So, I have this thing for old and retro hardware. It provides a short glimpse of the past - something that was once as high-tech as VR is today. In fact, I like to maintain and restore hardware back to it's original condition, so, I thought it would be fun to see what kind of makeover I could do for my old M1400 tablet computer. This thing was brand new in the year of 2004, and way ahead of it's time, being a slate computer; or in in today's words: a tablet computer.
The Motion Computing M1400 tablet computer
It's odd, it's old, what's not to like. It was a piece of high-tech equipment back then. I bought the M1400 on EBAY back in 2012 as it was perfect for what I needed it for - to watch Netflix. Yep, that's literally the sole reason I got it, and it was dirt cheap, selling for just $125. You see, I was no proud owner of a tablet back then, so to me, that seemed like a good deal.
Never the less, the decision was made. The tablet arrived some weeks later (from the great USA) and it didn't disappoint one bit. Don't underestimate the specifications, because back then, Netflix was a simple thing to run (and so was the browsers). The stock battery was to my surprise still holding a charge - an impressive 40 minutes, so I replaced that almost immediately.
"Although it lacks the performance of a laptop, the M1400 is the best tablet PC we've seen" - CNET review, 2004
The M1400 was marketed as a rugged and tough slate computer, made for field work and the mobile office - and it defiantly upholds to that claim with it's magnesium alloy, firm body and hardware features. Given it's age, I am quite impressed with just how well it has kept together. Let's take a look at the stock hardware specifications.
Here is a list of the specifications of the M1400 when I got it.
- Microsoft Windows XP (Tablet Edition)
- 1024x768 max resolution
- 1.1 Ghz Intel Pentium M
- 512MB RAM
- 855GM Extreme Graphics 32MB VRAM
- 40GB HHD
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- Dual micophones
- Keyboard cover
- Wacom Digitizer Pen
The M1400 was manufactured by Motion Computing, which no longer exists, as it was purchased by Xplore Technologies Corp. in 2015. But, like that wasn't enough, it is in fact Zebra Technologies Corporation whom acquired Xplore Technologies Corp. in 2018, who now runs the computer business. You can check them out here.
Workmode: Modernizing the M1400
One thing that I love about old tech is that more often than not, you can upgrade the components without much of a struggle. Ever noticed how old computers have openings or covers to almost everything? Why that is so, I don't know. But it's something we all can agree on, that we are not used to seeing, these days. I suppose it made more sense back then, for what ever reason. But enough talk about that. The important part is, that applies to the M1400 as well.
For a tablet computer, being able to replace the most essential components seems like a far fetched dream - but that is not the case with the M1400.
This computer has access to both the battery, hard drive, RAM and even the Wi-Fi card. You'd be surprised just how upgrade-able this computer is. Here is a list of all the upgrades I did to the computer. I will go into detail about each upgrade below.
- A new battery
- RAM upgrade
- Replaced original HDD with SSD
- New Wi-Fi card
- Windows 7 / Linux
- SD card reader
I used a repair kit to unscrew and access all the parts of the computer. These come in very handy in just about any repair you are doing. So if you haven't gotten one yourself yet, I highly suggest you to get one.
Lets dive right in to the upgrade details.
Upgrading the M1400 battery
The first upgrade I did was of course the battery. The 40-minute charge wasn't quite up for the task of average use. A replacement battery was probably the easiest thing to find, there are so many aftermarket batteries available for the model that it wasn't an issue. As I mentioned earlier, I upgraded the battery pretty much right away, and that battery still holds a nice charge today, of about 2 hours (original capacity was about 4,5 hours).
The new battery even had the same LED indicators on the back, allowing you to see the approximate charge of it, without turning the unit on (smart, huh).
Upgrading the RAM
I didn't consider a RAM upgrade until after I upgraded the OS. You see, Windows XP didn't require a whole lot of it, but the minimum specifications for Windows 7 (which I upgraded the OS to), said you needed at least 1 GB. So I bought a 1 GB RAM card and threw that right into the free slot of the M1400.
That gave me a whopping 1.5 GB of RAM, which was more than enough to run Windows 7.
Going high speed with a Solid State Drive
The internal 40GB HDD of the M1400 was slow and on it's last breath. But, I faced a challenge when it came to upgrading the hard drive - there weren't a whole lot of SSD drives available for the outdated hardware interface, a PATA/IDE connector. But, after some research, I found three possible options.
OPTION #1
I found a Chinese company called KingSpec which produces SSD drives specifically to fit into older computers (they have the PATA/IDE connector). They come in various capacities, like 32, 64, 128 and 256 GB and the 2.5" form factor. It would fit right into the M1400 without any further modifications.
OPTION #2
The second option was Transcend, probably also a Chinese company. They produce SSD drives which will fit into older computers, just like KingSpec, although, a bit more on the expensive end.
OPTION #3
The last option (which is probably the most difficult one) was to buy various adapters - which in the end - would allow you to connect something like an m2 SSD or similar models. But you'd have to make some sort of contraption to contain it in, so it doesn't freely move around in there while you transport and use the computer.
I opted for OPTION #1, as I didn't want to spend more money than necessary. So I bought a 64GB KingSpec PATA/IDE SSD, after reading several product reviews online (pro tip: never buy a product without reading/watching reviews about it first). It was almost a "Plug & Play" solution, I just had to put on a jumper to set the drive to master (default it was set to slave), otherwise the computer wouldn't recognize it.
Once that was done, Windows 7 installed like a charm and the M1400 booted up in matter of seconds. The SSD drive was by far the superior upgrade. The OS was way more responsive with little to no seek time, unlike the mechanical hard drive, which was slow and often used several seconds just to load a folder.
Coming back online with a new WiFi card
Another issue I discovered the M1400 had, was the outdated Wi-Fi cartridge. It would be able to connect to some Wi-Fi networks, but not all of them. Heck, sometimes it couldn't even find the one you were looking for. I did some research about it and quickly learned it was due to the internal Wi-Fi card not being able to tune into the new wireless frequencies we use today.
So the solution was simple; I had to find a newer Wi-Fi card which could connect to more modern Wi-Fi signals. Once again, EBAY came to the rescue (man I love that site, it's got everything you need). I found a compatible Wi-Fi card and ordered one. Once it arrived, it was super simple to install. Simply remove the old one and re-connect the antenna cables to the new one.
When I rebooted the computer with the new card, it worked like a charm. It could connect to any Wi-Fi network I wanted. It was good to be back online.
Upgrading the OS to Linux
As you might have heard, Windows 7 support has ended on January 14, 2020, and with Windows 8 and Windows 10 having higher hardware requirements than their predecessor, I could not install it on the M1400 (trust me, I tried). So, I decided that there was just one thing left to do then - install a Linux OS onto it.
The M1400 is more than capable of running a Linux distribution. But there is no denying the fact that with the CPU running at a mere 1.1Ghz, it would be in my best interest to find a light weight OS so it would feel a little more up-to-date when using it.
I tried to install a few different distributions, some with more success than others, and ended up landing on Linux Lite. The M1400 handled this OS the best (compared to the previous ones) and struck the right combo between performance and visuals.
SD card reader
The last update I did to the M1400 was the SD card reader. I noticed it had a free PCI-card slot. I never heard of these cards before, nor used one either. I remember them being something on "older" laptops. The M1400 comes a long way with it's 2x USB connectors, but at times I had a need to be able to insert an SD card into it, as it was just way more convenient. It is a mobile tablet after all, so it should be able to read SD cards (and Micro SD too) in my opinion.
The world of PCI cards was new to me, and so was their price range. I quickly discovered just how expensive such cards are. Why that is so, I got no idea to be honest. Perhaps it was never produced in large enough quantities, which would explain their expensive price. For an example, a PCI card based storage expansion (in this case 128GB) was listed for as much as $108 on EBAY - and let's not even start to mention the listing for a network or "modem" card. So, with these cards being so expensive, what did I end up with?
Well, I found a "SD SDHC SDXC to ATA Flash Memory PCMCIA PC Card Adapter Reader" card on EBAY listed for $30. You got to love the listing names sometimes, right? But it was legit and the pricing was acceptable, so I bought it. When the card arrived some weeks later, I just inserted it and see if it would work - and it did. The M1400 can now read SD cards.
The end result: A modernized M1400
The M1400 has got to be the easiest computer (and tablet even) I have ever had to upgrade. With everything being so accessible, it's like they meant for you to upgrade it. Just how many tablets or laptops has access to their Wi-Fi card now days? None of them.
I'm excited to have given the M1400 a new chance at life. It's perfect for some solid command line work and organizing servers and files. In fact, I intend to use it at work, as I do a lot of command-line work and debugging our remote servers. It's a neat little companion for things like that.