Any Hidden Goodies for Tablet PC Owners?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the experiences and software recommendations of Tablet PC owners, focusing on usability, software limitations, and specific applications for various tasks. Participants share insights on hardware performance, software tools, and the practicality of Tablet PCs in different contexts, including education and creative work.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant mentions calibration issues with their Toshiba M7 and expresses dissatisfaction with OneNote 2007's performance, suggesting alternatives like StrokeIt and a clipboard watcher they are developing.
  • Another participant questions the practicality of Tablet PCs, likening them to toys, while recalling past skepticism about early computers.
  • A participant discusses their experience with a Gateway/Motion M1200, using it for lectures and handwritten calculations, and mentions modifying software for better usability.
  • Concerns are raised about the installation issues with the Ditto clipboard manager, with some participants sharing their experiences with different versions and troubleshooting.
  • One participant highlights the speed advantages of using a stylus for specific applications, particularly for language dictionaries, and notes the benefits of a non-touch sensitive screen.
  • Several software tools are recommended, including AutoHotkey for task automation and Jarnal for PDF annotation, with participants expressing interest in these applications.
  • There is a discussion about the different screen types of tablets, particularly in relation to their suitability for artistic work, with a participant's daughter seeking a specific type of tablet for cartooning.
  • Some participants express skepticism about the overall utility of Tablet PCs for everyday work, suggesting they may be more suited for specific fields like education and medicine.
  • Participants share links to various Tablet PC communities and resources, indicating a desire for more information and support within the user community.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of skepticism and appreciation for Tablet PCs, with no clear consensus on their overall utility. Some find them valuable for specific tasks, while others view them as impractical for everyday use.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention various software tools and their limitations, as well as personal preferences for hardware features, indicating that experiences may vary widely based on individual needs and use cases.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to current and prospective Tablet PC owners, educators, software developers, and users looking for practical applications and tools for Tablet PCs.

Zen
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Hi. I recently got a Toshiba M7, and been playing with it for some months now. What I've found is that the hardware is neraly there (calibration is my biggest complaint), but the software is really lacking.

Currently I'm using Windows journal because OneNote 2007 is fu**ing slow.

Anyone know of some hidden goodies?

My contribution is StrokeIt ( http://www.tcbmi.com/strokeit )

I'm currently working on a clipboard watcher that will make it easier to use notes on internetforums like this. I'll post it when it's usable.

And finally, anyone tried using a tablet in linux. From my understanding the software offer is even worse?

And just for the hell:
http://folk.ntnu.no/bronner/temp/temp1177359103.6875.png
 
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Computer science news on Phys.org
people actually use these things? thought they were just toys :smile:
 
Anttech said:
people actually use these things? thought they were just toys :smile:

:smile: In 1980 I remember people saying that about my Apple II.

My daughter an aspiring cartoonist, wants to get a tablet. HP has just come out with a tablet for the home market, but evidently has a different type of screen. She says it simply won't do. Does anyone have any knowledge of the different screen types?
 
I've been an owner [of a Gateway/Motion M1200] since 2003... and have been using it as my "electronic whiteboard" for my lectures, as well as my "notepad" for handwritten calculations [using Journal]. (I didn't like how Journal automatically groups strokes... so I used ResHack to modify some of the GUI menus to make "Ungroup" easier to get to.)Check out my blog entry on TabletPC software
https://www.physicsforums.com/blog/2006/05/20/tabletpcs-for-science-and-science-teaching/

By the way, StrokeIt (programmable mouse-gesture recognition) is not exclusively for the TabletPC. I've used it on standard computers since well before 2003. It is freeware.

Another great freeware tool (not specific to the TabletPC) is http://ditto-cp.sourceforge.net/" , which collects clipboard items [so you can paste something you clipped several clips back]. It can be trained to recognize Ink... it has a nice thumbnail view.
 
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tablet_PC#Active_digitizer

I tried to install ditto, but I got an error: CP_main: error opening database :(

people actually use these things? thought they were just toys
Why? Have you never whished you could move some ink on paper? (change color etc.)

(I didn't like how Journal automatically groups strokes... so I used ResHack to modify some of the GUI menus to make "Ungroup" easier to get to.)
You mean Windows Journal? Mine does not (automatically) group strokes (I think)
 
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Zen said:
I tried to install ditto, but I got an error: CP_main: error opening database :(

Strange.
Version 3.9.0.0 has installed fine on all of my computers (including tabletpcs).

I wonder if this is the same issue:
http://www.planetboard.de/yoona/cgi-bin/forum2.pl?number=1&file=4781&unf=25&RegVia=pchilfe
(needs a translation).
 
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I got a viewsonic 1100 in order to run a pair of applications that I had written. They are a Japanese dictionary and a Chinese Dictionary. The software enables you to look up a character not simply by its radical, but by any or all of its radical-like sub-elements. Speed of use is an issue as I use it while I am reading and it is reading, not looking up words, that I am interested in. As I expected, using the stylus is much quicker than using a mouse. If you run an application that requires mouse clicks and for which speed is an issue, I recommend the tablet.

The Viewsonic 1100 screen is not sensitive to touch. Without the stylus, nothing registers. I find this an advantage as it allows me to rest my hand on the screen without activating it. If this is an issue, then you should make sure that the screen does (or does not) respond to touch without the stylus.
 
Here's another helpful utility: http://www.autohotkey.com/ , a variant of a formerly-related utility http://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/ , which work on any Windows operating system. These utilities allow one to automate tasks, including moving the mouse cursor and clicking on buttons.

These are especially useful on TabletPCs, especially the "slates" (which do not have attached keyboards). For instance, I have a simple script that will perform a sequence of keyboard shortcuts to "ungroup an ink selection in Journal". (StrokeIt could be made to do a similar task. However, StrokeIt's use the right-mouse-button interferes with Journal's context menu (via the right-mouse-button). )


Concerning TabletPC communities,
http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/ was a popular forum... but, unfortunately, has since declined...
http://www.gottabemobile.com/ is much more active now [and discusses UMPCs, as well as TabletPCs]

http://www.studenttabletpc.com/ caters to students
http://tabletpceducation.blogspot.com/ is blog directed to educators

http://www.tabletpcpost.com/ lists some Tablet PC software.
My blog entry https://www.physicsforums.com/blog/2006/05/20/tabletpcs-for-science-and-science-teaching/ describes science-related software and projects being developed in academia.
 
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An application that I would like to see is a PDF file viewer that allows me to add hand-writen notes. I mark up my physics books quite a bit, but I can't do that with e-books yet. Is there already such an application?
 
  • #10
Integral said:
:smile: In 1980 I remember people saying that about my Apple II.

My daughter an aspiring cartoonist, wants to get a tablet. HP has just come out with a tablet for the home market, but evidently has a different type of screen. She says it simply won't do. Does anyone have any knowledge of the different screen types?

Yeah exactly just a toy :-)

Perhaps graphic designers ect could have a use for them, but as a day to day work device... ermm no.. Although a few engineers in my company use the hybrid things which make it easier to get around multiple windows while standing beside some rack, then use the keyboard for the acual configs...
 
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  • #11
jimmysnyder said:
An application that I would like to see is a PDF file viewer that allows me to add hand-writen notes. I mark up my physics books quite a bit, but I can't do that with e-books yet. Is there already such an application?

Google these:
PDF Annotator
Bluebeam PDF Revu
Jarnal
 
  • #12
Anttech said:
Yeah exactly just a toy :-)

Perhaps graphic designers ect could have a use for them, but as a day to day work device... ermm no.. Although a few engineering in my company use the hybrid things which make it easier to get around multiple windows while standing beside some rack, then use the keyboard for the acual configs...

That's why there are two main "form-factors" for the TabletPC...

the slate [generally, less than 4.5 lbs] (like http://www.motioncomputing.com/products/tablet_pc_le17.asp ) ...
and
the convertible [with keyboard, dvdrw... generally, at least 4.5 lbs] (like http://shop.lenovo.com/us/notebooks/thinkpad/x-series-tablet )

Certainly, the TabletPC is not for everybody.. especially when the applications are relatively few. These days, it seems that the medical field and the education field are the main targets for the TabletPC.

(Personally, I find it hard to take notes involving equations and diagrams during a lecture using a keyboard... a pen and pad is much more natural [not to mention that using a laptop in a lecture may appear little impolite to the speaker]. When I need a keyboard for my slate, I use the on-screen keyboard for small tasks and use a USB or BT keyboard for harder tasks. Of course, when I write a paper or some lecture notes, I'll use a keyboard.)
 
  • #13
robphy said:
Jarnal
Thanks robphy, Jarnal looks good. I will try it out tonight. If it does what I want, it will increase the value of my tablet immensely.
 
  • #14
jimmysnyder said:
Thanks robphy, Jarnal looks good. I will try it out tonight. If it does what I want, it will increase the value of my tablet immensely.

I just recently but very briefly tried the latest version of Jarnal but haven't seen how to access the PDF annotation feature.

Check out this thread on another forum containing some comments by me
http://www.gottabemobile.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2633&PID=18013
 
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  • #15
Thanks robphy, I got Jarnal working pretty much without trouble. The pdf file is Srednicki's QFT book. This is a relatively large file and I expected it to be a difficult test file, but it worked fine. Jarnal does not work the way that I envisoned it would. However, it does meet my requirements. The one thing I would fix if I could is to make it easier to jump to a given page. It is a menu choice in Jarnal, while in Acrobat, it is a text box available at all times.

After I get used to using it, I will make a deeper review. I'm not sure what problem you encountered, but if you tell me, I will see if I can reproduce it here.