Very cool video here on YouTube about a Tablet PC and an interesting MP3 player interface.  Check it out below:

UPDATE - Looks like the creator has posted in our forums - Read more here if you are interested in participating in what looks like a 'alpha' offer.

The investment firm of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) is offering up to $100 million to iPhone and iTouch developers that come up with innovative and transformative applications for the iPhone platform.  The investment opportunity, the iFund Initiative, offers money to potential developers regardless of their stage of development.  The FAQ says that KPCB believes the success of the iPhone/iTouch will ignite a new wave of mobile Internet innovation and provide opportunities that are equal to or greater than the PC Internet.  According to the iFund Initiative website, Pelago Inc. is the first company to obtain financial backing, and their application, Whrrl, is now available through the App Store.  Here are a few other bits of info:

• The iFund is open to individuals and companies outside the US.
• They will invest at least $100 million and will come up with additional funds if necessary.
• Applications should be succinct, detailed, and well-written.
• KPCB will reply to application submissions within at least 2 weeks.

Fill out an application to get started.

Photo credit: William Hook

Twitter has suffered some problems lately, but that hasn’t stopped Loren from developing an Ink application!!  Using one of the many Twitter clients, Witty, he has managed to post his first Ink Twit!  It’s still in development right now, but it’s one to watch for us Tablet PC folks – this might just move me away from Twhirl as my desktop Twitter client.  Nice work Loren!

My last post, which was about Microsoft's lack of Tablet marketing, generated some really good comments and discussion - thanks to all those who joined in.

Tablets are constantly referred to as having failed to meet expectations. 

But as Hilton Locke pointed out:

Pen and touch digitizers have been around for a lot longer than Tablet, so the digitizer technology is relatively mature.

The hardware is there.  There is support for that hardware in the operating system - but there is a lack applications that leverage the pen and/or touch.  A tablet can run any application that will run on the Windows OS, but when it is running an application that is not "tablet-aware" it is just a laptop with a few extra tricks up its sleeve.

Hilton also pointed this out...

...it's hard to convince the ISVs to Tablet-enable their apps. Without custom app support, the $50-100 cost difference for Tablets is an unnecessary expense. So the most common usage in business is still notebook with pen as "super-mouse". Not terribly compelling.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not pointing the accusatory finger at the developer community at large here.  It is not their fault.  I don't think that Microsoft have done enough to promote developing for tablet PC to the developer community.

Microsoft should not only be heavily promoting pen and touch technologies to developers - they should be leading by example.

Personally I think this is one area where Microsoft have really failed. 

The ink support in the Operating System is not what it should be - the community wants write anywhere.  That alone would be a great step forward.  Office is Microsoft's flagship product - why does the ink support not extend beyond scribbling on documents?  Why is it left to third party developers like Loren Heiny to write a tool that lets you use a pen to review and mark-up a document in a more natural way?  Or developers like Josh Einstein to make Outlook more ink friendly with TEO?

Outside of the Office suite - when Microsoft released their XPS file format to compete with Adobe's PDF format - why did they not release a reader application that would let you write on an XPS document and re-save it ala PDF Annotator?

Will Microsoft learn from this?  Adding support for multi-touch won't fix the problem if there are still no applications that leverage the new feature set.  Natural Input won't change the way we work with computers if the applications running on them don't change a bit, too.

The fact that you can touch two points on an iPhone screen is not exciting in and of itself - it is the software running the iPhone that captures those two touch points, interprets them and translates them into an experience that is natural and intuitive that makes it exciting.  Come on Microsoft! That is the kind of software we need from you for the Tablet PC.

Or maybe LPH's take on this could be the winner - any venture capitalists out there?

A startup company, though, could blow away the market. It would take a huge burn rate for the first 12 months and plenty of blogger interactions to push the pen the right way - no hybrid keyboards, half written code for using the pen's advantage, etc. - But it is possible. The company would need software and hardware developers PLUS a team of evangelists who listened to the community and pushed to move the market quickly.

I was lying awake last night, thinking about Vista and sidebar and sideshow and such (as you do) and I had a really interesting idea.

When Vista launched there was a great deal of talk about SideShow and how there were going to be all sorts of hardware devices that could leverage all sorts of gadgets to "consume" content from your PC.  For me one of the great disappointments of Vista to date is the lack of delivery on the potential that SideShow offers.   There are hardly any devices or gadgets available at the moment and that is a real shame.

The idea I had last night was what about a SideBar gadget running on one Vista machine that registers as a SideShow device for another Vista machine?  This would provide an interesting way for one computer to consume content from and even control another computer.

There are a couple of scenarios that spring to mind straight away. 

The first is Media Center.  There has been lots of talk about SideShow enabled remotes, but who needs a remote?  I spend a lot of time in the lounge reading and blogging on my tablet while my wife watches TV.  It would be great to have a SideBar gadget on my tablet that I could use to control the Media Center.

The second scenario is Outlook.  If I am working at home (with my work laptop) it would be great to have a gadget that is acting as a SideShow device for Outlook on my home PC.

I put this out there as I have absolutely no time to look into this at the moment.  If anyone decides to see if this is possible and practical let me know.

Thanks to BetaNews.com, we just learned that Microsoft's newly unveiled PDC 2008 web site features some special sessions geared just for Windows 7. It looks like Microsoft has decided to begin talking about Windows 7, after all.

There are four Windows 7 sessions listed that will be of interest to a lot of developers, and folks generally interested in learning more about Windows 7.

Of particular to interest to our readers is a session geared toward touch computing and their API support.

I think I need to be planning to attend PDC 2008!

Windows 7: Touch Computing

In Windows 7, innovative touch and gesture support will enable more direct and natural interaction in your applications. This session will highlight the new multi-touch gesture APIs and explain how you can leverage them in your applications.

Here are the other Windows 7 sessions being offered:

Windows 7: Graphics Advances

Windows 7 enables you to advance the graphics capabilities of your applications while carrying forward existing investments in your Win32 codebase, including GDI and GDI+. New enhancements to DirectX let Win32 applications harness the latest innovations in GPUs and LCD displays, including support for scalable, high-performance, 2D and 3D graphics, text, and images. Also learn how to leverage the GPU's parallelism for general-purpose computation such as image processing.

Windows 7: Optimizing for Energy Efficiency and Battery Life

A single application can reduce mobile battery life by up to 30%. Windows 7 provides advances for building energy-efficient applications. In this session we will discuss how to leverage new Windows infrastructure to reduce application power consumption and efficiently schedule background tasks and services. 

Windows 7: Web Services in Native Code

Windows 7 introduces a new networking API with support for building SOAP based web services in native code. This session will discuss the programming model, interoperability aspects with other implementations of WS-* protocols and demonstrate various services and applications built using this API.

Loren Heiny has done it again. This time he's started creating a "conversation tracker" that will aggregate Tablet PC conversations across multiple sites. It's only a developer version right now, but he's invited everyone to give their opinions. The idea would be a single, threaded, central repository of news where you could get caught up on the world of Tablet PCs.

Would you visit the site? How would you see something like this changing your daily news habits? If GottaBeMobile is a part of the conversation, would you still come to this site or just read it there? As much as I love the idea from a user perspective, I'm uncertain the impact that it will have on the sites themselves.

Check out what Loren has created and let us know how you like it!

Stefan Wick has been running a series of Tablet PC development gotchas. Part 5 in the series covers rendering ink and image to a bitmap using Winforms. This will allow you to do the frequently requested feature of writing on a digital photo and having the ink be a persistent part of the image. There are commercially available apps that can do the job, but if you're interested in a relatively simple Tablet PC inking exercise, this could be a really interesting way to get your feet wet. Stefan has provided sample code and instructions that make this pretty straightforward if you want to  start dabbling in Tablet PC development.

If you're interested in getting into Tablet PC and ink development, Stefan's weblog covers a host of pertinent topics, including Silverlight. He includes gotachs, hints, and tips about ways to develop easily for ink enabled applications. Check it out!

via Stefan Wick's Weblog - Development with Silverlight, WPF and Tablet PC

Microsoft's Stefan Wick continues to pump out some great Tablet PC ink and Silverlight stuff, this time delivery some ink video goodness, along with a sample app and a sample for you to try on his blog. Check it out:

Silverlight makes delivering video content in the browser very easy. Silverlight also has ink support built-in. So why not combine these two features to enable some great new scenarios?

I have put together a little sample using Silverlight v1.0 to record and play back ink annotations, synchronized with the video playback.

What are some great ways that annotating / inking on web-based video could be used?

In what will one day be a very good thing for mobile professionals, Microsoft just  released a test build of their Sync Framework, designed for developers to build synchronization into "any type of application for any type of data", making it easier to take data offline / online. Here's hoping developers really take advantage of this framework and give us mobile folks the reliable syncing tools we need.

Microsoft Sync Framework is a comprehensive synchronization platform that enables collaboration and offline scenarios for applications, services and devices. Developers can build sync ecosystems that integrate any application, any type of data, using any protocol over any network.

The Microsoft Sync Framework provides a platform for taking web services and databases offline. In addition, it provides optimized P2P sync of any type of file including contacts, music, videos, images and settings. The extensible framework includes built-in support for synchronizing relational databases, NTFS/FAT file systems, Simple Sharing Extensions for RSS/ATOM, devices and web services.

Highlights

    * Add sync support to new and existing applications, services, and devices

    * Enable collaboration and offline capabilities for any application

    * Roam and share information from any data store, over any protocol, and over any network configuration

    * Leverage sync capabilities exposed in Microsoft technologies to create sync ecosystems

    * Extend the architecture to support custom data types including files

via Mary Jo Foley

This one sure is worth following.  TreeView of OneNote notebooks seems like a good idea to me, especially if all the features are added:

1. Add SubPages as a seperate Node
2. Link to Notes from Tree View
3. Ability to change the page title
4. A page preview pane
5. Ability to move pages pages.

Follow the development over on Tablet PC - A Student's Perspective.  Anybody else doing something fun with the OneNote API?

Another interesting new Silverlight application is entering beta! For those unfamiliar with Microsoft Popfly, it allows users to easily create web applications without programming in APIs and without having intimate knowledge of Javascript. From the Popfly informational site:

Popfly is the fun and easy way to build and share mashups, gadgets, and Web pages. It’s made up of online visual tools for building Web pages and mashups and a social network where you can host, share, rate, comment and even remix creations from other Popfly users.

This will be great for people who want to add a little jazz to their website, Facebook page, etc, but don't have a programming background. With more of a drag and drop style, people can quickly create applications by pulling "blocks" from other sites and linking those blocks together.

You can read a review and perspective on this interesting new app at Ed Dunhill's Blog.

There are a few programmers playing around in the forums and I wanted to point some of them out to try and get more feedback to these people.

First - A new person in the forums is asking for some feedback before they start developing for Internet Explorer - trying to make it more Ink and Tablet friendly. They are looking for suggestions so please chime in:

I am a developer of Tablet PC applications and would entertain the idea of creating a tablet friendly browser application based on Internet Explorer. I would like to know what sort of features that everyone is looking for. I have a few ideas if my own but would like to get other people's ideas before commiting to the project.

Check out that thread in the forums - the thread start is old, but Munderhill wanting some feedback is new!!

Next we still have the Free onscreen keyboard from DevDoo6

And Blademonkey is still working on the window rollup application he has been developing.

Then we have Josh putting out hints that he has something brewing as well - can't wait to see that!!

Now who out there is playing with the new Ink Silverlight features? I can see great potential there!!

We can never have enough people wanting to play with Tablet PC application building - If we support them enough who knows what might come next!!  Also - If you are doing something somewhere else and would like to have some more followers post here or shoot me an e-mail, PM or something so we can get you some support and feedback!

Keep it up all!!!

In our GottaBeMobile.com forums, Josh Einstein, of Einstein Technologies,  has publicly stated for the first time, that development on TEO will continuing on, with 3.5 and 4.0 design plans already on the whiteboard. This is great news, because in October 2006 Josh announced that development on TEO was likely to cease as he didn't see a business case for future versions. Obviously things have changed since then, which is great news for all of us TEO lovers, and of course for Josh.

So, what do we have to look forward to? Well Josh isn't showing all of his cards ( smart move ), but we can anticipate at least the following:

• An interim 3.5 release, followed by a 4.0 release
• Printing, ribbon integration, and support for recurring appointments are top priorities.
• Support for Virtual Earth is a secondary priority, but will likely be added
• Support for Outlook XP

No commitments on dates, but it is definitely good news to hear that design and development of TEO is moving forward.

So - what would you like to see in a 3.5 or 4.0 version of TEO?

As a web developer, all of this Silverlight news coming out of Mix07 is like a dream come true. Being able to code up apps in .net, utilizing a single set of skill sets and deliver rich media couldn't hit closer to home for me. I've been working on some flash based database driven apps for awhile that need to be migrated, and what a prime opportunity!

Well, what gets even better for the Tablet PC space is the natural built-in ink integration that becomes available on the web now. Inking forms, marking up video, marking up pictures all on the web is now a lot closer to reality.

If you are developer interested in learning more about Silverlight and adding ink to your Silverlight web app, checkout this video from Channel 9 - there is also source code available.

Along with that video, here is some more information:

http://silverlight.net/Default.aspx

and everything else on getting started developing silverlight apps.

http://silverlight.net/GetStarted/

Via Gavin Gear

Todd Landstad, in this article at CodeProject.com, shows and provides sample code on optimizing the header bar for applications targeted for the Ultra-Mobile PC. If you are familiar with the Origami Experience for Vista, some of these reusable components will look familiar: battery status, network connection, and time / date.

Todd: See if you can talk to the Media Center and Zune team. This information would be a great add-in to Media Center and Zune.

In addition to providing this sample application, Todd gives some practical advice on optimizing content for small resolutions. I wish other teams at Microsoft, like the Zune team, would heed his advice. When installing the Zune app, it requires a minimum of 800 x 600 and cancels out of the setup. Once the user switches to a different resolution, the setup runs fine. The Zune app itself displays and scales well to 800 x 480, although the library pane can be a bit challenging to navigate.

Thanks for the tip, Lora.

If you are looking to get in to that CodeProject.com Mobile PC contest I posted about earlier, but need a developer toolset to code against – here is your opportunity.

Microsoft is sponsoring a Visual Basic Labcast and they are giving away a copy of Visual Studio 2005 Standard Edition ( value estimated at $299 ) to everyone who completes two Labcast sessions and submits evaluation surveys. In addition to receiving Visual Studio 2005 Standard Edition, Labcast participants will be eligible for one or more of the following:

• Complimentary* copy of Visual Studio 2005 Standard Edition Software (estimated retail price of $299.00)
• Excerpts from Francesco Balena's Book Programming Microsoft Visual Basic 2005: The Language
• 35% off estimated retail price of select Visual Studio 2005 books
• Visual Basic 2005 Keyboard Shortcut Reference Poster

So, with a developers contest in process, some free software to help you get started developing that cool mobile pc app, and some ideas for apps already generated, there shouldn’t be anything holding you back, right? Well, get down to coding and put some great apps in to the mobile pc space, k?

I love developer contests because we always end up seeing some great apps come out of the process. The good news about this particular contest at www.CodeProject.com is that it is geared toward mobile pcs, which include Tablet PCs and Ultra-Mobile PCs. Bring it on developers!

The folks at CodeProject.com will be selecting a winner per month between 3/15 and 6/15 with each winner taking home a Samsung Q1 UMPC. So take a read through the rules and the process, then get coding. If anyone is looking for some good ideas, take a look at some of our readers suggestions here. You can also check out the Mobile Ink To-Do Starter Kit

Today’s applications must work in an increasingly mobile environment as people seek new ways to be productive anywhere and at anytime. Mobile PC applications have to be better aware of the environment which they are running, power and network status, varying screen resolutions and new forms of input including Touch and Ink. And when you’re building an app for mobile use, you need to consider all these factors. 

Show others how you can write a great app that encompasses these needs, write an article about what you’ve done, and you can win one of three cool Samsung Q1 Ultra Mobile PCs – the world’s first UMPCs. The Q1 is a compact PC that runs full Windows XP or Windows Vista, including all Tablet PC features plus a touchscreen. It’s a great portable PC, media player and more.

What do you have to do?

Submit a great Windows Vista Mobile PC article and application to www.CodeProject.com in the Windows Vista / .NET 3.0: Mobile PC/Tablet PC section. Your application must:

• Run on Windows Vista but can “gracefully degrade” to run on XP
• Present a user interface that is tuned for a non-keyboard environment using touch and / or ink
• Incorporate key Mobile PC criteria such as battery state awareness, power conservation, network awareness, support for online/offline use (“sometimes connected”), location awareness, security and so on
• Run maximized and scale to the available screen resolution (including the 800 x 480 resolution, the UMPC’s native resolution)

Are you looking to enhance your skills as a mobile developer and bring to market the next ink / touch enabled killer app? Check out these developer conferences and online opportunities and then let us all know what you are going to build.

Online:

 The Notebook, Tablet PC, and UMPC Development Forum discusses great designs for different form factors, whereas the Windows SideShow(TM) Development Forum discusses gadget and device development for Windows SideShow. In both forums, the developer community, Microsoft MVPs, and members of the Microsoft product teams are responsive and involved.

March

DevConnections, Orlando, March 25-28

Dive into new releases for developers with Microsoft architects and industry experts.

April

Mix '07, Las Vegas, April 30 - May 2

Join Microsoft and cutting-edge Web professionals in discussing how to harness the latest technologies, unlock new revenue opportunities, reduce development costs and improve customer experience.

Microsoft Mobile & Embedded DevCon 2007 (MEDC), Las Vegas, May 1 - May 3

Develop Windows Mobile® and Microsoft® Windows® Embedded applications.

May

Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC), Los Angeles, May 15 - 17

Design PCs, servers, and devices that take advantage of Microsoft Windows features and services.

June

TechEd, Orlando, June 4 - 8

Understand more about Windows Vista(TM), Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, ASP.NET AJAX, and the 2007 Microsoft Office release along with upcoming releases such as Windows Server® code name "Longhorn."

Workshop on the Impact of Pen-based Technology on Education (WIPTE), West Lafayette, IN, June 11 & 12

Explore best practices in the educational uses of pen-based computing.

National Educational Computing Conference (NECC), Atlanta, June 24 - 27

Shape the future of education and educational technology.

October

Microsoft Professional Developers Conference (PDC) 2007, Los Angeles, Oct 2-5

Back in Los Angeles and ready to do it again, PDC-style!

Source: Microsoft Partner Newsletter

Picture Source: Expert Fun Clips for Windows

Josh Einstein, of Einstein Technologies, has just released a fantastic tool for developers interested in learning more about developing for the Tablet PC and how the ink analyzer works, called Ink Analyzer Explorer. The program demonstrates nearly all of the ink analyzer capabilities including shape recognition, analysis hints, correction, etc. It is also a good tool for  anyone else wanting to learn why and how the recognizer does what it does.

Great job, Josh!