Put it on the Slate

Wandering past my local friendly real computer-shop the other day, I spotted what I thought at first was a new kind of netbook. It wasn’t: it was a Tablet PC – to be precise, an HP TC1100, vintage around 2005 or thereabouts, used, ex-corporate, but in very good condition, and at a netbook price. So yup, I bought it. 🙂

More to the point, I bought two – one for me, and later also another one for an artist colleague who’s long wanted a computer that’s geared towards visuals rather than words.

It’s an absolutely lovely little machine. Very light, easy to hold, ten-inch screen with a reasonable resolution (1024×768), and a pressure-sensitive tablet overlay – which means that it’s perfect for ArtRage, my favourite paint program. Unlike almost any of the present Tablet PCs, it can be used as a true Slate by detaching the keyboard – and it clips into the case with or without the keyboard attached. Some really good attention to small details, like the way the screen automatically switches between landscape and portrait depending on how it’s held.

The cost? Around £200 and £270 without and with the original HP keyboard respectively – which is a heck of a good deal considering the original price was something like £1400. They still have a few left at £230 to £300 or so, depending on configuration: contact the The Computer Shop (Colchester), 01206 576043, info (at) tcs2000 co uk, or web www.tcs2000.co.uk.

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