Microsoft giving away Tablet PCs at PDC

“Giving away” may not be the most accurate phrase considering a full pass to the event could have set you back $2,095, but getting handed an Acer Aspire 1420P Tablet PC for attending PDC (Professional Developers Conference) is a darn sweet rebate.

I found word this morning from Liliputing, but apparently other sources slipped my notice the past couple days (CNET has an unboxing). Reported to include the following:

• 11.6″ 1366 x 768 Display with multi-touch input
• Intel Celeron SU2300 (1.2GHz, Dual-Core) processor
• 250GB HDD
• 2GB RAM (supports up to 8GB)
• Intel GMA 4500MHD Graphics
• Gigabit LAN / 802.11n Wi-Fi
• 3G Mobile Broadband
• Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit with touch pack and Office Professional Plus 2010 beta.

Okay, maybe a PC powered by a Celeron processor isn’t that sweet, but ensuring that serious developers have access to tablets with multi-touch input demonstrates Microsoft’s strong commitment to get multi-touch applications in Windows 7. I must wonder, of course, did I miss an earlier Tablet PC giveaway in the seven years since Microsoft announced the form factor?