The Tablet PC Show #025
The Tablet PC Show #025 (MP3 - 32.2MB - 35 min)
Before anything else, I need to apologize for the sound quality of this episode. I did not have a headset when I recorded it and, despite our best efforts, there is a background hiss that we just could not get rid of. But beginning with the next episode that problem is taken care of and the sound quality will be MUCH improved! So please bear with us for this one episode only. Thanks! — Perry
Welcome to episode 25 of the Tablet PC Show! I’m your new host, Perry Reed, and I begin the podcast by telling you a bit about myself. Then it’s on to the following News and Updates:
After the news, I spend some more time discussing the cPC. I mention an article on Engadget that has a fake photo of the device and a running discussion on Pocket PC Thoughts about the device.
I also put out a call for anyone who will be attending the upcoming CES show to contact me about acting as our “podcast representative” at the show and getting us the details on the new device.
Next, I discuss some information gleaned at a recent Tablet PC chat at MSDN about some possible enhancements to the Tablet PC UI in the forthcoming Windows Vista OS.
Then I talk about Microsoft SNARF, a research project that tries to help you better manage your email, and I compare it to an Outlook add-in called ClearContext that works similarly.
After that I launch Part 1 of our discussion to design the “perfect” next Tablet PC. Part 1 consists of the internals of the device; for example the processor, battery, and storage.
Again, I call for listener input. If you’ve got some ideas for how to make Tablet PCs better, I want to hear them!
Following that discussion, I make a personal plea for anyone who has a System Restore disc for an HP TC1000 Tablet PC and would be willing to burn me a copy or make available an .ISO file. My system needs rebuilding, but I don’t have a restore disc.
Lastly, I cover two new ongoing features on the podcast:
Our Site of the Week is TheTabletPC.net
Our Poll of the Week question is: What is your favorite note taking application? Take the poll here.
I wrap up the podcast by asking for comments and feedback from the listeners.
Music:
Intro: “Wallawalla” by Drop Trio
Outro: “Second First” by Drop Trio
(Music available at magnatune.com.)
December 27th, 2005 at 2:53 am
Hi Perry, nice show! I should point out that your call for an ISO recovery disk is in direct violation of the license for the Tablet Edition. The only legitimate way to obtain this disk is through the vendor, in this case HP.
December 27th, 2005 at 2:54 am
Oh, I almost forgot. Show 25 still lists Marc Orchant and I as the hosts, please change that for future shows and update the MP3 for this show to avoid confusion among the listeners. Thanks!
December 27th, 2005 at 4:33 am
Welcome aboard, Perry! It is great to have the Tablet PC Show back.
Yes, the audio on this show is the worst I have ever heard on any podcast. Perry sounds pretty interesting behind all that noise, distortion, clipping, low audio level, and hum. I eagerly look forward to the arrival of Perry’s new head set so I will be able to understand what he is saying in future podcasts without getting a splitting headache from trying to ignore the wretched audio quality. Thumbs up to Perry. Thumbs down to horrible audio quality. Thumbs down to the editor who decided to put out this horrible audio quality.
December 27th, 2005 at 4:44 am
James: Thanks for the feedback. I’m not sure how or where it still shows you and Marc as the hosts. Can you elaborate? Especially if it’s the MP3 file itself, I’ll be very confused as I edited those ID3 tags myself. Maybe it’s in the RSS feed… I’ll certainly look into it. As for the license violation, I didn’t think about that, but I suppose I would have known that had I had the license documentation that came with the disc…
Marc: Yes, the audio was awful. And I take full blame as the person who decided to put out the show as-is. We did try to clean it up but that was the best we could do. Rest assured I have a headset now and beginning with the next episode the audio should be much, much better. Thanks for sticking with it despite the splitting headache incurred!
December 27th, 2005 at 6:14 am
What I want to see in future Tablet PCs is not new whizzy hardware, but software catching up with the hardware capabilities that are already present.
The software and OS on current Tablet PCs is still designed for use with a keyboard and mouse (with the exception of Sketchbook and OneNote and the like) with some features added on for ink support. Going back and forth between the Tablet PC Input Pabel (TIP) and various little text boxes is hardly the ideal workflow for a Tablet. Ink needs to a first-class design constraint in the design of future applications. E.g. minimize screen clutter caused by menus and toolbars, give as much space as possible to inkable surfaces, and then make it easy to get to the functions that the toolbars and menus were there for.
One feature I as a coder would really like to see: an IDE with first-class ink support that enables me to code, debug etc without having to switch to the keyboard. Right now, there are only two things that make me switch to keyboard mode: coding, and writing long text. The lesser I need to do that, the better.
December 27th, 2005 at 10:19 am
TPN Tablet PC Podcast: Comparison of ClearContext to Snarf
Perry Reed at The Podcast Network spent some time comparing ClearContext to SNARF on episode #25 of the Tablet PC Show. He concludes that ClearContext is a better way to go and that, for him, it is a very nice
December 27th, 2005 at 12:04 pm
Perry, the tags are off in the RSS feed on iTunes. You will have to change your RSS URL to fix it. Please do that as soon as possible. Thanks.
December 27th, 2005 at 2:13 pm
[…] […]
December 28th, 2005 at 4:20 am
Perry said, “Rest assured I have a headset now and beginning with the next episode the audio should be much, much better.”
Thanks! I can’t wait! :-)
December 28th, 2005 at 2:54 pm
Good start Perry!
One suggestion, you can lower the bit-rate of your MP3 from 128 KBps to 48-96 Kbps. Speech doesn’t really require CD-quality downloads.
As for things for the next Tablet PC, I would love for the dual core Yohan to be implemented quickly! Flash cache seems interesting, but wouldn’t adding more Hard Drive Cache help in that area too? I think the largest cache for the 2.5″ laptop drive is only 8 MB; boosting it to 32 MB SATA II would show GREAT improvement.
December 28th, 2005 at 11:22 pm
Audio qulaity aside the only thing I would say is slow down a bit - it was a bit of a chore keeping up with you ;)
December 30th, 2005 at 4:51 pm
The big feature of the Tablet PC Enhancement Pack is the multi-language support
This was not available in the Tablet PC Experience Pack or Tablet PC Education Pack.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/tabletpc/enhancementpack/default.mspx
December 30th, 2005 at 5:16 pm
Perry,
You should be able to download all the drivers and Compaq utiltiies for your machine from the HP Support Site.
http://h18007.www1.hp.com/support/files/Compaqtabletpc/us/locate/97_5344.html
January 8th, 2006 at 6:35 pm
I am the Education Technology Advisor to the governor of WV and have just received a IBM Tablet pc x41. I am looking for examples of how educators might use this tool to enhance instruction in the classroom. Any ideas. Also, what headset would you recommend? Thanks