I've got Windows 7 RC running on most of my Tablet PCs and I am very happy with the results. This includes Tablet PCs that were originally shipped with Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. Except for some minor issues like getting screen rotation to work on a Motion M1400, things are working as well, if not better than they did XP. Certainly better than they did in Vista. I just got a new external hard drive so I could do complete backups of my last few production machines and then I'll load Windows 7 RC on those too. But overall things are looking great.
As far as I can tell:
- If something (software) worked with Vista - it is working with Windows 7.
- If something (hardware) worked with Vista - it is working as fast and probably faster in Windows 7.
- If something worked in XP and Vista, it is still working in Windows 7.
- I'm not noticing any decrease in battery life. I might actually be getting more run-time, but this has never been a huge issue for me.
Overall, I am very pleased and that's why I ran out today to get another external hard drive so I could do full computer backups on the remaining machines that are still running Vista.
I'll fill you in on the details when I get everything converted.
Read all about and download it here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/beta/
I have been running Beta 2 this morning, and it seems noticeably faster.
If you really want a good insight into IE8, check out the IEBlog. This link will take you right to Paul Cutsinger's post where he introduces IE8 Beta 2. Paul is Lead Program Manager for the IE8 User Experience, and given how important the browser has become, I think this is well worth reading.
Link: IEBlog and Part II of that series
Installation Notes
I had been running IE8 Beta 1 and it was working fine for the most part. Today when I downloaded Beta 2 and tried to install it, it required that I uninstall Beta 1. Let me save you some time if you are in the same situation.
Go to
Start
Control Panel
Programs
- Uninstall a program
NOTE:
click -> View installed updates
You will find it under
Windows Internet Explorer 8 Beta (if you are running Vista - search for "inter". It will come up right away).
Visual Studio 2008 Service Pack 1 and .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1
are available for download
There is also a download for Visual Studio 2008 Express Edition with Service Pack 1. You can read about all the changes in the overview.
Now just in case you are not a developer, there is an other treat.
Autoruns for Windows version 9.3
For people running Tablet PCs there seems to be a passion for understanding and controlling processes, especially those that start automatically. Autoruns is a great tool for finding and controlling all of those.
This utility, which has the most comprehensive knowledge of auto-starting locations of any startup monitor, shows you what programs are configured to run during system bootup or login, and shows you the entries in the order Windows processes them. These programs include ones in your startup folder, Run, RunOnce, and other Registry keys. You can configure Autoruns to show other locations, including Explorer shell extensions, toolbars, browser helper objects, Winlogon notifications, auto-start services, and much more. Autoruns goes way beyond the MSConfig utility bundled with Windows Me and XP.
Read more and download
I have Autoruns installed on every machine I own. It's great. This latest version came out a couple of weeks ago (July) so follow the link above and learn more.
I tossed out a question on LinkedIn today.
Do you own a Tablet PC?
- Do you use the Inking or Touch capabilities?
- Always / Often / Rarely
- More or less than you expected?
- Would you get another one
That was seven hours ago - and in that time there have been 16 answers. That is a pretty enthusiastic response compared to similar questions asked over the past couple of years. Perhaps this is an indicator of heightened awareness, and perhaps even enthusiasm. Check out the answers. It's interesting to see what people are thinking.
People's Answers at LinkedIn
Background:
I was invited to LinkedIn awhile back and thanks go out to John Hill (http://tabletpcbuzz.com) for that. I hate to say how long it's been since he did that and I joined. I was busy at the time and I didn't give it much thought, then or since. Recently Gaelen O'Connell (http://mindjet.com) encouraged me to revisit LinkedIn.
I have read several threads in various forums and there seems to be a thought that uninstalling the Intel Matrix Storage Manager results in better benchmark scores. The numbers look compelling.
I wondered how this might affect me, and whether I would see any difference with applications that I run.
The short conclusion: I will stick with the Intel Matrix Storage Manager
My machine *does* have the 1 gig Intel Turbo Memory installed and this may also have impacted my results. I also have 4 gigs of ram installed running Vista Ultimate 32-bit.
Testing with and without the Intel Matrix Storage Manager.
My test was very simple and to eliminate the vagaries of the Toshiba Utilities and other things that were preloaded I did my testing running Virtual PC with an image having only: Vista Ultimate, ESET NOD32, Office 2007 Ultimate.
The things I timed:
- Time to Login
- Time to Desktop
- Time to fully operation Excel 2007
The actual times are not important - but the differences are.
The times to reach each of these milestones was longer in the Virtual Machine but I got really consistent results. I tested once, and then shut down the Virtual Machine and then did it again.
The interesting result was first time load of the test was slower with the Intel Matrix Storage Manager installed. But the second and subsequent tests were faster with Intel Matrix Storage Manager installed than without it.
Both with and without, the second runs were faster.
- Without: The second run was 10 seconds faster to each milestone
- With: The second run was 45 seconds faster to each milestone.
The net result was:
On the second run, using the Intel Matrix Storage Manager was 25 seconds faster.
I am going to leave it installed because having tried it both ways, I did not see a huge improvement in any noticeable way except that second and subsequent loads of applications seemed faster with the Intel Matrix Storage Manager installed.
I don't have any theories to account for what the benchmark numbers are showing.
This is great news from Josh Einstein.
From the Einstein Technologies site
Download TEO 3.0 for free... no strings attached!
Download Tablet Enhancements for Outlook and find out why so many Tablet PC users will never use Outlook on their tablets without it. There's no expiration date, no limits, etc. It's just free.
I have been using TEO for years and wouldn't use Outlook on a Tablet PC without it. If you don't have it yet, go get it now and find out why.
http://www.tabletoutlook.com/teo/Try.aspx
Thank you Josh!
I have been using the Live Mesh Tech Preview for several days now and I am quietly excited about what it allows me to do. While I have no good reason to have several Tablet PCs around here, the fact is, I do. Okay - it's because I like to have various kinds of machines so that I can spread them out on a table or pass them around when I do a presentation about them. Anyway, it is just a monstrous task to keep sample files and synchronized. The same is true of presentations. I go through minor conniptions and have major anxieties about arriving at a presentation with the wrong version of a file (or worse, without it) because I grabbed the wrong machine on the way out the door.
I was chatting with an old buddy and fellow MVP the other night, and we got talking about usage scenarios. He's far more adept than I am at making sure that his servers are always up, running, accessible from anywhere, and secure. For him, there was no compelling need to explore Live Mesh.
For me, I am only certain that I am in-sync when all of my machines are on, running, and connected to my home network. So if I grab a machine that was not on, or had not synchronized with a shared folder on my network recently, it is entirely possible that I don't have the latest version of a file I may need to use on the road.
Enter Live Mesh.
It took a couple of minutes to install the Live Mesh client piece on each of my travelling machines, and on the main ones that I use when stationary. From that point, as long as I am connected to the web, anything that is in my Live Mesh has been synchronized and backed up locally. That is pretty transparent. A couple of minutes of setup and then it just seems to be running seamlessly. I can hardly wait until I can connect my Windows Mobile smartphone too.
You can also use Live Mesh Remote Desktop to connect to the devices in your Mesh just in case you need to do something that you can only accomplish on a remote machine. I haven't tried to do this from a machine running Windows Vista Home Edition, but I have asked some others to try it to see if it will work.
So you may not have a bunch of different Tablet PCs but your usage scenario could be Tablet PC and a desktop. Or maybe you have several different people who need to share files without having to consciously log into a SkyDrive, which also another way to approach this. I encourage you to take a look and see if you can use it.
I am still figuring out different ways to use Live Mesh, Windows Live SkyDrive, Microsoft SharedView, Office Live Workspace and whatever else pops up next. But these seemingly simple tools are changing my workflow and making things simpler. Maybe they can do that for you too.
John Hill at TabletPC Buzz / Allegiance Technology has posted his interview with Dave Altounian. Dave Altounian was involved very early (2001) in the life of Tablet PCs and he is very open in his insights about the future at Motion.
From John Hill
Here is the streaming audio link to my interview with Motion founding member and current COO/President Dave Altounian.
sorry for the minor reverb! Also, because this was recorded using webex, you will see a windows open but there is no video in this recording.
Click here to listen to the interview
you can read the press release of his appointment here
(Disclosure: My company, Allegiance Technology is a major reseller of Motion Computing)
__________________
John Hill
TabletPCBuzz Owner/Editor
Discuss this over at TabletPCBuzz
PC Mag still doesn't get it.
Imagine including the Tablet PC as one of the 21 Great Technologies That Failed
Tablet PCs (2002)
Rather than typing on a PC, why not write on it as though it were a pad of paper? And have the CPU interpret your chicken scratch, sort your notes, and generally work in a much smarter way? Based on sales, it seems the world still isn't ready for the Tablet PC. Nevertheless, Gates is convinced you'll eventually love this system.
I think the failure here, is that PC Mag doesn't comprehend that having the Tablet PC features mainstreamed into Vista is a great success.
Well when he writes "What the heck is an Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC)?" the rest of the article illustrates the writer's confusion. Perhaps he can be forgiven for this as he is reflecting the market place.
I think he casts too broad a net in considering many of the sub four-pound machines including the likes of the ASUS EiiPC4g. The original vision for the UMPC was a device that included a touch screen interface, running Windows Vista.
From Microsoft's UMPC Site:
The UMPC offers a display of 4-7 inches and touch capabilities, all in a package that weighs less than 2 pounds. But don't underestimate this small computer—it can run all of the same Windows Vista-compatible software you're already familiar with.
Still, it is an interesting article in that it may be an indication of the general state of perception of tiny machines. But by including so many machines in the article, I think the author just adds to the confusion around the meaning of the term UMPC.
Link: Redemption Time for the UMPC
I just spent a solid 14 days with a Sony UX380CN - hammering away at it under every possible scenario I could imagine. For me, a touch-screen or stylus input of some kind is absolutely essential in a small machine. I will be writing about that experience in the next day or so.
John Hill at TabletPCBuzz has completed the transition to the new forum software. He writes.
As of today, June 2nd, we have successfully migrated all the users and posts from our previous (Snitz) forum software to our new (vBulletin) forums.
I hope you like the improvement. I am very appreciative of all your patience.
If you are an existing user, you will have to reset your password. It takes just a minute and is an automated process through email.
TO GET YOUR PASSWORD RESET, ENTER YOUR USERNAME AND THEN CLICK 'LOGIN' - THIS WILL TAKE YOU TO THE PASSWORD RESET PROCESS.
It will take 24-48 hours for the DNS to point the tabletpcbuzz.com domain to its new location.
If you have any questions or problems, please post here or email me at
john@alltp.comThanks again for supporting the Buzz!
John referred to password reset process. Here it is in a little more detail I wrote for someone yesterday.
- Go to the Buzz message board as usual
- Click the Log In button. If you password has not been reset you will get the Invalid Password Screen
- Then click the link as though you have forgotten your password.
- Follow the prompts to have the system send you a new temporary password
- Follow the prompts in the resulting email and
- Set a new password
- Two minutes round trip. Well at least that is all it took for me. Others have reported that it takes a little longer.
When you cruise around the updated forum, there will appear to be fewer topics. That is likely because the default filter is set to one month. You can change that at the bottom of the screen. From what I can see, pretty much all the history is there. There may have been a very few posts that got lost in the transition during the past few days. but other than that it looks okay to me.
So head on over to Tablet PC Buzz and check it out. It still maintains a character of its own, with the same respect, courtesy, and great information that you have come to expect.
I just found this - Microsoft SharedView - it's free, supports up to 15 users over the Internet, and from what I can see, I am going to be using it a great deal.
It seems to work as well as Windows Meeting Space (see Use Windows Meeting Space to Mirror Your Tablet PC to a Projector ) but unlike Windows Meeting Space, SharedView will work with Windows XP and across the Internet. For that second point - this means that unlike Windows Meeting Space - you do NOT have to have both machines on the same subnet.
This is was a great find as I am doing some presentations this week. I am mirroring my Tablet PC onto another computer that is attached to a projector.
I was having trouble with Windows Meeting Space because there was no way to be sure that two machines would end up on the same subnet. Also, the computers that were available to connect to the projectors are running Windows XP. I had to bring my own second machine so that I could be sure that the one attached to the projector was running Vista. Microsoft SharedView has made this all so much easier.
Definitely check this out. I will be using it for some distance conferencing over the next few days.
Mike Tholfsen - Test Manager of the OneNote Team has kicked off his blog, OneNote and Education.
I am interested in how OneNote can help enhance the learning environment and I believe OneNote will be a primary tool for 21st century education. We also plan to have other guest bloggers from the OneNote team and from other Microsoft teams post education-related entries here. John Guin is still writing the OneNote Testing blog so even though I'm the test manager, this blog will be about OneNote and education.
Because there are so many things happening right now with OneNote and education, we wanted to start this blog to have a dialog with the education community, as well as share ideas, resources, and gather feedback from teachers, students and faculty. We also hope to point to examples of great things that educators and students are doing today with OneNote and education. In addition to K-12 and Higher Education, you can also expect to see topics on eLearning, training and on-boarding with OneNote. Many companies, including Microsoft, are delivering eLearning solutions using OneNote...
Mike's blog entry continues
OneNote strikes me as the main application in the Microsoft Office suite that seems to have been designed to really use ink, but I am sure that I have missed some great opportunities to better utilize it in my Education related activities.
I am looking forward to Mike's ongoing thoughts.
Link: OneNote and Education.
I use my Tablet PC when I do public speaking. I like to use it to display and build MindMaps using MindManager or draw diagrams with SketchBook Pro. This should be very straightforward, but it gets interesting when I want to display my Tablet PC with a projector, and to walk around the room at the same time. (Try that with at conventional laptop machine).
I have been using MaxiVista for this application for years. (see: Wireless Presentations with a Tablet PC with MaxiVista)
MaxiVista has been great but there are some issues with Vista. You can work around them, but when I got an Toshiba M700, I thought it would be worthwhile to consider some Vista based alternatives.
Just a note: MaxiVista works well on XP or in an environment where one machine is running Vista, and the other is not. You have to been running an XDDM video driver on the Tablet PC if it is running Windows Vista.
Windows Meeting Space
If you are running Windows Vista on your Tablet PC and have Vista on a desktop PC attached to a projector then consider using Windows Meeting Space to connect the two machines and mirror your Tablet PC on the Desktop PC and from there, display it on the projector. It is very quick to set up, and in my testing it has been really stable.
The quick overview:
- Start Windows Meeting Space on both PCs.
- Create a meeting and "join" it.
- On the Tablet PC - Share your desktop
I have set out more detailed notes for this in: Windows Meeting Space to Mirror Your Tablet PC on a Projector
Brandon LeBlanc has just published part 2 of 4 of his preview of the Origami Experience 2.0.
In this installment he covers RSS features in Origami Central, one of the three applications in the Origami Experience 2.0 software.
To start at the beginning of the series see: Taking a Closer Look at the Origami Experience 2.0
I have had mixed success integrating a UMPC into my mobile life. But Origami Experience 2.0 has come a long way in making this more viable. With a touch optimized experience designed around a smaller screen, this is worth investigating again.
John Hill, owner of Tablet PC Buzz has announced a major overhaul to the forums there. This is very exciting news as it speaks to John's commitment to the site and to the community.
We are very excited to announce that as of Monday, May 19th, TabletPCBuzz is in the process of receiving a MAJOR UPGRADE to vBulletin forum software.
DURING THIS TIME, AS WE MIGRATE THE DATABASE TO THE NEW SOFTWARE, ANY NEW POSTS WILL NOT TRANSFER. YOU MAY CONTINUE TO USE THE FORUMS.
It is estimated that this process will take 3-4 days (hopefully less), so please be patient. In the meantime, you can check out our test site here: http://76.12.76.4/
The test site is fully searchable (check out how fast the searching is!) and is current as of about a week and a half ago. Keep in mind that any new posts or replies on the test site will be overwritten once the new site goes live.
If you have any questions or comments, please email them to me at john@alltp.com and thanks for your continuing support of TabletPCBuzz.
Would that be to subject an audience to a presentation done in one's own handwriting?
Last week I found myself having to be in two places at once. I couldn't do that of course so I fired up Camtasia Studio and opened my presentation MindMap that I had prepared in MindManager. I walked through the map recording my comments and adding branches and diagrams as I went along. Knowing that this was going to be presented to a live audience, I paused several times- asking for participant discussion.
I didn't have a lot of time to do this so I basically did it in a single pass, much as I would have done if I had been able to do the presentation live.
The presentation was scheduled to run for an hour, and it took very little more than that to record, render and upload it to a server. Because of a limitation in Flash (maximum frame count) I had to split the presentation into a four sections. The whole process was done in a couple of hours. It would have taken far more time if I had travelled and done the presentation live.
The organizers played the presentation for the live audience. They also took notes during the discussions that arose during the planned pauses. I have since taken those notes and added them to the MindMap and republished it.
I have had several messages from individual participants telling me that they really enjoyed the presentation and that the combination of voice and ink made seem that I was there with them.
My MindMaps always start out in ink so when I pulled out my outline it was in ink. There was very little time to get all of this done so I didn't give a lot of thought to converting the MindMap to text. In the end, it was better that I didn't. I am still getting positive messages from people where were there.
As a person who is rarely out and about without a Tablet PC and EVDO access to the web, I really wasn't interested in data features in a mobile telephone. But that didn't stop me from getting an HTC Touch with Windows Mobile 6.0, when I needed to replace my eight year old cell phone recently.
As I get better acquainted with the features of my Windows 6 Pro smartphone , I am realizing that it can be so much more than just a phone - even though that's all I really wanted from it.
I just came across this announcement in Brandon LeBlanc's entry in the Windows Experience Blog: Put Windows Live on your Windows Mobile phone
I am am gong to try to syncing up my contacts to Windows Live for a shorter list of keyboard accessible contacts instead of the hundreds of contacts in my Outlook contacts. Anyway - here is more information about Windows Live Mobile.
Brandon explains:
Windows Live for Windows Mobile is now available to download for your Windows Mobile phone. Windows Live for Windows Mobile lets Windows Mobile users sync their email from Windows Live Hotmail as well as their Windows Live Contacts.
To download, just head on over to this URL on your Windows Mobile phone:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/mobile/wl/download-en-us.mspx
UPDATE: Folks wanting a shorter URL to access Windows Live for Windows Mobile can go to the following URL - http://wl.windowsmobile.com/
Just download the .cab file for the version of Windows Mobile you are running (Standard or Professional). Windows Live for Windows Mobile works on phones running both Windows Mobile and Windows Mobile 6 (and 6.1).
Let me explain how I use Windows Live for Windows Mobile today on my BlackJack II. Because Windows Live for Windows Mobile syncs up my Windows Live Contacts - I encourage many of my contacts to edit their profiles and make sure their email addresses and phone numbers are correct. When their Windows Live Contact is synced to my phone - their name appears under my Contacts on my Windows Mobile phone (Windows Mobile has a centralized "contact directory"). Information my Windows Live Contacts fill out in their profiles appear on my phone. Users can have multiple phone numbers entered into their profiles for a variety of locations such as Mobile, Home, or Work. When I choose to call a Windows Live Contact - I choose any of the numbers they provided to me that is in their profile. Of course I can also edit their contact information either in Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Mail or via the web in Windows Live Hotmail.
Read the whole blog post: Put Windows Live on your Windows Mobile phone
PC Mag does a quick roundup of several of the heavy hitters in the current Tablet PC landscape. The introduction is pretty positive.
Slate tablets and convertible tablets have the portability of a light laptop, with the added flexibility of a touch screen. Here are a few of our favorites.
by Tony Hoffman
Not all workers have the luxury of being able to sit down in order to use a laptop. If you have to input information or write notes while on your feet, a tablet PC may be the way to go. You have your choice between a slate tablet, which has no keyboard—you write or input data with a stylus or fingertip—and a convertible tablet, with an integrated keyboard and a screen that can be swiveled between laptop and tablet mode.
It is nice to see Vista get a positive acknowledgement here.
... All of the convertible tablets here run Windows Vista, which integrates tablet functions and provides particularly good handwriting recognition.
Read the whole article: Top Tablet PCs
John Hill has just announce this on TabletPCBuzz
Motion Computing and Allegiance Technology are sponsoring educational webinars to teach you about the capabilities of the Motion F5 Field Service Tablet PC.
By participating in this webinar, you are eligible for a $1,000 discount off the list price of a single unit for yourself or your organization.
Our next webinar is May 20th at 2pm EASTERN STANDARD TIME. Just click the link below to sign up, attend the webinar (about 30 minutes followed by a Q&A session) and you are eligible for this limited time discount.
Sign up here: https://motioncomputing.webex.com/motioncomputing/j.php?ED=102298632&RG=1
More Posts
Next page »