'Fresh Gear' takes some new machines for a spin to see if they're worthy successors to laptops.

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We've seen plenty of tablet PCs running a variety of operating systems. Touted by some as the next generation of mobile computing, the first tablet PCs were good for little more than basic Web surfing and running customized corporate applications that hardly anyone uses, and they fell way short when it came to entering text. Now, hoping that the tablet's time has finally arrived, Microsoft has released the new Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, an operating system specifically designed for more accurate handwriting recognition and better pen-based text entry.

Windows XP Tablet PC Edition is essentially Windows XP Professional Edition, so any software designed for one should work on the other. Tablet PC Edition adds three applications: Tablet PC Input Panel, Windows Journal, and Sticky Notes.

The new stuff

  • Tablet PC Input Panel lets you use handwriting recognition for any application. Previous pen-based entry systems required you to spell out individual letters or words. But with Tablet PC Input Panel you can input entire sentences in your own handwriting, which is then converted to text.

  • Windows Journal gives you a digital notepad for taking notes and sketching diagrams. A handwriting-to-text conversion feature transforms your scribbles, but your unconverted handwriting, or raw notes, can also be saved. You can then email your raw notes, but if the recipient doesn't have Windows Journal, your notes can be only viewed and not edited.

  • Sticky Notes feels much like its analog (paper) counterpart. You can jot down reminders, phone numbers, or whatever else for later use. Sticky Notes can also store voice recordings.


Microsoft also integrates into Tablet PC Edition a speech-to-text engine similar to the one found in Office XP.

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