BETTER than Tablets r ritePen SW + iPen. Tablets r NOT a better KIND of computer.

The software on the Sager NP2885 (could be any non-tablet XP machine, from
the largest screen down to the UPCs, like 5" FlipStart-to-be,
www.flipstart.com, www.oqo.com) is the ritePen, from www.pen&internet.com.
It is generally acknowledged even by TabletOS experts (G. W.) to be superior
in HW
recognition to T OS. The pen, iPen (www.zyonshop.com) , has 800+ dpi, which
seems incredibly superior to pens for the Tablet, if I am not mistaken.
And in light of the allied software that zyonshop sells allows for
annotation on
webpages (WebMemo, where you can save one's handwritten memo on a wpage)
and anywhere on the windows apps ( I believe), for great diagrams
(riteMail) -- most from p&i -- it would seem that what the Tablet offers
pales
in comparison.
What SW on the Tablet, say, a daily planner, is unique to it? And cannot be
found on an XP -- as long as one uses iPen, say to handwrite in short
entries more quickly than reach for the keyboard? [Even TabletUML
(www.tabletuml.com, or UMLTablet): well UML programs (software coding or
modeling programs) were around 15 years ago -- trying to have programmers
write diagrams ( objects + functions) and get code out without doing and
language-coding (Good luck).]
THERE HAS BEEN NO APPLICATION UNIQUE TO THE TABLET PC PRODUCED AND THERE
WILL NOT BE -- BECAUSE ....
My hypothesis is this: all that the Tablet PC OS has added is high-res
(greater dpi) ink to what was possible on a touch screen and stylus. Now
that iPen gives that (even higher) and ritePen gives HW recog (even better),
then XP is enough (with iPen or its equivalent + iPen, etc.). I could be
wrong. Prove it. Sure, less jagged lines, hovering gets wider
descriptions to appear ... all nice.
The ONE almost unique contribution is gestures or strokes. Say, running the
pen or stylus over a character or phrase to highlight it and underlining it
from left to rt to delete it. These are faster than using keyboard
equivalents. But then touchscreens and stylus had these too.
Again, the gain with Tablets and electronic pens has been just a matter of
degree. And the sooner MS makes electronic pen software a $100 add-on to XP
in 2004, the sooner will computer makers add slots for $20 pens to 04
machines.

Joe
PS. How does one do a search in the archives of any newsgroup for a topic or
keyword -- going back years?

 

A search on Google groups is often the best way to search.

 

Do you have a Tablet PC? The digital sampling rate of Ink on Tablet PCs is
more than three times what you're talking about, giving better handwriting
recognition. Old newsgroup posts can be researched at www.google.com.

 

PS: see www.sagernotebooks.com The NP2885 is about $1000+ & 14in.
Lifetime, free support. Within 24 hrs, a call back.
MS is trying to sell the Tablet OS as a separate OS AND separate machine. It
has been a flop with the consumer. Bestbuy does not carry it in its stores,
nor staples this year; only on net. Only some upper level manager types,
buy it.

 

Chris,
No, I want to find reason to pay much more than an ordinary XP. I have
tested a Tablet on & off for up to 2 weeks.
What is the dpi of Tablet ink? Is it not under 150 or 100?
And, I am no expert, what is "digital sampling rate of Ink"?
Still, comment on iPen & ritePen sw? & riteWeb? & diagraming in riteMail?
What are the apps unique to Tablets? None, I believe.
Why are not Tablets just different by degree only? Their apps are NOT
DIFFERENT IN KIND.
I'm looking for more facts.
Thanks, Joe

 

You're wrong in that Best Buy doesn't carry Tablet PCs, Joseph. Yours may
not, but the one here definitely does. In fact, there's a promotion
underway that includes Best Buys. And despite your musings, it isn't a flop
with consumers.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/tabletpc/evaluation/demodays.asp

Consumers were not a targeted market at release. Students and many others
are finding how well Tablet PCs and their related programs work for
different environments. I wouldn't be surprised to see more and more
notebooks including the Tablet PC OS just as Acer has done with one of its
notebooks. I'd expect to see a lot more Tablet PCs sold to consumers as well
as corporate over the next few years.

RitePen is a great program. It will work on Tablet PCs just fine. However,
inherent handwriting recognition in Tablet PCs is greatly improved with
Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005.

I'm not going to get into an argument about machines other than those
supported in this newsgroup. There are other tablets out there and I'm sure
they all have uses. No one here is saying that they don't..

If something works for you, then you probably have the right machine for
you. It might not be what everyone else wants, though.

 

First, smaller and as efficient is always more expensive. That's a given,
especially in the beginning. The digitizer resolution is required to be
five times greater than an LCD pixel density, not less than 600 points per
inch. Sampling rates are a minimum of 100 times per second when the stylus
is within contact with the display surface, and most Tablet PCs sample at
133 or higher per second - and second- and third-generation machines are
even higher.

Details for the hardware requirements, such as resume from Standby (S3 to
S0) in five seconds or less, are here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/tabletpc/Developer/hdwreq.asp They're
much more than "just a little computer," Joe. The URL above also has an
email address to which you could write for additional answers to your
questions.

 

Joseph, don't buy into marketing hype if you don't have a need to..

Only reason why Tablet PCs are "popular" is Microsoft's 50 billions in
cash...

All concepts are already seen from before, it is just that MS is trying
to bring it all under his umbrella; next thing you know, MS "invented"
tablets etc.

I was always wondering why Xerox was never reacted, given all this fuss
about trade marks etc.

Only real difference might be that Tablet PC has active digitizer
embedded beneath the screen and others are still having passive ones.

If you are not in the hurry, give it more time and when they fell to
1000$ then it'll b time to really buy into it...

my 2 cents...

binarg

 

Oh, by the way, Sager model is variant of generic Taywaneese model which
are sold almost identical by Sager, Eurocom etc.

binarg