Specifications
The Gateway C-141X I am reviewing here has a 1.6GHz Pentium Dual Core processor, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 160GB HDD and a built-in DVD writer. Graphics for the machine are Intel GMA X3100 and the OS is Windows Vista Home Premium. The Gateway C-141X retails for $999 and only has one configuration option to choose from.

In Use
Like most of Gateway’s products, the Gateway C-141X isn’t the flashiest system design wise you can get. However, it’s not an ugly duckling either. The machine has an attractive, it rather plain, black and silver color scheme. For a system that you would expect to spend significant time being held in the arms it’s a bit porky at 6.2 pounds. The 8-cell battery pokes out of the back of the notebook making it a bit more bulky, but it does provide a nice handhold for using the notebook while standing or moving.

One of the best features of the Gateway C-141X is the Wacom stylus that is included. It’s a big, beefy stylus that feels like a quality ink pen in your hand, not a cheap kids toy like some stylus’ you see on PDAs and tablets. The stylus works well and the Gateway C-141X accepts pen input well making handwriting on the notebook easy.

The Gateway C-141X is a convertible design so you can use it in tablet mode or as a normal notebook. An arrow on the swivel portion of the LCD shows which way to turn the screen to activate each mode. Some buttons on the screen bezel allow you to change the orientation of the screen depending on what mode you are in. the only drawback s that the orientation doesn’t change itself when you go from tablet to notebook mode, you have to do it manually.

The Gateway C-141X keyboard has good typing feel and if full size as well. The track pad works well, but had an odd button layout and the buttons were hard to press. The Gateway C-141X scored 3307 points on PCMark05, which is a good score for its price class. Battery life is good at over 3 hours for movie watching. Some users with the right battery settings will see more usage than that.

Final Thoughts
Over all, the Gateway C-141X is a great tablet convertible that works equally well as a tablet and as a notebook. The bargain price of the machine makes up for its general large size and heavy weight making it a great option in the sub-$1000 category.