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TIP Enhancements in Windows 7#

The TIP in Windows 7 has had a lot of work to make it more usable.  I'm finding it to be a really good user experience so far.

This video explores some of the new features that are in the Milestone 3 build (6801) that was released at PDC. 

Windows 7 is much more pen and touch aware than Vista.  And it draws a distinction, too.  When you are using a tablet that supports both pen and touch - such as the Toshiba M750 that I am using - you sometimes get a different depending on how you are interacting with the computer.

The features I demonstrate in this video include:

  • The TIP vanishing when you move you pen away from it
  • The revamped text correction UI and gestures
  • The changes in the On Screen Keyboard when launched with a finger rather than a pen

There may be more that I have not found yet, or that may be added into a future build - who knows!

Click the video below for a glimpse of some of what's new in Windows 7 for Tablet users.

Sunday, November 16, 2008 1:17:42 PM (AUS Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10:00) #   
Comments [0]  | 

 

Hands on with the Toshiba M750#

The fabulous folks over at Toshiba have loaned me a brand new M750 to help with my early testing of the Windows 7 pre-beta.  While certainly not the lightest tablet I have used this is a HPIM1643seriously fast workhorse of a tablet.  It really is the whole package.

The unit I got came with:

  • Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8600 (2.4GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 3MB L2 Cache)
  • 12.1" WXGA 200NIT CSV Display(1280x800)
  • 2GB DDR2 (800MHz)
  • 200GB HDD (7200rpm) SATA
  • DVD SuperMulti Double/Dual Layer Drive
  • 1Gbit LAN + AMT 4.0
  • WLAN (802.11a/g/n)

The screen is a Wacom dual mode digitizer, supporting both the active stylus and resistive touch.

Lets have a look at the outside of the device.  As we go through click the images for a larger view.

Down the left hand side we have

A - Venting.  This blows out a little air but not much and not very warm.

B - Lock port

C - A combination eSATA or powered USB port.  This particular USB port is suppose to be able to charge your USB devices while the tablet is asleep, but I've not put that to the test yet.

D - A normal USB port

E - PCMCIA slot

image

The front bezel has...

A - a plathora of indicator lights - including ones for optional components such as a second battery or a 3G WWAN radio.

B - Hardware switch for the radios.  This is a nice touch.  I never remember to turn my wireless off before I get on a plane :)

C - IEEE1394 port.

D,E - Headphone and mic jacks

F - hard to see in the picture but a volume control wheel.

image

Down the right side and we have

A - The stylus dock.

B - A multi card reader

C - A slimline DVD dual layer recorder

D - A modem port (I can't remember the last time I used a modem - seems like a waste of space to me!)

The back side is fairly sparten.

A - Another USB port.

B - VGA Output

C - Power input

D - Gigabit Ethernet port

image

The top of the screen sports an inbuilt web cam and microphone.

HPIM1659

There are also a host of buttons at the bottom of the screen - or on the front bezel when in slate mode.

image 

And a fingerprint reader on the other end of the same edge, which is also well placed for ease of access in both laptop mode and slate mode.

HPIM1651

Speaking of slate mode the M750 has the same locking hinge that we first saw on the R400 and have since seen on the M700 as well.  This eliminates the floppy head that some other convertibles suffer from.  Basically you can only rotate the screen when it is roughly 90 degrees to the base.  The rest of the time the bottom corners lock into these latches on the corner of the base.

image

Another nice feature - no doubt aimed at eliminating a common cause of breakages - are the indicator arrows by the hinge that tell you which way to twist the screen.  These are located front and back of the hinge.  The former is visible when in laptop mode and the latter when in slate mode.

HPIM1658 HPIM1657

Another great feature the M750 shares with many of its predecessors is the emergency stylus.  I used it a couple of time when I had a M400 and wished for it many times with some of my other tablets.  Basically if you flip the unit over there is a panel by the docking station connector.

HPIM1661

To open this you push a pen in the hole on the right end (ironically - if you have lost your main stylus) and pull the other end to slide the cover to the left.  You can then flip the cover over and - hey presto - a little mini stylus clipped into the lid!  Very cool.  Note there is even a little button on it - this is a real active digitizer stylus.

HPIM1662

Over all I am pretty impressed so far.  The M750 is a really nice device to work with.  I have put Windows 7 on it and it runs very fast and so far pretty stable.  I'll have more to say on that as I get into it.

Saturday, November 08, 2008 9:34:03 PM (AUS Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10:00) #   
Comments [4]  | 

 

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