Like magic - the Targus Touch Pen For Windows 8 Can Make Your Non-touch Screen, Touchable.

Did you buy, or are you thinking of buying Windows 8. Maybe you can’t make up your mind because you don’t have a touch screen laptop? Well the not-yet-released Targus Touch Pen for Windows 8 could be a help for you. It converts a regular laptop screen into a touch screen device. I got to play with the new device a bit at the Digital Experience at CES. (By the way, if you are thinking of upgrading to Windows 8, the introductory pricing ends on January 31, 2012.) It’s been widely written that Windows 8 really works best with a touch screen, so the Targus Touch Pen could let you use your current non-touch-screen laptop until you decide to move up to a new touch screen model. The Targus spokesperson showed me the easy set-up. The kit contains two devices. A small receiver that attaches magnetically to the side of any laptop display up to 17”, and the Touch Pen. The pen looks like a fountain pen, but the tip is very much like a paintbrush. It has soft bristles designed to be safely used on computer screens. Once the receiver is on the screen, it only has to be calibrated once, which is done by tapping the Touch Pen on all four corners of the screen. There are no drivers required, it’s plug and play. The receiver gets its power via a USB connection to your laptop. When I tried the touch pen I found that most of the time it moved things around the screen correctly. Once is a while I had to repeat a stoke before the screen responded. Since the Targus Touch Pen won’t be out for a few months, these are pre-production models, so minor missteps can happen. It's expected to ship in the spring and will retail for about $100, well $99.99. (I assume once it’s in wide distribution, discounts will be available.) There’s more info at the company website:

http://targus.com/US/productdetail.aspx?regionId=7&sku=AMD002US