Tablet PC News Archive

August 2005

August 1, 2005

Top 10 Countdown/Tablet Tips
Campus Technology

10.  Use the tablet’s open-form factor to achieve greater interactivity in your classroom.

9.  Add life and color to your presentations on the spot with informative pen annotations (digital ink).

8. (blocked by advertising on page)

7. Incorporate electronic textbooks and related digital materials.

6.  Listen! Don’t forget the audio capabilities of your tablet.

5. Collect, grade, and return your assignments electronically.

4. Take a walk! Carry your tablet and move around the classroom, while  using wireless projection

3. Use interactive software and visualizations, and access online resources during class.

2.  Leverage the features of the tablet operating system.

1.  Wield the power of the pen!

Too much Tablet PC hardware talk and not enough ISV talk?
Whatisnew.com

Dana Blankenhorn (Corante) provoked me to reconsider my bias to Tablet PC hardware over Tablet PC software. For years, I focused on hardware. I still enjoy learning about which chipsets have just been released or are soon-to-be-released, it doesn't matter if it's for a tower, notebook, or a Tablet PC.

Potential Tablet PC users want to understand the hardware and I can spend time showing them details about the variation in the hardware and learning what may suit his or her uses best. Plus, the physical aspect of Tablet PCs plays a large role in people's decision about choosing a Tablet PC. The light-weight portability of most Tablet PCs is of unquestionable value.

With Tablet PCs hardware and software are completely dependent on each other and their stories are intermixed. Software provides the value for the productive aspects of people's daily use. These uses can range tremendously: from a college student taking general education courses to general business person jotting down client contact information and telephone conversation notes. Both of these scenarios were demonstrated at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, along with many in between. Microsoft's demonstration Tablet PCs have ISV applications ranging from Agilix to MiCo -- applications to suit a range of needs and reflect the diversity of applications available in the Tablet PC ecosystem.

Pile up the notes, find what you want with free software
Kansas.com

Is your desk covered with huge, tottering piles of paper? Do you occasionally delve for an old document by guessing how far down in the pile it might reside, in the same way a geologist estimates the best depth to drill for oil?

Then you might want to consider an intriguing new piece of Windows software called EverNote, which lets you create the computer equivalent of a bottomless and messy paper pile in which it's nevertheless almost miraculously easy to find what you want.

Best of all, the standard version of EverNote (www.evernote.com) is free.

EverNote Plus at $34.95 is intended for the small number of notebook computers with Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. Tablet PCs have touch-sensitive screens and can use a stylus for taking handwritten notes. EverNote Plus includes handwriting recognition for turning those notes into text. If you don't have Tablet PC, however, you don't need EverNote Plus; the standard version even lets you create handwritten notes or drawings with a mouse, although without handwriting recognition.

I tried EverNote using a sample file supplied by the company with 300 notes of all types. The software sorted through these notes at lightning speed and otherwise worked as advertised.

Top Ten Back-to-School PC Buying Tips
PC Magazine

1. Desktop, notebook, or tablet. If you like to type notes in class or work on papers in the library (or the quad), choose a notebook. Tablets work well in classrooms because the writing is noiseless, and if the professor draws diagrams, you can too. If you'd rather have high performance over portability, and cost is a top priority, choose a desktop.

Practice Cautious with Mobility
Mobile Health Data

Myrick had heard that some of the vendor's other users were offering access to the system via Tablet PCs. But she wanted to see the mobile hardware in action. So she called several users and visited one practice to get ideas on how she could offer mobile access at Oregon Medical Group.

Oregon Medical Group decided to have its physicians choose the make and model of mobile hardware they wanted to use to access the records system over its new Wi-Fi network. Figuring that the screen size of a PDA would be too small for physicians to use to access the application, the group practice purchased two different models of Tablet PCs for its physicians to test.

It acquired an HC1100 Tablet PC from Palo Alto, Calif.-based Hewlett-Packard Co. and an M200 Protégé from Toshiba America Information Systems Inc., Irvine, Calif. Three Oregon Medical Group physicians began testing the Tablet PCs in April, bringing them into exam rooms when seeing patients. While using the mobile hardware to access the records system wirelessly hasn't caused any problems for the physicians, they have had some concerns about their battery life and screen readability, Myrick says. She also isn't sure the practice needs all the inherent features of a Tablet PC.

"We aren't using any touchscreen modules on our records system so there aren't any applications that require the stylus on the Tablet PC," she adds.

Oregon Medical Group physicians continue to test notebook PCs for wireless access to the electronic records system. The practice is keeping the Tablet PCs and plans to purchase several more in case they are preferred by a few of its 90 physicians.

One physician who has tested the Tablet PCs already has given up using his desktop PC, preferring the mobile hardware, Myrick says. The practice, however, will continue testing mobile hardware with its physicians to determine a device that suits the majority of users

Firefighters armed with Tablet PCs
Tablet PC Questions

The department is now equipped with seven Panasonic Toughbook Tablet PCs, which will eventually be carried along on the fire engines. The tablets will be used as both safety and convenience tools. Firefighters will be able to access floor plans to commercial buildings in Danville and also get a list of the dangers and procedures to use with chemicals."

The State of Biometric Authentication
Redmond, CA

Toshiba uses another type of biometric authentication for its Tablet PCs. Recognizing how tedious entering a long password with a stylus in “tablet” mode can be, the company provides a Tablet Access Code Logon utility. This program appears at logon and prompts the user to write a code, such as a signature or symbol, with the tablet pen. It then compares the writing style with samples that the user previously recorded.

August 2, 2005

TabletPc2.com August Product of the Month

For the Month of August we bring you kingston's new Data Traveler II Plus - Migo Edition which allows you to sync data on multiple Tablet PC's and a true "Knight in Shining Armour"- the new Kingston 4-GB Data Traveler Elite.  

Migo offers something people have been asking for since the launch of the Tablet PC nearly three years ago.  A fast and easy way to synchronize files on one computer and use them on another.     Besides Migo you also have the option of using the included Kingston Secure Traveler software if you want to password protect your information.  

Xplore's Rugged Tablet PC's Selected For Defense Training System
Yahoo News

Xplore Technologies® Corp., a leading international rugged Tablet PC provider, today announced Saab Training Systems in Huskvarna, Sweden has purchased its rugged iX104C2V Tablet PC's with AllVue LCD Technology. Xplore's rugged mobile computing solution is part of the combat training system (CTC) Saab develops, manufactures and markets primarily for the defense market.

"Before we found Xplore's rugged tablet, we tested various devices, which looked good on paper, but failed in reality. It was a challenge to find a truly ruggedized tablet",

CA27 industrial tablet PC
ferret.com.au

GETAC'S new industrial tablet PC, the CA27, distributed by APC Technology, is now available in the Australian and New Zealand markets.

The CA27 is suitable for the emergency services, telecommunications, manufacturing, transportation, military and mobile workforce industries. It is water, dust and dirt proof.

The lightweight CA27 slate-type A4 size tablet PC meets the US military's tough 810F standard (Mil-STD 810F).

Tablet PC News - Fujitsu Tablet PC's Go Sonoma
tabletpcreviewspot

According to one of our inside sources, Fujitsu will be refreshing its Tablet PC models with the Sonoma platform this month. On the bright side, this means updated graphics and the new faster PCI Express bus. On the downside? Well Fujitsu's Tablet PC products are in the "Thin and Light" category. We can only hope that despite Sonoma's increased heat and power requirements, Fujitsu Tablet PC's will still run cool (and quiet) and keep their relatively long battery life. We will post more details about the product refresh as they surface.

August 2, 2005

TabletPc2.com August Product of the Month

For the Month of August we bring you kingston's new Data Traveler II Plus - Migo Edition which allows you to sync data on multiple Tablet PC's and a true "Knight in Shining Armour"- the new Kingston 4-GB Data Traveler Elite.  

Migo offers something people have been asking for since the launch of the Tablet PC nearly three years ago.  A fast and easy way to synchronize files on one computer and use them on another.     Besides Migo you also have the option of using the included Kingston Secure Traveler software if you want to password protect your information.  

Xplore's Rugged Tablet PC's Selected For Defense Training System
Yahoo News

Xplore Technologies® Corp., a leading international rugged Tablet PC provider, today announced Saab Training Systems in Huskvarna, Sweden has purchased its rugged iX104C2V Tablet PC's with AllVue LCD Technology. Xplore's rugged mobile computing solution is part of the combat training system (CTC) Saab develops, manufactures and markets primarily for the defense market.

"Before we found Xplore's rugged tablet, we tested various devices, which looked good on paper, but failed in reality. It was a challenge to find a truly ruggedized tablet",

CA27 industrial tablet PC
ferret.com.au

GETAC'S new industrial tablet PC, the CA27, distributed by APC Technology, is now available in the Australian and New Zealand markets.

The CA27 is suitable for the emergency services, telecommunications, manufacturing, transportation, military and mobile workforce industries. It is water, dust and dirt proof.

The lightweight CA27 slate-type A4 size tablet PC meets the US military's tough 810F standard (Mil-STD 810F).

Tablet PC News - Fujitsu Tablet PC's Go Sonoma
tabletpcreviewspot

According to one of our inside sources, Fujitsu will be refreshing its Tablet PC models with the Sonoma platform this month. On the bright side, this means updated graphics and the new faster PCI Express bus. On the downside? Well Fujitsu's Tablet PC products are in the "Thin and Light" category. We can only hope that despite Sonoma's increased heat and power requirements, Fujitsu Tablet PC's will still run cool (and quiet) and keep their relatively long battery life. We will post more details about the product refresh as they surface.

August 3, 2005

In Small Rooms, Fitting Many Functions: Tech Built for the Dorm
New York Times

COLLEGE students have always been great at cramming tiny dorm rooms with as much tension-relieving entertainment equipment as they can, from giant stereos and vinyl record collections of the 1970's to fully stocked DVD and TiVo surround-sound systems of today. Luckily, 21st-century technology can multitask as well as modern humans can, making a dorm room seem just a little bigger because one device can do the job of two or even three.

Because computers serve all kinds of multimedia, they have become jukeboxes and movie theaters, but tablet PC's can be used in more ways. Besides working as a standard laptop for grinding out your "Moby-Dick" paper the night before it's due, a tablet PC offers a closer hands-on approach: the screen can be flipped to function as a touch-screen writing tablet for scrawling notes in digital ink.

The swiveling screen can be helpful for practicing PowerPoint presentations for marketing class or for wirelessly browsing the Web by using the tablet pen.

At 3.5 pounds, IBM's ThinkPad X41 ($1,899 at thinkpad.com) is one tablet that won't cause backpack strain. It also features an integrated fingerprint reader, which allows access through a swipe of a finger instead of typing in a password. The X41 does not have a built-in CD-DVD drive, but there is an optional dock attachment.

IT'S ICT SHOW TIME!
Bangkok Post

Poj Kumklinwong, 45, a second year deaf student of Ratchasuda College, practices drawing a portrait using a tablet PC during weekend classes. He and his friends will show off their skills at the expo this year.

Get a digital portrait

Offering something different this year, deaf students from Mahidol University's Ratchasuda College will be on hand at ICT Expo hand to create your digital portrait. They will draw your portrait using a stylus pen and a tablet PC and then it can be printed out for showgoers using a colour printer.

Around five students will be there to provide this service daily. Students at the college who are already computer literate have been practicing portrait drawing during weekends with art teachers from Silpakorn University.

The project was initiated by Acer Computer and is known as "Careers for the Deaf". Already in its second year, the project provides a way to enhance the students' IT skills and follows a similar social project started by Acer in Taiwan.

Acer donated 10 tablet PCs, printers and software to Ratchasuda college and made them available to 10 students.

InPlay Technologies to Acquire Developer of Digital Computing Pen Technology
Yahoo News

InPlay Technologies announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire privately held FinePoint Innovations, a developer of patented digital computing pen solutions for tablet PCs.

"We are pleased to have reached a definitive agreement with InPlay. We believe this transaction will enable FinePoint to accelerate execution on our business plan and leverage the market exposure for our new digital pen technology," added Stephen Caldwell, FinePoint Innovations president. "In the short term, our relationship with InPlay will maximize our ability to deliver on the significant purchase order we have received to use our digital pen technology in tablet PCs which should be available this year."

FinePoint's digital computing pen technology consists of a digitizer and digital writing pen. The pen is an active RF digital pen versus the typical analog pen used with most tablet PC systems. Digital signaling enables very low power consumption, superior performance, and lower manufacturing costs.

"We believe our technology road map is in sync with our initial target market, tablet PC's industry road map. Moving to digital is simply the first step to opening up advanced options for pen computing. It provides an excellent opportunity to participate in the industry's future growth. From there we see opportunity for our technology in a range of markets from PDAs to point-of-sale devices.

Lenovo Partners Left Empty-Handed
eWeek, MA

Sales of IBM PCs under new owner Lenovo have proven so successful that the company is having trouble filling orders for some models, according to a Lenovo executive.

Midlevel desktops are not the only models in short supply, he pointed out. The ThinkPad Tablet has sold so fast since its introduction that Lenovo quickly ran out of stock and is now working to catch up, he said.

The product, intended for vertical markets such as health care, has caught on in the mainstream marketplace, he said.

August 4, 2005

Lenovo Partners Left Empty-Handed
eWeek, MA

Sales of IBM PCs under new owner Lenovo have proven so successful that the company is having trouble filling orders for some models, according to a Lenovo executive.

Midlevel desktops are not the only models in short supply, he pointed out. The ThinkPad Tablet has sold so fast since its introduction that Lenovo quickly ran out of stock and is now working to catch up, he said.

The product, intended for vertical markets such as health care, has caught on in the mainstream marketplace, he said.

Tips on using Ink and Agents in Tablet PC apps
WindowsForDevices

Microsoft's MSDN developer website has published an article on how to use Microsoft Agent 2.0 to enhance user interfaces in Tablet PC applications. Author Robert Crago points out that even though the Agent SDK hasn't been updated in a few years, it's still compelling technology "when used appropriately."

According to its description on Microsoft's website, Microsoft Agent is a set of software services that can enhance a user interface with interactive personalities in the form of animated characters. These characters can move freely within the computer display, speak aloud (and by displaying text onscreen), and even listen for spoken voice commands.

As an example, Crago uses "Agent Peedy" (shown above) in a simple application that measures the length of a line drawn on the Tablet PC screen. The 10-page paper highlights areas where agent-based applications differ from more conventional Tablet PC apps.

August 5, 2005

Tablet at PDC
windojitsu.com

Session list and speakers haven't been completely finalized yet, but current plan (read: unless I'm hit by a truck) has Jamie Wakeam and I co-presenting a session on what Longhorn Vista has in store for Tablet PC developers.

From http://commnet.microsoftpdc.com/content/sessions.aspx

Windows Vista ("Longhorn") Tablet PC: Advances in Creating Ink Enabled Applications
Come see how ink integrates into the Windows Presentation Foundation (formerly codename "Avalon") and what the new and improved recognition APIs can do. When using the Windows Presentation Foundation, the stylus is a premier input device adjacent to the keyboard and mouse, ink is a core data type, and several ink controls are built in. The ink analysis API unifies layout analysis (e.g., distinction of drawing, words, paragraphs, etc.) and ink to text recognition under a single API, in addition to improvements in accuracy and supported structures (e.g., bulleted lists and call outs). The combination of these advances and the expansion into touch digitizers enables new scenarios.

For me, that means Ink collection and rendering in Avalon.  For Jamie (fellow PM on Tablet platform team) that means other features, which will be forthcoming in a new Tablet SDK...  mainly, the new and improved Ink Analysis API, which unifies this with this, plus a whole lot more.

Are there any other Tablet- or Mobile-related topics you'd like to see covered at PDC?  Why not suggest something for the Birds of a Feather Sessions?  I'm an MS employee now, so I'm not allowed to suggest anything... but if I were?  Hmm... how about

or

IMHO this would make a great BOF session -- its scope spans all the different tracks (presentation, data, communication, tools).  Even the Office track is somewhat related -- Outlook 2003 is (arguably) a great example of a rich client app which works well in a disconnected environment.  How do they do it?

Technology redefines 'cramming'
International Herald Tribune

Because computers serve all kinds of multimedia, they have become jukeboxes and movie theaters, but tablet PCs can be used in more ways.

Besides working as a standard laptop for grinding out your "Moby-Dick" paper the night before it is due, a tablet PC offers a closer hands-on approach: The screen can be flipped to function as a touch-screen writing tablet for scrawling notes in digital ink.

At 3.5 pounds, or 1.5 kilograms, IBM's ThinkPad X41 ($1,899 at thinkpad.com) is one tablet that will not cause backpack strain.

It also features an integrated fingerprint reader, which allows access through a swipe of a finger instead of typing in a password. The X41 does not have a built-in CD-DVD drive, but there is an optional dock attachment.

XTA DP428 on Show at Plasa
ZioShow.com 

Earlier this year, XTA Electronics unveiled the most advanced and powerful audio management system available: the groundbreaking DP428. The new digital signal processor provides everything needed for digitally interfacing and managing even the largest system and can be seen on Stand BB6 at London’s Earls Court

To address the increased power and capability provided by the DP428, XTA’s industry-leading AudioCore PC remote control software has also taken a big leap forward. The DP428’s input/output routing can be controlled from simple screens, and EQ curves can be adjusted quickly and easily, even with tablet PCs. Up to 128 DP428s can be networked together and centrally controlled via AudioCore, using common XLR cables. For wireless control, XTA’s Walkabout Kit allows fine-tuning the system from anywhere in the venue for great sound in every seat.

South Dakota CIO Relies on Gateway Tablet
Government Technology

A lot of what I do as a CIO is approve and review things, and ultimately coach people," explained Doll. In particular, he needed mobile technology that links him to coworkers, helps him manage a heavy meeting schedule and gives him the tools to handle problems on the fly.

Doll spends many hours outside his office in the state's capital of Pierre, visiting with officials in various agencies and staying in touch with his IT team members.

"Obviously I'm out and about," said Doll. "Meeting with people is one of the primary things I do."

Unfortunately, most mobile devices left Doll feeling somewhat cut off from those around him. "With a laptop, the minute the screen comes up, people don't know if you're playing games or whatever at a meeting," he said. And PDAs just didn't meet oll's visual and written communications needs.

Doll looked to his Gateway representative for another alternative. He was eager to move from a standard keyboard and laptop screen to something "less imposing."

The Solution

The solution to Doll's mobile computing challenge came in the form of Gateway's Tablet PC. The innovative device looks more like a pad of paper than a standard laptop computer, and it allows the user to actually write on the device's screen ? similar to pen and paper

The Gateway Tablet's Intel Centrino mobile technology with Intel Pentium M processor provides the functionality Doll needs as South Dakota CIO.

"Let's face it, we're an 8 1/2-by-11-world, and I needed that footprint," said Doll. Equipped with wireless connectivity, the Tablet PC allows Doll to take notes, save and retrieve files, access the Internet ? and do anything else he once did with a laptop. Doll says the Tablet has distinct advantages over other mobile devices.

"It's paper-size. I can readily move it from portrait to landscape just like a pad of paper," he said. "I can use different colors, highlight things, and I can draw again for the first time."

Business Impact

The Gateway® Tablet also allows Doll and his colleagues to interact on an entirely different level. "A lot of times I'll hand the Tablet to one of the staff and say, 'OK, show me,' and voilà, they're drawing me something, and we're conversing back and forth over what is, in essence, this 'piece of paper.'

"But unlike pen and ink, this 'piece of paper' can save the drawing, e-mail it, print it out to share with others, or embellish it in a number of ways. The Gateway Tablet PC's easy portability allows Doll to carry the device around the office or anywhere his high-intensity job takes him.

The Gateway Tablet PC helped Doll in another, unexpected way as well. "I was getting a little bit of carpal tunnel syndrome in my right wrist, so going back to writing instead of using the mouse and keyboard has really helped," he said.

Since acquiring the Gateway Tablet, Doll has stopped using a PDA and keyboard ? although a keyboard is available for the Tablet in an easy-to-carry clamshell bag. "I strictly live by the Tablet in its natural singular state of just the device itself," he said.

Members of the South Dakota IT team who meet Doll in an office hallway often find themselves looking at articles and information Doll has captured and saved on his Tablet. When he isn't sharing information one-on-one with team members, Doll downloads or scans articles then marks them up as he's reading and passes them on.

"The staff appreciates that," Doll said. "They're able to say, 'Well, that's what some of his hot buttons are,' or 'That's what he's sensitive to,' or 'That's what he thinks about that.' It's a really valuable thing."

But perhaps the nicest thing about the Gateway Tablet PC, according to Doll, is that it "brings back the old-fashioned personal touch."

Using his pen and "electronic pad of paper," Doll can "whip off a note and sign my name, and it's in my own handwriting." Indeed, recipients of Doll's handsigned e-mails and electronically generated transmissions often are startled to find the CIO's signature at the end of the missive.

"It's amazing how many people comment that it's really neat," said Doll. "It's as if you were talking to them. They know I really wrote it."

In all, Doll said his Tablet PC simplifies his life as a busy CIO and ? perhaps more importantly ? keeps him in better and more personal communication with staff and others he serves in South Dakota.

"I think it really gives me the contact with people in my job and the work I do for the state day in and day out," said Doll. "The fact that I'm walking around with my whole world in a device that's basically the size of a fat pad of paper is pretty amazing."

Gateway agrees to offer UTSA students discounted notebook PCs
San Antonio Business

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) said Thursday that it entered into a strategic alliance with Gateway Inc. to sell notebooks, tablet PCs and equipment to students, faculty and staff at a discount

UTSA also reached a separate agreement with San Antonio Federal Credit Union (SACU) to provide special financing packages for students on Gateway products.

August 8, 2005

Tablet PC and Vista Beta 1
blogs.technet.com

I've had several emails asking about Tablet PC and Vista Beta 1. Will beta 1 install on a tablet? What's in, what's out, what's new????

To the first question - yes Beta 1 works on a Tablet! I have beta 1 installed on my HP TC1100 right now. There are some caveats, but it is definitely worth doing. You'll need a keyboard and mouse to get it set-up and you'll probably have to install some drivers before the pen and buttons will work. This beta doesn't have most of the tablet bits,  but we have created a separate install that give you the Tablet Input Panel, or TIP as we call it. The TIP download is linked to the Beta 1 site and will soon be linked to the MSDN beta 1 download site.

What's in: Since Vista Beta 1 was intended for developers and IT folks we focused on getting the platform APIs into the OS. The latest version of Avalon, or I should now say the Windows Presentation Framework is has lots of tablet goodies for tablet developers. Check out the Tablet Avalon team site. With XAML and our new InkCanvas you can have your first pen enabled app up and running in seconds.

What's out: Most of the Tablet bits you'd expect aren't in this beta, like Windows Journal, the control panel etc. These will all be back in the next beta.

What's new: There are several new features that are designed specially for or only for the Tablet PC:

Fujitsu Builds Tablet PC Support Into Notebook
ComputerWorld

Fujitsu Computer Systems Corp. today will announce a notebook PC that weighs just 2.2 lb. and can be converted into a tablet device with touch-screen and handwriting-recognition capabilities. The format is designed to appeal to users in health care and other vertical industries.

The new LifeBook P1500 will replace the P1000 model, of which more than 200,000 units have been sold globally over the past four years, said Paul Moore, director of mobile product marketing at Fujitsu's U.S. headquarters in Sunnyvale, Calif.

Although the P1500 will first ship with Windows XP Professional, Fujitsu plans to also make it available with Microsoft Corp.'s Tablet PC Edition operating system by year's end, Moore said. The new model, which has a list price of $1,499, is based on a 1.2-GHz Pentium M processor and includes an 8.9-in. screen.

The older LifeBook opens like a typical notebook PC, but the P1500 can be flipped open and swiveled to convert to a tablet format. That capability is something doctors who use the P1000 have asked for, said C.A. Nix, president of Medical Practice Technologies LLC, a Cumming, Ga.-based systems integrator.

computer cram course
Pioneer Press

TABLET COMPUTERS

If your child plans to carry a Windows laptop around, consider a Tablet PC model.

Such portables work like other laptops but add a touch screen for use with a penlike stylus. This comes in handy for note taking without a keyboard's distracting clickety-clack.

The latest model. The beef with Tablet PCs is bulk, especially with "convertible" models that have keyboards for dual-use computing. Lenovo remedies this issue with its just-released ThinkPad X41 Tablet.

A modified version of its ThinkPad X41, this Tablet PC is very thin yet packs plenty of power along with superb fit and finish (the famed ThinkPads used to be IBM products). Useful features include a Secure Digital flash-storage slot and a fingerprint reader for extra data security.

You'll pay dearly — about $1,900, or $600 more than the nontablet model. That doesn't include an external optical drive for reading and recording CDs and DVDs (the X41 doesn't fit in an internal burner). But if you can swing this, you'll give your kid a truly tote-worthy tablet.

Otherwise, consider cheaper and bulkier tablets from Fujitsu, Gateway and Toshiba, among others. We have used some of these and enjoyed them, but we aren't thrilled with them. Another option is a slimmer, slate-style tablet that lacks an integrated keyboard, but this makes mobile computing more awkward.

Additional gear. If you opted for the X41, consider add-on batteries that will get your child through more of a day without a recharge. Other options include a docking station with extra ports and a bay for a slide-in optical drive.

Your kid is sure to lose one or more styli, so buy spares. If the tablet didn't come with a powerful Microsoft note-gathering program called OneNote, be sure to get a copy. And download the Microsoft Education Pack for Tablet PC, a free package of programs aimed at students.

More info. www.lenovo.com and www.microsoft.com/tabletpc

Tablet PC Community Health Relative Indicates Strong Potential for for Sales to Consumers
Whatisnew.com 

The other day Tony Smith of The Register wrote at the end of an article about how Tablet PC sales will be positively impacted by Microsoft's release of Windows Vista. Many similar statements have been made since InStat's latest report and I can't help but notice and agree with the expectation for great Tablet PC success in consumer segments.

It is reasonable to assert that just a little more attention to this group of consumers would help convert and increase sales of Tablet PCs even further. Could this attention influence the actual sales by this one percent difference or more? Yes, I believe it could and it would certainly be great to see the effort.

Tablet PC features being available in Windows Vista will mainstream Tablets more. It is fine to say this, but this one percent looks like "low hanging fruit" to me.

Panning Tool in IE for Tablet PC Users
Tablet PC Questions

August 9, 2005

Review: The Acer C314 Tablet PC 
tabletpcreviewspot

The Acer C314 Tablet PC is in many ways a breath of fresh air. It's not that this model is the Tablet version of Acer's popular "Ferrari" notebook. What makes this machine special are the nuances and little extras you'll find that were thoughtfully engineered into the design.

The C314 Tablet PC also features the newest Centrino platform, "Sonoma". The new chipset coupled by the very capable NVIDIA Go 6200 graphics GPU promises an extended future. Chances are good that the C314 is ready for the next generation of Windows "Vista" scheduled to hit the shelves in 2006.

Conclusion

The Acer C314 is an excellent full-featured Tablet PC that is powerful enough to function as a desktop replacement. The generous 1024MB of RAM, 100GB hard drive, Built-in Bluetooth and fast 2.0GHz processor are a good value for the price. This machine is great for students or consumers who want a Tablet to be their "only" PC.

Although there is value in the features that are included, it is obvious that Acer has cut back in their technical support. I would not recommend this model to any first-time computer user who might need to talk to a reliable tech support representative without having to wait for 20 minutes on hold.

Greenwich Associates Boosts Market Research Process With SPSS SPSS Software; Streamlined Interviews, Improved Data Quality, Speedier Results
Business Wire

SPSS), a worldwide leader of predictive analytics software, today announced that Greenwich Associates, a leading international research-based financial services consulting firm, has significantly improved its market research operations using SPSS software. Harnessing SPSS, Greenwich Associates modernized its data collection process, providing for more streamlined and meaningful interviews, enhanced data quality and faster results for clients.

For more than 30 years, Greenwich Associates has provided decision makers with focused financial intelligence based on a unique combination of comprehensive market research and in-depth analysis. The company interviews up to 40,000 key decision makers in over 80 countries each year to research market trends and customer relationships within the Corporate Finance, Fixed-Income, Brokerage, and Investment Management fields.

In-person interviewing has always been a hallmark of Greenwich Associates and one of its most critical business processes but in recent years, interviews conducted using paper questionnaires became inefficient relative to today's technology. In response, Greenwich Associates worked with SPSS to customize an interviewing solution built on Dimensions(TM), a comprehensive application suite for market and survey research. Greenwich Associates has transformed its interviewing process by substituting lengthy paper-based interviews with electronic information captured using tablet PC technology.

As a result, Greenwich Associates plans to reduce its interview production cycle time some 20 percent by leveraging SPSS software and the Internet, and expects a favorable return on its investment. In addition, Dimensions' flexibility allowed the organization to implement customized questionnaire navigation capabilities that ensured interviews remained conversational in nature and that the quality of results were maintained.

"We aim to modernize the entire interviewing experience, from the in-person interactions with our respondents to the back-end collection process," said Tom Griffin, CIO of Greenwich Associates. "SPSS software has enabled Greenwich Associates to make use of tablet PC technology and has also provided an open platform for seamless integration to our existing systems."

NetSimplicity Introduces New Visual Asset Manager Enterprise Edition
Market Wire

NetSimplicity Software today announced general availability of Visual Asset Manager Enterprise Edition, a new version of its asset management software that will enable facilities and operations managers to save significant time tracking and evaluating fixed, mobile and IT assets.

The new Enterprise Edition extends the original Visual Asset Manager (VAM) product to accommodate larger enterprises with full visibility into what they own, where assets are deployed, and the value of those assets via a cost-effective and easy-to-deploy solution.

The Enterprise Edition features new access-anywhere interfaces for handheld barcode scanners and tablet PC devices, available as optional modules. It also includes performance and scalability enhancements to support enterprise-scale, multi-site deployments, new Crystal Reports® customizable reports and MS Report Server Reports, native Microsoft SQL Server® database access and a new tool that allows users to import inventory data from virtually any legacy data source.

MobileDataforce® Launches Intercue Publisher 2.0, Enabling Companies to Easily Update Mobile Employees with Electronic Forms
PR Web

MobileDataforce®, the leading provider of rapid application development solutions for mobile environments (RADS-ME), announces the release of Intercue Publisher v. 2.0 to enable companies to automatically distribute new and revised electronic forms on Windows Mobile Pocket PC, Palm OS, and Tablet PC devices, plus Windows XP laptop and desktop computers.

Companies that use handheld devices to collect data in the field experience a common problem: ensuring that a new or revised form is received and used by all employees. If employees are using different variations of the same work order, for instance, or do not have a new work order installed on their handhelds, numerous technical or administrative problems could result. Intercue Publisher solves this problem by automatically publishing all new and edited forms to all subscribed users and creates reports that offer details on the employees who have successfully received and installed the most recent updates.

Tablet PC And The NCAA: Tablet PC Users Petition NCAA To Force School Name Change
Blogcritics.org 

Prompted by the NCAA's recent decision to prohibit sports teams with nicknames and mascots that are deemed "hostile and abusive" from using that imagery in post season tournaments, and forbidding those teams from hosting postseason tournament games, a collective of Tablet PC users today filed a petition to the NCAA to force similar sanctions on the Southern New Hampshire University Penmen.

A number of leaders in the still small, but growing, Tablet PC community took a break today from installing the beta of Windows Vista on their Tablet PCs and inked their strong feelings about this issue in a shared OneNote session, a Skype conference, and later a broadcast on MSNBC.

Fujistu Lifebook P1500 promises to be smallest and lightest convertible notebook
Geekzone

Fujitsu Computer Systems has announced the LifeBook P1500 notebook in the USA. Fujitsu says this is currently the industry's smallest convertible notebook available.

The Fujitsu LifeBook P1500 notebook weighs in 2.2 pounds and is equipped with a compact 8.9" wide SVGA touch screen display. Despite being a convertible model, with a slate form factor, the new model is not a Tablet PC, because of its use of a touchscreen instead of a digitizer.

By using it in tablet mode users will find it easy to navigate through forms-based applications used in healthcare, field and sales force automation and supply chain management, or use the pen stylus and eliminate the need for a notepad and paper archives.

It runs Microsoft Windows XP Professional, enabling inking and note-taking with support for included third-party applications EverNote Plus 1.0 for Windows note management software, ritePen 2.5 for handwriting recognition and Fortune Fountain DialKeys which provide on-screen keyboards and thumbpads.

My Favorite Vista B1 Feature for Tablets
Tablet PC Team Blog

'm getting pretty frequent questions from folks wondering if Vista beta 1 really works on a Tablet PC. Not only does it work but one feature has been a really boon for me: the new panning tool in IE 7 (Vista only version). This is the first of what might be a series of posts on my favorite new and maybe even old features.

The great thing about using a pen is that it is so natural, but unfortunately Windows wasn't designed for a pen from the ground up, so we have to make due with UI elements like narrow scroll bars. If you are a heavy duty user you may have widened the scroll bars but that's just too much work for most of us and doesn't really solve the problem. If you are reading something you still need to glance away from where you are reading to the scroll bar, scroll, then look back and find where you were reading. The panning tool in IE makes "high cognitive load" scrolling a thing of the past (well in IE anyway). You can now absently scroll the page and keep on reading at the same time. Okay - that may not sound like much but it is really awesome in practice.

Now you do lose something for this scrolling magic - you can't select web page text when the tool is in use.  You can still click on links, but when you drag you scroll instead of select. For me this wasn't too hard to get used to, I scroll a lot more that I select so I'm happy to switch out of panning mode if I need to select something.

August 10, 2005

Actual Window Manager for Tablet PC
PowerHomeBiz.com

Actual Tools, the leading innovator in system enhancement technologies, today announced that the latest version of Actual Window Manager was examined by Jeff Van West who recommended it as a fine productivity tool for Tablet PCs. Mr. West is the author of Tablet PC Quick Reference by Microsoft Press and a regular columnist on the Microsoft Expert Zone website. Actual Window Manager is an OS enhancement suite that provides users with over forty options to organize their desktop for convenient computing.  

Lenovo Reports Global Profitability in First Fiscal Quarter 2005 ...
Business Wire

Lenovo made solid progress in our first 60 days. Lenovo's business model of product innovation combined with cost and expense competitiveness delivered profits in both our original and newly acquired businesses," said Steve Ward, Lenovo's chief executive officer. "Our innovative products - like the new ThinkPad X41 Tablet, the Lenovo Yangtian desktop with its one-key virus-kill feature and our award-winning ET960 Smartphone - combined with the commitment of our employees, business partners and suppliers, give us significant competitive advantages.

Notebook PC Business: Enterprise notebook sales gain momentum

Total turnover for Lenovo's notebook PC business was HK$9.3 billion. Globally, Lenovo's commercial notebook market share increased quarter-to-quarter, as enterprise buying for ThinkPads gained momentum. The company noted that response to the new x41 Tablet PC has been excellent. In China, strong performance came from notebook adoptions by high-end consumers.

Experience Pack for Tablet PC: fun toys and real tools
Jeff Van West

There are two big reasons why I love my Tablet PC. One is its go-anywhere form factor. The other is its use of pen-centric software. Pen-centric programs let you use the pen directly on a Tablet PC screen and help you interact with your computer in a more natural way.

And with the Microsoft Experience Pack for Tablet PC, a group of six fun free programs sort of like a Plus pack for Tablets, I can really get mobile and take full advantage of the pen with my Tablet PC.

In this article, I'll explain how to install the Experience Pack, describe what each program does, and show why I think the Experience Pack has something for everyone

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THG Video: Siggraph 2005 Emerging Technologies roundup
Tom's Hardware Guide

At the annual Siggraph convention, attendees got to see the latest in graphics and video technology. One popular exhibit is the Emerging Technologies exhibit, which showcases companies and universities with futuristic devices that may or may not make it to the marketplace.

Quasi the Robot tricks most attendees

The star of the Emerging Technologies exhibit was Quasi, the short robot from Carnegie Mellon University. CMU pulled a fast one on many attendees with their seemingly intelligent robot, who in actuality was controlled by a human being sitting in a dark corner.

As we walked up to their booth, the short humanoid robot with glowing purple eyes, said hello to us. That in itself is not a big deal, but when the robot asking questions about our cameras and clothing, we thought that Carnegie Mellon must have leapfrogged everyone in Artificial Intelligence technology.

But this was not the case, and we were almost completely fooled. Quasi would exhibit emotions such as sadness, confusion, and anger by tilting its head and changing the color of his eyes. In addition, the tone of voice would change and match his mood. Quasi seemed to have an unreal sense of his surroundings, and followed attendees as they moved around

Quasi even exhibited free will, often commenting how cool it would be to take a walk or swim, which would be quite impossible as his feet were bolted to a box containing movement servos. With our video camcorders in hand, we were about to ask university officials how they developed the world's first autonomous robot, but then we spotted someone in the corner, speaking softly into a headset, and controlling a Tablet PC - something wasn't right.

It turns out that Quasi is remote controlled via a Tablet PC. You can think of it as a high tech puppet, as the operator sets the mood of the robot and speaks via a headset. Quasi can have varying degrees of moods, for example he can be set to 50 percent mad and 50percent confused.

Quasi visually tracks attendee with a camera built into its head. The camera transmits a live video feed to the Tablet PC, and the operator can move the head manually or let the robot take control. Specific actions like dancing or tickle response can be done by having the operator click buttons on the right-side of the tablet.

Even though we discovered the truth, we think that at least 80 percent of Siggraph attendees were duped. Most of them happened to be women who were so freaked out by Quasi, they would often run away.

August 11, 2005

Gateway inks PC notebook deal with Texas university
Washington Technology

Gateway Inc. has signed a four-year agreement with the University of Texas at San Antonio to serve as a university-wide provider of notebook and tablet computing products to students, faculty and staff.

Under the agreement, Gateway of Irvine, Calif., will provide the university community with specific pricing on select Gateway notebooks, tablet PCs and peripherals. The initiative, one of the largest of its kind in the nation, will support 26,000 students and 3,500 faculty and staff, the company said. The potential dollar value of the agreement was not disclosed.

In an effort to promote adoption of these portable technologies, Gateway has worked with the San Antonio Federal Credit Union to establish several finance packages for students that offer low monthly payments and incentives that could waive interest charges.

Evernote organizes your your data onto an endless tape
Pittsburgh Post Gazette

A new contender has now entered this field, and it boasts an unusual design. It's called EverNote, and is for Windows computers only. EverNote is being offered as a free download from its maker, EverNote Corp., at www.evernote.com A paid version, the $35 EverNote Plus, adds handwriting and shape recognition for people who use tablet computers.

I have been testing EverNote and it works well. It is fast and logical and a good way to round up random thoughts and resources.

Tablet PC Programming BootCamp
Whatisnew.com

Learn how to add ink functionality to your existing applications at the Tablet PC Programming BootCamp. Martin Shoemaker, developer of Tablet UML, has a good perspective on why this operating system creates a good platform for integrated pen and ink and how it goes beyond simply adding a pen to a PC -- a good person to learn from.

Workshop in Design and Coding Tablet PC Applications
Three-day Lecture-Only - Four-days with Hands-ON labs  

Exalted Ambition and a Tablet PC
Whatisnew.com

Robert's message to Microsoft is, "Get it on, guys. Liberate us too. Market your tools to the rest of us. Fulfill your promise, your exalted ambition."

Dad, are you proding to learn more about Tablet PC positioning and reach in the education sector? He honestly questions what he has seen and contasts it with what he expects to see. I appreciate ambition too.

Earlier this week, Loren questioned whether Tablet PCs are visible enough to students.

15% discount on Tablet PC software
Geekzone

Yes, it is official now... Our 15% discount code is now valid for Tablet PC software titles listed in our Geekzone Software Store (powered by Handango).

Act now to buy your Tablet PC software from our Geekzone Software Store with 15% discount. In our store you will find software for Windows Mobile Pocket PC and Smartphone, Tablet PC, Palm OS, Symbian, J2ME (Java) and other platforms.

For a limited time only you can use the discount code 6E56CD4 when purchasing any software title for your Tablet PC from our store.

The code is valid for one use only per customer, so make sure you select all software you need, but don't let the expire date eat your chance to use this discount!

Make sure to enter the discount code before proceeding to checkout and click the [Recalculate] button to have your discoun applied.

August 12, 2005

Fujitsu Builds Tablet PC Support Into Notebook
RedNova.com

Includes swivel top, plus touch-screen and writing tools

Fujitsu Computer Systems Corp. today will announce a notebook PC that weighs just 2.2 Ib. and can be converted into a tablet device with touch-screen and handwriting-recognition capabilities. The format is designed to appeal to users in health care and other vertical industries.

The new LifeBook P1500 will replace the PlOOO model, of which more than 200,000 units have been sold globally over the past four years, said Paul Moore, director of mobile product marketing at Fujitsu's U.S. headquarters in Sunnyvale, Calif.

Although the P1500 will first ship with Windows XP Professional, Fujitsu plans to also make it available with Microsoft Corp.'s Tablet PC Edition operating system by year's end, Moore said. The new model, which has a list price of $1,499, is based on a 1.2-GHz Pentium M processor and includes an 8.9-in. screen.

Mary Jo Tells Us To Come Clean On Windows Vista
WebProNews

Oh, regarding hardware: it's too early to know that. Nearly every team I am visiting is doing performance work right now. Until they are done with that work (which probably won't happen until close to the release candidates which will come next year) there's really no way to accurately tell you what kind of hardware you'll need. Based on what I'm seeing, though, if you want the best experience you'll want a fairly beefy machine with a great video card (128MB video card is needed to see the full Aero experience). But even all that might change (obviously that isn't great for a lot of laptop and Tablet PC users, so the teams are working to make everything more performant. We really won't know just how successful those teams will be until next year sometime.

A few other things, too. 1) If there's something you want to know about Windows Vista, leave it here in my comments or over on the Coffeehouse in Channel 9