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Examining a Tablet PC
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..."
I can't see myself playing a first person shooter on this thing... Or a racing game... Heck, this thing just doesn't lend itself to games.... And that means that there is no reason for people like me (who make up most of the 'blow lots of money on new toy' market) to buy these things.
---
Programming is like sex... Make one mistake and support it the rest of your life.
Does anyone else out there have the same feeling I do, that the Tablet PC is over hyped? The only tangible benefit I can really see is totally comfort motivated. The laptop has never been that comfortable to work on sitting on the couch. The tablet PC would make such computing more comfortable. However when it really comes down to using my PC I really prefer a keyboard over a pen & screen combo.
I have great faith in fools; My friends call it self-confidence. Edgar Allan Poe 1809-1845
Luckily, I was able to capture the page with Microsoft Internet Explorer(TM) to post here:
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Scroll down to: Drawing on a Tablet PC
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A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
But, it looks really cool to me. I'd have to admit that MS has raised the bar with this OS. I wonder if the KDE team will show any interest in such things as the hand writing interface?
I've played with them at work. They have nifty features like voice dictation and handwriting recognition but they are about 85% accurate. It can even partially understand cursive! Very cute lil things but not quite there yet.
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It would be cool if there were a highly rugged inexpensive tablet that could replace textbooks. No need to worry about notes in the margins and the like.
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
There's no way any handwriting recognition can allow me to scrawl faster than I can type. 100WPM is next to impossible with pen and paper.
Who will buy these?
Warehouses. Many processes in the warehouse are interrupted by leaving the "work area" (which might be a forklift, ladder etc...) to go use the computer. A tablet PC could be with the user instead of stationary. Interruptions of 2 or more minutes multiplied by pay rate and hundreds of employess = thousands of dollars in lost efficiency.
I don't know, I'm a Linux user that codes PHP as a hobby and still runs a P3 600, but my take on these tablet PCs is that they are for moms and dads that have money to blow and are easily drawn to shiny things.
Easy: Quickly improve the software. The hardware is very solid with just a few considerations (like power, heat). So, a better software package could make the day.
The ultimate network admin tool needs HELP!
I still don't see what the hype of a tablet PC is all about, for much less you can pick a a PC, or even a laptop and a Wacom Graphics tablet.
Insightful?
What are you going to do, walk around with it strapped to your leg?
The entire point of the tablet pc is so you can use it standing or walking, situations where you can't easily open your laptop.
In terms you might understand, it's the equivalent of having a clipboard and being able to jot notes and flip through pages of info. Yes, you can also use the clibboard on top of a desk, but that's not the idea- the idea is mobility.
-- If god wanted me to have a sig, he'd have given me a sense of humor.
Check out the SonicBlue ProGear. It's a Transmeta 400 Mhz CPU with 128 Megs of RAM, 5 Gig HD, WiFi, IR, and a touch screen. It comes in two flavors, Windows98, and a bastardized Linux (that can be replaced with your favorite distro). I've got one that currently runs Slackware 8.1, and I've heard of others that have RedHat installed.
If you want to check out the "Progear Scene," head over to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/progear/ to check otu the Progear User's Group. We've been hacking away at this thing for a a good six months (or so) now.
<SHAMLESS PLUG>Check out www.mira2go.com to buy a PG for circa US$600.</SHAMLESS PLUG>
Michael C. Hollinger
linux distros like redhat and slackware have worked on tablet pc's for 3 years now.
Hell I have 5 year old tablet pc that run's slackware fine.
why would you think that something old like a tablet pc wouldn't have linux support?
tablet pc's have been around for over 10 years.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
I was a lucky enough b@#%!rd to win an Acer TM C102Ti as the MS Tablet PC launch. After piddling with it for a few weeks I've definitely noticed some interesting usage habits.
For taking notes I use MS Journal, they go in as ink and stay as ink. My recognition of my writing will always be better than their recognition and I don't feel like going through the correction just to get a smaller file size. If I was sharing the notes with someone else I might, but what I keep for myself I keep as ink.
Browsing I do a mixture or pen and keyboard. I definitely like browsing in tablet mode with the pen it just feels more natural, however entering URL's with the pen is still 50/50 so if I have to pull out the keyboard it's back to landscape mode.
Any type of command line work such as admin work or coding simply requires a keyboard, no two ways about it. If I remote accesss in to work I have to use a keyboard (they are running a version of MetaFrame that doesn't support pen). This is where the pen will fail to win over the gear-heads in my opinion.
Also I do find myself using keyboard and pen more than I thought I would. Glidepoints still just don't cut it for me, so I'd rather do the extra grab for the pen.
All in all I'm really happy with it (I should be since it was free) and I can't imagine buying a laptop without Tablet features after using a Tablet.
While there are some niche applications that could prove useful, I think this is a case of Microsoft trying desperately to find the Next Big Thing. The desktop/laptop industry is maturing, and with that comes a potential threat to the continued insane levels of profit coming from the Windows & Office products.
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I found the stylus (pen) interface extremely good - the mouse will follow the stylus even if the stylus is not physically touching the screen up to a height of about 1.5 inches. This makes things a lot easier than having to drag the stylus physically across the screen when moving, say, a folder. A single click is acheived by just touching the stylus to the screen for most applications. The stylus on this machine was apparently "active", requiring one AAAA battery - I did not take it apart to verify this, and have no idea how long the battery would last, but it must be a fair while.
The "lazy susan" type keyboard (note: not full docking) station is extremely space efficient, and the key feel is (for me) not too bad for the form factor. The tablet is "smart" enough to know when it has been plugged in to the keyboard base, and rotate the screen from portrait to landscape mode automatically. I was sold - it would be a great setup to take on the road, as it would actually be quite usable in an aircraft, on your lap etc.
Apparently there is a full docking station available (with CD/DVD ROM etc), but we did not have access to it. Under most circumstances, given the inbuilt WLAN interface, the keyboard station would be sufficient.
For those wanting to support Transmeta, this device contains the new 1Ghz Crusoe TM5800 processor. Battery life was claimed "up to five hours", realistically about 3.5-4hr max. Not stunning, but quite good considering the form factor. Speed was not lightning fast, but probably acceptable for most tasks you would envisage for this type of device. ZDNet bagged it in this review, but I did not find it as bad as they make out
I hardly used the digital ink features, so cannot comment on them, but others in my section who tried the journal feature seemed to like it.
When I first saw this device, I pretty much blew it off as a "toy" laptop with a detachable screen, but they really are a bit more than that. After using it for a short while I had to revise my initial hasty opinion, and by the end I did not want to give it back. I would use it in place of a "full" laptop without hesitation.
Naturally for a new product the price is a bit steep for what you get, and since as far as I know no Linux geeks have had a chance to check it out, its Linux readiness is unknown - it is a given that Linux probably cannot support the software augmented hardware features such as the digital ink/journal etc - but even if the device supported a standard linux install with X, and the mouse and wireless card worked, these would be a great portable. workstation.
If I can get my hands on one for a bit longer I will try a Linux install, but will need to be carefult to not blow away the OS if possible - it did not look easy to reinstall the base OS, given the lack of inbuilt CDROM device. Comments from anyone who has tried (even at this early stage) to install Linux are welcome.
Hey guys, I just wanted to let you know that we just finished tweaking the servers by adding another 3mbps to the image server. The site should be faster now (meaning it will actually load in most cases).
Enjoy the review,
Matthew Witheiler
Senior Hardware Editor
AnandTech.com
I suppose I'll start my post while I wait for the load strained pages of the article to load.
I feel a little like I'm being a tool for Microsoft, but it's probably because I've made a few other posts on the subject. When someone puts together a great product I feel they should get credit where credit is due.
I purchased the Viewsonic v1100 after playing with it in the store for an hour. If I had to do it again, I would probably get one of the Fujitsus instead, since that is what other slashdot users seem to buy. Don't get me wrong though, I love the one I got. It's worth every cent I paid. I figured that if I was going to plunk down some money on one of these, then I would embrace it. And embrace it I did. I stopped using paper whenever possible, and tried to convert as many documents into their electronic counterparts.
I work as a technician between several buildings, so with this tablet I can connect, through 802.11b, to the help desk software we have. Using this, I have effectively replaced all of my notepads, lists, and papers that I used to carry around with me. It ends up replacing about the same weight, only now everything is organized, and I can bring it all with me.
All I can say is that it just works. The interface is simple, yet works extremely well, and it runs all the apps I need.
Oh yeah, and it hasn't crashed once in the three weeks I've had it.
Qualitas edurus commercium, nullus penitus net rimor, nullus deus beneficium
There's already a full ruggedized version. The iX104-TPC from Xplore Technologies (iX104 Page) which is built to Military Environmental Test Standards [MIL-STD 810F] so I think it could handle a dock worker. Especially since Xplore already builds for that market and understands what's needed.
The Tablet PC isn't what Microsoft is offering for being comfortable working on the couch. The couch PC is the Windows Powered Smart Display which is designed to let you use your existing PC on the couch by undocking the display and using the existing system remotely with a stylus. The Tablet PC is targeted at people who don't work at a desk and don't have a place to sit down and type.
The one complaint I've heard repeated hundreds of times is about text recognition. Most people are saying the text recognition is between 75-90%. Personally I've used a hacked e-pods with Caligrapher for over two years now and seen 98-100% recognition during that time.
Having said that I will say there are some things I've noticed about writing habits (watching other people use the device). Some people like to write very small - for text recognition the bigger the better. Some people complaining about the recognition level can't write legible text i.e. I have a friend who will write something down for me and I can't read it. Two days later if I give him the same paper back and ask for an explanation he can't read it either. Recognition is relative.
Gates wanted the recognition software to tailor to the user, but the product developers want the recognition to be more generalized and the users would have to adjust. Personally I think there has to be a compromise - people need to pay attention to penmanship and the recognition software should adapt somewhat to the individuals writing (much like speech recognition adapts to the individuals voice).
"Do not be swept up in the momentum of mediocrity." - anon
well, for one, you can BUY a tablet PC, this looks like some computer renderings of case designs with photoshopped screenshots.
neat concept, but vaporware != worth a frontpage story (well, most of the time =)
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I really don't see much of a cost benefit over a high-end PDA. Sure it has more bells and whistles, but it is also heavier and not as compact. I use my Palm primarily for one thing. Reference. I store lots of notes there. I seldom edit them.
I'd also like to see the durability of one. If it can't take some abuse then it will fail. It is too expensive to break if it drops on the ground.
I really do hope it works because it would open up some interesting possibilities, but unless the price drops I really don't see it being a big seller. Don't forget that tech people will still be needed to fix problems which adds to the cost. There are backup & restore issues which adds to the cost. There are security issues where an expensive device vanishes (not to mention the data on it) and that adds to the cost.
I'd also be curious to see how people who are not good with PCs react. Odds are they are comfortable with a pen and paper and would just as soon keep it.
Tablet PC. I think I would like to get one and hang it on a wall. Then I could put pictures on it (in a screen saver like mode) and it will be plugged in so that battery life isn't important.
Then when I need to control my MP3 Jukebox I can simply walk up to the "picture" and access my MP3 Jukebox (which I can control remotely) and request a new song.
It would be like using a terminal in Star Trek!
42 - So long and thanks for all the fish.
I'm guessing that when people here are saying that the text recognition is between 75 and 90% what they're really saying is that 75-90% of the time it gets everything they wrote correct. That's REALLY different than meaning it got 75-95% of the characters correct. (75-90% word recognition alone is more like 95-99% character recognition and 75-90% total recognition is 99%+)
I went to a local CompUSA store with a co-worker who was very interested in buying a tablet PC. He currently lugs his laptop to meetings every day and he wants something a little more horizontal.
There was one tablet on display, but no stylus to operate it. I tried using my PDA stylus to no avail. A salesperson eventually wandered over to help and said he'd have to go get the special pen they keep under lock and key. When he came back after a couple of minutes I asked why they didn't have it on some sort of chain so people could use it, he told me that the pens for the tablet PCs they stock sell for between $150 and $300 each depending upon the brand (they appear to be interchangable as we used a Toshiba pen on a non-Toshiba tablet) and they had already had two grow legs and walk away.
As someone who has lost at least 3 PDA styli in the past few years (yes, I was one of those kind of geeks who bought a Pilot the first week it was released) I know it's just a matter of time before I would lose the tablet's pen, and there is no way in hell I'm going to tie myself to a PC that is useless without a $300 pen that can be lost that easily.
After leaving, I got to wondering if the tablets could be used with the same kind of stylus that a graphics tablet uses, as those can be purchased for far less than $150. I'll need to remember to take my Wacom pen with me next time I go shopping...
A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing -- Emo Phillips
This is an opensource forum with pro-free software people
No it's not. It's just 'News for Nerds'.
Yes, it has a pro-free pro-open-source software bent, but not to the exclusion of everything else. Don't assume that everybody here is a Linuxhead.
How does one press Ctrl-Alt-Del with a Tablet PC? :-P
I used to work at a computing cluster & cybercafe, which operated under the paradigm of collaborative computing. We had all the fun toys there, like tablet PCs, palmtops, high end 3D graphic stations, and everything in between. The lesson I learned about computers while working there is this: Due to the personal computer revolution, people typically conceptualize and use computers as one of two things: glorified typewriters or interactive televisions, depending upon their funtional goals. Both of these functional goals are rather sedintary in their usage.
Tablet PCs are a major stepping stone in regards to mobile computing and collaborative computing. I don't mean to tell you what you do or do not like, but I suspect that you "really prefer your keyboard over a pen and screen combo" because you are doing a lot of typing, and not necessarily much else. If you were doing photo archiving, collaborative computing, pharmaceutical design, diagnostic imaging (MRI), or forensics work, a PC Tablet would be orders of magnitudes more efficient, ergonomic, and usefull than a keyboard.
In environments where you have to be walking around a lot, such as in a hospital, a clinic, a research laboratory, or a research center, Tablet PCs are becoming the rage for good reason. The Hype is because they can be really, really usefull. One has to view tablets as 'compute and run' devices for them to be conceptually usefull.
I'm surprised that no one noticed several screenshots had references to 1984 by George Orwell. The reviewer having fun at MS's expense I guess.
"I would say that 99 per cent of what my father has written about his own life is false." - L. Ron Hubbard Jr.
Yes, you can also use the clibboard on top of a desk, but that's not the idea- the idea is mobility.
Or...you can use the clipboard. It accepts handwriting input with 100% efficiency and no interpretation errors. It doesn't use any batteries, costs pennies on the dollar, is lighter, and the media is capable of lasting (in usable form) for literally 100s if not 1000s of years.
Can a tablet PC do THAT?! Huh? Thought not.
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Penny-arcade had a decent review of atleast one tablet pc. On 2002-11-27 and 2002-11-28.
I honestly don't understand why these weren't "invented" years ago. They are just touchscreen laptops that have the screen attached to the back. A lot of these tablet pcs even work like laptops except the lcd hinge is made in such a way they can be swiveled around and folded underneath.
just look around your desk where you work - see all those scraps of paper? you probably used them because its too much a pain to enter it in a computer. In my case, they are usually diagrams and drawings to help figure something out. No way could I enter those quickly and easily in a computer. no way can I easily search through all those papers for a specific drawing done a year ago. the Tablet PC offers this.
for now, its a bit too expensive and probably not a good as it can be, but thats true of all new technology. in a couple years, it'll be just about right.
Anyone out there have or try one of the Logitech io's? This seems to be the real solution for note taking.
I've got an old CrossPad as well and it was a great compromise between the new Tablets and regular old pen and paper. The best thing is that you always had a hard copy of whatever you wrote no matter what. I imagine getting an application crashing error after an hour or two of taking notes would absolutely suck.
--- I wish I could hear the soundtrack to my life. That way I'd know when to duck.
Nobody wants hostpital records, warehousing inventory etc done and stored on a heavy local harddrive. Nope, you want them stored back on the server. THus no need for the local harddrive (cost, size, weight, battery life).
For any real job you need better battery life that can take you through a whole work day.
In no real organisation will the BigBoss sign up to supply the blue-collar types with the latest most fancy and expensive computers..
Jslate and aquapad-style devices are far more suited to this kind of role.
They'll sell a few TabletPCs to the BigBoss who wants the coolest toy in town. That's it.
M$ have screwed up every effort they have made to move off the desktop. This is mainly because they into a new field and try to force the Microsoft Way onto folks without understanding their needs. Unfortunately they have deep enough pockets to dominate (force out of business) anyone with real solutions.
TabletPC is about Microsoft's sixth attempt in mobile space, why should this succeed when all their other attempst have failed? Naah, TabletPC can join the junk-pile with WinCE, Windows for Pen, Stinger for phones, CarPC (or AutoPC) and all their other stuff.
Engineering is the art of compromise.
So yes, I'd expect a wacom pen would work.:P
Unix had a tablet pc based remote desktop 30 years ago?
Windows has also hade remote desktop services built in and available as add on software (PC Anywhere) for as long as windows has been existance. This is not about remote desktops as a posibility, this is about a complete hardware unit that allows you to take your remote desktop with you wirelessly for short distances from your computer. It is less, but also about using a pen to it's fullest (so far) as a UI tool instead of a mouse or keyboard.
Unix did not have THIS 30 years ago.
Contrary to popular belief, coding is not all free blow-jobs and beer. Those things cost MONEY!
...when I dropped it off of the display stand at CompUSA. Damn thing slipped off the metal stand it was on and took a plunge towards the floor (and my foot which swung out to catch it). A real-life example that so far, these things can withstand a 4 foot drop.
Some of use want to run more apps than just the equivilant of Notepad.exe.
what's wrong with chaining the pen to your TABLET? I suspect those ID holders (one with stretch-strings for access cards, company IDs, etc) seem perfect for the job. a little ghetto-rigged, but for the forgetful - hey beats 300 buxs eh?
i mean, i wouldn't suspect you'd use the pens anywhere else later anyhow.
and also - maybe you lose palm styluses (styli?) because they are cheaper? I can say the same thing like "i will never buy one of those 300 dollar Cartier or S.T.Doupont because I keep losing my BICs!" but that's just not true - knowing that i have shelled out massive dollars for the pen, I am (would be, anyhow) much more careful with it.
My life in the land of the rising sun.
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