Tablet PC A case of contradiction

by David Orenstein free-lance writer

There is no way around it: The Tablet PC merits a mixed review because it itself is a mix—a hybrid of handheld computer and laptop. This middle position leads to a series of contradictions (or compromises) that hardly are damning, but make one wonder where a Tablet PC really fits well.

Tablet PCs—so-called because they run Microsoft’s Tablet PC version of Windows XP—are meant to be super-light and portable computers that devote as much space as possible to the screen. The keyboard, while comfortably sized, can be tucked away because it is only one means of input. Speaking commands or scribbling on the screen with a stylus are supposed to be as good or better. Tablet PCs are heavy, expensive, intelligent, and versatile notepads. Medical reference, note-taking, and charting applications for Tablet PCs are under development and in deployment. Physicians, who love dictation and often are seen with clipboards and handhelds, are a natural target market for Tablet PC makers.

Stylus-based computers have been around for years, but they never have succeeded in the mass market. What is supposed to be different now is that the processing power and software technology for handwriting and speech recognition are up to the task. Also, better battery life and wireless networks are supposed to make you just as comfortable computing in an exam room as at your desk.

This review is based on HP’s Compaq TC1000, which looks cool with its silver casing and slim profile. Although a laptop opens and closes like a clam, the TC1000’s screen always is exposed. You either lay it flat over the keyboard so it can play its notepad role, or you can swivel it away to expose the keyboard and then raise it to a comfortable viewing angle.

Of course, looks aren’t everything. There are contradictions that go to the heart of whether a Tablet PC would be preferable over a laptop or a handheld paired with desktops:

Readability. At 10 inches diagonally, the screen is a little too small to be read easily. Yet at 3 pounds, the machine is too heavy to be repeatedly lifted closer for reading small text. Ultimately, it can display an entire Web or document page, but one might have to squint to read it.

Performance. Tablet PCs are billed as being just as capable as laptops in that they can run all the same software. But they don’t run it quite as well. HP opted for an alternative processor that traditionally has emphasized battery life over processing power. Possibly because of this, the machine sometimes seems lethargic, with delays of a few seconds between some intensive operations.

Input. The justification for Tablet PCs is that speech and handwriting recognition is as good as the keyboard, but a keyboard still is needed. Although both recognition technologies are very good—even perceptive—the quickest way to review and edit their inevitable mistakes is with the keyboard. Speech suffers from another contradiction: Tablet PCs advertise giving you the freedom to roam, but require the awkwardness of a high-quality headset microphone for speech recognition.

Tablet PCs offer reasonable mobility with much more computing power and display space than a handheld. They also have much of the capabilities of a laptop in the same $1600–$1900 price range. Physicians who find an electronic notepad appealing should evaluate Tablet PCs, but don’t think they are as easy as paper, as powerful as a desktop, or as portable as a handheld. They are a compromise of many good, but competing, qualities.

David Orenstein is a technology and business writer in Silicon Valley. To learn more about a technology topic in Computing Care, e-mail him at davealli@attbi.com.