What Is New

• Motion Computing updated its LE1700 semi-rugged Tablet PC with new option for Intel Core 2 Duo Ultra Low Voltage U7500 processor, 64GB SSD option, and increased display viewing angle at SXGA+ resolution
• Microsoft Student Experience site updated look reflects wide student interests from in the class to around campus
• Have you used DynaVox's PCs that specialize in communication assistance? Also has large touch UI.

• TouchKit Run for C++ devs for creating touchscreen apps: $1580 = frameless 70cm x 50cm multi-touch screen + calibrated infrared camera + SW pack
• Touchscreen ordering at restaurants (TheAge.com)
• On mini-notebooks or Netbooks: "Right now, the prices range from $300 to $800," says Via's Brown. "In the next year, $200 to $700 will be the range."
• Students at Klein School District in Texas get Tablet PCs, starting with Klein Oak High School
• Congratulations to rugged Tablet PC manufacturer, Mobile Demand for making Inc 500 list!
• Albatron Tee PC is a Windows CE 6 device with 400MHz ARM926, 7" display, 128MB, 128MB storage, WiFi, Bluetooth, & camera options
• First look at Fujitsu Lifebook T5010 Tablet PC
• Gigabyte Netbook Tablet PC: 8.9" display, swivel hinge, Intel Atom, 1GB DDR2, WiFi, Bluetooth, 1.3M camera = $799

Einstein Technologies is now offering TEO 3.0 for free download. TEO is an add-in for Microsoft Outlook 2003 or 2007 that turns Outlook into a fully pen-enabled app. You can use it on your Tablet PC or UMPC running Windows XP Tablet PC Edition SP2 or Windows Vista.

Thanks for the update, Josh.

Update: The TEO listing on TabletPCPost.com has been updated to reflect the change from 15-day trial to Free.

Last week Panasonic released its new UMPC, Panasonic Toughbook CF-U1, in Canada. Rugged, of course. (Available in the US since June.) In the photo the Panasonic rep is pouring water on the PC to show it continue working in harsh environments. This announcement is a good reminder how Tablet PC form factors have continued to diversify. Think about how many different types of Tablet PCs are available today.

Tablet taxonomy may have changed over the years, but fundamentally two familiar categories are the pillars: 1) Slate and 2) Convertible.

Slate form factors have all the PC components centralized behind the display. Several companies offer slates: Motion, TabletKiosk, Electrovaya, HTC, OQO, Samsung, Fujitsu, Avantech, DRS, General Dynamics, Everex, Getac, MobileDemand, Panasonic, Roper Mobile, and others. The simple design where the display is always exposed makes it easy to use in medical environments, manufacturing, military, and other mobile work place environments.

Convertibles are traditional clamshell notebooks with a swivel or sliding hinge. All of the major OEMs offer convertible Tablet PCs, including Dell, HP, Lenovo, Toshiba, MPC, Fujitsu, and ASUS. The attached keyboard and choice to use a pen when needed appeals to general business users, students, and a growing number of consumers.

There have been attempts to segment the categories by type of digitizer too, with EM and resistive. But then along came dual EM + resistive digitizers and today dual EM + capacitive are available. Too complicated.

Screen size was another marketing distinction. Tablet PCs with 8.9" display and larger and UMPCs with 7" and lower. Then came MID, still a PC, but even smaller display than UMPCs. Of course, individual companies started calling things whatever they needed to so they could appeal to their specific customer base.

There are rugged, semi-rugged, commercial, and even consumer Tablet PCs. Some are called UMPCs, others MIDs, and I'm sure we'll see some Netbooks with digitizers eventually.

At the core, if these units have digitizers, then they are Tablet PCs. But Tablet PC may not apply as this category of multi-functions, multi-features, multi-shapes continues. What do you think the next generation will be called?

This is a nice problem for the software to have -- many different types of form factors on which it can be used and used in many different ways. I'm glad there are creative people helping to move these various form factors forward. I look forward to seeing what's next.

On Friendfeed, Robert Scoble and Layne exchanged comments about A list bloggers and Robert replied, "You're on the 'T list' for 'Tablet PC freaks.' I'm on that list too." How true! lol I am also. You're welcome to join this list also! I'd love to see the search results for "Tablet PC" grow even faster on Friendfeed, Twitter, blogs, or your social media of choice.

Being labeled as a "Tablet Freak" has been a theme this week. OK, so it's a fairly common theme in my life. 🙂 For example, the other day I shook hands with someone to whom I was being introduced and the person got a fuzzy look on her face. One of those, "Are you...? No... I think I know who you are," comments and then that sudden recognition of, "Oh yeah, I know you," with the eventual, you talk [way too much] about Tablet technology smile.

Do all roads in my life lead to Tablet PCs? I admit that even the other week when I was out in fields with a friend and niece putting Audubon Society number bands on kestrel chicks that I was thinking about how an ultra-thin slate (1/4" thick, all day battery life, stylus, and OneNote) would have been great to use as a field notebook. Let's settle on that I'm passionate about natural interaction and always looking for opportunities to advance it. Agreed? 🙂

So, yes, even if efforts like the TechCrunch Web Tablet need help, I'm willing to help. I love seeing the enthusiasm exuded by people as they learn about this concept, with a good dose of skepticism and reality. In particular, I enjoy seeing the expansion and evolution of concepts that originated from past Tablet PCs, such as with UMPCs and Netbooks, or the tremendous growth in slate form factor devices.

I'm far from alone in being a "Tablet Freak." If you want to know something about the current state of Tablet PCs, there are certain people to go to first. The "A List" of Tablet PC community experts, of sorts. From Chris Hassler helping people in the Microsoft.public.windows.tabletpc discussion group to Chris Wilkerson focusing on uses in the healthcare vertical MedicalTabletPC.com there are people who spend hours helping others solve technical issues, consult on product development, inform before purchase, test and review, and fully understand ongoing development efforts.

Here's a short list of these phenomenal people:

• Billy Hollis
• Chris De Herrera
• Chris Hassler
• Craig Pringle
• Frank Garcia
• Frank La Vigne
• Fritz Switzer
• Gail Levy
• Hugo Ortega
• James Kendrick
• Josh Einstein
• John Hill
• Julie Lerman
• Kevin Tofel
• Linda A. Epstein
• Laura Small
• Layne Heiny
• Loren Heiny
• Matt Faulkner
• Neil Roodyn
• Rob Bushway
• Robert Heiny
• Rob Reed
• Sierra Modro
• Stan Leszynski
• Stephane Torres
• Steven Hughes
• Steve "Chippy" Paine
• Steve Seto
• Terri Stratton
• Tracy Hooten
• Warner Crocker
• WNewquay

This list can go on and on with community members, let alone the many people at Microsoft, OEMs, IHVs, and ISVs who are beyond passionate about natural input and dedicate time to the community. Thank you for all your help. It's an absolute pleasure interacting with people who are so interested in seeing technology move forward.

"Tablet Freaks" -- or Tableteers -- is not an exclusive list and you're always welcome to join in this conversation too. 😉

Are you registered for CES 2009?

CES may be in January, but registration has been open for quite some time. We have some event planning to do in preparation for the annual Tablet PC & UMPC (or Netbook?) gathering, don't we?

Take a peek over at the press events page and you'll see a picture of Sarah, Kim, me, and Elizabeth (left to right) getting the tour of the R2D2 projector. This picture was taken at CES 2007. The girls had quite a few photographers following them around and it's good to see this one survived too. Two AP photos made the rounds previously.

Thanks, Sierra, for pointing this out when the page first launched.