The Randomelements Tablet PC Blog

Temporary down time.

randomelements — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 19:01:00 GMT

The blog at randomelements.me.uk is down for the moment. We went away for a few days and I have come home to a dead server (most likely the power supply has croaked). I don't know when I'm going to get the server back up and running but it will be within the next couple of weeks.

New start, new URL same name...

randomelements — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 09:45:00 GMT

I've not been particularly prolific on the blogging front for the past couple of months due to certain degree of tech-apathy. I am now hoping to come back with a vengeance since getting a new Windows SharePoint Services v3 blog up and running at my site.

The new URL is just http://randomelements.me.uk and not the old /blog address (although I have left an RSS feed there to advise on the new address).

The new RSS feed can be found here and the comments feed is here.

I plan to continue my diversions in to the world of Tablets, Vista and SharePoint and concentrate less of Exchange Server.

I look forward to seeing you over there.

Beyond the C200.

randomelements — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 22:04:00 GMT

Ever since the sliding screen prototype tablet at WinHEC I have thought that ,what is now the Acer C200, is a great new design for a convertible but perhaps doesn't go quite far enough.

One of the advantages of a convertible is that when closd the screen is protected - not so with the C200, the screen is exposed like a slate.

How about if we had a sliding screen like on C200 but it could also be folded over so that the screen can be laid flat against the keyboard screen side down thus protecting it like a rotating convertible?

Perhaps this would be done with arms that run alongside the screen rather than the support that sits behind the screen on the C200.

What do you think?

Experimenting with detail.

randomelements — Wed, 16 Nov 2005 20:16:00 GMT

I just wanted to see what level of control I had.

The full ink post.

randomelements — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 12:11:00 GMT

Here's a screenshot of the full map from the earlier post. As you can see (by highlighting the whiteboard) all of the ink is held within the whiteboard boundary so perhaps the cutoff is being caused by a hard-coded image size on the back-end.

Slight issue with the map.

randomelements — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 07:51:00 GMT

I don't know what changed but the right hand side of the map in the previous post appears to have been cut off when it was working before :(

Just so you know, the right hand edge had the following:

for Slate and Mini/UPC - Niches
for Hybrids - RIP?
for convertibles - dominant factor

OK! I've re-added the missing bits. Let's see if they stick.

What next for Tablets?

randomelements — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 20:06:00 GMT

Keep the Tablet discussion going.

A quick map

Test ink post!

randomelements — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 09:22:00 GMT

Excuse the mouse as I'm at work ;) I installed the Tablet SDK so that I could confirm this works ok but will no doubt be blogging in anger from my Tablet tonight!

Why am I here?

randomelements — Sun, 05 Jun 2005 19:54:00 GMT

No, not the great unanswered esoteric question but, why have I decided to make a new home here when I have my own perfectly serviceable blog elsewhere?

I have been a Tablet PC user, and Acer C111TCi owner, for just over a year - that anniversary actually fell on the 21st May. While this may not be a long time in the grand scheme of things but I first saw a Tablet PC very early on whilst working on my old employers contract to do customer support for Microsoft a few years ago. A colleague of mine had been given an early slate Tablet to put through it's paces and see what he thought. It was a clunky, beaten up, black thing but I instantly saw the benefits that could come from using such a device and have been an ardent fan and supporter of the technology ever since.

My reasons for choosing the Acer as my first Tablet were the keyboard and the size. When looking at a primary Tablet PC I knew that I would get the most value from the convertible type as I do quite a lot of work in FrontPage and, let's face it, coding with a stylus isn't much fun. Whilst hybrids give you the option of having the keyboard or not I figured that it was easier to just flip the screen on a convertible, especially sitting on a crowded train etc. Size was a factor in that I wanted to go for ultra portability and, based on my choice being a convertible, the Acer C110 series seemed a natural due to it's size.

(*from my main blog on 24/03/05*)

I don't work in education, health or any vertical markets, don't attend many meetings and don't take many 'business critical' notes so how could I possibly benefit from using a Tablet PC? So, here's why I've got one:

Small form factor
As my Acer has a 10 inch screen Tablet it's size makes it ultra portable, especially when carried in it's slip-case rather than a proper carry case. The ability to take it just about anywhere is a real boon. Being a convertible it is possible to use it in places that you couldn't normally use a laptop by switching it to slate mode - the most notable example is sat on a cramped train to and from work.

Built-in wireless connectivity
Now I know this isn't always the case "out of the box" with all makes and models but it SHOULD be! Wireless and bluetooth built in are very handy so that I can get connected on the go - turn them on when needed and then off again to conserve battery life. If I desperately need to check the web or mails while out and about I can just connect using my mobile as a bluetooth modem.

Reading/study
The ability to carry multiple books as ebooks and Computer Based Training (CBT) software/tests is a real bonus. Yes I could carry a paper book with me but, unless I am willing to carry a heavy load, I am essentially limited to one (two at most) but with NO interactivity. Reading from multiple sources, doing tests and making notes all at the same time on the same device is revolutionary. Couple this with OneNote's ability to collate data from multiple sources in to one location and the possibilities are virtually endless.

Ink
As has been discussed elsewhere - for example on the Tablet PC Show podcast - using a pen is a real creative boon. I am not the world's best typist by any stretch of the imagination so to be able to use something as natural as a pen allows me to really focus on what I'm doing rather than having to concentrate on hitting all the right keys. It really facilitates the creative process.

The kids
My kids love the Tablet and are often asking to play such-and-such a game or do some writing. This exposure to computing is a great way to get them going on PCs. The educational benefits are very good as they tend to focus on the fun/novelty aspect of writing on a computer and don't realise that they are learning. Try doing the sames things with traditional pen and paper and they will become bored far quicker and you are left with wasted resources.

An extra PC
If either myself or my wife are using the main XP box and the other wants to do something there is always the tablet.

(*end quote*)

The Tablet PC community is a very friendly and helpful one - everybody is here due to their love of the platform/form factor - but, what really persuaded me to set up a new home here was the promise of ink blogging. I could do this in some shape or form on my own blog, but having the ability to do it natively will be a major boon.

Welcome one and all.

randomelements — Sun, 05 Jun 2005 16:47:00 GMT

Here is the obligatory "Hello World!" opening post for this, the Randomelements Tablet PC Blog. I'm not entirely sure what content this will feature as a lot of the Tablet related news item will feature in my normal blog. I think that this blog will come in to it's own once the facility to add ink posts is implemented as indicated by Lora here. Blogging in ink directly will enable a different type of post so things could get quite interesting.

In the meantime, I will blog shortly with a few details as to why I have a blog here, what Tablet PC I own and why.