Setup Aims Tablet-Style PCs Squarely at Channel

Song said the DocuNote will initially be available with either Microsoft Windows 2000 or Windows XP, but in January the vendor is expected to have an option for the Lindows Linux operating system, he said.

A base configuration including Lindows can be sold by solution providers for as little as $999, including a leather case and an integrated USB keyboard, he said.

Marketing tablet PCs on a build-to-order basis could work, but only if the programs are executed correctly, said Tony Audas, director of purchasing at Bryan Computers, an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based solution provider. "Will the systems be built and perform as promised? How does the warranty work? How fast are returns? That is what will make or break the concept," he said.

StepUp seems to have hit a good, low price point with its DocuNote, which may make it suitable for Bryan Computers' education and health-care verticals. "We want to be prepared for a groundswell in demand," Audas said.

The DocuNote is powered by a 667MHz Transmeta Crusoe processor and includes a built-in digitizer, digital color camera, 16-bit stereo, microphone and speakers, StepUp said. The system gets about four to five hours of runtime from its lithium polymer battery, the company said.

The DocuNote includes an 8.4-inch LCD panel with a passive touch screen that allows use of a stylus for handwriting recognition and other operations, unlike the active digitizers featured on the recent crop of Tablet PCs running on the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system.