Incremental Blogger

Networld+Interop coming up

I'm planning on going over to Networld+Interop in Vegas for a day. Anyone else going?

Other thoughts on developing on a Tablet

Marauderz shares his thoughts on developing on a Tablet PC too. He's been developing on a Tablet for the last nine months.

Developing with a Tablet PC

There have been numerous people here and on other blogs that have wondered about using a Tablet PC for development. Over the past year I tried a couple times coding on a first-gen Tablet, but each trial left me less than satisfied. All that's changed.

For the last three weeks I've been using a Toshiba M200 Tablet PC 100% for development.

Here are some things I've noticed:

* The Toshiba's 1.5 GHz Centrino is fast enough to comfortably run Visual Studio.

* One of the benefits of the M200 is the 1400x1050 resolution and the 12" screen. This gives just enough room to run the IDE and an app being debugged. I have found that I prefer to enable the auto-hide feature of some of the property windows in the IDE though. So this indicates to me I'd ideally like more resolution--but 1400 is more than adequate.

* Although the Tablet supports an external monitor I haven't been using one--so that I'd be sure to get the full experience. I haven't noticed a huge drop in productivity, but I admit I do miss my multiple monitors.

* When working at home I watch more TV now. I'll leave it up to you to decide if this is good or bad. With everything on the Tablet I find it too easy to plop down in front of the TV and work.

* My wrists get sore typing. This is a problem I have with all notebooks, but one I think is important to mention. And yep, when I'm programming I type. :-) I don't often use the pen, although sometimes I do. And the fixed keyboard and often poor positioning of the notebook relative to how I'm sitting, often wear me down. I have to take frequent 30 second breaks to relax my wrists and elbows. On a desktop I have to do the same thing although not as often, because with a detached keyboard and monitors it's easier to adjust things to get the most comfortable angles.

* I would probably benefit from a docking station. For whatever reason, I always thought I could do without a docking station, but I'm beginning to see how it could benefit me. When sitting at a desk, I'd like to have a quick-release docking station with an external monitor and separate keyboard ready for use. The downside, of course, is that the inking features would be more awkward to get to because I'd have to reach up to the screen. It would feel like writing on a wall. Writing on walls is a skill I seem to have lost after the age of four :-)

* The Centrino is a good mobile workhorse, but it still warms things up. In notebook mode it's not too bad, but if I push the display back (at a lower angle) more heat seems to get trapped behind the Tablet and it heats up until the processor steps down. At this point the Tablet runs too slow for me. So part of using the Tablet efficiently is doing things to avoid the processor from heating up too much. If I give plenty of room behind the vent area in the back as well as stay in notebook mode, things work fine.

* In Tablet mode (with the screen folded down) I've noticed that the Tablet seems to heat up faster. And as I mentioned before, once it heats up too much and steps down in performance, Visual Studio becomes too slow for me. It's workable, but as a developer I want speed, so it gets in my way.

* Sometimes when I'm typing in notebook mode, I find myself wanting to make a quick note or drawing in OneNote and the easiest way to do this is to try to write on the display as I prop it up with my other hand. I haven't caught the hang of this though. My handwriting is almost a total mess when I write this way, but I just don't want to take the effort of folding the display around to Tablet mode to write something down.

* I use OneNote a lot more. Maybe it's the SP1 Preview that's making the difference or it's possibly that I'm developing and keeping notes on the same Tablet so it's easier to jump back and forth between the IDE and OneNote.

* I'm typing more and taking fewer handwritten notes. What, you say? Well, since I'm using the Tablet 100% as a development machine, I'm typing most of the time and I'm using the Tablet in notebook mode so handwriting is awkward since the display is basically vertical. I keep wanting to detach the display so I can jot quick notes on it or grabbing for a second Tablet.

* Developing in portrait mode works well with the IDE. The downside is that with the M200 there's no practical way to use the built-in keyboard while in portrait mode. Again, a docking station might fix this.

* I code most of the time plugged into the wall, but I still grab-and-go quite a bit. I haven't taken measurements yet on how long the battery lasts while compiling.

* I usually leave the WiFi on whether plugged in or not. In some of my first get machines I'd always turn off the WiFi when unplugged unless I really needed it since it consumed so much power. I don't notice the power consumption hit as much anymore, although I'm sure it's there.

This has been a surprising experiment. So surprising that I've decided to keep developing 100% on the M200. I'm going to go ahead and invest some money in upgrading to 1 GB of memory and I want to try a docking station.

Yes, I would be happy with even more performance, but then again I would say that about every single computer I've ever purchased. However, that being said the Toshiba is faster than a couple of my other, bulky desktops.

That's about all for now. I'll be sure to add more later.

Tablet PCs are flops

Lora's post on WhatIsNew yesterday has drawn a flood of Apple readers--some of who have been generous in sharing their skepticism of Tablets. More than one poster has come to the conclusion that "Tablet PCs are flops."

I guess it's all in how you define a flop. This year it's expected that the 1 millionth Tablet PC will be sold. Not bad for a product that's only had one birthday.

What's going to be important is that Tablet PCs continue to improve and that more applications are developed for them. Seems like a safe bet to me.

MDC presentations available

Chris Coulter posts on WhatIsNew that the Tablet PC developer presentations from Mobile DevCon (MDC) are available at Only4Gurus.

Hmm. Maybe Lora can get permission to add them to TabletPCPost. Seems like a natural place for Tablet content such as this.

Well, at least Only4Gurus has a larger draw. I see from their top downloads list that the Microsoft Matrix Spoof is number one at 17136 downloads. The second most popular download is Steve Ballmer's "I love this company" rant at 10801 downloads. These are pretty good numbers. The other documents on Only4Gurus are down in the few thousand range. These numbers are more in line with what I've seen on other community sites, such as WhatIsNew.

Anyway, Lora's got her work cut out for her to demonstrate that TabletPCPost is the place to put Tablet content.

And it's GoBinder by a nose

GoBinder surpassed ArtRage last night as the number one downloaded app on TabletPCPost. ArtRage has been holding the number one position almost from the day it was posted on TabletPCPost. It's interesting to see GoBinder slip ahead. My guess is that as the next school year approaches GoBinder is going to gain even greater popularity.

Here are the top five most often downloaded apps on TabletPCPost:

Agilix GoBinder => 263
ArtRage => 257
Revelation Natural Art => 217
Tablet Enhancements for Outlook 1.1 => 207
xThink Calculator 1.0 => 169

Tablet PC meetup?

Is it time for another Tablet PC get together here in Phoenix? I just got a reminder from Meetup that May 18th was previously set as a date. Anyone interested? Let me know. You can email me at lorenheiny@hotmail.com.

Dan Bricklin's on software licensing

Dan Bricklin emailed me a link to his updated thoughts on hybrid open source/commercial software licensing.

I'm a bit reluctant to go the open source route as a way to make money, but as part of a broader product line it makes sense to me. No matter what the scheme, making money is simply a challenge.

Can PDAs, Tablet PCs, and SmartPhones get along?

Paul Thurott: "...on the heels of one of the worst quarters in PDA history" he asks, "With the popularity of multi-function cell phones and smartphones recently, and the rise of Tablet PCs on the high-end, do traditional PDAs still offer unique value?"

This may be a question that never dies.

Actually, I've been thinking about dusting off my PDA again. Why? The new OneNote Preview is able to upload notes from a PocketPC to a Tablet. And I miss instant on. Even with a fairly fast Toshiba M200 that I'm using now--restore from hibernate just doesn't do it for me. I miss being able to push a button and start entering information right away, such as a contact someone is giving me on a plane.

The one reason I've just been thinking about dusting off my PDA versus actually using it is because I know from past experience that I don't want to lug another device around. What I need is probably a SmartPhone or similar device. Since I carry a phone with me all the time anyway, this makes sense.

I also hope to see PDA features not only migrate down to cell phones like this but also up to the Tablet.

Paul says something similar:

"Take a step up from PDAs, and the Tablet PC market is poised to explode. Tablet PCs got off to a slow start in 2002, but recent changes to the underlying platform--thanks to Intel's Centrino chipsets--have dramatically enhanced the devices' battery life and processing power, and a free new OS release, due in late June, will improve its handwriting integration. This is a market Microsoft will no doubt dominate, but then it's also a traditional PC market with obvious inroads for the software maker. Indeed, if the Tablet PC is successful, its functionality will simply become the baseline for all mobile PCs."

and finally

"...it is increasingly obvious that the PDA market is on the wane as consumers and knowledge workers move to more sophisticated and multipurpose devices like smartphones and Tablet PCs."

My guess is PDAs will continue to have a niche. It doesn't look like there's going to be a Tablet PC the size of a PDA anytime soon and PDA/SmartPhones combos can be overkill for some uses, so I imagine there will continue to be a market for PDAs for the next half dozen years or so.

PDA aside, what I wonder about are the markets for MP3 players, iPods, and SPOT watches. Doesn't it seem like there will be a continuing growth of smaller and cheaper specialized products at the same time that all-in-one products push from above? I expect to see more products in the future, not just a bifurcation of the market into SmartPhones and Tablet-enabled notebooks. In this broader perspective, it seems that PDAs are being challenged from even more directions.

Tablet PC Events

Chris Coulter passes along in a comment an excellent list of upcoming Tablet PC events:

"Good things are happening, a slew of Tablet PC Events are upcoming...

Mobility Road Show
http://www.chrysalisevents.com/tabletroadshow/

Tablet PC Demo Days
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/tabletpc/evaluation/demodays.asp

Microsoft Tablet PC Developers Tour 2004
http://www.tabletpctraining.com/microsoft/

Tablet PC Campus Demo Tour
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/tabletpc/evaluation/campusdemo.asp

Student Mobility Tour 2004
http://www.mscampustour.com/

AngelBeat Conferences 2004
http://www.angelbeat.com

Thanks Chris.

Tablet developers tour

Tablet PC team blogger Arin Goldberg links to the new Tablet PC Tour for Developers and hints at forthcoming Channel9 interviews with the Tablet team.

It's great that a Tablet "insider" is blogging. I'm sure there are plenty of time pressures, but I hope he can find a routine that enables him to get his job done and blog too.

I see Scoble's already posted some suggestions on how to blog in a posted comment. I have one more: If you don't have time to author original material, link. It's a lot faster to do.

How to get me to not try an app

I ran across MSNBC's Wireless Traveler app and downloaded loaded it to see if it might be of use to keep track of news while I'm travelling. The app pulls news and video down from the MSNBC site when connected. However, after I downloaded and installed the program, it popped up a dialog that told me I needed to supply an email address in order to get a password. Hah. I'm not falling for that one. I don't need any more junk mail. I uninstalled the program. Oh well.

You win! You're the 1 millionth Tablet owner!

This year it's anticipated that someone will purchase the 1 millionth Tablet PC. Yep. Imagine that, one million Tablet PCs!

Here are some recent IDC numbers quoted from this BizJournals article about Motion:

"According to IDC, 420,000 tablet PCs were sold last year around the world. That figure is projected to surpass 1 million in 2004 and reach 2.9 million in 2005."

I know I'm jumping the gun a bit, but recently I've been using the projected 1 million Tablet PCs number when describing the market to people. People get it when they hear that Tablets are on track to reach the one million mark this year.

Yeah, this is still a small percentage of the overall computer market, but there's something pyschologically compelling about one million. People understand that for a one+ year old product that there's something here to take note of.

Thinking about Linux tomorrow

Miguel de Icaza thinks 2-3 years out about the competitive implications of Longhorn technologies and Linux on the Desktop. [Via Slashdot]

What I wonder about is: 2-3 years from now exactly who is going to be using "Desktops" anyway? :-) Ah, OK. I'm pushing it a bit. But in 2-3 years who is going to be buying new desktops? A shift is well underway to more mobile scenarios.

That's why ink and Tablets are becoming such a big deal. It's not that ink is revolutionary in itself and noone has ever tried it before, it's because there's a confluence of hardware and software making it practical for a wider audience.

In the Longhorn timeframe, it doesn't take much to assume that ink will be well integrated with the OS. Combine this with the reasonable assumptions that A) "notebooks" will be the "desktops" of choice and B) the price premium for Tablet features will have nearly vanished and you then begin to think about applications and how users will expect to use them in new ways.

XAML and Avalon very well may rattle Linux world in the IT landscape, but my guess it's going to be Tablet and other mobile features/needs that challenge Linux in the broader market. And the broader market is where Linux has struggled.

Two-year old takes to Tablet

"Two year old Jayd finds the Toshiba M200 Tablet PC and Alias Sketchbook Pro very much to her linking. She prefers the paintbrush, highlighter and the marker to the pencils and would like for the colors to be easier to get, and to have more colors on the palette." [Via TabletPC2]

TabletPCPost reviews

Lora put up some product reviews on TabletPCPost so now I need to create a "new reviews" RSS feed for it. :-)

I'm already addicted to the top downloads feed which tells me which Tablet apps are hot on TabletPCPost.

Surveys on the Tablet

Patrick Santry: "Last week when I attended the Microsoft Strategy Day in Pittsburgh, MS was taking the survey evals using HP Tablet PCs. " Cool.

Market growth requires sophisticated simplicity

John Porcaro on computer/tech marketing:

"Something I've found interesting (culturally speaking) about marketing is that I'm finding some people in this industry struggling with the fact that we're marketing to a different audience now. When a lot of our most senior marketers were hired, Operating Systems (and PC's) were sold to early adopters, technically-savvy "end users", systems admins, corporate IT groups, people who wanted us to talk in bits and bytes and speeds and feeds. Now that 80% of households have PCs, and nearly everyone has a PC on their desk at work, our customers are very, very different than they were just a few years ago."

This is particularly becoming a problem--or opportunity (depending on how you want to see it)--for OSs.

I'll put my engineering hat on and say it another way: Techniques that worked yesterday when the markets were smaller may not work equally as well with today's and tomorrow's burgeoning market size.

Almost all the computer savvy friends I know spend some portion of their time helping their friends and families with viruses, spyware, fixing networking problems, and the like. This won't continue to scale.

That's why I'm so excited about products such as the Tablet PC and Smart Phones which expand how and where we use computers. They give us engineering types a fresh perspective on how things ought to be done.

Take something as simple as the right click in Windows. I love 'em. But you have to admit that right clicking on something to see if it has a hidden set of options isn't that obvious. Basically, you have to learn to right click on everything and learn what does and does not have a context menu. Well, this isn't a big deal, until the Tablet PC came along. Right clicking with a pen is a pain. It's doable, but slower and/or more awkward than with a mouse.

In response, Tablet developers are coming up with new ways to get to options in a program without right clicking. OneNote pops up small buttons when the cursor hovers over an element in a page, for instance. No more guessing if there are options available. If you cursor to an area, you'll see something indicating that there are options and all you need to do is click on the button to get to them. No more right click.

What's interesting is that this is probably a better way to get to these context-based operations all along. And there are more issues like this that surface with Tablets too. Instant on is another--something that one could argue should be in all Windows platforms anyway--but definitely of value with a highly mobile Tablet.

It very well may be that the usage demands placed on devices such as the Tablet PC--which alter our view of how and when people use computers--will inspire new user interface capabilities that will benefit the whole market. Wouldn't it be cool to come up with one?

Tablet PC grading software

Monica is looking for Tablet PC grading software suggestions: "I wonder if anyone out there has any experience with using any type of student grading software with a tablet."

OneNote SP1 preview trials

The improvements to OneNote in Service Pack 1 Preview significantly improve OneNote in terms of the way I work. Will they mean I stop using Journal? I'm not sure. Here are some of things that have impacted my OneNote usage the most:

* I didn't know how much I needed text in the page tabs. What a difference they make in terms of keeping track of what's in each section.

* The new scratch out gesture makes all the difference in the world when I'm inking.

* The grouping of strokes is vastly improved when working with drawings. I can now select and drag individual strokes around after I draw something--rather than having the strokes all lumped together. The interaction isn't quite as flexible as Journal still though in terms of repositioning the strokes where I want. Maybe there's a snap-to setting that's getting in the way. I'll have to dig further. I also miss the lasso feature in Journal--especially when I'm trying to select part of a drawing or a few strokes in a mis-recognized word. I guess I should train myself to erase and redraw more.

* The Shared Session is cool. It enables you to share one or more pages live between multiple users. I've been wanting a good whiteboarding feature to use with Messenger--this could do the trick.

Lora and I tried editing a text document via a Shared Session with some success. Our first attempt didn't go well. We had some connection problems when working home-to-home so the next day we tried connecting from work and everything connected perfectly. I haven't taken the time to figure out why the shared connection failed between our two home-based connections. Sharing a page is as easy as specifying a password and emailing or IMing an IP address to someone you want to invite. They enter the IP address on their end which forms the connection. Once connected any person can directly edit any of the shared pages or use a "Pen as pointer" mode that enables you to scribble temporary notes that automatically erase themselves. In this mode, the ink does not modify the document. The Pen Pointer feature is nice, but we both found that they auto-erased a bit too fast.

At first we used the Pen Pointer to pass messages back and forth to each other, but we quickly realized that this didn't work well. It's too easy for each of us to write over each other or miss what the other has written. The Pointer-mode feature is best left for circling things--not handwriting. Instead, we used Skype and Messenger to pass comments back and forth.

The other thing that became immediately obvious is that when trying to do collaborative editing like we were, we were desperately needing ink gestures and control over the text. I wish there was a programmatic interface in OneNote that I could use to manipulate page content so I could try integrating in my ink editing features that I've posted here before. Actually, my suggestion is that the OneNote team should try adding this feature themselves and then from this experience evolve an API that can be exposed for all.

* Speaking of APIs, yesterday the OneNote team posted the first looks at an importer class interface for OneNote. It enables a program to insert content or delete content that has previously been inserted. I hope there's more coming, because many of the things I want to do with OneNote involve enumerating or interacting with the content in the pages. My fingers are crossed.

Overall, SP1 looks like an absolute winner. In terms of my original question as to whether I will stop using Journal: Not quite yet. I jump between multiple machines and I like writing into separate files in Journal so I can fairly easily sync content across machines. However, I have noticed that I am using OneNote more. I'm using it more often to paste temporary thoughts and to save snippets because the pen interaction has improved.

The changes to OneNote are raising the bar in Tablet apps. Yes, Tablets are coming of age.

OneNote API docs

Prelimary OneNote API documentation.

From Andrew May's WebLog: "For the Service Pack 1 (SP1) Preview, OneNote 2003 has added extensibility functionality that enables applications to interoperate with it in an important, fundamental way—they can add content to OneNote notebooks. You can now push content to OneNote that includes html, images, and even ink (such as from a Tablet PC). You can even create the folder, section, or page onto which you want to place your content."

Channel9 to interview Tablet PC team

Channel9 will be over meeting with the Tablet PC team tomorrow afternoon. What would you like us to ask them? [Via Channel9]

How to make money developing software

Dan Bricklin ponders how to make software and money.

OneNote 2003 Service Pack 1 Available

PCWorld: Free update to OneNote is on it's way. A OneNote service pack preview is available here.

Some of the new features according to the PCWord article:
* Enhanced ink support! OneNote "is getting to be more similar to Journal."
* Ability to insert snapshots of Office documents into OneNote so they can be annotated.
* Video syncing.
* Importing Pocket PC memo notes into OneNote.
* Sharing folders with password protection of tabs. Plus, multiple users can edit a OneNote document at a time.
* Improved note flags, stationary, and ability to insert date and time.
* Application programming interface (API) for extending OneNote.

Someone needs a Tablet

I heard yesterday that Bill is writing his memoirs. No, not that Bill, the other one--Bill Clinton. Interestingly, he's writing it all long hand. Sounds like he needs a Tablet PC. Hmm.

I don't know why he's writing his book on paper rather than using a computer, but I know for myself there are some things that are better done away from the rigidity of the keyboard--and for him, this may be one. I often find it easier to think through problems when I can scribble, scratch, and sketch. And this is where the Tablet PC and applications like OneNote come into play. I wonder if this combo would match the way Clinton writes?

However, there's a good possibility that Clinton may not be familiar with computers. And this may be a tougher hurdle. The simple truth is that Windows isn't that intuitive out of the box for many people. The Tablet PC would be a perfect candidate for addressing some of the difficulties that first-time users have.

In many respects, the Tablet PC is already helping out. For instance, give any first-time user OneNote and I bet they'll find that the way it automatically saves files matches the way they think. OneNote just does it. You don't have to think about saving files before turning off the power. (Although OneNote could benefit from a stronger restore or revert feature.) And of course, handwriting support is also a good tool for first time users because they don't have to struggle figuring out such things as how Word indents a paragraph--they just write things out the way they want it.

What the Tablet PC is lacking is a simpler way of navigating Windows--something Pocket PC-like would be great. The taskbar is fine, but it seems like exploiting the full desktop makes a lot of sense for the Tablet. I'd like to see a list of actions that I can take, such as launching OneNote or editing a previously opened document with big, easy-to-read buttons. Can a desktop like this be created with ActiveDesktop? Anyone tried?

Educating educators about Tablets

Scoble's aggregator blog points to this article about Microsoft's mobile group visiting Princeton as part of an 80 college tour to showcase the Tablet PC among other mobile devices.

Another example of Microsoft's commitment to eductating educators about the Tablet PC is this archive of a "Tablet Day" at Dakota State University. The event took place on March 26, 2004. What's particularly nice about the DSU event is that they have video archives.

One highlight from the videos: Starting next year all Freshman at DSU will be equipped with a Tablet. Cool.

Anyone know which schools Microsoft will be visiting?

How do you stand out in an interview?

How do you stand out in an interview? Take your Tablet PC.

Tablet PC bumper sticker?

Monica wants a Tablet PC bumper sticker.

Channel9 interview slated with Tablet group

Scoble is going to do a Channel9 interview with the Tablet PC team next week. Cool.

Inspiring others to pick up a Tablet

Julia is surprised by the lackluster developer interest in the Tablet she took with her to a user meeting. She realizes: "I have a bit of Tablet PC Evangelism work ahead of me here."

I've found that gadget lovers often enjoy checking out the Tablet, but other than this group I usually have to focus on a particular application that I think the person or group will be interested in. My standard demo list is changing, but here's what I've been showing more recently:

One feature I find universally appealing is OneNote's ability to record and synchronize audio with handwritten notes. I often turn the recorder on, hand the TPC to someone to scribble something in OneNote, and then show them how the audio can be played back by tapping within the notes.

Those that have Palm PDAs or have heard about the difficulties with handwriting recognition, usually want to put recognition to the test. Here, I've found great success in bringing up Word and the Lonestar (Service Pack 2) TIP. I usually don't have to wait long before the jaws drop. (My prediction: This single feature is going to be responsible for about half of the new Tablet buyers this next year.)

If I make it this far and the interest is still there, I usually jump over to more "personal" apps, such as Grafigo, MathPractice, or a new favorite: Dots. (By the way, demo or free versions of all of the programs I've listed here can be downloaded at TabletPCPost.)

That being said, developers are an interesting bunch. Many of them see Tablets as being underpowered and therefore of not much use to them. The second generation Tablets challenge this stereotype, though. I usually tell them they've got to check out the Toshiba M200, for instance. It sports 1400x1050 resolution, which is quite adequate for Visual Studio and the 1.5+ GHz Centrino hums right along when compiling. At this point, I usually ask them when they last upgraded their desktop. Chances are they haven't. If so, chances are there might be a Tablet that outperforms their current 30+ pound desktop system that more importantly eats up precious space in their home office.

Usually I still hear grumbling about price, battery life, or a myriad of other things at this point. In particular, developers are a savvy group and have read many concerns about Tablets. Hey, not everyone wants a Tablet, but for those that are interested I usually start showing them how I design apps, sketch out ideas, keep track of tasks, copy/paste screenshots and annotate them, and so forth. If they're still with me, I then often show some small technology-preview apps that I've built which showcase ways that I've tried using ink in more interesting ways. Yeah, this is an appeal to their creative side--and may inspire them to start write their own Tablet apps.

So in general, I usually try to lead the conversation in terms of applications rather than hardware. Maybe next time, start up Dots and/or OneNote, and then pass the Tablet around.

If anyone else has ideas on how to better showcase Tablets let me know. Which programs do you think demo best?

Tablet PC Group member launches blog

Whoohooo!

Arin from the Tablet PC team has started a blog!

Cool-o-matic.

Imagining a Tablet PC app

Chris Stewart, a student from VCU, is going to enter the Imagine Cup competition this weekend with a Tablet PC application. Should be interesting to see what it is.

Cell-based visual programming language

Larry O'Brien suggests a cell-based visual programming language. Interesting thought.

Blogging from Outlook

Kunal has his new Outlook-to-blog tool ready for download.

For Tablet users it's a great way to easily add ink to a blog with little effort--since Outlook 2003 supports ink--but it's more flexible than that. Here's Kunal's description:

"OutlookMT allows you to use Outlook to update your blog quickly without involving external editors or the clipboards to make a quick post (QUICK being the key word here). It lets you drop items from Outlook that you'd like to share on your public blog easily."

OutlookMT works with MovableType-compatible blogs, such as:

MovableType
Radio Userland
dasBlog
Blogger

The bathroom index

Lora shares her thoughts on the male-to-female ratio of the MVP Summit this past week at Microsoft. In my book, the summit flunks the bathroom test. There are way too many males in the group in relation to the numbers of females--considering how mature the industry is.

Evidentally, there are efforts to improve things. And yeah, I heard some grumbling about this. I heard some say that there were more active male candidates that didn't make it into the MVP program because of efforts to try and bring in more women. But, I don't buy it. It's the metrics that are the issue. Sorry guys, they are relatively arbitrary.

My take: It's going to take Redmonians to work with and mentor women from today's high schools and colleges or anyone else that's interested. To gain numbers is going to take work--hard work that very well may not be institutionally recognized today. But there's no doubt in my mind that it's the right thing to do. And those that do and succeed will become the leaders of tomorrow.

The cost of competing at all costs is a lesson that Microsoft is still struggling to learn. Particularly when the numbers get large, the equation changes. It's a matter of economics. I can understand why it's a challenge to shift ratios, but it's not one that's unsurmountable. There's definitely more work to do here.

Tablet family

Lora has posted some photos of our nieces using a Tablet PC. The kids love 'em.

Kim--in the bottom picture--was using MathPractice. (As the photos illustrate, some Tablet displays get washed out when viewed at steep angles and in bright light.)

I understand Elizabeth has her eye on a Motion M1400--oh, and a SPOT watch too. On her blog she also passes along a couple suggestions to the SPOT team: she'd like to see a camera in a watch as well as more games. Another wish list item, which didn't make her blog, is to be able to order pizza from her SPOT watch. Cool.

Longhorn getting clipped?

This BusinessWeek article suggests that Longhorn is getting paired down.

This is a good sign--from an engineering standpoint.

Starting at PDC we've been seeing peaks of Longhorn and its features. In fact, the list has been growing--something that as a software developer throws up a caution sign in my mind. Adding features sounds good--because many of them are needed today. However, too many features added at once can create a mess or make something prohibitively expensive or delayed forever.

In fact, the art of effective product development is to build a strong core and add features as time permits and at the same time leave the door open for growth. Cutting features is part of the process--not the exception.

You might presume that everything can be spec'ed and planned out. But factory line-style development isn't as easy to do in reality when you're working on something that's never been done before--like with Longhorn.

Does this mean Longhorn is going to be released sooner now? I don't know. It all depends on what makes it into Longhorn. But at least from a product development standpoint, it's something I expect to see and makes me more comfortable about the future of Longhorn and not less so.

Marketing Service Pack 2

Scoble responds to Gartenberg's assertion that a perfect storm of marketing disarray is brewing around Microsoft's OS product line.

First, I agree that if Longhorn stumbles to market (much like what happened during the transition to a 32-bit Windows OS) that Windows natives will get restless. But I think this suggests the current Longhorn marketing needs to continue to be strong--so we can see the payoff in what's coming next.

In terms of today, yep, products can't get lost in the transition. The Service Pack 2 release--which includes dramatically improved recognition/handwriting input for the Tablet PC--is one example. This alone is going to awaken a new world of Tablet users. As a result of the new TIP in Service Pack 2, more apps are going to feel natural on the Tablet. And on the development side, Service Pack 2 opens up new ink programming possibilities--by allowing ink winforms in IE (what about an Ink Wiki!?) and the new real-time stylus which adds a more efficient and powerful processing pipeline to pen input. And then there's the next version of InfoPath. That's going to shake things up too.

In the near term, my real concern is with a different type of marketing--not marketing with respect to sales per se--but in terms of getting the message out about the added trustworthiness of SP2/Windows. Service Pack 2 is going to be a big download with a much stronger security model. It's going to be a big upgrade for many home users. For instance, I have no doubt it's going to rattle my 70 year-old neighbor for a bit. I know I'm going to get calls why new dialog boxes pop up and why this or that is different. The IE popup blocker alone is going to throw her for a loop. At the same time she knows very well the dangers of viruses and the like--even though to this day she still does not have an anti-virus program. (All of her equipment is hand-me downs.) So although I'm sure she'll go along with installing Service Pack 2--actually I'll probably have to do it--I'll have to work through the changes with her, and I'll still have to try to convince her to get an anti-virus program which I know she'd rather not purchase. It's getting her to appreciate the value of Service Pack 2 that I think is at issue. When SP2 comes out, it needs to be blasted everywhere--on the morning shows, on local news programs, everywhere. Not in terms of a crisis, but in terms of the value it provides for better securing your small business and home computer. In fact, there need to be local events to work through installing and configuring SP2 for small businesses. Small businesses need to understand how it impacts what they do and how it benefits them. They need to understand how to manage the application exceptions on the firewall for instance. They need to understand which anti-virus programs integrate well with its new single security console. Unfortunately, the primary and simplified message should be about security/trustworthiness issues--and I hope a separate Tablet PC message is loud enough in parallel that describes the value of the new TPC features. This is going to be a tough challenge.

No matter. I'm expecting I'll be helping a lot of people with SP2--not necessarily because it's a big problem to install--but because it changes the systems people have become dependent on. They ultimately don't want to get bogged down in any more details than they have to--so they'll call upon me to help them out. My goal is to help them make the transition as effortlessly and quickly as possible, but also see the top one or two things that's going to make their lives better at the same time.

My guess is Tablet users will run to SP2 (because of the new TIP), but it's the broader market which I'm not so sure about. It's going to be an interesting time once SP2 is available.

Captivating Channel 9 videos

There's a new blogging concept in town--Channel 9 from Microsoft.

Larry O'Brien was challenging whether over time he'd actually watch the videos given the inconvenience of waiting for a video to load and/or watch. Jonathan passed along a tip on how to actually speed up the video without too much distortion in the pitch. Larry isn't convinced that this will make a difference to him watching Channel 9. Although, it's interesting to listen to the video this way, I'm not sure if it helps that much either.

I wonder if an RSS "video feed" that pulls down thumbnail overviews into a desktop sidebar would make a difference here? Imagine that thumbnails with a textual overview display round robin on the side of the screen. If you see one that's interesting, you click on it to watch. The blog would become the archive but the primary entry point would be off of the RSS feed.

Overall, I like the concept of the informal interviews on Channel 9. The video interviews add a personal touch. And simple is good, but I see plenty of room for creativity here. On the practical side, what about some pull quotes on the edge of the video box that I can click on which jump me right to that part of the video? The more provocative the better. Quotes/summaries that grab my attention as I textually scan the page trying to decide if I want to watch a particular video or not.

More broadly, I guess I'd suggest exploiting the fact that you have moving video here. Talking heads are OK--especially when I'm very interested in what's being said--but I'll admit I'd probably watch more if there's something interesting to see. Corporate style videos would be OK, but I'd suggest creating something unique. Think Media Lab. Think Apple.

Also, don't forget PhotoStory. It's a great way to bring together photos in an interesting way.

Another route: show energy--walk around, put something in peoples' hands that they show, chase down someone and ask them some questions, or show it's 2AM at night, developers in sleeping bags, testing new patches to avoid a new exploit, and then share how they do it. Maybe this example is too campy, but I imagine there's plenty of visually interesting things to show which have plenty of personality and give some real insight inon Microsoft philosophy and the people within it. In general, all of this requires more work and editing, but I'm not sure if in the long run it'd be all that interesting without either extremely strong content or yep--more video editing work. Hmm. Maybe I'm too MTV.

TabletSaver user

I have no idea what it says, but here's a link to a TabletSaver user. Cute drawings.

Shortest flight on record

Last night I flew what had to have been the shortest flight on record from Seattle to Phoenix.

No, the plane wasn't exceeding the sound barrier. It was simply that I had an amazingly engaging conversation with the person sitting next to me.

After boarding the plane, I noticed a Toshiba Tablet strapped in with the magazines in the chair next to me. So I started asking its owner some general questions about how he used his Tablet and what he thought of Tablets in general. It didn't take long before I realized he knew Tablets well--really well. (In fact, it quickly became obvious the he also was quite knowledgeable about Pocket PCs and SmartPhones too. Way beyond me.)

Eventually, I learned I was chatting with Dale Coffing of PocketPCPassion and a frequent mobile expert on Tech TV. Things were beginning to make sense. Dale is an amazing mobile enthusiast and expert. (Oh, check out the Motorola MPX that Dale has--yep, it's one of only a couple live working versions anywhere. Thanks, Dale for explaining to me the different models. I finally get it. Whew.)

This was rapidly turning into more than an ordinary stranger conversation about Tablets. In short order, Dale was sharing his views on Tablet marketing, features he'd like to see, and various issues he had with his first gen Tablet. As if by plan, I had a Toshiba M200 with me, so I unpacked the M200 and showed him its new features--the new display, card slots, pen positions and so on. He was also curious about the new Service Pack 2 beta features in RC1--particularly the new killer TIP. He was looking forward to installing RC1 when he got home. It's obvious to me Dale's a strong advocate for the Tablet and if I were Toshiba I'd do whatever it takes to be sure he has one of the newer Toshiba Tablets.

On the marketing side, Dale has a unique perspective on the market. As a Tablet user he understands the Tablet, but he also is able to place its marketing within the broader mobile market of Pocket PCs and SmartPhones. He has an extremely compelling argument about positioning Tablet solutions first and foremost rather than focusing on hardware.

Turns out Dale enjoys speaking all over the world sharing his technology passions and expertise--to end users, companies, developers and even some big retailers. I understand he may be speaking at Tech Ed. If I go, I've got to make sure to catch his sessions.

What a pleasant flight this was. I swear the 2-1/2 hour flight was only about 45 minutes long.

Flashmob supercomputers?

What can 660 computer geeks do in a gym? Build a super computer, of course. Clever.

But, hey, why not try to build a supercomputer from roaming Tablet PCs? What a flashmob this would be! Imagine a Tablet PC convention event where we could all meet--I guess anywhere that there's wireless access--and try to construct a supercomputer on the fly. To top it off, once we get things running we could all walk down the hall or to the cafeteria or wherever--while the calculations are running. It would be a stand-up, mobile supercomputer :-)

The throughput required across the wireless network would demand some creative thinking. And I bet it's going to take a fair number of Tablet PCs to get an honorable mention in the supercomputer directory. But it sure sounds like fun trying.

TabletSaver gets the nod

Cool. TabletSaver gets a thumbs up from TabletPCAwards...Is this the First Annual? :-)

Congrats to all the winners!

It's great to see renewed energy behind TabletPCAwards. I'm sure for the next award cycle the competition is going to heat up significantly. Time to polish those apps.

Team blogging

Peter would like to see a Tablet Team blog, similar to the Mobile Team's.

I prefer the personality that comes across in a single-author blog, but the tag-team blogging idea isn't bad. It sure would be easier--although there would be the same concern about saying the wrong thing as there is in any blog.

Anyway, I just checked, the "TabletPC" blog name is available on blogs.msdn.com. :-)

Gmail thoughts

I've got to hand it to Google. They understand how I want to work. They've done a remarkable job with search and now they are challenging conventional wisdom with how free, browser-based email should be done. Way to go Google.

Or is there a catch?

Privacy "experts" are sprinkling the net with concerns that Google will be "reading" emails in order to display selected ads. This sounds like FUD to me. Privacy concerns are legit, but indexing and lexical scans are done all the time. In fact, I want more indexing and spam scanning/detecting on my computer. The difference of course, is where the processing is done and the fact that Google is going to be able to collect a massive pool of statistics from all its users which advertisers are going to love. How they use this information is the key. Not whether they analyze or collect it.

It's interesting to think through how different the ads would feel if they were all downloaded to my computer and then selectively displayed in the browser based on local processing.

I say let the market decide this one. Those who don't want to use Gmail can pick Hotmail or Yahoo Mail. And I guess it would be a good idea if Google would offer a paid Gmail version as an option which would prevent the ads from being displayed.

However, for my Aunt, who stumbles frequently trying to manage her email, it sounds like a good match. And I bet she's not the only one. With plenty of storage there might be one less thing to worry about. In fact, I hope the new Google mail service automatically saves all Sent emails too by default--another common place for users to get tripped up on. And on the delete side, I hope they persist deleted emails for more than just a few days, if the account has room. Tweaks like these could make a big difference in the email competitive world.

A small-business oriented version of Gmail might make sense too--especially for handling customer support emails.

Now, on the flip side. Let's see how Gmail handles spam. Is it going to be on par with Outlook 2003? Or will spammers be exploiting Gmail right and left?

In fact, Lan was complaining last night that for the last week or so she's been getting a spam email message that's been crashing her G4--and what do you know it's from a Gmail account. Whew, spammers move fast.

Popular blogger looking for advice on Tablet PC

Josh Marshall of TalkingPointsMemo is asking for advice on getting a Tablet PC to mark up documents:

"And here's where I'd like to enlist your assistance. ...I'm probably going to need to get one of these Tablet PCs to allow me to handwrite on electronic documents, mark them up, and so forth. Now, about seventy or eighty thousand people visit this website each day. So I figure there must be more than a few people out there who have a sense of which are well-designed and which aren't. So any input would be greatly appreciated."

Thanks for passing the link along Bob. Hey, Bob, when are you going to start your blog? :-)

Cool Tablets

Peter spotted a couple great new Tablet concepts. One from NEC and one from Sony.

Smaller, cheaper, lighter. Very cool.

I particularly like the keyboard built into the base of the Sony unit. There are many times I wish my slate had a built in keyboard or at least one I could snap onto it.

It appears that Tablets are challenging concepts of modularity and integration. What should be built in? What should be snap in?

Snap in components have been the trend with notebooks. But Tablets tend to be more mobile and used in more places than a typical notebook, so anything protruding from the Tablet becomes a new catch point. And then there is the power issue.

Having a bunch of individual devices that link together wirelessly is one solution, but then this becomes awkward when you have to pick up the pieces and move around or challenging to use when standing up.

For instance, should my PDA or Smart Phone dock or snap onto the Tablet so I could use it's wireless connection and/or camera and/or screen real-estate? Or what about my digital camera, MP3, or who knows maybe someday a portable XBox? Is there some fixturing or docking technique that would make it easier for these devices to work together? Hmm. There's probably no single solution. If price and performance weren't an issue I guess the simple solution would be to duplicate the hardware in all the devices. Till then we can all practice juggling.