Get the Most from Your Tablet

Speak Up

Most good tablets come with dual-array microphones that can record meetings and voice notes effectively. Advanced tablets let you optimize recordings for different settings, coverage, and noise reduction.

Teach Your Tablet

The Tablet PC platform, now built into Vista, has improved handwriting recognition. Even better, the OS can learn from your writing style. Use the handwriting-recognition personalization tools and the Automatic Learning tool to improve accuracy quickly.

Use Gestures and Flicks

Tablets can interpret the stylus’ movements in the display’s “hover zone” above the screen as commands such as Copy (move diagonally from the middle to the upper right) or Paste (move diagonally from the middle to the lower left).

Try Voice Commands

Improved microphones and Windows’ underused built-in voice command system can be very handy for tablet users. Go into Microsoft Office’s Language Settings options to enable voice commands that can navigate menus and enter text and numbers in most of
its applications.

Customize the Buttons

Most tablets come with dedicated launch buttons that are preconfigured for tasks such as switching screen orientation or bringing up the Task Window. Use the Control Panel to access these buttons and customize commands so they perform common tasks such as launching your e-mail client or browser and activating the voice recorder.

Use Characters

The most accurate way to input text with the stylus is via the Character Pad in the Tablet Input Panel (TIP). In this mode, each letter is separated as you enter block characters rather than script. For those of us whose poor penmanship can thwart even the smartest handwriting-recognition engine, this is the most accurate and least error-prone mode of input short of the virtual keyboard (also in the TIP console).