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When Microsoft® released Windows® 8 Beta at the end of February, we were very happy to see so many platform elements developed around the tablet PC.  This evolution is what XLDent™ realized was coming when our Dental Suite was designed and the Windows 8 UI improvements make our platform that much sweeter.  Obviously, with XLDent’s stance toward integrating tablets and mobile technologies, this caused a lot of excitement in the Hardware Department.

Now we find out that Microsoft is getting back into the hardware game by designing Surface.  After seeing some of the Live Blogs of the event I’m as impressed as I can be without having touched the device yet.

Three features jumped out at me that I can’t wait to see implemented in the operatory environment.  First, the kickstand, it’s such a simple idea that I can’t believe tablets have been missing it for so long.  Even some of our smart phones have kickstands already.  Secondly, building the keyboard into the cover and making it flexible enough to fold out of the way.  Having a functional cover will make it even more convenient as doctors carry it between rooms and will make it even more useful for entering information efficiently.  Finally, the tablet senses when the stylus is near and disables the touch interface.  It’s always been a balancing act for us to determine when to use a touch interface and when to disable it and use only the stylus.  Being able to use both adds worlds of functionality.

To make this even more exciting for us tech gurus, the Windows 8 Professional version will run the Intel i5 chip (the same processor that we recommend in our desktop systems).  All in all, it’s a tablet running an OS built for a tablet, the fall release can’t get here fast enough!

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