Two That Touch Me

If you’re interested in tablets for school, the upcoming Windows 7 release will be like a breath of fresh air because the software for supporting touch-screens isw built in. Meanwhile, two recent touch-screen displays point the way for a new generation of touch-notebook but rather than wait until October 22-nd for the introduction of Microsoft’s new operating system, these can be had now with Vista or Windows XP.

Fujitsu’s LifeBook 5010 convertible tablet is appealing for its bright screen and ability to transform itself from a traditional keyboard-based notebook to a pen-based computer, but the addition of a dual-digitizer screen option will make it even more exciting for classrooms. The $100 option is a 13.3-inch WXGA resolution display that teachers or students can write with either an active pen or their fingertip. The cost of the 4.5-pound system with the new screen is $1,859.

Meanwhile, Lenovo’s ThinkPad X200 mini-tablet has a new screen and software called SimpleTap. Like the LifeBook, it uses a dual digitizer system so that it’s just as accurate to write on the screen with a pen or a finger, but the X200 weighs just 3.5 pounds and uses a 12.1-inch screen. The X200 starts at $1,654