Quick and illustrative communication with your Tablet PC
Published: March 14, 2006
If you're on the go all the time, travel a lot, or are often in meetings or seminars, the Tablet PC is an easy way to keep it touch. In addition to being able to communicate with others using Microsoft Office Outlook and MSN Messenger, you can also use Tablet PC as to send meeting notes and messages to a mobile device. This article will give you suggestions of how you can use your Tablet PC to stay in touch with co-workers during the day.
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Send meeting notes immediately after taking them
You can create notes and e-mail them from a Tablet PC in a number of ways. For example, you can write them on sticky notes, create them with the Input Panel, or produce them in your own handwriting and convert them to text. Once they’re created and saved (and maybe converted), you can then send them through e-mail to anyone you want. I find one of the easiest and fastest way to send handwritten notes is with Windows Journal and Outlook.
Some notes are better left as handwritten notes and not converted to text. Once you're done, you can send them to co-workers.
To create handwritten notes with Windows Journal and send them as e-mail:
1. | On your Tablet PC, tap Start, tap All Programs, and then tap Windows Journal. Journal opens with a blank page. |
2. | Write your handwritten notes on the page using the stylus. |
3. | On the File menu, click Send To Mail Recipient. |
4. | In the Send to Mail Recipient dialog box, make a selection from the three choices and tap OK: a. Journal Note (jnt). Select this to allow the note to be edited, but remember that Windows Journal must be installed on the recipient’s end to open and edit the note. b. Web Page (.mht). Select this if you do not need to allow editing. Anyone with Internet Explorer 5.0 or later can open it. c. Black And White Image (.tif). Select this if you do not need to allow editing, but understand the note will appear only in black and white. Almost anyone can open a .tif file using a commercial image editing program. |
5. | In Outlook, type the recipient’s e-mail address in the To: line, write a short note and tap Send. |
Note You can also use Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 to create handwritten notes and send them using e-mail. Learn more how Tablet PC and OneNote can work together.
Send handwritten e-mail and MSN messages
With Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 and MSN Messenger 7.5, you can send handwritten notes, drawings, and even add a handwritten signature to the end of your e-mail messages from your Tablet PC. Now, you can personalize otherwise generic messages bosses and coworkers by adding a little flair of your own.
Sending handwritten e-mail
To send handwritten messages in Outlook, first you need to configure Outlook to use Microsoft Office Word as the e-mail editor. To do this, in Outlook on the Tools menu, click Options, and then select the Mail Format tab. In the Message format section, verify that Use Microsoft Office Word 2003 To Edit E-Mail Messages is selected. If it isn’t, select it and tap OK.
Now you're ready to send hand-written messages.
Note If you're using Office XP, before you can send e-mail messages with ink, you must first install the Office XP Pack for Tablet PC from the Microsoft Download Center.
To send a handwritten e-mail message in Outlook
1. | On the File menu, point to New and click Mail Message. You can also tap New on the shortcut bar. |
2. | Verify that the type of e-mail you are sending is HTML, and not Plain Text. You can make the change from the E-Mail toolbar. |
3. | Tap inside the message body where you would like to add ink. |
4. | On the e-mail message toolbar, tap the Ink Drawing and Writing icon 
This will open the necessary toolbars and a writing area as shown below. From this palette you can change ink color, pen type, and other characteristics; erase mistakes, and do even more just by tapping the available menus. |
5. | Use the pen to write your message; an example is shown below. Add finishing touches including an e-mail recipient and subject, and make changes to the default size by dragging from any corner of the writing area. Tap Send. |
Sending handwritten instant messages
Sending handwritten IM messages can sometimes be quicker and also make the messages more personal. You can send handwritten messages in nearly all IM programs, but below we show how to do it in MSN Messenger 7.5. How to do it in other programs may vary slightly.
Note If you're using Office XP, before you can send e-mail messages with ink, you must first install the Office XP Pack for Tablet PC from the Microsoft Download Center.
To send a handwritten message in MSN Messenger 7.5
1. | Open MSN Messenger and sign in. |
2. | Tap an online contact to begin an MSN Messenger conversation. |
3. | At the bottom of the conversation interface, tap the first icon on the right side. Hover the stylus over the icon to see Write And Send Messages In Your Handwriting. The icon is shown below. 
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4. | Use the pen to write your message. Tap Send.  Handwritten IM messages can often be more personal and quicker to write. |
Send text messages from your Tablet PC to a mobile device
You can send text messages, often referred to as SMS messages, direct from MSN Messenger to your coworker’s mobile devices even if they're not MSN Messenger users. First, you have to set up a new contact using your contact’s wireless phone number.
To create a new contact using a wireless phone number.
1. | Open MSN Messenger and sign in. |
2. | Tap Contact, Add A Contact, and when prompted, Create A New Contact From A Mobile Number. Tap Next. |
3. | Using any input tool, type the contact’s name, select the contact’s country or region from the drop-down list, and type the contact’s mobile number. Tap Next. |
4. | Tap Finish. |
Once the contact is in your address book you can send them a text message from your Tablet PC. (Note that the mobile recipient has to have the option to receive these kinds of messages set up on his or her mobile phone. If the recipient doesn’t, you’ll receive a message in MSN Messenger saying so.)
To send a text message to a mobile number from your Tablet PC.
1. | Open MSN Messenger and locate the contact under Mobile. Tap the contact to start a conversation. A mobile contact link is shown below. |
2. | Type your message and click Send. Note that mobile customers may be charged each time they receive a message, so make sure it’s okay with the recipient before you send too many messages.  Contacts that have their mobile phone set up to receive text messages will appear in your Contacts list under Mobile. |
Tip To add your mobile number so you can receive MSN messages from MSN Messenger contacts, visit the MSN Mobile Web site.
Summary
In this article, you learned new ways to use your Tablet PC, including e-mailing handwritten notes with Microsoft Journal through Outlook, sending handwritten notes and drawings through MSN Messenger or Outlook, and sending text messages from MSN Messenger to a mobile phone. Each of these options can be expanded on to take you and your Tablet PC farther than ever.
 | Joli Ballew
Joli Ballew is a technology trainer and writer in the Dallas area. She holds several certifications including MCSE, A+, and MCDST. In addition to writing, she teaches computer classes at the local junior college, and works as a network administrator and Web designer for North Texas Graphics. Joli has almost 20 books available, including Degunking Windows (voted best computer book of the year by the Independent Publishers Book Awards in 2005), Degunking Your PC, Degunking Your Mac, and Degunking Your Mac Tiger Edition (Paraglyph Press), Hardcore Windows XP (McGraw-Hill), and Windows XP: Do Amazing Things (Microsoft Press). Joli also writes for Microsoft's Windows XP Expert Zone, is a Microsoft blogger, and has written a textbook for Microsoft's MCDST certification. In her free time, Joli enjoys golfing, yard work, and teaching her cat, Nikko, new tricks. |
