Features and Design

The Gateway C-140/E-295C is one of only a few options for those looking at high-speed Tablet PCs. As a general rule, tablets with a 12” screen house slower, power-saving processors, as do any slate form-factor options (PCS with no keyboard section, only a large tablet screen). The C-140/E-295C recognizes that there are people out there that want a powerful Tablet PC, capable of launching PowerPoint presentations in seconds, or crunching a large Excel spreadsheet before the next ice age, however. Bearing this in mind, with a 14” screen and plenty of processor options to choose from, Gateway’s latest nicely fills a niche within what is in itself already something of a niche market.

The first thing we noticed when unboxing the computer was the sheer size and weight of the system. This is NOT a lightweight unit, with the device weighing in at just under 8lbs without an installed battery. (The standard battery weighs approximately 1lb and the extended battery tips the scales to 1½lbs.) All attach to the back of the unit, and if you need even MORE juice, you can even swap the optical drive out for a ½lb secondary battery. (Unfortunately, Gateway offers no chiropractic service option.) Weight will probably be the most significant gripe users will have with the machine, but if that doesn’t turn you off, thankfully, there is little else to worry about. As with any laptop purchase, users will obviously need to consider the tradeoff between power and portability, but when making this decision, be sure to especially consider the E-295C’s weight factor in relation to how it will be used. For instance, one-hand operation becomes uncomfortable pretty quickly.

The Gateway C-140/E295C

Our second observation is that this system offers no compromises when it comes to power, ports, or configurability. Everything you expect is included in the package: Think three USB 2.0 ports, VGA out, one Type II PC Card slot, one IEEE 1394 (4-pin), a 7-in-1 digital card reader (CF users are out of luck), a microphone and headphone jack, a modem, an Ethernet port, and finally a port replicator connector. The hot swappable drive bay can be filled with a CD-ROM, DVD/CDRW combo, or DVDRW DL drive, or a 6-cell battery, as mentioned earlier. Connectivity options further include Bluetooth 2.0, gigabit Ethernet, and 802.11a/b/g.

As for configuration options, you can enjoy Intel Core 2 Duos from 1.5GHz to a blazing 2.4GHz on an 800MHz bus. Memory can be configured up to 4GB clocked at 667MHz, though, as always, a 32-bit version of Windows will only see 3GB. Among the newly-introduced options here is the inclusion of a fingerprint reader to take the place of typing a password at login. The most significant upgrade from Gateway’s previous 14” tablet model though, is the switch to superior Wacom technology for stylus input from FinePoint.