Just days after its arrival on the market, Laptop Magazine's had some in person time with the CTL 2go Convertible Classmate PC. They found the little convertible tablet -- which has an 8.9-inch resistive touchscreen (with 1024 x 600 resolution) -- to be a more grown up version of its predecessor, heavier than other, similarly-sized netbooks, and they love the overall aesthetics of it. It falls a little short in a few categories: they found the 60GB hard drive to be "sluggish" and the keyboard to be "cramped," but overall, they're pretty into the Classmate, even going so far as to suggest that adults might just be covetous of the netbook. Hit the read link to check out the full review which, incidentally, is written entirely in crayon. (Note: totally kidding. We write in crayon, though. Sometimes).

We know you've been waiting around here all week to hear this news, and so here it is. The 2go convertible tablet Classmate PC we've been hearing about for nearly a year, and which we fully expected to make its official debut at CES has done just that. The 8.9-inch, 1024 x 600 screen-boasting tablet's got a 1.6GHz Atom 270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 60GB HDD and 802.11b/g/n WiFi. You can grab the Windows XP version now for $549 -- no word yet on Linux.

Remember that CTL 2go netvertible we hepped you to in the heady, hazy days of mid-October? The folks over at Laptop Magazine have taken a good look at a demo model (the color of "yellow-lime green hospital sheets," apparently) and were cool enough to share their thoughts with us. The device gets kudos for its durability, with the spill-resistant keyboard, shock mounted hard drive and detachable handle earning some points, but the cramped keyboard was deemed less than praiseworthy. When functioning as a tablet, the accelerometer is said to be responsive, so reorienting the screen is a breeze -- although the reviewer did choose to install a few freeware apps to compensate for the fact that Windows XP Home is less than tablet-friendly. If everything goes according to plan, the Linux version of the tablet should retail for $499, with a Windows XP Home version costing about fifty dollars more. Hit the read link for the full review and an exciting video of the appliance in action.

Intel's just gotten official about its new Netbook platform (a.k.a. Classmate 2), and CTL has now followed suit with official word on the first Netbook that'll actually be available: the 2go PC. While there's no surprises with the specs, CTL did drop word that the education-minded laptop will be available for sale to the general public from Amazon (though not just yet) with prices ranging from $300 to $500 (as opposed to the firm $400 price tag we heard earlier). Coinciding with the official launch, the folks at Laptop Magazine have also let loose both a brief hands-on and a full review of the device, both of which find the laptop to be an improvement over the original Classmate PC, with its rugged design, long battery life and lightweight chassis in particular earning it high marks. The keyboard, however, is apparently even more cramped than the one on the Eee PC, so anyone outside of the intended kid market will likely want to look elsewhere. Be sure to hit up the appropriate link below for a video of the laptop as well.

Read - CTL Press Release (PDF link)
Read - Laptop Magazine, "Hands-on with CTL's 2go PC"

[Via Eee Site, thanks David]