For the past few months, I've been using a Motion Computing Tablet PC as my primary computer. I first tested the Motion M1200 as part of my Tablet PC review, "Tablet PCs," August 2003, InstantDoc ID 39524, and it worked well enough that I purchased the system. Let me share some of my experiences using this device on a day-to-day basis.
Features That Work
I'll begin with what works. For starters, when paired with Windows Journal, Tablet PCs are perfect for taking notes. In my case, I can simply turn on the M1200, remove the stylus from its slot, and take notes on the display as if it were a piece of paper. The device faithfully records handwritten notes in both printed and cursive script, as well as diagrams. The Windows XP handwriting recognition system runs invisibly in the background and automatically indexes any text that I enter, thereby letting me search on any notes I've recorded. One problem with Journal is that it lacks a Save as Text function. Journal does have a Copy as Text function that extracts one page of text at a time, but it's inconvenient when working with several pages of notes. The Copy as Text feature does, however, force me to review what the handwriting recognizer thinks I wrote before I save the results.
The M1200 is also ideal for Web surfing. Indeed, one pleasant surprise was how quickly my wife, Kate, a pediatrician, took to the device. She has poor distance vision and doesn't touch-type, so she's never been entirely comfortable with a traditional desktop PC. My evaluation of Tablet PCs for Windows & .NET Magazine just happened to coincide with Kate's Web-based pediatric recertification. When she expressed frustration after spending several hours attempting to complete the recertification on her desktop PC, I had her try the Tablet PC, which worked out well. Using the stylus was easier for her than using a conventional mouse and keyboard, and she could hold the display as close to her eye as she wanted.
Tablet PCs are ideal for editing text. In fact, I edited one chapter of a book on each of the Tablet PCs that I tested while writing "Tablet PCs." As a writing tool, however, these devices are problematic (more on that later).
I chose the true slate-style design because of its smaller size and lighter weight—these considerations were important to me because I planned to use the device in the cockpit of a small airplane. Specialized aviation software used in conjunction with a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver turns the Tablet PC into a moving-map display and has the potential to eliminate several large books of printed charts. Although this implementation hasn't worked as well as I'd hoped (in part because the display washes out in direct sunlight and in part because of problems connecting the device to my airplane's electrical system), the M1200 worked well enough to earn a permanent place in my flight bag.
Features That Need Improving
Although I'm happy with my M1200, I've had some problems with the device, the most intractable of which has been attempting to use it for presentations. Unlike a traditional notebook PC, the M1200 and many (if not all) slate-style design Tablet PCs don't provide a video output that duplicates the built-in LCD. Instead, the M1200 provides a dual-view capability similar to the multimonitor feature on desktop computers with multiple video adapters. This feature lets you use an external video display as an additional display surface but doesn't give you the option to duplicate what appears on the device's LCD. Tablet PCs that use the Intel 82830M Graphics Controller, including the M1200, let you work around this problem by performing the following steps:
- Right-click the Intel Extreme Graphics icon, which resembles a multicolored monitor, in the taskbar.
- From the context menu, select Graphics Options, Output To, Intel Dual Display Clone.
At this point, you should see the same image on the external display that appears on the built-in LCD. If your Tablet PC uses the 82830M controller but doesn't display the Intel Extreme Graphics icon in the taskbar, try looking in the Control Panel for the display settings.
Users with Tablet PCs that don't have the 82830M controller might want to check out Microsoft's Extended Desktop for Tablet PC PowerToy, which Figure 1 shows; it displays a duplicate image of the desktop on an external monitor. Extended Desktop for Tablet PC is available from Microsoft at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/tabletpc/downloads/powertoys.asp. The utility takes a bit of practice to use well, but it gets the job done.
As I mentioned earlier, writing with Tablet PCs tends to be problematic. The M1200 is a true slate-style design with no internal keyboard—it comes with a small but reasonably effective USB keyboard that plugs into the unit, and you can either prop up the display on an easel or plug it into a base station. Although I can use the Tablet PC in portrait mode, which is how I prefer to view the screen while writing, the need to prop up the unit on a stand and plug in the keyboard makes the M1200 less convenient for writing on the fly, as I do with a conventional notebook PC. If I had this buying decision to do over, I'd take another look at convertible Tablet PCs such as the Acer TravelMate C102 or the Toshiba Portégé 3500, both of which have built-in keyboards and can be used like a traditional notebook PC. (At press time, I learned that Motion Computing now offers an optional add-on, hinged keyboard that serves as a lid for the Tablet PC and might fill this need—for more information about the keyboard, visit Motion Computing's Web site.)