Who dictates letters anymore? Seventyyearold executives in the vulcanized rubber industry? Does anybody take shorthand? Or type a letter onto paper, hand it to the boss so he can mark it up, then retype the whole thing? Sometimes, an awkward stage of technology can make people act in inefficient, unnatural ways. The typewriter was one of those stages, caught between writing and word processing. It drove a series of odd behaviors and divisions of labor. It led, for instance, to the typing pool. Remember that? People under age 20 think its a special area of a resort set aside for those who want to answer email. In a way, the laptop computer is an awkward technology stage. This helps explain why all sorts of companies over the past decade have tried — and failed — to make and market a tablet PC, a cross between a laptop and a piece of paper. Companies keep trying because they believe a tablet PC can fix the human behavior that the laptop has screwed up. Tech Extras Sign up for Tech’s free email newsletter Search USA TODAY for earlier stories on this subject The latest to try is Microsoft and partners including Compaq Computer, Toshiba and Acer. They just unveiled a series of penbased, fully functional tablet PCs, which will go on the market in 2002.

Website: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/2001/11/21/maney.htm