Sometimes it's best to quietly write in a notebook, such as when you're making notes during a home showing; and sometimes it's more efficient to type information directly into a computer. A Tablet PC allows you to do both on the same machine.

 A Tablet PC has the features, reliability and power of Windows XP, but information can also be input the old fashioned way, as if writing with a pen into a notebook. In this case, however, you use a "stylus" in place of the pen and the computer screen in place of notebook paper. 

The Tablet PC not only converts your handwriting into characters you can edit, the program will also store your drawings and graphics. And while data can be input simply by writing, the stylus can also take the place of a mouse when surfing the Internet and working in other programs, allowing you to point to hyperlinks with the stylus rather than moving a cursor across the screen. You may also personalize documents in new ways: An e-mail, for example, could conclude with your handwritten signature or a drawing. 

The goal of Tablet PCs is to give you the full power of a computer while making it easier to use at your desk, in a meeting or at home. Tablet PCs can tap into the expanding number of wireless networks and they have a long battery life. 

The Tech Team has compared three models of the most popular Tablet PC models, all of which come with Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition software. All three convert your handwriting into text using a Tablet Input Panel (TIP) that learns to read your writing -- no matter how bad -- as you use it. 

And because humans make mistakes, some styluses actually have an additional feature -- they erase! 

Types of Tablet PCs: 

Slate: Tablet PC only, though most do have connections that allow a keyboard to be added, either with cables or using wireless technology. 

Convertible: Most similar to a notebook PC, this laptop's screen pivots 180 degrees so that the back of the screen and computer rest against each other, turning the screen into a writing surface. 

Hybrid: This PC can be used with the keyboard, like a convertible, or detached and used like a slate. A hybrid can also be connected to a desktop and used as a second monitor. 

Tablet PC product comparison

The following Web sites offer more information on Tablet PCs

View Sonic:
www.viewsonic.com
www.epinions.com
www.superwarehouse.com

NEC versa Litepad
www.necsam.com
www.cnet.com
www.superwarehouse.com

HP Compaq Business Tablet
www.hp.com
www.cnet.com
www.superwarehouse.com

Microsoft information
www.microsoft.com