Toshiba Portege 3500 tablet PC, in tablet configuration.
A Tablet PC is a computer shaped in the form of a notebook except with the capabilities of being written on through the use of digitizing tablet technology or a touch screen. A user can use a stylus and operate the computer without having to have a keyboard or mouse.
The Tablet PC that includes a keyboard is named convertible or hybrid. The ones that are only a monitor with pen are called slate, they can use external wireless or USB keyboards.
The most popular convertible Tablet PCs are the Acer and Toshiba. The most popular slates are the Motion Computing/Gateway Computers, Fujitsu, and HP/Compaq.
Most Tablet PCs run on the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system. Service Pack 2 includes Tablet PC Edition 2005 and is a free upgrade. Version 2005 brought improved handwriting recognition, and improved the Input Panel, allowing it to be used in almost every application.
During CES 2005, the Windows Team showed off a new feature that will be released in a future upgrade. This feature will allow users to use the ink feature directly on the desktop, allowing them to input handwritten notes, increasing their visibility.
Running Linux on the Tablet PC is another possibility, currently this can be a tedious task to set up on most Tablet PCs unless buying a Tablet PC with Lycoris Desktop/LX Tablet Edition. Linux still lacks many basic Tablet PC applications, but this is likely to improve in the not too far future.
A user can input text using the operating system's built-in handwriting recognition, on-screen (virtual) keyboard, speech recognition, or physical keyboard (if available).
Many Tablet PCs that run Windows XP Tablet PC Edition use a WACOM digitizer. UC Logic and Finepoint are other manufacturers of digitizers. These computers offer a screen that project a small magnetic field that activates electronics on the tablet's stylus. The user is able to rest their hand on the screen without affecting the image or mouse pointer -- only the movement of the stylus will affect the mouse pointer.
Tablet PCs have only recently become available to the public. Before they were used in small markets in industry, medicine, and government. Now they are used by students and many professionals.
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