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TabletPCBuzz.com Weekly Newsletter
For the week of May 24th, 2003

Tablet PC Summit Summary
By Bill Mann

The Tablet PC Summit was held in Danvers, MA on Monday, May 19. The event was actually a pre-show workshop at the PlanetPDA show, which ran Tuesday through Thursday. Motion Computing sponsored the Summit.

Having never been to a pre-show workshop like this, I wasn't sure what to expect when I arrived. What I found was a big room with 30-40 people, and some useful and interesting presentations on various aspects of the Tablet PC scene.

The presenters included Kim Kasee, Vice President of Marketing at Motion Computing, Professor Perry Lowe from Bentley College, Joe Harris, Director of Product Marketing at NEC, Naila Seif, Director Tablet PC Solutions, Mobile Computing at HP, Fritz Switzer, Chief Ablet (no, that is not a typo) Officer at the abletFactory, and Adam Feinberg, Community Manager at tabletpctalk.com.

In addition to listening to the presenters, I got to spend some good time talking to Fritz Switzer (and his capable new Product Manager Casey), Rob Bushway, President of Zoe Technologies, and TabletPCBuzz's own Dennis Rice, who when he isn't stirring things up in the Buzz forums, is a Consultant/Systems Engineer at SalianTech. It was greet these folks and all the others who took the time to say hi and just chat about Tablet PCs.

For me, there were two particularly interesting bits of information here. One is that much of the real action in Tablet PCs is still invisible. There are apparently a number of major corporations doing pilot programs with Tablet PCs, that don't want to talk publicly about them yet. This implies that in the next year or so, if the pilots are successful, sales of Tablet PCs could really take off, with corporations buying them by the thousands.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the event was an exchange between Dennis and the presenters at the end of the day. Throughout the day, the subject of the slow economy and low IT spending kept popping up. What Dennis pointed out was that, at the same time manufacturers are unhappy with their sales figures, individuals and small purchasers can't even find Tablet PCs to try or buy.

Suggestions that came back for individuals that want to try (and maybe buy) Tablet PCs were:

  • " Visit Gateway stores. The Motion machines are available in most or all of the stores and the sales staff is competent to demonstrate them and talk to you about them. "
  • Look on eBay. There are actually Tablet PCs for sale there. "
  • Visit infocater.com. They have several flavors of Tablet PC in stock and ready to ship.

I'm looking forward to next year's event. It'll be fascinating to see what changes a year brings to the Tablet PC scene.


Tip of the Week

Use Page bar in Windows Journal :
Did you know that it is easier to navigate through large notes in Journal by using the Page bar? If you enable the page bar (click View | Page Bar) a segmented bar appears at the bottom of the Journal window. Each segment in this bar represents a page in the Note. If there's at least one flag on a page, its corresponding Page bar segment has an orange bar in it. Tap a page in the bar and Journal displays the equivalent Note page. The Page bar is visible only for notes that have more than one page.


Tablet PC Buzz Poll
Q: Did you complete the Get Going with Tablet PC wizard?
A:
Yes:
49%
No:
51%
Total Votes: 121
Q: Have you viewed any of the 4 Tutorials provided on the Tablet PC? (Tablet PC, Journal, Input Panel, and Speech)
A:
Yes:
82%
No:
18%
Total Votes: 99

This week's poll question:
User assistance polls (Continued)
Vote now at http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com!


Top News Story of the Week
BusinessWire: Fujitsu Delivers 'Vision' of Anytime, Anywhere Computing
By Peter Rysavy

This announcement was a little out of the blue, but may be great news for the many people, who have one major gripe with current Tablet PCs - their displays wash out outside in the sunlight.

"Fujitsu PC Corporation today gave mobile computer users the power to work and play virtually anywhere with the first indoor/outdoor Tablet PC to feature a Reflective front light display. An option for the latest Fujitsu Stylistic(R) ST Series Tablet PC, this unique technology offers extraordinarily clear text and graphics under practically any light condition -- even outside under direct sunlight."

Fujitsu's web site now lists a separate option for a model with the indoor/outdoor screen.

"Available only on the Fujitsu Stylistic ST Series Tablet PC, the Reflective front light display enhances the 10.4-inch screen so applications can be clearly seen in a wide variety of light environments. Under direct sunlight, the display gets even brighter rather than becoming washed out. In low light conditions, the display's front light can be adjusted to cut through the darkness and enhance viewability."

It sounds like manufacturers are listening to what users want and enhancing their products appropriately. Another sign of a growing demand for Tablet PCs. (Link)


Weekly Tablet PC News Headlines
May 23 2003 - NewsFactor: New Technologies Languish as Companies Hold Back
May 23 2003 - WhatIsNew: Microsoft Has Over 5,000 Tablet PCs
May 23 2003 - The Register: Tablet PC chat bug scuppers Tablet PC chat
May 23 2003 - TabletSaver Updated
May 23 2003 - NY Times: The Pixel as Shutterbug, Embedded in Your Screen
May 22 2003 - TabletPC2: Zip Linq retractable cables review
May 22 2003 - Fellowes announces new Tablet PC accessories
May 21 2003 - WhatIsNew: TabletSaver - Ink-Enabled Screen Saver For Tablet PCs
May 21 2003 - Newsletter archive
May 21 2003 - Silicon Valley Biz Ink: Xplore Announces $1.3 Million in Further Orders from an OEM Customer for Its Rugged iX104(TM) Tablet PC
May 21 2003 - Fujitsu Scratch and Win Tablet PC Sweepstakes
May 20 2003 - Silicon Valley Biz Ink: BTP Designs Wireless Network at the Intrepid Museum's Fleet Week
May 20 2003 - BusinessWire: Fujitsu Delivers 'Vision' of Anytime, Anywhere Computing
May 20 2003 - Planet PDA Magazine review of the new Motion M1300
May 20 2003 - Detroit News: Much-hyped tablet PCs aren't for mainstream
May 20 2003 - More on the nVision Tablet PC from CP Technology
May 19 2003 - Tablet PCs and Goodie Bags
May 18 2003 - Blogging using ink on Tablet PCs
May 18 2003 - Ask the Buzz: What is the easiest way to draw smooth shapes for diagrams in (Windows) Journal?
May 18 2003 - Tablet PC user assistance polls

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