Part 2: The Progress of the Tablet PC, Pen-Based Computing and Handwriting Recognition
- Comparing Tablet PCs
COMPARING TABLET PCS
By Karl BarksdaleSpeaking Solutions © 2003
Introduction
Handwriting recognition was first introduced by Microsoft in Office XP in May of 2001. However, few took notice of XP's handwriting tools until the Tablet PCs hit the market in November 2002. Tablet PCs demonstrated dramatically that electronic handwriting input skills are an essential part of the instructional landscape!
Ultimately, this new direction is being dictated by the marketplace. Sales of Tablet PCs using Microsoft's new Windows XP Professional Tablet PC Edition OS have been very encouraging -- despite early skepticism by those who always seem to delight in taking potshots at Microsoft.
Acer, just one of the 18 original manufacturers, sold 72,000 units in the first two months. Toshiba and Motion simply didn't make enough of their Tablet PC, receiving twice the anticipated orders. In a PC Magazine article, IDC, the market research firm, predicted that between 575,000 and 775,000 will likely be sold this year. Most consider this a conservative estimate. These early figures will probably cause a reevaluation of early estimates which suggested that Tablets could capture over 10% of the computer market. This balances against the more optimistic estimate by Microsoft's Chief Technology Officer, Bill Gates, who surmised that by 2006 Tablet PCs will be the most popular form of PC in use, which alludes to a 50% market share.
However the sales work out, between 10% and 50%, the following is clear; for the first time since the computer revolution began, PENMANSHIP NOW MATTERS! Handwriting into a computer has already become a daily work-related activity for hundreds of thousands of people. There is no time left to ponder the issue of handwriting training for every student. It must be taught, used frequently, and be reinforced throughout the curriculum.
While most Tablet PCs are being purchased by business users and medical professionals, a few Business teachers have already made the jump to Tablet space. All Tablet PCs are required to have Windows XP Professional, 802.11 wireless Internet, 256MB of RAM, and must run all of the major Office XP applications. In other words, a tablet must be a fully featured personal computer for academic and career professional use!
(Note: We have found the speech recognition engine Microsoft provides free with the Tablet PC to be a big improvement over its Office XP version. We will report more on Tablet-Speak in Part 3 in the next newsletter.)
COMPARING TABLET PCS
Even with Tablet PCs, we can't ignore the keyboard, anymore than we can ignore speech and handwriting recognition. Therefore, we are reviewing four tablets that offer viable keyboard additions. Convertibles start as traditional portables, then the screen rotates to create a slate device. Slates are computers shaped like writing tablets. We have reviewed the following models:
TOSHIBA: A true convertible, Toshiba's tablet won the Best of Show award at Comdex. And no wonder, this beautiful unit sports 512MB of RAM, a beautiful bright screen, ample hard drive, and one of the fastest processors in the field. The heavy-duty pen slots into the bottom of the monitor. The keyboard is nearly full sized. We tested Dragon 6 and 7 and both worked great. While ~$300-$500 more expensive than the Acer, Compaq, and ViewSonic models, if you can afford it, this is one we recommend for instructors. However, trusting students with such a precious machine at such a cost might not be the best way to go.
ACER: Also a true convertible, we can recommend this unit for students on a budget and instructors alike. The keyboard is curved out 5% to give it a bigger keyboard feel. It is slightly smaller than the Toshiba, yet still boasts a greater grip area around the screen, giving students plenty of room to hold onto the unit. It also has two USB, traditional monitor, modem, Ethernet, and firewire ports, 802.11, 256MB of RAM, 800 or 900MHz processor, and a 20 or 30GB hard drive. Acer provides a separate pen along and an emergency Palm type pen hidden in the keyboard. We like having the backup pen! (We have tested Dragon 6 and 7 and both worked great.)
VIEWSONIC: A true slate-type tablet, the ViewSonic also sports a great gripping area and the coolest logo of any Tablet PC. The ViewSonic promises to be very popular, especially among elementary and middle school students. However, beware that a keyboard will cost you an extra $100 and we haven't tested that yet. Nevertheless, this unit seems to have the durability required for the classroom. We tested the sound card for speech and it checked out.
COMPAQ: This is truly a beautifully crafted, sleek computer. A true slate, the Compaq has an attachable keyboard that slots into the back of the device. In the hands of an instructor, the Compact/HP may be just the ticket. However, we worry about the keyboard's durability for general classroom use. Albeit, Compaq is the tops in "cool."
News Note: Gateway has just licensed the Motion Tablet PC and will sell it under their own logo, but we haven't yet tested it.