Will the Tablet PC ever become mainstream?

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: KEITH SHAW ON WIRELESS COMPUTING
DEVICES
06/14/05
Today's focus: Will the Tablet PC ever become mainstream?

Dear networking.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* Lenovo launches its first Tablet PC
* Links related to Wireless Computing Devices
* Featured reader resource
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Today's focus: Will the Tablet PC ever become mainstream?

By Keith Shaw

Last week, Lenovo - the company that bought IBM's PC and
notebook division - launched its first Tablet PC, the ThinkPad
X41 Tablet. (IBM launched tablets before, back in the good old
days of rugged machines, etc.)

The device is a 3.5-pound convertible notebook with a 12-inch
screen and is priced starting at $1,899 (goes on sale this week
at <http://www.lenovo.com/> ).

Other features include all-day battery life (through an 8-cell
battery and optional extended life battery), a full-size
keyboard, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005, choice of the Intel
Pentium M Low Voltage or Ultra Low Voltage processor. It also
provides up to 1.5G-bytes of DDR2 memory, plus an optional
docking station ($219) that offers three extra USB 2.0 ports,
legacy port support, an Ultrabay Slim device bay (for optical
drives) and a 56-watt AC adapter.

Support for the IBM-developed ThinkVantage Technology means the
devices get enterprise-level security and maintenance features,
including the Active Protection System, which protects the hard
drive when the device is dropped, and the Rescue and Recovery
feature, which includes self-help tools to get users back up and
running from a software crash - even when the operating system
doesn't boot.

Some models include an integrated fingerprint reader and the
Embedded Security Subsystem, which includes an integrated
security chip and Client Security Software that protects and
encrypts data, passwords and encryption keys.

When I spoke with Lenovo, officials said the X41 Tablet would be
geared towards users in vertical markets, including workers in
healthcare, education, insurance, government, etc.

Despite a lot of hype from Microsoft (promoter of the Tablet PC
operating system) and device makers, the Tablet PC revolution
still hasn't caught on in the "horizontal" marketplace. The
feeling I get from tablet makers is that the people who use them
are workers who are on their feet for most of the day and use
tablets for one major purpose - to electronically enter
information that they used to do with a clipboard and paper. The
makers of tablets hope that once workers become comfortable with
the vertical application they'll then figure out that they can
use the device for Web searches, e-mail and other typical
"horizontal" usages.

But the general office worker who may still be mobile (traveling
from meeting to meeting or office to office) has probably not
been given a tablet just yet. Here are a couple of reasons why
the tablet may not have caught on yet:

1) Price. Costs in providing a tablet screen that you can write
on, as well as hardware hinges and other issues, cause the cost
to go up for tablets. Some tablet makers argue that you should
pay a premium for the mobility, while others argue that costs
should (and will) come down and make tablets more attractive to
more mobile workers.

2) Lack of a "killer app." Some feel that there needs to be an
application that works across different industries that everyone
will want to get a tablet for. The applications pushed so far
for tablet usage seems to be note-taking and/or sketching/paint
programs. While these may take advantage of the tablet form
factor and the ability to write on the screen, I have yet to
discover a really good handwriting recognition application that
would get me to jump to buy a tablet.

There may be other reasons why tablets haven't replaced the
notebook yet, and I'd like to hear from the readership on this.
Let me know if there are tablets being used in your workplace,
and if so, how they're being used. If you are not using them
yet, let me know why. We really want to see the current state of
tablets in the workplace, so please send responses to
<mailto:kshaw@nww.com> and we'll discuss in a future newsletter.
_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Keith Shaw

Keith Shaw is Senior Editor, Product Testing, at Network World.
In addition, he writes the " Cool Tools
<http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/cooltools.html> "
column, which looks at gizmos, gadgets and other mobile
computing devices.

You can reach Keith at <mailto:kshaw@nww.com>.
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by Concord Communications
Network World Executive Guide: The Evolution of Management
Technologies

Network and systems technologies have an important new role -
helping networked systems live up to new business realities.
With growing and shifting demands, network executives are
balancing business goals with prioritizing IT projects. Read
about the 'Future of Management', 'IT Service Management',
'Managing Security', and 'Best Practices'.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=106688
_______________________________________________________________
ARCHIVE LINKS

Archive of the Wireless Computing Devices newsletter:
http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/mobile/index.html

Keith Shaw's Cool Tools:
http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/cooltools.html
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FEATURED READER RESOURCE
VoIP SECURITY

For the latest in VoIP security, check out NW's Research Center
on this very topic. Here you will find a collection of the
latest news, reviews, product testing results and more all
related to keeping VoIP networks secure. Click here for more:
<http://www.networkworld.com/topics/voip-security.html>
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