�Comdex is considered by many to be a trade show for the �serious� computer folks, the ones who know that XML isn�t a clothing size and have better things to do than play with the latest cellphone model. While there was plenty of talk this week about routers, chips and programming languages, what really grabbed everyone�s attention were the toys. People swarmed around television displays that were bigger than the back of an SUV and mobile devices smaller than a deck of playing cards. Microsoft�s new Tablet PC was a star of the show, and even guitar enthusiasts found something to love.� (Source: Kim Peterson and Brier Dudley, Seattle Times)
Posted Saturday, November 23, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 2.25
A rundown of recent Tablet PC news links from Tablet PC Japan. (Website in Japanese, Babelfished into English)
Posted Saturday, November 23, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3
�Emily Langford will be able to keep up with her classmates better with the aid of modern technology. The wheelchair-bound 12-year-old, who is a tetraplegic with brittle bones because of a congenital condition, had been using a notebook computer to keep up with her studies at East Waikiki Primary School. But the computer was not ideal and operating it with her chin had its limitations. The Education Department and computer company Acer arranged for the Year 7 student to use a test model of a laptop called the Tablet PC, which is controlled by a mouth-operated stylus and includes voice recognition. In a surprise ceremony yesterday, Acer presented Emily with her own Tablet PC at no cost to her family or school. She was the first person in WA to receive the $4500 computer.� (Source: Megan Ellul, The West Australian)
Posted Saturday, November 23, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3.33
�The keynote�s content is no surprise, having been telegraphed by the Times and the Journal in the morning editions. It�s Tablet PC III: The This Time We Really Mean It Tour. But there is other news as well: Dell's entry in the Pocket PC sweepstakes with a $200 model, a slick small Palm-killer iPaq from HP, and a smart alarm clock from Microsoft Research. Don�t ask; I don�t get it. But Bill does, and that�s what counts, or will...And in a parade of smart wireless devices -- kitchen magnets, wristwatches, key chains, Wi-Fi base stations, Tablets, Pocket PC Phone edition, even Kinko�s virtual printer Web Service bureau -- you wonder whether the company should be renamed Microhard.�
�Lost in this shuffle is OneNote, a powerful idea processor from the Office group. Mark my words: OneNote is the new center of the Office universe, relegating Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to the edges of the architecture in a single leap. Billed as an Office add-on, in reality it�s a smart device programmed to transform Office from a suite of applications to a grid of interactive components. There�s not enough time to do this software justice here. But Note is the killer app that defines the utility of the Tablet, switching automatically from stylus drawing to typed text to idea cataloging without dropping a stitch.� (Source: Steve Gillmor, InfoWorld)
Posted Friday, November 22, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3.16
Recap...
So this is just the beginning but it�s quite an amazing beginning. - Bill Gates
Tabletpccorner.net (HPClean) takes a look at Office Pack. The result? Dismal. 3 out of 10. Imperfect integration; guess all the real Tablet hooks will be in Office 11. Banias almost ready, Office not fully Tablet�ified, OneNote a near Tablet PC killer-app, but still in Beta mode. Too bad everything wasn�t all in sync. Doesn�t quite feel 1.0, feels more 0.9. But you have to run with it at some point and progress is always a good thing. But it will get there, I have faith. :) (Website in French, Babelfished into English)
Posted Friday, November 22, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3.16
�Major Intel customers Quanta, Dell and HP have complained about plans Chipzilla has in store to make the future Banias notebook microprocessor the dominant microprocessor in the lucrative sector. That, at least, is what the Economic News of Taiwan claims today. The newspaper claims Barry Lam, Quanta�s chairman, has hit out against Intel�s Banias notebook specs. The reason for that is that different designs for notebooks allows his and his customers � mostly PC manufacturers � to differentiate machines. That, in turn, allows the firms to reap healthy profits. The paper said Lam likened notebooks to luxury sports cars with high end engine designs. The same report also claims Lam has hit out at any suggestions that Intel might come up with a common specification for the Tablet PC, and for similar reasons. Perhaps more significantly, the report claimed that Dell and HP don�t like Intel�s plans because it will limit the number of designs that can be sold.� (Source: Mike Magee, The Inquirer)
Posted Friday, November 22, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3
�Earlier this year, through the grace of FIC, Legend started to use the FIC Crystal Tablet PC, which uses the TM5800. The new FIC machine uses the Microsoft XP Tablet OS, and includes a 10.4-inch XGA TFT screen, has built in 56K modem, Ethernet and sound. It comes with 256MB of DDR memory, a 20/30GB hard drive, two USB 1.1 ports, one PCMCIA slot, 1394 port, weighs 1.35KG, has 802.11b, and measures 286 by 216 by 27.� (Source: Adamson Rust, The Inquirer)
Posted Friday, November 22, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 2.83
�The tablet PC finally hit town last week with joint announcements by hardware makers and Microsoft Corp declaring the immediate availability of tablet PC-type devices running on Windows XP Tablet PC edition.�
�Chinese versions of the OS are now available in Taiwan and China, enabling hand writing recognition of both traditional and simplified Chinese. According to Microsoft Hong Kong, plans are in place to launch a Hong Kong version, but no date has been confirmed yet. Benny Wong, product marketing manager at HP noted that a Hong Kong version of the OS was being worked on by third parties. �For Hong Kong we will bundle third party software with the device once it is ready and available,� he said. Currently only tablet PCs with Windows XP English version are available in the market.� (Source: Chee Sing Chan, Computerworld Hong Kong)
Posted Friday, November 22, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3.14
�To kick off Comdex, Bill Gates came down from Mount Redmond and held aloft the two (actually eight, with more coming soon) tablets to display the handwritten commandments on their screens (�Thou shalt not confuse these with the Newton!�). Comdex attendees trembled and threw aside their false gods--PDAs and notebooks--for the promised device.�
�Well, not exactly. But after Microsoft Chairman Gates touted the new platform in his Comdex keynote, attendees flocked to take a look. And the vibe from folks checking out the slate and convertible laptop versions of the newly-released tablet devices on the trade show floor here is mostly positive. We stopped some attendees to glean their thoughts about these intelligent screens. �It definitely has a lot of potential,� says Tulkie Massey, director of technology solutions for Lanier Worldwide, an Atlanta manufacturer of copiers, printers, and scanners. Project managers and other mobile employees who do a lot of analysis may find myriad applications for a Tablet PC, Massey suggests.� (Source: Joel Strauch, PCWorld.com)
Posted Friday, November 22, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3.16
�Microsoft made customer details - along with numerous confidential internal documents - freely available from a deeply insecure FTP server earlier this month. A well as numerous PowerPoint slides, such as Linux vs Windows comparisons and .NET strategy papers, Microsoft �published� files an estimated 11 million customer email addresses and seven million snail mail address on the server.�
�The files with the big customer database were called email*.zip and dmail*.zip. There were also smaller files including customer information related to various Microsoft marketing campaigns, for Tablet PC and Windows Server among other initiatives. Samples from the files...reveal that customer contact numbers, names and email addresses were all leaked because of the breach.� (Source: The Register)
Posted Friday, November 22, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3
"I have good news and bad news. The good news is Acer's problems are not operator malfunction. The bad news is poor Acer is sick! She went to the doctor and Dr. Tablet does not know what is wrong." Tablet PC Talk Exclusive
Posted Friday, November 22, 2002 by ChrisD Rating: 3
Remarks by Bill Gates Comdex 2002 Keynote Las Vegas, Nevada Sunday, November 17, 2002
�Over the last several years, as my COMDEX keynote, I talked about the milestone for the Tablet. Two years ago it was the kickoff of the idea, and some of the technology breakthroughs like Clear Type, a year ago I showed the prototype, and so it�s very gratifying that this year we just had the Tablet PC launch, and we have five shipping systems with many more coming, based on that concept.�
Posted Friday, November 22, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 2.83
�Given the significant experience and research, we now see the right combination of technology advancements for the mobile professional,� said Raymond Wah, vice president, Commercial Product Business Unit, HP Personal Systems Group Asia Pacific and Japan. �Significant advancements in electronic ink and recognition software will provide convenience and ease of use, and powerful software from Microsoft will heighten the user�s experience and optimise productivity when using a pen.�
�Besides HP, the general support from hardware vendors is certainly testament to that claim, with companies like Acer, Fujitsu, ViewSonic, Toshiba, and NEC, all staking their claims in the Tablet PC space. All these new devices run on Microsoft Windows XP Tablet Edition, a superset of the Windows XP Professional operating system (OS), which lets users write directly on the machine�s specialised liquid crystal display (LCD) screen with a digital pen.� (Source: Gerald Wee, Computerworld Singapore)
Posted Friday, November 22, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3
�Wireless networking is evolving. But while new versions of Wi-Fi offer plenty of additional speed, each has trade-offs. The vast majority of existing Wi-Fi networks use the 802.11b standard. But two more variations are coming down the pike, and no one -- including vendors -- is quite sure how businesses and consumers will handle the change. �This is turning into a big migration headache,� said Sarah Kim, an analyst at the Yankee Group. Most people now use the 802.11b version of Wi-Fi that offers data rates of 11 megabits per second at a 2.4-GHz radio frequency. Products using a different faster standard, 802.11a, are just becoming available -- and promise speeds of 54 Mbps. Sounds great, but 802.11a products use the 5-GHz band, and therefore are not compatible with 802.11b. A third flavor in this alphabet soup is 802.11g, a format that won�t be officially approved until May. This version also offers 54-Mbps speeds, but uses the 2.4-GHz band so it can play nice with 802.11b.� (Source: Will Wade, Wired)
Posted Thursday, November 21, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 2.66
�Texterity...announced the availability of a comprehensive online catalog of Microsoft Reader eBooks. The catalog, which was developed with Microsoft Corporation, is available at http://www.mslit.com, and is integrated into the Reader section of microsoft.com. The eBook Catalog provides users with the ability to search and display information and book covers for over 15,000 electronic books in the Microsoft Reader format. While viewing a book�s details, users may seamlessly link to third-party web pages where the book may be purchased. Over 1,500 free eBooks are also available on the site, which can be downloaded directly. The site is designed to collect and add new eBook releases on an ongoing basis. �Our goal in developing the catalog was to provide a central location where Microsoft Reader users could easily find great reading material,� aid Martin Hensel, President of Texterity. �By working with leading distributors, retailers, public domain sites, and publishers, we�ve provided an accessible, comprehensive collection of books, short stories, and articles for Microsoft Reader.� (Source: Press Release)
�At 38, Charlton Lui is a retired Microsoft wunderkind with 40 patents to his credit. He hears from numerous people with ideas about how he might invest his millions. It might seem odd that the Californian would become the main money man behind the new Canadian Baseball League, scheduled to start play in the spring. But he says the prospect of making baseball a positive force in the community was part of the attraction. So there he was yesterday at the CBL�s launch party, carrying the Tablet PC he helped develop with Bill Gates, speaking passable French as he introduced the two teams from Quebec and dancing around questions about the cost of bankrolling the private company that will own all eight of the league�s teams.� (Source: National Post)
Posted Thursday, November 21, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3.16
�The unique features of the Compaq Tablet PC are its ability to combine the benefits of two industry standards, offering the most flexible and versatile design in the market. Mobile industry analysts claim that Tablet PCs come in two distinct designs � the �convertible� and the �slate�. Both designs represent compromise. The convertible has a swivel screen which folds back over the keyboard, but cannot be removed from the keyboard thus resulting a higher weight and in taxing ergonomic design.� (Source: Anne-Birte Stensgaard, AME Info)
Posted Thursday, November 21, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 2.66
�The idea behind Microsoft�s Tablet PC is to make the PC as easy to use and walk around with as a pad of paper. Yet few of the tablet PCs we�ve seen have felt really light enough and thin enough that we�d consider walking around with one for an entire day. That was until NEC Solutions America, a division of Japan�s NEC, showed us a prototype of its first tablet PC, dubbed the Versa LitePad. The company unveiled the product at the Comdex trade show that is running through the end of the week. It�s only four-fifths of an inch thick and weighs about two pounds, which by our reckoning would make it the thinnest and lightest among the whole tablet PC lineup.� (Source: Arik Hessldahl, Forbes)
Posted Thursday, November 21, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 2.66
�Microsoft�s refusal to enable the Tablet PC to �learn� will limit its value as a business tool. Where Microsoft may have erred with handwriting recognition is in deciding to not allow the translation engine to learn or be taught new tricks. One of the potential users the company suggests is the �information worker� - someone who attends meetings and makes notes or takes minutes. Microsoft paints a picture of these people scribbling down the proceedings, converting it to text and being able to publish this immediately. Even assuming recognition would be 100% accurate, as a journalist I have to ask, �Does everyone in the world, apart from me, take notes in long hand?� I think not. These will be in shorthand or some form of speed-writing, using abbreviations. If a tablet could learn, it could be taught shorthand, or whatever, and this would greatly improve the information worker�s life.� (Source: Eric Doyle, ComputerWeekly)
Posted Thursday, November 21, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 2.83
More awards: Microsoft�s Windows XP Tablet edition won the overall Best of Show award...at the 2002 Best of Comdex ceremony. In the software category, Corel won for Grafigo, which enables graphics on the go and is for the XP Tablet. Viewsonic took the hardware category with its V150 monitor, a 15-inch touchscreen that runs Microsoft�s Windows CE for Smart Displays. Several Tablet PC makers vied in the PC category; the winner was Toshiba�s Portege 3500 model, which can be used as a standard laptop. Fossil captured the mobile-devices category with its Wrist PDA.� (Source: Kim Peterson, Seattle Times)
Posted Thursday, November 21, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3.16
Tablet PC Japan takes a look at SPOT (Smart Personal Object Technology). Website in Japanese, Babelfished into English. Also been a good deal of development articles on Tablet PC Japan of late.
Posted Thursday, November 21, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3.16
�The first lot of major corporate tenders for the newly introduced Tablet PCs is already out in the Middle East, and is expected to gather pace during the first quarter of 2003, according to a senior IT industry source. Already, an oil industry major based in Dhahran in Saudi Arabia has issued a tender, as has a Sharjah-based company. A third company based in Kuwait is also sounding out the market for its requirements. It is reliably learnt from industry sources that a spate of major tenders for IT hardware are due out in the first quarter of 2003.� (Source: Manoj Nair, Gulf News, Dubai)
Posted Thursday, November 21, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3.33
Acer C102i Pictures and Accessories
See all sides of the Acer C102i. Also see all the Acer C102i Accessories. Tablet PC Talk Exclusive
Posted Wednesday, November 20, 2002 by ChrisD Rating: 2.83
Is momentum building for the Tablet PC?
The Tablet PC seems to have come out of the starting blocks running. The Toshiba Port�g� 3500 Tablet PC and Corel Grafigo Tablet PC collaboration utility won their respective categories. Windows XP Tablet PC edition won in the enterprise software category and took Best of Show.
Posted Wednesday, November 20, 2002 by Adam Rating: 3
�As always, there are one or two key products which have visitors buzzing at Comdex this year...So, what has been the big story this year at Comdex thus far? Well, Tablet PCs for one. Mockup systems based on Microsoft Windows XP Tablet Edition have been attention getters at past trade shows (including past Comdexes) but this year is the first time we have seen manufacturers demonstrating products in full force. Launched earlier this month, Windows XP Tablet Edition brings handwriting and other tablet capabilities to Windows XP Professional. Judging from public reaction, and our own personal experience, the tablet PC devices are worth of the attention.� (Source: AnandTech)
Posted Wednesday, November 20, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3.16
"Corel Grafigo has won the prestigious BEST OF COMDEX AWARD! Our Tablet PC application has won against such industry leading nominees as the Franklin Covey Tablet Planner for Tablet PC, Windows XP Media Center edition Operating System, and Interactive Networks Instant Freeware IM application. This award underscores Corel�s capabilities and innovation for the Tablet PC form factor. The COMDEX Trade Show is one of the world�s largest high technology showcases, and having this type of recognition is further proof that Corel is seen in the industry as an innovator.�
Posted Wednesday, November 20, 2002 by Adam Rating: 3.16
See the custom tablet input panel for the Paceblade that you can type on with your bare hands. Also includes pictures of Grafigo and OneNote. Tablet PC Talk Exclusive
Posted Wednesday, November 20, 2002 by ChrisD Rating: 3.33
This is the third diary entry by Cheryl Wester on her experiences setting up and using the Tablet PC. The third day, she focuses on installing Office XP and using it. Tablet PC Talk Exclusive
Posted Wednesday, November 20, 2002 by ChrisD Rating: 2.66
�I�m a believer in Tablet PCs. Not so much the recently released models from Acer, Fujitsu, HP and others -- they have serious software limitations and are too expensive -- but the concept itself. It is long past time to reconsider the physical shape of computers. Notebooks, for all their versatility, have serious limitations. When I want to take notes in meetings, I want something that doesn�t require a flat surface. And I would like to use a stylus when I do interviews, so that the experience is more informal, like using a paper notepad instead of typing office-style on a keyboard.� (Source: Paul Gilster, News & Observer - Raleigh, NC)
Posted Wednesday, November 20, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 2.83
�You could say that Jim B. Clary saw the handwriting on the wall. Shortly after retiring as the vice president of electronics and systems for the Research Triangle Institute in 1999, Clary and his son, Greg, formed Mi-Co, which produces software that can be used with handwriting-data capture computers, now known as Tablet PCs. They felt certain that the devices would be the next big hit in the technology industry. But the Tablet PC�s arrival on the market has taken a little longer than expected. Mi-Co had to wait three years for Microsoft and other computer-hardware makers to unveil their new Tablet PCs to be able to start marketing their software applications, which include digital forms that can be used with the new computers.� (Source: Vicki Lee Parker, News & Observer - Raleigh, NC)
�The envelope, please: The Media Center PC developed by Microsoft drew the curious at Comdex and it was nominated for one of PC Magazine�s technical excellence awards. But it and Apple Computer�s iMac lost the desktop PC prize to NEC�s �eco� recyclable computer. Microsoft�s Tablet PC was nominated in the system software category, along with SuSE Linux 8.1, but they lost to IBM�s Project eLiza.� (Source: Brier Dudley and Kim Peterson, Seattle Times)
Posted Wednesday, November 20, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 2.66
�If this would completely integrate into the campus computing environment, it could be remarkably useful,� Business Prof. Fred Feinberg said. �Everybody might have a tablet in front of them, the professors would not have to hold things up and put things in the PowerPoint slides. Everybody could be interacting with their own version.� Feinberg said the potential of Tablet PC to change the educational environment is enormous, but it�s unlikely to take place until the price decreases and every student has one and interoperability is achieved.� (Source: Lydia K. Leung, The Michigan Daily)
Posted Wednesday, November 20, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 2.66
�For all the talk about how it�s a gloomy time for tech � and for Comdex � Microsoft�s party Sunday night to celebrate its Tablet PC was extravagant enough to rival any of those in dot-com lore. The reception, at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino�s ultra-cool Aureole restaurant, featured heaping plates of caviar, chilled crab, thick shrimp and oysters on the half shell. Women on trapezes swung near the restaurant�s tower of wine bottles. Pulling up to the reception, guests were jolted by the sight of a Nevada State Patrol car at the door with its lights flashing and passenger door open. Did somebody break the security around Bill Gates? Was there a felon being chased through the casino? Nope, the car was a prop to show off a special version of the Tablet PC for law enforcement mounted inside the cruiser.� (Source: Kim Peterson and Brier Dudley, Seattle Times)
Posted Wednesday, November 20, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3.16
February or March...hmmmm, more and more looking Banias. Time will tell. :)
�NEC Solutions America unwrapped a prototype of its upcoming Tablet PC...showcasing a featherweight slate-style device that�s as light as it is good-looking. What makes the NEC Versa LitePad stand out from the pack of Tablet PCs is portability: The prototype weighs only 2.1 pounds and measures a svelte 0.8-inch thick, resulting in the thinnest and lightest of any Tablet PC to date. It will cost between $2,000 and $2,500 when the final version is released in February or March, according to an NEC representative.�
�Many of the final specs are not yet set, however. The Versa LitePad will be powered by an Intel processor, but NEC declined to say which speed. Likewise, NEC wouldn�t confirm how big the hard drive would be, or if the final screen will measure 10.4 inches diagonally. (The model on display appeared to have a 10.4-inch screen, but we left our ruler at the hotel.) NEC hinted that the Versa LitePad will not ship with a keyboard, although the representative said a keyboard could be hooked up using one of the system�s three USB ports.� (Source: Tom Dunlap, ZDNet)
Posted Tuesday, November 19, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3.16
�Dantz Development Corporation, the leading worldwide provider of backup and restore software for small and midsize businesses, today announced support for Microsoft�s new Tablet PC with their award-winning Dantz Retrospect backup software. Dantz Retrospect employs patented technologies to automatically detect and protect Tablet PCs whenever they connect to the network, through both wired and wireless connections.�
�Dantz�s patented Proactive Client Backup system relentlessly pursues mobile computers, including Tablet PCs, and dynamically adjusts user-defined priorities based on the availability of systems in need of a backup. As soon as a Tablet PC is detected on the network, Retrospect�s Progressive Backup technology goes to work in the background, copying only new and changed files, thus saving time and conserving network bandwidth. Later, any file, folder, or hard disk drive can be restored precisely to any point in time from any previous backup.� (Source: Press Release)
Posted Tuesday, November 19, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 2.66
�If Tablet PC does have a shot with the masses, it may take a killer application like Microsoft�s OneNote to make that happen. Gates' keynote address featured a demonstration of OneNote, an application that�s still in the labs and that closely mirrors the way most people take notes and aggregate information in an unstructured format. Some of the advantages of OneNote include the ability to type text or draw ink (if you have a Tablet PC) anywhere on the screen. This is unlike word processing applications such as Microsoft Word, where new text can only be entered at the cursor�s current insertion point.�
�After playing with Journal on the Tablet PC, and then seeing OneNote, I wondered why Microsoft didn�t accelerate the development of OneNote and include it with Tablet PC. During a private showing of OneNote before Gates� keynote, Jeff Raikes, group vice president, productivity and business services, admitted that once he started using OneNote himself, he wouldn�t consider going back to Journal. OneNote doesn�t require Tablet PC and will likely be available for the plain vanilla versions of Windows 2000 and Windows XP, but the company has not said whether the software will be bundled with Microsoft Office, or if it will be sold separately.� (Source: David Berlind, ZDNet)
Posted Tuesday, November 19, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3.16
�Microsoft�s two top executives don�t usually party in public, but Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer made an exception Sunday night at the Comdex coming out of the new Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. And while both seemed eager to evangelize the handwriting-friendly Windows XP variant at a caviar-and-champagne Microsoft press party following Gates� keynote speech at the industry show, Gates admitted the OS may not captivate all users immediately.�
�Asked if he thoughts tablets would be bought by individuals or by corporate IT departments, Gates replied, �Eighty percent of technology comes from the ground up.� He said perhaps some law firms or other corporations might decide to outfit their workers with tablets, but for the most part individuals would introduce them to the workplace.� (Source: Yardena Arar, PCWorld.com)
Posted Tuesday, November 19, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3.16
Maryfran Johnson, Editor in Chief of Computerworld, plays the skeptic...
�Exactly one year ago at Comdex, the world�s richest fan of the Tablet PC was onstage flogging this $2,000 Etch-A-Sketch-like device for the second year in a row. Bill Gates must be hoping that the third time�s the charm, because he�s back at Comdex this week touting the tablet yet again.�
�So, customers must be clamoring for this latest evolution of the PC. This must be the notebook of the future, right? Don�t count on it. In an exclusive Computerworld.com online survey, 1,150 notebook PC users expressed a collective yawn over the key differentiators of the Tablet PC -- the much-touted handwriting-recognition and noncomputing capabilities such as paging. They scored both of those features at the rock bottom of the wish list. Now, most of us wouldn�t admit this, but I�ll bet 90% of what we scribble on notebook paper during meetings isn't worth saving. It�s just busywork business behavior to sit there nodding thoughtfully and taking a few notes. Makes you look like you�re paying attention. Who needs an expensive toy PC to do that?�
Posted Tuesday, November 19, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3.33
�Microsoft�s revamped software system gives the new generation of tablet PCs a familiar personality, a number of tweaks and yet another option - taking notes with a pen - for folks in need of mobile computing. It may The Next Step in portables. It is not The Last.�
�There is other propitious news about notebook PCs: You might want to hold off investing in that tablet PC, because new, slim, power-efficient machines based on the Intel Banias chip are just over the next ridge, so to speak. The Banias is low-power and high-efficiency, and will initially debut in the spring at speeds of 1.4GHZ to 1.6GHz. But those numbers are deceptive: The Banias chips are Pentium-4 class, and industry experts anticipate the chips will outperform P-4 processors with equivalent clock speeds. The advantage to the consumer is a new range of thin and light notebooks that will consume up to 25 percent less energy, thus extending battery life significantly.� (Source: Stephen Williams, Newsday)
Posted Tuesday, November 19, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3.33
See a special 23 minute segment of Win2TV covering the use of the Compaq TC 1000 Tablet PC. Includes coverage of how an architecture firm uses the Tablet PC as well as a guided tour of the Compaq TC 1000.
Posted Tuesday, November 19, 2002 by ChrisD Rating: 3.28
Individual Needed For TechTV Segment on Tablet PCs
"TechTV is looking for an individual in the San Francisco Bay Area who owns a Windows XP Tablet PC and can share their views on the pros and cons of the Tablet PC. I would ideally like someone for this Thursday. If not, Friday afternoon and Monday morning are also possibilities. If interested, please contact Shirin Etessam at 415/922-8000. Thank you!!!"
Posted Tuesday, November 19, 2002 by ChrisD Rating: 2.66
�PaceBlade Technology publicly unveiled their PaceBook Tablet PC at Comdex in Las Vegas, November 18-22. This innovative new computer will be on display at PaceBlade�s booth at the Microsoft Pavilion.�
�The PaceBook Tablet PC distinguishes itself in key ways: it has a larger 12.1" screen. It utilizes numerous input systems: a digitizer pen system; a TouchScreen, allowing handwriting recognition; voice recognition; and the new Windows XP function called �Ink.� The PaceBook Tablet PC also provides an on-screen �virtual keyboard� that accepts typed input just like a regular keyboard. A light portable physical keyboard instantly turns the PaceBook into a powerful notebook or an IR-connected ergonomic desktop system. With one touch, the PaceBook goes from landscape to portrait mode.� (Source: Press Release)
Posted Tuesday, November 19, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 2
�The Tablets may be a niche play now, but HP�s Clark thinks they fill a void for a market that has been looking for notebook capabilities in another form. This is especially true, he says, in locations where using a laptop is not convenient�such as walking around an office or warehouse, going to meetings or sitting in a cramped airline seat. HP built Wi-Fi into its Tablets because it sees immediate communications as part of the experience. There is utility with or without keyboards, depending on the situation. �The Tablet is a notebook PC, but it fills in the space in the market that is classified as ultra-portable or mini-notebook. That category has been successful in Japan but somewhat stagnant in the U.S. and Europe,� he says. �We think the Tablet will accelerate or jumpstart that market in the future.� What levels that market reaches is anyone�s guess now, but it is a cinch it will include wireless.� (Source: Wireless Week via Design News)
Posted Tuesday, November 19, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 5
�Transmeta, which has suffered through a difficult year and a half, is gearing up for a comeback with Astro, a newly designed microprocessor that will arrive in 2003. Astro, which is being shown off for the first time in a hotel suite at the Bellagio Hotel during Comdex Fall 2002 in Las Vegas, is the company�s second generation Crusoe processor, an energy-efficient chip for notebooks. It will consume less power than the company�s first Crusoe chips, the TM 5000 series, but offer substantially more performance, said chief technical officer David Ditzel.�
�Astro will come out toward the middle of 2003 and be manufactured on the 130-nanometre process. Officially, it will kick off the TM 8000 family of Crusoe chips. Additionally, Astro is fairly small, which means that the chip will likely cost little to produce, an important factor in the current notebook environment. Although notebook sales continue to grow, a growing number of manufacturers are touting sub-$1,000 (�640) PCs, a price that requires an inexpensive processor. The chip will compete directly against Banias, a low-power chip coming from Intel in the first quarter that will effectively become the company�s primarily mobile chip and replace the Pentium 4 in notebooks. Transmeta executives, though, indicated the company will beat Banias in price.� (Source: Michael Kanellos, CNET News.com)
Posted Tuesday, November 19, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 1
Microsoft OneNote site goes live
For those of you interested in Microsoft OneNote, here is the URL for more information:
OneNote will be part of the Office family. No word yet if it is part of the suite or a stand alone application.
Posted Tuesday, November 19, 2002 by Adam Rating: 1
�Austin-based Motion Computing Inc. has signed partnership agreements with 21 resellers...With the reseller agreements, the mobile computing and wireless communications company will have immediate access to markets such as health care, pharmaceuticals, financial services, legal, field sales and government. Motion Computing�s main product is a tablet-size computer.�
�The new partners include Georgetown-based Quincy Systems LLC; West Hartford, Conn.-based Advanced Technical Support Inc.; Orlando, Fla.-based Currie Peak & Frasier Inc.; Norcross, Ga.-based EMS Wireless, a division of EMS Technologies Inc.; Canada-based Filbitron Systems Group; Bensalem, Pa.-based InfoLogix Inc.; Naperville, Ill.-based Mobility Concepts Inc.; and Killingworth, Conn.-based Pharmedica Inc. Motion Computing network of resellers is scheduled to expand to about 50 in the first quarter of 2003, according to a company news release.� (Source: Austin Business Journal)
Includes links to 7 other Tablet PC related articles...
�Whether you�re blown away by Tablet PC�s slim design and searchable digital ink feature�or you think it�s just another Microsoft attempt to co-opt other people�s technologies�it�s hard to argue with history. Tablet PC is a brand new PC platform, one that could take years to gain traction. It could even fail outright...Tablet PC faces some stiff challenges, but it does enjoy broad-based industry support. If Microsoft and its hardware and software partners do succeed, the reward would likely be a larger overall market of PC users.� (Source: TechWeb)
Posted Tuesday, November 19, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 1
Tablet PC Digital Publishing Conference The Open eBook Forum (OeBF) Thursday, December 5, 2002 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. McGraw-Hill Auditorium, 1221 Avenue of the Americas, 2nd floor (between 48th and 49th streets) New York City
Keynote: �The Vision for On-Screen Reading� presented by John Frederiksen, Product Unit Manager for Microsoft Corporation�s eReading Group.
Introduction to the Tablet PC and Enhancements for eReading � Leland Rockoff, Microsoft Corporation
Digital Publishing Opportunities and Challenges Presented by the Tablet PC � Steve Potash, President, Open eBook Forum, CEO OverDrive, Inc.
eReading Software Applications for the Tablet PC � James Alexander, Director of eBooks, Adobe Systems Inc. � Clifford Guren, Group Product Manager of eReading, Microsoft Corporation � Mike Segroves, Director of Business Development, Palm Digital Media Group
Adapting Newspapers to the Tablet PC � Roger Fidler, Director, Institute for CyberInformation
eBook Publishing for the Tablet PC � Bob Bolick, VP & Director of New Business Development, McGraw-Hill � Kelly Leonard, Executive Director of eBook Publishing, AOL Time Warner Book Group � Christopher North, VP & General Manager, HarperCollins Publishers
Digital Reader Applications for Magazines, Newspapers and Periodicals � Douglas Dobbs, PhD., Co-Founder and SVP, NewsStand, Inc. � Mike Edelhart, President & CEO, Zinio Systems, Inc.
Tablet PC Device Features & Solutions � Kyle Thornton, Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Fujitsu PC Corp.
Posted Monday, November 18, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 1
�The Microsoft Tablet PC: innovation whose time has come, or unnecessary extravagance in a down economy? A bit of both, actually. Since its bells-and-whistles Nov. 7 release, the tablet has garnered mix reviews. While tech experts praise the device, it is getting raspberries for its price tag--$2,000--and implementation, the struggles users go through to get it working. Still, it�s an intriguing idea for magazines, and even more intriguing for the advertisers who back them. What it offers is yet another way for advertisers to reach readers in places where desktop computers cannot, while delivering ads that are less intrusive and more like traditional print ads in their richness.� (Source: Toni Fitzgerald, Media Life)
Posted Monday, November 18, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 2
�Where�s Apple Computer�s answer to the Tablet PC? The Mac maker isn�t talking yet, but I predict it will have plenty to say about Microsoft�s new portable-computing initiative next year�if the pen-driven slate takes hold in the market. Bill Gates� pet project is now open for business, and a string of PC makers have lined up to push their own visions of Tablet PC hardware. It�s my strong belief�let�s call it a hunch�that prototype Mac tablets are already making the rounds among select developers.� (Source: Matthew Rothenberg, eWeek)
Posted Monday, November 18, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 4
�The Microsoft Tablet PC publicity blitz made a scheduled stop in Silicon Valley last week. Speaking to a packed house at the Santa Clara Convention Center, Matt Pease, general manager of Microsoft�s Northern California district, talked about �the evolution of productivity tools,� �extending the PC infrastructure� and devices that are �taking ink to the next level.� Microsoft is putting its considerable muscle behind this latest incarnation of pen-based computers. The software maker released its Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system a week earlier and has taken its show on the road to demonstrate its latest OS to IT professionals in selected cities around the country, flanked by an eager group of hardware and application vendors.� (Source: John K. Waters, Application Development Trends)
Posted Monday, November 18, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3
�Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina picked up Monday where Bill Gates left off a night earlier, saying that in spite of current woes, the technology industry still has plenty of forward momentum. �Even though we come back to Vegas this year with maybe more on our minds,� Fiorina said, �not only war and recession and terror...but fear that the wheels of innovation in our industry have slowed, I come to this conference more hopeful for the future than I have ever been.� On Sunday night, Gates, too, was optimistic, saying technology would begin spreading outward from the PC into all areas of people�s lives. Fiorina�s Comdex keynote touched on the same themes of opportunity and omnipresence.� (Source: ZDNet News)
Posted Monday, November 18, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3
�Ballmer...[said] that over the next three to four years, the cost difference between building a tablet PC and a traditional notebook will evaporate, making the addition of tablet-related abilities into all portables a natural.�
�There will be a zero cost (difference) for tablet,� Ballmer said Sunday at a Microsoft party at the swank Aureole restaurant in the Mandalay Bay Casino here. The party took place just as Comdex Fall 2002 was kicking into gear. Analysts say it�s too soon to tell whether Ballmer�s prediction will come true.� (Sourc: CNET News.com)
Posted Monday, November 18, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3
�While Microsoft is inherently a software company, it has partnered with several hardware manufacturers in realizing this new mainstream pen-based computer, which Microsoft chair Bill Gates claims can only be limited by the user's imagination. Microsoft partners that have rolled out Tablet PC units include Acer, Hewlett-Packard, Fujitsu, Tatung Co., Toshiba America Information Systems Inc. and ViewSonic Corp. In addition, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. has announced its intention to build a Tablet PC under the Panasonic brand.� (Source: Financial Times Limited)
Posted Monday, November 18, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 4
�On some days, you may feel like typing. On others, you may feel like writing. With Acer�s TravelMate C100 Convertible Tablet PC, you can write, or type, according to what you feel like doing. The latest Tablet PC looks like a notebook computer, acts like a notebook and if you don�t know better, it is actually a regular notebook. On further inspection, you will notice that it has other features not commonly found on a regular notebook computer. For one, the AcerMate C100 runs on the newly launched Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.� (Source: Aimie Pardas, The New Straits Times Press, Malaysia)
Posted Monday, November 18, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 5
�The Tablet PC � the new �avatar� of the personal computer which also doubles as a digital slate � has come to India, hard on the heels of its global unveiling. The Hewlett Packard was first off the block today, among half a dozen global manufacturers, to announce that its Compaq-brand tablet model would go on sale by month end.�
�However, the recent Bill Gates-inspired vision of the device as a kind of all-pervasive mass-consumer device may be some years away: this is a fairly pricey piece of hardware aimed at high-end executive and costing just under Rs 1.5 lakhs. �The machine is still evolving� explained Ravi Swaminathan, HP India�s Director, Personal Systems...�Right now we see it as a productivity tool for senior executives, health workers, sales persons and other professionals on the move... but as the applications expand, and numbers grow, it will surely come, in more affordable models for the lay consumer.� (Source: Anand Parthasarathy, The Hindu)
�The Stylistic ST Series Tablet PC is the closest to a merger between a PC and a conventional notepad making it possible to use the PC as a clipboard, with the facility to take down notes as one would on a piece of paper,� said Dirk de Waegeneire, Vice President International Sales, Fujitsu Siemens Computers. �The Stylistic ST series enables a user to use the computer, collect data or navigate easily through any Windows application even while standing or walking, thus ensuring true mobility. The PC then becomes a non-intrusive, social device, with no forbidding screen separating the user and the audience. It heralds the era when people will use the computer like a very intelligent piece of paper.� (Source: Anne-Birte Stensgaard, AME Info)
Posted Monday, November 18, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3
�Sources close to Gateway said that the two companies will co-brand a tablet running Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, a version of the Microsoft operating system that features handwriting recognition. Motion, an Austin, Texas-based start-up formed by onetime Dell Computer executives, earlier this month released its first tablet, which weighs three pounds and contains a 12-inch screen.�
�The Gateway-Motion tablet is based on Motion�s design, but will carry the logo of both companies. Gateway is expected to market the tablet primarily to its government and small-business customers, sources said.� (Source: ZDNet)
Posted Monday, November 18, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 1
�The official word from Microsoft, which is coordinating this invasion of the Tablets, is that these new devices are good for, well, pretty much everything. They enable handwriting, doodling, and drawing. Speech recognition, sticky-style note-adding, built-in wireless capability, and e-book (and e-magazine) reading are among the touted features. Most Tablets also function as standard laptops.�
�But while the launch of the Tablet PC is a gamble for the Seattle-based software giant (previous attempts at Tablet-style �pen computing� have been miserable failures), Microsoft is not going it alone. Bill Gates & Co. have created the operating system - Windows XP Tablet PC Edition - but more than 50 Tablet PC �partners� are providing the hardware, and much of the software. For example, no fewer than five versions of the Tablet - from computer makers such as Acer, Fujitsu, and Toshiba - are already on their way to stores, with more to come. Software partners like Corel and Adobe are providing crucial functions for the new computer. For many of these partners, the Tablet PC is not a gee-whiz Hail Mary product hoping that something will catch on, but a means to target a very specific audience and, ultimately, a profitable niche.� (Source: D.C. Denison, Boston Globe)
Posted Monday, November 18, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 4
Tablet PC Party Report
Adam S. Feinberg reports on the Comdex Tablet PC Party held at The Aureole Restaurant in Las Vegas, Nevada...
A party was given after the Keynote celebrating the Tablet PC. It was held in Aureole at the Mandalay Bay Hotel. Pretty amazing place. It�s famous for the wine list, food and atmosphere.
Tablets from Acer, Toshiba, Motion, Fujitsu and Compaq were on display (there were probably 20 Compaq Tablets there). There was also the demo unit of the NEC Tablet.
Cursivecode showed an application called �eWinebook� that allows a restaurant customer to choose from a digital wine list. It includes reviews from �Wine Spectator� and tells you what wine goes best with what foods. Slick application.
I got to meet Bill Gates. I also saw Steve Ballmer and met Jeff Raikes. This shows you the commitment of Microsoft to the Tablet PC.
Bill Gates pulled the new iPaq 1910 out of his pocket. I compared it to my old iPaq 3650 (over 2 years old). Talk about small. It is smaller and lighter. At just under $300, it looks like a winner...
Posted Monday, November 18, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 2
�Charlie Palmer�s Aureole Las Vegas was the first to launch its electronic hand held touch-screen computer eWinebook over a year ago enabling guests to survey Aureole�s vast wine list. Now, creator and Aureole Wine Director Andrew Bradbury has re-vamped the entire project by working with Microsoft to create the new eWinebook. All the features originally utilized are still there but with Microsoft�s cutting edge Windows XP Tablet PC Edition software and Compaq�s new Tablet PC, the features have been expanded and updated for even easier usage.�
�Bradbury wanted to expand the capabilities of the eWinebook software, but faced many limitations with the existing Linux platform it was built on. He was able to capitalize on the new Microsoft Tablet XP operating system and HP Tablet PC hardware to expand the user experience to a new level of interaction, and develop features that directly address customer needs. The new software now provides customers a comfortable user interface that removes the hesitation to browse for information and builds confidence in the customer�s purchase decision which reinforces the elegant relationship that Aureole has with its customers.� (Source: Press Release)
Posted Monday, November 18, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 5
Comdex Report
Adam S. Feinberg reports on Comdex...
Bill Gates in his keynote address the Digital Decade of Personal Computing. There will be a push in the areas of connected systems, new experiences, personalization and personal productivity.
There was a comical film clip on the history of personal computing. Featured in the clip were Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer (trying to sell �Microsoft Bob� on a latenight shopping network - there were no takers until they offered a mood ring as a free gift), Puff Daddy (tried at one time to write a rap song based on MS DOS (�The prompt, the C: prompt...�), Michael Anthony Hall lamenting that it was hard to get into the Bill Gates roll for a TV movie (it was hard for him to to drink all the caffeinated soda, eat all the cold pizza and live on little sleep). President Clinton recalled that when he was inaugurated there were 53 web sites on the Internet. The next day, 54, the next 55... Warren Buffett talked about missing out on the dot com boom and John Scully mocked the fact that Microsoft was originating something with the Tablet PC (oh... handwritting recognition, oh... small portable form factor...)
There were some demos of the XP Media Center. Gateway and Alien Computing will be shipping their brands next week.
Keith White from the eHome division also demoed the Viewsonic Smart Panel that will start shipping in early January.
Bill Gates showed the iPaq 1910 and the Dell Axim X5. Both will have sub $300 prices.
Microsoft OneNote was demoed and may be part of the next version of Office due out next Summer. It is a tool that lets your capture, organize and reuse your notes (ink and text combined with graphics and multimedia) in any way you want.
The NEC Tablet PC was shown. It is thin and light (2.2 pounds)
Web services are a big area of focus for 2003. A demo of a partnership with Kinko�s was unveiled. It will allow you to print any document to any of Kinko�s store. This will roll out in the mid 2003 timeframe.
The final presentation was some new technologies based on S.P.O.T (Smart Personal Object Technology). It takes every day objects and adds functionality. An alarm colck that knows your calendar, grabs weather and traffic information was shown. It tells time with timely information.
Posted Monday, November 18, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3
�Microsoft has revealed for the first time that it has made profit margins of 85 per cent on its Windows system while its remaining businesses made losses, raising questions about the benefits of the group�s costly efforts at diversification. The client division, which markets Windows, generated operating profits last quarter of $2.48bn on revenues of $2.89bn, implying margins of 85 per cent.�
�Among Microsoft�s other businesses, the home and entertainment division, which includes the Xbox games console, lost $177m in the quarter on revenues of $505m. Salomon Smith Barney estimates it loses about $120 on each console it sells. MSN, the internet service provider and portal, lost $97m, down from losses of $199m in the same quarter last year, on revenues up from $431m to $531m. The business solutions group, which provides software for small and medium-sized businesses and includes recent acquisitions Great Plains of the US and Navision of Denmark, lost $68m on revenues of $107m. And the CE/Mobility division, which includes mobile telephone software and the Windows CE operating system for handheld computers, lost $33m on revenues of $17m.� (Source: Paul Abrahams, The Financial Times)
During his keynote tonight at COMDEX Fall 2002, Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates unveiled Microsoft OneNote, a new application for the Microsoft Office family that combines the flexibility of hand-written notes with the power of personal computing.
Designed for desktop and laptop PCs, this new software helps people to be better organized and productive by combining the flexibility of a paper notebook with digital efficiencies such as speed, massive storage capacity, and the ability to search for and share information broadly.
Expected to be commercially available next summer, OneNote is also built to take advantage of the hand-writing recognition and digital drawing features of the new Tablet PC.
PressPass recently spoke with Chris Pratley, group program manager of authoring services for Microsoft Office, to discuss the introduction of Microsoft OneNote and why he thinks it will revolutionize the way people take notes.
Posted Monday, November 18, 2002 by ChrisD Rating: 3
�Now, at a time when a tough market has made most hardware manufacturers more conservative, the coming of the Tablet PC is forcing a rethinking of the notebook. Whatever the shortcomings of the Microsoft Tablet PC software, the liberation of laptop design could be a lasting contribution. Although Microsoft set specific hardware requirements for the tablets, it gave manufacturers considerable design freedom. So, unlike the lookalike, work-alike Pocket PCs, there�s a lot of variation among tablets. I took a look at four of the initial products, representing three different approaches: modified clamshell notebooks from Toshiba and Acer, a pure, no-keyboard tablet from Fujitsu, and a unique hybrid with a detachable keyboard from Hewlett-Packard.� (Source: Stephen H. Wildstrom, BusinessWeek)
Posted Monday, November 18, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 1
Tablet PC Japan�s Specifications Chart comparing six Tablet PCs available in Japan. Website in Japanese, Babelfished into English. - (Sotec AFiNa Tablet AT380B, Fujitsu FMV-STYLISTIC TB80, Toshiba DynaBook SS 3500, Acer TravelMate C100, HP/Compaq Tablet PC TC1000, Paceblade PaceBook)
Posted Monday, November 18, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 5
�Mobile commerce can expect a boost from the tablet PC, launched by Microsoft and hardware partners this month. According to Microsoft New Zealand head Ross Peat the device is "galvanising" the industry. Aside from the half-dozen hardware makers that have already released tablets, Microsoft is claiming strong software vendor support.� (Source: Computerworld, New Zealand)
Posted Monday, November 18, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3
�The Tablet PC, the much hyped multipurpose notebook come laptop, was officially launched on November 7th this year. You�re forgiven for not noticing but you won�t be able to claim ignorance for long. The Tablet PC is set to have a marketing push second to none behind it. This, Microsoft and its industry stalwarts claim, is the next generation of personal computing.� (Source: Jack of Hearts, it-analysis.com)
Posted Monday, November 18, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 1
� The 1.30GHz Banias will cost $209, and $244 with the Calixo dualband kit, and $229 with the 802.11b kit. In January next year, Intel will sell its dualband Calexico mPCI card for $69, and its 802.11b mPCI card for $46. � The 1.40GHz Banias will cost $294, with the dualband Calexico kit costing $329 and the 802.11b $314. � The 1.50GHz Banias will cost $423, with the dualband Calexico kit $458, and with the 802.11b kit $443. � The 1.60GHz Banias will cost $637, with the dualband kit $672 and with the 802.11b $657.
�Intel holds off the Banias 1.7 chip for later in the year, when it will be introduced at $637 ($672 and $657 with the respective kits). At that time � you guessed it, the 1.60GHz part will drop to $423, and the other dominoes will shuffle downwards.� (Source: The Inquirer)
Posted Sunday, November 17, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 2
I personally think the �average consumer� actually takes to a Tablet PC easier; feels more natural, a notebook can be quite intimidating. :)
�Swivel and scribble or detach and doodle: This is the new mantra for the portable notebook computer. On Nov. 7, Microsoft and its partners announced a new line of tablet PCs that Bill Gates says is for doctors, lawyers, corporations and �corridor warriors,� those poor souls who run from meeting to meeting all day. These computers look and work like notebooks except you can write on them; they work with a digital, plastic-tipped pen. Tablet PCs could also appeal to contractors, architects and others who may need to sketch things from time to time. In the end, though, the average consumer right now is better off with a regular notebook computer. That�s not to say that these don�t fill a niche and offer a vision of what the standard laptop may look like some day.� (Source: NY Daily News)
Posted Sunday, November 17, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3
�It will initially be snapped up by executives wanting to impress and technology-lovers who simply want it for its own sake. However, businesses are likely to take a little longer to adopt the Tablet PC as a replacement or addition to existing mobile products, due to its not inconsiderable price and the need for proper analysis of what it can offer an individual business environment that a standard portable can�t...Initial barriers to a widespread adoption of the Tablet PC among small businesses will be price, worries over its durability, weight - it might weigh only slightly more than a kilogram, but is still heavier than paper - and the typical portable computer complaint, battery life. However, for some businesses the mobile efficiencies the Tablet presents will override these barriers.�
�One heavy form-user already trialling the Tablet PC is research company AC Nielsen, which is using it in field surveys. Data is �handwritten� into forms, but can then be automatically uploaded to the company database and reporting applications via mobile wireless technology. From there, AC Nielsen can print it as a report, or upload it as an immediate result to the company website.� (Source: stuff.co.nz)
Posted Sunday, November 17, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 1
Journal and Sticky Notes Reviews
Tabletpccorner.net takes an in-depth look at Journal and Sticky Notes. (Websites in French, Babelfished into English)
Ouch. Sometimes (and more often than not) Microsoft is its own worst enemy.
�During a briefing on Tablet PC, one of the Microsoft engineers copped to being outside the new platform�s target market. �I really need my notebook to be a desktop,� he admitted, dutifully tapping on the tiny screen with his stylus.�
�One of the loose criterion Tablet PC sets out is battery life. The spec says �up to eight hours.� I don�t believe Intel and AMD processor-based machines can approach that mark at Tablet PC's suggested weight of 3 pounds. Transmeta and VIA Technology both have Tablet-PC-compatible, low-power microprocessors. Systems built around these alternatives will give Tablet PCs a wider range of performance/efficiency options. My hunch is that second-generation Tablet PCs and similar nontablet subnotebooks will hit the five-hour mark. I think the market is sophisticated enough to accept a substantial performance hit in return for battery life.� (Source: Tom Yager, InfoWorld)
Posted Sunday, November 17, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 2
�...in his keynote address at COMDEX Fall 2002, Microsoft Corp. Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates announced the company�s plan to deliver Microsoft OneNote, an application designed to allow people to capture notes in one place and then organize and use them more effectively. Scheduled to be available in mid-2003, OneNote will enable people to take typewritten notes on a desktop or laptop computer. In addition, Tablet PC users will be able to capture handwritten notes, pictures and diagrams. This new application is tailored to meet the needs of note-takers who want a better solution for organizing, accessing and sharing notes. OneNote builds on the easy-to-use tools and features found in Microsoft Office to enhance the way people take notes, which is often the first step in creating a formal document.� (Source: Press Release)
Posted Sunday, November 17, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 3
Supposedly future Tablet PC enhancements planned...
�Final Draft, the number-one choice among Hollywood�s professional writers. Specifically designed for writing movie scripts, TV episodes and stage plays, it combines powerful word processing with professional script formatting in one self-contained, easy-to-use package. There is no need to learn about script formatting rules -- Final Draft automatically paginates and formats your script to industry standards as you write. Use your creative energy to focus on the content; let Final Draft take care of the style.�
Posted Sunday, November 17, 2002 by ChrisC Rating: 2
�FrogPad is a one-handed keyboard to be used with USB Keyboard compatible PDA�s, Pocket PCs, Tablet and Wearable PC�s, and other mobile applications, such as portable laptops, which utilizes the flexibility and ease of one-handed functionality and the performance of an efficient keyboard. The FrogPad has been designed for fast data entry. The letter layout is based on the percent usage of each letter in the English language. Fifteen letters that are used 86% of the time by typists are placed in the most efficient locations on the keyboard.�
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