Laptop/interactive screen

[slp123]

Any help would be greatly appreciated, my knowledge of computers is pretty basic, i.e can turn one on and navigate Internet but in terms of what to look for when buying I have no idea.
I was wondering if there are laptops with touchscreens (not an iPad though) as was hoping to introduce my daughter to some educational software (she is 3). I recently heard from someone that you can also get a screen to put on your tv that makes it interactive. Where should I start looking?????
Many thanks in advance....

anyone?

There are PCs out there running the Windows operating system that are touch screen but there is very little software that makes use of this touch facility. The hardware is a bit expensive and your average Business user isn't interested in this for their work pcs.

You said not an iPad? Why? The reason why I ask is that you can get an keyboard for the iPad. And there is plenty of cheap/free software. If you don't like Apple then there are Android tablets that you can attach a keyboard to.

... forgot your TV question. Some recently intoduced TVs are Internet capable in that you can plug in an Internet cable and you can download movies, check weather and the like on your PC. It has limited functions in that it isn't going to replace your PC anytime soon. That is the only thing I can think off.

Laptops with touchscreens are both rare and expensive. You can get all-in-one PCs with touchscreens - these are PCs that look like chunky TVs. Both Lenovo and Acer make such products.

I haven't heard of touchscreens that can be fitted onto TVs. It wouldn't surprise me if such a thing were possible but I think it could have problems with reducing the screen quality plus registration (making sure that when you press on the touchscreen in a certain place it matches the right position on the display). And I'm not sure I'd want to encourage a toddler to jab at a TV...

Is there a particular reason you don't want to go down the iPad / tablet PC route?

thank you for your replies. I am not against Ipad, (I have Iphone) but was concerned that it wouldn't have a keypad/mouse and I suppose I just don't know enough about them. As I said I'm not very IT literate.
Also what is the difference between Ipad and a tablet? sorry to be so thick...
There is a website I am particularly interested in called Education city which has a lot of interactive games - I have seen them used in schools with an interactive whiteboard. Do you know if you would be able to use this on Ipad/tablet?
many thanks for your time...

A tablet is a computer that is iPad-ish ie touch screen and has no keyboard.

In the past PC manufacturers have produced tablets that ran a version of Windows. The hardware was heavy and expensive and the software was slow and battery life was about 2 hours.

Apple came along and introduced the iPad tablet that ran a simpler operating system. Its not as powerful as a laptop but Apple were aming the product at users who wanted 'basic' functions like surfing, checking emails.

Only software found on the iTunes store can be loaded onto the iPad. I'm not on the market for such software so I've no idea if the software available in the store is what you want but there are literally thousands available so I be surprised if you can't find anything suitable.

An iPad is an example of a tablet computer. There are others, such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab or the Asus Transformer which is a tablet computer that you can turn into a laptop-style computer. These ones run an operating system called Android that is developed by Google.

Tablets have the advantage over laptops in that they're small, light, have excellent battery life and they're a bit more robust. The disadvantage of tablets is that they're more limited in what they can do. For general web browsing and educational software use, though, a tablet may well suit you better than a laptop.

I've had a quick look at the EducationCity website and I don't think that it will work with an iPad as it says it needs Adobe Flash software which Apple won't allow on the iPad. It should work fine on Android devices though as Flash is supported on them.

many thanks for all your help