Photos: Tablet PCs

Microsoft is a big proponent of tablet PCs, with operating system software geared specifically for pen-based input. Here, CEO Steve Ballmer shows off Lenovo's ThinkPad X41.

The X41 is the first tablet made under the ThinkPad name, and the first computer released by Lenovo Group following its purchase of IBM's PC business.

The screen of the X41 can be rotated 180 degrees and pressed flat against the computer's keyboard, turning the notebook into a tablet PC.

Windows Vista, due in 2006, lets tablet PC users teach the computer their handwriting, letter by letter.

The Nokia 770 Internet Tablet is a Web-browsing device with a 4-inch horizontal touch screen and an on-screen keyboard. It connects to the Internet through a hot spot or through a compatible mobile phone.

This caricature artist in London's Leicester Square tries out a tablet from Motion Computing in place of his usual notebook and charcoal.