Tablet PC

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Tablet PCs are specialty mobile machines which can be operated by a stylus or touchscreen apparatus. There are basically two kinds of tablet PCs--slate and convertible tablets. Users operate slate computers with a pen or stylus. Convertible tablets offer both touch screen and keyboard capabilities.

2005 tablet PC upgrades brought improved touchscreen recognition and handwriting interpretation capabilities. New models enable users to write directly onto their desktops, but system incompatibilities abound. As such, it is especially important for prospective buyers to examine the specific compatibilities of such software to make sure it will work with their current systems. Through the use of popular tablet PC software, users can enter commands via a number of methods--keyboard, speech recognition, and on-screen touch.

Tablet PC technology is clearly in its early stages. Often, users complain of so-called jitter. The electronic interfaces on tablet computers are sometimes unable to process slowly drawn straight lines. They also are pretty poor at interpreting tiny characters. Advanced processors and engineering have helped reduce this jitter on some of the newer models.

That being said, handwriting experts wonder whether tablet PCs will ever be able to interpret handwritten commands with 100 percent accuracy. It takes a while for even the most facile, adept programs to learn the nuances of new users' handwriting styles. It may indeed be impossible to optimize handwriting recognition technology.