Mobile possibilities

Yesterday, I attended a Microsoft Tablet PC Tour 2004 event sponsored by Toshiba, where they discussed how to enable your mobile workforce and featured tablet PC technology. The presentation was given by Bill Hagen, a Mobility Solution Specialist in Microsoft's Education Solutions Group. Obviously, Microsoft understands that it is important to get students excited about technology so that they will want to continue using technology, and be valuable assets when they join the global workforce. As a college student, I would have benefited from a tablet PC to take notes in class.

As a tablet PC user -- I own a Compaq TC1000, I was curious to see the Toshiba product that was available for hands on demonstrations at the event. The Portege M200 tablet PC, Toshiba's second generation product was available to view and play with, and one lucky winner received one at the end of the show. Recently, I had been to Best Buy and saw the retail version, the M205S810; I thought the unit was very flimsy and cheaply made. I was immediately turned off by the display unit, and felt secure about having purchased my TC1000. Then, at the Tablet PC Tour, my curiosity made me look at the units I had previously written off with a little more scrutiny.

Contrary to my former impression, I found these units to be very well made. I also liked a lot of the features that were available on the M200. I've read up on them, and was pleasantly surprised to find out that the M200 will begin to use the new Dothan processors (found via PDA Buyer's Guide).

Now, I'm simply resigned to wait. I'll wait for a new generation of smartphones; I'll wait for a new generation of tablet PCs; I'll wait for a new generation of Pocket PCs. I won't wait forever, just until a little later this year. :-)