Tablet UML News http://tabletumlnews.powerblogs.com/ News and commentary from Martin L. Shoemaker, author of Tablet UML en-us 2006-10-16T03:10+00:00 The 21st Century Cocktail Napkin presentation is now available on-line! http://tabletumlnews.powerblogs.com/posts/1160967305.shtml The 21st Century Cocktail Napkin is a talk I presented to the Ann Arbor .NET Developers group on June 14. It's an example of a smart cocktail napkin application... Martin L. Shoemaker 2006-10-16T02:10+00:00 The 21st Century Cocktail Napkin is a talk I presented to the Ann Arbor .NET Developers group on June 14. It's an example of a smart cocktail napkin application built using the Tablet PC API. In a a smart cocktail napkin application, you draw shapes as part of some design you'll share with other readers; but as you draw, the Tablet PC also recognizes and understands what you draw, and creates information behind the drawing. (For an example of a smart cocktail napkin application, you can start here.)

Now, thanks to Camtasia Studio, I have a recording of this presentation. And thanks to YouTube, I can now present it to you on-line:



And you can also download a ZIP file of the slides and the sample code.

Look for more recorded presentations soon. And if you're looking for an easy-to-use UML tool for Tablet PCs, check out Tablet UML.]]> The Ink in 60 Seconds presentation is now available on-line! http://tabletumlnews.powerblogs.com/posts/1159974964.shtml Ink in 60 Seconds! is a talk I have presented to a number of user groups (some courtesy of INETA). It consists of a number of small little demos of... Martin L. Shoemaker 2006-10-04T15:10+00:00 Ink in 60 Seconds! is a talk I have presented to a number of user groups (some courtesy of INETA). It consists of a number of small little demos of Tablet PC programming, most written in 60 seconds or less.

Now, thanks to Camtasia Studio, I have a recording of this presentation from the Ann Arbor .NET Developers group on June 14, 2006. And thanks to YouTube, I can now present it to you on-line here. And you can also download a ZIP file of the slides and a cleaned-up version of the sample code.

One part of the video may need explanation. Part of the fun of this talk is the deadline: can I write that code in 60 seconds? And if not, I expect the audience to heckle and laugh. But just in case they need encouragement, I wrote a little tool called Egg Timer. When I launch it, it starts a 60-second clock; and if I don't stop it before the clock elapses, it will heckle me. So if you hear a strange computer voice at spots in the video, it means I ran out of time.

And for those who are curious: yes, my car is much better now.

Look for more recorded presentations soon! And if you're looking for an easy-to-use UML tool for Tablet PCs, check out Tablet UML.

Update: Here's an attempt to embed the video in this post:



Update: Fixed the link to the ZIP file. Thank you, )Stéphane Torres.]]> So what's this blog about, again? http://tabletumlnews.powerblogs.com/posts/1157811102.shtml It's been a busy summer (details to follow). So I've fallen behind on Tablet UML work. Now it's time to catch up. I haven't updated the Web site yet, but... Martin L. Shoemaker 2006-09-09T14:09+00:00 the Web site yet, but I've released the demo version of Tablet UML 1.5. This version includes lots of bug fixes and new features. My favorite new feature: you can now write element labels directly on the diagram, and then convert them to text (as demonstrated in this video).

Version 1.5 is also the version now for sale. I'll be updating the site and notifying existing customers of their upgrade over the next week. If you're an existing customer reading this, you can use the download credentials I sent you to download the new version here.]]> Finally! The numbers! http://tabletumlnews.powerblogs.com/posts/1138924395.shtml The main thing I wanted from the Microsoft Mobile Platforms Division Partner Briefing was simple numbers: how large is the Tablet PC market? That, ultimately, is what determines the market for... Martin L. Shoemaker 2006-02-02T23:02+00:00 Tablet UML.

And the answer is: 1,000,000 Tablet PCs shipped so far, with 850,000 expected to ship in 2006.

Bonus numbers: 300 known Tablet PC apps in production, 125 of which are for sale on Handango, an online site specializing in software for mobile devices. Those 125 come from 30 ISVs. Maybe I should make that 31.

Now I can start calculating market potential...]]> Lights! Camera! Action! http://tabletumlnews.powerblogs.com/posts/1138917361.shtml We have a new video up at TabletUML.com. It's in line with the "show, not tell" school of communication. I find that I can talk about Tablet UML all day... Martin L. Shoemaker 2006-02-02T21:02+00:00 TabletUML.com. It's in line with the "show, not tell" school of communication. I find that I can talk about Tablet UML all day long without making an impression; but if I just start drawing, people get the point, and some of them get excited.

This video was created with Camtasia Studio Screen Recorder. Josh Holmes recommended it, and I have to thank him for that. Camtasia Studio creates much smaller videos than other tools I have tried. More important, it doesn't slow down the performance of the system while it's recording, so the videos look natural. It's a great tool.

And for those who are interested: that video is of Tablet UML 1.5 in action. It should be available within the week. I distributed copies at the Microsoft Mobile Platforms Division Partner Briefing this week, and I'll update the Web site shortly.]]> And the winner is... http://tabletumlnews.powerblogs.com/posts/1132378561.shtml ... Martin L. Shoemaker 2005-11-19T05:11+00:00 Tablet UML Full Page Ad

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and feedback. And thanks in particular to Zombiboy, who convinced me that my original instinct was the right way to go, and everything after that was just complicating matters.]]> So what do you think? http://tabletumlnews.powerblogs.com/posts/1130566765.shtml Someone whose opinion I respect strongly believes that the following full page ad for Tablet UML is way too busy:... Martin L. Shoemaker 2005-10-29T06:10+00:00 Tablet UML is way too busy:

Tablet UML Full Page Ad

(Note that the center area marked Team Shot will contain a photo of a team of customers and an analyst defining a project. The analyst will be using Tablet UML, while the customers will see and react to the results on an auxiliary flat-screen monitor. The intention is to show Tablet UML as an ideal modeling tool for a collaborative effort.)

His contention is that this is too busy, and no one will read all the words. He suggests a simple photo of the product in use, a simple headline, a brief text blurb, and a link to my Web site where the reader can learn more. It might very well be a variation of the team photo described above, as in this concept sketch (pardon my art skills, or lack thereof):

Frank's Suggestion

I tried to tell the whole Tablet UML story in one page, to tell the readers everything I could to make them want the product; but he believes that the reader sees that as nothing but blah, blah, blah. He believes that a simpler approach will attract eyes, while big blocks of text in an ad will turn them away. He contends that the purpose of the ad is to entice, not inform: when they see the big, pretty ad, they'll want to know more, and they'll follow the link.

He might be right. After all, his company's earnings outpace mine by a fair number of digits, so they know a little something. But I welcome other opinions. This is a fairly monumental decision for me, being my first ad purchase; so I'm not going to make any part of that decision lightly,

And a second question: if I go with his approach, should the little bit of blah, blah, blah in the ad include the low, low price?

Thanks in advance for any opinions you offer.]]> Tablet PC BootCamp in Boston: It's official! http://tabletumlnews.powerblogs.com/posts/1123639915.shtml Moved to the top because it's marketing, ya know? It doesn't make sense to let your marketing messages scroll off the cliff...... Martin L. Shoemaker 2005-08-10T02:08+00:00 Moved to the top because it's marketing, ya know? It doesn't make sense to let your marketing messages scroll off the cliff...

OK, I've been announcing this for a little while now, but now it's official: registration is now open for our Tablet PC Programming BootCamp - Nov 1-4, 2005, in Boston. From the registration page:



  • This course personally taught by Martin L. Shoemaker, author of Tablet UML (the UML program you don’t have to learn!)

  • When: Nov 1-4 (Tuesday-Friday), 2005, 9am-7pm

  • Where: Microsoft's Boston offices in Waltham, MA

  • Where to stay: Hotels and Travel Info.

  • Course Description and Outline for this Class Details...

  • This is a HANDS-ON class: you’ll need to bring a Tablet PC configured as detailed below.

  • It’s a BootCamp: 9-10hrs a day, and you’ll have Homework to do

  • You’ll receive 200+ pages of labs, 100+ pages of slides, and all code samples built in-class — and a copy of Tablet UML!

  • Personal attention from Martin L. Shoemaker

  • The best darn Tablet PC training around!

  • Seating is limited to 15 students: register today!




I hope to see you there!

UPDATE: Like all Richard Hale Shaw Group classes, this one is also available at your site. You can train a busy development team all at once, and save money in the process! Contact Richard for details.
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