Windows 7 includes Windows Touch & Tablet technology, which allows you to use fingers to scroll through web pages, resize windows, and directly interact with applications. It's reasonable to ask, "Will I really use it? What will I really end up using it to do?"

I have the final version of Windows 7 with beta N-Trig multi-touch drivers installed on a Dell Latitude XT. Until N-Trig and Dell release final drivers (hopefully, at the same time as Windows 7 launch), this is a good for now but not necessarily representative of the end experience. That said, I've found myself touching the screen for all sorts of tasks. Here are some ways that I didn't expect to use Windows Touch, but do:

1. Shutting down the computer. Using my left hand I tap the Start button and then move my thumb a couple inches to the left to tap the Shut down button. This has become my default way of turning the computer off.

I can also navigate the Start Menu with my fingers. However, my default way of opening an app is to tap Start, then switch to typing the name of the app in the Search box. The hybrid approach works well for me.

2. Go Back a page in IE 8. I use Internet Explorer and Firefox for web browsers. I'll have 10 to 15 tabs open at any given time and each has its own topic. I've found the Back gesture to be very useful. Similar to Flicks in Windows Vista, the gesture to go to the previous page is a short horizontal movement to the right.

Along with scrolling up and down on a page, this simple gesture is really valuable. Scrolling is easy with velocity and distance of my finger's motion impacting how far and quickly I scroll through a page. It's easy to rest my right hand against the corner of the convertible Tablet PC and use my thumb to move up and down pages, whether these pages were search results, standard page, or a PDF.

3. Touch to log on. I laugh to myself everytime I enter my password using the touch-screen because I usually catch myself doing this while I'm watching TV. The onscreen keyboard automatically enlarges when my finger hits the screen. Quick and easy.

4. Photo slideshow. After my last travel excursion, I connected the PC to the TV and gave a few slideshows. Advancing through photos with the tip of my finger was easy and was a better option for me than automatic advancement. (In other words, I talked a lot.)

All of these are minor tasks, however, I use them regularly and find it interesting that I didn't expect to use Windows Touch in this way. The value to me has been that I can just see, point, and get the action I want. Overall, I like the addition of Windows Touch to my PC, just as I appreciate it on my iPhone. It'll be interesting to see how form factors and software continue to evolve as it is adopted.

From Windows Team Blog:

The shutdown of general availability for the Windows 7 Beta will occur in 3 phases over the course of the next few weeks:

• Starting January 27th, the Windows 7 page will be updated with a warning that time is running out on downloading the Windows 7 Beta and that we will be limiting downloads shortly. People will be encouraged to register and start the download of the Windows 7 Beta sooner rather than later.
• February 10th, new downloads of the Windows 7 Beta will no longer be available. People who have already started their Windows 7 Beta download and have not yet finished will still be able to finish their download and are encouraged to do so.
• February 12th, people will no longer be able to complete their download of the Windows 7 Beta. Anyone who hasn’t finished downloading the Windows 7 Beta will be unable to do so.

Introduced in September 2008, the HP TouchSmart PC IQ804 supports Windows Vista Home Premium. An added bonus for those who are testing the upcoming Windows 7 is that the hardware supports consumer OS features from improved Media Center to multi-touch.

The TouchSmart PC IQ804 has a 25.5" diagonal, widescreen display. The TouchSmart PC's slim, TV-like design reflects how it can be used by your family for: home video production, watching and recording high definition movies and stations, photo slide-shows, in addition to standard PC Internet browsing and productivity. Place it in a central entertainment area and enjoy. You can even mount it to a wall, but if you do this make sure it is at a height everyone can reach!

TheIQ804 supports high-definition content. We attached an antenna by Pinnacle to receive over-the-air HD stations. Reception was solid and were able to use it quite easily. Alternatively, you can connect the built-in tuner to cable and play DVD movies. If you want Blu-ray, then you'll want to get the higher-end IQ816.

HP TouchSmart Model IQ804 with 25.5" diagonal screen running Windows Vista Media Center. The football game was over-the-air, high definition.

Out of the box the HP TouchSmart PC Model IQ804 runs Windows Vista Home Premium and also has a special launch application for your family center.

Input choices: Keyboard, Mouse, Remote, and Touch

Equipped with wireless keyboard, mouse and remote control, it's easy to use the PC as a standard PC or TV. The HP TouchSmart IQ804 has an optical touch screen that supports tapping the screen lightly with your finger or stylus. In Windows Vista Home Premium you can use a single point to touch. When you install Windows 7 (M3 or beta) with the NextWindow multi-touch driver (beta), multi-touch is available and the PC will see two fingers.

You're probably saying to yourself, "Isn't that uncomfortable to reach out and poke at the display?" Surprisingly, no. We moved the giant slate from dining table, to coffee table, and then to desk just to see how we would interact with it. Multi-touch was easiest when we sat or stood close to the screen. A distance of about 10" was comfortable, which is much closer than we normally keep a monitor on a desk.

Balance of height of the display to your arms is important too. Even retailers will want to consider physical position. In one store, the base was roughly 4' off the ground and some people may have had a difficult time reaching the top of the display for a quick game of Solitaire or Mahjong.

Playing InkBall with one-finger touch in Windows Vista.

The updated Windows 7 Paint supports multi-touch. This is an example of how position of two fingers can be tracked at the same time to draw squiggles.

HP TouchSmart PC IQ804 Specifications and Unboxing

Display:
* Optical Touch-enabled 25.5" diagonal widescreen BrightView LCD with tilt adjustment

* 1920 x1200 display resolution

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS HD graphics module with 256MB dedicated video memory

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5850, 2.16GHz, 2MB L2 cache, 667MHz FSB

Memory: 4GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM, 200-pin (2 - 2GB modules occupied; 2 slots total)

Storage: 7200RPM SATA drive

Optical Drive: Slot load SuperMulti DVD burner with 8x DVD+-RW, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD +-R DL, 5x DVD-RAM, 8x DVD-ROM, 24x CDR, 24x CDRW, 24x CD-ROM

Network: 10/100/1000 BaseT

Wireless network: 802.11 b/g/n with built in WLAN antenna; bluetooth

Personal Video Recorder: TV Tuner Dual format NTSC or over the air ATSC high-definition TV tuner

Remote Control: HP Media Center remote control with IR receiver

Mouse & Keyboard: HP low-profile wireless keyboard with numeric keypad and wireless optical mouse

External ports:
* 5-in-1 memory card reader (SD, SDHC, MultiMedia Card, Memory Stick Pro and xD)

* 1 FireWire IEEE 1394 port (front)

* Headphone (front)

* Line-in (back)

* 5 USB 2.0 ports (2 front, 3 rear)

* Line-out (back)

* Digital Audio Out (back)

Webcamera: Integrated 2 megapixel webcamera

Operating system: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, 64-bit

Energy Star and EPEAT silver qualifications

iPhone snapshot of the HP TouchSmart box straight from the store. The box does have a warning that it should be lifted by two people. The TouchSmart PC weighs 35.3lbs and packaged weighs about 58lbs.

Slit tape and opened the lid to see simple set-up instructions.

Items are packed in two layers. This is the first layer with the power adapter, power cord, remote control, remote batteries, manual, and keyboard.

Layer two is the HP TouchSmart display.

Connecting power adapter.

Booting HP TouchSmart for the first time. Windows Vista Home Premium is loading.

HP TouchSmart PC with 25.5" diagonal, widescreen display next to TabletKiosk and Motion Computing LE1700 Tablet PCs with 12" displays. A Zune (in front of TabletKiosk) made it into the photo too, as did the dog.

Closer photo of slze comparison.

Dual Boot with Windows Vista and Windows 7

The HP TouchSmart PC comes preinstalled with Windows Vista Home Premium. If you have access to Windows 7 beta builds, then you will want to create a dual boot. Fortunately, this is straight-forward and considerably easier than in the past.

Though you can use EasyBCD or  VistaBootPro, you should not need these to create the dual boot.

In short,

1. Backup your PC and if it is brand new, create system recovery DVDs
2. Log into Windows Vista
3. Click Start button
4. Right click Computer, select Manage and Computer Management window appears
5. Select Disk Management and you will see the system's disk volumes
6. Choose the disk volume that you want to split. Click on it, then right click and select Shrink Volume.
7. Follow the wizard instructions for shrinking the volume and creating a new. You will need to enter the new volume size.
8. Format the disk, NTFS. Make sure disk volume is set to primary. You may need to change drive letters, so that the new disk volume is labeled above optical drives.
9. Follow Microsoft instructions on installing Windows 7 beta.

When your system restarts, you will have a choice about whether to enter Windows 7 or Windows Vista. In our set-up it boots to Windows 7 if no selection is made manually.

Dual boot with Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Once you have Windows 7 installed you will need to install the drivers for the HP TouchSmart. We installed 64-bit and pointed the drivers back to the Windows Vista \Windows\System32 directory.

After you've completed basic driver installation, go to http://www.nextwindow.com/windriver/ to install the multi-touch driver (beta). Follow instructions on NextWindows' website.

When complete you will have access to multi-touch, improvements in Media Center, and a glimpse of future computing.

Windows 7 features improved Touch technology, such as a large button Tablet Input Panel onscreen keyboard.

Software developers, early adopters, and beta testers of Windows 7 should consider using the HP TouchSmart PC. The simple design influences the way you can interact with the PC and will give you a new view of Windows 7 and the application possibilities for the future. Consumers will appreciate the easy set-up and positive out-of-the box experience that HP has obviously put considerable effort into. The flexibility of this entertainment all-in-one makes it appropriate as a family PC.

HP has exceeded our expectations with its current HP TouchSmart PC line. This super-sized, slate form factor breaks from prior all-in-one PCs by adopting features found in entertainment systems and leading the way in natural interaction. We look forward to seeing how this line advances.

For more information on HP TouchSmart PCs:

• IQ804 Product specification sheet (pdf)
• HP TouchSmart PC website
• Videos on HP.com

Microsoft published a Windows 7 Developer Guide yesterday afternoon.

Windows 7 Developer Guide
Build applications on a solid foundation; enable richer application experiences; and integrate the best of Windows and web services. The features and technologies of the Windows 7 operating system enable you to build the next generation of software applications. Download this guide to read descriptions of those features and see vivid screen shots from the pre-Beta version of Windows 7 released at PDC.

The Table of Contents summarizes API categories for Tablet & Touch technologies:

RICHER APPLICATION EXPERIENCES............................................ 16

Intuitive User Experience 16

Multi-Touch Gestures, and Manipulation and Inertia APIs 16

Single-Finger Panning 17

Raw Touch Input Data 17

Handwriting and Ink 18

Math Recognition 18

Pen Input Diagramming 19

Handwriting with Personalized Custom Dictionary 19

Then jumping to page 18 on Math Recognition, we get additional information about the Math Input Panel:

Math Recognition

The new Math Recognition feature enables users to enter math into applications by means of handwriting—the most natural and efficient way of entering mathematical expressions. The functionality is provided by two UI components. Math Input Panel is a stand-alone Windows accessory that works with any math-aware application. Math Input Control is integrated into applications through its API.

Underlying the UI components is the Math Recognizer. This engine recognizes handwritten mathematical expression and translates the result into MathML format for applications to use. The correction experience has been improved to help users make corrections faster.

I can imagine that developers work on math apps will be excited to have access to an advanced math control like this.

In reading further, can learn that the Ink Analysis APIs are updated. We also get a glimpse of Scenic Ribbon control, which will allow developers to deliver a more consistent user experience. Looks pen friendly!

Thanks, Eliot!

Windows 7 Screenshot

Microsoft is streaming PDC '08 keynotes, so you can watch them live:

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