Tablet PC? New to Linux? Lots of luck!
I know zero about this hardware, but you'd have to suspect some unusual stuff in there which might not be fully supported in the kernel. Some things you could try:
1. Checking the log (e.g. output of dmesg) for USB errors. If you compile your own kernel you not only get the very latest version, but also you can do things like increasing the detail of debug messages.
2. Check the output of 'lspci' for strange hardware.
3. The latest knoppix live cd is a good way to try out the most up-to-date distro with good hardware detection.
4. As always, google is invaluable, especially for getting info about unusual hardware.