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New Tablet PCs With A Linux Option

Posted by timothy on from the chocolate-meet-peanut-butter dept.

Oliver Wendell Jones writes "InfoWorld is running an article about a new kind of inexpensive (starting under $800) tablet PC that runs your choice of Windows 2000, Windows XP or the Lindows distro of Linux. The PC is called the DocuNote and features an 8.4" touch screen with digital camera and microphone. The PCs are being created by a company called StepUp, which is formed of a lot of people from the old eMachines organization. DocuNotes are scheduled to start shipping in mid-December."

13 of 276 comments (clear)

  1. Tablet software? by ektor · · Score: 5, Interesting
    A tablet form factor does not a Tablet PC make. The Tablet PC is cool because of all the software that handles inputing with an stylus and integrating that with the rest of applications. That software has been in development for a couple of years and is far from trivial.

    At this stage Linux doesn't have anything even close to that. Of course it would be fun to hack a Tablet PC but not much productivity could be expected.

    And here an article about Tablet PC software.

  2. Are they the emachine people from the: by teamhasnoi · · Score: 5, Funny

    Marketing Dept - Fill the hardrive with Bonzi Buddy and other BundleCrap(TM).
    Quality Control - Easy to strip screws included at no additional cost!
    or Purchasing - "These Fujistu hard drives are a great deal!"

  3. Quality? by Phroggy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Will these tablets be similar to eMachines in quality? In other words, none whatsoever?

    --
    $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
    $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
  4. Company website with pictures... by Thag · · Score: 5, Informative

    Is at http://www.docunote.com/.

    It looks pretty nice, even has a d-pad/mouse, but alas no thumbboard.

    Jon Acheson

    --
    All opinions expressed herein are my own, and not those of my employers, who are appalled.
  5. that's not a big problem by g4dget · · Score: 5, Informative
    I don't see why not. There is already handwriting recognition for Linux handhelds (see handhelds.org). Squeak is an open source Smalltalk environment that runs on Linux and is intended to be usable with pen input. The most high-performance handwriting input engines are the ones that define a special alphabet, and those are also easier to implement than unconstrained handwriting. And on-screen tappable keyboards are actually pretty efficient as well. Even if you try to implement mostly unconstrained handwriting recognition, in practice, handwriting recognition is generally simpler than speech recognition, and there are open source speech recognizers (you can even adapt a speech recognizer to handwriting recognition--a lot of the software is very similar). And X11 already has support for different kinds of input methods, so the software architecture is in place as well.

    And many functions of pen computers don't require handwriting recognition at all (ink notes, browsing, e-books, etc.)--just getting rid of that bulky keyboard alone when it's not needed would be worth the pen computer.

  6. Amongst the cries of "YAY it runs LINUX!!"... by cscx · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A few things of note:

    1. You CAN run Linux on a MS Tablet PC. No one's stopping you. Woo hoo.

    2. These have TOUCH SCREENS. MS Tablets have electomagnetic pens, kinda like a Wacom tablet. NOT pressure sensitive like a touch screen.

    3. MS Tablets have XP Tablet Edition, with the handwriting recognition/Ink software. Linux doesn't, and seeing the state Linux fonts are currently in ("Linux fonts are fine!! Just copy the TrueType fonts from Windblo... um, nevermind"), I don't think handwriting recognition software is on its way anytime soon (and before anyone brings it up, SourceForge projects below stage 3 or 4 DON'T COUNT).

    So what we have here is a glorified Palm running linux or WinXP. Glue a touchscreen LCD onto a brick PC and you're done. Wahoo. I can go back to sleep now, because this in no way offers competition to the MS-based tablets. HAND.

  7. Inexpensive... by MosesJones · · Score: 5, Funny

    So its about the same as a laptop, but has less power, is way more expensive than a PDA but doesn't fit in your pocket.

    How is this inexpensive ? What next "Inexpensive Ferrari" ?

    --
    An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
  8. wtf?!?!! by ab0mb88 · · Score: 5, Funny

    A keyboardless computer, that is running Lindows, that is designed by the people who brought us the e-machine. There are so many problems with that idea I don't know where to start.

  9. Tablet PC's by SomeOtherGuy · · Score: 5, Funny


    Tablet PC's: "If a PDA can't cut it, you have enough money for a laptop but can't stand keyboards -- this is the platform for you."

    --
    (+1 Funny) only if I laugh out loud.
  10. Re:Touch screen by limekiller4 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Uhh_Duh wrote:
    "Seriously, linux w/ a touchscreen?? How useful is that?!"

    I agree. When was the last time you heard Picard say, "Data, bring up the command-line interface!"

    --
    My .02,
    Limekiller
  11. using tablet to post this by rufusdufus · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I am using a tablet pc in compusa right now. cool wireless internet access not compelling enough to compensate for nightmareish pen input interface. Getting this text entered correctly has taken more than 5 minutes...finally had to swith to soft keyboard.which sux to.
    novelty at best

  12. Re:Touch screen by Jason+Earl · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Data, right click on My Network Neighborhood and choose properties..."

  13. Re:Touch screen by Anonvmous+Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Seriously, linux w/ a touchscreen?? How useful is that?!"

    You're asking the same crowd that thinks it's cool to install Linux on a watch.