The computing world has discovered the Tablet PC. Small, lightweight and rugged, these powerful machines are branded by well-respected manufacturers and consumers can chose betweenthe Dell Tablet PC, Gateway Tablet PC, the Motion Computing Tablet PC, the Fujitsu Tablet PC, the Toshiba Tablet PC and many other rugged tablet pc types.

Tablet PCs run the same Windows XP or Windows Vista operating system that you are already used to. That means they can run all the same exact software you have on your current computers. But Tablet PCs can do things a laptop or desktop can't come close to duplicating.

Special software that is built into the Tablet PC operating system greatly extends the power of portable computing.

Tablet PCs come in two configurations: The slate pc tablet model, which is like the old childhood etch-a-picture toy. You use a tiny pen-stylus to write on the surface of these tablet pcs, with your handwriting digitally converted and showing up on the screen just like it was a piece of paper.

Then there is the convertible tablet pc model. It is a tablet pc laptop in form, combining a screen which can be turned around to cover the keyboard and used just like a slate model tablet pc or, when flipped upright, the screen works just like a laptop computer or notebook computer.

Many schools now give their students tablet pcs to use for their work in the classroom and to take home with them at night to do their homework on. Medical workers like doctors and nurses and lab technicians use tablet pcs. Salesmen use tablet pcs to take and process orders. And millions of consumers have taken to these pc tablets because of their inexpensive tablet pc prices and the way tablet pcs compare so favorably to other models.

The weight of these tablet pcs ranges from around 2 pounds for some fujitsu tablet pcs to over 6 pounds for some of the HP Tablet PC models.

Shopping for a new tablet pc is best done online. Although some of the large box computer stores carry tablet pcs, the best selection is found through the many specialized sites, which often offer tablet pc comparisons. You can also find the cheapest tablet pc for you by shopping online.

Expect to spend around for between $1,500 and $2,000 for a fully-equipped Tablet PC computer.

You can add on tab;et pc accessories, of course but for that price, you'll have a mobile computer that will easily do everything you need.