Turn any Windows 8 laptop into a touchscreen with the Targus Touch Pen

By Meghan McDonough January 30, 2013

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Did you upgrade your laptop to Windows 8? Does it feel like it would be a whole lot easier to use if you could just reach out and touch (or possibly punch) the screen? You can stop cursing out your mouse thanks to Targus. The company found a solution – or at least a workaround – with its new Touch Pen that promises to give your Windows 8 laptop the power of touch. Honestly, it sounds like a product that should be pitched on a late night infomercial. Thankfully, it’s not. It’s available through Targus for one easy payment of $100.

Targus describes the pen as a way to bring new life to an older laptop that’s been upgraded to Windows 8. The pen comes with a USB-powered magnetic receiver that attaches to the bezel of your laptop screen and gives the screen its “touch” ability. Unfortunately, your digit will not do; the pen has to be used in order to manipulate items on the screen. As long as you don’t mind the pen, you can swipe through tiles, doodle in Paint, and and scroll through Web pages.

The pen requires a one-time calibration and setup, but after that, just clip the receiver onto the side of your screen, plug in its USB cord, and it’s ready to go. It’s as easy as plugging in an external mouse.

Sure, it sounds great; but does it actually work? According to the folks over at PC World, it does. They took the Touch Pen for a spin on an aging 17-inch laptop that was recently upgraded to Windows 8 and came away with a positive impression of it. Like most add-ons, it’s likely not a cure for all of your Windows 8 gripes, but it’s a relatively inexpensive step in the right direction.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Meghan McDonough

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Meghan J. McDonough is a Chicago-based purveyor of consumer technology and music. She previously wrote for LAPTOP Magazine…

Computing

Power up your tech game this summer with Dell’s top deals: Upgrade for a bargain

Dell Techfest and best tech on sale featured.

One of the best times to upgrade your tech stack, be it your desktop, a new laptop, or some high-resolution monitors, is when great deals are to be had. Well, I'm here to share that thanks to Dell's top deals, you can power up your tech game and have most of the summer to make it happen. Maybe you're happy with your current system or setup. That's excellent, but you're likely considering upgrading somewhere, and that's precisely what these deals are all about. Dell has a smorgasbord of deals on laptops, desktops, gaming desktops, monitors, accessories, and so much more. We'll call out a few of our favorite deals below, but for now, know that you should be shopping this sale if you're interested in anything tech-related.

What summer tech should you buy in Dell's top deals?

Computing

I love the MacBook Pro, but this Windows laptop came surprisingly close

Apple MacBook Pro 16 downward view showing keyboard and speaker.

There are some great machines in the 15-inch laptop category, which has recently been stretched to include the more common 16-inch laptop. The best among them is the Apple MacBook Pro 16, which offers fast performance for tasks like video editing and the longest battery life.

The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 is aimed not only at other 16-inch Windows laptops but also at the MacBook Pro 16. It offers many of the same benefits but at a lower price. Can it take a place at the top?
Specs and configurations

Computing

How to set an ‘Out of Office’ message in Microsoft Teams

Person using Windows 11 laptop on their lap by the window.

Many people use Microsoft Teams regularly to communicate with colleagues both inside of the office and remotely. It is considered one of the most efficient ways to ensure you can stay in contact with the people on your team, but what if you need to let people know you’re not readily available? Microsoft Teams has a method for you to set up an "Out of Office" status for your profile to let staff members know when you’ll be gone for the afternoon, for several days on vacation, or for an extended period.
Where do I go to set up my ‘Out of Office’ status for Teams?
It is important to note that your Microsoft Teams and Outlook calendars are synced. This includes your out-of-office status and automatic replies. So, whatever you set up in Microsoft Teams will reflect in Outlook. Similarly, you can set up your out-of-office status in Outlook, and it will be reflected in Teams; however, the former has a more straightforward instruction.

First, you can click on your profile icon in Teams and go directly to Schedule an out of office, as a shortcut. This will take you to the settings area where you can proceed. You can also click the three-dot icon next to your profile icon, then go to Settings > General, then scroll down to the bottom of the page. There, you'll find out-of-office settings and click Schedule.