First impressions of Microsoft's Tablet PC vision - part 2

Microsoft Journal has clearly been created with the Tablet in mind, but the revolutionary unit is far from a one trick pony. Early adopters developing stylus-enabled software for the platform include Adobe, Corel, Groove and SAP.

Of course other Office apps, such as Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint and Word can also be Tablet-enabled and the benefits are manifold.

For example, you can annotate PowerPoint slides during a live presentation as easily as drawing on an old-style overhead projector acetate sheet. Ever been to a meeting, taken written notes, gone back to your desk, typed them in and then emailed them to colleagues? All that can be done with one handy Tablet.

Using the stylus, you can enter numbers directly onto an Excel spreadsheet, and the handwriting recognition software turns them into type for you - useful if you are on the move in a warehouse or stock room.

While numbers appeared to throw up little difficulty for the Tablet, words proved more problematic. Microsoft is keen to stress the handwriting recognition is not the feature it is betting its house on, but it would still be nice to see it sing. Writing in Word produced some questionable interpretations to say the least, though I confess to having handwriting a doctor would be proud off.

And what of our scripturally-challenged GPs? With high hopes of demand for Tablet's (no pun intended) from the NHS, Microsoft included doctors in the testing stages of its handwriting recognition development programme, figuring that if the software can decipher their scrawl it shouldn't even break techno-sweat when it comes to reading the hand of your average Joe.

And while Microsoft remains adamant that this unit will find a home in all manner of industries, it does seem perfect for healthcare.

Replacing the clipboard and eliminating the need to run manila folders up and down stairs from ward to ward and from desk to department the Tablet could streamline the NHS in a stroke.

For example, everything a triage nurse in A&E writes on her Tablet will be viewable in an instant by nurses, consultants and surgeons anywhere on a wireless network. Phrases such as, 'We're just waiting for your results to come down from x-ray' will become a thing of the past.

However, phrases like 'It costs how much?' may still hinder the roll out across a cash-strapped health service - the units, at best, will come in at the top end of the laptop scale, though actual pricing has yet to be announced. Rationalising financial outlay in terms of human resources savings may be an issue for heated debate in the months to come.

Other areas where Microsoft believes it will find a market for the Tablet include construction and education, though the latter is again subject to tight budget controls.

However, the oft-bullish software giant is making no bold predictions about the size of the market. A few contracts with bulk buyers which are in the pipeline will help boost initial sales figures, but the long-term planners at Gates Towers accept this is going to be a slow-burner.

Asking for actual figures fell on deaf ears, but the in-house predictions are apparently all very modest - partly because existing technologies, such as Palm Pilots, still offer a usable solution to many of the Tablet's target users. However the Convertible model's ability to morph into a laptop means when palmtop/laptop users come to update one or the other, they may opt for the more all-encompassing Tablet - though it's not a unit you could easily slip into a top pocket.

Acer, Compaq, Fujitsu, NEC, Time and Toshiba are among the companies signed up to produce the Tablet PCs. Dell, IBM and Sony are among the notable absentees either adopting a waiting brief or keeping their distance altogether.

If there is a risk of failure for Microsoft then it lies with the Slate format - users may never come to terms with the idea of ditching a keyboard altogether.