BostonPocketPC

This article, Ink Input and the Tablet PC popped up in my RSS feed from the Engineering Windows 7 blog early this morning. It’s an interesting read on how and what was done to improve inking in Windows 7. I am really liking the new TIP (Tablet PC Input Panel) and things are just more intuitive. The keyboard is much bigger, easier to read and has predictive text output similar to Windows Mobile. It has design improvements for touch based screen like my Fujitsu P1610 and the now defunct Origami group, which has been absorbed under the Windows 7 umbrella to support the growing number of small notebook/netbook PCs. On my old Fujitsu slate at home running Windows 7 is actually easier (and faster) with the new TIP and I notice I don’t have to correct my ink as much as I did with Windows XP and Windows Vista saving time and making it much more useful especially when using the browser. Also the addition of the Math Panel for students and math/science ilk is a great add-on.

There’s a strong community of developers who take advantage of the ink input/TabletPC functionality to develop unique solutions for specific markets (medicine, education, line of business) and create software in Windows that builds on this experience to streamline how these end-users interact with information on their PC (usually with unique form-factors such as slates or wall mounted PCs).  Earlier this week I received a great email asking “what’s new for us” from the head of development for one such ISV (medical software) and so we put together an overview of the new functionality.    Several Program Managers on the team authored this post. 

Also, as you have noticed, the site has had some uptime troubles over the past 10 days or so and I think we’re all back to normal.  That’s ok since we’ve also been pretty busy in the Windows 7 hallway    --Steven

Handheld US, a supplier of rugged mobile computers, announced a major upgrade of its Algiz 8 tablet computer. The upgrades include a faster processor, a brighter outdoor viewable display, a 50% increase in the standard hard drive capacity and a 100% increase in the standard RAM memory.

Designed for harsh environments the new version of the Algiz 8 has been upgraded with the new Intel 1.1 GHz ATOM processor. The new ultra-low voltage processor will improve both performance and battery life. The Algiz 8’s optional outdoor viewable display has been upgraded to a new screen with brightness of more than 1100 nits. The size of the standard shock mounted hard drive has been increased from 40 GB to 60 GB, and a solid state flash drive is available as an option. And the RAM has increased from 512 to 1024 MB. 

“The changes to the Algiz 8 make a great product even better. The combination of a faster processor, longer battery life, and a brighter screen all directly impact and improve the user’s experience in the field.” said Dale Kyle, president of Handheld US. “We believe that the Algiz 8 will continue to be the field worker’s first choice.”

The new Algiz 8 is available immediately. Potential customers and value-added resellers can find additional product information at www.handheld-us.com.

If you are like me and still have no idea what to tell your loved ones what you like for the holidays or still haven’t made up you mind on some new technology Linda over at TabletPC2 has come up with her annual The 2008 List for Santa - Sixth Annual Holiday Gift Guide.

It’s chock full some of the latest gear, definitely worth checking out!

TabletKiosk wanting to improve the slate-style Tablet PC user experience on their Tablet PCs and UMPCs is now including the Eyesboard™ on-screen virtual keyboard on all of its systems, which currently ships with all new Sahara Slate PC i400 series Tablet PCs as well as offering it as a free download for existing TabletKiosk Tablet PC and UMPC owners. It is a realistic software keyboard that  looks and performs like an actual keyboard placed on top of the screen of the Tablet PC.

The Eyesboard, created by PlazaLOGIC, is an on-screen, virtual QWERTY keyboard, that enables users to type directly on the screen with their fingers or a stylus. Sporting a realistic "3D" look, multiple language options, easy size adjustment, choice of colors, and optional settings — including opacity, "snapable" palettes, menu buttons and sound effects — the Eyesboard virtual keyboard is highly customizable to best fit each user’s unique needs.

“Given that touch screen kiosks with virtual keyboards are now commonly used in airports and retail stores, today’s Tablet PC owners are more familiar with the idea of on-screen typing,” said Martin Smekal, president of TabletKiosk. “By including the Eyesboard as a standard feature on all of our tablets, we believe that we have greatly improved the overall mobile computing experience.”