Notebooks: Geared Up to Stay, or Go

Today's Tablets Are Turning in New Directions

Photograph: Marc SimonThe first systems using Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, designed to let you write on the screen as you would on a paper notepad, were introduced a year ago. This year, their processing power has been beefed up, with Intel's Centrino currently predominant as the CPU and wireless component. But tablets have changed on the outside as well--and in some new and interesting ways.

Gateway now sells a $130 "hardtop keyboard"--a hard screen cover for its Tablet PC (manufactured by Motion Computing) that has a keyboard and an eraserhead pointer built into it. Gateway's latest Tablet PC model comes with a 1-GHz Pentium M processor, 256MB of RAM, a 40GB hard drive, and an external USB keyboard, for $2300.

Acer has taken a different approach than Gateway by putting the tablet version of the Windows OS in a classic-style notebook, the TravelMate 250PE. Though you can write and draw directly on the screen with the provided digitizer pen, the screen doesn't fold down flat against the keyboard, as it does on convertible-style tablet notebooks. Instead, the 250PE's screen has a fold-out support that holds the screen steady while you are writing on it. And with an estimated street price of $1599, this notebook actually costs less than most true tablet models do.

In addition, Acer has also released a convertible-style tablet, the $2299 TravelMate C300. It has a 14.1-inch screen, and uses Centrino mobile technology including a 1.5-GHz Pentium M processor, 512MB of RAM, a DVD-ROM/CD-RW combination drive, and a 40GB hard drive.

Fujitsu, too, now offers a convertible-style tablet to complement its slate-style models. The LifeBook T3000 Tablet PC also uses Intel's Centrino mobile technology, including a 1.4-GHz Pentium M processor. It has a 12.1-inch display, 256MB of RAM, and a 40GB or 60GB hard drive. With the T3000D model, buyers can opt for 802.11g Wi-Fi or omit the wireless networking option altogether. Both tablets can be configured and ordered via Fujitsu's Web site. Pricing starts at $1799.

On the software side, Corel has released version 2 of its $99 Grafigo drawing application for tablets. In addition, version 3 of FranklinCovey's $130 Tablet Planner is available through its Web site, and after November 24 the application can be purchased at retail.

Rebecca Freed