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just got back from the MS tablet PC launch.

N

ninjachild

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 30, 2002
34
0
interesting,

thats about all i have to say,
in theory it looks great,

but it remains to be seen for actual business

where the flesh meets the keypad,

so to speak,

anyone else go

thoughts opinions?
 
I

insidedanshead

macrumors regular
Jul 17, 2002
154
0
Yeah.. the only people I see using it are inventory people.. UPS drivers and such.. but I don't think they need something that fancy.. if you ask me MS is entering a shaky uncertain market with this.. but who really cares about MS .. isn't this MACrumors?
 
jayscheuerle

jayscheuerle

macrumors 68020
Jun 13, 2001
2,074
1
Right behind my eyeballs, around 2 inches back. We
Poor substitute

Most people can type far faster than they can write. Writing is too slow. Voice recognition makes more sense.

This could be the breakthrough that NFL and NBA coaches (and John Madden) have dreamed of.

Here's an idea! A tablet that you hold with both hands in front of you. The keyboard is on the underside, split into the left and right sides. The left thumb works a space bar and the right works a little joystick. It would take a little training for all the hunt and peckers out there, but they should be touch-typing anyways these days... - j
 
D

ddtlm

macrumors 65816
Aug 20, 2001
1,184
0
Tablet PC's are just a stupid pseudo-revolutionary concept that PC makers want to use to increase sales, in my humble opinion.

Voice recognition has a number of applications but is also overhyped, in my humble opinion.
 
jayscheuerle

jayscheuerle

macrumors 68020
Jun 13, 2001
2,074
1
Right behind my eyeballs, around 2 inches back. We
Originally posted by ddtlm
Voice recognition has a number of applications but is also overhyped, in my humble opinion.
Click to expand...

I agree, but I think that it hasn't found its niche yet. It's being forced to be seen as a global subsitute for typing, but I think in terms of sending email via PDAs or Cells, it's a great idea. When typing isn't available, it's the next best thing provided you don't have to yell or talk artificially to make it work.

An ideal walkabout device would clip over the ear, have a small, unidirectional mike that came down in front of your mouth so that you could whisper, and a wand that projected a screen directly on your retina while tracking your eye movements for cursor reference.

- j
 
I

insidedanshead

macrumors regular
Jul 17, 2002
154
0
Yeah.. and could you beam me up while your at it? haha jk...

technology will never cease to amaze me.. and the retina tracking cursor probably someday will become a reality...
 
F

Fins160

macrumors newbie
Nov 4, 2002
16
0
Big palm pilot

Sounds to me like a really big palm pilot. I thought they were trying to make those things smaller! :)
 
N

ninjachild

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 30, 2002
34
0
just FYI, i went because of work,

it was kind of interesting but there were more nerd than at taco bell....

HEEEYOOO!

i thought that it is interesting that tablet PCs have taken a step back in tech, most have pentium III's ,and one has a pentium II,

HA! a top of the line laptop with a PII,

puhleeaze.

plus the max battery life on the best one was alittle under two hours..........

thats a little time, for a whole lot of charging.

anyways, just FYI, hadn't seen a post from anyone who had actually seen one.

and it doesn't replace typing two out of the three models were just laptops with flip over screens.

the real cool thing is the screen is coated with a texture so it doesn't feel like glass, and more like paper.
 
K

Kid Red

macrumors 65816
Dec 14, 2001
1,428
157
Bill Gates himself said his handwriting recognition software was a breakthrough. He also added that it's not going to replace keyboards and it's really good for a short email. If you want to write something longer to use a keyboard.

Well, that doesn't sound very breakthrough-ish but does sound like a waste of time and money.
 
G

gandalf55

macrumors 6502
Apr 13, 2001
343
0
boston
did it have a software keyboard? if it did, that would be huge. handwriting recognition isn't that great - by any OS. i def. type quicker than i can write. if i can tap out on a software keyboard that's reliable, thats a great input for a tablet pc.

i need more power than a tablet pc could give - it would be a nice toy though.

my only main concerns is a Mac OS, and 2 monitors for authoring in the apps i like to use (palette monitor & working monitor.) bill can have his tablet pc. i don't see a need for it for myself - and i'm trying hard to come up with one cause i love gadgets.
 
cr2sh

cr2sh

macrumors 68030
May 28, 2002
2,554
3
downtown
problems with tablets

I've been using tablet Pcs for several years now in the field, for differential GPS and utility mapping, granted - the units we've been using (up until very recently) were monochrome based, p133 - but overall I've always been impressed with them. they operate on windows95, they're water tight, and they take a pretty good drop without a problem.
The difficulty in these things come from the lcd screen being exposed to sunlight. It heats up the crystals and the screens become unusable until the cool back down. Also, the cramp you get in your neck after carrying these things around and bending your neck to look at them - you develop stronger muscles, but until then, it just freaking hurts.

Walkabout has a new hammerhead model out that we're using now, a color LCD(800x600) and a p3@400mhz. Overall, it is a stunning piece of technology. Its a little bit heavy and it operates on 2000 professional, which is a little slow, but again - its not bad.

Could I see using one on a day-to-day basis for personal use? Maybe. If they get the weight down, increase resolution, and throw in some neat software (vector recognition for CAD) then yes.. I could. Typing is a pain in the ass, you have the tiny little field that you have to type the file name in (during the saving process) and that is always tiresome.
Could it replace the laptop? Yes and I think it will, but the current OS were built with the primary input being a keyboard/mouse, if we're going to be writing, it needs to be rethought.

This is the current makerand design:
http://www.walkabout-comp.com/products_specs_hammer.html
 
I

insidedanshead

macrumors regular
Jul 17, 2002
154
0
You are speaking from a VERY SELECT field.. i think yes the tablet PC will replace a regular laptop in your field of work but in terms of replacing a laptop for other regular work.. the most it will do is coincide with laptops..
 
C

cubist

macrumors 68020
Jul 4, 2002
2,075
0
Muncie, Indiana
What we need is more of a terminal...

... than a completely standalone computer.

It shouldn't have a hard drive; it should be a remote terminal to Mac OS X (server?) with its own remote aqua desktop. It should use Airport to talk to the server. It should not run programs or store data in any fashion. And it should cost $400 or less.

I do not care about a standalone portable pen-based computer. I had a 730T I got off ebay (go and get all you like, they're out there). It was rugged, and it worked perfectly. And so what? In the end, it's a standalone computer, and not a very good one at that, so you need the server-type machine ANYWAY.
 
cr2sh

cr2sh

macrumors 68030
May 28, 2002
2,554
3
downtown
You're right, the applications within our area requires special hardware, thats why we've been using them all along when no one else seems to have the need, but having used them I can see how well they could work for students, police officers and almost any field work or inventory.
There are problems with it, no doubt, it will not replace the desktop. Only time will tell I guess, and I have NO faith in Microsoft's ability to design something well or engineer it correctly. Their one strenght is that He believes in it, and He has an unlimited amount of money to lose on a venture that does has a maket.
 
W

WannabeSQ

macrumors 6502
Oct 24, 2002
361
0
Re: Poor substitute

Originally posted by jayscheuerle
Most people can type far faster than they can write. Writing is too slow. Voice recognition makes more sense.

This could be the breakthrough that NFL and NBA coaches (and John Madden) have dreamed of.

Here's an idea! A tablet that you hold with both hands in front of you. The keyboard is on the underside, split into the left and right sides. The left thumb works a space bar and the right works a little joystick. It would take a little training for all the hunt and peckers out there, but they should be touch-typing anyways these days... - j
Click to expand...

Im liking this idea, it could be even better if it could flip around normally, and the keyboard could slide to a normal position, and use it as a standard laptop. And instead of a joystick, a trackpad could work also. Id love to be able to type standing up, provided it was not too awkward.
 
jadam

jadam

macrumors 6502a
Jan 23, 2002
699
2
problem with voice recognitiion is that when you talk you block the nuerons that allow you to think. It was a study conducted a while back.
 
Z

zorblaz

macrumors newbie
Oct 13, 2002
11
0
Syracuse NY
I was listening to "Science Friday" on NPR this past... well, Friday... and the guy they were talking to about holiday tech items was everything but impressed with M$'s offering- saying that the handwriting recognition was not great and some consumers will be put off by it not having a keyboard etc. (saying it's cool for about 10 minutes)

The program is in realaudio if anyone wants to hear it....
http://discover.npr.org/rundowns/rundown.jhtml?prgId=5&prgDate=November/8/2002

click on the "smallpox/high tech gifts" link (down further on the page)
and go 33:15 into the clip.
(he also talks about OS X)
 
alset

alset

macrumors 65816
Nov 9, 2002
1,262
0
East Bay, CA
As I see it, this machine has two target markets and it misses both of them.

The first is the tablet crowd; people who need to control their cursor for design. This makes no sense because we can all buy a more powerful machine desktop for the same cost and add a decent tablet for a couple hundred bucks or less.

The second is the PDA crowd. As mentioned in an above post, what's the point? PDAs use handwriting recognition as a substitute for lack of space. It isn't so much a replacement for the keyboard as it is a substitute.

With any luck, consumers will realize, at least to some degree, a few of these downfalls.

That's just my opinion; how about yours?

Dan
 
alset

alset

macrumors 65816
Nov 9, 2002
1,262
0
East Bay, CA
As I see it, this machine has two target markets and it misses both of them.

The first is the tablet crowd; people who need to control their cursor for design. This makes no sense because we can all buy a more powerful machine desktop for the same cost and add a decent tablet for a couple hundred bucks or less.

The second is the PDA crowd. As mentioned in an above post, what's the point? PDAs use handwriting recognition as a substitute for lack of space. It isn't so much a replacement for the keyboard as it is a substitute.

With any luck, consumers will realize, at least to some degree, a few of these downfalls.

That's just my opinion; how about yours?

Dan
 
A

AmigaMac

macrumors member
Jul 18, 2002
43
0
Tablet PC will die like the Internet Appliance!

The Tablet PC is just a gimic... and besides, my handwriting sucks! So I won't be looking into one!!
 
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