I want to purchase a copy of XP Tablet PC Edition to run on a Sony VAIO U70.
Although it ships with XP Pro, I know that it can run Tablet as I've read
reviews from people who have tried it.

Everybody seems to be using an MSDN subscription to obtain a copy, but this
is neither practical nor legit as it's not for developing on.

Why can it not be purchased off the shelf?

Thanks,
Dave

Please ignore this post, see the previous one. I guess error messages can't
be believed on here either! :)


"Dave Withell" wrote:

> I want to purchase a copy of XP Tablet PC Edition to run on a Sony VAIO U70.
> Although it ships with XP Pro, I know that it can run Tablet as I've read
> reviews from people who have tried it.
>
> Everybody seems to be using an MSDN subscription to obtain a copy, but this
> is neither practical nor legit as it's not for developing on.
>
> Why can it not be purchased off the shelf?
>
> Thanks,
> Dave

On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 19:33:02 -0800, Dave Withell
<DaveWithell@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

> Everybody seems to be using an MSDN subscription to obtain a copy, but
> this is neither practical nor legit as it's not for developing on.
>
> Why can it not be purchased off the shelf?
>
> Thanks,
> Dave

the legal copy of XP Tablet PC Edition is only available via one of two
ways:
1. preinstalled on an OEM Tablet PC purchased from one of the manufacturers
2. MSDN subscription for developers only

see here for more:
Windows XP Tablet PC Edition frequently asked questions
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=kb;en-us;327160

btw, is your U70 a tablet PC or not?

--
bbao
Windows Server 2003 Ver 5.2 (Build 3790.srv03_gdr.040410.1234), 512 MB RAM
Opera 7.54u1 Build 3918 w/o Java

There's an echo in here. 8-) The U70 is not a Tablet PC as we talk about
and support in this newsgroup, since it runs only a touchscreen. The
majority of Tablet PCs run digital screens where you can actually put your
hands on the screen which activating something. There is one model, I
believe, which does have the capability to switch from digital to touch, but
of course the screens are also larger.
--
Chris H.
Microsoft Windows MVP/Tablet PC
Tablet Creations - http://nicecreations.us/
Associate Expert
Expert Zone - www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone


"bbao" <bbao@programmer.net> wrote in message
news:opsmyd16mr2pm542@goer.baobing.com...
> On Mon, 28 Feb 2005 19:33:02 -0800, Dave Withell
> <DaveWithell@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>
>> Everybody seems to be using an MSDN subscription to obtain a copy, but
>> this is neither practical nor legit as it's not for developing on.
>>
>> Why can it not be purchased off the shelf?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Dave
>
> the legal copy of XP Tablet PC Edition is only available via one of two
> ways:
> 1. preinstalled on an OEM Tablet PC purchased from one of the
> manufacturers
> 2. MSDN subscription for developers only
>
> see here for more:
> Windows XP Tablet PC Edition frequently asked questions
> http://support.microsoft.com/?id=kb;en-us;327160
>
> btw, is your U70 a tablet PC or not?
>
> --
> bbao
> Windows Server 2003 Ver 5.2 (Build 3790.srv03_gdr.040410.1234), 512 MB RAM
> Opera 7.54u1 Build 3918 w/o Java

Chris H. wrote:
> There's an echo in here. 8-) The U70 is not a Tablet PC as we talk about
> and support in this newsgroup, since it runs only a touchscreen. The
> majority of Tablet PCs run digital screens where you can actually put your
> hands on the screen which activating something. There is one model, I
> believe, which does have the capability to switch from digital to touch, but
> of course the screens are also larger.

thanks for your informative reply, so can XP tablet edition work well
with U70's touchscreen?

btw, i actually wrote the reply to the thread while the question was
still warm, but i believe it then unfortunately stayed in my outbox for
hours before the next message sync, hehe. :)

I prefer using the Tablet PC Edition 2005 on machine which meet the hardware
specifications from Microsoft, i.e., digital recognizers, etc. Have you
ever taken a piece of regular paper and cut it to the 5" U70 screen size,
then tried to write on a full sentence on it?
--
Chris H.
Microsoft Windows MVP/Tablet PC
Tablet Creations - http://nicecreations.us/
Associate Expert
Expert Zone - www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone


"bbao" <bbao@programmer.net> wrote in message
news:uSL0glpHFHA.2784@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> Chris H. wrote:
>> There's an echo in here. 8-) The U70 is not a Tablet PC as we talk
>> about and support in this newsgroup, since it runs only a touchscreen.
>> The majority of Tablet PCs run digital screens where you can actually put
>> your hands on the screen which activating something. There is one model,
>> I believe, which does have the capability to switch from digital to
>> touch, but of course the screens are also larger.
>
> thanks for your informative reply, so can XP tablet edition work well with
> U70's touchscreen?
>
> btw, i actually wrote the reply to the thread while the question was still
> warm, but i believe it then unfortunately stayed in my outbox for hours
> before the next message sync, hehe. :)

I realise that it's only a passive touchscreen and therefor doesn't meet the
exact hardware requirements, but a number of users are already using the
basic features successfully.

Why can't I just purchase a license and try it?

As for the screen, size isn't everything! I've found it quite usable, much
better than a Pocket Pc. There is no comparable tablet available.


"Chris H." wrote:

> I prefer using the Tablet PC Edition 2005 on machine which meet the hardware
> specifications from Microsoft, i.e., digital recognizers, etc. Have you
> ever taken a piece of regular paper and cut it to the 5" U70 screen size,
> then tried to write on a full sentence on it?
> --
> Chris H.
> Microsoft Windows MVP/Tablet PC
> Tablet Creations - http://nicecreations.us/
> Associate Expert
> Expert Zone - www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
>
>
> "bbao" <bbao@programmer.net> wrote in message
> news:uSL0glpHFHA.2784@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> > Chris H. wrote:
> >> There's an echo in here. 8-) The U70 is not a Tablet PC as we talk
> >> about and support in this newsgroup, since it runs only a touchscreen.
> >> The majority of Tablet PCs run digital screens where you can actually put
> >> your hands on the screen which activating something. There is one model,
> >> I believe, which does have the capability to switch from digital to
> >> touch, but of course the screens are also larger.
> >
> > thanks for your informative reply, so can XP tablet edition work well with
> > U70's touchscreen?
> >
> > btw, i actually wrote the reply to the thread while the question was still
> > warm, but i believe it then unfortunately stayed in my outbox for hours
> > before the next message sync, hehe. :)
>
>
>

You can obtain an MSDN subscription:
http://www.msdn.microsoft.com/howtob...s/default.aspx I believe
even the $699 (US) will get you the operating systems (limited use rights)
for development and test purposes only, and the software cannot be used in a
live production environment as described here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/subscriptions/licensing/
--
Chris H.
Microsoft Windows MVP/Tablet PC
Tablet Creations - http://nicecreations.us/
Associate Expert
Expert Zone - www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone


"Dave Withell" <DaveWithell@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:D352F41A-31F2-4117-B0F3-C5443276BD71@microsoft.com...
> I realise that it's only a passive touchscreen and therefor doesn't meet
> the
> exact hardware requirements, but a number of users are already using the
> basic features successfully.
>
> Why can't I just purchase a license and try it?
>
> As for the screen, size isn't everything! I've found it quite usable, much
> better than a Pocket Pc. There is no comparable tablet available.
>
>
> "Chris H." wrote:
>
>> I prefer using the Tablet PC Edition 2005 on machine which meet the
>> hardware
>> specifications from Microsoft, i.e., digital recognizers, etc. Have you
>> ever taken a piece of regular paper and cut it to the 5" U70 screen size,
>> then tried to write on a full sentence on it?
>> --
>> Chris H.
>> Microsoft Windows MVP/Tablet PC
>> Tablet Creations - http://nicecreations.us/
>> Associate Expert
>> Expert Zone - www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
>>
>>
>> "bbao" <bbao@programmer.net> wrote in message
>> news:uSL0glpHFHA.2784@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
>> > Chris H. wrote:
>> >> There's an echo in here. 8-) The U70 is not a Tablet PC as we talk
>> >> about and support in this newsgroup, since it runs only a touchscreen.
>> >> The majority of Tablet PCs run digital screens where you can actually
>> >> put
>> >> your hands on the screen which activating something. There is one
>> >> model,
>> >> I believe, which does have the capability to switch from digital to
>> >> touch, but of course the screens are also larger.
>> >
>> > thanks for your informative reply, so can XP tablet edition work well
>> > with
>> > U70's touchscreen?
>> >
>> > btw, i actually wrote the reply to the thread while the question was
>> > still
>> > warm, but i believe it then unfortunately stayed in my outbox for hours
>> > before the next message sync, hehe. :)
>>
>>
>>

bbao <bbao@programmer.net> wrote:

>the legal copy of XP Tablet PC Edition is only available via one of two
>ways:
>1. preinstalled on an OEM Tablet PC purchased from one of the manufacturers
>2. MSDN subscription for developers only

What if you bought a tablet PC (with the O/S preinstalled), no O/S
disk included, the machine gets wiped, and the vendor doesn't support
it?

Presumably the thing is still IBM PC compatible so one could just put
win2000 or XP on it, but the touch screen wouldn't work anymore.


Peter.
--
Return address is invalid to help stop junk mail.
E-mail replies to peter1124@peter2000XY.co.uk but remove the X and the Y.

In article <0auq215i9nhu10saa6boenuc7sthl8hn4l@4ax.com>, in the
microsoft.public.windows.tabletpc news group, Peter <peter@peter2-o-0-
o.co.uk> says...

> What if you bought a tablet PC (with the O/S preinstalled), no O/S
> disk included, the machine gets wiped, and the vendor doesn't support
> it?

Sorry but this is simply not a valid scenario. Why wouldn't the vendor
support it?

>
> Presumably the thing is still IBM PC compatible so one could just put
> win2000 or XP on it, but the touch screen wouldn't work anymore.

Tablets do not have touch screens, they have a digitizer. Big
difference.


--
Paul Adare
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament],
'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures,
will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend
the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question."
-- Charles Babbage (1791-1871)

Paul Adare <padare@newsguy.com> wrote:

>> What if you bought a tablet PC (with the O/S preinstalled), no O/S
>> disk included, the machine gets wiped, and the vendor doesn't support
>> it?
>
>Sorry but this is simply not a valid scenario. Why wouldn't the vendor
>support it?

Gone bust, or the unit has been bought via an "unrecognised channel"
e.g.

http://www.peter2000.co.uk/ix104/index.html

The tablet market is pretty tightly organised, with lots of
restrictive practices.

>> Presumably the thing is still IBM PC compatible so one could just put
>> win2000 or XP on it, but the touch screen wouldn't work anymore.
>
>Tablets do not have touch screens, they have a digitizer. Big
>difference.

Not really; winXP or win2K won't recognise either one, will it?


Peter.
--
Return address is invalid to help stop junk mail.
E-mail replies to peter1124@peter2000XY.co.uk but remove the X and the Y.

In article <9i4r21teljdm28j809quf3mjjac3ms1f4u@4ax.com>, in the
microsoft.public.windows.tabletpc news group, Peter <peter@peter2-o-0-
o.co.uk> says...

>
> Paul Adare <padare@newsguy.com> wrote:
>
> >> What if you bought a tablet PC (with the O/S preinstalled), no O/S
> >> disk included, the machine gets wiped, and the vendor doesn't support
> >> it?
> >
> >Sorry but this is simply not a valid scenario. Why wouldn't the vendor
> >support it?
>
> Gone bust, or the unit has been bought via an "unrecognised channel"
> e.g.
>
> http://www.peter2000.co.uk/ix104/index.html
>
> The tablet market is pretty tightly organised, with lots of
> restrictive practices.

So you're buying from the grey or black market. That's your choice. If
that's your choice and you don't get the right software with it then it
is up to you to make sure that you back it up and can support any
required restores on your own. Just because you buy one this way does
not entitle you to use the MSDN version of TabletPC on a production
system, that would still be a violation of the EULA.

>
> >> Presumably the thing is still IBM PC compatible so one could just put
> >> win2000 or XP on it, but the touch screen wouldn't work anymore.
> >
> >Tablets do not have touch screens, they have a digitizer. Big
> >difference.
>
> Not really; winXP or win2K won't recognise either one, will it?

Digitizers like those in Tablets, no. Touch screens, of course. Sony for
example had a VAIO on the market with a touch screen at one point.

--
Paul Adare
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament],
'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures,
will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend
the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question."
-- Charles Babbage (1791-1871)

Paul Adare <padare@newsguy.com> wrote:

>So you're buying from the grey or black market. That's your choice. If
>that's your choice and you don't get the right software with it then it
>is up to you to make sure that you back it up and can support any
>required restores on your own. Just because you buy one this way does
>not entitle you to use the MSDN version of TabletPC on a production
>system, that would still be a violation of the EULA.

"Grey" or "black" market :) :) :)

Not supplying the software in a re-installable form is a restrictive
practice, no matter how you look at it.

If I buy a piece of software, I have a basic right to use that
software in perpetuity, so long as I am able to maintain the hardware.

You will be supporting dongles (hardware keys) next.

The basic premise of purchasing a Tablet PC and not having OEM support is
incorrect in the first place. Any suppositions beyond that are therefore
invalid. This newsgroup supports the legal use of Tablet PCs.
--
Chris H.
Microsoft Windows MVP/Tablet PC
Tablet Creations - http://nicecreations.us/
Associate Expert
Expert Zone - www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone


"Peter" <peter@peter2-o-0-o.co.uk> wrote in message
news:d5er21t30phcsdetd60iudht629ua55hog@4ax.com...
>
> "Grey" or "black" market :) :) :)
>
> Not supplying the software in a re-installable form is a restrictive
> practice, no matter how you look at it.
>
> If I buy a piece of software, I have a basic right to use that
> software in perpetuity, so long as I am able to maintain the hardware.
>
> You will be supporting dongles (hardware keys) next.
>

In article <d5er21t30phcsdetd60iudht629ua55hog@4ax.com>, in the
microsoft.public.windows.tabletpc news group, Peter <peter@peter2-o-0-
o.co.uk> says...

> "Grey" or "black" market :) :) :)
>
> Not supplying the software in a re-installable form is a restrictive
> practice, no matter how you look at it.

OEMs are required to ship either original media, or provide for some
form of automated recovery. If the unit you bought came without one of
those two options, then your beef is with the 3rd party you purchased it
from and not with Microsoft. How is it Microsoft's fault, or how is
Microsoft being restrictive if you choose to purchase from the gray
market and the seller doesn't provide with everything that is legally
required?

>
> If I buy a piece of software, I have a basic right to use that
> software in perpetuity, so long as I am able to maintain the hardware.

You didn't buy the software, you bought a piece of hardware from a 3rd
party who for whatever reason chose not to supply you with the requisite
software. Caveat Emptor.

>
> You will be supporting dongles (hardware keys) next.

Right.

--
Paul Adare
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament],
'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures,
will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend
the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question."
-- Charles Babbage (1791-1871)