eReports - Kraft Kennedy & Lesser, Inc.

Enter the Tablet

Unless you have been fly fishing in Alaska without a cell phone for the past several months, you probably know that tablet PCs are a new, flat type of computer designed to be used as an electronic notepad. They sit flat like a paper notepad, some even doing away with the keyboard so a user’s only option is to write directly on the screen in their own handwriting. The machines, which run a special version of Windows XP, can embed handwriting directly into open documents or turn it into text that can be manipulated by word processing programs. Tablets are being touted by Microsoft and PC makers as the next revolution in PC computing. The idea is to get everyone to use the PC for more of their daily work.

What’s in it for lawyers? Early indications from law firms that have seen the devices indicate what one would expect - a wait-and-see attitude. There are, however, lurking signs that the convenience and portability offered by the tablet’s “electronic writing pad” functionality are inspiring what could become an enthusiastic group of early adopters. That, and the obviousness of some of the tablet PC’s potential uses, holds the possibility that tablets might be adopted by lawyers more quickly than other new technology has been over the years.

More specifically, firms that have taken a look at early prototypes have appreciated the tablet’s ability to embed handwritten notes directly into documents and make taking notes directly on a computer unobtrusive in meetings and courtrooms. New York-based Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP has gone a step further in ordering up a small batch of tablets to test in their Silicon Valley office. Attorneys in the test group have been impressed with their ability to annotate Word documents with handwritten notes entered directly on the screen.

Another area of curiosity is how to best use the tablet’s wireless capabilities. Ideas range from plugging it into a wireless office or campus LAN so it can be toted around like a legal pad, to using a wireless Internet connection to send timely research requests back to the office from a client or the courthouse. Another creative use of the tablet is as a collaboration tool hooking it up to a touch-sensitive whiteboard and recording meeting notes or diagrams.

There is much skepticism as well, not the least of which is that we are seeing the first generation of a new technology that will inevitably have teething problems. For example, Weil has opted not to run all of its networked applications over its tablets during the current pilot test. Others have voiced concerns about the machine’s relatively short battery life. If future trends follow past, shortcomings will be quickly improved upon, but for the time being, they add to the wait-and-see attitude that seems prevalent among lawyers. That mirrors the consensus among technology industry observers that tablet sales will make up only a very small percentage of PC sales over the short term.

Still, there is cautious enthusiasm among lawyers who have had an early peek, particularly regarding some of the more compelling note-taking tablet PC applications and the potential for “unplugged” computing. That, combined with Microsoft’s ubiquitous market power, suggests many attorneys will be using the PC for more than they do now at some point in the foreseeable future.

By John Bader in New York.