Transcript: Tablet PC, May 11, 2004
Published: August 22, 2004
Chat Date: May 11, 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)
Today we are answering your questions about Tablet PC.
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: Chris_H (MVP)
I'm Chris_H, Tablet MVP and enthusiast for all things Ink and Tablet PC.
Host: Sears_Young (Microsoft)
Hi, I'm Sears Young. I work in the OEM Support Group focusing on Tablet PC.
Host: jdthree (MVP)
I'm John (jdthree), a Tablet MVP, computer enthusiast.
Host: terri_Tablet (MVP)
Hi, everyone. As you can see, I'm a MS Tablet MVP and owner of http://thetabletpc.net.
Host: VictoriaKruse (MVP)
I'm a Program Manager on the Tablet PC team. Welcome to the chat!
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Go ahead and begin posting questions in the bottom window, and we'll get the chat underway.
Start of Chat
Host: VictoriaKruse (MVP)
Q: I'd like to say thanks for the updates in SP2 the new TIP rocks
A: You're welcome! We think it rocks too. We'll let the TIP team know you like it. :)
Host: VictoriaKruse (MVP)
Q: How much input do the TPC developers get to the features in OneNote?
A: The OneNote team gets a lot of feedback from the TPC team. We're their biggest group of beta testers within Microsoft.
Host: jdthree (MVP)
Q: Can we make XP Standard with a digitizer to act like a TPC, or can I install TPC edition on a desktop with a digitizer and have it work as "expected"?
A: MSDN offers the Tablet PC OS as one of it's components, for development purposes only. If you install it on a normal PC without a digitizer, you can physically use the mouse to emulate the pen. With a Wacom digitizer, you will get tablet functionality, handwriting recognition, etc, that you would expect, but for dev purposes it's kind of shaky area, since until it's tested on the actual tablet hardware, there's no real way to ensure it works as expected.
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Q: Is there a way to maintain the text formatting when cut/pasting from VS.NET to OneNote, It works fine from VS.NET to Word, then to OneNote, but the extra step is a little weird.
A: Can you describe in more detail what formatting you're losing and what the expected behavior is?
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Q: All the colors of the text turn black when pasting to OneNote, when pasting to Word they are retained, and pasting from Word to OneNote retains the colors as well.
A: Good feedback, I'm not familiar with that. I will pass that on to the team.
Host: VictoriaKruse (MVP)
Q: in the long run will OneNote replace Journal or is OneNote like office is to WordPad?
A: We haven't announced anything about the future of Journal. It's likely that there will continue to be a need for a very simple note-taking program like Journal.
Host: Chris_H (MVP)
Q: There seems to be very little help available in terms of designing applications for Landscape and Portrait. Other than the SDK help, are there any other articles or web links?
A: There's a whole lot of information here: http://gotdotnet.com/team/tabletpc/ You may also want to ask questions in the microsoft.public.windows.tabletpc.developer newsgroup.
Host: Sears_Young (Microsoft)
Q: Will there be members of the Tablet PC dev team available for discussions at TechEd?
A: Yes, the Tablet PC team will have Developers, Testers, and Program Managers attending TechEd.
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
A: To add to what Sears said: many folks from the product team will be in attendance. Tablet will have 3 product specific breakouts, in addition to a couple demo booths in the Microsoft booth. We also will host a hands-on lab session where attendees can try out the new Tablet PC OS.
Host: VictoriaKruse (MVP)
Q: From an OEM/Hardware point of view do you see more platforms in addition to slate and convertible
A: There's already some innovation beyond the slate and convertible categories, such as the Compaq and HP hybrids. We certainly hope that manufacturers will continue to innovate with Tablet PC designs.
Host: VictoriaKruse (MVP)
Q: While I know this chat is mainly for on market product, I read about Tablet 2005 coming mid-year. Can you add any insight as to when, ability to upgrade, robustness?
A: Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 will be part of Windows XP Service Pack 2. If you upgrade your Tablet to SP2, you will be getting the 2005 edition (codename Lonestar). It's very robust - especially with regards to security.
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Q: Any plans to offer a control that will work like a watered down Journal? Creating Notes type functionality from scratch for our apps is not productive.
A: We've definitely heard this request, but there are no plans announced to offer something like this. Sorry!
Host: VictoriaKruse (MVP)
Q: Can you make the scrub out gesture better? I normally end up with a load of scribble.
A: We've heard a variety of feedback about the scratch out gesture and its difficulty to master. We'll talk with the gesture recognition team about it.
Host: VictoriaKruse (MVP)
Q: Could you make office a bit like Graffigo where if you draw a rough circle it does a neat one?
A: We'll pass the suggestion on to the Office team. Thanks!
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Q: When's the European tour kicking off?
A: The European Road show starts on June 1st. Here are the dates: 1st June - Beijing, China, 2nd June - Hong Kong, 3rd June - Shanghai, China, 9th June - Singapore, 16th June - Zurich, Switzerland, 22nd June - London, England, 23rd June - Tokyo, Japan & 24th June - Dublin, Ireland.
Host: jdthree (MVP)
Q: Any advice on screen protectors? I've heard they make it much harder to see the screen, but I'm worried about scratching my screen the way I write on it all the time!
A: It's a very personal choice. Some people love them, others don't feel a need. They certainly can help protect the screen (I can attest to that) and many of them actually *improve* visibility by cutting down on glare.
Host: terri_Tablet (MVP)
Q: Are there any industrial Tablet PCs?
A: There are several manufacturer's that produce "rugged" Tablet PCs, including Panasonic, Walkabout, HP and Xplore.
Host: Sears_Young (Microsoft)
Q: How do I selectively disable (non-erasable) ink displayed on page, on per stroke basis?
A: There is no built-in solution for locking individual components of the ink data model. You can look at the AutoClaims sample for ideas on how layering of ink might be accomplished, but you should evaluate your usage of Stroke Ids, CustomStrokes, and rendering to determine an exact solution. You might also consider posting your question(s) to the Tablet PC Developer newsgroup.
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Q: how do us Europeans get registered for the tour?
A: We will make the link available within the next couple of days via the Tablet PC newsgroup.
Host: Chris_H (MVP)
Q: Will Windows XP SP2 feature any Tablet PC-specific enhancements?
A: The XP Service Pack 2 includes Tablet PC Edition 2005. Details are here: http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsXP/tabletpc/evaluation/lonestar/default.asp
Host: VictoriaKruse (MVP)
Q: How soon can I be able to use any pen on a tablet PC? Right now the Pen is dependent on a model.
A: They already are, with a few exceptions (the Compaq TC1000 for example). Besides those rare cases, the rest all use the same technology and pens can be interchanged.
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
This concludes our Tablet PC chat for today. Thanks for coming, everyone!
Host: Sears_Young (Microsoft)
Thanks everyone! Great questions!
Host: VictoriaKruse (MVP)
Thanks!
Moderator: Andrew (Microsoft)
Please feel free to stay and continue to chat about Tablet PC or other Windows topics.
For further information on this topic please visit the following:
Newsgroups: Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
Transcripts: Read the archive of past Windows XP chats.
Website: Visit the home page for Tablet PC
