Gateway C-120x Convertible Notebook Laptop/Tablet PC

By Jeff Hastings -- School Library Journal, 8/1/2007

Gateway, Inc., 7565 Irvine Center Dr., Irvine, CA 92618, 1-800-GATEWAY Operating system: Microsoft Windows Tablet Edition (Vista capable) $1,499.99. For complete pricing and specs, visit www.gateway.com

Cell phone manners are a hot topic and, based upon my last trip to the chatter-infested supermarket, they should be. And then there’s laptop etiquette.

What’s this about? Well, I recall a recent, critical meeting where one attendee flipped open a supersized laptop, spending the ensuing hours staring vacantly at his 19-inch screen, as the rest of us plodded through the agenda, face-to-face.

I’m sorry technophiles, but that’s just a no-no. And have you ever tried to actually teach something to a group of students when there’s a monitor of any sort between you and the kids? Forget about it.

That’s why I think that Gateway’s really onto something with their C-120x convertible notebook. Not only is it a great little laptop when used conventionally, but its touch-sensitive display pivots 180 degrees and folds over the keyboard, giving you a flat tablet PC that’s as low profile as a steno pad. Whip out the handy stylus and you’re ready to handwrite notes that can be incorporated into any Microsoft application (and most non-Microsoft apps) or converted to text and emailed. The pen not only eliminates the need for keyboard input but offers point-and-click mouse functionality, so you can do anything in tablet mode that you can do on a standard laptop.

The model I tested was loaded with Windows XP Tablet PC Edition which included Microsoft Windows Journal, a note-taking application that really taps the full potential of tablet computing. With it, you simply jot down notes by hand on a lined-paper background using any number of pen styles and highlighters. You can flag the high-priority stuff, insert pictures, and convert your penmanship to text so that you can email it or incorporate it into any document. You can even paste your study notes into Microsoft Ink Flashcards, one of several educational programs bundled into the operating system.

The handwriting recognition is quite good, too. When my hieroglyphic scrawlings weren’t properly interpreted, correction was simple. And the input panel lets you select a letter-by-letter character pad for trickier things like inputting Web and email addresses. You can also use it to pop up a keyboard and just tap out your text.

Displays needn’t be a barrier to communication and, ultimately, education. Tear down those walls with a Gateway C-120x Convertible Notebook.