Notebook evolution

Entrepreneur, April, 2002 by Amanda C. Kooser

What do you get when you take the lap out of the laptop and the book out of the notebook? Tablet PCs. Bill Gates predicts that in the next five years, these PDA lookalikes "will be the most popular form of PC sold in America." Microsoft introduced prototype machines from Acer, Compaq, Fujitsu and Toshiba at Fall COMDEX 2001. With that kind of backing, you can expect to hear them knocking on your office door before year-end.

This new computer crop will run Windows XP Tablet PC Edition with "ink" software, which lets you use it as a notepad with a stylus. Handwritten notes can also be converted to text with a handwriting-recognition program, appealing to those who haven't given up paper pads just yet.

Microsoft and its partner hardware manufacturers are targeting the first crop of Tablet PCs at the business market. A revamped version of Office XP will integrate with the ink software. For those seeking a desktop replacement, some Tablet PCs will feature thin keyboard laptops with swivel screens that convert to a slate form. As with any new technology, you might want to wait and see how well Tablet PCs are received before buying.