Following IT Week Labs tests, IT managers are advised to investigate a wide range of Tablet PCs before purchasing, due to significant differences in the hardware quality of the first-generation devices.

Toshiba, Compaq, Fujitsu Siemens, Research Machines and Acer will begin selling Tablet PCs in the UK this week, based on an extended version of Windows XP. Tablet PCs in the past were largely aimed at industry-specific applications in warehousing, medical, educational and other sectors for forms-based tasks.

Tablet PCs are intended to appeal to roaming users running a variety of applications. In particular, they are designed to support note-taking through handwriting-recognition technology. However, some users may not wish to use the recognition engine, preferring to use the devices to store their notes as Microsoft Journal files or as image files that can then be emailed.

In tests, we looked at three models - two notebooks with non-detachable screens and one without a keyboard. To gain greater accuracy from the handwriting recognition engine, users had to modify the way they wrote. Some devices provided a much more user-friendly experience than others, which greatly affected the efficiency of the handwriting recognition.

Pen input

Though the machines are designed for mobile data-input, IT Week Labs queried the resilience of the machines if dropped, as the casings seemed to be easily damaged. A lack of application software may also dent enthusiasm for Tablet PCs in the near term. However, an Office XP pack for Tablets is already available and some independent software vendors have revised versions of their software to support pen input. But Office 2000 will have no support on Tablet PCs and a vast amount of software will be unable to take advantage of the new features.

High initial prices are also likely to deter many users. The cheapest devices on the market are expected to cost around £1,500 - roughly twice the price of budget laptops from leading manufacturers.

The format of the first systems may also be a problem. Most are A4-sized and bulky, whereas A5 may be a more attractive format for everyday use and could become more common when the processing power of very small chips increases.

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