Anyone who remembers early handwriting recognition will be impressed with Microsoft’s Windows XP for Tablet PC. It’s not perfect, but compared to the dreadful early attempts, it’s pretty good. That’s not enough to sell Tablet PCs though. The tablet’s future depends on useful applications, at least as much as it does on gee-whiz technology.
Microsoft launched Windows XP Tablet PC Edition last fall. It combines the standard Windows XP operating system with support for input from an electronic pen writing directly on the computer screen and built-in handwriting recognition. It also comes with utilities designed for tablet computers — notably the Windows Journal note-taking software.
Microsoft was surprisingly cautious about its claims for the Tablet PC Edition’s handwriting recognition. Previewing it last summer, Erik Moll, senior product manager at Microsoft Canada, said the system could recognize handwriting accurately 80 to 85 percent of the time. Actual experience suggests that figure is realistic, or even a little conservative. The handwriting recognition is good enough to use in situations where typing is impractical, though it still isn’t a good alternative to the keyboard for serious text entry and probably never will be.
A handful of major manufacturers jumped on Microsoft’s bandwagon with hardware that uses the tablet system. Among them are Hewlett-Packard, Acer, Toshiba and ViewSonic. Tablets take different forms. A popular concept is that of the Toshiba and Acer machines; what looks at first glance like an ordinary notebook, has a screen that pivots 90 degrees and folds down over the keyboard with the screen on the outside, making the PC an electronic tablet. ViewSonic offers a keyboardless portable unit meant to plug into a desktop docking station with keyboard and Hewlett-Packard’s Compaq TC1000 has a detachable keyboard.
There are some questions about existing designs. While Tablet PCs seem well suited to graphics applications, many existing graphics packages use the keyboard — notably the Control, Alt and Shift keys — for some commands, and Tablet PC designs that hide the keyboard when you use the machine as a tablet make this awkward. The pivoting hinges are ingenious, but will they prove durable? And the pen is sometimes awkward for working with menus and toolbars — both models I tried sometimes needed several taps on an icon before they registered the pen’s presence.
Such issues are common with new technology, though, and can be worked out if the basic concept catches on. The big question is what real people can do with these gadgets.
The tablet has possibilities for note-taking. The biggest problems with taking notes on notebook computers have always been the annoying keyboard noise, the way flipped-up screens get in the way of conversation around a table, and the awkwardness of using a keyboard unless you’re seated. The tablet gets rid of those problems. Electronically stored notes have advantages over paper. A new Microsoft Office application called OneNote is designed to organize electronic notes (whether taken by keyboard, pen or in audio format). It’s due to hit the streets around mid-year, and may help the tablet catch on.
But note-taking won’t be enough to build a market for tablets. They must offer other possibilities, and this depends mostly on independent software developers.
There are some early attempts. Corel has introduced a sketching program called Grafigo designed for tablets. It turns the tablet into a sort of smart cocktail napkin where you can sketch rough diagrams, which Grafigo will clean up for you and store for later reference. Alias has a program called Sketchbook that lets you draw and paint pictures on the computer.
Zinio turns a Tablet PC into a digital magazine, with its free Zinio Reader software and a selection of magazines that appear on the tablet screen as exact images of the original pages. Current tablet screens are a little small for reading full pages comfortably, though. Microsoft Reader is a similar utility for reading downloaded electronic books. For reading other documents, Adobe Systems’ popular Acrobat Reader is also available on tablets.
Groove Networks’ collaboration software lets multiple users view and modify the same sketches and notes simultaneously. Its sketch capability is a natural fit for tablets, and Groove has added an ability to exchange handwritten notes. FranklinCovey, a company which makes paper personal organizers, has introduced a Tablet PC version that handles appointment scheduling, to-do lists, note-taking and so forth.
There are also some specialized software products for health-care workers, architects and others. Provided early tablet sales are reasonably encouraging, there will be more. How useful these are will determine whether the tablet becomes a popular tool, or a footnote in technology history.
