Since February I've used a loaner Tablet PC every day as my only computer. I've looked at some insurance specific applications and done some demos for friends, relatives, flight attendants, and, most importantly, insurance people. When they first see one almost everyone is attracted to the look and concept of the Tablet PC. Perhaps that's because the Tablet PC is more like what we've always imagined computers ought to be — a magic form of paper.
The question I'm interested in — and you may be as well — is whether the Tablet PC can have a practical, productive role in the life of the agency, or whether it's really just an attractive toy or inappropriate wonder.
The Tablet PC: a quick review
Tablet PCs are ultra mobile personal computers that use Microsoft operating system software and conform to Microsoft's Tablet PC prescriptive standards. Released last fall, about a dozen different companies offer first generation versions of the Tablet PC. Microsoft explained at a recent developers conference for financial services that upcoming Tablet PCs, some to be released later this year, would cover a wider spectrum than the first generation — in size, weight, speed, extras, and applicability to special purposes. From Microsoft's point of view, over the next five years, most notebook computers will become Tablet PCs in one form or another. In other words, the Tablet PC isn't a flash in the pan; it's the new standard in portable computing.
Microsoft would like to energize the PC market and give consumers a reason to migrate to new systems. Microsoft would also like to protect itself from inroads into the desktop space by Linux/open source software and Apple. The Tablet PC is one Microsoft strategy.
Tablet PCs run a superset of the Microsoft XP operating system and thus can run any typical office or insurance desktop application — though it is important to note that typical Windows applications can't take full advantage of the Tablet PC (for instance, of Ink).
Besides typical XP functionality, the Tablet PC version supports what Microsoft calls Ink, a brand new data class that allows data entry via a stylus (special pen) applied to the screen. Ink support means you can store handwritten notes or sketches and can write or block-print input and then have it converted to text (as if typed). All Tablet PCs have wireless, Ethernet, and modem connectivity, long life batteries (more than 3 hours), a high capacity hard drive, and speech recognition. Generally speaking they weigh three to four pounds.
Most Tablet PCs start at about $2000 though some versions, with extras, can cost closer to $3000. Microsoft Office and other application software must be purchased separately.
Using the Tablet PC
Because my experience has been almost exclusively with the Compaq version, that's what I'll report on here, but most of what I have to say should apply to other Tablet PCs as well. I won't bother describing characteristics also common to notebook computers and accessible through the keyboard. We'll be looking at the Tablet PC as a slate, that is, sans keyboard.
Stylus: Every Tablet PC has a stylus, a pen-like device that lets you interact with the screen for navigation and data entry. Earlier pen-type computers had pressure sensitive screens and anything could operate, if poorly, as a stylus, even a fingernail in a pinch. But pressure sensitive screens have some real disadvantages, especially on a large screen. Having your hand touch the screen while you write confuses the device. More importantly, pressure sensitive screens can't pick up your gestures, i.e., how you go about writing that is so important for the success of Ink. So the Tablet PC has an electronic stylus and the mouse cursor will appear under the stylus point when it's close to the surface of the screen even before it actually touches. You don't want to lose or break your stylus because only it will allow you to interact with the screen.
Orientation: the Tablet PC can be held in the crook of your arm, on a knee while you're seated, or on a table top like a legal pad. In some cases or for some applications it makes sense to use the Tablet PC in landscape mode with the long side horizontal. In other cases, portrait mode, with the long side vertical, is more appropriate. The Compaq unit has a hot spot on the front side of the case you can touch with the stylus to toggle orientation.
Journal: The Tablet PC includes an Ink-sensitive application called Journal that can be launched by touching the stylus to a hot spot on the case. The Journal looks and acts like an electronic version of a legal pad. You can write on it and draw diagrams, scrolling to add pages as you need them. When you're finished with a session you can save the pages as a file and call them up later or begin a new "pad." Tools in the journal let you round hand-drawn circles and square squares so you can tidy up your diagrams. You can use different colors for different purposes. Other people (with Tablet PCs) can annotate your Journal files. And Journal handwriting can be converted to text and pasted into Word documents, for instance.
Input Panel: You can't use your stylus to write data
directly into a traditional Windows application, like Word or your management
system. They're not set up to recognize Ink. You need to use the Tablet
PC Input Panel in one of its three modes: handwriting, virtual keyboard, or
overlay. In each case, whatever you "tap" or "write"
will show up at the current cursor location in your application (field in
a form or line in a Word document). In Ink-enabled applications, on the other
hand, you can write directly into the target field, not indirectly as with
the panel. The overlay mode acts like a transparent covering over the application
so you (almost) appear to be writing into it directly. But you can't
control the cursor location, so in effect it's the same as the handwriting
panel.
Navigation: Though stylus data input takes a little learning,
you can master navigation immediately. You simply touch the stylus point to
the object of interest and then move it in the desired direction or tap an
icon when a mouse click would be appropriate.
The realities
Journal: When I first heard about the Tablet PC and imagined how I might use it, I pictured myself no longer having to use legal pads to take and store notes. Though inexpensive and convenient, once full, legal pads tend to sit on a shelf and become increasingly resistant to queries as they age. The Journal would let me keep and search for notes easily year after year. I've tried to move to the Journal and toss my legal pads, but haven't been able to force myself to make the switch. The Tablet PC screen can't contain as much information as a standard sheet of paper. The computer must be turned on and booted before it can be used to take notes. (Even if left in hibernation mode, start-up isn't immediate). The battery lasts only three hours or so. Thus far, for me, the convenience of a paper note pad outweighs the potential advantages of electronic storage and retrieval with the Tablet.
Handwriting: Several months back I imagined myself writing this article with the stylus on the screen of my Tablet PC instead of using the keyboard. Wouldn't that be fun! But alas, it's no fun at all. I'm a slow typist and I make lots of mistakes, but I'm still much faster keying than writing and correcting with the stylus. Life is too short to try to write more than a phrase or two or make choices in a form with the stylus. On the other hand, surfing the Web or reviewing and short-answer responding to e-mails works well.
Two-monitors: I do like having two monitors when I'm working at my desk. I sometimes keep e-mail and my browser open on the Tablet PC screen (as it sits in the docking station) and write into Word through the external monitor. But I could do the same with a notebook computer.
Wireless: I usually pull my Tablet PC out of its docking station when I quit for the day and walk from my office up to the house. I've got wireless in the house, so in the evening sometimes or first thing in the morning with breakfast, I power up the Tablet, check e-mail and read the New York Times. Setting up wireless in my house cost $79, a wonderful investment. But I could have wireless portability with a notebook computer just as well.
So far, my experience has led me to the unsurprising conclusion that the Tablet PC as a slate can't substitute for a notebook computer, but I don't think Microsoft ever claimed it could. So, if you're going to get a Tablet PC for agency use, you'll very likely want one that can do a good job as a notebook as well as a slate. That doesn't mean that slate versions wouldn't be perfect for some applications, for instance for field adjusters.
Reports from the field – ACORD Conference
One of my goals at the May ACORD Conference in Orlando was to demonstrate the Tablet PC to some agents, explain the pros and cons, and get some reactions. I spent about an hour doing a demo in the lobby of the Dolphin to six agents and got a very positive reaction for the most part. They liked the idea, saw the possibilities, especially for producers, and were eager to get their hands on a Tablet PC to experiment.
I saw seven Tablet PCs in use at the ACORD Conference. Five were Compaqs and two were Toshibas. The two Toshiba users said they would rather have Compaqs. About half the users I talked to were very enthusiastic about their Tablet PCs. The other users found themselves occasionally frustrated and said they hoped for improvements in subsequent models.
Rick Gilman, from ACORD, did a PowerPoint show for the AUGIE meeting via
his Tablet PC attached to a projector. He told me he liked his Tablet and
I later saw him taking notes into it at the ACT meeting. Greg Maciag, ACORD
CEO, was more circumspect about his Tablet PC, implying that the technology
was promising but has a way to go. Salil Donde, head of AMS Rating, reported
that he uses his Tablet PC in lieu of paper. He installed a wireless modem
PC card in his Tablet and subscribes to AT&T's wireless service
and thus has direct connection to the Internet virtually everywhere. He likes
to work on his e-mail using his Tablet as slate evenings at home sitting in
his easy chair.
Karen Yamamoto and Stephen Korow of Decision Research Corporation demonstrated
a prototype of a claims adjuster package that used Ink to note areas of damage
to the vehicle involved. (A demo of SAFECO's claims software at the
Microsoft developers conference in late April showed how that carrier was
using Ink to diagram how the accident took place.)
Applied Systems demonstrated ACORD form input into a Compaq Tablet via stylus entry at the ACORD conference and expects to make the software available to Diamond, TAM, and Vision users later in the year. Because the ACORD form application was written for Microsoft .NET, extending it to accommodate Ink and stylus navigation was straightforward and required a modest amount of effort, according to Chris Hastings, Applied Technology VP. Hastings hopes to be able to report on agency experience by this fall.
Interim conclusions
Some insurance people are immediately attracted to the concept and reality of the Tablet PC, are eager to try one out, see relevant case studies, and have vendors make their applications available through the Tablet PC (using Ink).
For me, at least, the Tablet PC isn't going to replace legal pads or a keyboard any time soon. My sense is that Tablet enthusiasts have found a way to make the Tablet work for them. I'm much more conservative (or lazy). I want the Tablet PC to do what I want, rather than having to learn to do what the Tablet PC demands. But you have to understand that I haven't been able to make myself use a PDA (for more than a week or two) either. Theoretically I may be a heat seeker, but in reality I'm a late adopter.
The slate use of the Tablet PC won't replace general purpose use of notebook computers. But slates may well have applicability for special uses (producers, adjusters). And notebook/slate combos that (will) cost only a bit more than conventional notebooks make sense in use as 90% notebook and 10% slate.
Applied is off and running with an experiment. It seems obvious to me that other vendors should be experimenting with this new platform. User groups should be encouraging their use as well. It's likely to take a year or two and a few frustrating attempts to converge on what's really valuable and important for this industry. The cost of experimenting is modest and the payback potentially substantial for the least automated segment of the industry — commercial lines producers. So why not get busy?
I'll continue to report on the Tablet PC in future issues. If you've got anything to share, please let me know.
© Copyright 2003 by Sound Internet Strategy. All rights reserved
The question I'm interested in … is whether the Tablet PC can have a practical, productive role in the life of the agency, or whether it's really just an attractive toy or inappropriate wonder.
If you're going to get a Tablet PC for agency use, you'll very likely want one that can do a good job as a notebook as well as a slate.