The last few years have seen a major uptick in tablet computing among consumers who cherish the devices for their mobility, speed and ease of use. As these assets make their way into the enterprise, businesses have naturally been working to find ways of leveraging tablets and their user-friendly touch screens.

One of the the primary enablers of this transformation has turned out to be one of the oldest communication tools we have: the pen.  By combining multi-touch capabilities with a pen (or ‘stylus’) input, device manufacturers are transforming what were once considered to be pure consumption devices into tools for active content creation and true productivity.  

The combination of pen and multi-touch input enables a more personal, intuitive and hands-on experience for business users, enabling them not only to manipulate items directly on the screen but to also write on the screen as easily as writing on a piece of paper.  

Pen plus touch allows for on-screen editing, document-signing, precise drawing and designing, quick searchable notes, as well as facilitating long-distance collaboration -- all in a mobile computing environment.

Moreover, while a number of new pen-enabled applications are available, the pen automatically works as another input device for pre-existing enterprise apps (just a lot faster than with a virtual keyboard).  

In other words, mobile users don’t need to purchase special ‘pen-enabled’ versions of the apps they’ve relied on for years; the pen simply allows them to be more mobile, efficient and productive when using them.
 
Ultimately, multi-touch in combination with the pen takes the computing experience to new levels. Mobile users who prize speed and instant results will become hooked on these capabilities for everything, from writing emails and marking up documents to adding calendar appointments and filling out forms on e-commerce sites.  

Key business applications

A number of applications are available to help enterprise users take full advantage of mobile computing.  These include:

Collaboration
Collaboration applications convert the tablet into a virtual whiteboard that business users can hold in the palm of their hand, take with them wherever they go, and contribute to meetings, editing from any location. Documents can be reviewed and instantly edited in real time, contracts can be signed directly on the screen, and employees in multiple offices can work on a project simultaneously.

This natural collaborative environment enables a fast flow of thought, as well as the ability to convey ideas through drawings, maps and lists -- all easily created with the pen.

Note taking
Easy-to-use and searchable note-taking apps are a must for the business user. No more searching for that one piece of paper with that one elusive note. Employees can use pen and multi-touch input to write notes directly onto their devices, copy and paste key sections into other documents, include markups on images, and then email to colleagues and clients. Try that with a spiral notebook! Or better yet… try it with a virtual keyboard!

PDF Annotation
Annotating in documentation enables business users to open, read, fill in blanks, make fast edits, write notes directly on documents and then share with their colleagues. This is a key timesaver and should be part of any enterprise app suite. The executive who signs POs, approvals and expense reports will cherish the newfound speed of processing documents.  

Calendaring
Because calendars are so frequently used throughout the day, users should definitely utilize any of the common calendar applications that are fast, tablet-friendly and intuitive. The speed with which an executive can touch select, zoom, edit appointments and then close will amaze associates. The pen is the perfect tool for this sort of frequent and rapid data entry.

Business users are eagerly leveraging the productivity of pen and multi-touch input. Professionals in sectors ranging from architecture, graphic arts and sales to accounting, healthcare, education and more can all benefit from the collaborative and time-saving features of enterprise tablet computing.