Turn A Laptop into A Tablet PC with Hantech's Siso Tablo

This is the day and age of close interaction between technology and us human beings. Touchscreen technology has facilitated the level of interfacing more than anything else. But for those of us who find that some touchscreen technology is a little bit out of our reach as we may lack the purchasing power for the same, there are always alternatives. In this case I’m referring to Hantech’s Siso Tablo for laptops that can convert your everyday old notebook into an honest to goodness touchscreen, stylus-controlled tablet PC. Here’s how well it worked out for me.

Set Up
The Tablo system typically consists of two devices, a sensor and a stylus. The sensor is designed to sit on any side of your laptop’s screen - top or either side. It’s a simple plug and play device connected with a USB cable.

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The stylus, which seems a little bit bulky is not to hard to handle in reality. It needs to be fitted with three watch batteries (provided) that can be inserted from the top like bullets into a gun. The stylus has two buttons that simulate right and left mouse keys. You can also double tap on the screen itself to activate or select functions.

It’s extremely easy to use as all you need to do is run the software, attach the sensor wherever you want, configure the sensor like you would calibrate a mobile handset’s touchscreen and voila, your notebook now has a touchscreen.

Instructions are provided with the packaging and all necessary requirements from the installation CD, double sided tape to additional stylus nibs and plenty of batteries. The company has made sure that you’re covered for all purposes.
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Functionality**
All the tools you’ll require are installed with the bundled software. Once you’ve calibrated the screen and selected the thickness of the stroke for typing and sensitivity of the stylus to your preference, you’re good to go. The Tablo system doesn’t have hard to understand, complicated UI for its use. It can be used with almost all Windows software. Navigation can be controlled directly on the screen. The stylus will be your mouse. You can click and drag items, access right click options and fully control your device with it. It even lets you scroll through pages with a flick control system like you’d find a mobile handset.

The system is very user friendly. If you want to simply start a new document just open one and start writing. Its responsiveness is quite accurate and if you want it to be even more so, you can train the system to better understand your handwriting. It can be used with Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook), Paint, Adobe PDF, Photoshop and for playing games amongst a larger number of applications. Click here for the full list.
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Aside from using the screen the Tablo sensor can also be placed on a table or over a sheet of paper for usage. Basically any hard surface that won’t damage the felt stylus. It’ very similar to Wacom’s option but not nearly as expensive or elaborate.

Just like you’d find a Windows Mobile device, the Tablo also offers multiple methods of input. There’s a free hand option where it’s designed to read freehand, a virtual on-screen full QWERTY keyboard and a block recognizer.

Where it comes in most handy is Presentations. If you’ve got a presentation going via a projector, the Tablo is most useful for pointing things out as well as underlining or highlighting points of value and important sections.

The Bottom Line
The Siso Tablo comes with a price tag of Rs. 5,250. That’s not too bad a deal all things considered. It does lend a certain amount of versatility to the laptop user who makes regular presentations etc. It’s quite handy in that perspective. If you’re one of those gizmo freaks who loves new technology and is always looking for a way to enhance devices you already have, the Siso Tablo can be a pretty neat device, but it’s not something that can be used everyday. The keypad is still the best and quickest way for data entry. Of course this system isn’t designed to work like an actual touchscreen i.e. you can’t just use your finger to do anything. But it’s a start and who knows maybe the newer models, should there be any, will incorporate a finger touch scenario. Wouldn’t that be something.