Welcome to the new TabletPCBuzz e-mail newsletter. I would like to thank Spencer for bringing me onboard to work on this, and hope that you'll find the newsletter interesting, useful, and maybe even fun.

For the first article in this first issue, I want to address all you TabletPCBuzz members who are still trying to decide if you should buy a Tablet PC. We all know that these are cool machines, but they're not right for everyone. Here's my take on who could benefit from owning a Tablet PC. Hopefully it'll help you decide whether they're right for you.

Should Your Next PC be a Tablet PC?
By Bill Mann

As anyone who subscribes to this newsletter is well aware, the Tablet PCs are finally here. We've been hearing about them for years-small, light (some weigh less than 3 pounds) computers that you can write on as if they were a pad of paper or a personal digital assistant. These tiny powerhouses run a version of Windows XP, so you can use them like high-end notebook computers and run all your favorite applications. But you can also use them like virtually endless digital notebooks or sketchbooks, entering information with a special pen in environments where a desktop or notebook computer just won't cut it. You can even talk to them.

Since their launch in November 2002, Tablet PC sales have exceeded even the most optimistic predictions. Clearly the portability, usability, and sheer coolness of Tablet PCs are striking a chord with users. They've been particularly well received by doctors, lawyers, real estate professionals and artists. The question is, "Should your next PC be a Tablet PC?" The answer to that question depends on how you work.

Do you spend a lot of time taking notes in meetings? These days, most people frown on anyone using a laptop computer during a meeting, and many organizations have outright banned them from meeting rooms. But taking notes on a Tablet PC is like taking notes with pencil and paper. There's no annoying click, click, click of a keyboard, and no screen standing upright between its user and everyone else. Using a Tablet PC in meetings causes no such disruptions (once everyone stops gawking at it).

Do you take lots of handwritten notes, only to find that you have problems locating the right piece of information when you need it? With a Tablet PC, you don't have to worry about losing your notes, as they're all safe and sound in the computer. Even better, while you write the Tablet PC recognizes your handwriting and creates an index of key words in your notes. This allows the computer to search your handwritten notes for you. While handwriting recognition on the Tablet PC is by no means perfect, it does work reasonably well and greatly improves your chances of finding the information you need.

Do you need to use your computer in places where it's not practical to sit down and type? You can use a Tablet PC just like you would a pencil and paper, holding the computer in one hand while writing on the screen with the pen. It's a natural and practical way to work that lets you work on the move and beats the heck out of trying to type while balancing your computer in your lap.

If you're an information worker that doesn't spend the day sitting in one place, or a "corridor warrior" who spends your time going from meeting to meeting, perhaps your next PC should be a Tablet PC.

Welcome to the first issue of our new TabletPCBuzz newsletter! Each week at this time we will be bringing you the latest in Tablet PC news, tips, and information. I hope that this content will be interesting and useful to you. If you have any suggestions for this newsletter, the web-site, article ideas, tip ideas, questions for "Ask the Buzz", or just have a general comment, feel free to send me an e-mail at: spg@tabletpcbuzz.com. Thanks for inviting us into your inbox!

This is a new feature we'll be starting shortly. In it, we'll examine how one of the TabletPCBuzz newsletter subscribers uses their Tablet PC. We're looking for interesting and unusual uses of course, but considering that this whole Tablet PC thing is new, most any way you use your machine will be interesting and unusual for the rest of us.

Consider this an official call for volunteers. If you're willing to tell the world (or at least the other readers of this newsletter) about how you use your Tablet PC, just email Bill at bill@techforyou.com. Give me a sentence or two on how you use your Tablet PC and we'll get this started.

RepoMan: "What's the best way to clean your tablet's screen? Damp cloth? Camera lens tissues? Windex? It's worse for tablets because the screen's always getting touched...."

TabletPCBuzz: The best way to clean your Tablet PC's screen is with LCD anti-static wipes, unless some other method is approved by the manufacturer. You can find these wipes at office supply and technology stores such as Best Buy, CompUSA, Office Depot, Office Max, and Staples.

For the Compaq TC1000 only: The screen on the TC1000 is glass, therefore a rag moistened with your normal household glass (Windex, etc..) cleaner will also work. This method is listed in the TC1000 owners manual. NOTE: Be careful not to get any liquid on your keyboard, or in other ports and slots.

For Acer Tablet PCs: Acer Tablet PCs ship with a small cloth designed for cleaning the screen. This method will usually work best for Acer units, although LCD anti-static wipes will work as well.

I (Bill) am going to be co-hosting The Computer Report Radio Show on Sunday, April 13 from 12 to 2. We'll be talking about Tablet PCs and giving away some copies of my book for part of the show, and generally chatting about computers the rest of the time. If you live in the Greater Boston area or Southern New Hampshire and would like to join in, tune your radio to WGAW, AM 1340 in Gardner, MA, or to WOTW, AM 900 in Nashua, NH. And if you do call with a question or comment, go easy on me!

If you regularly work in certain locations, and make dial-up connections to your ISP from those location, you can simplify your life by defining dialing rules for them. Tap Start | Control Panel | Printers and Other Hardware | Phone and Modem Options | Dialing Rules to open the Phone and Modem Options dialog box. On the Dialing Rules tabbed page, define a Location for each place where you regularly use your dial-up modem. When you're ready to dial in from one of your defined locations, just select it in the Phone and Modem Options dialog box and you're ready to make a connection.

This week's poll question:
Which Tablet PC input method do you use the most?
Vote now at http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com!

RM (Research Machines) claims to have the first commercially available Centrino powered Tablet PC. This is brand new information here, apparently published on RM's site yesterday. RM is of course the UK company who builds their Tablet PCs for educational use. The design of their new Centrino powered Tablet PC is almost identical to their older P3 model. It is priced at £999 pounds, which translates to around $1,563 US dollars, and is available for order on RM's website right now.

Some of the specs of the new unit include - 900Mhz Pentium M processor, Integrated 802.11b, Modem and Ethernet (The Centrino chipset). The unit also includes a 20Gb hard drive, 256Mb RAM (upgradeable to 768), and has 2 USB 2.0 ports (upgraded from 1.1 on older models). Other specs are pretty much identical to the older models - 10.4 inch screen with digitizer, CompactFlash slot, PC Card slot, Firewire port, Fingerprint ID sensor, and a VGA port.

RM claims around 1 hour increased battery life because of the Centrino technology - "Our new Centrino version of the RM Teacher Tablet PC extends the standard battery life from up to 3 hours normal use to up to 4 hours. Using the extended life battery the life increases from up to 5.5 to up to 7 hours normal use; a full working day from one charge." Also available are upgrades to the built-in wireless, allowing for 802.11g and 802.11a. More information is available on RM's website; click here for a direct link.

Hopefully this will encourage other Tablet PC OEMs to get their devices out on the market a bit more quickly. Looks like the second generation Tablet PC devices are just around the corner!