Motion LE1600 review
Roger Wells, Apex Appraisals
I have a Motion LE1600 which was decided on after using three different PDA’s, a UMPC and casual use of a LE800 over the past six or seven years. Much of the decision on the size, weight and expectations of a device come after personal preferences of give and take in different areas to arrive at the best compromised device. I say that because there is not now, nor does there appear to be on the horizon, any device that has the best of a PDA, UMPC and a Tablet all in one. When different categories are rated, it is a personal bias from those areas derived from the personal expectations. My LE1600 presently has a View Anywhere screen, the most 1.5GB of memory available and an extended battery.
A quick review of the screen size, outdoor viewability, weight/portability and overall performance is outlined in my personal rating between 1 and 5, with a five being the top rating.
Screen rating is a 5 with me. I so rate the screen size because of the versatility it gives. My eyes are not that young elastic material any more that allows me to see at all the focal points that were once enjoyed. Yet more important is the screen size allows the WinTOTAL form to be viewed as a desktop views it and thus there is not time spent sliding the needed view area to be where I need to be. Same with sketches. I am able to see much more (and most often all) of the area being sketched at all time. If a more detailed area needs viewed it can easily be magnified , but not typically required. When I was investing such hard earned funds into this price range I wanted a device that was very versatile. The screen size of the LE1600 allows full laptop and mobility functionality.
Outdoor view ability I give it a rating of 4. There is room for improvement, however considering all the competing products I have yet to see one that equals the Motion View Anywhere screen. I cannot report that the screen is easily viewed in all conditions. I live in central Washington State with an advertised 300 days of sunshine annually. My market area has strong sunshine requirements which I would compare to my past several week visits to Tucson, AZ. However to compare this View Anywhere screen with my past PDA’s I can say it is equal or superior to my HP4700. The screen is viewable even in direct sunlight with a slight change of angle and can very easily support mobile work in that direct sunlight.
Performance is a 5 to me. It has never stopped amazing me. After using the UMPC with an embedded operating system I continued to struggle with software on it. I had no idea that the LE1600 would be a real portable PC. Yes I was told this, but maybe it was my past experience that made me so skeptical and with a lower expectation. Thus I am using it in areas that I didn’t even consider when it was purchased. I have AVG free, Web Root Spy Sweeper and Evidence Eliminator all working flawlessly on it just as I do on the work stations. These programs help keep the Tablet running smoothly and with minimal concerns to me when on the web. I have the LE1600 set up to be able to log into and emulate my local LAN workstation from within any where I have internet access or from within an approximate 200 feet of the wireless router. This is done all with the XP Pro OS and no additional software. Thus I can go out on the patio and view my work station, or go across the country and view my work station. I have a Bluetooth keyboard which I am using less and less but it definitely allows this slate to be used as a laptop.
