Gateway's 14-inch 295 series tablet PC spied

Note to Gateway: don't pass along secretive information about unannounced tablets (even to students) unless you don't mind it getting out. That being said, it seems like a new 295 series of tablet PCs could be hitting the education market (and beyond) real soon, as the device was candidly spotted in numerous education order forms. Dubbed the E-295M by the University of South Dakota, the convertible apparently comes stocked with a 1.8GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 60GB 5400RPM hard drive, modular DVD burner, seven-in-one multicard reader, a PC Card slot, FireWire, a trio of USB 2.0 connectors, and Intel's GMA x3100 integrated graphics. You'll be staring at a 14-inch WXGA display and fiddling with the included stylus while ignoring lecturers, and the gigabit Ethernet and 802.11b/g WiFi should keep you well connected to the things that matter most. Of course, pricing details for the general public are likely to change, but those headed to USD can place their order for $1,699.

[Dustin Frazier @ Jun 20th 2007 8:23PM]

Um, it looks and sounds EXACTLY like the cx210. That's not necessarily a bad thing though. I dunno what it would take, but it would be nice to see an express card slot and maybe some e-sata goodness. Oh and I got accepted into my universities honors program today :)

[Sandeep @ Jun 20th 2007 8:26PM]

My school is actually making new students buy these, and I've had the chance to play around with one. It was surprisingly durable, and the stainless steel handrest was surprisingly comfortable and seemed more durable than my dell. The screen was very clear, and I was very surprised considering the price our school is paying (around $1300)

[BLee @ Jun 20th 2007 10:41PM]

Arent 14.1 inch tablet PCs rare?.. I wish someone else would make one.. i dont like the cow box thing.. scary

[Preston @ Jun 21st 2007 12:26AM]

I've used the previous version in med school classes for 2 years now and it has held up to some serious abuse (a friend of mine has one that survived an entire 16 oz coffee incident). If this version is as nice as the last one it's worth buying.

[Aaron Walker @ Jun 21st 2007 1:40AM]

Wow! Some folks with nice things to say about a Tablet PC.

I've had (and use) one for two years and I still think Microsoft came up with a good idea.

Nice job and thanks for your comments folks.

[Brian @ Jun 21st 2007 10:38AM]

I looked at the optional specs listed in one of the University PDFs, and this one is listed as having a Radeon X2300 and a 12 cell battery as options, as well as having a dual mode WACOM + Touch screen digitizer. FINALLY a wacom enabled Tablet with a discrete GPU! I'm eagerly awaiting this one's release on the 29th.