Any Tablet PC Recommendations?

[Wowbagger]

I've been using a first-generation Toshiba Tablet PC for several years, now. It has served me well (despite its lack of internal optical drive), but I think it's time for an upgrade!

My new Tablet MUST have a built-in DVD drive! I am sick of carrying around, and plugging in an external one!

I want one that can be used as a standard laptop, when necessary: That means "convertible style" with a swivel screen and keyboard, not slate, and not those ultra-portable small ones, either.

And, yes, I happen to like the Tablet PC format: I find the pen and inking interface easy to use, and generally productive, even if the hand-writing recognition is less than perfect. So, you can't talk me out of it.

If anyone has recent Tablet PC hardware they can recommend or not recommend, please let me know.

Thanks!

[Wowbagger]

Aw, man! I posted this two days ago, and got zilch replies. :(

Well, that's okay.
If anyone cares, and I am almost sure no one does, I just ordered a Toshiba Portege M400. We'll see how it goes.

(Also, I neglected to mention in my OP that my old machine was a Portege 3500.)

[Crazycowbob]

Haven't touched any tablets PCs yet, but I'd love to have one myself, let us know what you think of that one when you get it!

[Wowbagger]

Just received my new M400, tonight! W00t!

So far, it seems rather good. I will try to rave more about it, later, once I get it configured the way I like it.

One minor setback, though: The internal optical drive is being shipped separately. It should come in another business day or two. Not a big deal, since I still have the external one from my last Tablet, for installing all of my software, for now.
But, I think it is a bit ironic, considering that I specifically went for a Tablet that was capable of holding an internal optical drive, in the first place.

[Wowbagger]

All is (mostly) well!! I did get my optical drive two days ago.

I upgraded the machine from Vista Business (that shipped with it) to Vista Ultimate (via "Upgrade Anytime"). Some of the hardware drivers didn't work properly for a while, but I was able to resolve all but one issue:
It seems the Sleep and Hibernate modes sometimes don't power down like they are suppose to, now. Drivers.... sheesh!

Other than that, it's great! I got it to learn my handwriting better, and most of the games I want to run on it work reasonably well (sometimes only at a lower resolution than I would prefer, but whatever).

Office 2007 is quite nice on it. And, Visual Studio 2005 has not given me any note-wothy problems, yet, despite warnings of minor incompatabilities with Vista.

The built-in biometric finger-print scanner is surprisingly useful!

If I come up with anything else to mention, I'll let y'all know.

[voidx]

The only tablets I've really touched recently are the Panasonic Toughbooks. They aren't really full blown tablets persay, but rather a small laptop that swivels the screen around in a tablet mode. Still pretty useful.

Before that I know we we're running about 10 Fujitsu tablet PC's about 5 years back when they were first coming out. They worked very well, but at that time, the hand-writing recognition was atrocious, so the users used the onboard touchscreen keyboard which works very well still.