Screenshots emerge of Tablet PC features in Windows 7 beta

While it's safe to say the bulk of the pre-beta excitement surrounding Windows 7 went down yesterday, details are still flowing from varying avenues. Up next is a peek at the oft overlooked Tablet PC feature set, which GottaBeMobile was able to showcase a bit thanks to their participation in the Windows 7 beta. We are told that much of what we see could change between now and 2010, but we're digging what we see thus far. Early tests have already shown that Win7 "auto recognizes inline [handwriting into the TIP] rather than displaying the recognition results in a bubble below the word as Vista does," and the new Math Input Panel / Sticky Notes board look all too fun as well. Enough chatter -- hit the read link for more eye candy.

[Danny @ Oct 29th 2008 8:56AM]

shweet, cant wait to see win 7 in RTM release :)

[M$FT @ Oct 29th 2008 9:10AM]

Oh my God....
Windows 7, or whatever it is going to be called, will suck so much.......

[John @ Oct 29th 2008 9:24AM]

Gizmodo did a walkthrough of Windows 7 yesterday and whoever the author was showed a far more complex equation (c=sqrt(a^2+b^2))
being processed correctly. It's worth noting because showing 2+2 makes it seem like the feature isn't all that helpful, whereas this would have saved me thousands of headaches in high school calc class.

[tha-don @ Oct 29th 2008 11:43AM]

hopefully they'll have a new desktop wallpaper by then. i do like the vista one, but it was made for vista n kinda adds to making win7 look more like a vista update. i know it sounds petty but you can't deny that what i'm sayin is true. i'm actually kinda suprised they've used it so much in screen shots of win7.

[cian @ Oct 29th 2008 8:58AM]

Oh yay! They can do maths!

[Backlin @ Oct 29th 2008 8:59AM]

Where'z teh ekual sine?

[Dr Zoidberg @ Oct 29th 2008 11:27AM]

Check the place where you left your actual words.

[OneLove @ Oct 29th 2008 11:48AM]

...but can it play crysis? (i had too)

[Rollins @ Oct 29th 2008 9:03AM]

Unfortunately, when presented with said equation, Windows 7 was rendered utterly helpless and cried itself to sleep.

[John @ Oct 29th 2008 9:05AM]

It looks really nice. I might end up dual booting my Macbook Pro or buying a desktop system with W7 on it.

[Kiwi616 @ Oct 29th 2008 9:08AM]

Hopefully the requirements for Windows 7 and Bootcamp will allow for the dual boot. Crossing fingers also.

[jakem @ Oct 29th 2008 9:59AM]

None of the hardware you just mentioned would be capable of taking advantage of these features. You need a touchscreen (or at least a Wacom tablet) to use tablet components.

[John @ Oct 29th 2008 10:28AM]

I have a Wacom tablet.

[John @ Oct 29th 2008 10:32AM]

Also, I don't see why you couldn't use this with a mouse.

[Federico Cáceres @ Oct 29th 2008 9:07AM]

Look at the shape of that window! More GUI innovation... sacrifying consistency.
The recognition feature looks good though!

I might wait for this little Win7 to come out before getting a new Pc (or tablet?).

[7on @ Oct 29th 2008 9:12AM]

What I'd like to see is MS require all computers that run Windows 7 have a touch screen. Touch panels are about $20 nowadays and that would be a major leap in tech if everyone started releasing touch screen computers.

For those that don't want to sell touch screens MS could also keep selling Vista or they could just use a Linux. MS needs to gain control over the Hardware manufactures again.

[Rollins @ Oct 29th 2008 9:39AM]

That'd be horrible. You'd sacrifice quite a bit of color clarity with the cheaper touch panels, and the more expensive ones would drive up monitor costs with no benefit to the average user.

In a word, no.

[Wwhat @ Oct 30th 2008 4:10AM]

Why the hell would you want to force people to use touchscreens? If people want it fine, but forcing? What's wrong with you.

[Elora HRanma @ Oct 29th 2008 9:20AM]

All these features and stuff are pretty and all, but what about important stuff for mobility, multi-system support and such, like native UTC support? I'm tired of fighting with that all the time, and Windows 7 seems to bring nothing new about that.

The dress and vehicle have changed, but below all the pretty clothings and funny colours, there's still the same old dinosaur.

[viral tarpara @ Jan 16th 2009 12:00PM]

Windows 7 Supports UTC natively.

[strider_mt2k @ Oct 29th 2008 9:42AM]

Later revisions will also reveal who the dish ran away with...

[Chris @ Oct 29th 2008 10:06AM]

I can't stress enough how important it is that a means of completely removing and restoring components is available to the end user - during and after installation, as I can already see space-consuming features like this that many won't want (which introduces negative critique). At the end of the day, a completely stripped-down setup will show how efficient the operating system is.

Personally, the feature list isn't looking great. You'd think a multinational computer technology corporation would be able to produce a better product. I personally would like to see stuff that will be useful and keep the desktop experience 'fresh'. Not gimmicky (and sometimes proprietary) features that require device support.

I'd say more in the way of desktop effects (for application and desktop switching), skinning, tabbed explorer.... I could make an endless list if I wanted to. Why no Microsoft employee isn't thinking of these things is worrying.

[burnblue @ Oct 29th 2008 6:39PM]

First you say they shouldn't bundle features, then you say the feature list isn't looking great. What, the developers should only care about what you want?

[MioTheGreat @ Oct 29th 2008 9:11PM]

>can't stress enough how important it is that a means of completely removing and restoring components is available to the end user - during and after installation, as I can already see space-consuming features like this that many won't want (which introduces negative critique). At the end of the day, a completely stripped-down setup will show how efficient the operating system is.

Disk space is so damned cheap these days, and continues to simply get cheaper and cheaper that this is irrelevant.

Having to yank out the XP disk every time you had to install a new piece of hardware was utterly stupid. That was fixed with Vista by keeping it all on the drive.

[Technex @ Oct 29th 2008 10:13AM]

Sorry, but I feel that all these updates should be made available to Vista users too, I've just spent a small fortune in licenses and they're bringing out another one already?

I've always been a big Microsoft fan, but Linux is starting to look good to me...

[roach @ Oct 29th 2008 10:28AM]

l think some features will make it to Vista, just as some of Vista's features showed up in XP.. . and Window 7 is much closer to Vista than XP is to Vista.

[M$FT @ Oct 29th 2008 10:41AM]

Microsoft fan ?????
What the hell is happening to your mind ?

[Technex @ Oct 29th 2008 10:45AM]

M$FT, go back to sucking off your Mac's.

[M$FT @ Oct 29th 2008 10:48AM]

You are really a true asshole....
Anyone talked about MACs ????
Or it's another nightmare from your distorted Micro$oft fan mind ???

[Technex @ Oct 29th 2008 11:05AM]

Guy's here is a troll in it's natural home, admire it before it escapes!

You're sure acting like a Mac user, and you seem to have some crazy thing against Microsoft, so you must be one, normally Linux users would reply with some intelligent remark.

[VS Dude @ Oct 29th 2008 11:38AM]

Yeah, Linux looks great - until you actually deploy it to a few desktops. A week later and your users will be begging you for Windows again.

[L.M.L.Y.P @ Oct 29th 2008 11:10AM]

WELL WHATS THE ANSWER?!

[Drewski @ Oct 29th 2008 11:25AM]

All this touch screen crap is where over rated. Having these features on a computer is a smart idea on marketing to sell a ton, but it's kinda like the wii, you get bored of it fast. Multi finger gestures on laptops are smart on that track pad, Apple's got the idea going, because no one wants to continue be waving their hands on their computer. Your hands will get tired. I used a touch screen, the HP one, and played solitare, and it was fun, but after one or two games, my hands were sore. So, point being, I think Microsoft is developing touch screen stuff the wrong way, I really don't think it'll make it far in the market. I'd say stick with the Surface, good idea right there. Expensive, but good.

[burnblue @ Oct 29th 2008 6:44PM]

This is about tablet technology. Your hands can't get tired if your screen is flat on your desk.

Plus, enhanced touchscreen technology will only make tablets better. I expect every touch-enabled notebook to be convertible, so what you have when you fold these flat is that your whole screen is the trackpad.. much better than what apple is doing, IMO.

[refriedbeans19 @ Oct 29th 2008 11:27AM]

WOW! Windows 7 has been really taking over Engadget lately, huh?

[Rollins @ Oct 29th 2008 11:39AM]

It's all because of Engadget's Apple bias! Damn them! Apple must have paid them off. That's the only explanation.

...

[MioTheGreat @ Oct 29th 2008 9:12PM]

The operating system that virtually every new computer after next year will be sold with?

Who would have thought that it would get some coverage?

[wud_e @ Oct 29th 2008 12:25PM]

This looks like a cool feature. Now if they'd only bring MS Paint into the 21st century!! :p

[Wwhat @ Oct 30th 2008 4:18AM]

Then were would we go to do simple things that are annoying to do in programs like photoshop.

Incidentally: www.getpaint.net

Note however that paint.net is now moving to .net v3.5, and that MS's .net installer freaking installs an extension into firefox, without asking, and without a uninstall button in the addons panel......

[Benga @ Oct 29th 2008 12:33PM]

By the time this thing sees the light of day, Snow Leopard will be out, Rain Leopard would be a thing of the past, and Fire Leopard will be reigning.

[Kenneth Auchenberg @ Oct 30th 2008 3:34AM]

But is there Scandinavian language support? I'm having a X61 Tablet today and I'm loving it, but I'm missing Scandinavian language!