Touching is good

So the real question is: what does the Convertible Classmate PC's tablet bring to the table? Intel went with a touch-screen design for a number of reasons. Handwriting is an important skill for children to learn, and the Classmate PC helps with that. Students can also draw directly on the display, making art projects that much easier. Lastly, touch screens provide a more intuitive interface than a mouse or touchpad. It's hard to argue with that logic when you look at the unparalleled success of Nintendo's DS console, which relies on touch input for gameplay.

First things first: Intel chose to forgo Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. Instead, the company recommends Windows XP Home Edition and a Linux option. Licensing XP Tablet PC Edition can apparently be a tricky endeavor, and while it isn't impossible, it has to be done between the educational institution and Microsoft—not through the Classmate PC's vendors.

Not to worry, though. Intel includes a myriad of applications to make use of the Classmate's touch screen, and those apps can prove even more useful than what Microsoft offers in XP Tablet PC Edition. For example, MyScript Stylus 3.0 provides a number of input options in tablet mode, including handwriting recognition and an on-screen keyboard. I've never had great luck with handwriting recognition software in the past, so it was a welcome relief to see my printing immediately interpreted without any training. Thanks to a tool running in the system tray at all times, Stylus' input window will pop up whenever a cursor appears on the screen, and it will fade away as soon as you change window focus. It could hardly be more seamless.

What about the hardware itself? One of Intel's best design decisions was making the stylus big. It's over 5" long and almost feels like a #2 pencil in your hand. The hefty stylus goes a long way toward reducing strain and making interaction with the touch screen a lot more natural. The Convertible Classmate PC also has what Intel calls palm-resistive technology. In the past, writing on a tablet could prove difficult, especially if you were writing near the upper edge of the display. Resting your hand on the screen often resulted in false input, bouncing the cursor around the screen, or worse, messing up what you were writing.

Thanks to the palm-resistant tech, you no longer have to write with your arm in an awkward position just to ensure that the stylus is the only thing touching the display. That doesn't eliminate the option of navigating the UI with your fingers, but you'll probably have to press with your fingernail rather than the fattest part of your thumb. The palm-resistive technology does come with a trade-off, however: the Convertible Classmate PC's touch screen requires a bit more pressure to register than other systems you might be used to. I never found myself getting a cramp in my hand, but I certainly wouldn't write a term paper on the touch screen. For note-taking and drawing purposes, though, this design works just fine.

In an effort to reduce writing strain, I decided to give cursive a shot. Luckily, the MyScript Stylus software does a surprisingly good job of recognizing cursive handwriting, which helped me minimize the number of impacts I had to make on the screen and resulted in a much more fluid writing experience.

Switching between clamshell and tablet modes is surprisingly easy, too, thanks to the sturdy swiveling hinge. Intel found the right amount of resistance to keep the display in place without requiring so much effort to move as to feel like you're going to break it. Small plastic teeth jut out from either side of the keyboard and catch the LCD's bezel when it's laid flat, guaranteeing that your writing surface won't slide around in action.

A built-in accelerometer automatically switches the display between portrait and landscape modes, depending on the orientation of the device. So whether you're holding the Classmate PC with your left or your right hand, upside-down or right-side up, the display will always be in the correct layout.

While the Classmate PC's touch screen is the star of the show, it wouldn't be fair to gloss over the other input devices. Intel touts the Classmate PC's keyboard as water-resistant, adding another line of defense against common kid-induced accidents. The keyboard itself is rather small and clearly not designed for adult hands, but extended typing sessions certainly aren't impossible. With time, I found myself getting used to the tight quarters while typing, and it eventually became almost second nature. Unfortunately, there's no compensating for large fingers, so those with oversized digits will probably find the Classmate PC's keyboard frustrating.

However, every design decision has a reason: Intel may have sacrificed keyboard real estate to strengthen the plastic bezel that surrounds it, which does wonders for the rigidity of the unit. The Convertible Classmate PC is one of the most solid netbooks I've ever felt, and its case is extremely difficult to flex. Good thing, too, because it will likely need every bit of that durability to survive in a classroom.

The touchpad is probably the least exciting aspect of the Classmate PC's design. While the mouse buttons are surprisingly large, the tracking area is rather small, and the vertical scrolling area only limits it further. Fortunately, the touch screen helps to offset these limitations, supplementing the touchpad as a pointing device. In clamshell mode, however, you might find yourself wishing for a mouse.