MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - UMPC versus pen and paper

Bob Russell · 05-23-2007, 04:40 PM

There has been a new flurry of activity in the "Can technology replace paper" wars. How many different ways will we see it played out?

* Will the PDA replace paper and pencil?
* Are e-books better than paper? Will they replace paper books?
* Is a Tablet PC the door to real paperless offices?
* Can UMPCs finally replace the paper notepad?

I've made no secret of the fact that I'm fascinated with UMPCs, and that I believe I can benefit greatly from them, and that I am aching to get one as soon as I find one that justifies paying the price. But while technology answers do provide some significant benefits, it's not going to replace paper anytime soon, even for me.

So what is the new topic? With the rise of the UMPC, people are asking the following much more modest question: How much will I reach for my UMPC instead of paper? Here are some example thoughts recently shared - I grab my UMPC if I don't have to undock it, I used my UMPC because I couldn't find pen and paper, Can't beat pen and paper.

But maybe the point is that paper is a great tool in conjuction with a UMPC. In fact, I remember reading in the last day or two someone sharing that very point - it's not an either/or proposition. You see, the advantages of writing on a tablet have to do with using them after the input, not making them easier to write in the first place. You get to keep all the notes together in a small device, more easily file them and even do searching (e.g. with One Note).

So what kind of hybrid technology could merge the best of both worlds. You don't have to look any further than the example set with business cards. Neil over at PDA247 asked whether anyone actually beams business information instead of using business cards. Most of the answers seem to be "no", even in a pda forum! But I have seen people scan cards.

Now imagine if you write your notes on a notepad, but had an easy way to scan them into your UMPC so they can be integrated with the rest of your notes and information. The biggest problem is that you have to direct the notes to the right place, i.e. you have to do filing sort of like you would for paper that gets filed. If one could adopt a routine of electronic filing of scanned notes, you get all the benefits of tablet note taking, but the easy of writing on paper.

Is that a practical solution? Will there ever be a convenient paper scanner on the side of a UMPC, or that maybe even uses the screen surface somehow? I don't know. But it seems to me that it might be a great solution until our desks have screens and scanners built into them like the research desk at Microsoft that was demonstrated recently. (Sorry, you'll have to google for that video because I don't have the link.)

But for now, one thing is clear - paper is still the champion.

05-23-2007, 04:40 PM	#1
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	UMPC versus pen and paper - the battle rages on There has been a new flurry of activity in the "Can technology replace paper" wars. How many different ways will we see it played out? * Will the PDA replace paper and pencil? * Are e-books better than paper? Will they replace paper books? * Is a Tablet PC the door to real paperless offices? * Can UMPCs finally replace the paper notepad? I've made no secret of the fact that I'm fascinated with UMPCs, and that I believe I can benefit greatly from them, and that I am aching to get one as soon as I find one that justifies paying the price. But while technology answers do provide some significant benefits, it's not going to replace paper anytime soon, even for me. So what is the new topic? With the rise of the UMPC, people are asking the following much more modest question: How much will I reach for my UMPC instead of paper? Here are some example thoughts recently shared - I grab my UMPC if I don't have to undock it, I used my UMPC because I couldn't find pen and paper, Can't beat pen and paper. But maybe the point is that paper is a great tool in conjuction with a UMPC. In fact, I remember reading in the last day or two someone sharing that very point - it's not an either/or proposition. You see, the advantages of writing on a tablet have to do with using them after the input, not making them easier to write in the first place. You get to keep all the notes together in a small device, more easily file them and even do searching (e.g. with One Note). So what kind of hybrid technology could merge the best of both worlds. You don't have to look any further than the example set with business cards. Neil over at PDA247 asked whether anyone actually beams business information instead of using business cards. Most of the answers seem to be "no", even in a pda forum! But I have seen people scan cards. Now imagine if you write your notes on a notepad, but had an easy way to scan them into your UMPC so they can be integrated with the rest of your notes and information. The biggest problem is that you have to direct the notes to the right place, i.e. you have to do filing sort of like you would for paper that gets filed. If one could adopt a routine of electronic filing of scanned notes, you get all the benefits of tablet note taking, but the easy of writing on paper. Is that a practical solution? Will there ever be a convenient paper scanner on the side of a UMPC, or that maybe even uses the screen surface somehow? I don't know. But it seems to me that it might be a great solution until our desks have screens and scanners built into them like the research desk at Microsoft that was demonstrated recently. (Sorry, you'll have to google for that video because I don't have the link.) But for now, one thing is clear - paper is still the champion.