Tools to Use with Your Tablet PC
Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 offers new enhancements to help you make the most of pen-based computing on your Tablet PC. These enhancements build on the familiar features of Tablet PC to offer a new kind of computing experience.
| • | Use the redesigned Tablet PC Input Panel to enter information quickly and easily by using the tablet pen. |
| • | Use Microsoft Windows Journal to take notes in your own handwriting. |
| • | Just like the paper version, use Microsoft Sticky Notes to keep information you need handy on your desktop. |
| • | Use Microsoft InkBall when you have a few minutes for a fun game or want to practice using your tablet pen. |
On This Page
 | Tablet PC Input Panel |
| Windows Journal |
| Sticky Notes |
| InkBall |
Tablet PC Input Panel
Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 offers a redesigned Tablet PC Input Panel that enables an ink-to-text experience that is more deeply integrated with the flow and context of your activities. Now you can open Input Panel next to the location where you want to enter text, which provides greater flexibility and a more natural writing experience. Input Panel converts handwriting to text dynamically, and you can make corrections quickly and easily before inserting text. Word and case recognition has also been improved, ensuring a better handwriting-to-text conversion experience.
Opening Input Panel
To open Input Panel next to the location where you want to enter text, tap the floating Tablet PC Input Panel icon. The icon appears automatically when you rest the pen near the field that you want to complete, such as the "To" field in a new Microsoft Outlook e-mail message, or when you tap the location on the screen where you want to insert text, for example, in the middle of a paragraph in a Microsoft Office Word 2003 document.
You can move Input Panel anywhere on the screen by using the move handle, which appears at the far right side of Input Panel. Or, you can dock Input Panel—that is, set it to appear at the top or bottom of the screen. When docked, Input Panel is always available and does not cover any open windows.
Input Panel offers three entry modes—the writing pad, the character pad, and the on-screen keyboard.
Writing Pad
You can enter text by using ink in the writing pad. The writing pad is especially useful for tasks such as adding text to a Word 2003 document or updating a Microsoft Office Excel 2003 spreadsheet. As you write, Input Panel expands to accommodate more text as needed. If you want to convert ink to text, Input Panel does so dynamically.
Character Pad
The character pad also converts your ink to text so that it can be inserted into a program, but you use it to enter one letter at a time. The character pad is particularly useful when you need the highest levels of accuracy—for example, when you're entering an e mail address or a URL. The characters that you enter into the character pad are immediately converted to text, so you can spot and fix any errors immediately.
On-screen Keyboard
Use the on-screen keyboard when you don't want to use ink but you do want to use the pen, or when you're using a Tablet PC without an attached keyboard. Simply tap the letters on the keyboard to form words. Input Panel enters the text directly in the field or at the insertion point of the active program. The on-screen keyboard is especially useful for entering small amounts of text, such as passwords and file names.
Customization
You can customize Input Panel based on your personal preferences, such as inserting text automatically, changing the ink thickness, and defining the amount of space between the lines in the writing area.
Speech
You can use your voice either to dictate or give commands. For example, you can dictate to your Tablet PC to enter text into a program. You can use voice commands to correct any errors, format text that you have dictated, save documents, switch between programs, move around within a program, or perform other actions to control any Windows-based program. As you speak into your microphone, Input Panel changes your spoken words into text.
Speaking to your computer is often easier and quicker than using your tablet pen to enter text. It may also be more comfortable, allowing you to rest your hands and wrists. You can also save thoughts or ideas immediately, before you forget them. You can use speech features and your tablet pen at the same time. Use the microphone to enter text, and then use the pen to correct and format the text.
Windows Journal
Windows Journal is a basic note-taking accessory that was created specifically for the Tablet PC. You can use it to capture handwritten notes and drawings, convert handwritten notes to text, import graphics files, and share notes with others. You can even share journal files with non-Tablet PC users by exporting them as MHTML files, which others can view with Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5.0 or later, or by exporting them as TIFF images for viewing with a viewer that is installed by default on Microsoft Windows 98 or later.
Sticky Notes
You can use the Sticky Notes accessory to write and store short notes, phone numbers, and other remind¬ers. You can place sticky notes directly on your desktop as quick reminders or in any OLE-enabled program, such as Word, to add electronic comments or reminders to your documents.
InkBall
Tablet PC also comes with the InkBall accessory, a game to challenge and develop your tablet pen skills. The object of InkBall is to earn points by drawing ink strokes that guide colored balls into holes of the same color.
