Tablets, digital pens & touchscreen

I have been using a new Motion Computing J3500 tablet for about 4mths now and it is incredible (it that sort of thing does it for ya). A definite portable office which means I also get to take along my Logos library with me everywhere it goes. It's a little heavier than an iPad but that's a small cost. It runs i7, Win7, 4Gb ram, etc, etc, etc. It's a full-blown computer only slightly bigger than an iPad. It does come at a higher cost but I get to preach my sermon from it while writing with the digital pen on the presentation screen and flicking to my Bible in Logos (also presented on screen).

My dilema is that Logos does not work with digital pen and touch input. It reckognises both as a mouse input only.

Is anybody else using digital and touch input on a slate/tablet and if so, have you found any workarounds or suggestions for improvement? Is anyone considering this type of computer that would want to be ablet to use these interfaces? At the moment it doesnt appear that Logos have this on their radar but it does look like a growing future market as more people go iPad and then businesses work out they can keep people productive 24/7 by providing them with portable touchscreen and digital input.

would love to hear peoples comments and experiences.

Rev. Steve

Find more posts tagged with

Comments

Floyd Johnson

I use one regularly - but not as a preaching platform, only as a tool in sermon preparation. I am afraid my group of senior adults would be put off if I was to start preaching with a computer, rather than notes.

There was a third-party add-on for L3, but have not seen one for L4. We can always hope. [:)]

DMB

Although W7 isn't touch-designed, the workability of L4 with a touch surface depends on the driver. In my case, the only real functionality that is troublesome is the tab-drag/drop and resource re-positioning (also drag/drop). Otherwise the touch/hold brings up the various menus, and setting the columns to 1 brings in the small page-turning arrows (instead of scrolling).

Brent Hoefling

I use a http://promos.asus.com/US/ASUS_EeeSlate/index.htm

and as you mention Logos works great, but I have to use the pen. it doesn't know the difference between the pen and touch and treats them the same. so scrolling through text is extremely cumbersome, as the bottom arrow is usually at the edge of the tablet and the pen is inconvenient to use there.

I have no workarounds and wish I did. I use my tablet to teach/preach from, but can't use Logos4 "live" because of the lack of touch controls. I would LOVE to be able to use it "live", I often find myself just even wanting to pull up a verse - and can't cause I have to hunt and peck with the pen and onscreen keyboard - not kewl when standing in front of the congregation.

The ipad would have worked for some of that, but didn't let me highlight or add notes, etc. - don't get me wrong the logos applet was great, but i gave away the ipad since I didn't use it after getting a real computer tablet PC.

so what my workaround is: I copy/paste to a word document everything I think I will want to use. it at least lets me touch-scroll/navigate to get to the text I need for the talking point.

JT (alabama24)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/300291#Comment_300291

i gave away the ipad

DOH! Where was I that Sunday? [;)]

DMB

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/300291#Comment_300291

Brent ... sorry to hear the process isn't quite there.

Probably I'm not reading, clearly but you mention 'the bottom arrow is usually at the edge of the tablet'. That sounds like you're using scroll bars? Maybe mentioned above already (I forgot) but putting the resouce into Columns = 1 create touchable arrows left/right.

On my Latitude if I hit a key, a mucho big keyboard pops up to enter verses etc.

But I hope you keep 'banging the gong' since Logos should really be a stand-out for sermons, especially where the heavy-duty presentation software isn't workable.

Jerry M

would love to hear peoples comments

I use a iPad so I don't have any experience, but was wondering if gestures help. Is there an equivalent to a right mouse button on your tablet?

Gestures

Brent Hoefling

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/300305#Comment_300305

nope. the rt click is a touch and hold.

JT (alabama24)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/300310#Comment_300310

Brent- I think you are experiencing the problem of having a device which is neither a tablet, nor a laptop.

Brent Hoefling

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/300315#Comment_300315

dont think so, it is a tablet PC works great. the logos4 software just hasne caught up with the technology yet.

a tablet device is not a real PC.

JT (alabama24)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/300338#Comment_300338

Brent - A tablet is designed as a touch interface. A PC (laptop or desktop) is designed for mouse/keyboard input. A tablet PC, as you are describing, is using software designed for mouse/keyboard input with a touch interface. The software was not designed for that. In my opinion, the experience you described is proof. You are right, a "tablet device is not a real PC" (thankfully). Likewise, a PC is not a tablet - even if the manufacturer claims it so.

Brent Hoefling

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/300342#Comment_300342

The tablet I have is a fully functional PC/"laptop" with wireless key and has a wireless mouse as well (that I use when I want to use it that way). and you are right. the logos4 software isn't designed to work on a real tablet PC/computer with a touch interface. The logos4 applet does work on a tablet device (ipad), but it is too limited, especially after using logos4 on a tablet PC - with the same portability and similar costs.

My point is a simple one of convenience. a suggestion of upgrading its interface, like other tablet PC applications (note, I didn't say tablet device applets); to recognize the gestures that are part of a tablet PC input. has little to do with the hardware, or even the actual functionality of Logos4 software application.

I have tried tablet devices. BTDT. they don't work at all for what I need. Logos4 on my Tablet PC does.

ipad has logos applet, but for me is slow and doesn't have the functionality I use from the full application. function over form is my particular priority. getting the use I need is more important than the gesture support that other PC applications have, that also support tablet interface. have had several other tablet devices from google to honeycomb. - lots of great stuff there, but still too many workarounds and limited functionality that I need to use them to teach/preach from; they became gifts to others that would/could get more use from them.

The tablet PC with Win7 works great. Full "Office" (Microsoft or open office) and touch interface support. full Logos4 (laptop interface) functionality. Browsers even support the tabletPC interface gestures. Perhaps Logos is waiting for Win8 (which will have a more robust and "universal" touch interface, also built in like Win7 has, and that was an add-in, in XP).

So, as you mention, a tablet PC at least CAN run regular PC software (monitor/mouse/keyboard). But I disagree that a a full computer/tablet PC is not a "tablet"; just because a piece of software/application running on that Tablet PC has only mouse/keyboard interface and does not support the actual tablet/touch interface that is inherent to the hardware and it's OS.