Microsoft plans to launch its revolutionary handwritten notes-taking Tablet PC on Nov. 7, 2002, a senior official revealed yesterday. Microsoft press release

Idont really consider myself a hardware geek. I try to stay on top of the technology, but my interests are more in software and system design than hardware. Counting only gear for which I have personally forked over the cash, I am using my third PDA (Cassiopeia E-200 with the Pocket PC operating system), my second personal laptop, my second two-way pager, my seventh cell phone, and I dont even know how many desktop systems. So, I do have some credentials as a power user, but I generally dont purchase hardware unless there is a compelling reason. Thats why I am so intrigued by the Tablet PC. This is Bill Gates new baby. Since he relinquished the day-to-day operations of the company to Steve Ballmer and immersed himself in product development, the Tablet PC has been his pet project. He claims he uses a Tablet PC for day-to-day computing and we all will soon be following suit. Really? Lets take a look at these things and see where they might justify the investment.

What the Heck Is a Tablet PC?

Good questionand one for which there is no easy answer. There are but a handful of manufacturers delivering these things right now (see links at the end of this article). Thus, there is not yet a model by which we may judge others. In essence, a tablet PC is a portable computer that includes a digitizer so that pen strokes on the screen are recorded and interpreted. Application-specific designed tablets are already in widespread use: For example, those nifty little computers the FedEx guy carries and uses to log every receipt, signature, and delivery. Talk about being connectedthat data is immediately uploaded and made available. I have called my wife at home and asked her to grab the package off the front porch before someone else does. You will find dedicated tablet machines in many different industry verticals. What Bill Gates is excited about is a generic tablet PC that can be used both as a regular computer and as tablet PC that is only limited by software.