Clip-on converter turns any laptop into a tablet PC

Adding a cheap, simple and portable new dimension to your laptop, clever Korean company Navisis is preparing to launch its "Laptop Tablet" unit, which clips onto the side of your laptop's LCD screen and gives you the ability to write directly onto your screen with a stylus.

The Laptop Tablet attaches to your laptop (or any LCD screen, I imagine) via a clear plastic clip and a USB plug. Inbuilt software is used to calibrate the stylus points to your screen, and you're away. It reads the position of the stylus through a combination of untrasonic and infrared waves.

Since the stylus is battery powered, it appears you won't be able to use it as a touch screen, per se - and it remains to be seen how well the average laptop screen will take to constant stylus usage, but at an anticipated retail of around US$130, it's certainly an affordable way to build in tablet PC abilities to an existing laptop.

It's the sort of item that would be very useful for part-time/hobby designers and artists - if it works well and is accurate enough. Either way, it's a clever solution and one to keep an eye on.