Tablets - CNET reviews

Editors' Top Laptops
updated May 17, 2006

A high-tech version of a low-tech concept, tablets let you write handwritten notes and navigate menus, documents, and Web pages using a stylus directly on the screen. Slate tablets are like the slates of yore: just the surface and a writing instrument. Convertible tablets, though they look like traditional notebooks, have displays that swivel 180 degrees then fold flat over the keyboard to create a tablet. Once only the tool of specialized industries, tablets are gaining a wider audience, thanks to their portability, flexibility, and wow factor.

-- Michelle Thatcher, associate editor

For home: Desktop replacements | Thin-and-light laptops | Midsize laptops | Gaming laptops | Less than $1,000

Tablets

Laptops	Editors' rating	Price	Summary
Lenovo ThinkPad X41 Tablet Released: 06/14/2005	7.4 Very good		With the performance of a laptop in a lightweight case, the ThinkPad X41 tablet is one of the best convertible tablets we've seen. Specs: Intel Pentium M (1.5 GHz) , 1.5 GHz, 512 MB DDR2 SDRAM , Mobile Intel 915GM Express

Motion LE1600 (Pentium M 758 1.5GHz, 512MB RAM, 30GB HDD, XP Tablet 2005) Released: 06/04/2005	7.0 Very good	Email me when product is available	Lighter and smaller than the competition, the admittedly pricey Motion LE1600 is one of the best full-size slate tablets we've seen so far. Specs: Intel Pentium M (1.5 GHz) , 1.5 GHz, 512 MB DDR2 SDRAM , Mobile Intel 915GMS Express

HP Compaq tc4200 Released: 03/01/2005	6.9 Good		First of the third generation of tablet PCs, the HP Compaq Tablet PC tc4200 convertible has a lot to like, from its top-shelf performance to its nearly five-hour battery life. Specs: Intel Pentium M (1.73 GHz) , 1.73 GHz, 512 MB DDR2 SDRAM , Mobile Intel 915GM Express

Fujitsu LifeBook T4020	6.8 Good		It's expensive, but the Fujitsu LifeBook T4020 convertible tablet offers top-notch performance and an integrated optical drive in a lightweight case. Specs: Intel Pentium M (1.73 GHz) , 1.73 GHz, 512 MB DDR2 SDRAM , Mobile Intel 915GM Express

Gateway CX200X Released: 09/07/2005	6.4 Good		Far heavier than traditional convertible tablets, the wide-screen Gateway CX200X adds pen functionality to a powerful midsize notebook. Specs: Intel Pentium M (1.87 GHz) , 1.87 GHz, 512 MB DDR SDRAM , 6.2 lbs, 14 in TFT active matrix , Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition