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News Week of January 5, 2003

January 2003 - Tablet PCs - Scott Weiss

"The Tablet PC is a solution in search of a problem. Microsoft’s summary argument, that “It's designed for mobile computer users who've been relying on a combination of notebook PCs, planners, spiral notebooks, handheld devices, and sticky notes to complete their work,” makes the case that mobile workers need or want a better solution."

"2. The new tablets are expensive. The Tablet PC retails at nearly $3,000, about $1,000 more than a comparably equipped notebook computer running Windows XP. A well-equipped Pocket PC unit retails at $500, so the combination of the two products yields more convenience for less money." (Source: Scott Weiss, Handheld.Info)

Have any of you seen any Tablet PC for $3000?


Posted Friday, January 10, 2003 by ChrisD
Rating: n/a


FranklinCovey Announces Plans for First Quarter Release of TabletPlanner Version 2.0

"FranklinCovey(R) (NYSE:FC), a global leader in effectiveness training, productivity tools and assessment services for organizations and individuals, and Agilix Labs(TM), an innovative developer of mobile wireless solutions for the Tablet PC, has announced plans for the release and launch of the FranklinCovey TabletPlanner(TM) 2.0, the first fully pen and digital ink-enabled planning and productivity application for the Microsoft Windows-powered Tablet PC.

TabletPlanner 2.0 will be available for purchase in first quarter 2003 and a pre-release version of the software will make its debut Jan. 9-11 during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, where FranklinCovey executives will be available to demonstrate its new capabilities, which include:

-- Synchronization with Microsoft Outlook, including tasks, appointment, notes and contacts.
-- Ink-enabled contact management with synchronization with Microsoft Outlook contact fields.
-- Quick full-text search of all handwritten notes, appointments and content included in the eBinder.
-- Deep "pen" enabling throughout the application, making it easy to navigate with the pen or move items through drag and drop.
-- Enhanced viewing and navigation of eBinder content, including zooming, shrinking and faster access to multi-page documents.
-- Improved calendar management including recurring appointments and appointment reminders." (Source: Business Wire)
Posted Thursday, January 9, 2003 by Adam
Rating: n/a


Navman Introduces The GPS 4400 Navigation Solution for Bluetooth(TM) Enabled Pocket PCs

"Navman, a leading designer and manufacturer of world-class global positioning systems (GPS), communication and marine products, announced today the release of its latest compact GPS companion product for the Pocket PC and Tablet PC platforms. The Navman GPS 4400 is one of the industry's first wireless GPS antennas, which provides satellite connectivity to PDA's utilizing Bluetooth(TM) capability. The device, featuring Navman's SmartST(TM) Professional navigation software, adds another high-quality solution to the company's comprehensive line of GPS products. The GPS 4400 is being unveiled at the 2003 International Consumer Electronics Show.
The GPS 4400, developed by Navman, is a complete street navigation
solution well suited for consumers and professionals, such as road warriors, service technicians and field engineers who use Bluetooth-enabled PDAs or Tablet PCs. The device features a high-performance GPS receiver that provides accurate location information within 5 meters. For optimal signal reception, its versatile design, including a variety of mounts, allows for dash, sunroof or rear window mounting. The GPS 4400 also features an embedded, Class 2 Bluetooth transceiver, which is capable of communicating with any Serial Port Profile Bluetooth device, within a 30' radius. Bluetooth provides a strong and secure connection between devices and also eliminates the need to use valuable memory/expansion slots. The unit is equipped with a blinking blue LED that displays connectivity status and a red LED for low battery indication." (Source: PRNewsire)
Posted Thursday, January 9, 2003 by ChrisD
Rating: 1


THE PINAX GROUP COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF CLIO� INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY FROM VADEM

"Addition of Clio intellectual property allows The Pinax Group to target Tablet PC opportunities


New Orleans, Louisiana – January 9, 2003 - The Pinax Group, Inc. announced today that it has completed the acquisition of the intellectual property related to its award-winning PC companion, the Clio�.

“With the completion of this acquisition from Vadem Ltd., The Pinax Group now owns of the most innovative and unique industrial design available in the mobile computer marketplace,” said William C. Perez, President of The Pinax Group. “We will continue to develop new products in our traditional Windows� CE thin-client market; however, we are also actively exploring opportunities that will introduce our design into the Tablet PC market, which we see as the next logical step in the Clio’s progression.”

“Presently, there is only one general design, which embodies a screen that rotates 180 degrees around a single, center pivot, being used by all of the commercially available convertible tablets,“ says Mr. Perez. “The Clio’s unique SwingTop� design, which has won numerous awards during the past five years, presents an immediate opportunity to introduce a product that is clearly differentiated, and we believe superior, from the current offering of convertible tablets.”

The Pinax Group, Inc. manufactures, sells, and supports the award-winning handheld personal computer, Clio�, a three pound, 9” x 11”, convertible PC-like device that is known for its versatility and portability. Its unique SwingTop� design enables it to function either as a touch-screen tablet with handwriting recognition or as a more traditional notebook with a nearly full-sized keyboard. Please visit www.pinaxgroup.com

Vadem Ltd. is a privately-held technology holding company and the original designer and manufacturer of the Clio�.
This release includes forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the impact of competitive products, the ability to meet customer demand, the ability to manage growth, acquisitions of technology, equipment, or human resources, the effect of economic and business conditions, and the ability to attract and retain skilled personnel. The Company is not obligated to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release.

- 30 -
For more information, contact:
The Pinax Group, Inc.
650 Poydras Street, Suite 1476
New Orleans LA 70130

Main Phone: 504.299.3476
Main Fax: 504.737.4749
[email protected]"
(Source: Pinax Group Press Release)

Posted Thursday, January 9, 2003 by ChrisD
Rating: n/a


Don't tap, write!

"The Tablet PC, created by Microsoft and now manufactured by a dozen leading PC makers world-wide may turn out to be the next smart thing to happen in personal computing: An idea whose time has come because, ironically, it is based on an idea that is almost as old as mankind, dating back 3500 years to Sumerian writing tablets. Let's face it, we jab at keys, we twist our wrists operating a mouse, because that is the only way we can get PCs to work.

But given a choice most of us would prefer to scribble something on a piece of paper. By allowing users to type or write any way they like, the Tablet PC may turn out to be an inspired idea. And thanks to the opportunity provided to me by Acer India, to, quite literally, `play' with their version of the Tablet — the TravelMate C100 — for a few days, I am able to share with readers of The Hindu, this privileged account of how a Tablet PC feels and works." (Source: Anand Parthasarathy, The Hindu)
Posted Thursday, January 9, 2003 by Adam
Rating: n/a


Targus Launches Tablet PC Accessories

"Anaheim, CA., January 6, 2002 - In partnership with major Tablet PC manufacturers, Targus offers an exhaustive list of products to enhance new Tablet PC hardware on the market. The below products are a few of the highlights from this list:

Tablet PC "Slimline" Numeric Keypad
Complete Port Replicator
Business Card Scanner
Optical Mini Mouse with Retractable Cord
"Stealth" Tablet Security - Motion + Data Protection in a PCMCIA Card
DEFCON Authenticator - Tablet Password Protection in a PCMCIA Card
Mini A/B Switch USB 2.0 4-Port Hub (Targus Model #PAUH200U)
Multi-Purpose Retractable USB & Firewire Cords
USB "Go Anywhere" Drive"
(Source: Press Release)
Posted Thursday, January 9, 2003 by Adam
Rating: 1


Notable New Twist

"Microsoft's enthusiasm for Tablet PCs was telegraphed long before November's Comdex trade show in Las Vegas, but the company also served up an eye-catching software surprise. Dubbed OneNote, the software stores and organizes personal and business notes, even if the notes have been recorded in different formats (see the photo).

OneNote may ship as part of the Microsoft Office 11 suite of applications, due in mid-2003, but it will also be available separately. It's designed to solve a problem that popped up during Microsoft's word-processing usability tests: People who take notes waste time rekeying them into documents. And even after they do so, ephemeral information ends up disorganized." (Source: Sebastian Rupley, PC Magazine)
Posted Thursday, January 9, 2003 by Adam
Rating: n/a


Backspin: Dream tablet

"I'll tell you one thing I'd really like to see appear this year - a real tablet computer. I've toyed with the latest crop of these devices, and while I like a lot of what I see, the vendors playing in this market haven't cracked the magic formula yet.

The magic formula would be a device that would be useful and practical in a way that PDAs such as the Palm and my favorite, the Sharp Zaurus, only manage to brush against.

To begin with, the magic tablet would be truly pencentric rather than the pen-interface-but-sometimes-you-really-need-a-keyboard version of Windows XP Tablet PC Edition." (Source: Mark Gibbs, Network World)
Posted Wednesday, January 8, 2003 by ChrisD
Rating: n/a


New & Noteworthy

"Mobile CRM The release of Microsoft's new Tablet PC has cause quite a stir in the business world. One of the first CRM applications designed to run specifically on the Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC is mySAP Customer Relationship Management (mySAP CRM) from SAP AG. Slated for release in early summer 2003, mySAP CRM is designed to allow Tablet PC users to edit product data, create and finalize orders, generate order confirmations from remote locations using a digital pen. "The result will be a more flexible solution that will help sales professionals to access the information they need to deliver the best possible service to their customers," says Alexandra Loeb, vice president of the Tablet PC division at Microsoft Corp. www.sap.com" (Source: Jason Flynn, Destination CRM)
Posted Wednesday, January 8, 2003 by ChrisD
Rating: n/a


Electrovaya Agrees To Distribute FarStone Technology's Software With Its Scribbler Tablet PC Products

"TORONTO, ONTARIO--Electrovaya Inc. (TSE: EFL), announced today that it has signed an agreement to bundle FarStone's VirtualDrive(TM) software with its Scribbler Tablet PCs. This agreement will enable SCRIBBLER(TM) users to run CD/DVD-ROM applications on their Tablet PCs without a CD/DVD drive or the actual disc.

"The reason VirtualDrive is so valuable to Tablet PC users is that Tablet PCs do not have an internal CD drive," said Roger Hudritsch, FarStone's Director of OEM and Channel Sales. "VirtualDrive eliminates the inconvenience of having to carry around a portable CD drive, cables, CDs and possibly a power cube."" (Source: Press Release)
Posted Wednesday, January 8, 2003 by Adam
Rating: n/a


Turn Your Tablet PC Into A PhotoCopy Machine

"The fun of using a new product like the Tablet PC is coming up with new ways of doing things. Here is one idea that may alter the way you think about making photocopies of books, newspaper clippings, sheet music, recipes, genealogy documents, and other printed documents.

In this article I'll show you how to use a digital camera and your Journal-enabled Tablet PC to photograph printed documents and "import" them into Journal as electronic collections that you can markup, highlight, or clip (using the Microsoft Snipping utility)." (Source: Whatisnew.com)
Posted Wednesday, January 8, 2003 by Adam
Rating: n/a


Episode 3: Signed, Sealed, Delivered...and Unpacked

"At the end of our last episode, I had put in an order on the HP/Compaq online store for a TC1000 Tablet PC, an extra 256MB of RAM, an external multibay (USB 2.0), and a multibay 24X CD-ROM drive. Silly me, I guess I assumed that since the site didn’t say anything about the Tablet PC not being available I would get it by Friday, January 3rd.

On Thursday morning (January 2nd) I decided to check HP’s online store to see if it showed any shipping information yet, and was discouraged to see that it still showed the order “in process”. Since I was working on some project documentation and decided I could call and work at the same time, I dialed HP’s toll-free number to see what was up with the order.

The first thing that happened is that the toll-free number listed on the website was no longer in service. Apparently the integration of HP and Compaq isn’t going too smoothly in some respects… No problem, I found another number and was quickly working my way through a voice-response system. Soon I was listening to bad songs from the late 70’s and early 80’s, interspersed with a message that “All of our representatives are still busy. If you wish to leave a voice mail message, press 1”. After about five minutes of the bad tunes (Firefall, “Just Remember I Love You” – gaaackkkkk!) I decided to give up so I left a message stating that I wanted someone to call me at my work phone number to let me know what the status of shipping was on the specific order. " (Source: Steven P. Sande, Pdantic)
Posted Wednesday, January 8, 2003 by ChrisD
Rating: 3


Intel names its next mobile chip

"Intel will call its next-generation mobile processor Centrino.

The chipmaker designed the new processor, formerly known by the code name Banias, to use less power in order to extend the battery life of notebook PCs.

Instead of giving the new chip a variation on the company's well-known Pentium moniker, Intel decided to set the chip apart with a completely new name. (A few insiders at Intel had been jokingly referring to the chip as Mobilium.) Intel says the name, and a new logo that goes with it, suggest flight and mobility.

"The Centrino brand signifies a new generation of mobile PCs that will change where and how people compute," Pam Pollace, vice president and director of Intel's corporate marketing group, said in a statement." (Source: John G. Spooner, CNET News.com)
Posted Wednesday, January 8, 2003 by Adam
Rating: n/a


Tablet Computing: The Light Stuff

"With tablet computing, Microsoft hopes to write a new chapter in PC history.

Can the considerable marketing muscle of Microsoft Corp. make of the old something new? "Tablet" PCs have been around for years, as anyone who has ever signed for a UPS package knows. But Microsoft believes that its new operating system--and a strong commitment to the devices from a sizable range of major technology companies--can transform a niche product into a corporate must-have.

Microsoft is being careful to sell its Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, and, by extension, tablet PCs in general, as logical extensions of a knowledge worker's arsenal. At the November debut, Microsoft shared the stage with dozens of technology partners and corporate customers that were eager to explain why tablet PCs are perfect for meetings, sales calls, field visits, or any other on-the-run experience. Microsoft chairman Bill Gates went so far as to predict that within five years tablet PCs will outsell notebook and even desktop PCs. (Source: Scott Leibs, CFO Magazine)"
Posted Wednesday, January 8, 2003 by Adam
Rating: n/a


Microsoft "Smart Displays" begin shipping

"Smart Displays differ from another recently launched Microsoft platform, the Tablet PC. These are also portable displays that can be carried around like a clipboard, but unlike Smart Displays they are also full-fledged PCs that run applications locally. Users can write directly on the screen using a digital pen.

Gartner's Fiering was far more bullish about Tablet PCs. When prices for those devices come and more applications are available Gartner expects them to be widely used, particularly among vertical industries." (Source: James Niccolai, Infoworld)
Posted Wednesday, January 8, 2003 by ChrisD
Rating: n/a


Watch it Bill! Bengal techie lines up tablet PC for a song

"Tablet PC makers have a bitter pill to swallow: they have competition from Partha Prathim Chakrabarti of IIT Kharagpur who is working on a similar product that is expected to cost less than a tenth of the price.

The tablet PC � seen as a bridge between a powerful PC and a scribble pad � is being touted as the latest gizmo in the wired world. Tablet PC makers like Dell, Compaq and Toshiba are working in collaboration with Microsoft which has developed a specialised software for the product.

Microsoft has been aggressively marketing its Windows XP product that has been customised to meet the requirements of the tablet PC. Bill Gates has been acting as the evangelist for the tablet PC and promoted the product during his presentations in India two months ago." (Source: M. Rajendran, Yahoo!News India)
Posted Tuesday, January 7, 2003 by Adam
Rating: 5


Gear

"The Compaq Tablet PC TC1000 from Helwett Packard, starting at $2,643, is the newest and lowest priced entry in the emerging hand-writing technology spearheaded by Microsoft. The unique keyboard swivel lets you use the Tablet PC as a regular laptop but with half the lap space, as well as a plain tablet with the included pen-like stylus." (Source: Steve Makris, The Edmonton Journal)
Posted Tuesday, January 7, 2003 by Adam
Rating: n/a


Top engineer at IBM calls data storage next frontier

"For all the innovations we did or made on the PC, what we're getting ready to do is way past that," Dean said. "It's hard to imagine what's ahead of us compared with what's behind us. The PC will go the way of vacuum tubes, like starting a car with a crank up."

As a fellow, he has liberties to think outside the storage systems box" There's a time where we will develop a tablet," Dean said. "It will look like an 8 1/2-by-11-inch Plexiglas. It will have the resiliency of paper. It will have all the functions of a PC plus many other things. You will be able to play DVDs and music through it; all through this piece of paper.

"The display technology to do this is about four to five years away." (Source: Teya Vitu, Tuscon Citizen)
Posted Tuesday, January 7, 2003 by ChrisD
Rating: n/a


Bristol Evening Post/ Chance To Check Out Mobile Future Of Computing

"Bristol Chamber of Commerce and Initiative's eBusiness Club is to hold a technology showcase on Wednesday, January 22.

The event is free to small and medium-sized businesses and is being hosted by HewlettPackard at its Stoke Gifford site.

It will highlight new wireless technologies, including developments from HP's Cool Town labs and the Compaq Tablet PC TC1000 which features handwriting and speech input, and will show how they can be employed to give business a competitive edge."

"To book a place at the event or to find out more about the eBusiness Club call Kate Priddle on 915 2333 or visit www.ebusinessclubwest.co.uk" (Source; Financial Times Limited)
Posted Tuesday, January 7, 2003 by ChrisD
Rating: n/a


Microsoft at 2003 International CES

Find Microsoft Tablet PCs at CES:
"The Digital Experience 2003

Microsoft teams will participate in a Digital Experience press reception Wednesday, Jan. 8, from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Mirage Hotel. At the event, representatives from the Microsoft Mobile Devices Division will be on hand to demonstrate Pocket PC 2002 devices as well as the recently announced Smartphone. Representatives of Microsoft Broadband Networking will be at the event to demonstrate their new wireless networking products, and members of the Tablet PC group will be in attendance to demonstrate their newly launched products." (Source: Microsoft)
Posted Monday, January 6, 2003 by ChrisD
Rating: n/a


Cleveland Public Library Opens eBook Collection

"The Cleveland Public Library, established in 1869, has entered into an agreement with digital media company OverDrive to open a circulating eBook and digital media collection. OverDrive launched its application and service for libraries back in November.

Patrons will be able to access and download for offline reading digital books and periodicals through either the library's online catalog or from a new kiosk style website. The Cleveland Public Library eBook Collection claims it will be the first of its kind to offer best selling titles for reading on nearly every type of PC, notebook, Tablet PC, Palm, Sony and Pocket PC PDA device." (Source: PDAStreet)
Posted Monday, January 6, 2003 by ChrisD
Rating: n/a


Tech week

"Tuesday

* Chris Tom will discuss the Microsoft Tablet PC at the Computer Club of Austin meeting. A Q&A session will begin at 6:30 p.m., with a presentation to begin at 7 p.m. Thompson Center, University of Texas campus. For more information, visit www.ccaustin.org. " (Source: Austin American Statesman)
Posted Monday, January 6, 2003 by ChrisD
Rating: n/a


ViewSonic to sell desktop PCs

"ViewSonic is expected to jump into the desktop PC market this week when it unveils a computer running Windows XP Media Center at the Computer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Known primarily as a monitor manufacturer, the Walnut Creek, Calif.-based company in recent months has expanded into computers as a way to defend, and even enhance, its position in displays. By designing and marketing its own computers, the company can highlight the advantage of its CRT (cathode-ray tube) monitors and flat-panel displays. For years, the company's marketing slogan was "ViewSonic on top," a takeoff of chipmaker Intel's advertising tagline, "Intel inside."

ViewSonic representatives would not comment on the upcoming computer, but sources said the company will unveil the new PC at the CES. Other companies are expected to unveil new Media Center PCs as well, according to sources. Media Center is a variant of the Windows XP operating system that makes it easy to record television shows and to catalog music, pictures and video clips.

ViewSonic's computing push began in earnest in September, when the company released a Pocket PC. In November it unfurled a tablet PC, a portable Windows-based PC with the capability to recognize handwriting." (Source: Michael Kanellos, CNet)
Posted Monday, January 6, 2003 by ChrisD
Rating: n/a


Bright guy, dumb idea /Windows Powered Smart Displays from ViewSonic work wirelessly, but not as well as laptops that cost less and do much more

"The AirPanel V110 is almost identical in appearance as well as name to ViewSonic's V1100, a tablet PC the company introduced two months ago, and to tablet PCs from other vendors. What's the difference? A tablet PC is a full- blown, stand-alone computer equipped with its own Pentium or Pentium- compatible processor, its own hard drive and its own copy of Windows and the applications you use. It will work wherever you take it.

Smart Displays, by contrast, are much more limited, dependent devices. They work only when connected, by wire or wirelessly, to a regular PC. They lack a hard drive for storing data or applications, and while they have their own processors (in the case of the AirPanel, a 400-MHz Intel XScale) and operating system (a version of Windows CE, the OS Microsoft uses in Pocket PC handhelds and other embedded applications), those serve only to display data and applications residing on the partner PC.

In addition, tablet PCs are designed for handwritten input. They have electromagnetic screens optimized for this purpose, and they come with Microsoft software for entering and managing digital ink.

The Smart Display, by contrast, relies on a simple touch screen and plastic stylus that are better for tapping than writing. Although it includes some basic handwriting-recognition software (borrowed from Pocket PC), you don't get and can't add Windows Journal or the tablets' other ink applications." (Source Henry Norr, SFGate)
Posted Monday, January 6, 2003 by ChrisD
Rating: n/a


PRINT PUBLISHERS PREPARE LAUNCH OF E-PERIODICALS

"Microsoft Partners See a Tablet PC-Reading Market

A variety of publishing companies working in cooperation with Microsoft Corp. are preparing to launch e-periodicals designed for reading on Tablet PCs, according to the company.

In the second quarter The New Yorker, The Financial Times, Forbes, Microsoft Corp.'s online publication Slate and a handful of international publications expect to start putting out versions of their content in Tablet PC format. The exact timing of the move depends on ongoing software development tweaks and tests with publishers." (Source Ad Age)
Posted Monday, January 6, 2003 by ChrisD
Rating: n/a


A life in bits and bytes

"newsmakers "Consider a future device for individual use, which is a sort of mechanized private file and library," wrote information technology visionary Vannevar Bush in the July 1945 issue of the Atlantic Monthly.

"It...is a device in which an individual stores all his books, records, and communications, and which is mechanized so that it may be consulted with exceeding speed and flexibility. It is an enlarged intimate supplement to his memory."

Thus did Bush describe what he called a "memex," which he envisioned as a desk-size appliance festooned with "slanting translucent screens," buttons and levers, and loaded with microfilm. Data entry would be accomplished by means of "dry photography" on a transparent platen--a midcentury vision of the scanner.

Fifty-seven years later, Microsoft researcher Gordon Bell has realized Bush's memex, having entered "nearly everything possible from his entire life" into his computer as part of a Microsoft project at its Bay Area Research Center (BARC) in San Francisco.

Do you really see a market for this kind of application?
The question is, will people do it? I think they will naturally do it, and for certain people, for kids, it may be natural to want to do this. If the tablet (PC) becomes hugely successful, then it's going to all be there. I have no doubt that within 10 or 20 years that will be successful. It squeezes out the paper as the input media." (Source: Paul Festa, CNet)
Posted Monday, January 6, 2003 by ChrisD
Rating: n/a


Transmeta releases embedded Crusoe processors

"TRANSMETA RELEASED SIX new processors for embedded systems such as point-of-sale terminals and industrial automation devices Monday, focusing on an energy-efficient design that alleviates the need for a cooling fan within the device.

Three different clock speeds will be available for the new Crusoe Special Embedded processors: 667MHz, 800MHz, and 933MHz, with standard-power and low-power models available at each speed, said Tom Lee, director of embedded business development for Transmeta. Transmeta's other processors for notebook computers and Tablet PCs are also known as Crusoes." (Source: Tom Kraznit, Infoworld)
Posted Monday, January 6, 2003 by ChrisD
Rating: n/a


Wireless Gadgets Help Executives Cut Office Ties: Tech Tools

"Tablet PCs

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates used his traditional fall Comdex keynote speech to showcase the first tablet PCs, which are portable computers with letter-size, touch-sensitive flat screens that accept writing done with a stylus. Software can turn your writing into typed text. Or you can edit and enhance your handwritten notes without converting them.

Hewlett-Packard's three-pound Compaq Tablet PC TC1000 has a 10.4-inch screen. The screen swivels one way so you can use the TC1000 like a notebook by typing on its detachable keyboard. Swivel the screen the other way to use the tablet features. The screen contains a built-in Wi-Fi adapter, a modem and an Ethernet jack." (Source: Robert S. Anthony, Bloomberg)
Posted Monday, January 6, 2003 by ChrisD
Rating: n/a


PC on a screen has its drawbacks

"Microsoft may have quite a challenge explaining to the masses how this wireless screen differs from last autumn's Tablet PC, whose looks, marketing language, core audience of well-heeled techies and manufacturer roster are confusingly similar to those of the Smart Display. Both devices are touch-sensitive, flat-panel slabs that let you carry Windows with you from room to room.

If you are among the bewildered, here's the difference: A Tablet PC ($1,500 to $2,200) is a full-blown computer with a hard drive. The new Smart Display, on the other hand, is only a screen. When you use it to download recipes in the kitchen or burn a CD in the bedroom, you're actually downloading those recipes and burning that CD on your main PC in the den. Your portable screen shows all the action, even when it's up to 150 feet (46 meters) away. (The PC's own screen shows nothing but the Windows XP sign-in screen. If somebody sits down to use it, you get bumped off your Smart Display.)" (Source: David Pogue, The New York Times - Reposted on the International Herald Tribune)
Posted Monday, January 6, 2003 by ChrisD
Rating: n/a


Digital conversion: Watch how you write

"If you�ve been trying hard to convince yourself that your six-year-old�s undecipherable scrawl doesn�t matter since it�ll be just a matter of years before he punches on the keyboard of a PC, think again. Seems like the world may revert to using a pen (only we�ll now call it a stylus) and notebook called the Tablet PC.

As you jot on the screen of the computer with your electronic pen, its handwriting recognition function converts what you�ve written to text � provided of course your handwriting doesn�t resemble �chicken scratches�." (Source: Sobha Menon, Times News Network, India)
Posted Sunday, January 5, 2003 by ChrisD
Rating: n/a


Will Tablet PCs Catch On?

"CNN's Kristie Lu Stout looks at the likelihood that tablet computers could catch on with consumers in an already saturated market"
(Recorded prior to 11/7 launch)
Posted Sunday, January 5, 2003 by ChrisD
Rating: n/a


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