Best Small Cos. During a 200-mile stagecoach ride from his estate at Monticello in Virginia to Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where he was a delegate to the Continental Congress, he sketched out an idea for a portable writing desk that would become an ancestor of the laptop computer. D.C. He used it for nothing less than writing the Declaration of Independence.
Some people still like taking written notes.
Attorneys, executives, students and even journalists often prefer a pad and paper to a keyboard when jotting down notes from meetings, filling out forms or drafting documents. The digital notepad and pen automatically save up to 50 pages of handwritten notes using 2 megabytes of built-in flash memory, even when the PC is turned off. It comes with a software program called Ink Manager Pro that lets you save and retrieve notes and insert them into word processor documents, slide presentations or the body of an e-mail. The PC includes a pivoting 10.4-inch screen that can be used flat or raised to expose the keyboard, or inverted to share work with others. The screen is also touch-sensitive so you can interact with it using the digital pen or your finger.