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Acer demands Microsoft Tablet resolution | |
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| Time: 11:05 EST/16:05 GMT | News Source: VNUNet | Posted By: Byron Hinson | ||
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Acer is locked in a struggle with Microsoft over the future of the Tablet PC. The PC and electronics vendor is convinced that Microsoft is not doing all it can to push the technology. Jim Wong, president of the Acer IT products business group, complained that the situation was "a mess". Acer has invested heavily in the Tablet PC market, selling a range of four models. | ||
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| #1 By 2459 (24.175.137.164) at 12/1/2003 1:58:29 PM |
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Acer also has disagreements with Microsoft over the latter's strategy to converge IT and the consumer electronics market, and believes the company must better develop Media Center if users are to embrace it.
It has researched how consumers use home entertainment systems and is pressing Microsoft to make the platform more stable. If consumers are to accept home entertainment systems based on PC technology, the technology must be simple and response times must be fast, said Wong. Enter Longhorn, with glitch-free audio/video, accelerated UI, and real-time OS services (possibly with MCE integrated into the base package [just speculation at this point]). Concerning Tablet PC, there are also further improvements for it coming in the Longhorn timeframe like a real-time stylus API, the ability to train recognition bias to your own handwriting, further integration of ink into the filesystem with WinFS, and an effort to provide ink interoperability between Taplet PC and Pocket PC devices. (TabletPC may also be folded into the base OS in this timeframe [again, speculation at this point]). There are also updates due next year for the Tablet PC, like allowing inking from partially trusted apps so you can use ink in web applications, increased language support, an improved tablet input panel, moving recognizer packs into the SDK for non-Tablet PC machines, and support for context-sensitive factoids for improved accuracy. As far as application support, ink has been integrated where it makes the most sense in MS' products (Office, Messenger, etc.), and creating new ones (OneNote, Music Composition Tool) when a workable scenario arises. Third parties have provided apps like Grafigo (freestyle drawing, annotation and collaboration) and MathPad (write math problems like on a sheet of paper). Plus, any Windows app with a textbox can have information entered using ink, though the ink is converted to text. Also, it was mentioned at the PDC that some people didn't buy Tablet PC's because they thought that the devices ran Windows CE, and they couldn't run their existing applications (Tablet PC is a superset of Windows XP Professional. Any app that runs on XP will run on Tablet PC). Anyway, I've typed all of this not to totally discount Acer's concerns, but to show that MS isn't exactly sitting around twidling its thumbs on these issues. |
| #2 By 7754 (216.160.8.41) at 12/1/2003 4:18:50 PM |
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n4cer, have some questions for ya. :)
The glitch-free audio that you mention--does that mean that Longhorn will have a revised audio driver structure (like Core Audio in OS X or ASIO)? I knew about the video hardware acceleration, but wasn't aware of any audio changes. I'm a bit surprised if this is the case... with ASIO available, it didn't seem like Microsoft was paying much attention to it. You mentioned not long ago some real-time third party plug-ins for XP Embedded earlier--are you implying that some real-time functions along those lines will be included in Longhorn? Also, what is this Music Composition Tool? Is Microsoft really writing a composition/engraving tool for the Tablet PC? I was actually hoping that Finale and/or Sibelius might introduce Tablet PC support. It seems like this is a niche market and something Microsoft normally doesn't enter. edit--I see the PowerToy now, but do you think they'll be adding more functionality to it? BTW, where do you get all this information? Do you work for Microsoft? :) This post was edited by bluvg on Monday, December 01, 2003 at 16:49. |
| #3 By 7754 (216.160.8.41) at 12/1/2003 4:26:22 PM |
| Incidentally, n4cer, it would be GREAT if Microsoft would help start an industry initiative to update (or perhaps even replace) the MIDI standard. |
| #4 By 2459 (24.175.137.164) at 12/1/2003 6:00:23 PM |
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Nope. I don't work for MS. You can get a lot of information from the PDC sessions hosted at http://microsoft.sitestream.com/PDC2003/
RE: Glitch-Free A/V The stated goal, IIRC, is 1 (could be less than 1, but I believe it's 1) glitch within 8 hours of continuous playback. Many of the benefits of glitch-free also come from the new scheduler for the OS. The OS will (ideally) never make a performance contract it can't keep. IOW, if you're playing several videos in the background while running a windowed game, and you decide to open another video, if Windows can't guarantee enough reserved performance for the new video to play without glitch, it won't make the contract, and the video won't play. Glitch-free will function for playback as well as capture, IIRC. RE: RTOS Some RTOS features are being integrated for certain areas like media and the tablet's stylus for improved inking. I don't think they'll have real-time services throughout, but I could be wrong about this. I believe the relevant sessions are: CLI350 - Tablet PC Platform Roadmap http://microsoft.sitestream.com/PDC2003/CLI/CLI350.htm CLI342 - “Avalon” Graphics and Media (Part 3): Using Audio, Video and Imaging in Your Applications http://microsoft.sitestream.com/PDC2003/CLI/CLI342.htm I haven't watched this one yet, but it may have some relevant info. CLI360 - Building Media Center-Enabled Applications http://microsoft.sitestream.com/PDC2003/CLI/CLI360.htm RE: MIDI Yeah. MIDI 2 was supposed to be out a while ago IIRC. I don't know what happened with that. I gotta go right now (hope I got all your questions). Be back later. |
| #5 By 2459 (24.175.137.164) at 12/1/2003 8:37:28 PM |
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bluvg, here's MIDI 2 info: http://www.midi.org/about-midi/gm/gm2_spec.shtml
What's you're general concerns about MIDI (just curious)? It's been a while since I've used MIDI. mOOzilla, http://www.tabletpcdeveloper.com/content/bookhtml/appendix_b.aspx Digitizer: D1. The digitizer must report X and Y stylus position coordinates accurately when the stylus tip is within 5 millimeters of the writing surface anywhere within the active display area. Physical contact must not be required to determine the stylus location. D2. When the digitizer is active, it must report position coordinates and stylus tip up/down status at least 100 times per second. The sample rate may be reduced to conserve power upon inactivity, but must increase to at least 100 samples per second anytime the pen is in contact with the display surface. Using active sample rates of 133 samples per second is recommended. D3. The digitizer resolution must be at least five times greater than the LCD pixel density, but must not be less than 600 points per inch. Although lower digitizer resolutions are permitted, using digitizer resolutions of 1,000 points per inch is recommended. Example: For a 10.4-inch XGA (1024 x 768) display panel, LCD pixel density is 123 points per inch, and therefore the minimum digitizer resolution must be at least 615 points per inch (5 x 123). D4. The cursor position must be within 3 millimeters of the point of contact between the stylus tip and the display surface anywhere within the active display area. While rapid response and accurate positioning regardless of varying pen tilt-angles should be designed for, the stylus can be held motionless and orthogonal to the display surface during the screen calibration test. |
| #6 By 2459 (24.175.137.164) at 12/1/2003 11:48:33 PM |
| Yes, Win XP Tablet PC Edition 2004 will be a free downloadable upgrade to current Tablet PC users. |
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