Definition of Tablet Writing Pad

Tablet PCs record your handwriting with a stylus pen.

Although we've been using pen and paper to write things down for hundreds of years, the 21st century has ushered in electronic methods for taking notes and making basic drawings. A tablet writing pad is one of those methods.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

Tablet PCs use optical character recognition to translate handwriting into text, and they can also save writing as a digital picture. Apple Computers created the MessagePad OMP in 1993 as an early demonstration.

Evolution

It took another 10 years after the MessagePad before tablet PCs came into the market, popularized by Microsoft. These are hand-held computers shaped like a large notepad.

Usage

Instead of using a pen with ink, you write or draw with a "stylus," a pen-shaped device that clips into the side of the tablet when not in use. Windows-based tablet PCs recognize gestures to perform different interactions with your text.

Basic Digital Writing Pads

You can also find less expensive devices that just record handwriting. You clip a piece of paper onto the pad and write or draw on it, and it records the results as a file for your computer.

Tablet PCs Vs. Digital Writing Pads

Writing pad batteries can last for much longer than a tablet PC battery before they are drained, and they are simpler to use than a tablet PC. However, digital pads are not full-fledged computers.

References

• MSU: Newton MessagePad
• Microsoft: Using the Writing Pad and Touch Keyboard in Tablet PC Input Panel
• SolidTek: DigiMemo L2