Here at Windows 7 News we’re always bringing you the best and latest news and as of late last year, in-depth hardware reviews (with our in-depth review of Windows Phone and the HTC Mozart handset). We’ve still more to come with a bumper review of NetGear home AV kit next month, but to kick-start the new year we’ve obtained one of the very first ExoPC Windows 7 slates and, this week, we’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.
The ExoPC Slate and it's box - click to view full size
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 ports on the ExoPC Slate - click to view full size
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.
The back of the ExoPC Slate - 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.
The ExoPC Slate's screen - 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.
Since you (and this applies to all reviewers) took the time to write this review, and include pictures, WHY didn’t you take the time to wipe that device down and post images free of greasy fingerprints and the like?
I did, what you can see is the reflection of my Christmas tree… ho hum
Yea, I dont see a single fingerprint, not sure what you are seeing.. There is one image that has reflection of the tree.. but no fingerprints in any of the pics.
@ Javajoltplz – If you took the time to read the review and study the images, surely you could clearly see that it was not fingerprints? if you wanted to see a crystal clear image of the device, simply go on to the ExoPc website where you can view stock images. Stop being a flamer.
The review was good Mike – looking forward to the second instalment of this product review =D
I got one of these for xmas, great device and my only concern was battery life, but if you manage the device its a non-issue. Everything works right out of the box.
I lost interest when I came to this sentence:
“There’s no sign of a screw anywhere (though this makes it non-upgradeable, including the battery)”
I’m building up a sizable collection of devices, from cheap electric toothbrushes to expensive sat. navs that would work perfectly if only the dead battery was replaceable.
IMHO, making such devices should be a crime against the planet earning, at the very least, a long prison stint. I’d even hang the worst miscreants, and the makers of this tablet would certainly qualify in my view, just to drive the message home.
Fancy going to all the effort to make what is apparently a high end product and then ruining it all by limiting its life to that of a 50 cent battery!