A new contender for best tablet under $1500 - Samsung XE700

Until recently, our tablet PC wish list seemed to be an impossible dream.  Now Samsung has released their Xe700 (7 series) android tablet and we'll be darned if we can find anything wrong with it.  It uses the Wacom digitizer, not the dreaded N-Trig pen that hampers its Fujitsu, Dell, and Motion counterparts.   It has a beautiful bright screen that is just a shade smaller than the Asus.  It more than doubles the Asus's paltry 3.5 hour battery life while using the same Intel i5 processor found on the Asus.  At the same time the Samsung has a SIGNIFICANTLY thinner and lighter case that the Asus.

 

Those of you who follow this blog know that we at Active Ink have certain prejudices when it comes to tablets that will run our software.   We like the smooth, error-free Wacom digitizer.   We like powerful processors and big, bright screens and long battery life packed into a thin, light, rugged shell.   And we like all this for under $1500.
The only downside with the Xe700 that we can find is that its price is actually RISING due to customer demand and the lack of competition in the market.  Samsung seems to know that in our small niche they offer the best product.  Just after release, we could find these tablets new for about $900 and used for about $700.  Now you'll be hard pressed to find a used one at any price and new ones go for about $1100 to $1200.