googro004.5.hvz@spamgourmet.com (Hendrik van Zeelen) wrote:

>Tablets are absurdly expensive.

Not always

http://www.espre.net/pages/331751/index.htm

I've bought two of these and configured them for wifi, gprs and
bluetooth. It's a great product, though not lightweight.

Just don't expect any support from anybody :)


Peter.
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In article <eTho1MkKFHA.1308@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl>,
winxpnews********.com says...
> The TC4200 won't be in Europe? One of our Tablet PC MVPs, Christopher
> James, who is in the UK, has just posted a full review of one of the early
> models here: http://81.5.185.34/tc-one-thousand/tc4200-review.html HP's
> site (US - English, of course) lists all the information on it here:
> http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/tabletpc/tc4200/ Is there a German web
> page saying they won't be selling it there? (Sorry, I don't read German.)
>

Well, they were on the UK web site but now they aren't (I assume they
are waiting for a release date). I assume they will be selling them or
they wouldn't be sending product demos out.


--
Woody
Played Yagol for tabletPC yet?
http://www.alienrat.com/games

"Chris H." <winxpnews********.com> wrote in message news:<eTho1MkKFHA.1308@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl>...
> The TC4200 won't be in Europe? ...
> ... Is there a German web page saying they won't be selling it there?

Well, I can't come up w/ exactly the one I originally saw, but how
about this quote from http://www.crn.vnunet.com/news/1161001
"UK companies will be unable to buy HP's tc4200 tablet PC, due out in
the US in April. Wright [vice president of HP's Personal Systems
Group] explained that, while certain global customers in Europe could
make special orders, low demand meant that HP's existing tablet, the
tc1100, will be the company's only European model until the second
half of 2006."

I should be glad if I was wrong, but ...

HvZ

Peter, you might be interested in this article by a pilot who uses a Sony U in his cockpit.

http://jkontherun.blogs.com/jkonther...ortable_i.html

followed by this one with full specs:

http://jkontherun.blogs.com/jkonther..._mounted_.html

__________________
James Kendrick MVP - Tablet PC
jkOnTheRun || jkOnTheRun Forums || LockerGnome - Mobile

...using mobile devices since they weighed 30 lbs.

Here are a couple of other data points that I consider meaningful.

First: a 52-page glossy brochure that I received today from
Hewlett-Packard. It lists a wide variety of products, including
portable computers and accessories (17 pages), Pocket PCs (two pages),
and even the Apple iPod (two pages). But not a mention of tablet PCs.

Second, Dell. For a long time I wondered why Dell doesn't offer a
tablet PC. Finally I realized that they do -- they just won't let it
be associated with their own name!

It seems that leading manufacturers are doing their best to make the
tablet PC invisible, just as Microsoft is. I don't know who is leading
whom, but the tablet PC is the poor stepchild in the consumer market,
and I don't see any cause for hope that this will change. Thank heaven
that the tablet PC has a secure place in vertical applications, so
that it is not likely to disappear completely.

My email address is llm040903 at earthlink dot net.

Motion Computing's main organizers were ex-Dell, Compaq, Apple and Fujitsu
employees, although that's not a reason why Dell doesn't get into the market
with their own offering. Being one of the initial OEMs would have altered
their corporate strategy. When has Dell been the first to market with a new
product? 8-)
--
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ts/nichol.mspx
In memory of a true friend, Windows MVP Alex Nichol

Chris H.
Microsoft Windows MVP/Tablet PC
Tablet Creations - http://nicecreations.us/
Associate Expert
Expert Zone - www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone


"Jonathan Sachs" <llm040903@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:1nkk31pmaedlr36sqrfkdjlm1j7u18hdlb@4ax.com...
> Here are a couple of other data points that I consider meaningful.
>
> First: a 52-page glossy brochure that I received today from
> Hewlett-Packard. It lists a wide variety of products, including
> portable computers and accessories (17 pages), Pocket PCs (two pages),
> and even the Apple iPod (two pages). But not a mention of tablet PCs.
>
> Second, Dell. For a long time I wondered why Dell doesn't offer a
> tablet PC. Finally I realized that they do -- they just won't let it
> be associated with their own name!
>
> It seems that leading manufacturers are doing their best to make the
> tablet PC invisible, just as Microsoft is. I don't know who is leading
> whom, but the tablet PC is the poor stepchild in the consumer market,
> and I don't see any cause for hope that this will change. Thank heaven
> that the tablet PC has a secure place in vertical applications, so
> that it is not likely to disappear completely.
>
> My email address is llm040903 at earthlink dot net.

googro004.5.hvz@spamgourmet.com (Hendrik van Zeelen) wrote:

>low demand meant that HP's existing tablet, the
>tc1100, will be the company's only European model until the second
>half of 2006."

One can buy most such market-restricted items on Ebay - without much
support of course :)


Peter.
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"me" wrote:
>
> To make this product mainstream I think the size and weight has to come
> down. At the moment this is a geek product. No-one wants to walk around
> carrying something the size and weight of an LCD TV.
>
> I think tablets need to become filofax size and replace the Pocket PC
> market. When are we going to see 7-8 inch tablets? >

Thanks Bill for outlining the future for tablets today!

to everyone who disagreed with me in this thread.. I told you so :)
.....portability is key to tablet success!

http://www.betanews.com/article/WinH...let/1114445161

http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/...166/46166.html

"me" wrote:

> To make this product mainstream I think the size and weight has to come
> down. At the moment this is a geek product. No-one wants to walk around
> carrying something the size and weight of an LCD TV.
>
> I think tablets need to become filofax size and replace the Pocket PC
> market. When are we going to see 7-8 inch tablets? The sony u750p is part
> way there but the sony's screen at 6 inches is just that little bit too
> small. Apart from that its a great product.
>
thanks to Bill for his outline of the future today! which, I think you'll
agree is pretty close to the above

http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/winhec_2005.asp

http://www.windowsitpro.com/windowsp...ott_46166.html

What Bill Gates showed at WinHEC today was a concept model. From concept,
there's a whole lot of work to be done by some company or companies since
Microsoft does not build the hardware, and we're probably looking at a year
or so out. This isn't something which will magically appear in the retail
market in the next week or month.
--
Chris H.
Microsoft Windows MVP/Tablet PC
Tablet Creations - http://nicecreations.us/
Associate Expert
Expert Zone - www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone


"me" <me@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:A4648BF7-E3B7-4E8E-A9C5-359AB6A91370@microsoft.com...
> "me" wrote:
>>
>> To make this product mainstream I think the size and weight has to come
>> down. At the moment this is a geek product. No-one wants to walk around
>> carrying something the size and weight of an LCD TV.
>>
>> I think tablets need to become filofax size and replace the Pocket PC
>> market. When are we going to see 7-8 inch tablets? >
>
> Thanks Bill for outlining the future for tablets today!
>
> to everyone who disagreed with me in this thread.. I told you so :)
> ....portability is key to tablet success!
>
> http://www.betanews.com/article/WinH...let/1114445161
>
> http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/...166/46166.html
>

"me" <me@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

>> I think tablets need to become filofax size and replace the Pocket PC
>> market. When are we going to see 7-8 inch tablets? >
>
> to everyone who disagreed with me in this thread.. I told you so :)
> ....portability is key to tablet success!

You are missing one critical fact: everyone who buys a tablet PC, or
might buy one, does not do so for the same reasons.

A handheld tablet PC would not be a tablet PC done right. It would be
a completely different beast, largely useful for things that the
tablet PC cannot do well, and largely useless for the things it does
best.

I have yet to figure out what useful things a handheld tablet PC would
do that a PalmPilot doesn't do. But that's just me.

My email address is LLM041103 at earthlink dot net.

Jonathan Sachs <xxxxxxx@earthlink.not> wrote:

> "me" <me@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>
> >> I think tablets need to become filofax size and replace the Pocket PC
> >> market. When are we going to see 7-8 inch tablets? >
> >
> > to everyone who disagreed with me in this thread.. I told you so :)
> > ....portability is key to tablet success!
>
> You are missing one critical fact: everyone who buys a tablet PC, or
> might buy one, does not do so for the same reasons.
>
> A handheld tablet PC would not be a tablet PC done right. It would be
> a completely different beast, largely useful for things that the
> tablet PC cannot do well, and largely useless for the things it does
> best.
>
> I have yet to figure out what useful things a handheld tablet PC would
> do that a PalmPilot doesn't do. But that's just me.

Notetaking. Like a newton. The palm cant do that.


--
Woody

www.alienrat.com

>> To make this product mainstream I think the size and weight has to come
>> down. At the moment this is a geek product. No-one wants to walk around
>> carrying something the size and weight of an LCD TV.
>>
>> I think tablets need to become filofax size and replace the Pocket PC
>> market. When are we going to see 7-8 inch tablets? >

Technically, the size alone is trivial and has been done a long time
ago. The problem is Windows, it's bit-mapped objects and its general
(complicated) user interface.

All the icons are bitmapped so a computer with a 7" screen and
1024x768 will have tiny icons which are hard to read, and text under
them which is even harder to read. Then you have more fun when running
any applications ;)

One can see this in the 4" screen 640x480 PDAs (HP47xx or Toshiba
E800). It's only 640x480 but everything is really tiny and most people
can't see it. They look wonderfully sharp but are really hard to use
for any text. Great for GPS mapping etc, but that's a tiny market.

7/8" tablets have existed before (Fujitsu LTP600; that one had win98
but one can put win2000 on it) but 800x600. That yields a readable
desktop and usable apps but isn't not good enough to view a typical
PDF with text on it, for example. Unless it has been prepared
specially for 800x600 display (and then it won't be a PDF because one
has little control over how the fonts will look) the fonts just
disappear.

One could display a PDF sideways and then scroll it; that works but
most people would choose an inductive screen with the dedicated stylus
(because accidental screen touching doesn't mess it up, and anyway
it's in the MS tablet spec) and then one has to fiddle with the stylus
to read the page...

I know a bit about this because I use a tablet for in-flight data, and
1024x768 is the minimum usable generally. For purpose-designed
software (only) one can use 800x600 and that is where the old Fuji
tablets were (are) popular. People buy them from Ebay now.

It isn't hard to get a 7/8" 1024x768 LCD, stick a load of chips right
onto the back of the glass (chip on board technology, very old and
extremely cheap now, I was designing with it 10 years ago), use
today's miniature hard drives, flat lithium cells (I was designing
with early prototypes of those 10 years ago too), and you have a
tablet that's about 10mm thick, including a solid magnesium case. And
no bigger than the display itself.

Marketing it is something else. If you want to run Windows on it, you
will need to include a pair of +2 reading glasses :)

I bet most tablets go into vertical markets (warehousing etc) and that
market is well covered with specialised products and specialised
vertical marketing channels.



Peter.
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On Tue, 26 Apr 2005 08:55:29 +0100, usenet@alienrat.co.uk (Woody)
wrote:

>> I have yet to figure out what useful things a handheld tablet PC would
>> do that a PalmPilot doesn't do. But that's just me.
>
>Notetaking. Like a newton. The palm cant do that.

I'm puzzled by that assertion. It seems to me that taking notes and
calendar management are the only two generally useful things the Palm
IS good for.

On the other hand, a hand-held tablet PC won't fit in my pocket, so if
I'm standing up I have no place to keep it until I need it or to put
it when I'm done with it. It's too big to use as a cell phone even if
it has the necessary hardware, or to hang on my belt. The only place I
can realistically expect to use it is a chair (in my lap) or a desk.
And in those cases, why should I not prefer my full-size tablet PC?

But that's just me again.

My email address is LLM041103 at earthlink dot net.

The whole idea of the smaller Tablets is that they will fit in a pocket.
The pocket being aimed at is a sport jacket pocket or the equivalent. The
clothing manufacturers originally objected to the weight, but the Microsoft
prototype or the OQO are clear statements that the weight can be within
acceptable limits.

In medicine, people are looking to Tablet PCs as being able to run
electronic health records software and advanced decision support tools.
Medical informatics people are giving up on PDA devices and the hardware
debate is between COWs (computers on wheels) and small tablets. We will
probably see a mixture and they will both run the same software so it will
be a battle only on the hardware end.

"Jonathan Sachs" <xxxxxxx@earthlink.not> wrote in message
news:pe8s61539cejpbhhgtpu7nvd3o909g6cse@4ax.com...
> On the other hand, a hand-held tablet PC won't fit in my pocket