What is a Tablet PC? 
The Tablet PC's are a standard developed by Microsoft for hardware to fit into their vision of the next generation of laptops.  Microsoft has developed the operating system and the standards and sells them to the hardware manufacturers.  The hardware contains a digitizer, and microphone which converts handwriting and speech recognition into text.  Also included into all Tablets are wireless network cards.  The end result is a lightweight, portable laptop with natural input features that can be mobile within a facility. 

Different Models:
Currently there are two models for Tablet PCs.  The first is a slate model which can be compared to the LCD screen on a laptop.  The slates contain the hard drive, network card, and digitizer / LCD all into the size of clipboard.  The only way to input into the slate is via the pen or speech recognition when undocked.  Typically though the slates come with a docking station, keyboard, and mouse which can then be used at the desk when not mobile.  The second model is the convertible and it comes in two different styles, the 10 inch model and the 14 inch model.  The main difference between the convertible and the slate is that the convertible has an attached keyboard and resembles more of a laptop.  They are smaller then normal laptops, and the screen rotates and then folds down onto itself for handwriting input.  The 14 inch model does the same, however has the larger screen and usually a CD / DVD ROM internal.

Input Methods:
There are four ways to input onto a Tablet.  The keyboard, mouse / touchpad, stylus, and speech.  The handwriting recognition on the Tablets is fairly good.  Some people using the Tablets can get somewhere around a 90% accuracy rate on them.  New upgrades with Service Pack 2 on the Tablet PCs have greatly improved the input tools and controls.  The speech recognition we feel isn't generally that great.  First off, background noise creates problems when converting to text.  In most clinics the noise level can be high and tends to distort the recognition.  Secondly, in general speech recognition, though improving a lot in recent years, is still difficult for computers to process and isn't very accurate.

What to look for when purchasing a Tablet PC:
We feel that the Tablet PC's generally aren't going to be used for more then office work therefore they don't need the high end components that desktop computers need.  For example, purchasing a Tablet with a high end processor with a high end graphics card, and hard drive may be over kill.  Most applications performance on the Tablets won't greatly increase with high end hardware.  Purchasing a Tablet with a good amount of RAM however we feel is something that does increase performance.  We recommend 512 MB of RAM.  The handwriting recognition does use a lot of RAM and thus runs better when more is available.  Another thing to look for is a Tablet with a fast hard drive.  Most of the time laptops will have slower hard drives to reduce heat and power consumption.  This can reduce performance of applications greatly.  We recommend a Tablet with at least a 5400 or 7200 RPM hard drive. 

Recommendations:
Though Hands On Technology doesn't sell hardware or have any relations with hardware companies, there are a few that many of our customers have had good success with.  Most of the people we talk to prefer the 10" screens.  The weight is a little less, and holding something that is bulky, heavy and hot all day does become uncomfortable.  The 10" screens most of the time don't have the internal CD-ROMs, and since they are smaller, do weigh less and don't produce as much heat.  We also believe that the extra money spent on the convertibles is well worth it.  Having the option to flip a keyboard around to do long typing is a nice feature.  Since the beginning the Acer Travelmate Tablets we have found to be reliable and priced somewhere in the middle for a convertible Tablet.  Generally the Travelmates are in the $1,200 - $1,500 price range.  Toshiba also carries a few models.  They generally will run $1,500 - $2,200 and offer much of the same features Acer's. Finally NEC produces both the slate and the convertibles.  Usually NEC will be on the higher end but do offer the lightest Tablets.

Purchasing:
We recommend taking a look at the Tablet PC's at a local electronics store to see what the hardware is like up close.  Purchasing online can save quite a bit and will have usually a larger selection.  We recommend http://www.cdw.com, or http://www.tigerdirect.com as two good online retailers of Tablet PCs.  We also recommend taking advantage of the Tablet PC's wireless card if a wireless network is available in the clinic.  So while purchasing look for a wireless router or access point if you don't already have one.

If anyone has purchased any Tablets other then the ones mentioned in this article, we would like to hear some feedback.  Please post any comments for others.