Transcript: Tablet PC, August 4, 2004
Published: September 7, 2004
Chat Date: August 4, 2004
Please note: Portions of this transcript have been edited for clarity
Introduction
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Hi everyone, and welcome to the Tablet PC chat!
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Now, I'll have our hosts for the chat today introduce themselves:
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
I'm Andrew Brown, and I'm the MVP Lead for Tablet PC, and the moderator for this chat.
Host: Steve (Microsoft)
Hi all, I'm Steve Dodge, a development lead on the Tablet Platform team. I'm really excited to see so much Tablet application development happening!
Host: Sears_Young (Microsoft)
Hi, I'm Sears Young. I work in the OEM Support Group, focusing on Tablet PC.
Host: VictoriaKruse (Microsoft)
I'm a Program Manager on the Tablet PC team. Welcome to the chat!
Host: robert (Microsoft)
Robert Williams, Director of Mobile Platforms Business Development and Partner Engineering. My team works with external partners: OEMs, ODMs, IHVs, ISVs. Joined Tablet PC in April 2001.
Host: terri (MVP)
Hi, I'm terri - a Tablet MVP and owner/editor of http://thetabletpc.net.
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Go ahead and begin posting questions in the bottom window, and we'll get the chat underway.
Start of Chat
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Q: There's been a lot of news about SP2 (and Tablet PC Edition 2005) coming out soon. Can you provide any additional info about release dates?
A: We hope to be able to release SP2, including Tablet PC 2005, very soon, as we're excited by all the improvements it offers. We can't be more specific about dates at this time.
Host: VictoriaKruse (Microsoft)
Q: When will the Multi Language Recognition Packs for SP2 be released?
A: The Tablet PC Edition 2005 Recognizer Pack will release around 90 days after SP2 is released.
Host: robert (Microsoft)
Q: The Power Toys on pcmag.com are great - will we see more of those coming soon?
A: We continue to work with external and internal sources to develop new power toys. They will not necessarily come from PCmag
Host: Steve (Microsoft)
Q: Will there be a feature in Tablet Pc 2005 on something called the "Mobility Center" - http://www.winsupersite.com/images/reviews/winhec2004_2_05.jpg?
A: This photograph is from a Longhorn demo at the WinHec conference. This is not a feature of the Tablet PC 2005 release.
Host: VictoriaKruse (Microsoft)
Q: How long are we looking at until SP2 and TPC Edition 2005 comes pre-installed?
A: It depends on the manufacturer, some might have it in a month, some might take several months.
Host: Sears_Young (Microsoft)
Q: Are there any recommended online communities for Tablet PC developers? (Other than the news groups)
A: In addition to the newsgroups, there is a lot of great developer information up on http://www.tabletpcdeveloper.com.
Host: robert (Microsoft)
Q: Will the Auxiliary displays be released with Tablet pc 2005 - http://www.winsupersite.com/images/reviews/winhec2004_2_07.jpg?
A: No, that work is targeted for Longhorn.
Host: VictoriaKruse (Microsoft)
Q: Can you comment on any major changes in the final of SP2/Tablet PC 2005 that weren't in RC2?
A: There weren't any major Tablet feature changes after RC2.
Host: robert (Microsoft)
Q: Will Tablet PCs become cheap for students?
A: Yes, the Averatec is the first example, additional lower cost tablets are coming this year. the education market has major potential.
Host: robert (Microsoft)
Q: Can you say which are more popular, slates or convertibles?
A: Depends on where you bucket hybrids like the HP. If we call that a slate the split is around 50/50. If we call that a convertible then convertibles are more popular.
Host: Steve (Microsoft)
Q: I can't get the crossword power toy to work, even with .NET framework installed. Can't remember the error message, but the program won't start. Anyone else see that?
A: I haven't heard of any common problems with this Power Toy. The program does go to the internet to pull down crossword puzzles so you might need to check into the internet connectivity settings on your machine. Perhaps a proxy server or firewall configuration issue.
Host: robert (Microsoft)
Q: Can you say which are more popular, slates or convertibles?
A: Slates don't sell well at retail, we know that from experience
Host: VictoriaKruse (Microsoft)
Q: According to this pic (from WINheC), it says something about Tablet PC Availability between July and August? Is that the beta? http://www.winsupersite.com/images/reviews/winhec2004_2_01.jpg
A: That was referring to SP2, which should be releasing soon.
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Q: http://www.winsupersite.com/images/reviews/winhec2004_04.jpg, According to that pic "Tablet PC 2005" will becoming out this year?
A: Tablet PC 2005 is included in SP2, so when SP2 is installed, you will have Tablet PC 2005. Note that installing SP2 will give you Tablet PC 2005 ONLY if you install on a Tablet PC, however.
Host: Steve (Microsoft)
Q: I am using the SP2 public preview from TechNet. I have a Toshiba M200 and when I go to Tablet mode, my first stroke on the TIP doesn't register.
A: I've seen this on this machine and it only seems to happen when the machine is running on the battery. I've found that sliding the power management settings toward "full power" reduces the issue. Have you installed the latest firmware updates from Toshiba?
Host: robert (Microsoft)
Q: when will new Tablet PC models be released?
A: we cannot announce release dates for OEMs that have not yet made their information public. I can tell you that new models are schedule for both fall and spring release dates, and even into next summer. We have good visibility to OEM roadmaps 12-18 months ahead, after that plans are more indefinite.
Host: robert (Microsoft)
Q: will there ever be a tablet with a 14.1" sxga+ display?
A: We are pushing for that. It's not the OEMs, it's the LCD vendors that are limiting. The GW and the Acer currently have XGA displays not SXGA+
Host: robert (Microsoft)
Q: To refresh my question posed earlier, I wonder if Sony, Dell, and IBM are going to offer their own tablet pc any time soon.
A: We are working very closely with all three companies. They continue to engage with us on tablet pc. However, we are not free to disclose their plans. Anyone want to start a pool on who pops first? :)
Host: VictoriaKruse (Microsoft)
Q: will there be more tablets with discrete graphics adaptors? (i.e. not intel integrated)
A: There already are several Tablet PCs using other graphics adapters from NVidia, Trident, and SMI and probably others.
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Okay, we'll be ending the Tablet PC chat in 5 minutes. Last chance!
Host: Sears_Young (Microsoft)
Q: Back to Power Toys (my earlier Q) - are there any besides the pcmag.com ones?
A: There are several Power Toys available on the Tablet PC site: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/tabletpc.mspx
Host: robert (Microsoft)
Q: let me rephrase my question, will there be any Tablet PCs that will include discrete, acceptable performance3D accelerators (ones with higher performance than the GoForce5200 found in the m200)
A: It could happen, we encourage innovation, but it's up to the manufacturer to balance graphics performance with cost, battery life, and thermal considerations.
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
This concludes our Tablet PC chat for today. Thanks for coming, everyone!
Host: Sears_Young (Microsoft)
Thanks everyone. Great questions today!
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Please feel free to stay and continue to chat about Tablet PC or other Windows topics.
Host: VictoriaKruse (Microsoft)
Thanks for the questions!
Host: terri (MVP)
Thanks for coming today! We'll see you next month.
Host: robert (Microsoft)
thanks for joining us. I enjoyed the chat, see ya next time
For further information on this topic please visit the following:
Newsgroups: Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
Transcripts: Read the archive of past Tablet PC chats.
Website: Visit the home page for Tablet PC
