My workplace recently introduced a wave of Tablet PCs to a group ofpeople who have been using bulky desktop computers for their entirecomputing lives. Only a trickle of these machines reached my department,but it's been enough to revolutionize the workplace. If nothing else,everyone who sees them wants them--and that kind of envy always begetsrevolution.

Now that Tablet PCs are within roughly the same price range as regularnotebooks, and most Tablets have a built-in keyboard, they're becomingmuch more of a corporate big deal. They're energy-efficient, light, andyou can twist them round to hide the keyboard, and use a special pen towrite in whatever you want.

But to anybody who's gotten used to a keyboard (someone who's writtensix or seven trillion words on them, for example), using a pen again isdisconcerting--especially if you're running Windows.

The keyboard is mightier than the pen

So I'm a keyboard buff...and a full-sized keyboard too, thank you verymuch, not one of those dinky notebook keyboards without a real numerickeypad. I can't switch between open programs without hitting Alt+Tab. Ialways close applications with Alt+F4. And when I want help, I reach forthe F1. It's just how I'm wired. And although my first word processorwas a fountain pen, I prefer using a mouse as a pointing device. And Ihave a USB printer and a PDA synch cable to plug in as well. That's fourthings to plug in when I settle back at my desk for some real co...

Click here to read the rest of this article from Computer User