I have a Wacom with an itsy writing area, about four by three inches? It was about $80 on sale when Phil bought it for me about two years ago. At first I thought the small size would make it hard to use but I don't really have a problem with it. If I buy a new one, I'm going to invest in one with actual shortcut buttons on the tablet, because it would make it a lot easier. I haven't had any problems with the tablet, though--it's never broken, I've never had to buy a new pen or case, and I've hauled it all over the place with my laptop.

Dunno much about tablet PCs... my friend bought a Toshiba since she has wrist problems, and I've never heard her complain about it. On the other hand, I've used a Toshiba for years, and two of my friends have used normal Toshiba laptops on and off... we've had no end of trouble with them, so I don't know if I'd advise going the Toshiba route.