Tablet PCs for Dummies

Not sure whether you have a use for a Tablet PC - or how to get the most from it if you buy one? Well, take a moment to see how this style of computer fits most working lifestyles.

The Tablet PC is being promoted as the perfect tool for somebody called the corridor warrior. Cousin to the road warrior who travels frequently on business, the corridor warrior spends his or her time running from meeting to meeting, apparently with no life beyond the conference room. This creature has the following needs:

• To take quick notes on the run in hallways and elevators.

• To take more extended notes in meetings where tapping away on a keyboard might be annoying.

• To store (and even search) handwritten notes for gems of information, without having to convert all of his or her notes to type.

• To have a portable, lightweight computer that he or she can connect to peripherals or a docking station back at that old-fashioned desktop.

Tablet PC may or may not be your perfect solution if you're a road warrior - depending on the model, you may have to carry with you a detachable keyboard, external CD drive, and other peripherals that may prove more weighty in the end than a standard laptop. But some Tablet PC models are designed more like a laptop (some have a built-in keyboard), and all are wireless devices, allowing you to connect to the Internet through your cell phone (for example), something your laptop may not allow you to do. Tablet PCs are also more comfortable to work on when you have no work surface available. (Remember what fun it is to juggle a laptop on your knees and type while waiting to board your plane? Writing on a Tablet PC is much less of a juggling act.)

 Warning!  If you write a lot of lengthy documents, don't travel or leave your office much, or think the idea of writing on a computer screen is about as useful as being able to write on your cat, you might consider returning your Tablet PC and giving this book to a more mobile friend.