Tablet Tussle
eWeek | at | by Mike
The idea of the Tablet PC has been received with everything from mild enthusiasm to wild derision. The reality, of course, is somewhere in between-with more to like than would appear at first glance. eWeek Labs recently put six Tablet PC systems to the enterprise test and found that at least some Tablet PCs are worth considering as notebook replacements. We don't think the first systems in this current generation of pen-enabled notebooks are going to cause a procurement stampede, but we do believe they'll make up a significant chunk of sales in the near future, despite an economy that causes people to eschew anything viewed as a luxury.
There are two general kinds of Tablet PCs: the slate model, which has no built-in keyboard, and a clamshell design (also called a convertible), which is more of a notebook replacement. All the slate devices we looked at include USB (Universal Serial Bus) keyboards, and most feature a stand so that the Tablet can be viewed in traditional monitor form.