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This page is dedicated to all things related to Tablet PCs. Here you will find my musings on the table I have plus any contributions made by anyone who cares to offer comments.
SJSU has at least one class that currently encourages the use of Tablet PCs.
This is Bus 118A. The cool thing about this course is that it is comprised of students from the Computer Science Department, Engineering Department, Management Information Systems Department, and Accounting Information Systems Department. They form teams and using loaned Tablet PCs (and PDAs if desired) find problems that can be solved using these products. Some of the things they are doing are way cool. For more information on this class, check out http://www.cob.sjsu.edu/roldan_m/118sfall2003/. For more information on the SJSU/HP Mobility Project, check out hp.sjsu.edu.
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If you are interested in buying a Tablet PC, here are some things to consider:
- Read the Comments Page for feedback by people one their experiences
- Performance: Does the CPU run at different speeds (high power and low power) depending on power source?
- Performance: How much RAM? Try to get 512M minimum. Remember that the more memory you have, the less disk access you will need.
- Performance: How well does it run software. In most cases, it won’t have the software you use installed, so run the software you can find on the unit to see how fast it starts up, opens files, saves files,
etc. Try to get a feel of the performance.
- How does the pen work?
Is the screen sensitive (like a PDA) or is the pen powered? This is important because if the Pen is powered, then if you lose the pen, you are unable to work until you get it replaced (and how much is a replacement pen anyway?)
- Don’t make assumptions that one unit will have features or work as well as a different unit from a different vendor.
- This is still new technology. Fortunately for you, the first couple of rounds of Tablets have been produced. The next generation will have resolved many of the issues that the early adopters
encountered.
- Make sure that it comes with the latest version of Windows XP and Office 2003 (shipping as of 10/24/2003 and with full support for “ink”).
- When looking for other software you may want, see if that software has support for Ink.
- Read the reviews. You can do a search on Google but to make your life a little easier, here is a link (from 11/03) to the C/Net Tablet PC reviews: http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-3000_7-5089619.html?tag=prmo1
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There are a number of links to various resources web sites that can help you out. Here are some:
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Tips and Tricks: We are still awaiting suggestions from our members, but here are a few:
- Evaluate how you use your Tablet. For example, you may find it quite advantageous to change the default operation of the external buttons (if available.)
I changed mine to hibernate instead of using Standby. It takes a little longer, but doesn’t drain the battery. I changed the toggle to be a scroll toggle as well. But you can usually change all of them.
- Occasionally, reorient the pen with the system so that the click is going where you expect it.
The way you hold the table will affect your preference for where the mouse should click. And as you get more comfortable with the unit, the way you hold it will change.
- Just in case you misplace it, tape a business card to the laptop (cover the entire card with clear tape to prevent it from getting smudged, etc. If you work for a firm where someone may actually want your
laptop for trade secrets, remove the company logo/name from the card. It’s amazing how many laptops have been left at airport checkpoints with no identification on them at all.....
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Choosing the right software can also make a big difference in how you enjoy your table. While most software should run just fine (since you are running XP) software that has been written to take advantage of
“ink” will often give you much better and more satisfactory results. Here are some products that have been recommend as being good tools to use on a table PC
- Windows XP - the latest version.
Go to the Microsoft Table web site (see the links page) to make sure you have all the latest offerings. Often, MS will post tools and software that you can run but are not included in the default install of XP table edition.
- Office 2003 - This is really cool and make very good use of ink.
- Other contributions???
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Ok, so you are using your table and have a question. What are your options?
- Join an e-mail list of people who use the same type of tablet PC that you use.
- Contact the webmaster
Most importantly of all, enjoy your Tablet!
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