But what's truly exceptional about the X60 is that it's also a Tablet PC. The raised screen swivels 180 degrees and snaps down over the keyboard, leaving the screen, which is pen-enabled by Wacom Co., as the only control surface.

If you've never used a tablet PC, you'll probably be surprised at how natural an experience it can be. You won't want to do intensive word processing in tablet mode; typing is faster, even if the X60's handwriting recognition is surprisingly good. But there are a ton of vertical applications that are quite excellent on a tablet.

Also, showing video or presentations in small gatherings on a tablet is a more powerful experience than on a conventional laptop. Even creating PowerPoint decks or viewing Web sites are well adapted to tablets. And between Microsoft's included OneNote application and Vista's new Clipping Tools, which enable you to circle text or images and either save them or send them via e-mail, Tablet PCs are a comfortable place for people who take a lot of notes but, at heart, really don't want to give up paper.

Vista improves the tablet experience compared to previous operating systems. In particular, pen flicks -- small gestures that substitute for keystrokes like PgUp, Del or Back -- are now integrated into the operating system, although some of the flicks are turned off by default in Vista. Although the screen will respond to finger points, you'll want to use the included stylus because it has a button for right clicks and an eraser (at the back end, of course) to rub out mistakes.

There are a few features that would be nice to add to the X60 to improve the tablet experience. Faster graphics would be nice -- tablet-based video editing, for instance, would rock. And, again, the 512MB base memory is absurd for use in the graphics-intensive tablet environment.