Plastic. Lumpy. Windows. Buttons. More buttons...handles? Yup, this is what tablets looked like before the iPad came out. After the iPad? Well, um, it's been a lot different.

The Dell Duo flip-top netbook/tablet hybrid is one of the most intriguing devices in recent memory. First it made a surprise introduction at IFA, then it was in a teaser video of high polish, and now CNET reports that it might be available next week. Specifically, the rumor has it, next Tuesday.

When Dell first showed off its Inspiron Duo at IFA, the hybrid tablet-netbook seemed like one very neat piece of vaporware. But! Could this promo video be a sign that Dell's Duo dreams are actually coming true?

After former VP Dick Brass publicly excoriated Microsoft's management and philosophy in an NYT Op-Ed this morning, the company had three good options: fully discredit his claims, let it pass, or admit shortcomings. Or, I guess, none of the above.

"Unlike other companies, Microsoft never developed a true system for innovation." Dick Brass, a former VP at Microsoft, lays out in a scathing NYT op/ed how the company has destroyed its ability to "bring us the future." It's insanely fascinating.

Time to get back to the tablet range of yesteryear: HP's TouchSmart line-up. They've added three new models to the family—the 12-inch tm2, 15.6-inch dv6t and 17.3-inch dv7t.

More fuel for the Apple Tablet rumors. According to the NY Times, several former Apple employees say a PowerPC-based prototype was developed in 2003—but it was too power-hungry, and Steve Jobs felt it was limited to bathroom Web-surfing.

If your business has you doing a lot of computing outdoors, a rugged tablet PC might make some sense. The upgraded Duros 8404 even brings an 8.4-inch sunlight-viewable SVGA touchscreen to the mix.

With so many rumors about an Apple tablet buzzing around, it's hard to believe Apple wouldn't announce one this year. But what do we really know about this thing?

HP overhauled its feature-packed consumer DV notebooks, the familiar black-and-silver ID getting a "magic chrome" enhancement: otherwise invisible controls light-up when touched. It's the first new look for the Pavilion line since 2006. The entire line features HD tuners, Blu-ray drives, webcams, fingerprint readers…

Through the fabulously true-to-life magic of machine translation comes word from ZDNet.de that Intel Germany CEO Hannes Schwaderer has confirmed an upcoming, larger (more tablet-y?) "version of the iPhone" based on Intel's Atom platform. Supposedly, the beefier unit size isn't due to the Atom chipset, but to the …

You have already seen the Swiftpoint Slider Mouse, a device that effectively makes your keyboard into one giant mousepad, and now we learn that there is a similar device made primarily for tablet PCs and multi-touch tabletop surfaces. Besides being pointier and cooler looking than the Slider, the Triped aims to…

While we sorta groaned at the Latitude XT's $2500 base-model pricetag along with everybody else (cause it's expensive!) we didn't piss and moan too much because we knew that the DuoSense technology making it the only input device on the market that combines a pressure-sensitive pen with multitouch into a single…

Dell's Latitude XT 12.1-inch convertible Tablet PC is finally official, and it's being paraded as the world's "only sub-four-pound 12.1-inch convertible tablet" with capacitive touch capability—meaning it'll sense your finger (sorry, only one) without any pressure at all. Also on the touchy-feely side, it's got palm…

If you're a tablet person, you should take a look at Toshiba's latest, the Portege M700. It's got a 12.1" LCD screen, the first from Toshiba with LED backlighting and an antiglare coating for maximum indoor/outdoor performance. The screen has another talent too: unlike many Tablet PCs, this can be touched with your…

An internal Dell document for the Latitude XT Tablet has surfaced, more or less confirming previously-leaked specs, while revealing a few new ones.

It may be the end of the work week for most of us, but the elves at Dell are still churning out products. Their latest is a Latitude Convertible Tablet PC, the company's first Tablet. Senior Vice President and General Manager of Dell's Business Product Group, Jeff Clarke, is seen cradling the newborn in a video…

Design-wise, the Flexi PDA concept may be one of the most interesting Tablet PCs I've seen in a while. When its unfolded, it works like a tablet and features its own QWERTY keyboard. Thanks to the handheld's flexible screen, you can also fold it in half and use as a cellphone.

Toshiba New Zealand let Craig Pringle take their new M400 Tablet PC out for a spin last month and he's posted a detailed hands-on review on his blog, complete with photos. Pringle says he's been using mostly tablets for the past year so he should know what he's talking about; he's pleased with the M400 overall, even…