August 1, 2002
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| Will Microsoft’s Tablet PC be used in your industry? |
Tablet PCs, the newest technology push from Microsoft, are rumored to reach full production by October this year.
These portable computing units are something between a laptop computer, pad of paper and a PDA, all in one. Standard tablets are rectangular and slightly smaller than a notebook computer, offering handheld computing with the power of a desktop. Users write with a digital pen, something like one would do with a PDA, but the system provides handwriting recognition rather than graffiti to register the input.
Much speculation surrounds the Tablet PC, with industry professionals wondering who will be using this device and how they will apply it. Although the benefits and novelty of the Tablet PC are very attractive, their price and limitations may limit the product’s initial exposure to the mainstream.
Service industries may be the first to test the waters since many of their work environments requires personnel to enter data on the run. While PDA solutions have been successfully implemented by many businesses in this industry, some professionals have shied away from PDAs because of their lack of power and small screens. For these services, the full capabilities of WindowsXP may turn their heads.
Tablet PC Considerations
Tablet PCs are much more functional than PDAs, offering the full power of a desktop PC.
The ability of the system to consistently translate user handwriting into computer text and data is under scrutiny. Whether or not you are satisfied with the recognition, the digital ink will still allow you to centralize and organize your notations.
Until the tablet is ruggedized (made to withstand the impact of being dropped, water resitent, etc.) you may not want to use it in outdoor activities. If you drop the PDA, you may loose a couple hundred dollars. If you drop a Tablet PC, you’re out of a couple thousand. The device is much better fit for use in hospitals, corporate managment services and light industrial use.
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