What is a Pen-Perfect Tablet PC Application?

Microsoft identifies three levels of applications for the Tablet PC: 1. ISV-supported, 2. Pen-Centric Applications and 3. Pen-Perfect Applications. While there may be several ways to describe the difference in these three levels, Frank Gocinski, Microsoft  Tablet PC Product Manager says it best:

"Pen-perfect applications just feel right when used with a pen."

At Mi-Co, we couldn't agree more. As a premier partner in Microsoft�s Tablet PC Partner Program, the Mi-Forms System has been implemented, tested and declared through the successful completion of Microsoft requirements as a pen-perfect application.

To provide a better understanding of why "pen perfection" is important, this page includes highlights of a Microsoft Corporation article written by Frank Gocinski. The article highlighted is "Tablet 101 Column 1: Getting Started. The complete article can be found at

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dntab101/html/tab101c01.asp 

Excerpts from

Tablet 101 Column 1: Getting Started

by Frank Gocinski. Microsoft Corporation

Three Levels of Application Integration

As I see it there are three levels of integration�these are ISV-supported, Pen-centric, and Pen-perfect applications.

ISV-Supported Applications

The first level of application integration is what I'll call ISV-supported. At the ISV-supported level the developer verifies that his or her existing applications run on the Tablet PC. The application should:

* Install without a keyboard.

* Run in both portrait and landscape display mode.

* Behave normally, and, with the help of Input Panel, collect handwriting and transform it to text.

With this verification you can assure end users that their experience running your application on the Tablet PC will be a positive one.

Pen-Centric Applications

The next level is occupied by what are traditionally called pen-centric applications. In a pen-centric application, you, as the developer:

* Have incorporated ink into all or parts of your application.

* Use the Tablet PC API to deliver support for ink and use of the pen.

This may be as simple as grouping like controls to make it easier for the user or providing some level of ink interoperability. Take a look at the latest versions of Microsoft InfoPath� or MSN� Messenger. These applications have defined roles for ink.

Pen-centric applications also support a feature with new possibilities in Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005, context awareness. Context awareness is a way to constrain the recognizers to a fixed set of possible results, which increases the overall recognition accuracy.

Pen-Perfect Applications

The ultimate level of application integration exists in what are traditionally called the pen-perfect application. Pen-perfect applications:

* Are optimized to run on the Tablet PC.

* Fully support ink interoperability.

* Use gestures as part of their user interaction model.

* Adhere to our collection of Tablet PC Design Guidelines.

Pen-perfect applications just feel right when used with a pen. Quite frankly, pen-perfect applications become the applications that drive sales of the platform rather than applications that are added to a purchased platform as a second thought. Windows Journal and Microsoft� OneNote� come to mind as examples of pen-perfect applications, but there is also a great collection of ISV applications that qualify as pen-perfect.