May 2005
my next computer... a Mac or a TabletPC?
- by Lora On May 31, 2005 - 9:18 PM
Neko Sonikku blogs about what computer to buy next: Mac or Tablet PC? Is the juxtaposition because of a comparable cool factor?
Tablet PCs are much more than cool. Neko Sonikku is studying Japanese kanji and here is a good example of where a Tablet PC pulls away from just being cool and into plain and simple practical for students -- handwritten notes can be in any language.
Imagine Cup Winners New Blog
- by Lora On May 31, 2005 - 11:36 AM
Winners of the Imagine Cup recently started a blog. They're going to keep track of team progress up through the World Finals in July.
The Acer C310 Tablet PC
- by Layne On May 31, 2005 - 10:48 AM
Details of the Acer C310 are now available on the Acer website.
* The latest Intel® Centrino™ mobile technology -- featuring: the Intel® Pentium® M processor; Intel® 915GM/PM Express chipset; and Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200BG network connection -- delivers superior mobile performance
* Ground-breaking dual-channel DDR2 533 technology supplies the power for next-generation graphics and faster multimedia applications
* VIDIA® GeForce™ Go 6200 graphics with TurboCache™ technology delivers amazingly life-like DVD playback and graphics
* A full day (8.5-hours) of battery -- using an optional second battery -- life means your mobility is never compromised
Itronix Introduces Duo-Touch Tablet PC
- by Layne On May 31, 2005 - 4:36 AM
"The Duo-Touch feature updates include the Intel® Pentium® M processor 733 from Intel Corporation, integrated GPS, more memory, a brighter display, and a more rugged case. The name "Duo-Touch" refers to the new dual-mode touch panel, which provides both a passive touch screen and standard digitizer, or "active," touch screen. The Duo-Touch Tablet PC will be available for delivery in June 2005."
Source: Itronix Press Release
TechEd Women in Technology Luncheon
- by Lora On May 30, 2005 - 10:38 PM
Julie Lerman reminds us about the Women in Technology Luncheon during TechEd.
What is 8.3" x 6.5" x 1.2" and weighs 2.2lbs?
- by Lora On May 26, 2005 - 11:20 AM
PC World writes about how the Toshiba Libretto is back as the Libretto U100.
A Ream of Features in Computers the Size of a Memo Pad
- by Lora On May 26, 2005 - 11:17 AM
New ultraportable notebook computers are emerging as a boon to travelers, with screens of 12 inches or less and weighing only two to four pounds. (The New York Times)
New drop of Arcs of Fire
- by Lora On May 25, 2005 - 10:34 PM
Arcs of Fire is the reference game for the Tablet PC Game SDK, which is currently in beta. 3Leaf released a new version of Arcs of Fire.
The M4 release concentrated on Tablet PC-specific enhancements as well as game-play improvements and continual refactoring to improve performance and robustness. Arcs of Fire now runs in both portrait and landscape modes and re-sizes itself accordingly on screen rotation. AoF also responds to system-wide power events, serializing its current state to the disk on sleep or hibernate commands and restoring the current game on wakening. Gesture support has been added to AoF; try the circle gesture to toggle sound, the square gesture to maximize or restore the game, and the Star gesture to exit the game.
Eric Mack and his Toshiba Tecra M4 Tablet PC
- by Lora On May 25, 2005 - 10:28 PM
As many of you know, Eric has been blogging and podcasting through his Tablet PC pondering, purchasing, and playing process.
In his latest podcast, Eric asks about a handwriting practice app. Eric, you can download the Writing Recognition Game Microsoft Tablet PC Power Toy. You can spend 3 or 4 minutes here and there practicing your letters.
Eric also asked about languages:
The following language handwriting recognizers are included in Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 Recognizer Pack: Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), U.S. English, U.K. English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish.
Are ten Tablet PCs better than one?
- by Lora On May 24, 2005 - 11:19 PM
Loren's doodling again. At the end of his "Are ten Tablets better than one?" post he writes, "Battery life and performance aren't as critical as communication and sharing." What do you think?
Physics Illustrator Hints
- by Lora On May 24, 2005 - 11:04 PM
I've never really blogged much about Physics Illustrator -- the little animated shape-reco funlet for Tablet PC, inspired by research from MIT, that my homie Peter Gruenbaum and I wrote at Leszynski Group.... (Shawn Van Ness)
How much preinstalled software is too much?
- by Lora On May 24, 2005 - 10:47 PM
I spent 10 hours or so helping someone set up a new Toshiba Satellite R10 Tablet PC this weekend. The Tablet PC does exactly what it should do, so where was the time spent?
1) AntiVirus / Firewall program,
2) Setting up printer / fax / scanner,
3) Uninstalling nuisance pre-installed software, and
4) Installing useful software
To be fair, the bulk of the time was with the printer. Older products don't always work well with newer products. The old Xerox laser printer was pre-Windows XP so it took a little finessing to get it to function with a non certified driver. Plus, there was an install order issue, so ended up uninstalling and reinstalling the driver a few times before all worked well.
But in an email conversation with Eric Mack a few minutes ago, he lamented all the pre-installed software that he doesn't want on his system. I belabored the same issue this weekend. AOL, AT&T, a card making application, extra software offers, and more. Removing them one at a time is a tedious process, especially when many ask for reboots before completing uninstall.
Afterall, I want the system pre-populated with TEO 2, GoBinder, MathPractice, MathJournal, etc. (the Tablet PC is for a teacher) -- Tablet PC applications, not yet another offer from AOL.
Building a Desktop Tablet Development System
- by Lora On May 24, 2005 - 10:18 PM
On DevX.com, Alan Zeichick describes how to use your desktop PC for Tablet PC application development.
Installing Tablet PC Edition 2005 on a Desktop
Here's how to do it.
1) Get a digitizing tablet.
Chance to Win a Tablet PC -- Power Up: Your OneNote Power Toy Contest
- by Lora On May 24, 2005 - 10:10 PM
Microsoft is holding a contest with a chance to win a Toshiba Portege M200 Tablet PC.
Microsoft® Office OneNote® 2003 is the new notetaking program for desktop, laptop, and Tablet PCs. OneNote empowers you by combining the freedom and flexibility of paper notes with the efficiency of digital organizational tools.
Show the world how you Power Up OneNote with the add-on functionality of PowerToys. It's your opportunity to influence the future of OneNote. It's your chance to wow a global audience. And it's your shot at winning one of five Toshiba Portégé M200 Tablet PCs.
To submit your entry, click here. If you need a copy of OneNote to compete in this contest, you can download a free trial here. And remember, even if you don't want to compete, you can still register for a chance to win, since a sixth Toshiba Portégé M200 Tablet PC will be awarded in an end-of-contest drawing. And don't forget to tell your friends through our Refer-A-Friend component. (http://www.onenotepowertoycontest.com)
Cooperation between Tablet PC Software Vendors
- by Lora On May 24, 2005 - 10:08 PM
I enjoy seeing how those software vendors involved in Tablet PCs work together. Hobie of Mindjet writes about Mindmanager and ActiveWords.
What if there will be an Apple Tablet PC using Intel chipset?
- by Lora On May 24, 2005 - 9:27 PM
I like to play the "what if" game.
What if there is an Apple Tablet PC?
What if there is an Apple Tablet PC that uses an Intel Chipset?
I want to know:
How many people in the Tablet PC Community would apply to go work for Apple?
Or have had already based on this speculation?
Or start up pro-Apple Tablet PC sites?
Or are hoping because they like to hope and are looking for a leading vision about the future of PCs?
Rob Bushway is wondering too and apparently has been discussing it with others (looks like Chris Coulter's writing style in the message.)
Why are Intel's demo products always cooler than the actual products...?
- by Lora On May 24, 2005 - 9:13 PM
Walt Mossberg asked, "Why are Intel's demo products always cooler than the actual products its customers make?" Right on! Fantastic question and one that is frequently discussed, yet not written about often.
Intel's response:
"Part of the problem is today the desktop [computer] business is a zero margin business for many of our customers," Mr. Otellini said, noting that has led to a chicken and egg problem: the lack of a perceived customer base has starved investment. "A, people have to buy them and B, people have to build them," he said. (He did add that he thinks the increasing popularity of notebook PCs could break desktop design out of its rut.) (Wall Street Journal)
A historical perspective is important in order to understand Intel's response. Recession struck in the early 2000s hardware manufacturers hard. Many became cash poor. Ever shrinking margins continued to disappear and move into the negative in order to move product - move products in hopes of getting out of the slump.
Intel has consistently insisted that companies innovate their way out of slump and Intel is still asserting that today. Demonstrate improved value in a new product and move the industry forward. Give people a reason to buy and they will.
This is where smaller, newer manufacturers actually have an advantage over companies that are afraid to change. For example, Acer has the opportunity to increase marketshare in the U.S., as it has already done in Europe. Keep watching - we're seeing power of manufacturers shift (continually) and those that are winning are actually innovating versus capitalizing on what-used-to-be.
Lenovo announces U.S. development center
- by Lora On May 24, 2005 - 2:31 PM
Lenovo Innovation Center will be a technology incubator, including partner collaboration, product development, imaging, and training. Partners include Intel, Microsoft, Symantec, and LANDesk. (InfoWorld)
Network Whiteboard 0.5.2 beta
- by efetty On May 24, 2005 - 5:31 AM
Hi all,
I use my tablet in the IT field a lot and needed a Visio style application that was quicker and easier to use for tablet. So I built Network Whiteboard. It currently does a lot of the features of Visio plus much more. I find it especially useful for realtime presentations. Enough of my rambling already...
Network whiteboard 0.5.2 beta Features
- Built in Network and Computer Icons for quick diagraming
- Ability to load other images as Icons
- Built in backgrounds such as graph paper and predefined areas that I have found very useful
- Ability to load other images as background and draw on top of them (great for explaining things)
- Ability to save and reopen and edit images
- Ability to save as image (jpg,gif,bmp,etc)
- Works on both tablet and non-tablet pcs
- Ability to share whiteboard sessions to lan whiteboard users and collaborate in real time
- Built in web server with ability to share whiteboard to a webpage for a View only presentation mode
- Ability to draw freeform or have it straighten your lines so your presentations are cleaner
- Ability to place text labels as icons on the whiteboard with hand writing recognition
- More features to come as people suggest them...
All this for FREE, all I ask is for your suggestions so I can make this a rockin download!
Barrett, McKeon and Sells win U.S. Imagine Cup with ECESIS, a Tablet PC app
- by Lora On May 23, 2005 - 10:45 PM
First-place winner. James Barrett, John McKeon and John Sells of Virginia Commonwealth University developed ECESIS, a Tablet PC-enabled application designed for use in early-childhood education classrooms to facilitate writing instruction. Using the application, students will complete a series of lessons that will be stored on the application server and distributed to client applications via Web services. The ECESIS system will provide objective feedback and scoring of student progress, and includes a Web reporting interface using SQL Server ( TM ) Reporting Services that will be accessible to parents, teachers and school administrators. The team received the U.S. National Champion title, a cash award of $8,000 ( U.S. ), plus $1,000 ( U.S. ) for placing first in the regional competition, to be shared equally among team members, and a trip to the worldwide finals in Yokohama, Japan. (i-newswire)
New Tablet PC Application for e-Health: Electronic Patient Consent Forms signed on Tablet PC
- by JoergMLenz On May 19, 2005 - 12:48 PM
SOFTPRO and its partner, the publishing house proCompliance Verlag, exhibited another “feature in the doctor’s toolbox”- Documented Patient Information using a Tablet PC and the handwritten signature - at ITeG, an Information Technology show for the health sector held April 26-28 in Frankfurt/Main (Germany). This system allows the information about a patient obtained by a physician prior to an operation to be confirmed with the handwritten signatures of the physician and the patient captured on the Tablet PC.
Before any medical procedure a patient must be informed in detail about the nature of the proposed procedure, the goals, the respective benefits and risks as well as the possible alternatives to the procedure. Since the early 80s so-called “patient consent forms” have been used for this purpose. Patient consent forms supply the physician with competent and timely information to give the patient about the proposed procedure before an operation. Typically the physician adds some individual notes about the intended procedure on the form. Subsequently, physician and patient sign the declaration of consent for the planned operation. Using properly executed and signed patient consent forms also documents the patient education process and the legality of the obtained consent.
proCompliance Verlag (www.procompliance.de) is the market leader in German-speaking countries for patient consent forms. The company’s current portfolio of available documents contains more than 1000 forms. These forms are revised and updated regularly by medical and legal experts, since treatment methodologies and the legal issues related to medicine change frequently. Patient consent forms are produced in a wide array of languages because German-speaking hospitals serve many patients who speak languages other than German. The forms are also sold in non-German speaking countries like France and the United States via subsidiaries. Since the logistics of maintaining an extensive portfolio of patient consent forms have become more complex for hospitals and physicians to handle, leading proCompliance to offer these forms electronically under the brand name PICS, an abbreviation for “Patient Information & Compliance Software”.
Since CeBIT 2005, PICS has become available for mobile usage as well: Tablet PC users may access these forms, annotate handwritten comments and sign the documents with their handwritten signatures.
The legal aspects of signature capturing on Tablet PCs using SignDoc have already been examined legally by Professor Dr. Thomas Hoeren of the Institute for Information-, Telecommunication- and Media Law (http://www.uni-muenster.de/Jura.itm/hoeren/en/) at the University of Muenster in Westphalia/Germany and Judge at the Higher Regional Court in Duesseldorf (http://www.olg-duesseldorf.nrw.de). The essence of his extensive expert opinion sees SignDoc as an “equivalent surrogate to the conventional signing on a paper document”, “which fulfills the formal aspects of the “written form” in an equivalent way”. In other words: Electronic Documents signed with SignDoc offer at least a similar level of security as signed paper documents. Additional modules for patient education – such as animations or videos – may be added as well.
[Read More]
Tablet advantage
- by Lora On May 17, 2005 - 11:14 PM
Loren says this cartoon is his programming mode. It's true for my morning, afternoon, evening, and night too. Hummm. Thank goodness for pillows and floors. Where's AJ (my 105lb dog) so I can use him as a pillow?
Motion Computing M1600LE
- by Lora On May 17, 2005 - 7:58 PM
Motion Computing announced its new slate form factor Tablet PC. The M1600LE has a dark gray case, beautiful display, nice and thick pen, extra battery that attaches to the back and more. Great job, Motion.
Tip for buying memory for your Tablet PC
- by Lora On May 17, 2005 - 7:49 PM
I was playing around with Toshiba Tecra M4 configurations a few minutes ago. I noticed that it's considerably less expensive to purchase 1GB of DDR2 SODIMMs from alternate sources, such as Crucial or Kingston. When you're deciding what configuration to purchase, balance the cost of buying memory somewhere else, shipping and freight for that memory with the pre-installation of memory from the factory.
Also, Toshiba says that the M4 custom configurations -- even with 128MB graphics and bluetooth -- will take 8-10 days, plus shipping time. Pretty fast for a custom build!
Tablet PC Giveaway during MEDC
- by Lora On May 17, 2005 - 7:44 PM
Each day at MEDC, Microsoft gave away a Tablet PC. Erica (pictured below) won Thursday's giveaway. She was selected from a crowd of people wearing the Windows XP Anywhere giveaway sticker.
Needless to say, Erica was thrilled. She's a software developer and eager to learn absolutely everything about Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005. I had the opportunity to give her a quick 1/2 hour intro to Tablet PCs. Congratulations, Erica! It was a pleasure talking with you.
Rich Lough and Chandramouli Kompella, of the Mobile Platforms Division, are with Erica in the photo. Thanks, guys!
And remember, if you attended MEDC and were not one of the lucky few, check your attendee bag for how you have one more chance to win a Tablet PC.
Des Moines Area Community College Kids Summer Camp
- by Lora On May 15, 2005 - 9:53 PM
Boone Summer Kids College Camp
DMACC Tech Camp 2005
July 18-20, 2005
9 am – 3 pm
DMACC Boone Campus – Room 219
Grades 5-7
Go Geocaching – Use an iPAQ – Learn Speech Recognition – Write on a Tablet PC – Interact with Virtual Humans – Create a Web Page
Campers experience three days of fun-filled technology adventure. Campers will have hands-on experience with some of the latest technology—geocaching, iPAQs, Tablet PCs, etc. led by DMACC college instructors and staff.
The $60 registration fee includes all instruction, instructional materials, morning and afternoon snacks, lunch, a Tech Camp T-shirt, and GPS treasure hunt prizes.
MEDC is over
- by Lora On May 12, 2005 - 10:59 PM
What a day!
Today was the last day of MEDC and unlike any of the others this week. Before I tell you how and share more photos though, I am going to sleep. And sleep. And sleep....
One nice part - that demonstrates how friendly people truly are - is how many people kept asking me where Arin and Loren were. The two were missed considerably, and the adored workaholics were of course working, just not at this conference. You'll see them at TechEd!
MEDC: Basic Considerations for Mobile PC Application Development
- by Lora On May 11, 2005 - 11:58 AM
Michelle McKelvey is reviewing why developers need to be aware of the ways people are using notebooks, Tablet PCs, and mobile PCs and how developers can improve user experience.
So, what's the theme? Freedom to do more with your computer: more available, more settings, more places. Michelle did a good job at reviewing the changes in the PC Industry and how it is moving away from traditional desktop concept into a new realm of access to information where ever and when ever you want it -- be it while sitting on the couch at home, traveling, to at work.
She's now going into get system power status and just created a wrapper called managed power. I'd better get back to listening....
MEDC: In Depth - Ink Data Management
- by Lora On May 11, 2005 - 10:18 AM
I'm in Mark Hopkin's talk, In Depth - Ink Data Management. Mark just talked about persisting ink and is describing how Ink object can be saved to a byte array and is now headed into dragging and dropping ink.
Here are a couple pictures from earlier in the talk:
Mark's talk is the second Tablet PC talk of the day. I missed Todd Lanstad's Advanced Tablet PC Development Topics, which started at 8AM.
The exhibit area opens in a few minutes and I'm sure the exhibit area will be as busy as it was last night. There is also a Tablet PC lounge where people can relax in a bean bag chair and play around with Tablet PCs, check them out to write home or answer work messages, etc. Linda A. Epstein took a picture of that area and should post it soon.
More MEDC photos
- by Lora On May 11, 2005 - 2:28 AM
What is a Tablet PC?
- by Lora On May 11, 2005 - 2:02 AM
Seriously, how do you describe a Tablet PC? What is it?
Loren and I have talked about having our 11 year old niece walk around conferences asking people and recording their answers. We expect she'd get quite a range of replies, with common threads telling a similar story. How would you answer - in a few words - "What is a Tablet PC?"
Blogs and Podcasts from MEDC 2005
- by Lora On May 10, 2005 - 3:00 PM
People podcasting from MEDC 2005 are wearing black t-shirts identifying that they are part of the podcast crew. Good idea. My RSS aggregator lists podcasts from Paul Yow, Anil Dhawan, John Eldridge, Larry Morris, and more. Check them out at http://web.archive.org/web/20050525023912/http://www.medc2005.com/blogs.html.
New Build Released of Arcs of Fire Game and Source
- by Lora On May 10, 2005 - 2:57 PM
On Friday, 3Leaf released a new build of Arcs of Fire, the reference game for the upcoming Tablet PC Game SDK.
MEDC: Tablet PC Development Overview
- by Lora On May 10, 2005 - 2:10 PM
Dave Hale just gave away a Tablet PC dev book to someone in the audience who answered a question about developing on a Tablet PC correctly. Dave says his giveaways will get better as the talk progresses.
Roughly 60 people listening with more coming in as the talk progresses. Dave is doing a great job. Watch out Arin. :)
Medc
- by Lora On May 10, 2005 - 12:06 PM
This morning Bill Gates delivered the keynote at MEDC. He introduced Windows Mobile 5.0, which is the next generation platform for smartphones. The audience seemed enthusiastic about features of improved collaboration, productivity, and coordination of information.
Interesting facts for a point of reference:
* Currently 40 device makers
* 640,000 developers worldwide
* 18,000 + mobile applications
In looking at the audience, I saw several familiar faces from MDC last year. Even "Mr. Whidbey", who was an attendee last year and shared his issues with the future Visual Studio 2005.
Many of the same phrases are used for Windows Mobile 2005 as are used with the full operating systems on mobile PCs, such as notebook PCs and Tablet PCs. The platform will help users be more productive, collaborate, etc. I can imagine that this "more", "better", "easier to use" relative frame of references are a bit ambiguous for general users. The good part is that once users actually see the products in action they really can experience a difference over the previous design. The other issue is what is meaning behind "mobile". How come Tablet PCs are mixed into the mobile story? And mobile PCs? It looks like attendees accept the association. They're already building products for people on the go and they accept the similarities and extension of their product onto a fully functional PC. I'll keep listening to see if this is the case throughout the attendees.
MEDC: Building Mobile Applications
- by Lora On May 10, 2005 - 11:06 AM
11:07AM Currently in Mandalay E listening to Frank Gocinski, Microsoft Mobile Platforms Group, talk about Tablet and Mobile PC Applications during the "Building Mobile Applications" panel.
* Mobile PCs, including Tablet PCs, are outselling desktops
* Customers want Mobile PC applications
* MEDC Developers already know mobility
* Mobile PCs are a natural fit for your applications
So what about that Tablet PC?
- by Lora On May 09, 2005 - 10:21 PM
I’m a big fan of the tablet PC and have a category tablet PC on my blog. But havn’t blogged that much on the Tablet recently. I’ve been writing a lot of ASP.NET production code and didn’t have the time to care of my pet. Time for a little catchup.
On the hardware front things are moving in a steady pace towards main stream adaption. Many brands have tablet models, for instance Toshiba now has a tablet Tecra and even IBM is said to work on one. The main problem was always the extra price but the difference is getting less and less. So your next notebook might as well have tablet capabilities. But you should see a tablet PC as more than just a notebook with added pen capabilities. Bill Gates’s pet, demonstrated at the WinHec keynote, is the Haiku. Which is smaller than a notebook and larger than a PDA. The main diffence between a PDA and a tablet are (at the moment) the screen and the OS. The PDA has a touch screen and the tablet a magnetic digitizer built into the screen. The PDA runs on Pocket PC and the tablet XP tablet PC edition (a superset of XP pro). These intermediate devices are no vaporware, at the moment you can install XP tablet edition on a Sony U750. That machine measures 17 by 11 cm (6.5” x 4.5”), does not meet all specs to be an official tablet, but it worked to full content of the owner.
So the hardware is making good progress, but what about the software ? Windows XP tablet PC edition is cool and very usefull. MS has realeased a tablet experience pack with some cool add-ons. (Peter's Gekko: Codebetter.com) Keep reading for his, "What's in it for developers"
Podcasting with a Tablet PC
- by Lora On May 09, 2005 - 10:04 PM
Serious podcasters invest in major equipment to record interviews. But podcasting can really be for anyone interested in recording sound and publishing it for others to listen to. At least that's what the local Vegas news was telling me tonight when it described the new trend in Podcasting.
Interestingly, I've seen that several podcasters are using Tablet PCs. I just noticed that Kevin & Barb do too. I really enjoy seeing how people can use a tool in new ways and how it starts to impact others. Watch out hardware OEMs, you'll need to keep up the quality of the built-in speaker and microphone as podcasts continue to grow. It's a good wave.
Time for a Tablet?
- by Lora On May 09, 2005 - 9:56 PM
I've been trying out an update to a computing operating system that's quite remarkable. It's Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) Windows XP Tablet Edition 2005. It's a huge leap forward in providing new functionality to the PC. (San Diego Daily Transcript)
Connecticut Police Department Uses Tablet PCs
- by Lora On May 09, 2005 - 9:49 PM
Today using Citrix, applications are centrally deployed and managed on Citrix Presentation Server, and each patrol car has a tablet PC that can access applications, including municipal, state, and federal criminal records, over a wireless network in real-time. Now time lags and dropped calls that plagued communications no longer exist. The officers log in once and have uninterrupted access to all their applications while they change devices and network connections, even when they drive through wireless dead zones in their police cruisers. (Business Wire)
Mi-Co’s Next Step: Support for the Logitech io2 Digital Pen with Bluetooth Technology
- by Lora On May 09, 2005 - 9:46 PM
To continue its role as the leading enterprise mobile data capture company, Mi-Co announced today that the company is offering the Logitech® io™2 Digital Pen with Bluetooth technology for use in pilot programs.
“Mi-Co is committed to providing our enterprise customers the flexibility they desire,” said Dr. Greg Clary, Chief Technology Officer at Mi-Co, “and we are taking steps to support and exploit the next generation of Logitech digital pens. We are pleased to be able to offer the new Logitech io2 Digital Pen as part of our pilot program.” (PRLeap.com)
Students replace books with Tablet PCs
- by Lora On May 09, 2005 - 9:45 PM
Carnegie Mellon University is conducting an experiment at The Ellis School and one of CMU's own classes in which traditional textbooks are replaced with a Tablet personal computer. The HP Compaq 1100 Tablet PCs weigh 4 pounds and have been adapted so students can highlight key passages on the screen and write on the e-text with a digital pen. Students also can send their homework on the Tablet PCs and get material from their teachers. (Pittsburgh Tribune Review)
'According to Jim' 100th episode
- by Lora On May 09, 2005 - 9:43 PM
One of the ways the "Jim" staff copes with the workload and communicates more effectively is via a digital system instituted by Hodes a little less than two years ago. The show features the first paperless, all-digital writing staff in TV history, having completely replaced paper scripts with portable, wireless-enabled, spiral notebook-sized tablet PCs.
"We're paper-free, which just won us an Environmental Media Award for reducing our use of paper by a few hundred thousand pages a year," Hodes boasts. "At the end of the production day, we don't have to sit around waiting for copies of the rewritten script. The script just appears instantly on our tablet PC." (Hollywood Reporter)
Want Tablet PCs in schools? Speak to women
- by Lora On May 09, 2005 - 12:15 AM
Dad has been baiting me all weekend. "Why haven't any women responded to my post? Why are only men responding to my blog? 83% of teachers are women." Dad's latest questions are:
Do educators have reasons different from what women want in online buying for not accepting or finding a Tablet PC a compelling tool for students? Why don’t teachers demand that every child in their classroom have a Tablet PC or another advanced mobile computing device? Why has HP’s free distribution of Tablet PCs to schools not created a ground swell of demand for more Tablet PCs? Why have other computer manufacturers not pushed harder for their products in schools? Why will a school superintendent buy a new 17-inch notebook with bells and whistles while relegating her children to a 486 desktop with an old 15-inch CRT monitor at home and no computers in their classrooms?
If educators could wave a magic wand and get their wish, what advanced technologies (if any?) do educators want for use by themselves and students? When do we want these technologies?
Now, the first thing you need to know about Dad is that he enjoys asking, "How?" and follow it up with, "Why?" These are good questions to stimulate a discussion and he absolutely loves a discussion. (These questions also put many people into a panic and on the defensive. They're harmless enough.) Next, you need to know that when he asks questions, he usually has many answers already. I don't mean that he has opinions. He has facts, figures, and is already forming "how" something can happen.
So, why aren't women, who are the primary purchasers of products and who are the majority of teachers in the United States, demanding that Tablet PCs be in the classrooms?
Is it because IT people, who are primarily men, are the decision makers and are the people being targeted?
Is it because the information goes to administrators, who are primarily men, and the information does not reach those who it may benefit the most? Teachers and students?
Is it because of conflicting priorities with decision makers?
Is it because of the value that we place on students (of various ages)?
As Dad suggests, leave money out of it. This is about information, decisions, and actions.
At MEDC this week
- by Lora On May 08, 2005 - 11:58 PM
Microsoft Mobile Embedded Developer Conference (MEDC) -- last year known as Mobile Developer Conference -- starts tomorrow. I'll be at the conference all week. I plan to sit in on several sessions and will be in and out of the booth and Tablet PC hands on lab area.
Frank Gocinski has a list of the Tablet PC and Mobile PC sessions on his blog. Plus, the panel that he's on.
Solitaire and other games on Tablet PCs
- by Lora On May 08, 2005 - 11:34 PM
When my nieces want to play Solitaire on a computer, I tell them to go get a deck of cards. So, what did I do on my last flight? I played Solitaire, Hearts, Inkball, and other games. Shhh, don't tell the kids.
The kids are correct: it's easy to play these games on a Tablet PC. With Solitaire I just drag the cards into place or double tap to flip cards. How much easier can it get? OK, maybe a vertical flick gesture to move the a card up into place at the top instead of a double tap? Or how about a horizonal flick to move a card left or right.... Not sure. What types of changes do you expect to see with future versions of these games?
Acer starts selling Linux notebooks
- by Lora On May 04, 2005 - 11:40 PM
Synnex, a major distributor, is selling Acer notebooks using both the Intel Celeron M and the AMD Sempron microprocessors.
As you'd expect, the bill of materials to make a notebook using Linux rather than Windows XP is less, so prices for the channel are less expensive. (The Inquirer)
Senior blogs about preparing for college -- with new Tablet PC
- by Lora On May 04, 2005 - 11:13 PM
John writes, " am a senior and I'll be graduating in May. I am going on to college for 2 years to be a network admin. Being interested in tablets since their launch, I've decided to get one in May. I can say with fair certainty I'm buying a Toshiba r15." Then, he details why he's considering the R15 Tablet PC. Insightful.
TabletPCPost.com hits 100,000 downloads milestone
- by Lora On May 04, 2005 - 8:40 PM
This week we've been watching the number of files downloaded from TabletPCPost.com because it has been getting close to our one year goal of 100,000 downloads. The counter flipped just a few minutes ago. I caught a snip of it at 100,010. We did it!
Thank you, to all of you who support Tablet PC ISVs through TabletPCPost.
Chat with the Microsoft Tablet PC group now (10AM Pacific)
- by Lora On May 04, 2005 - 10:11 AM
P'Ink update in the works
- by Lora On May 04, 2005 - 9:13 AM
Thomas Becker of Mind&Machines blogs, "We are also working on an updated version of p'Ink where we want to optimize some stuff. After that, we will submit t for certification to be able to enter the windows tablet pc catalog."
Microsoft: Putting Coolaid in Tablet Form
- by Lora On May 04, 2005 - 9:11 AM
I really enjoyed this riff on why Microsoft Tablet PCs are cool from Steve Gillmor.
It seems like the Tablet PC is one of the few things Microsoft can do (put in people's hands) that just stops people dead and cuts through prejudice. Tablet PC is disarming. Its funny to watch begrudging envy; is there a word for the opposite of schadenfraude? Steve isn't the only one though, Kathy Sierra is another "see the light" conversion. (James Governor's MonkChips)
Happy birthday mmeier
- by Lora On May 04, 2005 - 12:57 AM
mmeier enjoys following IBM news and has faithfully updated Whatisnew whenever there has been some. Thank you for that! Today is mmeier's birthday. Happy birthday!
Another round of updating software
- by Lora On May 04, 2005 - 12:48 AM
A few weeks ago Loren updated TabletFlash and released MathPractice Starter. As some of you have noticed, he also is prepping JumpingMinds.com for the addition of the new MathPractice SkillPak, a bundle. The download is there for the trial version, along with some videos on the MathPractice page. Online store, FAQs, more video demos, screenshots and other things are needed before it's officially ready. You can take a peek at what's going on though.
Next, it's time to start fixing older applications. I think ShareKMC should be one of the first up. ShareKMC is helpful if you want to share your desktop keyboard with your slate Tablet PC across the local network. What do you think?
Of course, with the new InkDesktop intro, he now has to make some changes to WallpaperGyro too....
Fielding a more mobile workforce
- by Lora On May 04, 2005 - 12:36 AM
Intel's Rob Leach, World Wide Marketing Manager for Mobile Solutions, was interviewed on InterComms.
The mobilized computing solutions that deliver these business benefits consist of three components: wireless connectivity, mobile devices and mobilized software. The mobile device can be a notebook, tablet PC or PDA/Smartphone, which holds the application data and work to be performed. It must also be able to withstand the physical rigours of the field.
Companies must also deploy mobilized software applications to maintain network awareness and based on available connectivity the application facilities information exchange with the corporate server and databases. (Intel)
You are invited to a Tablet PC Chat with the Microsoft Tablet PC Team
- by Lora On May 03, 2005 - 11:59 PM
Wednesday, May 4, 2005
10:00 A.M. Pacific Time
Enter chat room
Inside tech journalism: the NDA game
- by Lora On May 03, 2005 - 8:06 PM
Molly, the journalists aren't the only ones compromised by early leaks through bloggers and online websites, partners are also. It's a serious issue. Lack of information or not being able to discuss information once that information has been disclosed by alternate sources can make any company appear stupid and compromise initial sales of a product.
And that brings me to the crux of my point today. Thanks to the Internet, there's a new model for controlling information--that is, a complete lack of control. Bloggers, rumor sites, and even inside sources are running the show, but tech manufacturers are still stuck in their Cold War-like product release behaviors. They tightly control the distribution of both goods and information, hoping to maintain absolute secrecy in order to generate maximum results (that is, buzz) upon release, as well as protect any possible industrial advantage. But at this point, the only ones who are still following those rules are the journalists whose job it is to give you complete reviews of new products, so that you can make well-considered buying choices. Here at CNET, for example, the way we review products is to obtain a loaner review unit from a company, which is always returned, and test it for our reviews. We are never, ever paid to review products, and the review unit deal with vendors relies on a well-honed, ages-old system of honoring embargoes in exchange for access. But thanks to the new model of leak, rumor, and slow-in-coming confirmation, that system is becoming increasingly untenable. And you're the ones who are missing out. (Cnet)
This isn't new. People are social creatures and love to gossip. Now, we have an even faster way of sharing that information, filtering out what we think may or may not be accurate, and luckily, we adjust quickly too.
The following checklist, originally published several years ago, speaks to what you describe:
A Computer Buyer's Confidence Checklist:
Evaluate Product Evaluators and their Evaluations
by Field Teaching InstituteConfused about how to distinguish product evaluation reports from opinions and commentaries? Unsure which reports of product evaluations to trust as you select upgrades to buy? Then, maybe this checklist will remind you of possible biases that influence reports of computer and upgrade testing. The checklist relies on the same fundamental principle of evaluation you learned in school: identify factors that may influence testing results. This checklist identifies possible testing biases, reporting hyperbole, and commentaries as well as conflicts of interest between testers and buyers. You determine how much these factors help during your next purchase.
This checklist permits you to assign the most confidence to results of tests that controlled for biases. For example, you will assign more confidence to the evaluation of a product purchased by the evaluator from a randomly selected reseller than to one loaned to the evaluator by the manufacturer who also advertises on the reporting website or magazine. The reseller would more likely have sold a product of the same quality you could buy from your retailer.
You will answer 16 questions with YES, NO, or UNSURE. Have fun. This checklist costs you only a few minutes and some thought. It may help you find the product you want rather than relying on what others hype.
1. Technical Note: This checklist conforms with standards associated with nominal level scales. The arithmetic total of Yes answers assumes that all questions have equal value. A score of 14 YES answers just means that you said YES more than NO or UNSURE.
2. A Caution: Any checklist for evaluating someone's testing of computers and upgrades has merit only to the extent that you use this information to make independent decisions for which you remain responsible.
3. Send your comments about this checklist to Hey, Doc: Field Teaching Institute in care of rwheiny at yahoo.com. Field teachers have used tools of educators in non-school settings since 1969. Field teachers assists people to increase their social independence and increase benefits they obtain.
4. All rights reserved by Field Teaching Institute.
Continue to Checklist
Steve Gillmor: "back on the Tablet again"
- by Lora On May 03, 2005 - 6:43 PM
I’m back on the Tablet again–and loving it once more. Whatever I think of Microsoft’s slipping grip on the rest of the network OS, there’s no doubt that the Tablet continues to go where noone has gone before. As those of you who downloaded the Podshow strategycast now know, I’ve signed with Adam Curry and Ron Bloom to produce a series of shows for their new company. In addition to reincarnating the Gillmor Gang, I will also deliver a daily program, ironically called Gillmor Daily, produced with the CastBlaster software on, yes, the Tablet. (Steve Gillmore)
Comparing business value of Tablet PCs to notebooks
- by Lora On May 03, 2005 - 6:41 PM
Last week Craig Pringle asserted that IT professionals are failing to communicate the business value of Tablet PCs in the workplace. This week he costs out the differences between like notebook and Tablet PC, and suggests that $1.08 per day (New Zealand dollars) is worthwhile.
Gates talks Tablet again
- by Lora On May 03, 2005 - 6:17 PM
Gates said these ``plumbing'' improvements will be accompanied by advances that are more obvious to everyday consumers. He predicted the advent this year of high-definition computer screens for computers, which offer more vivid, color-rich images. And he foresaw a greater range of portable devices, like Microsoft's slow-selling tablet PC, that allow data to travel seamlessly from computer desktop to device.
All these technical advances will lead to increasing realism in the coming generation of console games, such as the new Xbox 360 to be unveiled later this month at the Electronic Entertainment Expo video game trade show in Los Angeles. (San Jose Mercury News)
Bill Gates on Tablet PC (Engadget)
- by Lora On May 03, 2005 - 6:01 PM
The second part of the Engadget interview with Bill Gates during WinHEC is now posted. Here is some of what was said about Tablet PCs:
Before we have to wrap things up, I wanted to ask you about Tablet PC. According to IDC, only 1.3% of all PCs sold last year were Tablet PCs. Is that good enough? Were those the sorts of numbers that you were expecting when you launched the platform a few years ago?
Well I believe in Tablet and I’m never the best person to know what the ramp up will be like. We’re not mainstream yet and we are hardcore, we’re going make it better and better and get this thing to be mainstream. I’m very encouraged by this sales growth we’re seeing right now. The last three months has been the record by far. You know, it just takes time. You gotta get the cost premium down. We’re working hard on this one. We expect it to be a standard feature of every portable and that would be more like 30% of all PCs than 1% of all PCs. So we’re going to get there.
How far away are we from that, do you think?
I’m not good at predicting that. I’ll be bold enough to say two years away, 2 ½ years away. It’s very non-linear. It’s not like you go one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. I mean you go you either go one, one, one, one, one, or you go one, ten, 15, 20, where it’s just “Oh, you didn’t get graphics user interface? What were you thinking? You should have graphics. You didn’t get a USB connector? Come on. You know that’s a necessary thing.” And we need the word to spread. We need people to sit on a plane and see somebody next to them who’s using OneNote and they go, “Whoa, what is that?” We need people to annotate things and mail it to people and when they get it they open it and say, “How did that person do that, that is so cool the way they’ve circled and underlined and done those things.” And we just need to get the price points coming down. We need the dual-spindle machines that we didn’t have. In retrospect it’s clear, in both software and hardware, that there was a lot to be done to get into the mainstream.But doesn’t what you just said point to the fact that a big part of the problem isn’t just hardware and software, that it’s also with the way the Tablet PC has been marketed?
Yes. But then again, when you finally get that magic thing where you get the right hardware and software and right marketing it’s never really the size of the marketing budget, it’s more how you get the exposure. Because after all, all marketing does is take enough of a group that loves the thing and gets them talking to their friends. And we have a little bit of that right now. The people who own Tablets, many of them are rabid Tablet evangelists, and so we need about ten times as many of those before we’re moving towards the mainstream. There’s a lot of neat technology behind this, there’s a lot of user benefit, like digital reading, digital annotation, and so I know that the Tablet OS we have today is good, but the next big change will be the Longhorn Tablet. And we haven’t shown any of the public that and that’s when I said we’ve only shown a glimpse of Longhorn. We haven’t shown Media Center Longhorn, Tablet Longhorn, the browser. A lot of stuff is ahead of us.
Media Center, Tablet PC will all be integrated into Longhorn, correct?
That’s right. They will ship. We’ll have different SKUs but all those things there will be a major release that will ship with the client and so that’s the big update for those things.
So I’ll be able to get my Tablet Media Center PC?
Actually we are looking at that, we will have an SKU that combines those. That’s been a little bit of a missing piece. People like Toshiba that are doing these machines that are great for that have been very clear about that.
Are you going to MEDC?
- by Lora On May 03, 2005 - 4:24 PM
Let me know if you're attending MEDC. Chris De Herrera from TabletPCTalk.com and Linda A. Epstein from TabletPC2.com are attending, as are many from the Microsoft Tablet PC team (Frank, Michelle, Tina, Eliot, Mark, Dave, Stefan, etc.).
The Information Community
- by Lora On May 03, 2005 - 10:08 AM
Will writes in response to select people receiving special information, "It’s just that these 20 suddenly become authorities on the topic of Longhorn because they have the inside story." (Posted on Channel9 and his blog.) He's correct about the value of information, especially the value of information pertaining to a major operating system change.
If a company like Microsoft shared it's information across all interested parties, equally, what could that structure look like? Probably a lot like Channel9 with additional content.
What advantage would a company have in sharing all its information? Future users of the product would be armed with information about the product from a primary source versus watered down from a secondary source. Partners would have a choice about involvement.
What would be a major difficulty in a company like Microsoft handling a truely open approach to distributing information? All the feedback. Which suggestions would take priority? Who could respond? Would phenomenal ideas be ignored? Yes.
So, they pick a small focus group and get detailed feedback. It's just a start....
Acer expects to ship 10 million PCs in 2005
- by Lora On May 02, 2005 - 10:04 PM
After enjoying strong revenue and profit growth in the first quarter of 2005, Acer has stated it expects to ship a record 10 million PCs this year.
The shipment forecast represents an increase of more than 50% over the 6.46 million PCs the company shipped in 2004, based on IDC estimates.
Acer, ranking among the world’s top five branded PC vendors.... (Digitimes)
Will there be Natural data entry designs in StartSomething PC Design Competition?
- by Lora On May 02, 2005 - 9:58 PM
When I received an update from StartSomethingPC.com about Microsoft's PC Design Competition, I wondered whether there will be any natural input design entries? Anything that takes advantage of different screen sizes -- from the small to the large -- point and tap, touch, ink, or.... What are you designing to enter?
What is the Next-Gen Windows OS PC Design Competition?
The Competition is designed to spotlight the developers of innovative PC industrial designs, as well as increase awareness among consumers and businesses about the importance of industrial design and the digital lifestyle in the development of PCs. It's all about starting the conversation out in the public. Designs will be posted publicly in November for judging in Public's Choice award category.
EKM Corp. Enhances LABTrack With Tablet PC Digital Ink Functions
- by Lora On May 02, 2005 - 9:01 PM
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 2, 2005--San Diego-based EKM Corp., an award-winning knowledge discovery systems technology firm, continues to lead the electronic lab notebook (ELN) market with added features such as Digital Ink. Digital Ink technology allows users to handwrite notes directly onto a tablet PC by using a stylus.
EKM's Digital Ink technology, provided with Microsoft Windows for the Tablet PC Edition, is now compatible with the enterprise and team versions of the company's LABTrack ELN. LABTrack - software that runs on any Windows-based device - is the first electronic lab notebook based on a scientific word processor platform that allows researchers to format electronic pages that mirror paper-based notebooks. With Digital Ink, LABTrack users can now quickly jot down notes and draw directly onto the notebook pages when typing on a keyboard isn't convenient.
Digital Ink gives LABTrack users the choice of converting their handwriting immediately into text or saving it as ink on the notebook page and converting it into text at a later time.
"The benefit is that by using mobile devices such as Tablet PCs, researchers can enter information immediately and very quickly," said Richard Stember, LABTrack creator and CEO of EKM's Scientific Division. "The Electronic Lab Notebook should be as easy to use as paper - and now it is."
EKM incorporated digital ink into LABTrack with Austin, Texas-based Motion Computing, one of the leading suppliers of tablet PC's.
"It puts us way ahead of the competition," Stember said. "We're bypassing the ELN competitors in leaps and bounds."
About LABTrack:
LABTrack is the notebook of choice used by research, analytical, production and academic laboratories. LABTrack can be tailored to fit any organization's processes and procedures, existing notebooks, templates and reports.
EKM offers three versions of LABTrack - Personal, Team and Enterprise.
The Personal version, which can be used on any PC running Windows, is ideal for the individual researcher. The Team version is a server-based application designed for small to medium groups of researchers who can access the lab notebook to add info, make changes and to collaborate in real time. The Enterprise version is a powerful and flexible server-based collaborative application that can be accessed by several thousand users in a large corporation or academic/research institution, including top-level management.
For more information please visit http://www.labtrack.com/
About EKM:
Founded in 2000, San Diego-based EKM Corp. develops knowledge management solutions for the government and scientific sectors. EKM solutions are built on the foundation of the company's award-winning knowledge discovery systems technology and utilize standard data system environments, including IBM, Microsoft and Oracle. EKM has successfully deployed solutions to more than 200 locations around the United States and is the recipient of IBM's prestigious Beacon Award for the Best Integrated Business Solution for 2003.
For more information, please visit http://www.ekmco.com/
About Motion Computing:
Motion Computing is a mobile computing and wireless communications leader in vertical markets such as healthcare, field force automation, government and education - combines world-class innovation and industry experience. Motion's tablet PCs and related ultramobile products enable people to use computers in new ways and places. Marketed through an experienced international reseller network and directly through its Web site, each Motion product is built to customer specifications. The company's new M1400 Tablet PCs and accessories are designed for users who need a combination of true mobility, power and versatility. For more information, visit http://www.motioncomputing.com/.