Gateway Introduces New Tablet PC

Gateway showed off the latest addition to its line of notebook computers Wednesday at the Microsoft Small Business Summit in Redmond, WA. The CX200, Gateway's new convertible notebook with a 14-inch display, also comes in at a competitive price compared with other Tablet PCs at $1099 USD.

The company says it is aiming the notebook at students and home users rather than business users that have predominantly been the target market for tablets.

With business users slow to adopt the Tablet PC platform and lackluster sales of tablets so far, low-cost convertibles like the CX200 may be the answer to kickstarting the market.

Less than a million tablets will be sold this year, 20 percent of what Microsoft expected at the time of Windows XP Tablet Edition's launch.

"The unique yet easy-to-use design and software let customers do everything they usually do with a high-performance notebook and a whole lot more, such as sketch diagrams, handwrite notes and type text," Chad McDonald, Gateway's head of notebook computer marketing said.

The notebook will come with XP Tablet Edition as well as the Microsoft Experience Pack for Tablet PC, which will allow the user to perform functions with the pen rather than a mouse, and use programs such as Ink Desktop and Ink Art that were specifically built for the Tablet PC.

Gateway will also include a full version of Microsoft OneNote free with the purchase of the laptop, which allows a tablet user to capture and share text, multimedia and files.

Other features included in the CX200 are 802.11b/g wireless connectivity and up to 8.5 hours of battery life.

The CX200 can be ordered immediately from Gateway's Web site.