Launched today, Microsoft's Tablet PC is based on the vendor's Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system, a supserset of Windows XP Professional that adds both handwriting and speech recognition capabilities. The units themselves include a writing pen as the primary input device, and will be offered primarily in two different configurations. The "slate" design is a simple flat panel, about the dimensions of a typical legal pad and just shy of an inch thick; while the "convertible" design features a clamshell configuration similar to traditional notebook computers (where the display folds down onto the keyboard) with an additional catch: in the convertible design, the display can be "spun" 180 degrees and folded back down onto the keyboard in reverse; allowing the user to hold and use the PC in the same manner as they would a pad of paper (albeit, a 3 pound pad of paper).

The additional handwriting and speech recognition capabilities of the O/S support the notion of using it as a portable information collecting device. An onscreen "Input Panel" allows the user to write information with the pen into a display area of the screen that is then recognized and fed as text into applications. The pen can also recognize common "gestures," allowing it to execute certain types of actions depending on the way it is used (such as drag-n-drop, double click, or other common mouse operations). A microphone (built into some Tablet PCs, others include an external jack supporting the addition of a mic) allows for both the ability to dictate information to be translated by the Input Panel, and provides basic application control capabilities via spoken commands.

Though not a wireless device per se, some OEMs will be offering built in WLAN capabilities in their Tablet PC implementations. Other features of the units include docking station support, including "hot docking" which allows for the seating and removal of the device from a docking station without requiring that it first be shutoff or placed in a standby state; the ability to instantly rotate the visual display to be presented in landscape or portrait mode; and document markup/annotation.

OEMs initially lined up to provide Tablet PCs include Compaq, Acer, Toshiba, Fujitsu, ViewSonic, and Motion Computing. Visit the Microsoft Tablet PC site or these individual manufacturers for info specific to their implementations.