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THE TABLET PC

Brian Grainger

Recently, Bill Gates gave one of his occasional speeches which map out the future of Microsoft. The two major items of the speech were the next version of Windows, beyond XP, and the Tablet PC.

Apparently, the future Windows is going to be completely different - Oh! Goody, another interface to learn again! All I want to do is write words and perform calculations - why do I want to learn yet another new interface for Windows?

However, the Tablet PC looks more interesting. At the moment it is vapourware but a look at the Microsoft web site for the Tablet PC, http://www.eu.microsoft.com/tabletpc, is a very interesting read.

Back at the time of the PC's birthday last August, I wrote:

Can I have a display device that will display a full A4 page, at a resolution I can read with a quality equivalent to reading paper, capable of swivelling between portrait and landscape mode and at a cost of a current 17 inch monitor. Even the first requirement would be a big step forward!

Well the Tablet PC appears to display an A4 page, uses Cleartype to improve text quality and, sensing which way round the Tablet is held, can display in landscape or portrait accordingly.

Blast - Microsoft might have pinched my wonderful idea. I am not sure what the cost will come to but, if the vapourware becomes reality, Microsoft might have another winner. Now, if you can make it so I don't have to get that new version of Windows ...

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