Learning to write is an intergral part of schooling and with advancements in Tablet technology, the ability for students to learn to write and continue using practical skills like note-taking on a computer is a great opportunity. More work is needed in the area of Tablet technology and accessibility. Microsoft is requesting that students put thought into this area during its annual Imagine Cup competition.

This year the Imagine Cup has a Tablet Accessibility Award with first place prize of $8000, a Tablet PC, and a trip to the Imagine Cup finals in Cairo.  The competition already started and first round ends in 21 days. So please help spread the word to interested students!

Students aged 16 and older must be attending an accredited four year high school or college, either full or part time.  

Imagine Cup Tablet Accessibility Award overview  

The object of the Tablet Accessibility Award is to create a new education application that uses Tablet technology while expanding the possibilities about how a user interacts with the computer. The application should reflect the Imagine Cup theme, “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems facing us today,” as it relates to the United Nations Millennium Goal of Universal Education.

This Award competition starts at 12:01 AM Greenwich Mean Time (“GMT”) on April 3^rd, 2009 and ends at 11:59 PM (GMT) on May 20^th, 2009 (“Entry Period”). The Entry Period consists of two (2) separate Rounds

First Place:

• $8,000 USD, to be divided equally among each officially registered member of the Team
• A Tablet device (Lenovo ThinkPad X61 Tablet PC) for each officially registered member of the Team. ARV US $ 1,028,00
• A trip for each officially registered member of the Team to Cairo, Egypt to attend the Worldwide Finals. Trip includes round trip coach air travel, standard hotel accommodations and select meals.

Second Place:

• $4,000 USD, to be divided equally among each officially registered member of the Team
• A Tablet device (Lenovo ThinkPad X61 Tablet PC) for each officially registered member of the Team. ARV US $ 1,028,00
• A trip for each officially registered member of the Team to Cairo, Egypt to attend the  Worldwide Finals. Trip includes round trip coach air travel, standard hotel accommodations and select meals

See http://imaginecup.com/Competition/mycompetitionportal.aspx?competitionId=34 for contest details, rules, and eligibility information.

Panansonic selected InPlay Technologies new digital pen and touch solution for its Toughbook CF-H1, mobile clinical assistant (MCA) for doctors and nurses. See press release for details.

InPlay also recently announced its new pen solution that works with capacitive touch screens, called WriteSense technology. Unlike other products, WriteSense adds pen functionality to capacitive touch solutions that exist in the supply chain. This approach offers a lower cost integration. See press release and product brochure for details.

Currently available in Korea, the Trigem Lluon Mobbit PS400 is another ultra-mobile PC or mobile internet device shown at CES. It has some clever features, such as an integrated camera that you can use like a point-and-shoot.

Here are some profile photos of one running Windows XP Home:

Snap a photo and customize it using the integrated camera software.

Playing a movie.

Integrated camera is on the back of the PC, so you can hold it like you would hold a point-and-shoot.

Camera software has focus target, so you can line up your object then shoot.

Camera button on top, right corner of PC.

Camera software has special personalization options. In this case, a border was added.

Bottom of PC

Right side with left & right mouse buttons along edge.

Trackpad allows for mouse navigation. Display also has a touch screen.

Ventilation along top.

Size compared with iPhone 3G.

During CES, Intel's Mobile Internet Device Group displayed over 50 UMPC, MIDs, and Netbooks in its Intel Atom cafe. Some products, such as the OQO model 2+ you can order now. Other products were on display by ODMs like Compal, and in search of an OEM to produce. Other products, like the UMID M1, may be produced by an OEM - a hint was dropped about Samsung and availability by Q3 2009, but that was not an announcement. Nevertheless, the UMID M1 is an attractive clamshell PC and it is worth sharing its photos and specs.

UMID M1 Specifications

• 4.8" display
• 1024x600 display resolution
• Intel Atom processor Z5xx series
• 512MB and supports up to 1GB of memory
• 16GB SSD
• WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS option, HSDPA (regional), WiMax / WiBRO option, DVB-H, T-DMB, DAB, DVB-T option
• Windows XP Home or Windows Vista

UMID M1 prototype in red enclosure with white keypad.

UMID M1 prototype in white enclosure with white keypad. The keypad is standard QWERTY with reliance on function keys for extended use.

The UMID M1 comes with a stylus for you to use for navigation. This unit is running Windows XP Home. If it were running Windows Vista there would be access to Tablet technology, such as Microsoft Journal, TIP onscreen keyboard, etc.

Stylus storage area.

UMID M1 is extremely well balanced and can hold with little effort.

Left side

Power on button on far right, top of keypad. Wireless and bluetooth on / off button to the left.

What is the right way to hold and type? Thumbs.

SIM card slot on front, left.

Right side has USB port, audio jack, and power connector.

The UMID M1 has a touch screen (single point). You may navigate with a fingertip.

Pressing the Windows XP Start button with fingertip.

The UMID M1 is slightly larger than the Apple iPhone, yet runs a full operating system - Windows XP Home or Windows Vista.

OQO has been leading the way on ultra-mobile PCs for several years now, with its release of the OQO model 1 in 2004. During CES 2009, OQO officially launched its third version: OQO model 2+. Just like its predecessors, the OQO model 2+ is a full PC, so you can run all your standard Windows applications and be productive anytime, anywhere.

In addition to adopting Intel Atom Z540 (1.86GHz) or Z520 (1.33GHz) processor, the OQO model 2+ features a 5" WVGA OLED display, which offers a beautiful viewing angle and rich colors. It also has a touch screen, which supports stylus and finger entry.

Size comparison of the OQO model 2+ with the Apple iPhone. Though these two products compliment each other, as the OQO model 2+ can run iTunes and be the PC to which you sync your phone, they are also similar in size.

The keypad, which slides behind the display for compact travel, offers full number pad, cursor joystick, and standard QWERTY keys.

  Full specifications on OQO.com

TabletPc2.com started to post its 6th annual List for Santa: Holiday Gift Guide. With over 160 products, items will be added to the list over the next several days. Tablet PCs, Entertainment PCs, Mini-Notebooks are already up and Fun & Entertainment and Digital Cameras are going up soon.

During the two blogger panels at WIPTE I showed many sites that are useful for finding information about Tablet and Touch technologies. Here is a list of those sites Jim & I mentioned, as well as a few more that you might find useful:

• Craig Pringle's blog 
• Frank LaVigne's blog
• GottaBeMobile
• Incremental Blogger
• JKontheRun
• Mobile PC Wiki
• Mobility Matters
• Nice Creations
• Student Tablet PC (new name Endless Scholar)
• Sumocat's Scribbles
• TabletPc2.com
• Tablet PC Buzz
• Tablet PC Corner (French)
• Tablet PC Education Blog 
• TabletPCReview
• Tablet PC Talk
• Teaching, Learning, & Technology in Higher Education - Jim Vanides
• Teaching and Learning Economics with Technology
• Teaching with Tablet PCs
• Technology Questions education forum
• TheTabletPC.net
• UltraMobilePC Tips
• UMPC Portal

Aggregators, search engines, & social networking sites:

• Thredr.com
• Alltop
• Friendfeed
• Google blog search
• Technorati
• Techmeme
• Twitter

Keep in mind that when you rely on search engines that you need to use a variety of keywords to find content related to Tablet PCs and education. People may refer to handwriting recognition, ink, touch, specific model numbers as "notebooks" or "laptops" that are convertible, or mis-spell Tablet PC as tabletpc.

In the last few weeks, I've received several inquiries about the annual CES Tablet PC & UMPC Gathering. Correct, it'll still be actually at CES in January and it's only September. However, the feedback continues to be so positive and long lasting that people are already looking forward to the event! I'm pleased that it's continued to be so successful.

The industry is advancing and I want to make sure that the product interests represented are forward looking. Yes, I'm sure there will be plenty of Windows 7 chatter and hardware comparisons. A couple years ago we expanded the gathering to include mini-Tablet PCs more commonly known as UMPCs. Last year people interested in MIDs attended. My observation is that the common connection is an interest in natural input. Do you agree?

Following that logic, what do you think if Surface is included? What about... yep, I'll ask (gulp) -- iPhone? (Of course, Macworld may overlap, as the gathering has most recently been on the 3rd day of CES. So, it might just be like '08 where people are welcome to pull out their iPhones.)

And yes, then the gathering will need a new name...suggestions?

Previous sponsors of the annual Tablet PC Gathering include (in no particular order): Microsoft Tablet PC & UMPC teams, Microsoft DPE Channel 9 (compliments of Robert Scoble), Motion Computing, TabletKiosk, HP, Lenovo, Fujitsu, VIA, Mobile Demand, OQO, abletFactory, Etymotic, OtterBox, TechSmith, CaseLogic, Diskeeper, JKontheRun, TabletPC2, GottaBeMobile, TabletLawyer, Chris Pirillo Show, ActiveWords, ProvoLabs, and of course TuxReports & all the Microsoft Tablet PC MVPs.

(Steve at Boston Pocket PC posted photos from the 2008 gathering, if you'd like to take a peek at all that was given away.)

Einstein Technologies is now offering TEO 3.0 for free download. TEO is an add-in for Microsoft Outlook 2003 or 2007 that turns Outlook into a fully pen-enabled app. You can use it on your Tablet PC or UMPC running Windows XP Tablet PC Edition SP2 or Windows Vista.

Thanks for the update, Josh.

Update: The TEO listing on TabletPCPost.com has been updated to reflect the change from 15-day trial to Free.

Last week Panasonic released its new UMPC, Panasonic Toughbook CF-U1, in Canada. Rugged, of course. (Available in the US since June.) In the photo the Panasonic rep is pouring water on the PC to show it continue working in harsh environments. This announcement is a good reminder how Tablet PC form factors have continued to diversify. Think about how many different types of Tablet PCs are available today.

Tablet taxonomy may have changed over the years, but fundamentally two familiar categories are the pillars: 1) Slate and 2) Convertible.

Slate form factors have all the PC components centralized behind the display. Several companies offer slates: Motion, TabletKiosk, Electrovaya, HTC, OQO, Samsung, Fujitsu, Avantech, DRS, General Dynamics, Everex, Getac, MobileDemand, Panasonic, Roper Mobile, and others. The simple design where the display is always exposed makes it easy to use in medical environments, manufacturing, military, and other mobile work place environments.

Convertibles are traditional clamshell notebooks with a swivel or sliding hinge. All of the major OEMs offer convertible Tablet PCs, including Dell, HP, Lenovo, Toshiba, MPC, Fujitsu, and ASUS. The attached keyboard and choice to use a pen when needed appeals to general business users, students, and a growing number of consumers.

There have been attempts to segment the categories by type of digitizer too, with EM and resistive. But then along came dual EM + resistive digitizers and today dual EM + capacitive are available. Too complicated.

Screen size was another marketing distinction. Tablet PCs with 8.9" display and larger and UMPCs with 7" and lower. Then came MID, still a PC, but even smaller display than UMPCs. Of course, individual companies started calling things whatever they needed to so they could appeal to their specific customer base.

There are rugged, semi-rugged, commercial, and even consumer Tablet PCs. Some are called UMPCs, others MIDs, and I'm sure we'll see some Netbooks with digitizers eventually.

At the core, if these units have digitizers, then they are Tablet PCs. But Tablet PC may not apply as this category of multi-functions, multi-features, multi-shapes continues. What do you think the next generation will be called?

This is a nice problem for the software to have -- many different types of form factors on which it can be used and used in many different ways. I'm glad there are creative people helping to move these various form factors forward. I look forward to seeing what's next.