June 1, 2004

The Tablet: Big Machine On Campus?
NBC4.TV

Microsoft And Thomson Learning Hope That A Giveaway Of The Nifty Notebooks Will Spark Demand Among Students -- And Teachers

his September, some University of Virginia students will be lugging more than course outlines, gargantuan textbooks, and standard laptops. Tucked away in their backpacks, 425 students of biochemistry, psychology, or statistics will have a new, free Tablet PC, courtesy of Microsoft (MSFT) and Thomson Learning (TOC).
The school believes the compact, portable PC, which is about the size of a typical spiral notebook, will add a new dimension to the classroom. The Tablet will let professors enliven lectures with digital extras and enable students to scrawl notes and draw diagrams while watching 3-D molecules split -- all with the touch of a stylus.

With its snazzy new ink and handwriting-recognition technology, which allows a user to write on the screen, the Tablet whips hastily scrawled notes into organized and searchable Microsoft Word documents and gives students access to the teachers' own handwritten notes. Professors can audio-record lessons for students to listen to during study hours. 11:19 am

Motion Computing Includes Full Version of Alias SketchBook Pro on
Third-Generation Tablet PC
Alias Press Release

Award-winning M1400 First Tablet to Offer Users Complete Accessibility to
Leading Sketching and Annotation Software

Alias, a Silicon Graphics, Inc. (NYSE: SGI) company, and Motion Computing® today announced an agreement to include the full version of Alias® SketchBook(tm) Pro on all Motion M1400 Tablet PCs configured with the Motion Pak software package sold worldwide. The bundle combines Motion Computing's cutting-edge Tablet PCs with Alias SketchBook Pro's best-in-class digital pen-based sketching and annotation software. 

"Motion and Alias have similar philosophies - lead the market with innovative
products that change the way people can collaborate and communicate," says
Steve Maric, sales and marketing manager, Alias.  "The speed, power and
versatility of the three pound M1400 make it a perfect match to the sketching
and annotation tools of Alias SketchBook Pro.  For creative professionals,
that means the most functional mobile computing option available today."
11:14 am

.NET Rock Star: Julia Lerman
devsource.ziffdavis.com

Outside, you might notice the woman hiking or skiing in Vermont's Green Mountain National Forest. But when she comes back indoors, Julia Lerman has a different persona. As an independent contractor and software developer, she's been programming for 20 years and self-employed for last 13. Somehow, she's found herself in a visible position in the .NET community, between user groups, Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs), and other connections between software developers.

I've been working a lot lately with Tablet PCs. One of my consulting clients not only gets excited about new technology, but is savvy about how to leverage technology in his business. When he saw Tablet PCs, he immediately grokked the benefit of using them for a project that we were planning. So I got a tablet—and quickly realized how many designissues there were to consider.

Sarah McLachlan Gets Personal with Latest Artist's Choice CD; Starbucks Celebrates CD Launch by Giving Wi-Fi Users Exclusive Interview Footage via the T-Mobile Hotspot Service
Business Wire

Starbucks customers that access the T-Mobile HotSpot service can experience exclusive multimedia Wi-Fi content from the Sarah McLachlan Artist's Choice(TM) CD. Wi-Fi users at Starbucks can interact with the music McLachlan picked for the CD, and for the first time ever watch her exclusive Artist's Choice(TM) interview with Hear Music. Starbucks customers with a Wi-Fi equipped laptop computer or Tablet PC can watch the exclusive video content, access digital liner notes and listen to sample songs from the CD at any one of the more than 2,900 Starbucks locations that offer the T-Mobile HotSpot service 8:33 am

REALTY WORLD Northern California and Criterion Corporation Announce Private Labeled Wireless Mobile Office Solution
Business Wire

Real Estate Firm Partners with Criterion Corporation to Offer Customized Tablet PC-based REALTY WORLD Wireless Office

REALTY WORLD(R) Northern California, Inc. has announced plans to implement an enterprise wireless mobile office solution that will provide its 1,100 agents in more than 400 real estate offices in Northern California and Northern Nevada the latest technology tools to boost productivity and client service.

The REALTY WORLD Wireless Office was developed by Criterion Corporation, a mobile hardware and software solutions innovator specializing in wireless enterprise applications for the real estate industry. The REALTY WORLD package features Criterion's REDTablet(TM) Mobile Office Solution, which consists of a Motion Computing M1400 Tablet PC with Intel(R) Centrino(TM) Mobile Technology, 512MB of RAM and a 40GB hard drive. The package also includes Microsoft(R) Windows(R) Office XP software, Sprint Sierra 550 Wireless WAN Card, HP deskjet mobile printer and an Executive Portfolio Carrying Case. Agents may select options, including additional hard disk storage and RAM, DVD/CD-ROM External Drive, 12.1" XGA TFT LCD View Anywhere(TM) Display, Detachable Hardtop Keyboard and Cover, "Flex Dock" Desktop Docking Station, and a digital camera. 8:30 am

Bowers & Wilkins Loudspeakers at CEDIA 2004
HiddenWires

A new brand from the B&W Group, this is the first European showing for i Command - a radical multi-room control system which offers the sophistication of current computer control based platforms without the need for complicated and time consuming programming. Utilising RS-232 protocols, i Command works by assigning an IP address to the equipment which it is connected to, allowing the installer to build a bespoke web page for control. Using either CAT-5 cable or Wireless connections, i Command can be navigated by an in-wall keypad or a PDA/PC tablet. Allowing for easy integration with other products - projectors, lighting etc., i Command is an ideal solution for multi-room installations. 8:28 am

Industry-leading notebooks and digital home products – Twinhead showcases its power in product development and design
DigiTimes

Twinhead aims to market stylish and diversified products to strive for greater margins and the company has dedicated significant resources to designing products using the latest technology and offering the most flexible and diverse functionality.

Twinhead T8 ruggedized Tablet PC

Industrial notebooks require distinctive features such as waterproofing and shock resistance. Twinhead has implemented these features into its new T8 Tablet PC. This model has successfully passed shock, vibration, humidity, temperature, water immersion and dust exposure tests. The T8 conforms to military standards (MIL-STD-810) and is equipped with Billinton Bluetooth and Airvast 802.11b wireless modules. 1:30 am

Physician's medical records program draws attention
Flint Journal

FLINT ?Dr. Ayman Haidar never writes anything down. Not a single prescription or observation. Not one letter.

Instead, he uses his tablet PC to take notes during exams and write prescriptions, using EMR, the new electronic medical records program he developed about three years ago when he started his practice at Genesee Urgent Care Clinic.

"I decided from day one we were going to be as paperless as possible," said Haidar, 35.

"It's very easy to find any information about the patient," he said. "Anything is only a few clicks away."   Haidar can access his patients' files from anywhere: the office, the hospital, his home or anywhere with a computer.

  Haidar's office staff also loves the electronic?nly approach to patient records.  Office Manager Margaret Osborn said Haidar's software is simple and efficient.  "It's much more convenient," she said. "If you go to a filing cabinet, that takes a lot of time and that has to be in order, this is so much quicker."

The program also adds an element of safety to prescriptions since pharmacists no longer have to decipher his handwriting. In fact, Haidar said 70 percent of the prescriptions he writes are faxed to pharmacists when the patient is in the office. That way the drugs are ready when the patient gets to the pharmacy.  1:28 am

Electronic notebooks are on tap at U.Va.
Richmond Times

As part of an experimental program, the University of Virginia will equip more than 400 of its students this fall with electronic notebooks that can translate handwriting into text.U.Va. will be working in collaboration with the Thompson Corp. and Microsoft Corp. to also develop digital course material for use with the Tablet PCs - electronic devices that weigh a little more than 2 pounds and are about the size of a thick notebook.

The Tablet PCs are being donated to the school by the companies.

The pilot program will run for at least two semesters beginning in the fall and will be used by about 400 students each semester. The courses in the project are biochemistry, psychology and statistics. The Tablet PCs, which range in cost from $1,500 to $2,500 will be loaned to the students involved in the project. The Tablet PCs have been available to the public for about two years.   1:26 am

Notebooks sales to large firms expected to fall: IDC
iT News

Companies with 250 or more staff expect to spend less on notebooks in the next 12 months, a recent market report by IDC has found.

Michael Sager, market analyst for PC hardware at IDC, said that a survey of 255 enterprises in Australia with 250 or more staff revealed that their overall notebook spend was expected to decrease.

However, the picture still looked bright for notebook sales to SMBs and for tablet PCs and smart handheld devices across the board.  1:22 am

Microsoft TechEd 2004 Roundup
Canoe.ca

Anybody who has attended a Microsoft "TechEd" event knows it is like drinking from the Microsoft fire hose for five solid days.

Despite few new product/software version releases and big announcements, this years' TechEd at the San Diego Convention Center kept the 11,000 attendees busy from early morning "Birds of A Feather" technical sessions right up until the last saxophone tune was played at the 2 AM closing of the nightly jam sessions.

Now just when you thought old technology such as faxing was nearing the end of its product life cycle, companies like Miami-based Venali (www.venali.com) some up with new variations of an old theme. Venali, which is an Internet-based fax tool that works like a printer when you want to send a document from something like MS-Word, is priced lower than a Telus phone line, is perfect for fax blasting companies, and addresses new hardware like Tablet PC's. In other words, you can "sign" an MS-Word form with a Tablet PC pen, then tap a toolbar icon and send it off as a .tif file to the recipient. We'll take an in-depth look at Venali later on this year.  1:20 am

June 2, 2004

New power toys from one of those Inky Code contests
Tabula PC

It's Wednesday morning, June 2, so it must be time for some new tablet power toys (as some of you have already guessed). As totally amazing as it may seem, last year's Does Your Code Think in Ink? contest actually generated some software submissions (about 70 or so), and months after people gave up even asking to see any of them, we now have the top three available for download.

The 3 power toys are available from the PC Magazine website (http://www.pcmag.com/tabletpcpowertoys), but that means you have to go through some privacy-sucking registration forms to access the downloads, and I'm very unhappy with that. I don't feel like I have to divulge 3 pages of personal information (from hair color to my dog's favorite snack brand), and then clear over a dozen checkboxes so I don't get spammed with every imaginable PC Magazine newsletter. Not cool!

Once you give away all your personal secrets, you can download the grand prize winner and two runners up. But is it really worth it? Here's a short recap

If it weren't for this last runner up, I'd be really dejected right about now. Scott Hanselman saves the day! His Web Search Power Tool may not be pretty or glamorous, but is exactly what I want from a power tool - it's actually useful. 12:22 pm

Microsoft and PC Magazine Announce Winners of Tablet PC 'Does Your Code Think in Ink?' Contest
PR Newswire

Top Three New Tablet PC Power Toys, Chosen From Over 70 Creative Entries, Available for Free Download From PC Magazine

Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) and PC Magazine today announced the winners of the Microsoft(R) Tablet PC "Does Your Code Think In Ink?" contest, a competition challenging developers to build the most creative PowerToy utilities that incorporate digital ink functionality included in the Microsoft Windows(R) XP Tablet PC Edition platform. The goal of the contest was to provide users with a new set of free PowerToys that will enrich their Tablet PC experience. Individual developers across the globe submitted code in competition for the grand prize of $15,000. Microsoft and PC Magazine selected one grand-prize winner and two runners-up from more than 70 unique entries.

"I am very excited to see so many innovative pen-enabled PowerToys resulting from the contest," said Andrew Dixon, director of marketing for the Tablet PC division at Microsoft. "The Tablet PC is about enabling people to use the power of their mobile PC in new places and in new ways, and it is always fascinating to see what new software can be created when you combine the Tablet PC platform with a group of talented and creative developers." Developers used the Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition platform and the accompanying Microsoft Tablet PC Software Development Kit (SDK) to develop their PowerToys. 9:28 am

"Does Your Code Think in Ink" Winners
PC Mag

Late last winter, a group of PC Magazine editors gathered in PC Labs to judge 15 finalist utilities in the "Does Your Code Think in Ink?" contest sponsored by Microsoft. The competition, launched October 26 at the Microsoft Professional Developer Conference in Los Angeles, gave developers roughly three months to build and deliver PowerToy utilities that would take advantage of the Microsoft Windows for Tablet PC operating system and the tablet PCs that run it

Grand Prize: MyOwnFont

The MyOwnFont PowerToy allows you to create a TrueType font from your handwriting. The font will work in any application that recognizes TrueType, including e-mail software and word processors. You can even apply your creation to the system font in Display Properties and have the ultimate customized desktop with your own handwriting displayed throughout the system.

First Runner Up: PowerPaint

The PowerPaint PowerToy lets you apply paint strokes to create unique animated images. A clever feature mixes colors in response to pen pressure. For example, you can start with green and transition to blue as you press harder.

Second Runner Up: Web Search Power Tool for the Tablet PC

The Web Search Power Tool for the Tablet PC gives you a small input panel that lives in the upper left corner of your screen. To perform a search, you write directly in the panel and click send, which converts your writing to text and executes the search. 9:26 am

Intellisync Voted Best Mobility Solution by Windows & .NET Magazine for Second Consecutive Year
Yahoo News

Intellisync Corporation (Nasdaq: SYNC - News), a leading provider of synchronization and mobilization software, today announced that its Intellisync® Mobile Suite software won Windows & .NET Magazine's "Best of TechEd 2004" Award as the top solution in the "Mobile PCs and Devices" category. Intellisync Mobile Suite, which provides wireless access to a wide range of enterprise data, was selected over finalists iAnywhere Solutions, JP Mobile Inc. and AT&T Wireless based on its strategic importance in the market, competitive advantage and value to the customer. It is the second consecutive year in which Intellisync Mobile Suite has captured the prestigious award.

Intellisync Mobile Suite extends corporate data to mobile and remote employees, delivering access to enterprise applications, files, email and PIM data, intranet sites and Web content. It also provides valuable tools for remotely managing mobile devices. Intellisync Mobile Suite is composed of four core products: Intellisync Email Accelerator, Intellisync Data Sync, Intellisync File Sync and Intellisync Systems Management. It is compatible with a wide range of mobile devices, including laptop and tablet PCs, Windows Mobile-based Smartphones, and handhelds based on the Pocket PC, Palm OS and Symbian operating systems. 9:24 am

Electrovaya Announces Excellence Award From NASA
Business Wire

Electrovaya Inc. (TSX:EFL) (www.electrovaya.com), a world leader in lithium ion SuperPolymer(R) battery technology, is pleased to announce the "Recognition of Excellence" award from NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration - Johnson Space Center) Extravehicular Activities (EVA) Office.

Electrovaya's goal is to become the leading provider of tablet PC's, portable power for the notebook computer and wireless sectors, and to apply its technology to a broad spectrum of alternative energy applications including aerospace, UPS, stand-by power and zero emission vehicles. It develops, manufactures and sells high value products globally using its award winning patented proprietary lithium ion SuperPolymer(R) rechargeable battery technology, which delivers the highest energy density of any commercially available rechargeable battery technology on the market today. Electrovaya has designed, developed and markets the SCRIBBLER Tablet PC which offers significantly longer run time than any other Tablet PC currently available.  9:20 am

ABC INK
tabletpcpost

A tracing program to help children practice writing words. Choose from a list of words that include: apple, barn, fish, ladder, umbrella, and many others. When you're done tracing the letter, click "See Picture" and the program will take your letters and turn them into a picture of that word.  9:17 am

DSU among universities to get course redesign grants
Madison Daily Leader

Nearly $439,000 has been awarded to the state's public universities to redesign courses to improve student learning and reduce costs of course delivery.

Approximately $309,000 is designated to 11 course redesign projects led by faculty at the public universities. The results of the redesign will improve the teaching of an entire course, not just a specific section.

An additional $130,000 is for the redesign of 29 general education courses at Dakota State University to improve efficiency by using wireless infrastructure and Tablet PCs.

grant recipients at DSU:

Richard Christoph, Barb Myers, and Melissa Gioglio to redesign CSC 105 Introduction to Computers to incorporate wireless and Tablet PC technology.

--Wireless Technology in General Education; to redesign 29 general education courses to use the wireless infrastructure and Tablet PCs. The courses will be redesigned so that homework and other assignments are completed, submitted to faculty, and returned electronically.  9:15 am

June 3, 2004

What do Technology, The Zoo, Jessica Simpson, Killer Whales and Fireworks have in Common?
TabletPc2.com Exclusive

Acer concedes tablet PC isn't catching on
EE Times

Acer Inc., a key backer of the tablet PC, conceded that it may be years before the concept catches on. The company cited a lack of applications to drive adoption and the need to shrink the price premium tablets now command over standard notebook PCs.

Still, Acer said it is moving ahead with research on "commodity technology" intended to lower the cost of tablets, and perhaps push the functionality to become a standard feature in notebook PCs. "If that happens, then it will help boost tablet PC sales and help it become mainstream," said Campbell Kan, head of Acer's notebook product line.

"The key, we believe, is on the applications. We know that Microsoft is working with a lot of individual software vendors for more applications. But to adopt a new concept like this takes years. But we still believe that method of input will eventually be what the end user needs.

This summer, Microsoft is expected to ship Windows XP Tablet Edition 2005, which will include Version 1.7 of its software development kit and Office applications more closely integrated with the tablet functionality.  10:33 am

Three Minutes: Godfathers of the Spreadsheet
PC World 

Twenty-five years after inventing the electronic spreadsheet, Dan Bricklin talks about the dawn of personal computing, why small software firms remain crucial, how technology aids community, and what people still don't get about Tablet PCs.

PCW: You've been a big proponent of pen computing. How's the Tablet PC looking?

Bricklin: Tablet PCs are too heavy for some uses, they don't have the [optimal screen] resolution, and there are a lot of other technical issues. But they're getting there. And for some people, they are there.

It's good that Microsoft is pushing the tablet forward; it opens up a new form factor. With [Wi-Fi] and the Internet, we're frequently just choosing and clicking, and the pen is wonderful for that. I can sit here reading with my tablet. I don't even necessarily use the pen; I use the arrow buttons on the machine.

The pen isn't about handwriting recognition. That's completely wrong. That's like taking a sound card and viewing the sound card by how well it does voice recognition--rather than the fact that I can now do voice over IP, and rip MP3s and play back MP3s, and do learning at a distance with Flash movies, and view streaming video with audio. 10:27 am

Tatung shows off entertainment products, displays, Tablet PCs, servers and a videophone
DigiTimes

Tatung’s theme at this year’s Computex is “Quality Living to Live Smart.” The company is displaying its full range of IT products that enable people to access and display digital content easily and pleasantly. The line of devices on display includes the Media Center Extender, Photo Jukebox, TV cards, PDP/LCD TVs, Tablet PCs and a broadband videophone.

In IT products, pride of place is going to the company’s Tablet PC with built-in WLAN connectivity. 12:01 am

June 4, 2004

Motion Computing M1400 pcmag.com

A Must-See Tablet PC

One of our biggest complaints about tablet PCs has been their use of the same LCDs that are found in notebooks. The problem is that these displays usually have one really bad viewing angle—the angle from keyboard to screen. Granted, you'd never experience this angle from a typical notebook, but on a slate design, the flaw is noticeable, especially when you're trying to read with the screen in portrait mode. So we're happy to heap some praise on Motion Computing's M1400. This is the first slate with a 12.1-inch screen to eliminate the bad viewing angle, providing crisp, colorful images no matter which way you look at the screen. Once you check out the M1400, our new Editors' Choice, you won't want another model.

The Motion Dashboard app gives quick access to important settings, and let us adjust the amazing dual-array microphones built into the screen bezel. With barely any tweaking, we were able to block most ambient noise and record only voices speaking directly at the screen.

We did like the fingerprint sensor we found on the side, however. Coupled with the installed OmniPass software, the sensor let us merely swipe a finger to access password-protected Web sites, programs, and other log-ons that we configured it to manage.

The Motion Computing M1400 will be drawing in slate aficionados from around the world. They'll find the best tablet PC screen around, along with robust, easy-to-use features that add to a solid pen-based computing experience.  10:15 am

Julia's DevTeach Tablet Session
whatisnew.com

The Tablet PC Developer's Revolution
When: Tuesday June 22 9:30AM
Speaker: Julia Lerman
Room: NET169

Bringing your Windows Forms skills to the world of Tablet PC's means more than learning how to create inkable controls. Many developers will be writing applications with a minimum of user experience on the tablet. Take a look at some of the common issues and decision making you will have to deal with when creating very usable applications for Tablet PC's. How to deal with your data in a disconnected environment? What options are there for inkable controls.... 10:13 am

Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction Conference Tablet PC Events
whatisnew.com

Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI) Conference 2004 will have a couple sessions convering Tablet PC uses. The sessions look like they will cover familiar issues. It's good to see such initiative. 10:09 am

LawNet Tablet PC Webinar
whatisnew.com

LawNet, Inc members can attend a free webinar on Tablet PCs.

Microsoft SIG, The Right Clique: The Tablet PC -
When: June 17, 2004, 2:00 PM Eastern
Speaker: Greg Renza, Perfect Access Speer

Doctors, Untethered
Forbes

At St. Vincent's Hospital in Birmingham, Ala., medical data are literally in the air. X-rays, CAT scans and lab results can be plucked immediately off of the hospital's wireless network, saving doctors time. Now St. Vincent's Wi-Fi network is being turned to an even more important purpose: eliminating medical errors. "Our goal is zero preventable errors

That's where Wi-Fi could help. "It's indispensable," says Mark Maldia, an internist who has worked at St. Vincent's since last July. At another hospital he might spend an hour running from floor to floor to get an X-ray. Now he can download it in five minutes. Lab results come across as soon as they're ready, not hours later. And with his tablet PC, Maldia can show patients images of their broken bones or tumors. He can even compare new images to old ones. In March, Maldia became one of the first doctors at St. Vincent's to begin prescribing drugs by computer. His verdict? "It could be the biggest time-saver yet." 10:01 am

Sync-and-go web application support
ComputerWeekly.com

Sybase's Mobile division has unveiled the latest version of iAnywhere's M-Business Anywhere mobile application platform, featuring broader device support, new usage tracking capabilities and support for global deployments. It has also added tablet, laptop and PC support.Caroline Scofield, mobile product manager at Sybase said, "M-Business Anywhere is the only solution in the industry that enables developers to create mobile web applications for deployment on such a wide range of devices.”

“For example, existing web applications designed for delivery to PDAs can now be seamlessly deployed to tablets," she added.

The upgrade provides companies with unprecedented device flexibility while keeping development costs very low, because they can use their existing web development expertise.

"By supporting tablets, laptops and PCs in addition to PDAs, iAnywhere has made M-Business Anywhere an even stronger enterprise platform," 9:54 am

Alias releases SketchBook Pro for Mac
digitmag

Maya maker Alias has announced that its SketchBook Pro software is now available for Mac OS X. SketchBook Pro is a sketching and annotation software application that works with pen tablets.

SketchBook Pro was originally released for Tablet PCs. Product Manager Colin Smith said that Mac users have requested the software for their platform since its initial release. "Almost every second or third e-mail has been, 'Can you put this on the Mac,'" Smith told MacCentral. "So when the time came to decide new features for this release, Mac OS X support was at the top of the list."  9:52 am

June 7, 2004

Robertson Research Institute's NxOpinion Gives Doctors a Virtual Second Opinion
ComputerWorld

In a developing nation, a physician enters his observations of a patient's condition into a tablet computer. A user-friendly application compares the data to a massive knowledge base, then requests additional information from the physician to facilitate a rapid and accurate diagnosis through a unique "virtual dialogue."

The output must be equally user-friendly as the input," he says, adding that NxOpinion is a mobile technology that could eventually "reside on a PDA, tablet computer or PC and be updated when those devices are synced."

NxOpinion "was designed to facilitate and enhance workflow," says Bates, who participated in pilot testing in the Dominican Republic. "I didn't think any of the doctors there had seen a tablet [PC] before, but they easily picked it up. Adding data worked better than expected, thanks to the flexibility of the English/Spanish translation capability."  10:49 am

Motion Computing CEO Scott Eckert Wins An Entrepreneur Of The Of The Year Award
Business Wire

Motion Computing announced today that its CEO, Scott Eckert, was named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year(R) for Austin.

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year honor is among the world's most prestigious awards for entrepreneurs. Eckert was chosen from a list of widely respected CEO finalists from companies such as Staktek Holdings, PlanView, Multimedia Games, Esoterix Inc., NetSpend Corp., Waveset and Wayport, all successful ventures in Austin.

Motion Computing, its tablet PCs and other mobile computing products have won eight awards for industry leadership and technology innovation in 2004. Motion was recently named a Red Herring Top 100 private technology company, and has garnered PC Magazine's Editors' Choice award, Computer Reseller News' "Highly Recommended" designation and Laptop Magazine's Ultimate Choice Award for its recently announced M1400 Tablet PC.

"The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award recognizes individuals who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement," said Darin McNelis, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year program director. "Scott Eckert embodies each of these qualities and may count himself among an elite group of the world's best entrepreneurs. Congratulations to Scott and to Motion Computing."

Eckert has a history of success in the area of entrepreneurship. Prior to leading Motion Computing to early success, he was, in addition to other general manager positions at Dell Inc., the founder and general manager of Dell Online where he was responsible for the creation and execution of Dell's worldwide Internet strategy. Under his management, Dell's electronic commerce revenue grew from zero to about $20 million per day, making it the largest computer vendor on the Internet and one of the most celebrated e-commerce case studies.

Motion also announced today that leaders of the world's major industrial nations and their staffs will use Motion tablet PCs at the G8 Summit this week in Sea Island, Ga. 10:44 am

G8 Summit Deploys Tablet PCs, Advanced Software To Assist Dialogue Among World Leaders
Business Wire

Out with sticky notes and staff scrambling about. In with clipboard-sized Tablet PCs and the latest communications software.

When the G8 Summit convenes here this week, world leaders and their staffs will interact in a manner befitting the 21st century -- relying on state-of-the-art Tablet PC hardware and cutting-edge software for "digital" note taking, online collaboration, and rapid, secure information transfer.

The G8 Summit is an informal gathering for leaders of the world's major industrial nations to discuss international issues. Until now, summit participants often relied on sticky notes and staff runners as a means ofcommunications. Now the summit organizers are providing Motion Computing(R) Tablet PCs running Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Tablet PC Edition and Microsoft Office OneNote(tm) and equipped with software developed by Groove Networks, among others, to accelerate communication among the world leaders' staffs.

"Our goal is to apply technology strategically to make this the most constructive and productive summit in the event's 30-year history," said Prescott Caballero, deputy chief information officer of the G8 Summit Planning Organization. "Over the last several months, we've evaluated a number of technology options and were very impressed with the combination of slateTablet PCs and software that enables peer-to-peer communications, digital note-taking and screen-sharing. The use of these tools already has cut preparation time by as much as 50 percent, and we expect these tools will help facilitate more productive dialogue among the summit participants this week."

Integral to the new process are specially trained staff members -- called sherpas -- from each participating country.

For example, a world leader's sherpa can quietly take notes during a session with a digital pen, underline text to flag a need for information, transmit the automatically encrypted notes over a peer-to-peer network toresearchersand policy staff located in a remote research room, and quickly and unobtrusively receive an answer to the query. After the summit, each country will remove its Tablet PC hard drives for transit home. 

From Motion Computing

Motion Computing's widely acclaimed M1300 Tablet PCs will be the hardware mainstay for the summit's collaborative environment and the primary means for each world leader's sherpa staffer to quickly communicate with policy staff and researchers.

"The G8 Summit planning committee needed a mobile computing solution that would let the world leaders and their staffs communicate faster and more reliably than ever," said Scott Eckert, Motion's CEO. "Motion delivered on these requirements in a great example of Tablet PC versatility and people using our systems in new ways and places."

G8 sherpas will use Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 on Motion Tablet PCs to capture and organize notes digitally during the summit, which they will share in real time with their assistants through shared-session technology. OneNote takes advantage of unique digital inking features in the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system to combine the freedom and flexibility of paper notes with the efficiency and power of digital organizational tools. The combination of OneNote with the Tablet PC's pen and ink functionality allows you to be more productive anywhere you need to take notes.

"The Tablet PC is about enabling people to use the power of their mobile PC in new places and in new ways" said Bill Mitchell, vice president of the Windows Mobile(tm) Platforms Division at Microsoft Corp. "The innovative use of technology at the G8 Summit is a great example of how the Tablet PC along with Microsoft OneNote can replace less efficient paper processes to streamline the way people interact and work together." 10:33 am

Toshiba Portégé M200 Tablet PC Review
rojakpot.com

The Toshiba Portégé M200 is one of the latest convertible Tablet PCs running the Microsoft Tablet PC operating system. In fact, it's currently the most powerful and capable Tablet PC in the market!

So, let's take a look at what the Portégé M200 offers. Oh by the way,unlikeother members of Team ARP, I'm not a person who believes in benchmarks. I prefer the judge a notebook on other aspects

The Toshiba Portégé M200 is definitely worth checking out if you are in the market for a Tablet PC or an ultra-portable notebook. It is more expensive than other ultra-portables in the same class but that's because of its additional capabilities as well as its Tablet features. If you give this Tablet PC a shot, you'll never want to return to a normal notebook again!  10:30 am

Tablet PCs on slow dissolve
ZDNet.co.uk, UK

Those who've actually used Tablet PCs are enthusiastic. There are many classes of consumer who aren't at ease with keyboards, and the Tablet PC's handwriting recognition is good enough to keep them happy. The next generation of operating system extensions will be even easier to use -- when Microsoft manages to ship them: the company's seeming inability to produce new software has spilled over into Lonestar, the long-promised update. And nobody doubts that the ideal domestic tablet that's slim, light, long-lived, cheap and delivers high quality media over wireless networking will walk off the shelves.

When the technology for pen-sensitive screens becomes cheap enough, it will be adopted by everyone -- and why not. At that point, Microsoft will stop maintaining the Tablet PC operating system as a separate brand and just subsume the pen and digital ink stuff into the mainstream OS. 10:26 am

June 7, 2004

Robertson Research Institute's NxOpinion Gives Doctors a Virtual Second Opinion
ComputerWorld

In a developing nation, a physician enters his observations of a patient's condition into a tablet computer. A user-friendly application compares the data to a massive knowledge base, then requests additional information from the physician to facilitate a rapid and accurate diagnosis through a unique "virtual dialogue."

The output must be equally user-friendly as the input," he says, adding that NxOpinion is a mobile technology that could eventually "reside on a PDA, tablet computer or PC and be updated when those devices are synced."

NxOpinion "was designed to facilitate and enhance workflow," says Bates, who participated in pilot testing in the Dominican Republic. "I didn't think any of the doctors there had seen a tablet [PC] before, but they easily picked it up. Adding data worked better than expected, thanks to the flexibility of the English/Spanish translation capability."  10:49 am

Motion Computing CEO Scott Eckert Wins An Entrepreneur Of The Of The Year Award
Business Wire

Motion Computing announced today that its CEO, Scott Eckert, was named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year(R) for Austin.

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year honor is among the world's most prestigious awards for entrepreneurs. Eckert was chosen from a list of widely respected CEO finalists from companies such as Staktek Holdings, PlanView, Multimedia Games, Esoterix Inc., NetSpend Corp., Waveset and Wayport, all successful ventures in Austin.

Motion Computing, its tablet PCs and other mobile computing products have won eight awards for industry leadership and technology innovation in 2004. Motion was recently named a Red Herring Top 100 private technology company, and has garnered PC Magazine's Editors' Choice award, Computer Reseller News' "Highly Recommended" designation and Laptop Magazine's Ultimate Choice Award for its recently announced M1400 Tablet PC.

"The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award recognizes individuals who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement," said Darin McNelis, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year program director. "Scott Eckert embodies each of these qualities and may count himself among an elite group of the world's best entrepreneurs. Congratulations to Scott and to Motion Computing."

Eckert has a history of success in the area of entrepreneurship. Prior to leading Motion Computing to early success, he was, in addition to other general manager positions at Dell Inc., the founder and general manager of Dell Online where he was responsible for the creation and execution of Dell's worldwide Internet strategy. Under his management, Dell's electronic commerce revenue grew from zero to about $20 million per day, making it the largest computer vendor on the Internet and one of the most celebrated e-commerce case studies.

Motion also announced today that leaders of the world's major industrial nations and their staffs will use Motion tablet PCs at the G8 Summit this week in Sea Island, Ga. 10:44 am

G8 Summit Deploys Tablet PCs, Advanced Software To Assist Dialogue Among World Leaders
Business Wire

Out with sticky notes and staff scrambling about. In with clipboard-sized Tablet PCs and the latest communications software.

When the G8 Summit convenes here this week, world leaders and their staffs will interact in a manner befitting the 21st century -- relying on state-of-the-art Tablet PC hardware and cutting-edge software for "digital" note taking, online collaboration, and rapid, secure information transfer.

The G8 Summit is an informal gathering for leaders of the world's major industrial nations to discuss international issues. Until now, summit participants often relied on sticky notes and staff runners as a means ofcommunications. Now the summit organizers are providing Motion Computing(R) Tablet PCs running Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Tablet PC Edition and Microsoft Office OneNote(tm) and equipped with software developed by Groove Networks, among others, to accelerate communication among the world leaders' staffs.

"Our goal is to apply technology strategically to make this the most constructive and productive summit in the event's 30-year history," said Prescott Caballero, deputy chief information officer of the G8 Summit Planning Organization. "Over the last several months, we've evaluated a number of technology options and were very impressed with the combination of slateTablet PCs and software that enables peer-to-peer communications, digital note-taking and screen-sharing. The use of these tools already has cut preparation time by as much as 50 percent, and we expect these tools will help facilitate more productive dialogue among the summit participants this week."

Integral to the new process are specially trained staff members -- called sherpas -- from each participating country.

For example, a world leader's sherpa can quietly take notes during a session with a digital pen, underline text to flag a need for information, transmit the automatically encrypted notes over a peer-to-peer network toresearchersand policy staff located in a remote research room, and quickly and unobtrusively receive an answer to the query. After the summit, each country will remove its Tablet PC hard drives for transit home. 

From Motion Computing

Motion Computing's widely acclaimed M1300 Tablet PCs will be the hardware mainstay for the summit's collaborative environment and the primary means for each world leader's sherpa staffer to quickly communicate with policy staff and researchers.

"The G8 Summit planning committee needed a mobile computing solution that would let the world leaders and their staffs communicate faster and more reliably than ever," said Scott Eckert, Motion's CEO. "Motion delivered on these requirements in a great example of Tablet PC versatility and people using our systems in new ways and places."

G8 sherpas will use Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 on Motion Tablet PCs to capture and organize notes digitally during the summit, which they will share in real time with their assistants through shared-session technology. OneNote takes advantage of unique digital inking features in the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system to combine the freedom and flexibility of paper notes with the efficiency and power of digital organizational tools. The combination of OneNote with the Tablet PC's pen and ink functionality allows you to be more productive anywhere you need to take notes.

"The Tablet PC is about enabling people to use the power of their mobile PC in new places and in new ways" said Bill Mitchell, vice president of the Windows Mobile(tm) Platforms Division at Microsoft Corp. "The innovative use of technology at the G8 Summit is a great example of how the Tablet PC along with Microsoft OneNote can replace less efficient paper processes to streamline the way people interact and work together." 10:33 am

Toshiba Portégé M200 Tablet PC Review
rojakpot.com

The Toshiba Portégé M200 is one of the latest convertible Tablet PCs running the Microsoft Tablet PC operating system. In fact, it's currently the most powerful and capable Tablet PC in the market!

So, let's take a look at what the Portégé M200 offers. Oh by the way,unlikeother members of Team ARP, I'm not a person who believes in benchmarks. I prefer the judge a notebook on other aspects

The Toshiba Portégé M200 is definitely worth checking out if you are in the market for a Tablet PC or an ultra-portable notebook. It is more expensive than other ultra-portables in the same class but that's because of its additional capabilities as well as its Tablet features. If you give this Tablet PC a shot, you'll never want to return to a normal notebook again!  10:30 am

Tablet PCs on slow dissolve
ZDNet.co.uk, UK

Those who've actually used Tablet PCs are enthusiastic. There are many classes of consumer who aren't at ease with keyboards, and the Tablet PC's handwriting recognition is good enough to keep them happy. The next generation of operating system extensions will be even easier to use -- when Microsoft manages to ship them: the company's seeming inability to produce new software has spilled over into Lonestar, the long-promised update. And nobody doubts that the ideal domestic tablet that's slim, light, long-lived, cheap and delivers high quality media over wireless networking will walk off the shelves.

When the technology for pen-sensitive screens becomes cheap enough, it will be adopted by everyone -- and why not. At that point, Microsoft will stop maintaining the Tablet PC operating system as a separate brand and just subsume the pen and digital ink stuff into the mainstream OS. 10:26 am

June 8, 2004

Windows XP Tablet PC Edition Chat Today at 3:00pm Pacific time

Join the Tablet PC product team the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 3:00pm Pacific time. Windows XP Tablet PC Edition paves the way for the most versatile computing experience ever. The mobility of Tablet PC is combined with ink and speech tools to let you take your PC too many more places and use it in many new ways. You bring the questions, we will supply the experts.

Ekahau Launches Location-Aware Apps for Wi-Fi-Enabled Computers
DirectionsMag.co

Ekahau to add location awareness to Wi-Fi enabled Notebooks and Tablet computers using the award winning Ekahau Positioning Engine.

Ekahau Inc. today announced that enterprise customers in various markets can now run location-aware applications on their Wi-Fi enabled mobile computers, including those based on Intel(r) Centrino(tm) mobile technology.

Enterprise location-aware computing applications typically deliver content or services to end users based on location and context, such as a doctor being automatically presented with a patient's records based on the proximity of the patient to the doctor.

Ekahau worked with Intel to optimize its solution for mobile PCs based on Intel Centrino mobile technology - Intel's leading technology for mobile computing. Intel Centrino mobile technology delivers outstanding mobile performance and wireless LAN capability, while enabling extended battery life in thinner and lighter notebook PCs. 7:20 am

FOCUS ON: TABLET PCs: New Products Aimed At Verticals
crn.com

Solution providers are finding that tablet PCs with ruggedized features are increasingly attractive to customers in vertical markets such as public safety, manufacturing, warehousing and logistics and health care.

Mapping Solutions, a solution provider and application developer in Oregon City, Ore., builds turnkey offerings aimed at the public safety market that combine rugged systems with its mapping applications. Mike Collins, director of sales and marketing at Mapping Solutions, said that while some customers seeking mobile solutions might consider PDAs, the larger screen real estate on tablet PCs makes them a better fit for graphics-intensive applications.

New products from Hewlett-Packard and JLT Mobile Computers are aimed at meeting the needs of vertical-market customers.

HP began shipping in April its first rugged unit, the HP Tablet PC tr3000. For the past three years, HP had been reselling an offering from tablet PC vendor Itronix that carried the Itronix brand name.

The tr3000 weighs 3.7 pounds and includes an 8.4-inch outdoor transmissive touch screen designed for easier viewing in bright sunlight. It runs Windows XP Tablet PC Edition on a 933MHz ultra-low-voltage mobile Intel Pentium III processor and can withstand a 3-foot drop. The tr3000 also includes integrated wireless capabilities and carries an estimated street price of $3,449.

JLT is also venturing into the rugged tablet PC market with the G-force 850, slated to ship in volume by August. The G-force 850 will feature either a magnesium or precision-built aluminum case, replacing the plastic case featured on early production models.

TThe G-force 850 includes an 8.4-inch touch screen that, unlike other tablet PCs, does not require a pen or stylus for operation. "Other systems have a touch screen but can't be activated by an object other than the pen. Ours features a resistive touch screen that can be operated by the user's finger," Einck said. The G-force 850's touch screen makes it more attractive in industrial environments where users often wear gloves or where pens are likely to get lost.

Weighing less than 3.5 pounds, JLT's G-force 850 runs Windows XP Tablet PC edition on Transmeta processors with speeds of up to 800MHz. Priced at $4,000, the unit provides up to eight hours of battery life and can sustain up to a 4-foot drop, Einck said. 7:04 am

Electrovaya Receives the 'Technology Award' and the 'Battery Electric Vehicle Award' at the Tour De Sol 2004
Business Wire

Electrovaya Inc., a world leader in Lithium Ion SuperPolymer(R) battery technology, announces the receipt of the "Technology Award" and the "Battery Electric Vehicle Award" at the Tour de Sol.

Electrovaya's goal is to become the leading provider of tablet PC's, portable power for the notebook computer, aerospace and wireless sectors, and to apply its technology to a broad spectrum of alternative energy applications including UPS, stand-by power and zero-emission vehicles. It develops, manufactures and sells high value products globally using award winning patented proprietary lithium ion SuperPolymer(R) rechargeable battery technology, which delivers the highest energy density of any battery technology on the market today. Electrovaya has designed, developed and markets the Scribbler(TM) Tablet PC 7:02 am

June 9, 2004

Home Inspectors Adopt Criterion Corporation's Tablet PC Real Estate Solution
Business Wire

Criterion Corporation today announced that Building Specs Inc., a major national home inspection, environmental inspection and training company, has endorsed Criterion's Tablet PC Real Estate Solution for use by its 70 licensed affiliates and the approximately 400 home inspectors each year who rely on Building Specs for up-to-date training in home inspection tools and techniques.

Criterion's Tablet PC Solution (http://www.redtablet.com) provides everything a home inspector needs to complete home inspection reports entirely from the field.

The Criterion Tablet PC Solution features award-winning Motion Computing tablet PCs with a View Anywhere(tm) display. The Motion tablet PC's lightweight slate design is about the size of a clipboard and enables home inspectors to fill out digital inspection forms "on the go" while carrying the device in one arm and accessing and inputting data with a digital pen. The View Anywhere indoor-outdoor display option provides uncompromised indoor and outdoor viewing without sacrificing battery life -- a combination of user benefits helpful for home inspectors, who need a clear screen in all lighting conditions.

The Criterion Tablet PC Solution's built-in wireless WAN card, digital camera and mobile printer also enable home inspectors to instantly access technical information over the Internet during an inspection or snap a photo and import it into a report. At the conclusion of the inspection, the inspector can e-mail and/or print the report for the buyer, seller or real estate agents while at the property.

"The Criterion Tablet PC Solution gives home inspectors everything they need to do business while out in the field," said Stephen Showalter, founder and president of Building Specs Inc. and a past president of the National Association of Home Inspectors. "If I need some reference material in the middle of an inspection, I don't have to wait to get back in the office to access it. I can simply pull it up on the screen and get the information I need right away."  10:45 am

Fiber-optic network, Tablet PCs, Wi-Fi at G8 summit
Computerworld Australia

As official delegations from eight major Western nations begin Tuesday's G8 Summit on Sea Island in Georgia, their work is being supported by a number of technologies put in place just for the three-day event.

The summit, convening in the U.S for the first time in seven years, includes officials from the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the U.K.

Networks range from a massive 2,000-mile fiber-optic network in coastal Georgia to a free Wi-Fi network and beefed-up cellular service.

Included in the technology mix are 780 push-to-talk cellular phones distributed to delegates and to federal, state and local staffers and security personnel.

When they're not using the phones, aides to the various heads of state will be able to take notes and conduct research using tablet computers from Motion Computing, Office OneNote software from Microsoft and virtual office collaboration software from Groove Networks, according to Tricia Traeger, a spokeswoman for Motion Computing. She said each G8 delegation will be able to use the tablets over a secure peer-to-peer network, using Microsoft OneNote to highlight notes that need more research.  10:38 am

NoInk Inks Deal With Rehabilicare
ebizQ, NY

NoInk Communications, a provider of integrated handheld and Web-based software for the medical industry, was chosen to provide sales force automation solutions to Rehabilicare, a maker of home-use electrotherapy devices and a division of Compex Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: CMPX). NoInk says its solutions are “being integrated across Rehabilicare’s medical sales force to drive efficiencies in the ordering, inventory and contact management processes.”Rehabilicare recently deployed NoInk’s mobile technology to 15 of its field sales representatives and managers for a pilot program. Once the test phase is complete, the company will roll out NoInk’s solutions to its more than 60 employee sales reps. The Tablet PC applications will allow the company to better track and service its field inventory which is stocked across 6,000 nationwide physical therapy clinic and physician office locations

In addition to licensing NoInk’s Web-based sales force automation (SFA) software, Rehabilicare’s reps are also running applications on Tablet PCs in the field.  10:35 am

Seize the Work Day - an interview with Michael Linenberger
tabletpcsweblogs

Michael Linenberger, author of Seize the Work Day, recently agreed to field a few questions about his guide to adopting the Tablet PC. The book offers a wealth of practical, hands-on recommendations about configuring a Tablet PC for maximum productivity as well as comprehensive reviews and implementation guidelines for software applications that take advantage of digital ink. Linenberger, a former executive with Accenture and a long-time technologist and knowledge worker, develops a model built around a digital “binder” containing your “power documents” - those documents that, regardless of their source, are critical to the work at hand.

I found the book to be an extraordinary aid in getting my Tablet PC system configured and a good set of software tools installed and integrated. While my work circumstances differ from Linenberger’s (I work in a software company and have very few outside meetings with clients) and so came to somewhat different conclusions on form factor and work style, virtually every recommendation made in the book was worthy of consideration and most have become part of my approach to making the Tablet PC the central tool in my work. 10: 30 am

June 10, 2004

Leica and GiveMePower Present World's First Laser-Powered Wireless CAD Solution at AIA 2004 National Convention in Chicago
Business Wire

Leica Geosystems today begin presenting PowerCAD(R) SiteMaster(TM) at the American Institute of Architects 2004 National Convention and Design Expo in Chicago. PowerCAD SiteMaster is a new mobile and wireless field solution which automates the creation of wireless, laser-generated as-built floor plans, area estimates, and building inspections for architects, appraisers, contractors, engineers, estimators, installers, realtors and other professionals involved in the design, construction and management of buildings.

Improving job efficiencies as much as 1,000% over manual "measuring tape and paper" methods, PowerCAD SiteMaster uses precise measurements from a wireless Leica DISTO(TM) Plus laser to automatically create richly detailed as-built floor plans and construction drawings on a Windows(R) Pocket PC, Handheld PC or Tablet PC. Drawings are generated to professional architectural CAD standards, and include complete as-built site information with extended detailing, accurate room areas and dimensions, and on-site inspection observations including digital photographs and hands-free VoiceNOTE(TM) audio recordings.  10:20 am

Transmeta shrink Efficeon CPU
I.T. Vibe

Transmeta have today announced they are to release an addition to their Efficeon processor range which will be 45% smaller than its predecessors. The new TM8620 is to come in a new, small 21mm x 21mm package.

The Efficeon range are designed specially for embedded systems, and portable devices such as PDA’s, tablet PC’s, notebooks and so on. With the Efficeon’s new smaller size, lesser power consumption, high performance and longer battery life, as well as the ability to run these processors with only passive cooling ( fanless operation ), the Transmeta CPU range for portable devices is looking very attractive indeed. 10:12 am