New, Free Tablet PC Edition 2005 Handwriting Update

If you have been waiting for Tablet PCs to get good enough to teach them to your students, the wait is over. Since Microsoft released Windows XP Service Pack 2 (also known as Windows XP Tablet PC 2005 Edition) last week, I have had a chance to ... experiment with the numerous new features that finally make the Tablet PC the most compelling platform for education and business.

By Ryan Teeter © 2004

Microsoft's long-awaited Tablet PC update has been released. It is part of Microsoft Windows XP Service Release 2. Go to the Microsoft site and download the service release or order the update CD. (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/)

This is the same service release that you will use with your desktop and laptop computers. The difference is, when the Windows XP SR2 update senses that a Tablet PC is present, it adds lots of extra, really cool Tablet only features.

If you have been waiting for Tablet PCs to get good enough to teach them to your students, the wait is over. Since Microsoft released Windows XP Service Pack 2 (also known as Windows XP Tablet PC 2005 Edition) last week, I have had a chance to rediscover my Tablet PC and experiment with the numerous new features that finally make the Tablet PC the most compelling platform for education and business.

The first thing I noticed as I gave the update a test drive was that handwriting recognition is natural and actually works as it should. On just its second attempt, Microsoft hit it right on! Accuracy has improved immensely, especially with numbers. Real-time recognition preview and correction (ala speech recognition) and context-sensitive formatting make the Tablet PC experience as natural as paper and pencil.

Instead of the cumbersome input panel from earlier releases that remained stationary near the bottom of the screen, the stylish new input panel stays hidden until you need it. Tap with your stylus where you want to insert text and a small, unobtrusive button appears instantly. Click that little button, and the Tablet Input Panel (TIP) appears from nowhere, placing it right where you would expect it to be, just below your cursor. As you write and approach the end of the line, the input panel automatically expands and adds more lines until it fills the screen. Finally, when you are ready to insert your text, click the "Insert" button and the input panel disappears out of sight until you beckon it again.

There are now three different ways to employ the TIP.

• First (See the picture above) is the traditional handwritten input. As you write on the panel, the computer recognizes in real-time your handwriting and the result appears just below the text. If the word it not correct, tap the recognized word and you can choose from alternate versions or manually change a letter or two. Those of you who have used the correction features from popular speech recognition programs will find this interface familiar and simple.

• The second method of input is an option for individual character recognition. If, say, you have to enter a product key when installing a program or have a pass phrase that is fairly unique, this method of input is a welcome addition.

• The third means of text input is found in the traditional "soft" keyboard, which allows for simple tap-typing. A subtle but extremely useful addition is a switch that allows you to change to different keyboard layouts on the fly.

Since I often have to write in Spanish, I can access my accents and ñ's without the need to go all the way to my Start bar. All three of these methods are clean and precise, letting you worry more about the project you are working on rather than whether the recognition is going to work or not.

The input panel has smartened up in this release. Depending on the context of text input, the recognizer has been trained to recognize real words or complex Web addresses. Finally, you can use the input panel while perusing the Internet. Web and e-mail addresses are recognized correctly, slashes and all! There are also presets for commonly typed characters such as http://, www., .com, etc. although writing them out works just as well. You can now use the input panel naturally and effectively with Internet Explorer and Outlook without the slightest hitch.

Although the new handwriting input is reason enough to install the update, Microsoft has also beefed up security and stability, improved Internet Explorer with a pop-up blocker, and even tweaked its speech recognition engine.

The Windows XP Service Pack 2 is now available and Microsoft plans to scale the update through its Windows Update service. Their Web site suggests you have automatic updates turned on, but if you can't wait to get your hands on this release you can download the full 266 MB file from Download.com.

This is what we have all been waiting for! I find myself playing, err… working on my Tablet PC more and more and know that this is the future of personal computing. The Tablet PC and Microsoft Office OneNote are definitely the must-teach topics of fall 2004