Why Do People Compare the Pocket PC to a Tablet PC? [Archive]

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Ed Hansberry

11-22-2002, 01:00 AM

I cannot tell you how many times on this site and in other places I see comments like "<a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=40068&highlight=tablet%2A#40068">Who is planning on buying a Tablet PC (ie, instead of a new PPC)</a>." I am not trying to pick on any one person, and that poster actually clarified himself/herself a bit later. :) I even hear this comment from fellow Microsoft MVPs in other product groups. What I don't understand is why the thought would even come up. Is it a fundamental misunderstanding of what the PDA is, the Tablet PC or am I totally missing something? To me, asking the question "$1,800 Tablet PC or $350 Pocket PC" is like asking "$250 DVD Player or $1,400 PC." Yes, the PC can play DVDs, so in that regard they are similar. Yes, the Pocket PC can do some things a Windows XP machine can do, including the common feature of handwriting recognition on the screen, but I just don't see anyone at Microsoft, HP, Dell or anywhere else marketing these as alternatives to each other. Can you see walking up to an airline counter after a flight was cancelled and changing your itinerary by lugging out your Tablet PC? Or being on your cell phone and whip out your Tablet PC to check on tomorrow's schedule to create a new appointment? Either you do those types of things or you don't, and using an Etch-a-Sketch sized device to do that makes so little sense to me. Conversely, I could go on for hours about things a Tablet PC can do that you would be insane to try on a Pocket PC. So, where have I missed the boat on this one? Small footnote here - I do see great things for the Tablet PC. If the software takes off, like the Office XP and Windows XP mods to support the Tablet PC's unique form factor and the hardware vendors come through, I think the laptop is a device relegated to a niche market in 3-4 years.

MobiliT

11-22-2002, 01:29 AM

Is it a fundamental misunderstanding of what the PDA is, the Tablet PC or am I totally missing something? To me, asking the question "$1,800 Tablet PC or $350 Pocket PC" is like asking "$250 DVD Player or $1,400 PC."
Completely agree.

Programmer

11-22-2002, 02:33 AM

stuff ed wrote that I decided was too much to quote so I cut it. :twisted:

I can see myself carrying around a TabletPC... IF they become thinner and lighter.. I dont need a notebook replacement. I want a tablet.

Actually if I had my way it would be 4" x 6.5". Half the size of the current tablets. I want a computer I can have with me all times with a higher resolution than a PPC and with the same operating system as a regular PC.

And while I am wishing I woul dlike world peace and a million dollars in my checking account.

8)

Robert

Jonathan1

11-22-2002, 03:05 AM

*bangs head on keyboard*

THANK YOU FOR BRING THIS UP

The Pocket PC is a (say it with me guys) SUPPLEMENT to a desktop or laptop or tablet PC. It has never been touted by MS as anything else. Only people who are super geeks have been trying to make the Pocket PC into a laptop replacement and I challenge anyone here to try and be as productive on a 3” screen, flimsy keyboard, and no mouse as you would be on a Tablet PC or laptop. It ain’t going to happen. If for no other reason then that the PPC OS is WAY to limiting in its current form.

Conversely you are not going to have people drag a tablet around with them everywhere they go. Would you drag your tablet to lunch? To a movie theater? (I organized my next day while I was waited for Harry Potter to start last weekend.) To a tech event? To [insert place here where a table wouldn’t work]

Simply because it’s got a digitizer like the Pocket PC (Never mind the fact that the digi works differently and 100 times better) the Tablet PC naysayer automatically call it an oversized Pocket PC or the battle cry goes out that the Tablet is going to spell the end to the Pocket PC. What a load of crap.

Rob Alexander

11-22-2002, 03:31 AM

So, where have I missed the boat on this one? Small footnote here - I do see great things for the Tablet PC.

Gosh, Ed, it's so obvious I'm surprised you have to ask. Everyone is different and has unqiue needs. There are some people out there using PPCs for things that would be better suited for Tablet PCs and there are other people who use their PPCs for things that a Tablet PC wouldn't be very good for (as in your examples). You may not find the TPC to be a replacement for your PPC because of how you use it. Others might; I see no reason why that should bother you or anyone else here.

As an example, I have 5 colleagues here who use iPaqs and one who uses an HPC2000 (Jornada 730). Of the seven of us, I'm the only one who has their mobile device with them pretty much all the time. The others use theirs in various ways. They carry them off to meetings and stuff to have useful information with them. They read ebooks on them. They use them as standard PDAs. But 4 of the 7 leave them plugged in inside their offices when they travel. These people would probably be better off with small Tablet PCs. The TPC would go to the meetings and be better for taking notes. It would still be fine for setting appointments and tasks while in meetings. It would be a better device for showing PowerPoint presentations. And it would have the advantage of running all your regular software so you could demonstrate things in ways the PPC just can't do.

I've gone back and forth on it for myself as I always have my PPC with me and that makes my needs different from theirs. I desparately want a Tablet PC (though am trying to contain myself until v2). If I had one, there are several things I currently do with my iPaq that I would then do with the TPC (and lots more), but there are other things that I'd still want in a more portable format. I've pretty much come to the conclusion that when I get a Tablet PC, I'll give up the PPC and use the TPC in conjunction with a Smartphone. The Smartphone will handle those things that you mentioned using software I'm already using, like ListPro, eWallet, Traveller, Pocket Outlook, and the Tablet PC will handle everything else. For me and my needs, that would be light years ahead of where I am now.

So, while I don't look at the Tablet PC and a direct replacement for my PPC, it is absolutely a replacements for some things I currently do with my PPC. For others, it might just replace the PPC altogether. What's wrong with that?

Ed Hansberry

11-22-2002, 04:09 AM

Ed Hansberry

11-22-2002, 04:12 AM

So, where have I missed the boat on this one? Small footnote here - I do see great things for the Tablet PC.

Gosh, Ed, it's so obvious I'm surprised you have to ask. Everyone is different and has unqiue needs. .....So, while I don't look at the Tablet PC and a direct replacement for my PPC, it is absolutely a replacements for some things I currently do with my PPC. For others, it might just replace the PPC altogether. What's wrong with that?

I have no disagreement that different people, different needs. :way to go: I just think that if the Tablet PC is a viable replacement for the Pocket PC for you, or visa versa, you are probably misusing your current device. Gets back to my DVD Player/PC example.

fyiguy

11-22-2002, 04:23 AM

Great topic. My analogy is this (I know we all love analogies). I am sure many of you may have a toolbox with a few screwdrivers in it. Sure a some screw drivers may work in all situations, but sometimes it maybe too big or too small, or the wrong type for all your applications and you may end up stripping the screw. The reason why you do have more than one is that each tool provides a certain functionality that the other cannot or it is the perfect tool for the many jobs and tasks you may have, and the same goes for the desktop, laptop, tablet and our beloved pocketpc. Each has their own form and function, strength and weakness, and together they make one nice toolset...

Just my 2 cents with 3 cents change...

Kirkaiya

11-22-2002, 04:27 AM

Ed -

Here's my 3 cents (a penny more free!) worth:

While for the most part I agree with you - Tablet PCs and Pocket PCs are really for different spheres of use. BUT, that being said, there are users out there who plopped down $700 for an iPaq 3970 plus $120 for a PC-Card jacket, $150 for a WLAN card, $100 for a stowaway keyboard, plus another $100 on an SD Ram card...

All of which adds up to easily $1200 with some software. There are probably people on this very site that do this. Hell, people even buy the VGA-presenter thing so you can plug your iPaq into a standard VGA monitor.

So - I said they are used in different "spheres", but I feel that those spheres can overlap.

Tablet PCs just came out, and some are smaller than others. I've seen some models that companies are releasing next year that are quite small, without an integrated keyboard (the keyboards are in a "docking station").

Soo.. given that you can put a Tablet PC into "Standby" as easily as a laptop (mine Evo N610c comes out of standby in about 2 seconds), then, yes, i can see people deciding on a tablet for use in meetings, taking notes, and taking it with them on business trips, etc. So, maybe a Desktop + Tablet, instead of Desktop + PDA.

I doubt this will happen for many people, just pointing out that SOME people don't use their PDAs all the time, or carry one with them all the time (Shame on them, luddites!!).

Anyway, that's the best I can spin it. 95% of the time, I agree - not the same. But for some small percentage, people could use either one..

Jeff Rutledge

11-22-2002, 04:40 AM

I think it's just a case of the similarities getting in the way. Microsoft came out and did a two hour demo of the Tablet PC's this afternoon and I kept seeing features they showed and thinking "my iPAQ does that" or at least "my iPAQ does something similar".

I'm not sure people are seeing them as interchangeable solutions so much as just seeing the similar feature sets. Maybe that's what the questions are meant to be: Which solution is better? It just doesn't come across that way. Maybe I'm too forgiving. :D

Big Honkin' Deal

11-22-2002, 05:08 AM

Well, you can count me as one of those people:-) I don't even want to know how much money I spent on Pocket PC's in the last two years....

I also have been patiently waiting for the release of the Tablet PC for about that long and currently have a Compaq TC1000 on backorder. I can easaly see myself replacing my Ipaq 3970 with this new device.

It's really not that big, only weighs 3 pounds and has 98% of the funcionallity my desktop machine has.....

http://www.826.com/tpc1.jpg

Whats not to love:-)

[quote="Kirkaiya"]Ed -

Here's my 3 cents (a penny more free!) worth:

While for the most part I agree with you - Tablet PCs and Pocket PCs are really for different spheres of use. BUT, that being said, there are users out there who plopped down $700 for an iPaq 3970 plus $120 for a PC-Card jacket, $150 for a WLAN card, $100 for a stowaway keyboard, plus another $100 on an SD Ram card...

All of which adds up to easily $1200 with some software. There are probably people on this very site that do this. Hell, people even buy the VGA-presenter thing so you can plug your iPaq into a standard VGA monitor.
quote]

daveh

11-22-2002, 05:41 AM

Great Topic...

I lust after a tablet. But, you can't put a tablet in your pocket! I have a laptop at work, a PC at home, and an IPAQ everywhere. I see a tablet replacing my laptop and PC. But after not carring a briefcase/backpack/man purse for the last couple years, I can't go back.

welwyngc

11-22-2002, 06:31 AM

l am writing my comments on my Acer tablet and it is converting to text as t write

Athough 1 have invested serious dollars on the various ppcs which I have owned and all of the related accessories, the fact is: bare bones to bare bones there it a very serious price difference

Believe me, you can accessorize a tablet just as you can a PPC.

Having said that, there are a number of similarities between a tablet and PPC which may not be initially obvious - atleast in my case.

Pony99CA

11-22-2002, 06:37 AM

I have no disagreement that different people, different needs. :way to go: I just think that if the Tablet PC is a viable replacement for the Pocket PC for you, or visa versa, you are probably misusing your current device. Gets back to my DVD Player/PC example.
I agree with most of what you said. People who think Pocket PCs and Tablets are interchangeable are nuts. We do disagree on two points.

First, I wouldn't say anybody is "misusing" their devices. There may be better devices out there for their purposes, but things like budget may preclude someone from getting them.

Second, I disagree that Tablet PCs will replace most laptops, even in 3-4 years. They may well take some of the market, but mostly from the ultra-portables, I think. Your basic laptop still has many things going for it that Tablets don't (at least, not now) -- power and price.

For power, you get a much more functional device -- a faster processor, a bigger hard drive, a keyboard (in some cases), etc. This won't change, for reasons similar to those that Pocket PCs won't have the power than Tablets will.

For price, Tablet PCs are at a premium now. Good laptops are available for less than $1000. Yes, Tablets will come down in price, but so will laptops. Desktops are more likely to become a niche product, I think, for people who need to put lots of cards in their boxes. For many people, laptops will be their primary computing device.

Personally, I have no interest in a Tablet PC. I'd rather have a Mira, if they are a lot cheaper and ran with Windows 98. My laptop does most of my heavy-duty computing (I have taken it to some meetings), and my iPAQ 3870 goes everywhere else.

Steve

MikeUnwired

11-22-2002, 07:32 AM

The biggest three issues that will keep the Tablet PC from being a PPC category killer are:

1. Price -- money talks very loud. At $1699 for the most stripped down HP/Compaq model, you have to think hard about that investment -- especailly with $169 Dell's at the gate knocking.

2. Size -- you have to have awfully big pockets to slip a Tablet PC in your pants. Size makes them harder to make mobile. It's a reality of the weight and footprint.

3. Instant On -- if the Tablet was instant on and you had instant access to installed apps, the first two issues would be much less powerful. But, the Tablets aren't instant on, so they make mobile users less productive for many basic features than PDA's. Even coming from standby, which most users won't utilize as it has never functioned reliably in laptops to date, users will power down before going into standby because they will worry that leaving the unit on will somehow damage it or their data. Facts don't matter here, it's perception.

The competitive benefits of Tablet PC's over PPC's are:

1. Screen Size -- especailly for visual people that need a bigger picture in front of them. You can get much more of the big piture on a Tablet screen than you'll ever be able to view on a PPC screen. This is the part that tempts me more than all the other Gee Whiz features combined.

2. OS -- with the Tablet using full Windows XP Pro OS software, it has the competitive advantage of allowing users to utilize the same software they have been using on their laptops and desktops. Much lower cost of implementation and training from that point of view.

3. Handwriting Recognition -- M$ used 30 times more handwriting samples to develop the Tablet handwriting engine than they did on the PPC. It's still iffy for many that have chosen to neglect the writing lessons of their youth in favor of some chicken scratch, OR those the print in block letters (they end up with all caps in some cases.)

Tablets are laptop replacements primarily, not PPC replacements to the largest degree. Sure, they may scavenge the top-end of the PPC market, but they don't offer the same utility to the user in a majority of cases.

Big Honkin' Deal

11-22-2002, 07:40 AM

Yes, but 30GB of storage vs 64mb goes a long ways.... + built in WiFi, Nic & modem.... 256 MB Ram etc. One has a pretty good head start with a Tablet PC.

I was in Vegas last month..... Travelling with an Ipaq pus all accessories needed to do your thing is almost as much stuff as a Tablet PC with a charger:-)

Athough 1 have invested serious dollars on the various ppcs which I have owned and all of the related accessories, the fact is: bare bones to bare bones there it a very serious price difference

DaleReeck

11-22-2002, 08:05 AM

MikeUnwired

11-22-2002, 08:25 AM

This may be a dumb question, but all my PDA's had/have screen protectors. What the heck do you use on a TabletPC? I would hate to scratch up the screen and I have trouble imagining a screen protector that huge! - not to mention it would look really bad :)

These puppies will take some big screen protectors to keep them fresh. Users will inflict abuse on the screens that will cause them problems over time. I can't imagine trying to get all the air bubbles out of an overlay. Maybe someone will come-up with a spray-on screen protector. Hmm, cottage industry in the making?

farnold

11-22-2002, 08:38 AM

What I don't understand is why the thought would even come up. Is it a fundamental misunderstanding of what the PDA is, the Tablet PC or am I totally missing something?
Maybe you are, mate :D Some months ago there were a lot of stories of TabletPCs in a size close to PocketPCs. I recall the name OQO and IBM MetaPAD. The idea of having a TabletPC device on the size of a PocketPC is interesting and I wouldn't be surprised if we will see these two worlds growing together in two years time or so. Or am I missing something there?

Big Honkin' Deal

11-22-2002, 09:11 AM

The thread below will answer some of the questions.... 8)

http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=520

This may be a dumb question, but all my PDA's had/have screen protectors. What the heck do you use on a TabletPC? I would hate to scratch up the screen and I have trouble imagining a screen protector that huge! - not to mention it would look really bad :)

DaleReeck

11-22-2002, 09:31 AM

st63z

11-22-2002, 11:13 AM

Tablet PCs won't replace all categories of laptops, obviously. The dual-spindle mainstream 14"-screen units or full-size desktop replacements w/ 15-16" screens. The usage model in tablet mode precludes making bigger/heavier units (w/ bigger screens). As it is the 12" seems too big in tablet mode for some people and they prefer the 10"? Yet in desktop/laptop mode the bigger the screen, the better -- opposing requirements?

In fact, I'm still wondering how comfortable it is to hold a Tablet PC like in that photo Big Honkin' Deal posted. A 3-4lb unit, holding it by your left hand like that for extended periods of time...?

OT: I'm also wondering, will Smart Displays (Mira) have the same local-computing capabilities as PPCs, or are they pure wireless thin clients?

BadgerSoft

11-22-2002, 03:57 PM

I humbly offer up my thoughts for why I do compare the Tablet PC and Pocket PC for my needs. And I think that's part of the point. It's what I need in a mobile device. Those who are comparing the two are perhaps as dissatisfied with the current crop of Pocket PC's as I am. They may want more functionality, for example. In short, Pocket PC's just aren't cutting it for them.

In my case, I am a software architect who has used a Pocket PC since they came out. For a while I attempted to use it for note taking, tasks, project management, access to servers (once PPC2K2 came out) everything I wanted to do. Even bought a keyboard for the note taking. But it just didn't work out. Issue number one was screen size. Great for checking e-mails, tasks, and your calendar. But just not sufficient for note taking, Word documents (let's not even get into Pocket Word's problems), remote access to servers (great for quick or emergency work, but that's about it). Tablet PC gives me everything I want here: my own handwriting (with the option to covert to text) on a screen size appropriate for note taking.

Issue number two is networking. I have two wireless networks to connect to: work and home. I've given up getting it to work at home. The Pocket PC just won't let go of the DHCP server from work. When it does, it reverts to 255.255.255.255 DHCP server and a useless 169.X.X.X IP address. I just don't have enough control over the network settings. The VPN support is as annoying as can be (why, oh why, does it insist on automatically connecting/disconnecting!). Tablet PC is full blown WinXP Pro. Wireless networking is a joy for me with my laptop, and I expect the same experience when my Tablet PC is delivered.

Finally, issue number three is the Pocket PC OS itself. The OS shell is based on 1999 code (WinCE 3.0). All of the new crop of Pocket PC's look good, but it's still a dated OS underneath the fluff. You need XScale processors to run at 400Mhz to get the same performance as a 206Mhx StrongARM because the OS isn't optimized for XScale. I'm not looking at this crop because I want to see the next crop based on CE.NET and some more control over my experience.

So, I compare them because I want the best device for me. My iPaq had (and still has) its uses, but I need more. My Compaq TC-1000 will be my laptop replacement. It will go to all meetings with me. I can use it at home on my couch. My iPaq will stay sync'd with it but will only travel with me when the size of the Tablet PC is inappropriate (like shopping, friend's house, etc).

marauderz

11-22-2002, 04:04 PM

On the point of screen protectors, well Tablet PCs don't use Mallable Touch Sensitive screens but rather active magnetic digitzers, therefore their screens dont need to be made soft.

The HP TC1000 (or whatever the number was) has a tampered glass screen.. it's very tough!

I heard the Fujitsu ships with screen protectors.

Myself? I'm waiting to get my own Fujitsu Stlylistic Tablet... ;)

MikeUnwired

11-22-2002, 04:11 PM

I don't care how tempered the screen, people will scratch, pound and generally abuse the screens to the point where there will be noticable patterns left.

BruceG

11-22-2002, 04:25 PM

A friend of mine who is always on the bleeding edge of technology has been looking at tablet PCs for quite a while. His take on it is that just like laptops and PDAs are totally different devices, so are tablets and PDAs. If anything, the tablets will replace some, but not all, laptops. If you can live with a smaller screen (and lighter device), you might want a tablet. If you really want a 16.1 inch screen, you'll probably stick with a laptop. Desktops and tower systems are for the non-mobile people. Laptops and tablets are probably for slightly mobile people, who would take their laptop/tablet to a meeting. My friend (who goes to lots of meetings) concluded that tablets are for his fellow note-takers. PDAs are for the highly mobile people, who want to check mail, update their schedule, maybe take a few notes while on the road. Granted, there are people in the grey areas, but laptops and tablets are in the same "family" of devices, while the PDAs are in a different family.

lsbeller

11-22-2002, 04:37 PM

I have to completely agree with Rob Alexander and his post in the first page: I intend to migrate to a TabletPC and Smartphone combo.

First let me explain my particular situation: I am in outside software sales in Houston, TX. For me that means lots of time in the car (traffic), lots of time in front of customers taking notes and minimal time back in the office.

Now, I am one of those who have spent the money and time getting my Pocket PC to be a laptop replacement. But, the one area that I have seriously strugled with is notetaking with my clients. I have tried using my iPaq only to take notes and the screen real estate and Transcriber latency make it too difficult for me to keep up with the conversation. I also struggled with an effective filing structure to synch to my laptop: I tried using notes, Pocket Word, and CLC Journal.

I then bought the Seiko SmartPad for Pocket PC. The problems I ran into here were

1. unreliable IR connection (it's not good to spend 2-3 minutes in front of a client trying to get your gadgets to work)
2. complicated synch and conversion process back in the office and you could only convert a word or just a few words to text for searching
3. Difficult file or filing structure - all of your note files had to be in the seiko root file on the Pocket PC to be synched and searched ( I like to put my electronic notes in electronic client files not all in the same directory)
4. Paper was still too small for how I take notes

I have ended up going back to regular paper to take notes and file in my filing cabinet in my office - again not searchable and I can't take the files with me.

Then as I get back in my car to drive, I usually have about an hour in the car between appointments. Houston's stop and go traffic is a difficult place to hunt and peck on my iPaq for a phone number and then dial and call the person once I have the number. So an integrated pocket PC and phone makes sense to me. I also agree that I won't take my Tablet PC to dinner with me but I would still like to have access to my phone numbers and schedule should the need arise (which it often does).

I also have to use my laptop for my sales and contact tracking and for the homegrown applications that my company uses. These apps are not yet PPC compatible but they are for WindowsXP. Mind you, I have even tried to do this on my iPaq: I bought Pocket Mindmap and used it to track opportunites that I am working on and sych associated tasks back to Outlook which drop into my Pocket Informant task list but again, it takes a lot of time and activity to maintain.

So, for me, a Tablet PC that allows me to

1. use all of my existing laptop applications
2. Carry unobtrusively into client meetings and take electronic, searchable notes that I can file in a way that makes me more productive
3. Effectively conduct spontaneous presentations even in the absence of an LCD projector
3. Has a HDD that is large enough to store and view movies in high quality

and, a Smartphone that

1. Is a view into my PIM data (i.e. contacts, schedules, and tasks)
2. Simplifies calling customers while I am driving
3. Doesn't make me look like a gadget geek by wearing it on my belt

Is the perfect fit and does replace my current Pocket PC and cell phone. I know some of you may say that the smartphone is replacing my pocket pc but it will not be able to do all that I was trying to do with my iPaq - the Tablet PC will and the Smartphone will synch to it.

Now, my only hope is that Pocket Informant is ported to both the Tablet PC and the Smartphone!

-Steve

Jason Dunn

11-22-2002, 04:53 PM

OT: I'm also wondering, will Smart Displays (Mira) have the same local-computing capabilities as PPCs, or are they pure wireless thin clients?

Pure wireless thin clients, although some models will have extremely basic functionality like a picture viewer - but they're really mobile "windows" back to your desktop.

disconnected

11-22-2002, 05:09 PM

This has been an interesting topic to read, because of the different ways people do the comparisons.

Some people start by comparing the major intended uses or strengths of each device, while others start with a list of everything they would like an imaginary, ideal, device to do, and then work through all the possible trade-offs to end up with the most tolerable solution using one or more existing devices.

I personally tend toward the second approach (I don't think anything non-destructive should be called 'misusing' a device; it's all just trade-offs), so I can see why a tablet (especially with a SmartPhone) could replace a pocket pc for a lot of people. Right now, I have a laptop and pocket pc and plan to get a tablet to replace the laptop in the near future, and add a SmartPhone if Sprint ever offers one. I'm female, and carry a large purse anyway, so my ideal combination would probably be a Smartphone and a larger sized 'pocket' pc; for my particular purposes (none of which involve work), a larger screen and an improved PIE would make a laptop or tablet unnecessary).

scottmag

11-22-2002, 06:17 PM

I'm also in the two devices camp. I just have never found the perfect combo. But it just might be a TabletPC and a smartphone. Here's why a TabletPC and PocketPC are similar to me and I would make a choice between them:

I take a lot of notes on paper during the day. I am in technology sales and interact with customers over the phone from my office several days a week. I have found that I simply cannot take notes directly into any computer or electronic device - it has to be on paper. The main reason is that people do not speak in a linear fashion. They give, for example, their phone number first and then the area code. Or they will suddenly correct some data they gave moments ago. With paper and its random interface I can write anywhere and correct or overwrite something anywhere on the page. It would never work with a keyboard, or even worse, a form-based interface. Instead I fully intend to enter my handwritten notes into a useful database at the end of the day, but never do. So for me having a device I could write on and then easily transfer my entries into properly formatted digital data would be huge.

I might be able to do that with a PocketPC for real-time note taking and the PC/laptop for maintaining the data for my business. Or a TabletPC could do the job of both. For me it's not about the portability or pocketability of the device, it's the paper-replacement factor. A TabletPC is probably the better choice for me with a smartphone as my portable device.

But I will probably be hanging out here for quite a while yet before I ever make that decision.

Scott

bkerrins

11-22-2002, 06:43 PM

I recently went to the TPC presentation and thought it would work great for me. I thought about when I was in college and wish it existed then. Calculus notes would have been much more understandable rather than writing little side notes in the margin and stuff circled and pointed back to the top of the page. I consistently have a paper notepad by my phone so that I can record notes from phone converstations and action items. What a great thing that the TPC can immediately convert those notes into Tasks and email. Working a policy and procedure manuals becomes a breeze. Sit in a room, work collectively with live edits...instead of one person taking notes, going back to their office to put into electronic form and email through the group again.

That isn't to say I don't love my PPC. It's great! Being able to change appointments, read a book in line at Costco, track my expenses.

I want both!

st63z

11-23-2002, 06:12 AM

ahmed

11-23-2002, 09:33 AM

the solution is ...
foldable display concept

In its smallest configuration it fits in your pocket and the palm of your hand, and provides similar functionality to that of other small PDA's like the Newton or Pilot. Unfolding it once doubles its size, providing the ability to take notes and respond to email. Unfolding the display a second time it takes the form of a book, suitable for web browsing and other electronic books documents. Unfolded completely, the display screen is 8.5 x 14 inches, suitable for highly complex or large information. At this size, the screen could be hooked up to a keyboard and used like a traditional desktop computer.

http://www.ices.cmu.edu/design/Foldable.pda.jpeg
http://www.ices.cmu.edu/design/Foldable.note.jpeg
http://www.ices.cmu.edu/design/Foldable.book.jpeg
http://www.ices.cmu.edu/design/Foldable.map.jpeg

http://www.ices.cmu.edu/design/FoldableDisplay.html

Ed Hansberry

11-23-2002, 03:39 PM

But doesn't Mira have a superset of PPC hardware??

No. See http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/smartdisplay/compare.asp for more information. THey are largely dumb and featureless until they are connected to an XP Pro host.