What started out as an effort to satisfy some friends has quickly turned into a who's who of Australian media! First my mate Jon Dee - runner up Australian of the Year 2010 (also Planet Ark fame and Do Something!) wanted an iPad and then Stephen Fenech (of the Fenech Family fame) and Editor of The Daily Telegraph's Connect column wanted one too.

I spent the late afternoon sipping tea and talking Tablets with these two gentlemen on Monday afternoon and by the end of it felt better about the IT space. Ironically not because they had converted me to a devoted iPad lover but because of the sense of commitment and passion around Tablet seemed somewhat escalated this year.

As we were spearheaded by Jon regarding the App Store, and his latest arrays of expenditures, I understood just how significant Tablets are to mobility becoming an accepted form of computing. With both PC and Apple Tablets there is a sense of freedom, a sense of accomplishment and a sense of empowerment which comes with being able to compute on the road and on the go. I remember my first exposure to Tablet PC and how it revolutionised the way I worked; it seems the “Minority Report” dreams of mobile computing are no longer a dream at all and rapidly becoming a reality.

What I am excited about most is how Apple’s iPad has pushed mainstream PC manufacturers like Dell and HP to look for ways to compete and therefore offer more compelling mobile computing solutions which will include things like proper multi-tasking, full uncompromised Operating Systems and ports! HAHA! I am looking forward to Apple’s touch experience being more common place on PCs and things battery life increases too. Overall Tablets I a good place this year!


In other news, last week I presented at the Sydney Mobile User Group (#SYDMO). It was hosted at the City Hotel and ended up being a great night. I took the TEGA Tablet and the iPad and had fun showcasing it to the many folks at the event. I met @TheLatteGuy who then invited me to do a similar presentation on Wednesday (21st April) at #wscm, 54 Norton St Leichhardt. So if you’re in Sydney and want to hang out and Talk Tablets! Pop in for coffee between 8am and 10am.

There are a handful of joys in life which remain with you forever, i.e. birth, marriage, death and lotto (for those that win!) LOL! I can now add a new one to the list and that is the joy of seeing your name on a computer!

Tegatech has released a Tablet PC and it's branded TEGA and it rocks! (Of course I would say that). After working to get Bluetooth right, Wi-Fi right, 3G and touchscreen the first batches are almost ready to ship.

Once it's properly annoucned I'll let you all know.

Seems as though DigitalReview Network has some strong connections as they've been given a new TEGA Tablet PC for review, ahead of its official release! They have done several reviews of Tegatech devices in the past, i.e. MediSlate, a Ruvo device and even Clean Screen. On this occassion there was even an attempted bribe (box of chocolates) but even so DRN claim the review would have been quite favourable without them! :-)

Review:

Move over iPad! Sitting on our test bench is Australia's latest Tablet PC, a beautiful 10 incher from the House of Tegatech.


You may know Tegatech as the key distributor and seller of UMPCs and ruggedised tablet PCs to list a few of their niche products. And you may know them from previous reviews we've done, like the MediSlate and the Ruvo Avox.



This time Tegatech has used their expertise to develop their own device. It is a 10.2" Tablet PC with built-in 3G modem and they are calling it TEGA.


They worked with the Chinese manufacturer K.R.T. to develop an Australianised Tablet PC by adapting firmware and the touchscreen to suit our climate.

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