Gateway has updated its line of convertible notebook computers, upgrading the E-295C to include a pen and digitizer from Wacom, along with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and a bright 14-inch widescreen display. The E-295C uses Wacom’s pen sensor technology to offer a simple, intuitive way to navigate the computer, as well as offering creative control and a freedom to draw, sketch, and jot notes in a natural way. Gateway is hoping the pen-equipped notebook will appeal to students and artists, as well as professional users.
Gateway touts the E-295C as ideal for artists and students, with a durable, scratch resistant casing, easy adjustment for right- or left-handed use. "Tablet computing brings remarkable benefits to student productivity and learning," said Dan Seely, Department Chair at the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design in a release. "Traditional animation drawing with pencil and paper is a multifaceted and time consuming process. But with the use of animation software and electronic ink and paper, our students have quickly overcome the ‘paper scan bottleneck,’ which can make it difficult for them to get work done."
The E-295C sports a 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 2 MB of L2 cache (upgradeable to 2.4 GHz with 4 MB of cache), that 14-inch WXGA (1,280 by 768 pixel) widescreen display, ships with 1 GB of RAM (expandable to 4 GB, either Intel GMA integrated graphics or an ATI Mobility Radeon X2300 HD graphics controller, 60 to 120 GB of hard drive capacity, dual layer DVD burner, 7-in-1 media card reader, 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi wireless networking, optional Bluetooth, 3 USB 2.0 ports, on FireWire port, gigabit Ethernet, Trusted Platform Module 1.2.3.11, and an optional fingerprint reader. In addition to the Wacom pen, the system ships with Gateway’s battery-free pressure sensitive executive stylus: it’s not ideal for creative work, but gets the job done for pen-based computing. The E-295C ships with Windows XP Tablet Edition and Microsoft Works, and has a starting price of $1,549.
Gateway’s new C140 convertible tablet systems are essentially the same beast, offering many of the same options and shipping by default with Windows Vista Home Edition rather than the Wacom pen. The C-140 systems have base prices starting at $1,099.99. Both systems are available to order now.
