Tablet PCs

Tablet PCs resemble laptop PCs and have a LCD screen that allows you to write on it using a special tablet pen or stylus. Tablet PCs differ from laptop PCs primarily because they rely almost completely on input from the stylus using hand-writing recognition, and this gives the effect of writing on paper. Most, if not all, tablet PCs come with Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition or Vista installed as the operating system. This is a modified version of Windows XP Professional with a few extras specifically for tablet PCs.

Two types of tablet PCs

Tablet PCs come in two basic designs: convertibles and slates. Convertibles are similar to traditional laptop computers except for the screen which can open to resemble a monitor, swivel 180 degrees and fold back onto the keyboard. Slates do not have integrated keyboards and therefore rely more heavily on entering data through the stylus. Docking stations and keyboards are available for slates, but will need to be purchased separately.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages	Disadvantages
Mobility	Handwriting recognition needs improvement
On-the-fly note taking	More expensive than laptop PCs
Search your hand-written notes for words or phrases	Smaller display than laptop PCs
Generally weigh less than laptop PCs
Simple document annotation

Price and technical specifications

Tablet PC prices are relatively higher when compared to laptop PCs with similar technical specifications. Currently, tablet PCs can cost up to $500 more than comparable laptops. NUIT's laptop purchasing guidelines regarding memory and disk space should be considered when purchasing a tablet PC. The processors used in tablet PCs vary.

Tablet PCs generally come with an integrated modem, Ethernet card, wireless Ethernet card and WPA2.