Most of my readers know that for years I have blogged about the productive benefits of using Tablet PCs. Although I haven't blogged much about this topic lately, I think this product overview is worth watching...
It's triangular. It's mobile. It's sexy. And now it comes with spice 2.0. It's currently only available in orange. I'm waiting for the guacamole green version.
I recently visited with my good friend and fellow productivity consultant, Kelly Forrister, at her home in beautiful Ojai California. The purpose of my visit was to show her the Tablet PC system and environment and to give her a tour of my most recent addition to my mobile knowledge worker productivity toolkit, the X61. I've known and worked with Kelly and her husband John at a number of organizations over the past 15 years and we share a common passion for finding cool gear to help us get things done. (For those of you who started with the first Palm Pilot and early Palm hand-helds, you may remember that Kelly published a very successful email newsletter with productivity tips on how to use the palm productively.)
Lenovo was kind enough to provide me with the amazing ThinkPad X61 Tablet PC and I have been enjoying using it and demonstrating to folks how Tablets work and how I use the Tablet PC. (Be sure to search my "Tablet PC" archives for other posts about this incredible tablet.) The X61 combines the best of features - a powerful processor, a long battery life, high resolution and highly visible screen, light weight and the fantastic ThinkPad keyboard 7 TrackPoint to create a flexible and powerful computer. Add to this, Microsoft Vista (I know; it's not ideal on the desktop, but it is a much improved Tablet OS) and I have a powerful tool for mobile productivity.
Listen in as I give Kelly a tour of the new Lenovo ThinkPad X61 Tablet PC.
I've written before that I was disappointed that Lotus Notes wasn't more ink friendly. Well, I'm pleased to report that I'm using Notes on my new Lenovo X61 Tablet PC with Vista. Nothing's changed on the IBM Notes side, but the TIP implementation in Vista makes Notes MUCH easier to use with a stylus. On the flight back from Boston, I processed several hundred emails in Lotus Notes on my X61 Tablet - entirely in slate mode. The improvement and my change in perception about Notes as an ink enabled app is due to two things: first, the ink support and the TIP implementation in Vista are very good. Second, the Lenovo X61 Tablet is a great machine. Nothing like my other tablet. The pen is like writing in paper and the size and button layout makes it a dream to use. You might even say I'm about to become YABHTU again.
I've received several emails from folks asking how well the new SuperView screen coating works on the Lenovo X61 Tablet PC, so I decided to conduct some tests.
There are three places outside of my office or a client's office where I'm likely to use my new Lenovo X61 Tablet in bright light: Kathy's car on the way to Disneyland, at the local pool, or at the local lake. I decided to test the first two. Yesterday, under the premise of conducting "research," we headed down to Anaheim to test the X61 on the way to Disneyland. Kathy drove and I sat in the passenger seat and processed my pending email. Well, actually, I sorted my pending email to process later and spent the rest of the time Skyping Michael Sampson from the car, but that's another story.
I'm on board United flight 167 To Los Angeles with my Lenovo X61 Tablet PC. I neglected to charge my second battery so I decided to conduct an experiment to see if I could get coast to coast or ore Battery with only a few brief Breaks.
We're in the home stretch on the Enterprise 2.0 conference sessions. Live blogging the conference has been an interesting experiment for me and the new Lenovo X61 Tablet PC had made the process easier - factors contributing to the tablet success for me include, small size, weight, excellent battery and power saver modes. Michael and I will try to do a podcast about our tablet experience later today.
I turned on my laptop with battery conserve mode at 8:30 am. It's now 10:00 and I'm at 69% remaining. I just found and enabled battery stretch to extend my battery. We'll see how that goes. To get to battery stretch, click on the battery icon in the system tray.
Apparently, others are geting 4+ even 6 hours on a single battery. I hope that will be my experience, too.
I began the day in slate mode, using Windows Journal to take my notes. What I found is that I could not take notes fast enough - at least not blog quality complete thoughts.
Insert thought: for conferences, I really like the small form-factor of the Lenovo X61 Tablet. I'm sure my seatmates appreciate it, too. I plan to switch to OneNote 2007 as my note-taking tool. I like the interface of a notebook and pages on which to take notes. Note to self: bring an external mic so that I can record sessions in OneNote for review. So, after the break, I'll resume in OneNote 2007 but still in laptop mode and see how it goes.
Michael is doing a great job of using both his Mac (as a presentation tool) and his Lenovo X60 Tablet as a mobile note-taking device for real-time display during the Enterprise 2.0 conference. Michael's taking notes using OneNote in real-time as he presents. Then, during each break, he uploads the notes to the web. (Example) A powerful use of a Tablet. Today, he's tethered by a 25' VGA cable. I'll have to show him how to use MaxiVista for true mobility. Note: if you want to do the same, you'll need to disable screen saver and auto-rotation. Also, you'll need to invert the tablet screen from the normal landscape orientation. Overall, it works well.
I'm at The Enterprise 2.0 Collaborative Technologies Conference in Boston. I plan to blog the conference using my New Lenovo X61 Tablet. I'll try to do most of this in slate mode. I want to get the full experience of using this cool tablet PC.
I brought two fully changed 8-cell batteries with we to the conference. My goal is to make it though the day on battery power alone. I've set the laptop for Low-power, mid-brightness and Wifi, enabled. The power bar reports 4.5 hours available. we'll see how I do.
Yesterday was mostly a shake-down day for me as I had quickly moved everything from my brand new T60p wide-screen onto the X61. On the tablet side, I did not have an opportunity to use the X61 in tablet mode much so no comments there. Once I get my applications stabilized, I'll switch to slate mode. On the software side, I mentioned that concurrent with the move to the Lenovo X61 Tablet PC, I also took the plunge and moved to Windows Vista Ultimate. I did this for two reasons: First, I wanted to experience the X61 Tablet PC with the latest tablet supported OS, and second, because I wanted to experience Vista. In hindsight, I'm not sure about the Vista decision. It seems that I spent too much time getting my core apps, Palm installer, to work. No points to Palm for Visa compatibility. I'm sure I'll have more to say later.
Last week, Lenovo called me and offered to send me one of their new, soon-to-be-released X61 Tablet PC's. Of course, I did the noble thing and accepted their offer. I sent them my wish list for my dream Tablet and two days later DHL showed up with a new X61 Tablet, configured exactly as I has desired. (Thanks, Lenovo!)
I'm getting ready to head to Boston next week, for the Enterprise 2.0 conference. I'll be attending, with my long-time friend and colleague, Michael Sampson, who you may remember recently returned to the Tablet PC platform himself. You may have read that it's been a while since I used the Tablet PC for my eProductivity work. My experience with my previous tablet, the Toshiba Tecra M4, left something to be desired from the Tablet PC experience I had hoped for. [If you would like to catch up on my past Tablet PC blog entries, there are over one hundred of them, here. If you want to read about some of my less productive experiences with the M4 Tablet, see here.]
So, thanks to Lenovo, I begin the journey again. I had actually just purchased a brand new ThinkPad T60p and was in the process of migrating to it when Lenovo contacted me. So, I decided to hold off and mirror the migration onto both the T60p wide-screen ThinkPad (and awesome machine in its own right) and to the new X61 Tablet at the same time. Continue Reading "Lenovo X61 adventure begins: Day One" »
In my conference room, I have a huge machine called a LiveBoard. It was made by Xerox. Think of it as the extreme digital whiteboard. It's has a 60" rear projection system with built-in optics so that digital markers can be tracked anywhere on the surface. The markers have no ink in them, they simply transmit an IR beacon that the electronics inside of the LiveBoard pick up to determine pen position. The system functions as a giant PC. Now, with a suitable internet or data connection you can connect two (or more) LiveBoards in such a way that anything written on one can will appear on the other and vice versa. It's a wonderful collaboration technology. Unfortunately 15 years ago, when it first came out, the $45K price tag put out of the reach of most businesses. I suppose the fact that it weighed 600 lbs was a detractor for some people, too.
Today, Microsoft introduced the first of its surface computing products (yes, Michael, just one more reason that the Windows platform has a long and innovative future ahead of it) which basically shrinks the Xerox LiveBoard functionality and more in to the size of your coffee table. Initially, multiple users will collaborate around the table, but in the future, they will be able to connect their surfaces for shared collaboration. Again, nothing new here.
Now, you can stop playing around with those cool lifestyle applications (photos, movies and music) and use real business tools (spreadsheets, word processing, presentation software and Lotus Notes) to get things done. ;-)
Here's a request I receive frequently from my readers. It usually goes something like this:
Dear Mr. Mack, I have been following your website, EricMackOnline for about a year. I still check in regularly and enjoy immensely for almost every topics from robot to home school :) Particularly, I enjoy your work ethics that was also mentioned in your opening of your first tablet PC. I'm writing this email in regards to your recent use of your tablet PC. Since November (almost 6 months ago), I have not heard anything related to your Tablet PC adventure. I think many of your loyal followers still would like to know how you apply this fascinating technology to your works. Your opinions mean a lot to your sincere readers.
Tracy Hooten, of the Student Tablet PC, recently wrote this detailed post about the power in the simplicity Journal as a tool for note-taking with digital ink. (I had the privilege to work with Tracy last year during our 8-week paperless challenge. Details here.)
Tracy blogs about how she's returned to Microsoft Journal and she offers four reasons why:
Ed brill and I have exchanged a few e-mails about the idea of Ink Enabling Lotus Notes for the Tablet PC. I hope that Ed will post his thoughts on his blog, so I won't steal his thunder. Meanwhile, I will share one of my emails that summarizes my thoughts on Lotus Notes for the Tablet PC and whether it is critical for IBM to address digital ink in the next release of Lotus Notes (R8).
Ed, Aside from my personal desires, I do not see this as business critical for IBM/Lotus today, but I do see a shift in what users will come to expect in the future. I agree that, in the business, market Tablets are still niche oriented and vertical market. However, the once-large price difference between a laptop and a Tablet PC form factor has diminished rapidly. As it does, more tablets will be sold and more people will expect to use their applications with a tablet.
Here's what I don't understand: Why should ANY application be "ink-enabled"? Seriously. Why? The way Microsoft have approached the Tablet PC is all wrong in this regard: ink-enabling should be an OS-level abstraction. Applications should just take advantage of what the host operating system offers, using its input managers and what-have-you. It seems crazy to me that the OS vendor is relying on application developers to push *their* technology in this way. I'm sure MS have their reasons for tackling the Table PC like this, but I must be missing something big time...
With as much progress as the Tablet PC continues to make with education, health care, legal, etc., it continues to surprise me as to how few business applications are ink-enabled. By ink-enabling, I'm referring to converting a note field to accept both ink and text, adjusting fields for context awareness so the TIP can be used more effectively, etc....
My answer: 1. Lotus Notes 2. Adobe Acrobat 3. SameTime
Did I mention Lotus Notes?
What business application would you love to see ink-enabled?
I recently deployed a Toshiba M400 for a client who could not wait any longer for the long-rumored X60 Tablet PC from Lenovo.
The Toshiba M400 is a nice Tablet PC and were it not for the challenges of getting good support from Toshiba I would recommend the M400 to anyone looking for a powerful Tablet PC. Of course, I warned my client that as soon as he purchased his new Toshiba M400, Lenovo would probably announce the X60.
I've just surfaced from 6 weeks of intense work, presentations, and client travel. Two weeks in Ojai with the David Allen Company, two weeks to complete and work on my eProductivity business plan, and two weeks of client travel to meet with clients who waited patiently during my absence. This, punctuated by a memorial service for my grandpa, my business plan presentation (miracle did occur), a dinner meeting with Marc Orchant and a delightful visit from my good friend, Michael Sampson and his Mac. (We enjoyed a very quick Thanksgiving dinner and church the next day, followed by a brief visit aboard a special aircraft.) Blog posts on all of these, coming soon.
I am going somewhere with this. I'm setting the stage for typically serious post-travel overwhelm. Whenever this happens, I apply the GTD work flow model to processing my stuff. I'm now wresting with last 100 emails (out of thousands) and a small stack of papers, 33 draft blog topic ideas, and a business plan to revise.
So, what does all of this have to do with using a 24" LCD Panel as a tool for visual project mapping?
Can you tell who's who? Listen to how Marc Orchant introduces my friend, Michael Sampson, now global VP of Word of Mouth Marketing for Foldera, on a recent On the Run with Tablet PC podcast:
Sorry Michael, I couldn't resist. :-)
Source: On the Run with Tablet PC Podcast #24 (listen at 5 min 15 seconds in) Better yet, click on the podcast link below for a 60 second sound byte.
Do you have specs of dust under the screen of your Tablet PC? Blog reader, Marcus, posted these steps on my blog, today. Note that I do not recommend or condone these steps as they will surely violate your warranty. Still, I think it is a shame that a Tablet PC experience should be marred by a few specs of dust under the screen. Hopefully, Tablet PC vendors will find ways to ensure that no dust can enter the gap between the screen protector and the screen. (What about a gasket?)
In any case, here are the steps that Marcus submitted:
For those of you following my Tecra M4 repair saga, UPS picked up my M4 on Friday and returned it today. That's a 3 working day turn-around. Impressive!
Interestingly, it did not go to a Toshiba Repair Depot. According to a reader of my blog, Sean, and the UPS tag, it went to a UPS repair depot. I was very concerned to hear this, but my M4 is back and I'm thankful for that. Before I brag too much about the repair service, though, all is not dust free in tablet-land.
I would normally not blog about this, but I continue to receive emails and blog inquiries, asking about the status of my Tecra M4 repair and my experience with Toshiba Technical support. You may recall that I recently became an unhappy Tablet PC user. The truth is that, up until today, I've done nothing about it, other than to copy my mission critical data to a Thinkpad so I can continue working. For me, the idea of calling overseas support ranks right up there with a root canal. To me, calling for my own computer repair is even worse, because it means unproductive and unbillable time. Most of my blog readers will probably want to skip over this post. For those, who are passionate about Tablet PC's or Toshiba (or both), you can follow my support call ... Continue Reading "Tecra M4 Repair Adventure Begins - Day One" »
I can't believe it. Just 3 days after my YABHTU announcement, my Tablet PC is really dying. This disappointing news does not change my position on Tablet PCs - I still think it's an ideal computing platform. And, optimistically, I still think that the Tecra M4 is the ideal Tablet PC for my needs. (At least until I can get my hands on one of these.)
My next challenge: Getting Toshiba to repair my M4. Quickly.
I'm not as concerned that my Tablet PC is showing its last pixels as I am concerned with how difficult it could be to get it repaired. As you may recall, my last call to Toshiba tech support was not a happy one.
The outcome of this experience will influence whether or not I purchase another Toshiba product and whether I allow my clients to do the same. I hope that Toshiba comes through for me and for my clients.
The fact that many dissatisfied Toshiba customers have been sending me their Tecra M4/Toshiba support problems, is not encouraging. James Stewart, of Otaku software, even blogged about his Toshiba Repair experience, stating that he will never buy Toshiba again.
I'm not ready to go that far. I like the M4 and I think it is an excellent tablet. I love the large screen, built-in multi-drive, and the overall design.
I now consider myself to be YABHTU. It feels good to say that. After a year of working with the Tablet PC in a variety of applications, I'm ready to join the ranks of the blissfully happy tablet users. (By the way, none of the wild guesses about this announcement even came close!)
A year ago, I approached the Tablet PC platform with great interest but reasonable skepticism. Since then, I've had the opportunity to conduct a number of intense 8-week challenges - some public, some private - that lead me to conclude that the Tablet PC platform offer a significant number of productivity features that will be of benefit to any kind of user. As a management student, I believe that every student, young or old, needs a Tablet PC.
It's been a year since I received my Tablet PC and almost a year since I opened the box. During that time, what I intended to be a very small part of my focus, has become a large project, with over 100 blog entries in my Tablet PC category.
I'll make a statement in the next few days. Meanwhile, if you want to review my experiences and podcasts, click here and read from the bottom up. See if you can guess what I'm going to announce.
I've been thinking a lot about my recent posts. I can't get the experience of working on a 24" Tablet PC out of my mind. it was great. Now, I want one. I'll put up with the size for the increased productivity and flexibility, even if it isn't as portable as some Tablet PCs.
Marc Orchant just posted his observations about booting Windows XP on a Mac. These are well and good and I'm all for increased competition (read: innovation) in the marketplace. Marc concludes his discussion:
Now, if Apple would just get off the stick and build a Tablet Mac that could also run Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, I would run, not walk, to buy one. Hey, a guy can dream, right?
For the record, if Apple wants to come out with an Ultra Wide-screen Tablet Mac, I'll switch, too.
Here's a perfect application for the new Ultra Wide-Screen Tablet PC. Musician, Hugh Sung, of Tablet PC Musician, just wrote me to tell me how he would use the new Ultra Wide-Screen Tablet PC. Hugh wants to use it as virtual sheet music with a foot switch for automatic page turning. What a terrific idea. Now I want two units - one for my office and one for my piano. Read Hugh's email and then share your comments about how you would use an Ultra Wide-screen Tablet PC. I'm sure that the manufacturer would love to hear from us. The more of us who speak up, the sooner we'll see this on the market.
Dear Eric, I'm a classical pianist who has been using Tablet PC's to completely replace my paper music library - in conjuction with my new wireless footswitch from Musebook, i'm able to turn pages without removing my hands from the keyboard (for musicians, that's a BIG deal!) Anyway, saw your blog about the UWSTPC (ultra widescreen tablet pc) and I have to say - this would be PERFECT for orchestra conductors! I've had several look wistfully at my system, envying the fact that I can carry my entire music library in the hard drive of my Fujitsu Stylistic ST5202D, but the 12.1 inch display is too small for the enourmous orchestra scores they have to lug around. Seeing your picture of the pre-production unit made me say, "YES!!!" This could be the perfect Tablet PC for orchestra conductors!
I hope your manufacturer friend will seriously consider making a presentation at next year's NAMM convention (NAMM is an arm of the International Music Products Association - www.namm.com ). I would love to see our orchestras adopt tablet pc's - once you can convince the conductors of the benefits of the technology, you'll start seeing it trickle down (hopefully) to the rest of the classical music community. Have fun with the unit 'till Monday! All the best, Hugh Sung
How would YOU use an Ultra Wide-screen Tablet PC?
Post a comment with your ideas. I wonder if I can get the manufacturer to give a unit away to the best application posted to this blog. It's worth a try. ;-)
Here's a first look of the new ultra wide-screen Tablet PC format. Watch the video and you'll see why I think this is the dream Tablet PC for people who need a larger screen for their work.
Click on the podcast link below to watch the streaming video. (1 min 20 seconds)
OK, this new Ultra Wide-Screen Tablet PC rocks! Talk about productivity! I love the size of this screen! Finally, a manufacturer that listens to what their customers want. It's about time. It's not light but it's packed full of power. Did I mention that the screen is really really big? (That's my Tecra M4 in the foreground.)
Battery life is, as you might expect - short - however, there are 4 additional expansion bays on the back of this thing that allow you to extend the power from a measly 120 minutes (I got only about 88 minutes, at full brightness) to upwards of 5 hours. Still, I don't see this as a portable tablet. It's certainly not going to make James Kendrick's list of super small mobile computing devices. No one will use this Tablet while standing in line at the airport and forget using it on the plane, except in First Class and only if you have a power outlet at your seat or carry your own productivity juice on board with you. It's simply too big. Still, if you're like me and you want all of the functionality and productive benefit from a Tablet PC in a larger form factor, then this is the type of unit you want.
Fellowes makes a laptop stand for the desk that looks like it would be useful as a tablet PC stand. I just found this picture on my Treo from a shopping expedition earlier this month.
Well, there's something, big in that large computer box. The box is not as heavy as it's size would seem to indicate, so it's probably just packed extremely well. That's promising.
Here's a picture of Amy and Wendy, coming down the driveway, with the box that FedEx just delivered. (Captured on my Treo 650)
I guess my blog posts about my ideal Tablet PC haven't gone unnoticed. At least one Tablet PC manufacturer is actively reading my blog. [You can probably guess that it's not my current Tablet PC manufacturer.] I just got off the phone with an excited representative from a well known computer manufacturer who called to let me know that, because of my blog, I've been selected to evaluate one of their new ultra-wide screen Tablet PCs. She promised me that it was perfect for Tablet PC mind-mapping and that I would be very happy with the display resolution and size.
One of the challenges of using digital productivity tools for extended periods of time is endurance. Last week, I found a solution to this challenge.
Many new increases in portable computing power require equally significant increases in battery power. I'm not complaining. My Tecra M4 is not nearly as heavy as my first computer. Still, it's hard to boast about the utility of Tablet PCs and mind mapping software when I can barely get more than 2 hours of use out of my system. Again, I'm not complaining [much] but I want a solution I can use for 8-10 hours at a stretch, even when I don't have access to AC power. I considered travelling with a small super-quiet Honda generator, however, I decided against this approach in pursuit of a better solution.
James Kendrick once mentioned that he uses an extended-run-time battery pack, from BatteryGeek. I had resolved to buy a BatteryGeek power pack to use at the GTD RoadMap seminar in Santa Monica. Unfortunately, I did not receive a response to my email inquiry in time to place my order. Time was running out; I had to get creative ...
Remember the commercial where all you see is the upper floor of an office building; then suddenly the mirrored glass shatters and a CRT monitor flies through the window and smashes into the parking lot a few stories below?
I've been away from the blog for a while to visit with my family, work on a few client projects, and study.This topic, however, brought me back to the blog. It even made me think of a new challenge.
I can't stand it. My Tecra M4 Tablet PC is so loud that it is unusable in a conference room or classroom. And, it's getting progressively worse. I don't dare turn it on in public places. My only option is to set the CPU to the lowest setting so that the fan will come on less frequently. Unfortunately, when the fan does come on, everyone in the room knows.
For the record, here are links to two recordings to document show just how loud my Tecra M4 Tablet is:
As I've stated before, I like the M4 for its wide-screen and computing power. There are just a few problems that prevent me from loving it: (Fan Noise, Dust under screen, High pitch squeal, and a problem with my SD Card reader.) Again, I'm sure that these could all be fixed in just a few days, however, given the reports from other Toshiba Tablet PC users who've sent their units in for repair, it could be a very long and frustrating time before I see my tablet again. For that reason, I will try to wait a while longer.
I know, from experience, that if this were an IBM ThinkPad, I could get the problem resolved in 72 hours or less. I would call IBM, they would ship a box and pick up the unit the next day, two days later I would have a working laptop back. Apparently, according to my colleagues, this is not the way it works with Toshiba.
As you know, I like to blog about my "challenges," but this is not a challenge I'm up to.
Well, my posts on the merits of high resolution desktop displays as a productivity tool (See here and here.) have generated quite a bit of discussion. The bottom line, if you work on a computer at a desk, get the largest high resolution display that a) your video card will support, b) your desk will hold, and c) your wallet can withstand.
This week, we conclude the paperless challenge discussion by answering your questions. In case you missed the previous segments, here are links to part one, two, and three. [Update: 2/15/2006 9:30 AM: I've fixed the link to point to part four.]
Listen in as I discuss my 8-week paperless challenge with my guest, Tablet PC MVP, Tracy Hooten, of The Student Tablet PC blog. This podcast covers the various aspects of the paperless challenge, its inspiration, how we prepared for it, the tools and methodologies used and the lessons we learned. Most important, we answer the many paperless challenge questions posted to our blogs or sent to us by email over the last several months.
Yesterday's post on the ultimate
display for mind mapping has
already generated considerable discussion, both on and off the blog. Special
thanks to my friends in the blogsphere for getting the word out.
I'm presently exploring whether (or not) the extra screen area a 30"
display running at 2048x1536 represents a substantial productivity gain
over a 24" display at its native 1920x1200 resolution for mind mapping
with MindManager. (Assume, for a moment, that price is not an issue.)
Fellow Tablet PC blogger, James Kendrick,
has put together a great video
demo of his Tablet PC and how
he's using it. It's useful (and much appreciated) efforts like this that
remind me that I need to spend a little more time sharing links to blogs
I enjoy. Nice work, James!
This week, we continue the paperless challenge
discussion by answering your questions. In case you missed the previous
segments, here are links to part one
and two.
Listen in as I discuss my 8-week
paperless challenge with my
guest, Tablet PC MVP, Tracy Hooten, of The
Student Tablet PC blog. This
podcast covers the various aspects of the paperless challenge, its inspiration,
how we prepared for it, the tools and methodologies used and the lessons
we learned. Most important, we answer the many paperless challenge questions
posted to our blogs or sent to us by email over the last several months.
Are you using a very high-resolution (greater
than 1280 x1024) monitor with your Toshiba Tecra M4 (or other) Tablet PC?
If so, I'd like to hear from you. You see, I'm planning to purchase a very
high resolution monitor for mind mapping use and I've been researching
various options. The productivity benefits of using multiple displays are
significant. At one time, back in the CRT days, I had 5 CRT's on my desk
and it was great.
The challenge is finding and selecting an LCD monitor that matches the
Tablet PC output at its native resolution. Any mismatch and the monitor
will likely shrink or stretch the video, resulting in a blurry image. Further,
according to the tech notes I've been reading many Tablet PC video cards
will not put out the full range of display resolutions to the external
port. That's why I'd like to hear from anyone who's currently using (or
thinking about using) a Tablet PC with an external monitor at 1280x1024
or higher.
This is segment two of the paperless challenge
podcast. You can find segment one here.
Listen in as I discuss my 8-week
paperless challenge with my
guest, Tablet PC MVP, Tracy Hooten, of The
Student Tablet PC blog. This
podcast covers the various aspects of the paperless challenge, its inspiration,
how we prepared for it, the tools and methodologies used and the lessons
we learned. Most important, we answer the many paperless challenge questions
posted to our blogs or sent to us by email over the last several months.
If you've haven't already seen these two
narrated videos, demonstrating the features of Windows Vista, head
on over to Bruce Elgort's web site and for a preview.
Apparently, Microsoft has closed
the customer-developer feedback loop
for improved programmer productivity. (Pay
close attention; there are several Tecra M4's in the video). Too bad WE-SYP
was not active back in August.
I'm surprised Michael
hasn't already blogged about this. I'm not worried, though. I'm sure he
will find a way to sneak another jab in when I least
expect it.
I've blogged quite a bit about my paperless
challenge and my desire for
innovation on the part of publishers - specifically, providing customers
with books in formats that they want, will use, and are willing to pay
for. At the same time, Michael Hyatt, President and CEO of Thomas Nelson
Publishers has made several thought-provoking posts on the death
of traditional book publishing
and how publishers must adapt to the digital age.
Thanks to Calrion, a reader of my blog, I've just learned about an unconventional
publisher that offers its books in print, PDF, and print+PDF.
But wait, there's more!
How would a pen based scanner like the
RC800 impact your digital lifestyle? Rob
Bushway has generously offered
to award a brand new DocuPen RC800 Mobile Scanner to the most compelling
answer to that question.
If the RC800 would allow me to bring
images into programs like Acrobat or OneNote in near real-time, it would
make an ideal companion for my paperless challenge. I won't hide the fact
that I'd really like to evaluate a small ultra-portable scanner;
the RC800 looks like a nice solution. This evening I told Marc Orchant
that I was trying to think up a compelling reason why Rob should pick me;
I joked that I hoped my reason would be more compelling than whatever Tracy
over at the Student
Tablet PC blog might think up.
Although Tracy's not yet posted her
reason, I think she would be an excellent person to get the pen. I'm sure
that it would be a big help to her as she works with OneNote and I'm certain
that she would tell us all about her experiences scanning documents into
OneNote and Acrobat. This would add great value to the Tablet PC Community.
If you would like to tell Rob why you
think YOU should receive the pen, visit his blog
for details.
If you have experience successfully
using a pen like the RC800 to scan documents into OneNote and Adobe Acrobat
in near-real-time, I'd like to hear from you.
Thank you, Rob, for your offer. It's
inspired me to think about sharing some of the goodies in my lab. I hope
you don't mind if I copy your idea.
Shameless Hint: If the folks at DocuPen
want to send me an RC800 DocuPen to evaluate, I'll certainly put it through
a serious challenge and blog about it - especially if it works better than
this
attempt to scan on the
run.
In our paperless
challenge podcast, Tracy Hooten,
of the Student Tablet PC blog, told me that she wanted to to reevaluate
OneNote.
I shared my experiences and I told her
that although I had worked with OneNote
at 30'000 feet, I'd not really
put OneNote a thorough evaluation in a production environment. It
told her it was something I was planning to do. I'll probably draft
up a new challenge soon, using OneNote. I'm particularly interested to
evaluate the pros and cons of using OneNote and GTD.
In any case, you can read about Tracy's
OneNote adventures here.
If you'd like to learn about OneNote for collaboration, be sure to
listen to Amy & Wendy's podcast on OneNote
and Shared Sessions.
I'll edit and post the next segment
of the paperless challenge podcast as soon as I free up some more disk
space. If you've subscribed to this site's RSS feed then you'll be
among the first to know about it.
Listen in as I discuss my 8-week
paperless challenge with my guest,
Tablet PC MVP, Tracy Hooten, of The
Student Tablet PC blog. This
podcast covers the various aspects of the paperless challenge, its inspiration,
how we prepared for it, the tools and methodologies used and the lessons
we learned. Most important, we answer the many paperless challenge questions
posted to our blogs or sent to us by email over the last several months.
My paperless
challenge was a success. It
even led me to ask and research an interesting question.
As a result, I've decided to do two things: 1) podcast to share what I've
learned along the way, and 2) announce another challenge that I've committed
to. (I'm still working out the details; more on that soon.)
As for the podcast on my recent paperless challenge., I plan to share some
of my experiences and lessons learned and make a few recommendations. If
you have a question that you'd like to ask, send me an email with your
question (typed or audio file attachment) and I'll include it in the podcast.
I do not presently have a co-host for this podcast. I thought it might
be fun to extend the invitation for a co-host. If you'd like to nominate
yourself, drop me an email and tell me why. I hope to do this in the next
week or so, schedule permitting.
After nearly two weeks off the blog, I
finished writing a paper that addresses this question and this week, I
presented my research to my cohort in a fast-paced 50-slide, 12 minute,
Dick
Hardt-style presentation.
I'd like to publicly thank my friend, Bruce
Elgort for the inspiration
and the excellent example
at the LVNUG. I think my presentation went very well, though I would
have liked to have rehearsed it a bit more. I recorded the presentation,
however, I've not listened to it yet. Perhaps when I have some free time,
I'll put it on-line, though by now, you're probably tired of my blogging
on this subject. I should probably find something else to write about for
a while.
I really enjoyed my business law course, even though it was only a "survey"
of the topic. I have a renewed admiration for the legal profession. I think
one of my most useful takeaways from this course, in addition to what I
learned about business law, was learning how to use the IRAC
format to analyze cases. This
is a great critical thinking tool that can be applied to almost any situation.
With respect to the photo above, the doctrine of First Sale permits
me to do whatever I want with the physical book that I purchased
- except for copying it. The Fair Use Exemption of the Copyright
Law, however, provides guidelines for whether (or not) a copyrighted work
may be copied without the permission of the copyright holder. Basically,
there are four elements to the fair use consideration. These are: Purpose,
Nature, Amount, and Effect. I believe that I made a compelling case that
scanning my legally acquired (that is, paid for) textbook for my
own personal noncommercial use, sufficiently meets the criteria to fall
within the fair use exemption. *
I get asked this question often, both in
email and in the comments on this blog.
I've noticed that my fan noise levels have been increasing lately, probably
due to a bad fan. I
thought I would document the noise levels and answer the questions of many
who have asked at the same time.
Listen to this 2.5 minute podcast and hear for yourself.
The answer may not be as simple as you'd
think. If Michael
Hyatt is right about the
death of traditional book publishing,
then it stands to reason that many people, armed with an array of PDAs,
Tablet PCs and ePaper devices (like this
one) will want to put digital
copies of books they already own on these devices. In fact, I believe that
they will expect that they should be able to do so.
Is
it legal to scan a textbook?
Creating such PDF+text versions of the book would make be a very useful
tool. However would scanning "Law for Business" to produce an
electronic version be lawful or are there copyright law issues?
Pascal
poses a particularly relevant question. I am not an attorney, but given
the specific subject and my interest in the law, I feel obligated to look
into this further. Furthermore, I promised to look into it and share my
discoveries on this blog.
As I began to research this topic, I found considerable information and
opinions, but few answers. I've already created a large mind map with the
information and references I've collected on this topic. [My business law
professor encouraged me to change my final project to deal with this topic,
so I have increased motivation (and a grade) riding on what I learn along
the way.]
The answer to this question could greatly affect how people use emerging
technologies such as the Tablet PC, PDAs or other ePaper Devices.
Below, I've mapped out my response
(or defense) to this question. I hope you'll read along, comment on my
thoughts, and join in the discussion. This is a topic that will affect
all of us.
The 1st Annual Life
On The Wicked Stage Ink Blot
Awards have been handed
out and the Mack's received
several of the highly distinguished awards. (Well, we did not actually
receive anything - like money or a golden statue - but it's an honor
nonetheless. *)
Ink blot awards host and Tablet PC MVP, Warner
Crocker, had this to say at
the ceremony:
The Tableteers that make up the Tablet PC
Community are an amazing collection of individuals who know and work with
the Tablet PC platform. They are fiercely protective of it, insatiably
curious about advancing it, very intelligent, often wickedly funny, at
one time very forgiving and patient, and in the same breath, scathingly
critical when the need arises. They are also exceedingly willing to evangelize
the platform to anyone who will listen, and in my humble opinion, have
helped keep the spotlight on The Tablet PC in ways that may, in the long
run, prove to be responsible for keeping the platform thriving.
I
had no idea I spent so much time blogging about my tablet.
Thanks, Warner!
* I hoped I might receive a coveted Tablet
PC guy; apparently, these
guys are extremely difficultt to come by so I'll just have to keep on wishing...
(Hint, Hint)
Many months ago, while researching what
others had to say about their Tablet PC experience, I coined the term,
YABHTU, to describe folks like Marc Orchant, Warner Crocker, James Kendricks
and others as they shared their experiences with their new Tablet PC. I
wanted to experience the same, but I remained skeptical. Little did I know
that this simple term, intended to keep me from having to type out "Yet
Another Blissfully Happy Tablet User"
each time I wrote about it, would become an internet phenomenon.
Many people have written to ask me how
long it takes to create a searchable PDF (PDF+Text) document from a book.
This weekend, I decided to time the process outlined here.
Book scanning is the most time-consuming method of digitizing paper. Unlike
loose pages, which can be scanned using a sheet-fed scanner, book pages
must be manually turned for each scan. A specialize book scanner can help
to greatly reduce time it takes to make a quality scan. A traditional scanner
is impractical for scanning more than a few pages.
I scanned a nine chapters, totalling 154 pages of text, including illustrations,
and diagrams, for an average of 4.7 minutes of total time (manual scanning
+ conversion to PDF + OCR) per chapter. The average per-page processing
time is approximately seventeen seconds (rounded up).
One step on my paperless
challenge mind map is to convert
my 1096 page "Law for Business" text book into a searchable PDF
file. Why PDF+TEXT? Beyond the obvious ability to search for text, Adobe
Acrobat allows me to highlight text and then review only the highlights
as a summary. (See yesterday's entry on highlighting
Acrobat documents on the Tablet PC).
For months I've been battling an irritating
and elusive slow-down whenever I would attempt to do operations that involved
windows explorer. Some times, these delays could be as long as 45 seconds.
This became the source of tremendous humor to my friend, whom I shall not
name, who, as a result, suggested that I was a deProductivity
Specialist, not an eProductivity
Specialist. (Sticks and stones, Michael)
Anyway, the short version of my discovery is that I found that I have either
a bad SD card (which I usually keep in the SD card slot) or perhaps a problem
with the built-in SD card reader in my M4. In any case, I removed the card
and now my system zips along.
Apparently, as best as I can tell, the corrupt card (or reader) created
a problem for windows explorer as each file operation causes explorer to
consider all available devices, resulting in a significant delay
when a device does not respond properly.
I don't think that this is the cause of all of my slow-down problems, but
I now believe it's at least a major player.
Special thanks to fellow paperless challenge
partner, Tracy Hooten, of The Student Tablet PC, for her detailed post
showing me how to collect highlights made in Acrobat on to one page for
quick and easy review. (See my previous post: "The
Perfect Tablet PC Highlighting Application")
I was speaking with Eric Mack and he mentioned his
search for a program which kept track of what you highlighted. It didn't
dawn on me until then that Acrobat may be an answer (though not ideal).
If you've used Adobe Acrobat 7.0 before, you likely know that you can mark-up
your PDF files by highlighting text, underlining text, and adding comments.
By selecting a commenting option and using the comment list/summary, you
can give yourself a list of every word you mark up.
I've received many requests for my paperless
challenge brainstorm map.
I've updated my original post
with links to my source file, created in MindManager, and a PDF file of
the map.
For non-IE users, click here
to download the MindManager map
For a PDF version, click here
Several readers have asked me to share my planning map for my Paperless Challenge. This afternoon, I created a MindManager map and dumped all of my current thoughts and ideas into it.
Here's the map.
Note, you will have to allow the Active-X control to see the MindManager viewer. You can move around, resize, print, or even download the map to your own PC. I recommend that you click on the menu button and open the map in a new window.
I can already tell you that the first challenge I faced today was my habit of printing my completed mind map out on a large 11x17 piece of paper. I like paper. I'm curious to see what my thoughts are in a few weeks. I can take comfort in thinking about all the InkJet cartridges I'll save. :-)
If you want to follow along and have not already subscribed to this blog, here's a link to the blog and comment feed.
For those of you who are interested in how I embedded the map viewer into my blog, it was really quite easy. Embedding the map amounted to pasting in a few lines of code. (See here for details)
UPDATE 11/1/2005 For non-IE users, click here to download the MindManager map For a PDF version, click here
Ti Le, Market Research Manager, Toshiba
America Information Systems, sent me an email (perhaps you received one
too?) with a generic reply-to address asking me to complete an on-line
survey to find out what I think about my recent Tecra M4 purchase. I guess
Ti Le does not read my blog. :-(
From the wording of the survey questions, it appears that they were more
interested in looking for additional sales opportunities than they were
in knowing what I thought of my recent purchase. I decided to tell
them anyway, in the tiny comment field provided at the end of the survey
form:
I've always held that there's no such thing
as the paperless office, but that there is the promise of a less-paper
office. Well, I hope to prove one of these statements true.
Clients are watching and smiling A client smiled yesterday, when I described
this challenge. As a productivity coach, she's seen too many people get
caught up in the tools only to reduce their productivity. I've had the
same observation and experience. This challenge maybe no different. I explained
that my objective was not necessarily to prove that it could be
done, but to learn what was practical. I fully expect that there
are areas in which I will become less productive by eliminating paper;
at the same time I expect to discover areas where I can honestly say that
the Tablet PC has made a significant improvement in my work.
When I advise clients who inquire about
the productive benefits of using a Tablet PC along with applications such
as OneNote or perhaps MindManager or some other tablet app, I want to be
able to tell them (and show them) from experience what I've concluded.
So for me, whatever the outcome, this will be a success in that I will
know first hand, what works.
Inspired by this
post, I've decided to challenge
myself to see if I can effectively use my Tablet PC as a total replacement
for pen, paper, and books. Next week, I start an intense 8-week business
law course and I've decided to use this course as the subject of my next
Tablet PC challenge. My objective is to determine what the benefits/drawbacks
of using a TabletPC as my sole tool (to replace pen, paper, and yes, even
Post-Its) for the next 10 weeks. I've previously blogged about scanning
and annotation tools. Now, I'm going to see if I can live with all of these
tools in an intense way for the next two months. I figure this will be
the tipping point for my use of a Tablet PC. Through this experiment, I'm
certain to find things that I like, things that I dislike, and hopefully,
a suitable collection of tools and best practices to help me use the Tablet
in the most efficient way possible.
Why am I doing this? Well, for the past few months, I've used my Tecra
M4 more as a laptop than a tablet. Some of this is due to the software
issues I've previously reported. Some of this is because I got out of the
habit of using the tablet after the various systems problems.
I still believe in the Tablet PC as a computing platform for the future.
The question, for me, is whether or not it's truly a viable and productive
tool for the present - at least my present.
This weekend, I took the Family to the
RoboNexus
robotics conference in San Jose. It was a wonderful opportunity for me
to visit with my wife and children and to visit my mother-in-law in the
hospital.
I took the M4 along for the ride on Amtrak's San Joaquin to Northern California;
I wanted to test my new prototype Tablet PC stand. Here's the blog update
from the train.
I'm looking for an application that will
allow me to highlight, organize, and retrieve specific selections of text
- based not on what I write, but on what I highlight.
Many note-taking programs for the Tablet PC, such as OneNote or GoBinder,
will allow me to highlight text in a variety of colors. Acrobat even allows
this, though with a limited interface. I want to do more ... It's
the retrieval part that is most important to me. I want to search and
retrieve, not by text, but by the color of what I've highlighted.
Tonight I heard a very compelling
reason for using a Tablet PC and I heard it on the Tablet
PC Show #23. Twenty minutes
into the show, Tracy Hoooten, of the Student
Tablet PC Blog explained to
James Kendrick why she preferred the Tablet PC over a traditional laptop:
You'll probably find this video of interest,
even if you're not a traditional student,
James Kendrick posted a link
to a 3
minute video by Scott
Guthrie that answers the question “why students need tablets.” I agree
with James' assessment that it's well worth the 3 minutes. It's a fun look
at the "potential" for Tablet PCs as a computing platform; the
video showcases a variety of Tablet PC productivity applications.
The video has two parts: life before
tablet, portrayed in dull black and white, and life after tablet,
in Technicolor with the Charlie Brown theme. No reboots are shown in the
video, leading us to conclude that the experience was a happy one for everyone
In the video. :-) (Sorry, I couldn't resist) Seriously, I'd like
to see a similar video featuring business applications. There are many.
I'll start collecting ideas.
Earlier this week, I blogged about how
not to break your nose while reading a Tablet PC.
I promised to post photos of my discovery of the ultimate Tablet PC (or
big book) stand. First, I want to thank for your patience and your
prayers. It's been a very trying week, dealing with family medical issues
made worse by a Tablet that wouldn't boot. My mother-in-law is showing
small signs of improvement, and we're thankful for that.
Here, at last, are the long-promised photos of the computing stand that
I found in the ICU ...
[Warning: This blog post is on the boring
side and will probably interest only those with Toshiba Tablet PCs. Many
non-tablet readers of my blog will want to skip over this rant, unless
they are interested in examples of TCFDTLAIDBWFS *]
I'm taking the time to post this, not to whine, but to raise the awareness
level of how vendors, in this case, Toshiba, could take simple steps to
create satisfied customers. (Of course that supposes that vendors read
blogs to find out what their customers and people who recommend their products
have to say.) Perhaps Lora, Warner, JK, Rob, or Marc will make some noise
about this and kick this into the mainstream. [Hint.] If Toshiba (or any
vendor wants to talk with me, I would be happy to receive your call.
You know where to find me.)
Shame on you Toshiba. You left me out in
the cold, with nothing to write on but my pen
and paper.
To my readers: The
key take-away from this post is to make sure that you have "Original
Setup CD-Rom" for your computer, not just the product recovery CDs.
Wednesday, I turned on my M4 to find
this error message at boot-up:
I don't hold Toshiba (or Microsoft)
responsible for the above system error. Those things happen - at least
on PC's. :-) What I do hold Toshiba responsible for is not giving me a
simple tool that I could have used to effect my own repair - the master
Windows XP install disks for my system. I know that you are not the
only vendor to withhold the Master XP install CD's from their systems.
I suspect that most do it and when questioned, will all point to Microsoft
as the root problem. Perhaps that's true; but I'm your customer and I need
to fix my system. I'm counting on you, my vendor, to equip me to succeed
with your product.
Yesterday, when I received the error
message, I was 100 miles from home; I had no choice but to switch from
Tablet PC to legal tablet until I could return home to find my folder with
all my Toshiba M4 information in it. I arrived home last night with
the goal of getting my M4 back on-line. I planned to insert the disk, repair
the damaged file and get back to work. That's when I remembered that Toshiba
does not provide the Master Windows XP installation CD with the M4. In
fact, they don't provide any CD. Shame on you, Toshiba. Even my snow blower
vendor gave me a backup set of keys with my purchase.
I don't know what marketing exec at
Toshiba (or perhaps Microsoft) is patting himself on the back for saving
$0.09 by not including the original product install CD with the M4,
Shame on you.
Toshiba, I hold you to blame - not
for my windows problem, but for failing to equip me with the master install
disk so that I could take care of my own problem. Toshiba, I'm your customer
and I've given you over 3950 reasons why you should have provided me with
the master XP install disk with my new M4 Tablet PC. Help me help
myself (and my clients) and I'll be a happy camper.
For those who are curious, I did create
a set of system recovery disks as soon as I received the Tablet. I even
booted up using System Recovery disks tonight to see if I could make the
repair from the recovery disk. The only option provided is to restore my
system to it's factory condition, complete with the Toshiba-provided
spamware. No thanks.
I wonder if the folks at Toshiba and
Microsoft realize that when Windows XP says it needs the master install
disk to repair a damaged file, it really needs the master install disks
- not a system recovery CD? If The Microsoft OS wants the original
disk to do a proper file repair, then that's what I expect to be provided
by the vendor. An excuse about OEM licenses won't cut it.
I can hear it now, Michael Sampson and
Michael Hyatt are gonna say that I should have bought a Mac.
Perhaps. Still, I want to give the Tablet
PC a good shot. I like the promise of the Tablet and I'm reasonably pleased
with the M4 hardware.
Is Eric Mack just a whiner with his
own blog? Perhaps. But my clients and even a few friends look to me
for my experience and advice on Technology. Tablet PCs are on their
minds. I want to be able to point to my M4 and say, "Yeah, I like
my Tablet PC as much if not more than I like my ThinkPad T42p; get the
same tablet that I have."
My clients count on me to share my experiences
with specific hardware and specific vendors. They want to benefit from
my experience by buying (or not buying) products I've tested. For that
reason, I'll keep testing.
This is one huge step away from my becoming
YABHTU. Too bad,
I'm testing my ability to work on a completely paper-based system. That's right. Paper. (Michael's probably smiling right now, perhaps even drafting his next comment about analog productivity. That's OK, I'm quite happy to provide amusement to my friends.)
My sudden move to paper wasn't a planned one. Somewhere between the hotel and David Allen's office, my Tecra M4 OS decided to crash. It wants me to reboot with the original Windows install disk. Guess what? Nevermind. I'll have to wait until I get home tomorrow to see if my product recovery disks can be used instead. Otherwise, I'll test to see if I can recover all of my system, along with the "free" bonus software, which Toshiba so generously provided. You can probably sense my excitement.
Fortunately, I use Lotus Notes, so almost all of my files have been replicated elsewhere. (If I can repair my OS, then I can grab the current versions, otherwise, I'll use the replicas.)
Though the timing could not be worse, I have considered how I might change things on my tablet, if I ever had a reason or an opportunity to reload. Well, I now have such an "opportunity."
As I wrote recently, I'm pleased with the M4 hardware. Other than the DVD power issue (which I hope to find a solution for) and an occasionally loud fan, I'm very pleased with the Tecra M4 hardware. Now my focus will be on the software side of the equation. Once I get everything tuned the way that I want it, I'll make a declaration as to whether or not I consider myself YABHTU.
Here's how you can help:
If you've recently loaded/reloaded your Tecra M4 Tablet PC from scratch, or if you're aware of a blog detailing the process for an M4 or an M200, I'd like to hear from you. I've documented everything I've done to date; however, I certainly want to take advantage of any new knowledge gained. (I believe that Warner and Marc recently documented their experiences; links welcome guys.)
As a continual learner, I read many books;
many of them are big and heavy. I've tried reclining on my bed or the couch
with the book propped up in front of my face so that I could be more comfortable
while I read. Perhaps you've tried this, too. This arrangement usually
works fine for me for a few minutes, at least until I'm woken up by the
sharp nasal pains caused by big and heavy book falling on my nose.
After encountering this situation on
one too many occasion, I decided to do some observation and study into
its root causes. I concluded that the problem was that there was no way
to easily turn the page from this position; this in turn led to boredom
[continually looking at the same page] which lead to a relaxed state
of being, [while waiting for the page to somehow turn by itself] which
led to slumber, which lead to a near-broken nose while studying.
I did many repeat experiments under
similar conditions to validate my findings (which is why there's no photo
of my smiling face with this blog entry).
A few years ago, I determined that I
should do something about this problem. As a robotics enthusiast,
I decided that there must be a way to build a stand to hold my book with
an automated page turner. I scoured the Internet for ideas; I even wrote
to The Christopher Reeve Foundation to ask for ideas and to offer to share
mine. Surely I was not the first person with this interest/need. My initial
searches & inquiries returned nothing.
Well, that was a few years ago; I eventually
did find a mechanism that would automatically turn the page of a book;
I found it in a medical supply catalog for patients with disabilities.
Unfortunately, there were approximately 3,950 reasons why it might not
work for my application.
A few months ago I purchased Tecra M4
Tablet PC. This allowed me to scan in my text books and other materials
that I wanted to study and read them on the tablet from a relaxed position.
Once again, I thought back to my book stand/page turner idea. With the
Tablet PC, I didn't need the robotic page-turner. I could used timed page
turns or use a a Bluetooth mouse or Logitech cordless presenter to let
me control the turn of each page. This was great.
But it wasn't. I soon realized that
I had another more serious reading hazard to contend with...
A Tecra M4 Tablet PC falling on my
face could kill me
Not one to be easily discouraged by
technical problems - even in the face of life-threatening risks such as
these, I renewed my search for the ultimate Tablet PC stand* - one that
would allow me to [safely] read in any position, no matter how relaxed
I got.
If you're still reading this far, you'll
be delighted to know that I recently found my ultimate Tablet PC stand.*
I do not have one - yet- but I've sat in front of one for several
days now, and I'm inspired to think about getting/building one for myself
soon.
Still interested? Let me know, and I'll
post some pictures soon.
* I thought about calling this UTPCS,
but I didn't want to torture Marc Orchant and James Kendrick with Yet
Another Acronym, so for the time-being, no cute name.
While I relaxed yesterday, Michael got
the jump on me by writing an excellent post with suggestions about the
type of people the he thinks will benefit the most from a Tablet PC.
Michael suggests that the business people who will benefit the most from
a Tablet PC are those who:
Spend Lots of Time in Meetings
Use Sketches and Drawings to Communicate
Lead Seminars, Courses and Workshops
Review and Edit Letters, Documents and
Other Papers.
Like to Use a Whiteboard for Communicating
and Sharing Information.
Michael and I agree that it is likely that the Tablet PC, as a mobile computing
platform, will eventually replace laptops as the device of choice. I'm
still looking for a brilliant Tablet PC developer to step forward with
a solution to last week's challenge.
Meanwhile, I'll work on the software side of the YABHTU equation. Michael's
got a good list, and we're on the same page/screen.
Shawn
Erdenberg recently posted
a 10-part
review of his Tecra M4 Tablet PC.
It looks like our experiences and opinions are quite similar (except that
Shawn's obviously got way too much free time between classes). If you are
looking for a detailed geek-review of the M4, this is a must read. Be sure
to check out the comment threads, too.
Nice work, Shawn. Are you YABHTU yet? Skype me at eProductivityGuy and
we'll talk.
Perhaps we can reach consensus on what it will take for us to get there.
Patrick
Mayfield Skyped me yesterday
to introduce himself and to ask me if I was YABHTU yet. I told him that
I was getting much closer, but that there were still a few issues to work
out before I would make that claim.
After our chat, I thought about it and I decided that I should break down
the scope of what it means to be YABHTU between the hardware and software
of the Tablet PC Platform. Today, I'll discuss briefly the hardware side
of the equation. I've now had the Toshiba Tecra M4 for just over two months.
In that time, I've shared my experiences working with and adapting to this
new Tablet PC. When I met with David
Allen this week, I told him
that I see tremendous promise for the Tablet PC platform and his next computer
is likely to be a Tablet PC; however, based on my experience to date, I'm
not yet ready to advocate that he or my other clients rush out and switch
today. Still, I'm working with the Tablet PC. I want to find out what it
takes to make me YABHTU so that I can serve and advise my clients on this
technology in the future.
Back to the hardware. Yesterday, I prototyped a custom stand for my M4
which has made all the difference when I work at my desk. The stand itself
is not terribly pretty, but what it has done for me is amazing. Instead
of leaving my M4 in laptop mode while at my desk, I'm now using it mostly
in tablet mode. This of course, has increased the number of hours I spend
working with it in tablet mode; it has also improved my perception of the
unit as a whole. I've found that, running in high-power mode, most of the
problems (which I suspect to be Tablet OS & Driver related) do not
affect me.
Battery life remains an issue, but not a big one. I understand that I have
the mother of all Tablet PCs in terms of screen and computing power and
that takes a lot of energy to operate. While I wish the battery life were
better for me, I'm pleased with the results. Remember: I believe that I
have a hardware TPC OS Driver issue that is affecting my ability to run
in speed-step reduced-power mode reliably. Once/if this ever gets fixed,
I expect that I can run in low-power mode the majority of the time, in
which case I would definitely be thrilled about the battery life. (Until
I learn new information otherwise, I shall assume that this is indeed a
software problem only. (Again, I'll cover software in a future post.)
I've also grown accustomed to the various design features of the M4 - and
many of them have grown on me. I've gotten used to the keyboard, placement
of lights, switches, etc.. In fact, now that I've used the M4 for a few
months, I can now see the wisdom of the design placement for all of these,
So, what remains for me to become YABHTU as far as the Tecra M4 Tablet
PC hardware is concerned?
Not much.
My only current hardware issue with the M4 is the issue of the DVD drive.
I enjoy the drive and all of its features - including the ability to read
and burn DL DVD-R media. What I do not like - and what I consider to be
a serious design omission - is that the drive pops out whenever I brush
against the eject button. I'm constantly concerned that my drive will suddenly
eject and snap off.
This is not a difficult problem for a brilliant Tablet PC developer to
solve.
In fact, I've already mapped out what I want...
Eric's challenge to all Tablet PC developers:
I want a system-tray utility that will keep power to
the DVD drive off at all times (even after a reboot). This will prevent
the DVD drive from accidentally ejecting when I do not want it to. Further,
it will reduce power consumption. This system tray utility should only
turn on the power when I click on it; and then, when I click to enable
power, it should pop-up a list of durations to choose from (10 min, 20
min, 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, indefinitely). This way, when the duration
has been reached, or the tablet is rebooted, the DVD drive will once again
be powered off. I will save battery life, and more important, I won't have
the problem of the drive suddenly popping out when I least expect it.
[Update: After thinking about this further,
I would like to see a "power-off" after xx minutes of inactivity.
This would probably be the most useful and flexible option. Of course,
as long as I'm dreaming, I might as well ask that any drive access originated
by the system be allowed to power up the drive, too.]
I know that Toshiba presently provides a DVD power utility in the system
tray. The problem is that the default mode of this utility is for DVD power
to be ON at all times. If you reboot the tablet, the DVD drive returns
to power on mode.
Toshiba engineers came close but missed the point and value of DVD power
saving. While I'm at it, they missed the opportunity to simply create a
"DVD Power" setting within the Toshiba Tablet PC Power Management
utility, too. The ideal would be to be able to manage DVD power both with
the power management utility and at the system tray.
Hopefully, someone will take me up on this challenge. If they do, it will
bring me one step closer to becoming YABHTU, at least as far as the hardware
is concerned.
One of the highlights of the Collaborative
Technologies Conference was
the opportunity for me to attend and participate with my colleague, Michael
Sampson in his 7
Pillars of IT Enabled Team Productivity
workshop. Over the course of a the day, Michael walked us through each
of the 7 Pillars. Throughout Michael's workshop, we split up into smaller
groups to work on exercises designed to focus on specific areas of team
productivity. It was great to hear what organizations, large and small,
are doing to IT enable their team productivity. (There were many Notes/Domino
organizations present, although IBM was notably absent).
During the section on shared spaces, Michael and I gave a live demonstration
of OneNote shared sessions, using our new Tecra M4 Tablet PCs.
Michael used OneNote to mindmap the session objectives
Prior to the conference, Michael and I spent a lot of time working with
OneNote
shared sessions - the ability
for multiple people to take notes simultaneously. Before our trip, Amy
and Wendy met us in the Digital Sandbox and treated us to a live 4-way
demonstration of OneNote and
Michael and I followed up with several 2-way sessions. We even set up a
network
on the airplane just for OneNote.
Our goal was to learn about and demonstrate what users can do today - using
off the shelf solutions. We wanted to be able to discuss key issues that
should be considered when selecting a tool for collaborating in shared
spaces. Overall the shared session capability of OneNote worked well, however,
there are still many opportunities for improvement in the area of joint
editing and review. We've been in touch with the OneNote team, and we look
forward to evaluating the next release. (Note: Michael's currently working
on a paper that will summarize some of our experiences and his conclusions
about OneNote as a collaborative tool. Keep an eye on his Shared
Spaces blog.)
The folks at the CTC conference were kind enough to provide not one, but
two 12' projection screens for this workshop, which made the demonstrations
all the more impressive.
Michael and Eric in front of our giant OneNote displays
I seem to have become a magnet for feedback
about the Toshiba Tecra M4. I wish that I had the time to respond individually
to all of the email I receive each day either asking questions or sharing
feedback on the productive benefits of Tablet PCs an d the Toshiba M4 in
particular. I am grateful for the comments and suggestions from those who
have sent tips and offered to help me with my issues.
Many people have blogged about their
growing disappointment with the additional unsolicited software, gratuitously
supplied with the US version of the Tecra M4. I think this is a big
issue and I believe it is to blame for at least some of my problems. For
what I paid for my shiny new M4, I should not have to deal with this. Apparently,
I'm not alone in this regard.
Note that it is not the M4 that people
are complaining about so much as the preinstallation of unsolicited software.
- I call it spamware (Listen to the Tablet PC podcast #16 for a good perspective
from Marc Orchant and James Kendrick. At the least, be sure to read: this
and this.)
A reader by the name of Gustavo posted
this comment to my blog today:
I'm very very disappointed
with how Toshiba US is handling this issue. My M4 is full of Spam and crap
I never wanted. They even preloaded a full version of Office trial even
thought when I so that on my email order confirmation I wrote therm and
said I did not wanted that. I bought this laptop because of a technology
advantage of having a full laptop system with tablet capabilities. By the
time I need to upgrade other manufactures will have better tablets. Then
I'll be happy to never buy a Toshiba product again. This is also
because their sales and support experience has been the poorest I've ever
had.
Perhaps the folks at Toshiba don't read
blogs or at least they choose not to comment. I hope that they are at least
considering what people are saying. It would be great if someone from Toshiba
would get back to Gustavo (or me) and offer to help solve the problems.
I know that I will need to reload my
M4 from scratch. I hope that when I do, my experience will be better than
it has been so far. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to reload any
time soon. When I do, I'll go back and review Marc and Warner's narratives
on their experience reloading their Tablet PCs.
Overall. I'm still enjoying my M4, though
my move to the Tablet PC has not been as easy as I hoped it would be.
In fact, from a total productivity perspective,
I'm still very much in the negative zone. I believe in the potential
of the Tablet PC as a productivity tool; however, I'm not there yet.
Meanwhile, I'll continue to press on,
in the hope that I will someday become YABHTU
Want to collaborate on a document with
your seatmate at 30,000 feet? It's easy; all you need are the right tools.
Last month, on our way to the recent Collaborative Technologies Conference
in New York, Michael
Sampson and I put to use everything
Amy and Wendy showed us about OneNote Shared Sessions. (Missed it? See
here
and here.)
Using our new Tecra M4 Tablet PCs, we were able to successfully conduct
a OneNote shared session at 30,000' using our in-flight gigabit network.
(Notice the red crossover cable between our seats.) Even more amazing to
me, was that the guy across the isle from us overheard our evaluations
and comments about OneNote and he jumped into the conversation. It turns
out that he had recently joined Microsoft Research. (We promised him that
we would not to post his name.) He was extremely interested in what we
were doing with our Tablet PCs. and we spent much of the remainder of the
flight discussing Tablet PCs, OneNote, and collaboration tools. If that's
not interesting enough, he had - you guessed it - his own new Tecra M4,
still in the box, in the overhead bin.
Michael and I offered to help him set up his new M4; I was even willing
to extend our network across the isle so that he could help us test and
evaluate OneNote Shared Session capability. (When I realized that the stewardess
was becoming suspicious of our efforts to rewire the plane, I backed off
from that plan.)
I'm still intrigued by the thought of
three shiny new Tecra M4's all in the same row, at 30,000'. Now, what are
the odds of that?
Note: I've made many posts about OneNote Shared Sessions. I've actually
had these in my drafts folder for some time. Michael gently reminded me
that if I did not blog about our trip, he would. Two more to go. Stay tuned!
What about OneNote usability? Join Amy and Wendy in their second presentation/podcast on this topic.
This is actually an earlier podcast from Amy and Wendy's PowerPoint presentation on OneNote shared spaces; I did not plan to share it. However, when I listened for the second time, I realized that there's some good information that is not in the first public podcast.
So, while this podcast overlaps somewhat with our earlier podcast I think you will find it equally informative and entertaining.
Highlights OneNote and ActiveWords OneNote at School OneNote Templates Action management OneNote and the Tablet PC Amy and Wendy (with Michael's help) again hint for a Tablet PC Amy and Wendy share their reactions What's your next action? Amy & Wendy's closing comments
Note: Amy and Wendy's entire PowerPoint presentation, this podcast, and their comments and observations are entirely their own. Other than supervising the loading of OneNote on their ThinkPads, I was not involved in their preparations. I'm very proud of their work.
In comparing my Tecra M4 to Michael's M4,
there are two immediate differences.
First, the International version of
the M4 has fewer vendor stickers on the front - less visual blight. (I
know, it does not affect performance, but why take a good looking (and
expensive) Tablet and make it look like it came from Toys-R-Us?) Second,
Michael seems to have missed out on Toshiba's selection of "free"
SpamWare that is preloaded on the US version of the Tecra M4. What
this means, is that Michael got the better value: Less clutter on the desktop;
fewer apps to uninstall at initial power-up; and, get this, his machine
appears to be more stable as a result. Overall, this contributes to a more
productive experience. Toshiba, are you getting this? You've got a great
machine, but for a happier customer experience (at least for me) you've
got to ditch the SpamWare.
I've received many emails from people telling
me why, as a result of this blog and my podcasts, they decided to purchase
(or perhaps not purchase) a Tablet PC - especially the Toshiba Tecra M4.
Michael did not send an email to inform me of his purchase. He simply showed
up at the Digital Sandbox with his new toy in hand...
Last week, a reader of my blog, Michael,
wrote me:
The Microsoft XP tablet
PC edition has, I believe, a memory leak. The solution is to reboot the
system regularly (at least once a day).
While I believe
his solution has merit the thought of doing it moved me closer to Mac than
to YABHTU.
I may not have to.
Brian Beyer just posted a comment on
my blog that Microsoft has apparently fixed the memory leak that crippled
many Tablet PCs.
From Microsoft:
A memory leak in Windows
XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 causes a gradual decrease in available system
memory. This loss in available memory causes degradation in system performance.
When this behavior occurs, the user must restart the computer. This problem
is caused by a memory leak in the tcserver.exe service.
Several people have written to share that,
as a result of my blog, they have purchased a Tecra M4. One friend even
surprised me with an announcement of his new M4 acquisition. (More on that
soon.) This past
week, I've demonstrated the M4 to numerous clients as well as people who
come up and say "that's really neat; what is it?" As far as I
know, I've apparently helped sell another ten M4's for Toshiba and at least
as many licenses of OneNote, MindManager and other Tablet-related software.
I've been working with document management on the Tablet PC. Scanning books
and documents for review on the Tablet seems to work well and, despite
the weight and size of the unit, I really enjoy the large screen. (I would
not switch back.) As I explained to someone today, since I can display
a page in a window on the left and run MindManager or OneNote in a page
on the right, I'm quite content to carry around a large Tablet.
I continue to enjoy the Tablet PC and the M4, well mostly. To be fair,
four items remain on my persistent tablet problems list.
1. Wireless conflicts - It seems there's disagreement between Windows XP
Tablet Edition, the Intel PROSet Wireless Client, and the Toshiba Config-Free
drivers as to who should get control of the wireless card. If I leave things
alone for ten minutes the drivers seem to sort things out. Still, a big
inconvenience. Ultimately, only the Intel PROSet application works.
2. M4 Goes into a standby or hibernate and I cannot get out of it except
to power cycle. I still cannot explain this one.
3. At times, tablet goes into snail mode. I still suspect a power management
or Intel Speed-step issue, particularly with pen mode. (The fixes I've
tried don't seem to help.) Unfortunately, I have no time to reload until
the end of June, so I'll continue to limp along. (For now, I'm only
run in high-power mode, which means that battery life is terrible.)
4. Most of my attempts to hibernate result in a windows error indicating
that insufficient system resources exist to complete the operation.
These seem like issues with the Tablet OS, or perhaps a hardware conflict.
I realize that problems 2-4 may also be due to software that I've installed;
we'll see. Hopefully, my experiences are unique. I certainly hope so.
My friend, Michael Sampson, who's here with me, thinks this is hilarious
and reminds me that I could have bought a Mac.
I don't want to make it sound like I'm down on the Tablet PC or Toshiba;
I'm not. At this point, I have no plans to go back to a laptop only. Still,
since people seem to be relying on my blog for product information, I want
to be honest about my experience thus far, sharing both the good and the
bad.
Until I get these problems sorted out, I cannot consider whether or not
I'm YABHTU, but I remain very optimistic.
I know that many of my clients read this blog and have been following my
Tablet PC pursuit. I want to get through the initial start-up process so
that I will be better equipped to evaluate and recommend this technology
to these clients in the future.
Several people have written to share that,
as a result of my blog, they have purchased a Tecra M4. A friend even surprised
me by showing me his new M4 that he purchased after reading my blog. (More
on that later.) This past week, I've demonstrated the M4 to numerous clients
as well as people who come up and say "that's really neat; what is
it?" As far as I know, I've apparently helped sell another ten M4's
for Toshiba and at least as many licenses of MindManager, OneNote, and
other Tablet PC applications. Still, I've probably discouraged an
equal number of folks from buying an M4 or a Tablet PC, too. To these folks:
please understand that I push my systems to their limits and I'm quite
harsh in my expectations of what a productive system should be like.
I continue to work with document management on the Tablet PC. Scanning
books and documents to read and review on the Tablet seems to be working
well and, despite the weight and size of the unit, I really enjoy the large
screen. (I would not switch back.) As I explained to someone today: my
screen is large enough to allow me to display a page in a window on the
left and run MindManager or OneNote in a page on the right, I'm quite content
to carry around a large Tablet. MindManager and Windows Journal remain
my current favorite Tablet PC apps, however, OneNote is growing in favor.
I've got GoBinder and a few other apps, however I've not had the time yet
to explore their features.
I continue to enjoy the Tablet PC and the M4, well mostly. To be fair,
four items remain on my persistent tablet problems list.
1. Wireless conflicts - It seems there's disagreement between Windows XP
Tablet Edition, the Intel PROSet Wireless Client, and the Toshiba Config-Free
drivers as to who should get control of the wireless card. If I leave things
alone for ten minutes the drivers seem to sort things out. Still, a big
inconvenience. Ultimately, only the Intel PROSet application works.
2. M4 Goes into a standby or hibernate and I cannot get out of it except
to power cycle. I still cannot explain this one.
3. At times, tablet goes into snail mode. I still suspect a power management
or Intel Speed-step issue, particularly with pen mode. (The fixes I've
tried don't seem to help.) Unfortunately, I have no time to reload until
the end of June, so I'll continue to limp along. (For now, I only operate
in high-power mode, which means that battery life is terrible.)
4. Most of my attempts to hibernate result in a windows error indicating
that insufficient system resources exist to complete the operation.
[M4 owners, have you experienced any of the above?]
These seem like issues with the Tablet OS, or perhaps they are due to hardware
conflicts, or both. I realize that problems 2-4 may also be due to software
that I've installed; we'll see. Hopefully, my experiences are unique. I
certainly hope so.
My friend, Michael Sampson, who's here with me, thinks this is hilarious
and reminds me that I could have bought a Mac.
I know that many of my clients read this blog and are following my Tablet
PC pursuits. I want to work through all of the issues to determine my ideal
Tablet PC configuration so that I can fully recommend Tablet PC Hardware,
Software, and applications as possible eProductivity tools.
One last point: I don't want to make it sound like I'm down on the Tablet
PC or Toshiba; I'm not. I have no plans to go back to a regular laptop.
Still, since people seem to be relying on my blog for product information,
I want to be honest about my experience thus far -- good and bad. I still
see sufficient potential and promise in this technology, so I plan to stick
with it.
Until I get these problems sorted out, I cannot consider whether or not
I'm YABHTU; however, I remain very optimistic.
I've been occupied with a number of eProductivity
projects for clients, but I've not stopped capturing notes about my tablet
adventure. In fact, I'm preparing a 30-day paperless/tablet challenge.
If there's interest, I'll invite you to join me in this adventure to see
if it's possible to live paper-free, with only a tablet, for a full 30
days. More on that soon.
I continue to work with the M4 - both as my most recent venture into the
Tablet PC platform and as my first non-IBM laptop in 10 years.
Many people have written to tell me that they have purchased an M4 based
on my blog. I've also heard that several people have decided not to purchase
an M4 for the same reason. I hope that my posts, based on my own experience,
were helpful either way. I plan to continue posting and podcasting on this
and other eProductivity-related topics, sooon.
Meanwhile, now that I'm fully migrated to a Tablet, what do I think of
the M4 and Tablet PC's in general?
The short answer is that both are growing on me. Most of the hardware features
of the M4 that I found curiously placed (i.e. indicators, buttons, etc)
now make sense to me. It's obvious that Toshiba's put a lot of thought
into this machine. (Except, perhaps, for the lack of a way to permanently
shut off the CD drive. I continue to eject mine at the worst possible times.
Recommendation: how about a switch to lock the drive: Closed, Locked on/Locked
off)
As for the Tablet PC Platform, I'm close to sold on that, so I guess you
might say I'm getting closer to YABHTU. I've now used the TPC in several
meetings and I find it preferable to the traditional laptop. I'm still
working to get used to the Toshiba Keyboad Layout, but that's improving.
(FYI: I did take a look at the new IBM Tablet and I'm still pleased with
my decision to choose the M4. I like the large screen. Worth the $.)
Some of you have written to ask about the problems I've experienced with
my M4. I'm pleased to say that I've found solutions to most of them. I'm
still trying to find the cause of the heavy CPU Utilization. This remains
the biggest challenge, but I don't have the time to start fresh at this
time. For now, I run in high-power mode, which means the battery life is
not as good as it used to be and the fan runs all the time. In fairness
to Toshiba, this may not be a hardware issue, though it still "feels"
like a speed-step or tablet pen driver issue to me - I'll work on
this when I have more time.
For those of you who are wondering if I'll ever get to be YABHTU ...
I expect that I will. I want to be. I'm in the process of defining
exactly what YABHTU will look like for me. When I have a benchmark, I'll
share it.
Perhaps you'd like to share your thoughts on this?
What benchmarks define when a Tablet PC user has crossed into significant
productivity gains with a Tablet that were previously unavailable by conventional
means?
Here's a quick eProductivity tool: ink
gestures that will make your Tablet PC experience more productive.
The ActiveWords team has done it again - this time, in ink.
[Notice: If you're a Tablet PC user, move it away so that you don't drool
on the screen. If you are not yet a tablet user, here's another reason
to consider one ...]
Yesterday, during our geek day in the digital
sandbox, Buzz treated David,
Paul, and me to a preview of the next release of ActiveWords InkPad for
the Tablet PC.
The new ActiveWords InkPad, presently in beta, allows for the immediate
launch of any of the productivity features of ActiveWords with a simple
gesture. Now, that's an eProductivity tool I can blog about!
Tonight, I installed the 1.5 InkPad beta on my Tablet PC, hovered over
the target region and inked the letters "EMO," A few seconds
later, my blog appeared. See for yourself ...
More encouragement for my wild journey to Tablet PC productivity.
I've got a busy week ahead; lots of
client meetings. I'll blog when I can.
Last night, when Buzz and David Allen were
here, Buzz show us some of his work at the Microsoft Search Champs project.
Buzz searched Google on various terms. For fun, I searched on "Tecra
M4" and found my blog, www.EricMackOnLine.com, was the
#1 returned search result.
(Searching for "Toshiba Tecra M4" is only slightly different.)
Not that he has more than a passing professional interest, apparently James
Kendrick noticed,
too.
Surprisingly, no one at Toshiba or any of the other vendors, whose products
I've mentioned, have contacted me to see if they might help me resolve
the few remaining issues that I have blogged about. If they did, it
might help me reach the tipping point to finally become YABHTU.
If I were a vendor, and if I checked the search engines daily
for my product, and if I saw that the most popular search result
was from a guy who mostly loved my product, but who was having troubles,
I'd get on the phone immediately to find out if I could help him
resolve his issues.[hint]
Imagine what kind of customer evangelists, not to mention good PR, this
small investment of time would return.
Meanwhile, I'm fortunate to have made many new friends via my blog - friends
who have posted or sent email to help me resolve some of the issues that
I'm experiencing. I'm testing some of the suggestions and I'll post my
experiences as I go.
I've previously blogged that my new Tablet
PC is very slow and that the CPU utilization jumps to 100% and stays there
- even at idle.
Lately, I've been experimenting with the speed settings for the M4. What
I've found so far is that much of the sluggishness goes away at the high
power setting. At the high-power setting, CPU utilization drops to about
12-15% at idle. While this is an improvement - when the Tablet is
plugged in - it is not an acceptable solution when on battery. (Besides,
when I'm at full power, the not-so-quiet fan stays on full-time.)
Given the connection to the speed setting I now wonder if this is not an
end-user software issue, but an issue with the CPU throttling or the tablet
OS. based on the CPU utilization and some intuition, the problem appears
have something to do with the Ink Recognition - at least that's where I
see it the most, meaning that I can writing something and then the system
will freeze until I tap. Then, everything works fine. [Note: This has been
going on all week - long before I installed the ActiveWords beta this evening.]
Other than this slowdown issue, I'm getting closer to YABHTU. In fact,
If I could solve this, I would probably be there.
Of course, it could also be me and my expectations for how a productivity
tool should perform. Perhaps I'm being unreasonable.
I'm still having fun and I'll keep trying to find a solution. At least,
for now, I have an interim work-around.
Thanks to those of you who have sent tips and utilities. I'll work these
and post as soon as I learn something new.
[Sorry, I thought I had posted this last week ...] I know that many people are reading this blog to learn of my experience with the M4. I'm making progress adjusting to the M4. I'm enjoying it; in fact, this is my first blog entry from the M4. (Sorry, not in ink, yet.) I plan to keep the M4, but I've decided to return the ToshibaTecra M4 Portfolio case. It's a beautiful case, made from glove leather. It's a very clever 3-in-one design for use in three modes; however, it does not work. I'm short on time to write this up in detail, so instead, I'll share my recent correspondence with ToshibaDirect:
Dear Nicole,
Just a quick FYI: I'm enjoying my new Tecra M4. Thank you for your help in getting it to me so quickly!
I just contacted Toshiba Customer Service got an RMA for the Toshiba M4 Portfolio case.
I want you to know that the reason I'm returning the case is that it is defective and poorly designed. The elastic straps block the vents, which cause the Tablet PC to overheat. The "Made in China" label is in the worst possible place; it gets caught in the DVD every time I close it. I'm afraid that to continue to use the Toshiba Portfolio case with my M4 would damage the unit. [Additional observation, post-email: the zipper extends high enough to interfere with laptop use.]
What really hurts is that I paid FedEx to have this case shipped to me. It arrived with these problems, and now I have to pay -- my dime - to return it and hope that I will get credit. I should not have to pay twice (or at all) for an unacceptable product that I am returning to you. It does not seem fair.
I do hope that you will forward this summary of my product experience to management. I will certainly share it with a few people that I know.
Thank you, Eric Mack
I received this response
Hi I'm glad you are enjoying the notebook. I emailed you an on line fed ex label to use to return the portfolio that way there will be no charge to you. Thank you.
To which I responded ...
Nicole, Thank you for the FedEx tag. Too bad I have to pay the other way. It's a matter of principle with me. It's not about the $15 in rush shipping. I purchased the Portfolio in good faith. The product does not work The inconvenience is bad enough. But having to pay to find that out hurts. Ouch! Live and learn I guess. I suppose that's the best I'll get from ToshibaDirect.
Meanwhile, I need another AC adapter for the M4. (I don't need AC/DC) Please let me know price and availability of such an item.
Ever seen an ant farm? Remember how you
could watch the ants moving around? Well, I have the same capability on
my Tablet PC. What I thought was a stray comma, turns out to be a piece
of dust trapped inside my new Tecra M4 Tablet PC. I've only had the unit
open for less than 2 weeks and now this excitement. Like the ants in the
ant farm of my childhood, the spec moves.
Right now, it's in the middle of my screen.
I'm speechless. [sort of]
I can't find the link at the moment, but I recall a recent discussion on
TabletPCBuzz about this problem.
I remember thinking to myself: that won't happen to me ...
I've noticed my Tecra M4 getting slower and slower -- to the point where it's difficult to even use a stylus or a mouse. I first noticed this in MindManager. (I've done the routine AV scans, AdAware scans, etc.)
Suspecting software to be the culprit, I've experimented with a variety of options. I found a post about some known issues with MindManager in Pen mode. Lately, I've been experimenting with CPU speeds. What I've found, while inconclusive, makes me wonder if the M4 CPU, when running in a power efficient mode (I'm actually not trying to save power - just keep the fan quiet) slows down considerably. Is anyone experiencing a similar problem?
Before I reload the OS and the dreaded spamware that comes with the M4 preload, I want to rule out anything obvious (and, possibly self-inflicted) such as CPU settings, or specific applications.
I've got a client demo in a few days, and I want to make the best impression possible. Right now, I'm not there. :-(
For the past two days, I've used the Tecra
M4 as my only computing device. In all, the machine worked well. I should
point out that other than a brief impromptu Tablet PC demo to David and
Jason, I worked almost exclusively in laptop mode.
Some quick [unscientific] observations:
The M4's fast; consumes lots of power; the screen rocks more than a traditional
laptop screen; the fan is much louder than the ThinkPad T42 (I was plugged
in which causes the M4 to default to high-power); and I am not yet comfortable
with the keyboard.
Keyboard observations: I've owned almost a dozen ThinkPads over the past
decade, and I've been spoiled by the wonderful ThinkPad keyboard. The M4
keyboard is not bad mind you, but I'm not adjusting to it very quickly.
Here are a few differences that I've encountered today: When using the
Accupoint (TrackPoint, for you IBMers) the left and right mouse buttons
are now top and bottom mouse buttons. Now Idea why Toshiba did that. I'm
constantly clicking on the wrong button. In addition, the Accupoint seems
very stiff to move around, even after adjusting the settings. The ThinkPad
Keyboard has CRTL & ALT keys on each side of the space-bar. The Tecra's
layout is very different. My productivity has dropped, largely because
I have 10 years of ThinkPad keyboard experience to undo. Again, this is
not a bad thing, but it will take some getting used to. Of course, I'll
soon be doing everything in ink, right?
Screen observations: I 'm beginning to understand why wide angle viewing
is such a big deal for a Tablet PC. When I look at the M4 straight on or
use it in laptop mode, the screen is fine. If I'm even a few degrees off
center, however, the screen readability drops. This would not be a problem
with a laptop but a tablet, as I'm finding, is used very differently. For
example, I tried to show Kathy a video clip. She was sitting next to me
on the couch and could not see it. If I want to sit in a chair and lay
the tablet on the table in front of me, it's difficult to see. If I prop
it up a little, it's fine. If I want to write with the tablet in my lap
I have to make sure that I'm looking at the M4 straight on to get the clarity
that I would expect. Unfortunately, I have no way to compare this screen
to another tablet, such as the Fujitsu, so I don't know if this is state-of-the-art
or if I'm justified in expecting more.
As I type this, my fan has kicked into high gear. It does that from time
to time. For the most part, I've been able to manage the power settings,
but there's a high pitched whine - probably like my blog. I'll see what
I can do to mitigate that and share what I've learned. On the topic of
sharing, I have a list of questions people have asked me on or off the
blog. I'll collect these and respond soon. Thanks for your patience.
I realize that not everything I've shared about my quest to become YABHTU
is positive. I don't like to complain, but I'm not going to sugar-coat
something that I think could be better either. As for the comments that
I have made (or will make) about the Tecra M4, you should know the standard
of comparison that I'm using. It's the IBM ThinkPad T42p. I've been fortunate
to have this laptop for almost a year, and it's a delight. For the most
part, I've been spoiled by IBM, the ThinkPad and the service and support.
Oops; That's not entirely true. There was the one time I tried to give
IBM $50,000 and they would not take it. But that's another story.
I guess this is all a part of the learning curve. I work with many new
systems each year, and I retain few. Of those, still fewer do I recommend
to clients. I'm still a long way away from any definitive conclusion on
the tablet platform. I want to give it a fair chance.
All in all, my Tablet PC experiment continues well, though I'm not sure
I did the Tablet PC justice in my impromptu demonstrations to David and
Jason. My demonstration of OneNote and MindManager were not as smooth as
I would have liked. Still, I think I was able to make a compelling argument
for why I think the Tablet PC is a platform to watch. David's comment was
that he's glad that he "pays me to evaluate hardware and software
to figure out what works and what does not." There's still much that
I want to learn about the Tablet PC as a paradigm for getting things done.
As I learn more I'll share it here. Over the next few days, I'll try to
switch and do the bulk of my work in Tablet mode and see what kind of an
impact that makes on my productivity.
Enough rambling. It's late.
As always, a special thanks to those of you who have taken the time to
post comments with advice and recommendations.
The other night, I used the 14" wide-screen
on my Tablet PC display a PDF file on the left while I created a MindManager
map on the right. What a delight! No paper! As I've said before, I don't
believe in the paperless office; however, I DO believe in the less-paper
office. It looks like the will be a vital part of this strategy. I want
to see how far I can take this. (Do I sound like I'm getting closer
to becoming YABHTU?)
Now that I have the Tablet PC, the next step is to deal with getting paper
into it so that I can store, organize, retrieve, and markup these digital
documents.
My current document imaging setup:
I'm presently using a hybrid of Adobe Acrobat 7.0 (for document preparation),
ScanSoft PaperPort 10 (for file-based document management) and Cobra Image
router for document image capture and automatic filing in Notes. On the
hardware side, I use an HP DS9100C for high-volume work, an OpticBook 3600
for books, and a mobile scanner. I have everything working with the
Tablet PC - except for the mobile scanner
Visioneer + Tablet PC = Strike out
After a frustrating experience trying to get my new Visioneer scanner (Strobe
XP 100) to work with my Tablet PC, I did what any sensible person would
do ... I called tech support. My support tech rep informed me, "Visioneer
does not support the Tablet PC with any of their products at this time;
the market's just too small." Despite this disclaimer, I
he tried to help me anyway before concluding that this scanner and the
related driver simply would not work with Windows XP Tablet Edition. There
was some discussion as to whether or not Visioneer would take back the
product since, according to them, the problem is that I am using a Tablet
PC. I finally got an RMA and the scanner will soon be on its
way back.
Too bad. Visioneer makes a really nice scanner and its small size make
it an ideal companion to the Tablet PC. I would have gladly recommended
it to my clients as a standard part of their mobility toolkit. Instead,
I will look for an alternative.
My current plan is to purchase the Plustek OpticSlim M12 (Rob Bushway has
a photo and a link to a review, here.
James posted his thoughts here.)
The book scanner that I recently purchased is also from the same manufacturer.
The drivers installed without a problem on my Tablet PC and the application
worked flawlessly. I hope that my experience with the M12 will be equally
positive. If so, I'll recommend it to everyone. (That's what blogs are
all about, aren't they?)
If you are a Tablet PC user and you are successfully using a very small
mobile scanner with your tablet, I'd like to hear about your experience.
In case you haven't noticed, my Tablet
PC adventure has been an emotional one. Lots to do, lots to learn. Fortunately,
I've met some wonderful people along the way, who've given generously of
their time to assist me in my quest to become YABHTU.
Lately, I've been pulled in two directions: I'm thoroughly enjoying the
Tablet PC as a platform for getting things done. At the same time, I've
been dealing with the tedious process of designing and configuring a new
system with all of my favorite applications, just the way I want it. It's
a process I know well; I do this for my eProductivity consulting clients.
This time, I'm both my own client and consultant.
It's been a good exercise for me to
experience both sides of the equation in a fresh new way. As the end-user,
I've been searching for the ideal system and I have plenty of questions,
like "I want to do this ..." or "why can't I do have that
feature?" As a consultant, it's my job to make technology easy
for my clients, by selecting the right technology and helping them to implement
it. In that role, I ask a different set of questions, such as "what's
best for my client's needs?" and "Will this technology really
help my client to be more productive?" At times, it's been a trying
experience, as I've shared here. I've encountered a few speed bumps
on the road to YABHTU; I'm sure that I'll experience some more. I do look
forward to smoother roads ahead..
I've often joked with David Allen that
I'm going to give up on technology and open a bait shop; one with no phone,
and no electricity.
The prospect is tempting. I think I could do it ... for a day.
It is with excitement that I announce
that at 10:20 AM today, I switched from the ThinkPad T42p to the Tecra
M4 as my primary computing device. I'm going to take it to a client's office
to do some work. We'll see how it goes.
I can't believe that Marc scooped
me on my own Skype chat with him! After our chat today, I pasted
the notes to save for a blog entry this evening. 15 minutes later, I read
my RSS reader and Marc's already blogged about it.
Here's what I wrote at 2:49 PM PST:
Inspiration from my Skype chat with Marc Orchant today:
Marc,
this may be strange, but I miss Windows 3.1. Only two ini files; system.ini
and win.ini. I knew what almost everything was for and what every file
did, and I could tailor the system to meet my needs. Complete control.
That was productive. Sigh.
After words of encouragement
from Marc and Lora, I've decided to move beyond Windows 3.1. The Tablet
OS is stable, so I cannot justify taking the time to reload it right
now.
Update: 7:21 PM. Tablet PC loading progressing well. I may cut-over this
evening.
I may have to admit that Michael Hyatt
was right, when he gave reason #4: why he ditched his tablet:
"Fourth,
I just got frustrated with the Windows operating system. This is the crux
of the matter. Ditching my tablet was not so much about the tablet as it
was the operating system. I just got tired of fighting with Windows. I
switched to the Mac."
Last night, I exchanged a
series of emails with Lora Heiny last night about my Tablet OS woes. I
told her I was about to flight test the tablet. I explained that
I wished that the Apple ads were true. Lora offered some help and
cheer; however, we were unable to resolve the issues.
Up until that point, things had been going well with my Tablet PC project.
That is, until I tried to install two devices: the Treo 650 and the Visioneer
Strobe XP 100 scanner. Both installs failed, which led me down a wild chase
for the cause. In the process I discovered that the Windows XP OS had not
created any restore points for the first two days of software installation
and those that it did make over the past few days were unusable. I cannot
restore my OS to any previous point.
Frustrating? Yes. A big waste of 8 hours? Yes? Do I wish I had read
Marc Orchant's Tablet PC blog post
on this? yes
So now I have a decision to make. My tablet works well, and as I shared
on the podcast, I'm really starting to enjoy it. I just wonder if I can
(or should) trust it.
Do I proceed, knowing that XP system recovery points don't work, or do
I start over and reload the machine from scratch? Well, not really from
scratch: there's no legitimate way to get a vanilla Tablet OS to
load, so I'm forced to use the recovery disks. This means that I will have
to once again deal with all of the "free" spamware that my Tablet
PC vendor forces me to have on my machine.
Well, it looks like Kathy will stay on
as a guest host on the podcast; at least for now. I've received more feedback
letters for Kathy than for me - perhaps I should rename this site: KathyMackOnline
... In any case, we've recorded another update with some words of
appreciation, thoughts on the Tecra M4 14" UXGA screen (I love it);
the portfolio case (I'm sending it back); the fan (loud, but you can use
power management to silence it); and a variety of other tablet related
topics. Yes, I'm having fun; mostly. (Don't ask me about restore points
and software issues.)
Once again, Kathy prevented me from doing the podcast with a straight face.
I suppose that's what I get for asking he to join me in a podcast at 1:39
AM, when we could be asleep. If you have 19 minutes, are still interested
in my experience with the M4, and you voted to keep Kathy as my co-host,
then here's another podcast for you.
Eric Mack On-line - May 25, 2005, (19 min 33 sec) MP3 4.47 MB
Show highlights:
- James Kendrick comes through with info on a build-it-yourself pop-filter
- Eric and Kathy review some of the feedback to last week's podcast. Thanks!
- Eric describes his idea for an M4 wedge; Kathy goes off on another tangent
- Handwriting recognition in Tablet OS is excellent; Eric needs to relearn
cursive
- Thank you James and Lora for your help today
- Discussion of my recent experience using the Tablet in the car
- The agony of loading software; problems with XP restore points
- Eric's thoughts on his tablet experience so far
- Wrap-up
If you have specific questions; things that you would like to know about
the M4 or my podcast experience; or if you have a question for Kathy (about
home education, etc.), send it in. We'll try to get to it.
Note; The opinions of expressed my guests are entirely their own and do
not necessarily represent the opinions of EricMackOnline.com. :-)
Matt
Buchanan made an excellent
post
today about his experience
with the Toshiba MultiDock.
Matt writes:
I’ve been following your Tablet PC unveiling
with great interest. Nice job. I am a Tablet user (M205), and
probably YABHTU.
I recently had an out of the box experience with a tablet accessory (yes,
an accessory!) that changed my tablet habits dramatically. I posted
about this experience this morning, and thought you might find the content
interesting:
Matt's post came at a good time, too. I
recently cancelled my MultiDock order because it did not look like something
I would use. Well, apparently I'm not the only one who thought that way.
Matt sets the record straight by sharing how he uses the MultiDock and
he accents today's narrative with photos. I guess I'll have to call my
Toshiba rep again ...
My current understanding is that Toshiba's discontinued the current MultiDock
and that a new MultiDock II, apparently redesigned to accommodate the new
14" tablets (such as the M4), will ship in June. (Strange that the
MultiDock II specs don't show gigabit ethernet support.)
Meanwhile, my own tablet adventures continue. I'm still configuring the
new M4 in between client projects. I took the tablet with me on my
first road trip yesterday and I used it to take notes in meetings. I've
got a page of notes to share on my current observations, lessons learned,
likes, wants and rants. (Perhaps I can get Kathy to join me for the next
podcast.)
Back to the title of this post. My favorite Tablet PC hardware accessory,
so far, is a book scanner. (I've got a long wish list, including: an unobtrusive
Bluetooth stereo headset/mic, a better portfolio carrying case, a magic
wide-angle non-glare coating of some kind, and a mini fuel cell for 18
hours of uninterrupted use.) I'll blog about these soon.
This afternoon, I used a book scanner to
scan in several chapters from one of my management texts. Next, I created
a searchable PDF file for each chapter. Finally, I sat on the couch, with
the Tablet PC on my lap, and studied. I used the M4 jog joystick (or whatever
they call it) to scroll through the document. I used the markup feature
of Adobe Acrobat 7.0, to highlight sections of interest. Other than
the learning curve to make the book scanner to PDF process work, the process
was very productive. Now, I can leave my texts on my bookshelf. The weight
reduction will help offset the M4 and accessories. I'm glad that I waited
for the 14" high-resolution screen. It makes for a bigger tablet,
but it sure is nice to have room to work with. I've learned to tilt the
screen to avoid glare from overhead lighting. It's not ideal, but I can
live with it.
I still have a long way to go to fully
migrate my remaining applications and data to the M4, however, I'm greatly
encouraged by what I've accomplished this evening.
In the course of setting up the M4,
I've discovered many features, some by accident, that I like about the
Tablet PC and the M4 in specific. As far as the features I don't like,
I've got a list, but I've already crossed several things off. Fan
and power issues remain a challenge. The fan can be loud of you are running
in high-power mode. Fortunately, Toshiba has an excellent power management
utility. I now have a profile that works for me. I'd like to find a way
to keep the DVD drive powered down at all times unless I wake it. This
would prevent the door from being opened accidentally and it would save
power, too. There is an option to disable power to the DVD drive, however,
it is a temporary setting until the next standby, hibernate, or power-cycle.
I wish this could be made a part of the power management profile. [hint]
At this time, the only real disappointment that I have is in the portfolio
case. (My recommendation: don't buy it. I'll explain soon.)
I'm not yet YABHTU, but I'm getting
closer. I'll post updates as time permits. Perhaps I'll even invite Kathy
back as a guest on a future podcast.
I'll leave you with this powerful feature:
the button marked "OneNote" on the side of the M4 serves not
only to launch a program, but also as an "instant on." When your
tablet goes into "sleep" mode (not standby or hibernate) this
button will cause it to resume in a matter of seconds. I like this instant
on capability. It makes the tablet operation closer to paper and pencil,
especially with OneNote loaded. Somehow, in the course of installing software,
Lotus Notes now launches whenever I press the OneNote button. Go figure.
I'm sure that there's a setting for this, but I'm not complaining. I would
like to see someone develop a pop-up utility for this button that would
allow me to choose between two or three applications, including the most
recently used application. That would be helpful. As for the button
itself, I would have named it the "instant on" button, however,
I don't have the influence of Microsoft.
Thank you to everyone who has sent me
emails to offer encouragement or assistance. If any of your end up purchasing
an M4, let me know. It would be great to connect.
The new Tecra's growing on me. I've been
loading software all evening from my eMack configuration. (MS Office, OneNote,
Project, Visio, MindManager, ResultsManager, etc.) Next step is to make
a ghost image and then load all of my productivity utilities (Activewords,
etc..) Once I get everything loaded, I'll switch over to the M4 full-time.
I've not loaded any Tablet PC specific productivity applications yet, though
I have a growing list of software I plan to evaluate. Right now,
my priority is migrating my applications and data to the new machine.
Kathy joined me on this podcast, so the discussion is a little less tech
than you've come to expect from me. I'll let you decide whether I should
bring Kathy back. Quick
Tecra M4 Update for May 21, 2005
Eric Mack On-line - May 21, 2005, (7 min 20 sec) MP3 1.9 MB
Show highlights:
- Eric talks about the M4
- Kathy goes off on a tangent re: PC advertising
- Eric loses control of his podcast
- Can you say "toilet paper" on a podcast?
- Eric gives a quick update on where he's at loading the M4 and what's
next
- Wrap-up
Note; The opinions of expressed my guests are entirely their own and do
not necessarily represent the opinions of EricMackOnline.com. :-)
I thought my new Tablet would make me
more productive. Yet, I've just wasted 2 hours, removing software, so that
I can be more productive with my Tablet PC.
As I prepare to migrate my working environment from the IBM ThinkPad T42p
to the Toshiba Tecra M4 Tablet PC, I must first remove what I will call
Tablet PC Spam. You read correctly. I received two kinds of Tablet PC Spam
with my new Tecra M4 and neither were delivered by email. I'll talk about
the first kind in this post: Pre-installed software and desktop shortcuts.
Just look at what I had to remove today:
I uninstalled the following programs
Acrobat 5.0 (I'll install a current
version, thank you.)
Alias SketchBook Pro
AOL - will not uninstall. Says it's
not installed even though Windows shows it.
AOL Coach
AOL Connectivity
AOL Spyware (They got that right)
AOL Pictures
AT&T
MS Office SBE - I specifically ordered
my tablet without MS office. (I already own MS Office Pro)
MS Works - If guess if you can't sell
it ...
Napster
My Connect Special Offer
Pure Networks Port Magic
McAffee
And more ...
I uninstalled the following shortcuts
MS Office Editions Trial
AOL Trial
AT&T Trial
Napster
My Connect Special Offer
Toshiba Software Upgrades
Toshiba Great Software Offers (Free
software that you have to buy)
EZ Firewall trial
And more ...
I realize that there are probably some marketing execs at Toshiba that
are thinking "That's not Spam; it's a service to our customers."
I don't think so. Not when it gets in the way of my productivity. Today,
rather than spending two hours happily loading productivity software onto
my new Tablet PC and blogging about the productivity gains, I wasted those
hours uninstalling and removing unwanted software.
I don't mind that all of this software was made available to me. I mind
that I had to remove it. And, I really mind that the AOL
software that Toshiba allowed to infect my new Tablet PC, is impossible
to remove.
Vendors. Don't irritate your customers and champions. Seth Godin would
probably jump all over this kind of experience. If you really want to serve
your customers, give them a DVD with add-on software, but don't preinstall
software they don't want it in such a way that it wastes their time or
worse, cannot be safely extracted from the system.
Current score on productivity - 2.0 hours. (I know, Michael Hyatt will
say he warned
me)
Recommendation to Toshiba: For those of us who paid a premium to purchase
a "build to order" tablet, why not give us one more option: "Removed
all 3rd party software from your new Tecra M4? Y/N."
I'll have more to share on the second form of Toshiba Tablet PC Spam -
one that I find even more offensive and insulting - in another post.
I promised to share my experience and opinion. I've already documented
3 pages of likes and dislikes. I plan to work my way through the list to
see if my initial reactions are reasonable. Then, I'll start to share them.
Right now, I'm going to load some productivity software on this machine
so that I can report some good news about this very cool Tablet PC.
I've been silent on the Tablet adventure
for the past 24 hours. There's a lot of information to digest, about
tablets in general, and about the Tecra M4 in specific . Some things I
like; others I don't. (Not surprising. I go through this with every
new technology I evaluate.) I'm mostly sold on the Tablet PC platform
- I sort of expected I would be. Some of my issues deal with hardware and
ideal form factor. I suspect that as I study the manuals and speak with
others who use Tablets, I'll come up with solutions to address some of
my concerns. Overall, my impression is positive.
One feature of the M4, that I discovered quite by accident (before I found
it in the manual), is a joystick on the front of the tablet screen. What
first appeared to be a button is actually a pointer - like you would see
on a ThinkPad. With a little pressure, I can move the mouse in four directions
and make selections. Great for scrolling through documents and menus.
Today, I used the M4 to take notes during a company teleconference for
DavidCo. It worked well. The down side is that I ran through a battery
rather quickly. (I'll play around with the power settings to see what I
can do about that.)
I will continue to share my experiences, the good, the bad, and the ugly
- not as a structured product review, but as I encounter them.
That said, my next action is to load
up the tablet into my standard eMack configuration. Then, I'll use the
unit as much as possible for day-to-day work. It
would be great to have a few people that I can call on from time to time.
If any of you would like to volunteer, you know where to find me.
Thank you to those of you who have sent tips, tricks, and words of encouragement.
Join me, in my quest to become YABHTU.
In this fifth installment I'll take you along, as I power up the Tecra
M4 Tablet PC and go through the out-of-box experience.
I'm getting ready for my first out-of-box
experience with the M4. I've promised Mark and James the first interview
once I have the M4 opened and set up. We're planning to do that this evening.
Meanwhile, if you're curious, you can listen along share the initial experience.
Eric Mack On-line - May 19, 2005, (17 min 28 sec) MP3 4.13 MB
Highlights: (No time to listen and insert chapter markers. Sorry)
- I describe the contents of each box as I open it
- James Kendrick Skypes me to find out how it's going
- I get to box #4
- ...
- This is awesome!
- Laptop mode
- Tablet mode
Next step is to take a tour of the M4 and power up for my first out of
box experience with the M4 ...
Question: Should I bother to podcast this? Is this interesting? I could
simply use the Tablet for a week or so and then post something then. Let
me know if I should record my out-of-box experience.
The suspense is killing me! What does the sound
of the box opening actually sound like?!?!? Seriously, as a fellow
Tab owner (Tosh Portege M205), you will LOVE your purchase!
kct
Keven, it sounds GREAT!
Here are some pictures from the grand opening:
My table, set up to podcast the experience in STEREO
The opened Tecra M4 in Laptop Mode
And, most important, the Tecra M4 in Tablet mode
I'll update this site with the podcast of the grand opening. Give me 10-15
minutes, then refresh this page. Otherwise, check for it in the rss feed
in a few minutes.
Throughout the morning, I've received several
e-mails and Skype requests asking of today was the day. Yes!
I thought it might be fun to share my experience as a podcast. I'm not
sure how practical this will be, as it takes time to post the podcasts.
I suppose this will be a good exercise to me to test the podcast capability
of Dominoblog, too.
If there's interest in my continuing, I'm willing to give it a try.
I've promised Mark and James the first interview once I have the M4 opened
and set up. We'll probably do that later today. meanwhile, I'm happy to
share the initial experience here.
Less than an hour ago I announced that
there would be a grand opening today. I've already received a few emails,
Skype calls and chats and now the first comment on my blog, from Colin
Walker.
Thanks guys. I'm in a great mood, and ready to play in the digital sandbox.
I want to find out just how productive this Tablet will help me be. :-)
Status Update: 1:32PM PST
I decided to set up a table in front of my desk so that I could spread
out. All of the boxes from Toshiba are now in one room and I'm feeling
the force pull me toward the table. I'll set up a mic.
The next voice you hear will be my own, as I open the boxes. Now would
be a good time to point your podcatcher here.
Marc and James once again invite us to
listen in on their Tablet PC discussions. This week, they talk about my
Tecra M4, James' new HP tc1100 Tablet, and the Marc's Treo 650.
I'm not sure I merit the air-time they've
given me, but it was fun to listen to someone talk about the Tecra.
Schedule-permitting, I hope to share
more Tecra M4 information in the next few days.
Meanwhile, you can listen to their latest
Tablet PC Show podcast here.
I did a bit of ego-surfing
this morning, while waiting for a client file to download. Lots of interesting
posts. Geeky
info had this to say about
my tablet temptation:
I am speechless with admiration
that Eric could continue to process his in-box while the box which contains
his new tablet PC sits on his desk. Or is it that Eric knows that his boss
reads his blog?
I am an independent eProductivity
consultant, so I don't have a direct boss per se. Still, I'm accountable
to myself, my family, and the clients that I serve.
The greatest transparency, however, is with my wife and children. They
know what's in the box. They've heard me talk about it at the dinner table.
They know I want to open it. They can see my desk through the French doors
of their classroom. If they see me approach the box, they know to smile,
wave, and ask me if I've gotten all my work done.
Yet, the box remains unopened, and the
security tape intact.
Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to post words of advice on
what I should do relative to my dilemma. So far, over twenty people have
written to me or posted comments on my blog. Most tried to provide an argument
for why I should give in and rip the box open now. Two people even offered
to hold the tablet for me until I was ready.
If I were to give in, the most compelling argument (so far) came
from Steve New:
Eric,
Here is one thing I must disagree with Mr. Allen over. While there are
without question thousands of things you can get off your mind by scheduling
them for future attention, a new computer in the box is not one of them.
To be an adult you need to be honest with yourself. You know you won't
be giving your full attention to your client's projects while the untouched
Tecra remains in the back of your mind calling to you. I see your blog
as a call for help. In your heart you know what to do. Play with it Eric.
It's best for you and for your clients that you do.
I think Steve's argument supports the position that owning a new Tablet
PC can be disruptive - even if you don't take it out of the box.
Several people appealed to my love of productivity tools, arguing that
I would instantly become more productive with the new Tablet PC in hand.
Marc and James have even offered to help me set up my new Tablet PC in
a live podcast. (That would be fun; we may do this.)
All of this is well and good, but my in-box(es) still overfloweth.
After prayerful consideration, I've decided that to give in to temptation
and play with my new tablet before I get my work done would be to undermine
everything Kathy and I have taught our children about a strong and balanced
work ethic. Work first. Play later. (Amy and Wendy would like me
to believe that I have these priorities reversed.)
If you do the things you need to do, when you
need to do them, then you'll have the time to do the things you want
to do, when you want to do them - Zig Ziglar.
I'm working as hard as I can to clear my plate of family, school, and work
commitments so that I can play and feel good about it.
I'm about to find out for real just how
disruptive owning a Tablet PC can be.
FedEx just delivered a box from Toshiba. My new Tecra M4 Tablet PC waits
patiently inside. After 6 months of research + two months from the time
I decided to make my purchase, I'm ready to take the next step.
I can't believe it's finally here!
Unfortunately, I've got a very full plate, with several eProductivity projects
due for clients over the next few months.
I'm presently negotiating with myself just how much I will commit to get
done before I break the first seal on the box.
Will I force myself to have a completely empty in-box (paper & digital)
before I peek inside?
Or, will I give in to temptation, rip open the box, boot up Windows XP,
Tablet edition and start blogging in ink?
I've had a few lingering questions about
the Toshiba Tecra M4 Tablet PC, so I contacted my friendly Toshiba rep
to find out the answers.
I've managed to confirm that the Tecra M4 indeed has a Mic Array. That's
good. I've also confirmed that the speakers are blocked in tablet mode.
That's bad. I just found out that my tablet has shipped and is on
its way to me. That's good.
From my correspondence with my helpful Toshiba Rep:
I asked about the Mic Array and the Speakers on the Tecra M4:
I have question about Mic Array and Speakers on the M4
I've been reading the materials from the web site. I have two questions
about the M4 that I have purchased.
Table PCs usually have a Microphone Array consisting of 2-4 microphones
that are built-in to the side of the case, for voice Dictation with the
Tablet PC Operating system. Can you tell me about the Mic Array on
the Toshiba Tecra M4? I do not see any information about this on the web
site.
I am looking at the PDF picture of the new M4. From the picture, it appears
that the stereo speakers on the M4 will be obscured and the sound blocked
when I demonstrate the tablet to my clients in tablet-mode. Is this correct?
My Toshiba representative promptly responded:
Hi Eric,
This is what I found out regarding your questions. Also the speakers
will be blocked when you are in tablet mode. Here is the information
I received from Toshiba regarding the microphone array on the M4: The Mic
Array determines the direction of sound source input to the microphone
and suppress sound from outside specified range and surrounding noise.
I followed up to ask about the Mic Array:
I understand, from your email, that the speakers will
be blocked when in tablet mode. That's discouraging. I hope I will still
be able to use multimedia functions while in tablet mode.
What about the microphone array?
1. Please let me know if the mic array will be blocked from use when in
tablet mode as well.
2. Please let me know how many mics make up the array. (Typically 3-4 individual
mics. The screen shot appears to imply 3 mics).
To which, my representative responded:
Hello Eric,
No the mic array will not be blocked since it is located on the display
panel. There are 3 individual mics.
There's been a lot of discussion about
Tablet PCs and whether they are disruptive.
(See also Michael Hyatt's thoughts.
) Good discussion; however, I still decided to order a new Tecra M4 Tablet
PC and blogged
about it.
What will change my mind about the Tablet PC is the noise level produced
by CPU fan. I frequently attend meetings with clients where, Tablet
or not, the whine of a CPU fan would be very disruptive. In one of
my management classes, a colleague has a laptop with a very loud CPU fan.
The whine of the fan is so disruptive that she usually turns her computer
off during lectures. (So much for disruptive technology.)
I will be very disappointed if my new Tablet PC makes enough noise that
I have to turn it off in order not to bother others. If it does,
I can give you 4900 reasons why I will send it back promptly.
Many readers have written to ask me what I know about the noise-level of
the Toshiba Tecra M4. I don't know anything yet. I'm still waiting for
my Tablet PC to arrive.
I decided to take matters into my own hands; I contacted my helpful Toshiba
sales representative to find out what she had to say about this.
Here's a summary of our exchange.
My question to Toshiba re: possible CPU Fan noise with the M4:
I
have some concerns about fan noise on the Tecra M4 - Is it OK for meeting/classroom
use?
A few readers have written to me, or posted on my blog, with concerns about
the noise level of the Tecra M4. The concern is that excessive fan noise
might make the Tablet too disruptive for use in a meeting or a classroom.
I share this concern. I've been in meetings where someone -- usually with
an older laptop - has a loud fan. It's very disruptive.
My ThinkPad T42p fan is almost unnoticeable after startup. It is my hope
that the new Tecra M4 fan will be as quiet.
Would you please respond to this issue for me? I'd like to put these
concerns to rest.
Thank you,
Eric Mack
Toshiba responded promptly:
Hello Eric,
I have been informed that the Tecra M4 does have a louder fan then some
of the other models. I do understand your concern, however if this
remains a problem for you after you receive the notebook we have a 15 day
return policy, there will be no penalty to you. Thank you
My follow-up question:
Thanks, for the swift reply.
I'm looking forward to receiving the new Tablet, as I will use it for client
demonstrations and in meetings in a conference room.
Can you tell me, subjectively, how much louder? Are we talking Jet engine-loud?
If you are sitting at a conference table, will the people across and adjacent
to you be able to hear it? My main concern is whether (or not) this
will cause the Tablet to be a disruption.
Eric
And The response from Toshiba:
Eric,
Toshiba does not consider the fan a distraction. However due to the
upgrade in the processing speed; the power in the new FSB generates more
heat. Therefore, the fan must regulate this increase. I am told it
is louder then the Tecra M2. To be completely honest with you I personally
have not seen the new Tecra M4. I have not heard any negative feedback.
I do hope that when you receive your notebook you will not find
the fan to be a problem, I know this machine offers many new awesome benefits.
I want you to be happy with your notebook, so please let me know
if this becomes a concern for you when you work with it.
Thank you
There, you have it. Once I receive the M4, I'll compare the fan noise to
the IBM ThinkPad T42p on my desk and let you know about my experience.
I've added a new category for Tablet PC
and I've reclassified several of my tablet-related posts. As a result,
some of these may reappear in your RSS feed.
For ease of use with the pen- Entbloess
or TopDesk for switching windows easily
Tablet PC Launcher for pen access to
all your programs and docs
Media Transfer from Experience Pack
to get media files (including podcasts) onto TPC
ritePen which offers write anywhere
capability for ink text entry and fuses their advanced recognition engine
with the TIP. I get better accuracy using ritePen than the TIP alone.
These
three applications are the main reasons I purchased a Tablet PC in the
first place ... aside from the geek factor, of course.
Anything you'd like to add?
Just before I closed my shopping cart on the Fujitsu site, I checked Tablet
PC Buzz; there, I read that
Toshiba's just announced the Tecra M4
Tablet PC -- the latest in
a series of Tablet PC announcements this month. (See buzz
thread.)This unit addresses
many items on my Tablet PC wish
list. The M4 sports
an impressive list of features usually found only on high-end laptops.
Perhaps I can become YABHTU
after all!
Here are my quick observations taken from the PDF
file on the Toshiba site:
Features that I'm excited about:
Larger screen. 14.1" - yes, I know
that makes for a big tablet and a heavy one. I can live with that.
8X DVD-R
DVD Dual-layer burning & playback
SATA Drive - presumably MUCH faster
throughput
LCD Contrast
NVIDIA Graphics
FireWire built-in S-Video port, too.
AccuPoint - just like my IBM ThinkPad
TrackPoint -- A big plus for me, when in laptop mode
SD Card slot
Reputation of M200
Gigabit Ethernet
Second Battery Option
Appears to offer options for HD up to
100 gigs, though only as add-on, not upon order. (Why?)
Microsoft One Note button on outside
of Tablet for instant-access to MS One Note
"Longhorn Ready" (Longhorn's
a long way out. I will either grow to enjoy using the tablet or I will
ditch
the Tablet PC. It won't take
long for me to decide.)
"Features"
I'm not thrilled about:
Only one mic - no mic array. (I hope
I'm wrong about this)
Bluetooth does not appear to be built-in.
(Yes, I can buy Bluetooth as an "option," buy why? I hope I'm
wrong)
Speakers obscured when in tablet mode.
(Does this mean I have to switch to laptop mode to listen?)
No clear path to order faster processor
or larger HD as a custom unit. (Fast HD is a requirement.)
Questions
remaining:
Is it real, or just announced? If I
order a customized unit today, when will I receive it?
If
Toshiba had made it easy for me to buy the M200
I wanted weeks ago, I would have done so. I don't like to play the game,
"let's see what gets announced next," as there will always be
something new around the corner. I have work to do. Still, since I cannot
get one immediately, I've had more time than I want to consider the options.
I still really like the Fujitsu and, as I mentioned, had planned to purchase
it this week. I've written to Paul Vollenweider, the VP of the Toshiba
Business Direct Unit, to find out if this Tablet is real, and how soon
I could get one.
I've run out of time. I need to return the wonderful IBM T42 I have been
using and make a purchase.
What I thought I could do in a day - purchase a new Tablet PC with the
features I wanted - has turned into an amazing adventure. I'm exhausted.
Still, the journey has been a productive one. I've learned a lot and I've
met some very interesting people along the way. For that alone, this adventure
has been worthwhile.
I would like to make a final purchasing decision in the next 48 hours.
(If I can get the answers I want, I'll even order today.)
If you would like to offer your two cents - and I hope that you will -
now is your chance.
I just reread my blog entry
about the Tablet PC. The aspect of the TabletPC that interests me
the most is the prospect of using digital ink to transform the way that
I work:
I've
been following the analog approach to note-taking. It's an attractive option.
It's one of the key reasons that I plan to move to a Tablet PC - I look
forward to the simplicity of analog note-taking and mind mapping with the
benefits of digital recall.
I've decided to see if I can build my own
Tablet PC, or at least something like it - something that I can use to
evaluate ink-enabled applications before I move to the Tablet PC platform.
There have been many discussions about how to do this in the various forums
- most recently on the MindManager forum. So far, I have the Tablet OS
loaded and MindManager will now launch in pen mode.
I'll have to forage through my junk room to see what I can come up with
for a mega digitizer. Perhaps I can retrofit my LiveBoard to the task.
Imagine ... a Tablet PC with a 6' drawing surface. That would be really
cool. On second thought the LiveBoard weighs over 600 lbs.
A week ago, I publicly teased my friend,
Michael Sampson, by challenging him to cancel his order for a new PowerBook
and to purchase a Tablet PC. I even asked for your help
with persuasive arguments. Michael responded
with a bullet-list of requirements and how the PowerBook suited his needs
just fine. Several people posted or emailed comments with their experiences
and opinions.
As you know, I have made the same journey. Initially,
the Tablet PC was a delight to use. But then, like all Windows systems,
it started bogging down with a bloated registry and annoying "bugs"
that just wouldn't go away.
Mike,
I've designed configured some amazing systems for some of the most productive
people I've ever met. Over the years, I've developed a protocol for designing
and tuning my client's systems so that they run exceedingly well. Still,
I'll admit that it does take a lot of work to achieve this - I wish it
was not so involved.
Most of the business applications that I use with my clients (and their
clients, and their client's clients ... ) are PC-based; changing platforms
is not a viable option.
In addition,
the technology is just too conspicuous. I couldn't walk into a room with
my Tablet PC without becoming the center of attention and people getting
side-tracked from the business at hand. This made me very uncomfortable.
Mike, I am intrigued by your comment
that your Tablet PC was a distraction - especially in light of the
quote from Michael Linenberger on your blog on why
you bought a TabletPC:
Placing
a laptop with the screen flipped up in front of you on a conference room
table creates a physical barrier between you and others in the room. This
is literally a barrier to communication. The Tablet PC is normally on your
lap, and out of sight. Or it is flat on the desk like a writing pad.
I would have expected that after a while
people would pay no attention to your Tablet. I'm sorry the Tablet PC did
not work out for you as you hoped it would. I'm still willing to give it
a try. [I would be happy to send you my shipping address. :-)]
I've
gone low-tech for meetings and love it. I carry a Moleskin notebook and
write down everything. I put a "star" symbol next to those things
I need to follow-up on. When I get back to my desk, I quickly transfer
these to Entourage. My workflow is simple, unobtrusive, and 100% reliable.
I've been following
the analog approach to note-taking. It's an attractive option. It's one
of the key reasons that I plan to move to a TabletPC - I want the simplicity
of analog note-taking and mind mapping with the benefits of digital recall.
And,
I absolutely love my PowerBook 15". In my humble opinion (sorry, Eric),
you're making the right choice.
I've since had many discussions
with Michael Sampson, and I agree, that for his stated needs, it would
appear that the PowerBook is an excellent option. As for me, yes, I would
have to agree, the TabletPC is too disruptive - I think about it way too
much.
If you've lost faith in Microsoft and are looking for
a budget option, the Helium
2100
Robert, I've not lost faith in Microsoft, but I am discouraged at the effort
it takes to get my hands on a new TabletPC. The Helium 2100 looks like
a nice machine at a great price. I might even consider it. Too bad you
have to buy 24 of them at a time. :-(
Several others chimed in with equally compelling arguments for either the
Tablet PC or the PowerBook.
LBE made an excellent point:
[Eric,] you are confounding two distinctions - the operating
system and the form factor. In the same form factor, an increasing number
of people are finding Mac OS X to be more productive and stable for their
needs. The rest just haven't tried it. If the tablet form factor works
better for you than a standard laptop, then you are currently forced to
by a Tablet PC.
Agreed.
and a good observation:
But that's not a reason to buy a Tablet PC, let alone
advocate them. It's a reason to wish that Mac OS X came in a tablet form
factor.
Good point, LBE. While I was having some
fun with the "PC vs Mac" debate at Michael's expense, my
real comparison and interest, was Tablet vs traditional laptop. I should
have been more clear about this. I hope Apple DOES jump in with a Tablet
offering. It will no doubt raise the bar.
I'm still sold on the Tablet PC for
my needs.
Michael Sampson lamented that it took Apple NZ 6 weeks to fulfill his order.
I checked with him today, and he's since received his PowerBook and is
happily working away. He plans to bring it with him in June, when he flies
up to spend a day with me in the digital sandbox.
As for me, I have ... well, at least
I'm still blogging about the Tablet PC.
I've been waiting for a fellow Tablet PC
enthusiast and blogger to receive her Fujitsu T4010D before I placed my
order. I've been checking in with her every few days. It's been a
few weeks, and she's still not received it. This is not encouraging. Still,
there have been some encouraging posts on TabletPC Buzz from users who
have received their new T4010's.
Frankly, had I not completely sold myself on the Tablet PC platform, driven
by applications such as MindManager, ResultsManager, and OneNote, I might
have given up and focused my attentions toward another technology. Do I
order the Fujitsu now and hope for the best? Do I go back to my original
choice, the Toshiba M200 and hope for the best? Do I wait for the new rumored
Tablets from Toshiba and Fujitsu?
Decisions, decisions.
The pre-configured but ill-equipped Tablet PCs are starting to look really
good. It shouldn't be this way.
Did I call myself a Tablet PC enthusiast in the opening sentence? Funny
how we are so quick to visualize ourselves in desired outcomes.
As my first act of Tablet PC evangelism,
I tried to make a convert out of my colleague, Michael Sampson, today.
I challenged Michael to cancel his pending order for a new Apple PowerBook
and join me over on the "smart side." (And I don't even have
a Tablet PC to show him yet! But that's another story.)
Michael's just posted his
thoughts on our discussion
on Tablet PC vs PowerBook.
Working together, we can help Michael make the right decision, before it's
too late. :-)
[I'll try to get my friend Mike
Hyatt to join in, too. He's
transitioned from PC to
Tablet PC to a PowerBook.
A PC guy switches to the Tablet PC, then to the Mac. How does it work out?
Enquiring minds want to know. At least I do. Last June, Mike told us why
he bought a Tablet PC. Then,
in February, he took
the plunge over to the dark
side.]
I know that there are likely to be passionate discussions on both sides.
For me, it all boils down to productivity, and I think that Michael makes
a good case
for ... Or does he?
All kidding aside, I am very interested in the discussion that is sure
to follow.
It's not too late to help!
Michael has not yet taken delivery of the new PowerBook, but its arrival
is only days away. We must act quickly! Can
you provide Michael with compelling new information to help him make the
right choice?
Post your comments and links to information.
This should be fun.
Eric
PS In the event that Michael does give in to temptation and accepts delivery
of the PowerBook, I'll be sure to blog about it. :-)
As anticipate migrating to a TabletPC,
I've been researching various productivity applications that I plan to
use. This blog entry is not about a solution - yet. It's about my search
for one.
One capability that I look forward to is the ability to mark up PDF files
- not just any PDF files, but those that originate as paper. When I am
in my office, I use my HP Digital Sender to take a stack of documents and
scan them into PDF files so that I can work with them in digital form.
However, when I'm out and about, with a Tablet PC, I will need another
way to quickly capture paper documents into PDF so that I can edit them.
The options that I am considering will include a hybrid of hardware and
software, hardware to capture and software to edit. The capture side has
my attention right now. I'm presently considering two solutions: a portable
scanner and a digital camera. Let's look at the benefits of each.
Portable Scanner
Pros
High resolution scanning
Suitable for OCR (for PDF+Text applications)
Cons
External device, cables, adapters
Additional steps to capture
Digital
Camera
Pros
Easy to use
Much faster than a scanner
Cons
More expensive than scanner
Difficult to align for text capture
Images not suitable for OCR
External device, cables, adapters
Additional steps to capture
The
ideal solution, in my view, would be for Tablet PC manufacturers to add
a digital camera, scanner, or both, to a Tablet PC - I'd certainly pay
for these options. I would like to snap a picture by holding up the Tablet.
Likewise, I would like to scan a page in 1-2 seconds, either by drawing
the Tablet across the page (like the HP Capshare) or by feeding the page
through a slot at the edge of the Tablet. I remember there was once
a laptop with a built-in scanner.
I'm not asking for much. Once I see a Tablet PC with a built-in scanner
and camera, I plan to ask for a built-in micro laser printer - don't laugh;
it will happen. Right now, I'll settle for a fast and reliable mobile paper
capture tool.
I'm certain that someone has thought through all of this long before me.
Who will build it first? (Toshiba? Fujitsu? Anyone?)
While I wait for an integrated solution, I plan to explore solutions that
I can create using off-the-shelf technology. I'll keep you
posted.
Do you have a solution for real-time mobile import of paper documents into
a Tablet PC?
In my pursuit of the perfect tablet PC
for my needs, I've collected many documents and links to useful TabletPC
information. Here are two documents and a link that may be of interest
to those of you who may be evaluating TabletPC technology:
In response to my updated post
about indoor/outdoor screens, Tom Bernhard, Fujitsu's Director of Strategic
Product Planning, was kind enough to send me a document that covers the
technology issues involved in designing and selecting TabletPC displays.
It probably contains more information than most people would like to know,
however the document also contains some helpful summaries and illustrations.
Earlier this week, I wrote to Tom to request permission to share the document.
I've since learned that the document has just been posted to the web --
see below.
After reading this document, I have decided to go with the indoor wide
angle SXGA+ screen for my TabletPC purchase. I believe that this will work
best for my needs. Most of my work is done indoors and the wide angle viewing
should make client demonstrations easier.
Another helpful document, also from Fujitsu, is the Fujitsu Mobile Whitepaper.
Although a bit dated - it's from 2002 -- this document provides Fujitsu's
response to Microsoft's TabletPC specification. While clearly written from
the Fujitsu perspective, it has some good information and should be of
benefit to anyone considering a TabletPC purchase.
The TabletPC2
web site has an excellent field-trial comparison
of TabletPC displays. Linda Epstein's done a fantastic job of comparing
the screens and features of various TabletPC models.
I've still yet to order my new TabletPC. Unfortunately, there is no single
SKU for my dream system. I know what I want, however, since it must be
"custom configured," I'll need to sit down and map out all the
options before I can submit my order. While I have the flexibility
to choose what I want, it means that I cannot just quickly call and order
a new TabletPC overnight. That's too bad - I could have sold 3 TabletPCs
to clients in the just the past week.
Hopefully, tomorrow will be a quiet day and I can get this order going.
Then, the countdown will really begin.
I have finally decided which TabletPC to
buy. I plan to purchase the new Fujitsu T4010D - if I can get one soon.
Many factors contributed to my selection of the Fujitsu model, including
the screen, battery, optical options, and a handful of other innovative
product features.
As a result of my blog posts, many people thoughtfully contacted me to
share their personal experiences and to provide objective information to
help me in my evaluation of the various TabletPC models from Toshiba and
Fujitsu. Among these, were executives at Toshiba and Fujitsu, along with
Marc
Orchant, Lora
Heiny, and Linda
A. Epstein, creator of TABLETPC2.COM.
(TabletPC2 is an outstanding resource for TabletPC comparisons.) Thank
you to each of you!
As you may know, when I researched the Fujitsu models, I became frustrated
by the need to choose between the indoor or outdoor screen models. On Friday,
an executive at Fujitsu sent me a detailed engineering document that reviews
the engineering design process for TabletPC screens and how each design
is more or less suitable for indoor or outdoor use. Equipped with a much
better understanding of the technical details, I'm now confident that the
wide-view indoor screen will serve my needs best. (I've written to ask
for permission to post this document. Check back soon)
With the knowledge of the specific TabletPC I want and the features that
I will include, the remaining hurdle is how to get one.
It is still frustrating to me that I cannot go to my local computer super
store and pick up a TabletPC or at least order one overnight from an internet
dealer. Unfortunately, the combination of "features" that I have
selected require that my TabletPC be "built-to-order." While
I'm flattered that Fujitsu or Toshiba would build a TabletPC just for me,
I still wish it were possible to purchase what I want from stock. Why should
people have to go through all of this work? (Now that I've done the work,
perhaps they should offer the "Eric Mack Edition." Hmmm. If Eddie
Bauer can do it.... and he probably makes big bucks each time his name
is used, too. I'll have to think about that.)
If I am successful in ordering my new TabletPC for delivery in the next
two weeks, this will be the last post on the ordering saga.
Moving forward, I plan to share my experiences integrating the TabletPC
into my work and play.
I can't wait for my new TabletPC. Oh, I guess I'll have to. At least a
few weeks more. :-(
Why can't buying a TabletPC be a quick
and easy experience?
A week ago, I shared my frustrating and unsuccessful attempt
to quickly purchase a high-end M200 TabletPC from Toshiba. My post about
my desire to become YABHTU,
created quite a stir in the blogosphere. James Kendrick and Marc Orchant
even talked this, on today's Tablet
PC podcast.
Here's an update on my mission to show my clients how to use digital ink
...
Today, I received an email from Paul Vollenweider, Vice President of Toshiba
Direct. Mr. Vollenweider apologized for the difficulties I encountered
and he outlined how the purchasing process is supposed to work. He also
extended an offer to assist me. I really appreciate that he took the time
to personally address my concerns and to explain how the purchasing process
works. While I still don't quite know how long it might take to get
the TabletPC I want, I'm delighted to know that Mr. Vollenweider is genuinely
concerned about the purchasing experience of his customers. Very professional.
Had this happened a week ago, I would now own an M200, I would be well
on my way to becoming YABHTU, and this post would be about how everyone
should buy a TabletPC. Well, I'm not there yet. I've followed up with
Mr. Vollenweider; right now, however, I must decide what to do with Fujitsu.
Wait a minute? Wasn't I trying to buy a Toshiba? Yes, I was, and
had it been available for purchase, I would have. Since it was not,
I decided to start over and research alternatives.
About the same time, Fujitsu announced their new T4010D
TabletPC. With the introduction of this new model, Fujitsu is back in the
running for my dream TabletPC. Previously excluded by the lack of an SXGA
screen, Fujitsu got my attention by offering a TabletPC with not only an
SXGA+ screen, but also standard Bluetooth and abg wireless -- two of the
features unavailable from Toshiba M200 in a pre-built configuration. But
wait, there's more. The high-end pre-built Fujitsu Tablet also includes
a multi-format DVD burner, and a wide angle indoor/outdoor screen, Firewire
ports, and Gigabit ethernet as well. Sweet. My corporate clients will love
this.
I'm ready to buy ...
As I did when I planned to purchase the Toshiba M200 TabletPC, I spec'd
out my
dream TabletPC, this time,
from Fujitsu. OK, I'm ready to buy; where do I send my money,
and how soon can I have it? I start by filling out an order on
the Fujitsu web site. Wait a minute. What's this? According to the
Fujitsu web store, my dream TabletPC - the one with the wonderful indoor/outdoor
screen that I want - only comes in XGA. What? XGA only? Why can't I have
the SXGA+ screen with the indoor/outdoor coating applied? Wouldn't everyone
want the ideal TabletPC -- one that can be used indoors as well as outdoors?
Certainly, I'm not the only one interested in this capability. Why do these
features have to be mutually exclusive, especially when I'm willing to
pay for them?
I guess I'll have to do some more research. This will further delay my
purchase.
Why can't buying a TabletPC be a quick and easy experience?
Update 3:52 AM PST - I just called 1-800-FUJITSU and spoke with Kim
and then Brent. Both were VERY knowledgeable about their product and enthusiastic
about their company - especially for people working the midnight shift.
I got quick answers to most of my questions. The T4010D that I want will
have to be custom configured, and the fastest drive available is a 5400
RPM drive, (no mention of throughput). Unfortunately, the SXGA+ screen
option is only available as an indoor screen. That's too bad. The only
way I can get an indoor/outdoor screen is to downgrade to XGA. Finally,
the Multi-format DVD drive is not a dual-layer as one product review I
read had indicated. It still looks like a good drive. All custom configured
units come directly from Japan, so I will need to allow 7-10 business days
+ 2-3 days for shipping. I realize that there is no such thing as instant
gratification (at any price) for the ultimate TabletPC. I'm disappointed
that I cannot have the indoor/outdoor screen in SGXA+. I left my name,
phone number, and email address; I asked for a product manager to contact
me. Perhaps, when I wake up, I'll have some additional information in my
mailbox to share.
Update 4:19 AM PST - I can be very vocal about what I want in
technology and how I think things should be. I want to make sure that I
share that despite my frustration with the process of selecting and purchasing
this TabletPC, my interactions with both Toshiba and Fujitsu have been
very professional. It's neat to deal with people who obviously care about
their product. Now, if they would only contact me first about their configurations
and proposed feature sets ... Good night.
An interesting day on the blog. Last night's
late-night cranky blog-rant
about my inability to satisfy my need/desire for a TabletPC generated considerable
feedback, both public and private. (Thank you!) Most encouraging was an
email from Lora Heiny, of Microsoft's Mobile Platforms Division. Lora offered
some assistance. She also provided me with some valuable insight on the
differences and similarities between the Toshiba and Fujitsu TabletPcs.
While I would still like to buy a Toshiba TabletPC - if I could only get
the one I want - I'm now considering the Fujitsu as an alternative.
I suddenly need a new computer ... yesterday.
No problem, I thought; I know precisely what I want -- A shiny new
Toshiba
M200, fully loaded. I've
been thinking about purchasing this wonderful TabletPC for months. I wanted
to use it to show clients the latest in pen-enabled applications - impressive
programs like MindManager,
ResultsManager,
and OneNote.
Several months ago, my friend, Marc Orchant, of the tabletpcweblog
even helped me spec out the system. I thought that all I had left do was
to click and order to become YABHTU.(Yet Another Blissfully
Happy TabletPC User)
Not true.
This morning, I called Toshiba
Direct to place my order.
I wanted to buy an M200 for immediate delivery. I was prepared to pay FedEx
overnight fees to get it quickly.
You can imagine my surprise, therefore, when the very friendly and English-speaking
representative at Toshiba Direct quoted me three to four weeks for custom
configured M200 TabletPCs.
Three to four weeks to prep a TabletPC? What are they Thinking?
It's not like this unit was just introduced. Now, to be fair, the helpful
lady on the phone did offer that I could purchase a "preconfigured"
model, that could be shipped much faster. I asked about the preconfigured
models and found that they strip built-in Bluetooth (??), built-in a/b/g
WiFi (??) and the higher-speed hard drive (??) -- all features I wanted,
and was prepared to pay for.
I wonder, how unique am I for wanting an M200 with built-in WiFi, Bluetooth,
and a fast 60 Gig 7200 RPM drive? Surely I'm not the only one.
Someone in Toshiba marketing does not get it.*
Even if they did, how long does it take to pop in a hard drive and two
mini-pci cards? 10 minutes? Offer to send me the parts, Toshiba, and I'll
do it for you. If I have to wait 3-4 weeks before the unit I want
might even be ready to ship, I might as well wait for the new T4000
Convertible Tablet, by Fujitsu,
announced only yesterday.
IBM gets it; they include fully loaded models among their standard
ThinkPad configurations so
that customers can quickly satisfy their desires (or needs). And,
they're in-stock!. Too bad IBM does not make a TabletPC.
As long as vendors, like Toshiba, prevent me from making
an impulse TabletPC purchase whenever I want to (or, as in this case, suddenly
need to), they will miss many sales opportunities.
Because I need to buy a new laptop quickly, I may have to fulfill my mobile
computing needs with another wonderful IBM ThinkPad. I really like the
T-42p. That would not be a bad thing at all; but it would not be a TabletPC.
(IBM does not appear to get the TabletPC platform yet, but that's
another blog for another day.)
End of rant; it's 2:29 am; time to go to bed.
Sorry for whining; I get a little cranky when the marvels of technology
cannot work together to help me purchase what I want in a timely fashion.
I still wish I could get a new Toshiba M200 Tablet PC quickly.
PS. The last time I publicly complained
about not being able to easily purchase new computers, the Sr. Manager
for IBM North & South American portable computing personally called
me to see if she could help. As a result, I immediately placed orders for
15 new top-of-the-line ThinkPads for one of my clients. My client was satisfied,
and so was I. I wonder if the executives on the Toshiba TabletPC team read
blogs? I hope they do. If so, my phone # is 661-242-8410x101.
* If you know this person, Send them a link to this blog.
UPDATE 3/17/2005 12:17 PM PST -- I just spoke with Gord, a friendly
sales rep over at Fujtisu.
It looks like the Fujitsu Lifebook T4000
(Model T40910D) TabletPC has most everything I want, except for the fast
hard drive (why do they do that??). They do provide a drive bay with Gigabit
Ethernet and a DVD burner. I'd like that. They quoted me one week
to build and ship, plus free shipping, plus a free scanner; and, I did
not even mention this blog. Now, I just have to do some more
research on the Fujitsu T4000. Has anyone worked with this TabletPC
yet? Thoughts?
Eric Mack On-Line
I decided to test the first two. Yesterday, under the premise of conducting "research," we headed down to Anaheim to test the X61 on the way to Disneyland. Kathy drove and I sat in the passenger seat and processed my pending email. Well, actually, I sorted my pending email to process later and spent the rest of the time Skyping Michael Sampson from the car, but that's another story. 
In my conference room, I have a huge machine called a LiveBoard. It was made by Xerox. Think of it as the extreme digital whiteboard. It's has a 60" rear projection system with built-in optics so that digital markers can be tracked anywhere on the surface. The markers have no ink in them, they simply transmit an IR beacon that the electronics inside of the LiveBoard pick up to determine pen position. The system functions as a giant PC. Now, with a suitable internet or data connection you can connect two (or more) LiveBoards in such a way that anything written on one can will appear on the other and vice versa. It's a wonderful collaboration technology. Unfortunately 15 years ago, when it first came out, the $45K price tag put out of the reach of most businesses. I suppose the fact that it weighed 600 lbs was a detractor for some people, too. 
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