Power User: Big screen makes Tablet PC an on-the-go asset
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I enthused about the early personal digital assistants, even boasting about writing a couple of GCN articles on my Handspring Visor.
I enthused about the early personal digital assistants, even boasting about writing a couple of GCN articles on my Handspring Visor.But after I installed Microsoft Windows XP Professional on my PCs, I ran into problems trying to synchronize the Visor, and Handspring Inc. was no help at all.Now a surge of new security work has been keeping me outside the office a lot, so I looked around and tried Gateway Inc.'s new Tablet PC.Two features of the tablet appealed to me. First, Gateway's screen was large enough to simulate a sheet of typing paper'important because I daily download and read large numbers of security white papers and other documents.Weight was the other big factor. A notebook with the same screen size and nearly the same weight would cost about twice as much as the Gateway tablet.I had doubts about tablet handwriting-recognition software, but I've always found it more reliable than speech-recognition software, so I was ready to give it a try.I came away from a three-month test impressed with both the Tablet PC as a serious business tool and with the Gateway product in particular. I had no complaints about its form factor, weight, battery life and performance, which is unusual for me, as regular readers know.I can almost always find something to complain about. The tablet, however, was ideal for the way I work. Unlike a notebook PC that needs a lap to rest on, the Gateway could be carried like a clipboard for note-taking or looking things up even while I was riding in a vehicle.I took it along to cover some news events, loading it with reference pages so I could get work done on the go.Although GCN readers won't have the same tasks for a tablet, I'll explain that on my ranch we raise four-horn, black-and-white Jacob sheep, each officially identified by a photograph of its markings.That's fine in the office, but not out in a pasture or barn where I might need to quickly identify a sheep to record pertinent events, such as an illness or a lambing.The Tablet PC made it simple to manage nearly 60 ranch animals this spring. Similar inventory tasks, note-taking and lookups, for example, would be a good fit for a Tablet PC.In addition to the large screen, the Gateway had a combination CD-recordable/DVD player, docking station and Universal Serial Bus keyboard, as well as a 56-Kbps modem and built-in wireless support.It didn't use a touch screen, which can scratch or wear out. Instead, its special pen worked without actually having to touch the glass surface. And I could rest my hand on the screen to write, which seems a more natural way to work than using a PDA.
John McCormick is a free-lance writer and computer consultant. E-mail him at powerusr@yahoo.com.
John McCormick
John McCormick is a free-lance writer and computer consultant. E-mail him at powerusr@yahoo.com.
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