Productivity and Tablet PC technology are under the spotlight at this week`s TECHXNY, the technology expo in New York.
In his keynote address, Jeff Raikes, Microsoft`s group VP of Productivity and Business Services, said technology user productivity is expected to be up by a factor of two by the end of the decade.
"Today`s challenges are that we have many disconnected islands of information, and we find it difficult to connect to the relevant business processes. Additionally, our collaboration with our partners is inefficient, we suffer from information and e-mail fatigue, and we make a multiplicity of devices and interfaces," said Raikes.
According to research carried out by Microsoft, over 80% of workers believe they could increase their own productivity if they could more easily access the information they require.
The most anticipated event at the expo was the preview of Microsoft`s Tablet PC software, "expected" to be launched in November, and the company`s Pocket PC phone edition that will be introduced through a collaboration with VoiceStream in the next month or so.
In support of the Tablet PC era, hardware initiatives are forthcoming from players like Fujitsu, Toshiba, Acer, Tataung, NEC and ViewSonic among others, and from software players such as Adobe and Corel.
Microsoft`s goals in introducing the Tablet PC software include bringing the PC and paper closer together, increasing mobile productivity, bringing together the natural interaction of pen and ink, producing something that includes all the current PC capabilities and offers this throughout the day regardless of where a person is.
In support of the cell/personal digital assistant (PDA) initiative, Microsoft`s goals are oriented to smart connectivity, advanced phone capabilities and a deeper PDA/telephony integration.
Also prominent at the show is cellular technology that incorporates imaging, and the increased use of photographs in the business environment, as well as the associated devices in this arena including new cameras, printers and handling software.
TECHXNY is one of the largest IT events in North America this year, with several hundred participants/exhibitors and about 50 000 people expected to attend.
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