Mobile & Wireless UPDATE brought to you by the Windows & .NET Magazine Network
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April 10, 2003—In this issue:
1. MOBILE & WIRELESS PERSPECTIVES
- Tablet PCs Doing Well in Healthcare Vertical Market
2. MOBILE & WIRELESS NEWS & VIEWS
- Handspring's Jeff Hawkins Elected to National Academy
- Microsoft Releases Free WPA Download for Windows XP
- Intermec Announces Rugged Tablet PC Plans
3. ANNOUNCEMENT
- Join the HP & Microsoft Network Storage Solutions Road Show!
4. INSTANT POLL
- Results of Previous Poll: Central Management of Mobile Workforce
- New Instant Poll: Standardized PDAs or User Preference?
5. RESOURCES
- Tip: Office XP Filmstrip Feature Great for Slide Shows
- Event Highlight: Mobile Messaging Americas 2003
6. NEW AND IMPROVED
- Send SMS Messages to Mobile Phones and Pagers
- Make Your Palm an Email Device
7. CONTACT US
- See this section for a list of ways to contact us.
1. MOBILE & WIRELESS PERSPECTIVES
(contributed by John Ruley, [email protected])
Last fall, Gartner Dataquest predicted that Tablet PC shipments would account for 1 percent of notebook PC shipments in 2003 (http://www4.gartner.com/5_about/press_releases/2002_11 /pr20021106b.jsp). Gartner's prediction is pretty much in line with IDC's numbers. Gartner also predicted that the devices would first appear in vertical markets and in small-volume batches (1 to 10 units) for evaluation purposes. Gartner went on to predict that Tablet PCs would account for more than one-third of total notebook PC purchases by 2007.
One major vertical market for the Tablet PC is health care, an area that Microsoft has been emphasizing in news releases. Medical and pharmaceutical users include Abington Memorial Hospital, Aventis Pharmaceuticals, and Merck. Vendors such as Eclipsys Technologies, Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Stentor, Greenway Medical Technologies, and Amicore are developing medical software for Tablet PCs.
Having Tablet PCs take off in the medical market isn't a great surprise. Healthcare providers are among the most mobile of information workers. With Tablet PCs, the healthcare providers have full PC functionality yet can move seamlessly from office to exam room. In addition, healthcare providers can, quite frankly, afford the relatively high cost of today's Tablet PCs.
Still, at a Tablet PC reviewer workshop last year, Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates said, "Tablet PCs are intended for knowledge workers--not the people on the factory floor." He clearly expected Tablet PCs to be more widely used.
Is your company evaluating Tablet PCs? If so, I'd like to know about it. Send me an email message at [email protected].
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2. MOBILE & WIRELESS NEWS & VIEWS
(contributed by John D. Ruley, [email protected])
Handspring Chairman and Chief Product Officer Jeff Hawkins was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for "the creation of the hand-held computing paradigm and the creation of the first commercially successful example of a hand-held computing device." Hawkins developed the original PalmPilot while employed by Palm Computing.
Microsoft released a free download for Windows XP that adds Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) support. WPA support offers improved security for 802.11 wireless networks while retaining compatibility with existing devices.
Intermec Technologies, a manufacturer of rugged devices for industrial use, announced plans to offer the CT60 Tablet PC. This device will run the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition OS. Hardware specifications include an Intel Pentium III Processor - M CPU, up to 512MB of RAM, 20GB or 40GB of hard disk space, and built-in wireless networking--all typical Tablet PC features. Where the CT60 differs is in its vacuum-sealed, milled aluminum case and dual hot-swappable batteries. Pricing and availability weren't available at press time.
3. ANNOUNCEMENT
(brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine and its partners)
Now is the time to start thinking of storage as a strategic weapon in your IT arsenal. Come to our 10-city Network Storage Solutions Road Show, and learn how existing and future storage solutions can save your company money--and make your job easier! There is no fee for this event, but space is limited. Register today!
4. INSTANT POLL
- 38% Yes - 63% No
The next Instant Poll question is, "For your company's mobile workforce, do you push for a standardized PDA device or do you let users buy what they want?" Go to the Mobile & Wireless Solutions Web site and submit your vote for a) Standardized or b) Users' choice.
5. RESOURCES
(contributed by John D. Ruley, [email protected])
Last week I had to quickly put together a presentation for a local service group. The presentation was mainly a slide show, so my first step was to scan the necessary photographs. In the past, I had pasted the scanned images into Microsoft PowerPoint slides, which is a workable but clumsy approach to slide shows. When I started looking for a new way to display the images directly from a Web browser, I discovered a new Microsoft Office XP feature: the filmstrip viewer.
If you have a PC with Office XP installed, try the following: Select Start, My Pictures. Double-click the Sample Pictures folder, then select Filmstrip on the View menu. You can change the order of the pictures by dragging them. After you reorder the pictures, select "View as a Slide Show" in the Picture Tasks pane on the left side of the screen. Although hidden, a VCR-style control is available in the upper right corner of the display if needed.
The filmstrip feature let me quickly get my presentation running from an Acer TravelMate C102 Tablet PC. For more information about Office XP's filmstrip feature, go to the following URL:
As mobile text messaging starts to take off in the United States and Latin America, IBC's Mobile Messaging Americas 2003 will bring together key experts from the messaging community to share their expertise and discuss strategies for stimulating the growth and profit from Short Message Service (SMS), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), and mobile Instant Messaging (IM). Mobile Messaging Americas 2003 is a 2-day strategic conference and free exhibition. For more information, go to the following URL:
For other upcoming events, check out the Windows & .NET Magazine Event Calendar.
6. NEW AND IMPROVED
(contributed by Carolyn Mader, [email protected])
NotePage released NotePager Pro 3.0, software that sends Short Message Service (SMS) and text messages to mobile phones and pagers. The software will send messages to any carrier, phone, or pager. NotePager Pro supports preprogrammed messages, scheduled paging, on-call paging, and group paging. The software runs on Windows XP/2000/NT/Me/9x systems and costs $29.95. Contact NotePage at 781-829-0500.
Sort Once announced support for the Palm VersaMail email program. Sort Once is an email hosting service that supports mobile professionals who use a variety of devices, including desktops, laptops, and handhelds. Sort Once permanently stores all email messages on a central server. Standard accounts cost $5.95 per month. Enhanced accounts cost $7.95 per month and include additional storage space. Contact Sort Once at 425-895-8020.
7. CONTACT US
Here's how to reach us with your comments and questions:
- ABOUT MOBILE AND WIRELESS PERSPECTIVES — [email protected]
- ABOUT THE NEWSLETTER IN GENERAL — [email protected]
(please mention the newsletter name in the subject line) - TECHNICAL QUESTIONS — http://www.winnetmag.net/forums
- PRODUCT NEWS — [email protected]
- QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR Mobile & Wireless UPDATE SUBSCRIPTION?
Customer Support —mobile_&[email protected]
