Zoostorm Fizzbook Spin

A few months ago we looked at the first Zoostorm Fizzbook, a mini-notebook designed for children.

While it was the same size and contained the same components as similar computers from Acer and Asus, the Fizzbook was distinguished by its large carrying handle, boldly coloured case and sturdy design.

The new Fizzbook Spin is similar in those respects but adds a clever new feature in the form of a touch-sensitive screen which can be spun around to face away from the user (for teaching purposes, say) or even flipped over and put back on top of the keyboard section in the same way as a much more expensive tablet computer.

The Spin uses the same processor as its predecessor, an Intel Atom N270, with the same 1GB of memory. The 4GB of storage on the first model has been upgraded to a 60GB hard disk.

As with that computer it comes with Windows XP and as with all such mini-notebooks there's no CD or DVD drive. It can connect to both wired and wireless networks, though, and there's a memory card reader, two USB ports for expansion and a VGA socket for connecting it to a monitor.

The design is as chunky as that of the first Fizzbook, with two-tone white and grey plastic inside and outside the case. There's a webcam at the top of the screen, which can be tilted to face either towards or away from the user.

The screen itself is a 9in model – 2in bigger than before – with the same resolution as most similar ones. It was a bit dark for our liking, though, and a touch low on contrast, so that it was harder to distinguish light and dark areas than on a full-blown screen.

It wasn't such a problem as to be a big deal, though, and it does have an anti-glare coating so it doesn't suffer from reflections under bright light (which will be useful if the computer is being used in a classroom). It retains the carrying handle, although this time that's made of a moulded plastic rather than the fabric of before.

There's a slight angle thanks to the large battery beneath the keyboard, so that when the Fizzbook Spin is used on a flat surface it tilts a touch towards the user, which is handy for typing.

The big feature is the touchscreen, though, and that worked well in our tests. It's not strictly 'touch' as it's necessary to use the supplied stylus – the screen won't react if you touch it with a finger.

The computer comes with the Artrage drawing software, which does a good job of showing off the touch capabilities, and the screen was very good at accurately picking up our stylus position to select just what we wanted, which hasn't been the case with all the touchscreens we've seen. It also comes with Myscript Stylus, which recognised our handwriting fairly well, although it was by no means perfect.

It works in conjunction with the supplied Ability Office, a good suite for word processing and more, to allow users to 'write' directly onto the screen. More conventional controls exist too: the keyboard was too small for our fingers to type on comfortably but the mouse trackpad, while small, was usable. The keyboard is water-resistant, though, and the computer is shock-proof to a certain extent.

Overall, the Fizzbook Spin is a great computer for kids, although given the price it may be a better choice for use by teachers than by pupils.