Kent Business Leaders see the future….

Bill Gates has promised that the Microsoft Tablet PC will extend the simplicity and versatility of paper to the PC.  Business leaders in Kent were given a sneak preview of this revolutionary technology at a recent Institute of Directors breakfast hosted by Readycrest Ltd at Tunbridge Wells. 

Following a presentation by John Mulcahy of Acer UK, delegates took the opportunity of trying the "Windows XP Tablet PC Edition - the newest Microsoft operating system - for the most versatile computing experience ever" and delivered their verdict.

Acer UK is the 3^rd largest IT manufacturer in the world, has shown massive growth over the past 5 years and is happy to predict they will be number 1 in the next 2 to 3 years.  As manufacturers and designers they produce for HP, IBM and Dell.

Microsoft partnered with Acer UK to bring this product to market.  A tablet PC with both handwriting and speech recognition has been talked about for years but each attempt has been unsuccessful, it has taken Microsoft and their billions of research dollars to crack this technology.  Acer and Microsoft now had a 6 month lead over their competitors.

It is no understatement that this is a major landmark in 'on the road' technology.

Text conversion is the big thing, having scribbled your notes down if only you can read them it does not aid communication but the tablet PC can convert to typed text with an encouraging percentage of accuracy (Microsoft claim 90%), even with some truly awful handwriting demonstrated by delegates. 

The technology also allows for signature capture and whilst that is not legally binding at present, Andrew Armitage of ASB Law advised attendees that legislation was being passed to recognise digital signatures as binding contracts and that it would arrive in the near future.

The target users for the Tablet PC are not just the road warrior / sales person but anyone who has meetings or leaves the office.  In the words of Microsoft, it is specially designed for mobile computer users who rely on a combination of notebook PCs, planners, spiral notebooks, handhelds and sticky notes to complete their work, the Tablet PC gives them the single most powerful tool for being as productive as possible away from their desk.

So do some of Kent's business leaders believe this latest gadget can revolutionise the way in which they do business?

Comments made about the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition:

"The tablet was very useful and could be of benefit to some of my clients. Bluetooth connectivity is really the key for some of the large customers who are already utilising this technology."

W[sq] Solution

"I would welcome tablet-style facility to accelerate note-taking and conversion release into action notes post meeting.  It could save significant time and appear more professional."

Objective Performance Ltd

"I had not previously worked with a laptop or PDA and was keen to see if the Tablet would recognise my very difficult to read handwriting.  To my pleasant surprise it recognised almost all the words instantly!

The capability and range of functions was most impressive.  I feel it would be a particularly beneficial tool in my industry, which is Project Shipping, involving a great deal of international travel, sales meetings and site visits.  All of which involve note taking, often include drawings and, inevitably, e-mailing around the world.  Anything that can allow me to reduce my reliance on pieces of paper is a great help!

I look forward to this latest technology being available in November.

Bell International Ltd

For further details on the revolutionary Microsoft Tablet PC contact Readycrest on 0800 0196060 or visit www.readycrest.co.uk.