• Use your PC in different ways • The technology for true mobility • New ways to interact with your PC • New tools to use with your PC • The full capabilities of XP and more • Options for customising the use of your PC • A powerful platform • A wide variety of models to choose from • System requirements • Top 10 benefits of the tablet PC • What the critics say

New tools to use with your PC

Windows XP Tablet PC Edition expands the Windows XP Professional platform to include software and utilities that capitalize on the digital pen and speech capabilities of your Tablet PC.

• Use Microsoft Windows Journal to take notes in your own handwriting.
• Use Input Panel to enter text when you are away from or prefer not to use your keyboard.
• Just like the paper version, use Sticky Notes to keep information you need handy on your desktop.
• Use InkBall when you have a few spare moments to entertain yourself with a game or to practice using your digital pen.

Windows Journal

Microsoft Windows Journal turns your Tablet PC into a digital writing pad that is unobtrusive enough to bring to meetings and portable enough to take notes on while standing in the hallway or with the computer resting in your lap. You no longer have to take notes on paper and then enter them into your computer at a later time. Using Windows Journal means that you take advantage of the Tablet PC as a full-powered PC: You record information directly into your computer wherever you are and can use that information immediately.

Windows Journal allows you to take digital notes in your own handwriting and store and manipulate them. You can also convert your handwriting to typed text and input typed text into Windows Journal notes or into other applications. You can search your Windows Journal notes for key words, and you can create and save drawings or graphics.  

Input Panel

Using the Input Panel, you can input text with the digital pen when you are away from your keyboard and mouse or when you prefer not to use those devices. You can input text into applications using your own handwriting on the writing pad or using your pen with the on-screen keyboard.

The Input Panel has a number of features to make text input without a full keyboard as easy as possible. You can write with the pen using the writing pad; tap in characters using the on-screen keyboard; use the Write Anywhere feature to enter handwritten text; or enter characters using the Character Recogniser. Additionally, you can use the speech feature in Input Panel to dictate text or to manage the Tablet PC using voice commands.

Writing Pad

The writing pad (shown in the screen shot) includes a handwriting area and quick keys (in this case, located to the right of the writing pad). Quick keys are for common tasks, such as backspacing, deleting, and moving the cursor.

The writing pad converts your handwritten text into typed text and inserts it into the location that you specify. You may also choose to send handwritten text to a document, instead of converting your handwriting into typed text.

On-Screen Keyboard

Input Panel has an on-screen keyboard that you can use to enter text. It looks and acts like a standard keyboard, except you tap the keys with your Tablet PC pen to enter text. This "soft" keyboard is especially useful for entering small amounts of text, such as passwords and file names. Also, the on-screen keyboard is often the easiest tool to use for correcting spelling or punctuation.

Write Anywhere

With the Write Anywhere feature, you can use the entire Tablet PC screen as a writing surface. You are not limited to the Writing Pad on the Input Panel and can take advantage of the full screen for handwriting text.

Character Recogniser

Just like the Writing Pad, the Character Recogniser can be used to enter text. It works similarly to software found on many handheld computers, converting shorthand symbols that a user writes into letters, numbers, and punctuation. It then inserts the text wherever the insertion point has been set.

Speech

Using the speech feature in Input Panel, you can enter text into programs or text boxes by using only your voice. As you speak into your microphone, Input Panel changes your spoken words into text. With dictation, you can sit back in a comfortable chair and let Input Panel capture your thoughts and ideas as you say them.

You can also use the speech feature to give voice commands to your computer. These voice commands perform tasks such as switching between programs, moving around within programs, and saving documents. For example, you can switch between open programs by saying "Switch to" followed by the program name.  

Sticky Notes

Windows XP Tablet PC Edition includes Sticky Notes, a utility that you use just like you would use paper sticky notes-to jot down names, phone numbers, lists, and other information that you need to write quickly and keep easily available. You can also use a microphone to record information onto a sticky note.

For convenience and quick access, sticky notes are kept in a single stack that you can "stick" to your desktop, always visible and available. In addition, you can copy and paste sticky notes into other programs as well as import and export your stack of sticky notes.

InkBall

Finally, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition includes Microsoft InkBall, a game to challenge your skill at manipulating the Tablet PC pen. The object of InkBall is to earn points by drawing ink strokes to guide coloured balls into holes of the same colour.