Fujitsu Siemens Computers has selected WACOM Components to supply the embedded digitiser and pen technology and components for its new Tablet PC based on Microsoft's XP Tablet PC Edition.
Due to be officially launched on 7 November 2002, Microsoft XP Tablet PC Edition is the next evolutionary step for the notebook PC. This new operating software for business-focused mobile PCs offers additional pen- and tablet?based functionality, for example allowing mobile users to take handwritten notes in meetings and on the go.
As a leading manufacturer of mobile computing solutions, Fujitsu Siemens Computers has developed its new Microsoft XP Tablet Edition Pen Computer to take full advantage of this latest Microsoft platform, which is designed to offer ultimate pen-based portability without sacrificing the power of a notebook PC.
Windows XP Tablet PC edition is a superset of Windows XP Professional, delivering the features and performance of the latest Microsoft operating system for PCs while offering additional capabilities to the user thanks to WACOM's cordless, batteryless pen technology, which has recently been branded Penabled™. These include advanced handwriting and speech recognition, with rich inking capabilities - for example through sensitivity to pen pressure and tilt - plus enhanced mobility features.
This new technology allows users to write notes directly onto the LCD screen and save them in their own handwriting or convert them to typed text for input into other applications. As well as entering text, the digital pen also allows users to do things that are typically done with a mouse or keyboard, such as open applications, select text and display menus.
The three-dimensional capability of WACOM's pen technology permits above-screen tracking, so the pen does not actually need to touch the screen. This feature is useful for tool identification, and helps to prevent excessive wear on the screen surface - an important benefit in today's mobile devices. A further significant benefit is the fact that WACOM's revolutionary sensing technology is embedded under the Tablet PC's LCD display. This combines high durability with 100% light transmission, with no risk of damage or reduction of light output as would be the case with overlay sensors.
"We chose WACOM Components to supply the pen sensing technology for our new Tablet PC because of their vast experience and leadership in the pen input field", said Peter Esser, Executive Vice President Volume Products, Fujitsu Siemens Computers. "Fujitsu has a long history of building pen-based computers, and we have worked closely with WACOM for over 11 years so we are familiar with their expertise and capabilities in this area. Particularly important to us was the quality and reliability of the WACOM solution. The fact that the sensor is actually located underneath the LCD panel gives us the assurance of durability together with undiminished display quality and brightness."
"We have believed right from the beginning in the pen as the most natural computer input device", said Han Stoffels, Managing Director of WACOM Europe GmbH. "Through this co-operation with such an important computer manufacturer as Fujitsu Siemens we are a big step closer to our common goal of making portable computing devices and other digital appliances more convenient and intuitive to use in a wide range of settings and applications. This is why we welcome this cooperation between WACOM Components and Fujitsu Siemens as a significant strategic move for the further development of our pen computing concept."
The new Fujitsu Siemens Computer Tablet PC with WACOM's Penabled™ technology will be officially launched on 7 November 2002, simultaneously with the announcement of Microsoft's XP Tablet PC Edition.
