Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Examining a Tablet PC

Posted by michael on from the etch-a-sketch-just-as-good dept.

Mister Buttons writes "There really haven't been any real technical reviews of the new Tablet PC operating system from Microsoft yet. Those marketing stories published on CNET and the like do little more than whet the appetite. Luckily it looks like someone finally took a close look at the Tablet PC. The folks over at AnandTech have a good tablet PC review up which includes information on both the hardware and software that the tablet PCs use. Maybe it's time to break open that piggy bank..."

4 of 237 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Not for me by BluGuy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Well, you're on /., so you must use your PC for something else other than games. Early adopters aren't always game-playing kids with cash to blow. Many of the (including myself) actually see things like Tablet PCs have a productivity advantage over a laptop. Carrying my laptop around all day is a hassle. If I had a tablet PC in my office, I could go from meeting to meeting, and not have to worry about missing an important email, have a presentation available to show to anyone I happen to bump into in the hall way, etc. Laptops are a pain to carry around, they are exactly the most ergonomic things around, and taking notes on them sucks. So there you.

  2. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  3. Re:Overhyped? by Saint+Fnordius · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think you're right. Microsoft is doing its damndest to convince us that we need this, without really explaining why. (The reason why is simple. Microsoft needs a new source of cash, but don't tell them I told you!) The best-written review of a Microsoft TabletPC can be found here. It's based on real-life impressions with one of these things.

    Then again, if Apple came out with one I'm sure reviewers would be falling all over themselves to praise it, because (a) it would be more polished, (b) Apple doesn't telegraph its punches, so you don't get disappointed when it DOES arrive, and (c) Apple still enjoys an image of coolness and scrappy underdogness*.

    *is that a word? Well, it is now...

  4. Does Anyone Here have A Real Job? by puto · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I suppose these days the majority of the posters are of university age or just the fact they might soley sit and code all day, do network support, or something desktop centric and thinks makes you somewhat of a computer purist.

    This thing will probably go gangbusters in the business world. Do I need to point out again they can use these things in hospitals, docs can carry them around and have instant access to patient data? You can't teach an old doc to type but you can teach him to point and click. Imagine all of the patients records for him to review right there, and also to digitally sign off on medications, release forms, paperwork? I worked in the medical IT in the mid to late 90's and we would have killed for this for our clients. AND our clients were always asking for this portability. You leave your office to do rounds of your hospital patients, you can have all of their records at your fingertips. Your staff can dump the records necessary and hand it to you. Plus keep your drug interaction software, E an M coding stuff. Scheduling, xrays. The screen is bigger than a pda, Doctors are gonna eat this alive.

    What inventory sytems. You are doing inventory and rely on a stock numner, you can carry one of this around with wand and it will show you the item as well as give you all the details.

    Companies can give these to employees so they can have access, to employee manuals, data, you name it. Much more portable than a lap top.

    Sales Departments can configure payments, interest options, the whole shebang, and then slide this sucker across the desk.

    Games? This aint for games. This aint for coding. This is for strict ease of use in certain apps. And I am sure if you sit down and put some thought into it you would come up withmany uses.

    I tested one and it recognized my chicken scrach, which my wife says could be confuse with Sanskrit.

    It is a good product and sad to say MS made it. IT is here now and has pretty damn good functionality for many things. Sure someone will hack up linux to run on it, more power to you. But in the business world you need what works NOW, not what will work, or what you can say can be made to work.

    We need to take over the Desktop, then move on. But to downplay something as usefuls as this with FUD from the OSS camp is just ridiculous.

    Anyone in IT who has been in it for more than 5 years, done heave support, and has had to be a solution provider will recognize this a a good item.

    Puto

    --
    The Revolution Will Not Be Televised