"Pill" for all diseases the computer industry

Offer you the translation of the most interesting articles from the site TheFeature, dedicated to the idea of actively promotiruemoy Microsoft release a mobile Tablet PC Tablet PC. November 11 head of Microsoft's Bill Gates, standing in front of 11 thousand audience Comdex show in Las Vegas and clutching his head over the tablet the size of the book, said publicly that the future of personal computing. «PC are available to all, - he told his audience, - Tablet also the most advanced PC technologies and make a PC completely mobile. Personally, I use my tablet each day as a regular PC. Tablet PC - a PC, virtually has no limits - and five years later, I'm sure he will be one of the most popular computers ever sold in America. " The last person to trigger the same noise when demonstrating signs crowd of people, was Moses. So Gates presented bezklaviaturnoe devices with wireless capabilities. He showed a special version for the Tablet PC - Groove (software to interact in real time) and AutoDesk CAD, as well as proprietary software Microsoft, allows you to send handwritten messages. It was the second consecutive year, when Gates Comdex'e touted their wares. However, at least, this year, but the words were still something more substantial. According to Microsoft, more than a dozen major computer manufacturers are developing Tablet PC.

Why tablet?

The very idea of ​​tablet PC seems to be very tempting. People use their hands to manipulate objects in the truest sense of the word. The keyboard and mouse are also removed his hands from the objects on the screen that you manage. You must correctly position the fingers on the keyboard, and constantly check in what place the cursor. On the other hand, the stylus and touch screen allows you to directly follow the objects on display. For example, the process of drawing on the tablet PC is very similar to painting on cave walls, that is a favorite way for thousands of years. The only difference is that instead of paint do you use the stylus that transmits a computer radio, so that the latter "knew" in what place the stylus is located. Tablet PC is ideal for students and office workers who need to take notes, for example, at meetings or classes. Unlike laptops, you do not have to use the keyboard. Just put it down and write on its screen, like an ordinary paper notepad. Later with the help of special software you can convert written text into machine, which can easily be printed or send copies via e-mail.

Not just a great PDA

At first glance, tablet PC like PDAs Palm or Pocket PC, only much larger. Moreover, Microsoft scrambles to protect users from such thoughts. In handheld Pocket PC, there is one common problem - their operating system and applications represents a decrease of "compromise" version of their big sisters. Windows CE - it's not a real Windows, even if outwardly they look like. People always want to have all their devices to "talk" the same language, that they did. So Microsoft and assures everyone that the operating system tablet PC (called the Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition) allows you to work with the same programs as on a standard PC Windows.Microsoft and hardware manufacturers want to force users to think of the Tablet PC as their primary computer, rather than just a mobile assistant that could synchronize with your desktop PC. Maybe this is the ring of common sense, because quite attached to the tablet PC external keyboard and you get a full laptop. Preimage tablet PC - a sheet of paper, and the prototype stylus - a pen or pencil. It should be borne in mind that in the opinion of Microsoft, engaged in Tablet PC, the daily notes should be recorded, and their slogan - "Leave ink as ink". This means that if you write something on the board or paper record will remain exactly in the form in which you left it. Naturally, the tablet will be able to move everything in the print version, but do it immediately is not necessary. According to some analysts, one reason for the failure of Apple Newton was an automatic handwriting recognition. Device each time a user is writing something, and tried without delay to decode words. Therefore, the result was often very funny. Proposal "Meet client for lunch" (to meet customers for lunch) could well turn into a "Melt clown pun hunts" (pun melted clown). This could hardly have many like it, besides, of course, the poets - the experimenters. In the tablet PC all in another. The records are stored in their original form - with spelling errors, notes, drawings, etc. (The downside of this is the impossibility of carrying out the search - to find the correct sentence in the text have to watch it all). Opportunities stylus is beyond the means for drawing or records. In fact, it's digital ink that can be manipulated ad infinitum. For example, you can edit the ordinary printed text as if you were to use pen for taking notes on the printed document. With the Tablet and stylus, all changes will be made directly in the text.

Ten for one

So, ten PC manufacturers plan to produce tablet PC with specifications Microsoft, including NEC, Fujitsu, Toshiba, Compaq and Acer. Moreover, even though Microsoft makes such statements, the company still will not produce tablet PC itself. Bill Gates has long promised that he would not engage in "iron" business. Of course, he broke it in the case of the Xbox, but it is absolutely certain that the production of tablets will be avoided. Microsoft just sketched specs and gave a license to use original equipment manufacturers, designers and marketers. No one is announcing future price tablets, but according to some manufacturers, it will be about the same price as the average laptop. Tom Bernhard, director of marketing at Fujitsu, believes that the tablet PC - the next stage in the evolution of personal computers. According to him, laptops are very convenient for those businessmen who travel a lot, but some are useless in the "sedentary." With the Tablet PC can even work standing up, for example, when you stand in the queue. The first representative of the tablet PC will appear in the second half of this year. In March of 2001. Transmeta Corporation announced plans to develop with the Microsoft processor with low power consumption for tablets. Family of processors from Transmeta Crusoe slightly lower operating temperature than chip companies Intel, Motorola or AMD. Also, a high number of software vendors, including Adobe, Corel, and Autodesk, announced the development of new applications or special versions of existing for tablet PC. But there is a significant player who is absent among the producers of future tablets, probably, to the regret Microsoft. This is the world's largest PC manufacturer - a company Dell. According to its president, marketing research companies have shown that users do not approve tablet'ov. True, Dell is well known as a company, following the general trend in the industry, but not as an innovative company. Therefore, it is possible that, if the leadership of Dell sees the success of the first manufacturers of tablets, the company will join a number of them later.

Do they take the upper hand?

However, Dell has its own point of view. Indeed, since a bad keyboard or trackpad input information? Many people can not stand the stylus.Supporters of same tablet PC as an argument to give that a laptop is very inconvenient opening screen, which serves as a barrier when you use it during meetings, and that the constant clatter of the keyboard annoys people. According to them, tablet PC as innocuous as a piece of paper. Although in reality, far from it. Imagine the attention you attract to yourself by coming to the usual weekly meeting with the Tablet PC at your fingertips. But in any case, Microsoft and its partners are doing their work independently. Many companies, including Microsoft, over the past ten years, spent millions of dollars to create a successful model of tablet PC, but failed. The very first device, for example, GRiDPad (introduced in 1989), suffered a heavy, clunky design and a very low power. Even more elegant GRiD 2260, equipped with original drop-down keyboard (developed by the founder of Palm Pilot Jeffrey Hawkins), was unable to attract sufficient attention to survive. Therefore, business users do not want nothing to do with the tablets. They enjoy the notoriety. Microsoft is promising that today's tablet will be completely different. While one can only say that the batteries are much better than those who were ten years ago. Yes, and production technology displays varies with LCD (liquid crystal) on the OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode). Unlike LCD, which is necessary lighting display, obtained from the power source, OLED screens themselves generate their own light, so their work requires much less energy. In addition, RAM and hard disk drives today have a much greater volume. Another important feature of today's tablet PC is their ability to work with wireless internet. The question arises - who is more in need of such devices - users or computer manufacturers themselves? At present, the past experience the first strong decline in production since 1986, and naturally they are looking for ways out of it. Of course, maybe it's more and raise the level of PC sales, but the main cause of the decline likely is the fact that people are just happy with the existing systems and do not want to change them. Sources, Materials: