http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/
make it happen.]]>Jul 13th 2009 1:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 16th 2009 8:55AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/
They are tiny little dream machines.]]>Jul 13th 2009 2:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/
I been using this tablet for over 4 years and its the best form factor. The keyboard is removable if I want to just do drawing and I can leave it on if I do heavy writing. As old as it is, this design has a mass following. I don't know why HP abandon this design and followed the masses with tablets with welded keyboards, but if HP ever updates the spec, I'm buying!

I don't know what the author is talking about, "if you can't read the writing, the computer can't read your writing". Window Tablet OS is constantly learning the way you write. I am simple amaze at its capabilities, even my own writing I can't read, tablet OS is able to read. Ever since XP (Vista) to Window 7, Tablet PC improved massively. Things you see on the iPhone, Tablet OS has already owned most of its feature.

The problem with Tablet PC is not MS, but the hardware manufacturer and seller. They build them under power with lousy form factor and with exuberant pricing. And on top of that, most tablet PC are only available through special orders and the one that are displayed are displayed like normal looking laptops (screen up) with hefty pricing...distinguishable from other laptops]]>Jul 13th 2009 2:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/
I think my dream tablet would be the following:

a 9-10" slate with a detachable keyboard like the tc1100, an active digitizer/ capacitive touch like the Dell XT (if Wacom gets their version of this out ever, even better), a fingerprint scanner for logging in, and here's the controversial part- I'd love if it had an Atom CPU, a relatively low-cost SSD (more for durability than anything else), and maybe the Ion, but I'd be happy with the standard chipset as well honestly, and 6-cell battery for 7-8 hour battery life. I'd buy that in a heartbeat for $800-1000, even if that's the same price I paid for my larger XT.

I currently have a tc1100, a Dell XT, and a Dell Mini 9. Something like this probably wouldn't replace the XT as my main workhorse computer, but I see what I described as being a more portable computer specifically for notetaking and being on the go. Basically, I want a smaller secondary tablet, and I see this as something that would be a combination of the tc1100 and the Mini 9 and perfect for that purpose.

For now though, I use my tc1100 for that... as long as I can be near an outlet within an hour.]]>Jul 13th 2009 3:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/
what are you saying? The TC1000 is a terrible tablet. i used one for work for about six months. It's big, heavy, and slow. for its original time frame, it was a slick (but by no means innovative) machine. are you running windows 7? i recently bought my wife a (cheapo) Lenovo Thinkpad X61T with the RAM maxed out. Like eight hundred bucks shipped. For our second anniversary I set it up to triple-boot Ubuntu 9.04, Mac OS X 10.5.4 and Windows 7.64 RC. She flipped when she saw the Mac OS X choice in GRUB and then the little Apple logo (she likes iPods and uses Macs at work *shudder*). Though I cannot get the tablet functions working in Mac OS X, it is remarkable: the machine is amply powerful for all the tasks she performs including fondling a little video (our daughter is nine months old; any new parent understands we produce superfluous gigabytes of insensibly-and-uselessly-high-resolution photo and video). The X61T is a great machine for the job. It's just a little heavy, like the TC1000, with a non-removable (non-cheap-feeling) keyboard but it would wallop the TC1000 in any test on Earth (especially the near-to-currency test, because TC1000s are obsolete as hell).]]>Jul 13th 2009 3:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 13th 2009 3:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 13th 2009 6:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/
I carry my TC1100 almost everyday (without keyboard and external CD) like a sketch book almost everyday. Dude, this machine had 10inch monitor. Its the first netbook before there was such thing as a netbook...you some kind of a weakling man-boy?

Here's a trick with TC1100: upgrade 512 to 1 GB (mine is 2 GB) and put a 7200 rpm HD and it runs Vista and Window 7 like butta. I had mine for over 4 years and its still very useful. With Window 7, if the hardware holds out, it can last me for another 3 or more years. I know 2 other people who does CG with TC1100...one has two TC! I even done very light Maya 3D on it. And like I said if HP ever put a decent GPU, I would buy one right away.]]>Jul 13th 2009 5:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 13th 2009 9:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/
I used an m405 for most of last year (until the north bridge overheated, that is.) As a student, I use the pen features about half the time - their great for math and science work, where I almost always avoid the keyboard (it takes to long to type equations). the opposite is true of of English classes, where typing is much more efficient.

But there are also times when I don't need the weight of the keyboard, such as when walking and using the tablet as an e-book reader or simple web browser.

I've currently been eying the tx2z as a replacement, but I would love to see a 10 inch, low power c2d (enough to run photo shop - not atom, but not super powerful either) tablet with mobile removable keyboard and optical drive, that would be much lighter weight.]]>Jul 13th 2009 9:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/
the only disadvantage, or drawback, of the tc1100 in this day of age is the battery life. hell, even with win7 build7100 it's speed is acceptable (no, not fast by any means, but acceptable). i definitely won't mind a, say, tc1200, with z540/z550, and a superb battery life. the weight can be lighter, but it isn't heavy by any (of my) standards...]]>Jul 14th 2009 2:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 13th 2009 1:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 13th 2009 1:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/
I was in the same situation as you. I ditched my notebook for the Latitude XT and have never enjoyed taking notes more. Also, onenote indexes your handwriting without converting it to text, so all your handwriting is searchable. You'll also be able to search across all classes. I can't tell you how many times this has come in handy, especially when the professor says "Remember from last semester..."]]>Jul 13th 2009 1:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/
It's a good idea to first tell the instructor why you're taking pictures every 15 minutes, but once they see how the whole thing makes for amazing notes, they won't mind. You can be very discreet too in taking the pictures, by setting the camera on the desk and making sure the sound is off.

Also, tablets are invaluable in my workplace, as they allow for us to make site-inspections of buildings much easier. Before we had to take a load of paper notes, photos, and then fly back to the office to go over the details with an engineer/architect. Now we shoot the images digitally, make notations/measurements on the photos with onenote, email those to the engineer, and have an answer to the client in 15 minutes vs. 2-3 days.

It's all in how you find ways to leverage the tool. Pen based tablets have unmatched utility in certain situations, but it's all dependent on the application and software.]]>Jul 13th 2009 1:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/
The combination has proven itself to be entirely invaluable to me as well.

]]>Jul 13th 2009 2:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 13th 2009 2:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/
I would like a tablet for drawing though... more so coloring. I have a lot of pictures that are inked that need a good splash of roy g biv]]>Jul 13th 2009 3:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 13th 2009 3:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/
With that $450 laptop in mind, then I guess it's altogether IMPOSSIBLE to get excited about any Apple product. ]]>Jul 13th 2009 9:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 14th 2009 2:20AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 13th 2009 1:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 13th 2009 1:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 13th 2009 9:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 13th 2009 1:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 13th 2009 1:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 13th 2009 1:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/
I think the biggest issue with pens is not to do with handwriting recognition, but rather the pain of having to keep track of specialized pens and stylii. Lets face it, no one takes notes with a touch sensitive screen, it would be aggravating and most just ditch the technology for a good old fashion keyboard. I think in the end, pens can never get a good market share simply because typing will always be faster. People are just too used to typing at 60+ WPM to deal with handwriting recognition. Its the same reason that improved keyboard layouts like dvorak have never taken off, people dont want to change. Pens will always have their place with graphic designers and anyone else who needs something more than just plain text, but for most applications, I think the keyboard will always be king, even if its not the most efficient means.]]>Jul 13th 2009 1:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/
So tell me, how fast can you type a diagram, or a chart, or an equation with various symbols and greek letters? The keyboad has its place with very structured, straight forward input. However, I've found the class notes are almost never straight forward and structured unless your prof is teaching from a power point (in which case I annotated the power point with pen). ]]>Jul 13th 2009 1:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 13th 2009 2:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/"I stopped personally stopped using a tablet as a daily machine a while ago and switched to a lightweight laptop that gets me close to nine hours of battery life."]]>Jul 13th 2009 1:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 13th 2009 2:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 13th 2009 2:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 13th 2009 3:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/
I suspect that at the rumored $800, that the upcoming Apple tablet will be a MacBook replacement. Minus various components, this is feasible. I cannot wait!]]>Jul 13th 2009 1:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 13th 2009 1:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 13th 2009 2:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 14th 2009 12:19AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 13th 2009 1:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 13th 2009 2:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/
However, I find more and more I'm using the pen without resorting to the TIP, which falls in line with your notion of emphasizing the pen without recognition. Instead, for text input I find myself using the multitouch keyboard included with Windows 7.

I use my computer mostly for school, so I take notes in onenote, which never get converted to text. These notes cover courses from physics to engineering to philosophy to business; where the pen is versitile enough to handle these subjects, the keyboard can only cover business, and maybe philosophy as long as we're not talking about logic. With the pen I can draw equations, charts, graphs, diagrams, and special characters. With the keyboard I fumble as the class moves along.

I also do all of my homework on my tablet. I find it useful to have a saved copy, forever with me, rather than a piece of paper in a drawer at my apartment.

So I think education is the greatest market for tablet computers, and not suprisingly that's where I see them the most. I'd say about 20% of the computers out during lectures are tablet PCs, although sadly not everyone is using them as one.]]>Jul 13th 2009 1:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/
1) Typing is way faster than writing on paper. Writing on paper is faster than writing on screen. Thus, pen computing is too much of a slowdown to be useful, unless you're drawing (sketches, equations etc. as you mention).

2) People lose the pen, and resent having to pay for extras. If you don't carry multiple pens along with the computer, you're bound to find the device useless sooner or later.

3) Pen computers tend to have much lower screen resolution and much higher price than a plain notebook with comparable specs such as CPU, RAM, hard drive. You're not just adding pen-screen capability that you don't have to use, you're taking away a lot of other functionality, and paying hundreds of dollars extra for the privilege.

So, it seems like it'd be better to use an electronic pen peripheral as an adjunct to an ordinary notebook. Such as: http://www.iogear.com/product/GPEN200N/ Anybody got experience with an "electronic pen" that writes on paper and uploads images to the computer?]]>Jul 13th 2009 9:03PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/
That's why Windows Mobile is still my platform of choice. If I were to purchase a tablet, I'd want an OS that's as lightweight and quick-to-power.
]]>Jul 13th 2009 1:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 13th 2009 1:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/They hold one clear advantage over the keyboard for note-taking in my experience...
..and that is, that all thoughts and ideas are not conveyed with words.
As I look through a lot of my notes I see a lot of pictures, tables, small graphs,etc...
I also see a near limitless possiblity of emphasis.
I am not locked into bold or caps alone....
Or some hackneyed star or marker system which causes me to break typing stride to implement.
Instead my notes are filled with circled words or dates or underlines or oversized words or triple underlined oversized words with big stars next to them or whatever.
I have read so many of these articles about why the tablet/pen failed or didn't work or whatever.
But I will make this observation...
The early clio the author references was a long time ago in tech years.
My own tablet is a few years old now.
I see plans for tablets to be released later this year - new models as it were.
They are getting better all the time... and while windows tablet edition isn't around any more - the new version of windows (7) has all that stuff built right into it.
I expect when I go to buy my next tablet in a year or two I will be able to fire it up, quickly find some articles on why it is dead as a type, do some quick editing and draw some laughs on those articles and then mail them to some friends in similar boats.

- mike]]>Jul 13th 2009 1:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 13th 2009 1:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/
The pen for more detailed functions (drawing), but for navigating and moving things around, it's just more convenient to use your fingers instead of having to hold an object.

Besides, for two-finger typists like me, it's not a big deal and actually quite 'handy' to use fingers on a touchscreen that can offer suggested words and help move me along faster.

The main thing that has held me back is the cost, with specs a close second followed by bulkiness.]]>Jul 13th 2009 1:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/Jul 13th 2009 1:25PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/entelligence-why-the-pen-isnt-mightier-than-the-keyboar/
I'd actually like to see tablet PC's as powerful as a lap-top that work effectively with blue-tooth keyboards. I leave the keyboard at my desk with a full size mouse. I take the tablet with me when I need it on the go. When I'm mobile, pen \ touch based input is fine. When I'm creating comment, I'd like to choose between Keyboard \ Mouse \ Pen \ Finger

That's just me though.]]>Jul 13th 2009 1:26PM