Gateway updates artist-focused convertible tablet

Gateway has updated its 14-inch convertible tablet PC, which is being sold now in home and professional versions. Both are directed mainly at animators and illustrators, since they come with a pen and digitzer by Wacom, who specializes in digital art. The pen has 256 levels of sensitivity for different effects, and will register contact even when used at a slant.

The pro version of the tablet is the E-295c, which can be configured up to a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor, and 4GB of RAM; similarly, buyers can stick with integrated graphics, or upgrade to a 128MB Mobility Radeon X2300 HD. Users can choose between Windows XP Tablet or Vista Business at no cost difference. The base price of the system is $1,549.

The home version is the C-140X, which is sold in two models. The "basic" model is the most flexible however, since while the QS is limited to 1.8GHz and 2GB of RAM, the former supports all of the options of the E-295c and more, such as Vista Home Premium and Ultimate, and up to 120GB of hard drive space. Its base price is $1,100.