Byte has an article on the latest round of pen computers/tablets, which states that this new generation “could change the face of computing forever.” Having lived (some may say suffered) through the first try at making pen computing appealing to the masses — or even just the professional masses, I’m not sure what could bring that interaction method to the UI forefront. It’s perfect for specific applications, those “vertical markets” that keep PenRight! (what I worked on at GRiD) alive, and public web kiosks are served well with the tablet or touchscreen model. But the only place actual pen input with handwriting recognition, has caught on big is with the Palm OS. That has become mainstream enough to call the interaction method a success, but it’s still an alternative interaction. The keyboard really doesn’t marry well with pen input. It’s so much easier to get to a mouse than pick up a pen when keyboarding. So unless there is extreme need for a pen, for drawing most likely, or lack of need for the keyboard (e.g. if you never have to type a URL), I don’t think the interaction model will catch on big. (via RobotWisdom)