Seeing lots about the Tablet PC, which would appear to be doomed from the outset. However, it is a lot like a jumbo PDA, with the seemingly obvious advantage of being able to pack a lot more into it's box. You have a bigger screen, so the thing it's attached to can hold more goodies.

To take notes at meetings and use it as a main computer, is really a bonus when it comes to being what they cringingly call a "Corridor Warrior".

But (and you knew this was coming) there is little point for me (and I am allowed to be this selfish, as this is MY blog:) diving in and splashing out around $2,000 for one, for two main reasons....

1 I can't afford it

2 I use a PDA anyway, which has nearly all the benefits of a tablet pc, with little of the draw backs.

If there was a fight between the Tablet PC and a PDA, who would win?

The tablet PC comes swaggering out of it's corner. A mightily impressive looking beast, with it's custom made fighting outfit and huge posse waiting in it's corner. The PDA nimbly steps forward without the glitz, but has more experience under it's belt.

DING! Round 1. The Tablet takes a lunge with it's HUGE hard drive but the lighter PDA was expecting that and easily dodges. Then the Tablet tries a little bit of computing power, it out performs the PDA easily, but has to take heed from it's corner when they shout that it can not do that for too long, otherwise it's out for the count before the small fella has gotten a slap in. The PDA realises that it is beat on size, but knows it can go the distance when it comes to outlasting the Tablet, so it keeps it light. It shows off it's ability to be always on and available to continue working EXACTLY where you left off, with no waiting for boot up or loading. The PDA also demonstrates (to the Tablet supporters) that it too can easily perfom the corr... (no I just canNOT say that again) ...er.. the office worker apps needed to keep the boss happy. And (ladies) it can go for HOURS and HOURS. The Tablet needs to think a little more here. It goes for the "Wow look at that new kit" move, the crowd just groans. After a little more light shuffling around the ring, while our two protagonists decide what to go for next, the Tablet suddenly breaks into a full on multimedia extravaganza, much to the disgust of the crowd. They KNOW this already, and want something MORE. A smile spreads across the PDA and it goes into a full on what if scenario.... It shows how you can use it while in the car, bus, plane, tank, or where ever you are without doing a full on security sweep, or needing help from three people to be able to hold the thing up while waiting in line in the super market! The Tablet reels from this one. After all, this is what the Tablet was supposed to be for... Then the killer blow...The PDA shows that if it is lost, stolen, dropped in a bucket of donkey urine, it is a relatively cheap solution to get another one, and within minutes you are back in business. Not the usual 3 month support meetings for when you lose a new expensively sexy piece of hardware with ALL your personal data on.

I admit that this is coming from someone with a lot of experience using a PDA and not a Tablet PC. But the PDA is VERY convenient due to it's size and what it is able to do. If I was working in an office going to lots of meetings, or maybe a doctor seeing patients in a particular way, then yes, a Tablet would be nice. However I cannot see me being able to use the Tablet PC to read in bed, or use it to check TV listing while wating in line at the local super market. I do go to meetings, but usually just a scrap of paper and someone else's pen suffice, as then I can jot it into the PDA when I get time, or simply put it straight into the desktop at home. The PDA is a discreet gadget you can use in public without drawing attention to it. It's great while waiting in line. You can read the news or a book on it, or if you are in for a longer wait, play some sort of game. A Tablet PC is not something I would try and balance in my arms while waiting, as apart from getting the thing going (after unfolding the screen) the weight would soon trouble my pathetically useless muscles. Then of course you have the thing of not being able to quickly flick it off and put it in your pocket, so you can deal with what ever it was you were waiting in line for.

My PDA supports hand written note taking, and it appears as notes in my Outlook, so I am still not sold on the Tablet thing.... Apart from possibly being able to play GTA3 on it....hang on, I would need a mouse and keyboard wouldn't I? So that puts an end to fragging while waiting... I think I must be missing the point somewhere. I need to talk to someone who thinks they need one, and I could get a different perspective on it.