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A pad of paper. It feels good.” He adds: “I never use the mouse as a sketching tool. I just can’t do it. It’s either a real pen or the tablet pen.” The tablet aids with his organization, allowing him to keep drawings formerly “littered around his office” digitally arranged and send them directly via e-mail. It even helps him in transit. “Now I can even get work (sketches, mail, etc.) done while I’m standing on the train commuting to my office in the morning,” he says, albeit a bit ruefully.

SOM is ahead of the curve. Due largely to the newness of tablet PCs and the uncertain economic climate, firms have not embraced the concept en masse, nor have they rushed out to buy the machines in even modest numbers.

The Electrovaya Scribbler runs for 8 to 16 hours without interference.

Software developers are working hard to change that, however, particularly for field applications where the tablet PC’s lightness, presentation quality, and portability makes it a natural tool. Currently the major software developers for AEC include Autodesk, Bentley, Nemetschek, and Graphisoft. None have programs specifically dedicated to the tablet PC, but most of their programs still work on Tablet PCs, and less memory intensive programs like Architectural Studio, Bentley View, and Bentley Redline give designers effective ways to draft three-dimensional objects. Most agree that the device has the ability to change the industry. “The whole platform of communications is better,” said Tony Flynn, chief marketing officer for Bentley. “From architect to engineer to contractor. There’s no drop off from digital to paper. You don’t lose that efficiency.” Because the ability to make natural drawings is better than with a mouse, pen-based design software such as Alias Wavefront’s Maya 3D modeling (used by entertainment companies like Disney, Electronic Arts, and Industrial Light & Magic) and Alias Sketchbook Pro (designed specifically for the tablet PC) could pave the way for pen-based three-dimensional architectural rendering software.

Toshiba’s Portégé 3500 boasts a 12-inch screen.

A company currently creating field-based applications is Kelar, based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, which has developed front-end software, called Onsite, for airport facility managers that works with Autodesk’s GIS applications. The software lets people in airfield and terminal operations view color-coded maps, floor plans, and exteriors of an airport to enable the development of emergency procedures and evacuation scenarios. “These maps give people a clear ‘situational awareness’ when they’re walking around the terminal, so that they can see where trouble spots are—where crowds might get too thick or equipment might hamper an evacuation procedure,” says Ed Maghboul, vice president of Kelar. He continued, “We gave the operations managers both handheld organizers and tablet PCs to do this work as they walked around the airport. The tablet PCs were much more popular because of their larger screen size and crisp presentation. People found them much easier to use.” It’s not difficult to imagine the various ways tablet PCs could streamline work for designers involved in construction administration by, for instance, allowing for faster data capture of changes and field or as-built conditions.

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