A tablet PC has a touch screen you can write on with a pen; Windows (Tablet PC Edition and Vista) includes handwriting recognition so you can write and see standard text but you can also leave the writing as onscreen ‘ink’ and drawings. Think of it like having a graphics tablet you don’t have to make extra space for. Most tablet PCs have an active digitiser that uses a special pen to get accurate and smooth lines; it also means you don’t ‘write’ on the screen when you rest your hand on it. Cheaper models (and UMPCs) have a passive digitiser you can tap with a finger or any stylus; this is much less accurate and few manufacturers do a good job of tuning the digitiser for smooth writing. New models have dual-mode screens with both; when you’re using the pen, passive touch is blocked so you can rest your hand on the screen, but you can also tap buttons and scroll through windows without pulling the pen out.

You’ll find tablet PCs of every size and style, from 8” slates with no keyboard up to 14” multimedia systems like the Toshiba Tecra M7. To give you something you can comfortable hold and write on, many are 12” thin and light systems like the sleek Toshiba Portege R400,. This packs high-end business features like a thumbswipe, secondary Sideshow screen and built-in 3G into a stylish black and white case. If you’re a fan of the ultra-portable Portege series this is the tablet you’ll want, although it is a little larger and heavier than the new (non-tablet) Portege R500. Lenovo offers a tablet version of the ThinkPad and HP has both business and consumer tablets.

These are all convertibles, where the screen swivels round and folds down for when you want to write on it with the pen. Prices start around £799 and go up to the same £1,400 you’d pay for a high-end ultra-portable. For slate models – with a clip-one keyboard or no keyboard at all – look to the specialist manufacturers like Tablet Kiosk and Motion Computing. Motion has a new dual-touch model, the 12” WriteTouch LE1700WT, which converts from pen to finger automatically.