Editor's Note
Check Out the Tablet PCs
Since we founded
MSDN Magazine back in 1932, we've seen generation after generation of technological advances, from the early TV test transmissions of Felix the Cat dolls that made up the bulk of our coverage in the 1940s to the special 132-page bumper issue that coincided with the launch of "New" Coke in 1985. Trends have come and trends have gone, but we were truly awed when we recently opened up our first Tablet PC.
If you haven't tried one of these babies, you should take one for a spin at your friendly local hardware retailer. Even if you're not in the market for a laptop right now, it'll be worth it to see where the evolution of the personal computer will be taking us in the next five years. The units we've seen are sleek and stylish, lightweight (3.2 pounds is average), and the concept of ink markup on a screen that can be oriented to work in either portrait or landscape mode adds surprising value to the computing experience.
To demonstrate the unique power of this computing paradigm—yes, it's so amazing that we broke policy and used the word "paradigm" in this Editor's Note—we used the Train Test. "The Train Test?" you ask incredulously. It's simpler than it sounds. You can judge the power of a new technology by using it on the train ride home one evening. Of course, this Train Test should be limited to technologies like new laptop designs. The staff of MSDN Magazine is not responsible for any delays caused on commuter train lines if an overzealous reader decides to subject their homemade HERF device to the Train Test.
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So there we were, sitting on the train to Long Beach one day in May, swiveling the Tablet's convertible screen around and pretending to keep to ourselves. Reaction was instant—an eight year-old boy in the next seat exclaimed, "Dad! That guy's laptop is so cool!!" Once we had the lad's attention, we provided a quick 40-minute demo of the ink programming interfaces. We would've given the kid a chance to test the handwriting recognition tools that are built into the new Windows Journal program, too, except our stop was coming up. Better luck next time, Junior!
If you're keeping track, the Train Test is now 2 for 3: Tablet PCs get immediate reactions, and cellular modems get people asking whether they actually work well. (They do, except for dead spots near Massapequa and Valley Stream.) For some reason, however, a 20GB MP3 player got bupkes, even when operated next to a commuter who was struggling with a collection of 20 CDs and an ancient disc player. And yes, even when we accompanied its use with a shrill rendition of "Walking on Sunshine" (granted, it was 7:15 am in the middle of January, so the timing might have been suboptimal).
There are lots of things you can do with a Tablet PC that make us think that this actually is the wave of the future. It runs a full version of Windows XP plus extensions to enable pen recognition. (It's not simply pressure sensitive—the pen's got some weird stuff in it that lets the machine recognize its point while ignoring your hand as it presses on the screen to write.) The machines sample your writing 120 times per second and store the information as Bezier curves, so anything you write will actually look like your writing. There are lots of interesting features built into these machines, and we'll be talking more about them in the months to come. For now, you can check out an overview and download the Tablet PC Platform SDK at the official site,
http://www.tabletpc.com. Happy inking!
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