to use search in Windows 7, covering everything from how to get the best out of simple keyword-based searches, to the Advanced Query Syntax system that’s new to this version of Windows.

The guide contains a full chapter and an extra appendix from my book, The Windows 7 Power Users Guide, and is FREE for everybody to download and share.

You can download your free search guide HERE.

Don’t forget, as an extra for readers of Windows7News, you can still download another 21 page sample chapter of the book from this link.

The full book is available in paperback, and as an eBook for only £3.99