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Traveling With Your Tablet PC
Power Trip · April 25, 2004

Whenever Alan Pearlman fires up his Hewlett Packard TC1100 Tablet PC in court, he braces for the stares.

The Northbrook, Ill., attorney takes notes during a trial, schedules appointments, and even makes printouts of documents, thanks to a wireless printer at his desk.

"After court, I have to spend 15 minutes talking to the other attorneys about how this thing works," Pearlman says. "One thing I've learned in using a Tablet PC is that, as an attorney, I have to change the screen color to yellow, to make everyone more comfortable. That way, they think I'm using a legal pad - until they look twice."

The novelty may wear off soon. Two out of every five business users will prefer either a "convertible" or "slate" model Tablet PC by 2007, according to The Meta Group, a Stamford, Conn., market research company. A "convertible" features a tablet-sized screen with an integrated keyboard that you can fold over like a notebook PC, while a "slate" model is where the screen is detached from the keyboard and can be hooked together at a docking station.

The Meta Group also found that Tablet PC functionality is so in demand that, by 2005, more than a quarter of all notebook PCs will have tablet functions. Until then, Meta says, Tablet PC users will have to get by with more limited functionality, particularly for those using models that don't have integrated keyboards.

Being on the go with a Tablet PC is currently not an ideal experience, I've found. I remember Bill Machrone's January 2003 column in PC Magazine about traveling with his Portégé 3500 Tablet PC - an ordeal he described as "less than fulfilling" - and I couldn't help but think of the early days of the personal digital assistant. Back then, you just longed for the familiar touch of a keyboard and a screen you could actually read.

If The Meta Group's predictions are correct, then the technology is about to evolve to a point where people don't just endure it, but seek it out. Some of the early reviews on the latest Tablet PCs suggest we may almost be there, which is good news for those of us who now rely on the technology.

But still, how do you make the most of your Tablet PC when you're mobile? Here are four tips.

Be more vigilant about protecting your unit. When you use your Tablet PC, it's often easy to forget that it's a computer, not the paper notepad Pearlman's colleagues sometimes mistake it for. If you drop it, you could lose your data and incur thousands of dollars of expenses. Spencer Goad, executive editor of the Web site TabletPCBuzz.com, uses a well-padded case for his tablet (it's a hard-sided Tom Bihn case called the Brain Cell).

"You don't want to drop a Tablet PC, but it's going to happen when you travel with it," he says. Another tip: Try one of the more durable tablet models, such as Panasonic Toughbook Tablet PCs, which have magnesium alloy casings to protect them from bumps and drops.

Mind the battery. Avoid allowing it to give up the ghost at the exact time when you're wrapping up that winning proposal, articulating your most profound thought, or putting the finishing touches on that really, really important e-mail.

Marc Strauch, who hits the road with an Acer TravelMate, knows the feeling well. "I have an early version, which only has about 11/2 hours of battery life," he says. "I always carry an extra battery with me. I always keep my power charging unit with me. I never pack it away." Strauch knows Tablet PCs: He was involved in the launch of the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system in 2002, and now, as the chief marketing officer for NS8, a Seattle software developer, he takes a Tablet PC with him on his travels.

Some of the newer batteries have reportedly yielded run times of as long as 8 to 12 hours, according to the experts I've interviewed. But I'd rather be safe, like Strauch, than sorry.

Learn to use the Tablet PC to its full potential. This is true for any user - not just those who take the tablet on the road. But it's especially important for those of us who are mobile.

Most Tablet PCs can be used in three different ways: As a "desktop" from a docking station, as a laptop (with the keyboard), and as a tablet, which lets you use a pen to point and write directly on to the screen. Think of it in its simplest terms as an oversized PDA. Each has its strengths. A Tablet PC, for example, is easier to use in close quarters, like sitting in an economy-class seat on a plane.

Pearlman recommends learning how to use the Tablet PC in all three modes, and making it your primary computer. After a few trips, you'll get a feel of how to use the unit in a given situation. "If you don't, then you won't only end up using the Tablet PC the wrong way," he warns. "You could also have to transfer information from one PC to another - which is a waste of time."

Watch your wireless connection. The newest Tablet PCs can connect to just about anything with an antenna. I asked Jeff Ayers, who works for the Panasonic division that manufactures Toughbooks, and he rattled off the different ways you could send and receive data over the airwaves: GSM, CDMA, CDPD, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, to name a few. But, interestingly, people don't pay much attention to how they're connected - and that's the problem.

A faster Wi-Fi connection is always preferable to a slower (and probably more expensive) cellular hookup. "You have to know where and when to make the right connection," Ayers says. "Ask yourself: What's in my area? What's available? And which network is faster?"

Tip: Keep your eye on the signal strength meter. It will tell you what's out there and the connection quality. Some newer Tablet PCs even come with antennas that will boost your range on certain kinds of wireless transmissions.

Chances are, you can follow all of the above and still feel a little awkward when you're using a Tablet PC on the go. That's because the tablet is neither an enormous PDA nor a laptop computer. It's a different type of computing device, a hybrid of both. But as time goes on, more people will be using Tablet PCs - and fewer people will be staring at those who do.

Christopher Elliott is a travel commentator based in Key Largo, Fla. All e-mailed questions may be edited, condensed or republished at the site's discretion.

Get a look behind the scenes at Power Trip. Check out Elliott's Travel Notes blog.