HP unveils its first multitouch tablet PC

HP has unveiled its first multitouch notebook computer, the TouchSmart tx2.

The tablet PC, announced on Wednesday, lets people use more than one finger at a time to control the touchscreen interface. The notebook uses proprietary software from HP to do this. Windows Vista, which comes as the default operating system on the tx2, does not natively support multitouch. (Windows 7, the next version of Microsoft's operating system, will have multitouch built in.)

Like the iPhone, the TouchSmart tx2 features capacitive touch, which "enables more accurate input and distinguishes between a finger and a palm on the display to intelligently disregard accidental brushes or swipes", according to HP.

HP has already released a desktop computer using its TouchSmart technology, although at £1,499, it is almost twice the £799 starting price of the tx2 notebook.