| Why Sony's new stylus-based PC is a real pain in the...arm |
| By Bill Machrone: Contributing Editor PC Magazine |
| Wednesday, March 14, 2001 |
The name of this product says it all. The Sony VAIO Slimtop Pen Tablet PC is a small, flat-panel monitor PC with a touch-sensitive screen. You can use a stylus on the LCD to move the mouse or to operate artistic drawing and photo-editing programs.
I can sum up the operation of machines like this in four words: Your arm gets tired.
Even artists who want to take advantage of the drawing surface's 256 levels of pressure sensitivity will find that they have less control working on a vertical surface. Fortunately, the Pen Tablet screen folds down to a horizontal position. It's still not as convenient as being flat on your desktop, but it's way better than in vertical mode. (Photo courtesy Sony)
EDITING RIGHT ON THE IMAGE is a pleasure that simply can't be matched by other pen technologies. If you're not an artist or photo editor, though, I can't see why you'd be interested in this machine. You pay a premium for the LCD and the pen technology, and I can pretty much guarantee that you'll never use the pen as a pointing device. The mouse is infinitely more convenient.
If you do like to draw or do photo editing, however, you'll find the Slimtop Pen Tablet PC to be a powerful, well-equipped machine, with all the hardware and software you need to be productive, right out of the box.
Read PC Magazine's review for more details.
Would you enjoy working on a stylus-based PC? Or is it just a gimmick that'd only appeal to a tiny audience? TalkBack to me.