Finally, Tablet PC to Hit the Streets

Microsoft Corp.'s Tablet PC operating system will have its long awaited coming-out party next week, joined by a handful of hardware devices that bring Windows XP to a new form factor.

Vendors announcing Tablet PC-based devices include Hewlett Packard Co., Acer Inc., Fujitsu PC Corp., Viewsonic Corp. and Toshiba America Information Systems.

Most expect to have the devices, which are about the size of a legal notepad and half the weight of a typical laptop, on sale by the end of the year. They are expected to retail for around $2,200, according to officials at the Redmond, Wash., company.

The gist of the Tablet PC system is that it combines pen-based handheld computing and speech recognition with a traditional PC operating system, which enables users to scribble notes directly onto applications and integrate text and voice.

Microsoft's licensees have designed their devices accordingly.

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