REDMOND, Wash., June 2, 2004 — Microsoft Corp. and PC Magazine today announced the winners of the Microsoft® Tablet PC “Does Your Code Think In Ink?” contest, a competition challenging developers to build the most creative PowerToy utilities that incorporate digital ink functionality included in the Microsoft Windows®
XP Tablet PC Edition platform. The goal of the contest was to provide users with a new set of free PowerToys that will enrich their Tablet PC experience. Individual developers across the globe submitted code in competition for the grand prize of $15,000. Microsoft and PC Magazine selected one grand-prize winner and two runners-up from more than 70 unique entries.
All three of the winning PowerToys will be available for free download at http://www.pcmag.com/tabletpcpowertoys .
“I am very excited to see so many innovative pen-enabled PowerToys resulting from the contest,” said Andrew Dixon, director of marketing for the Tablet PC division at Microsoft. “The Tablet PC is about enabling people to use the power of their mobile PC in new places and in new ways, and it is always fascinating to see what new software can be created when you combine the Tablet PC platform with a group of talented and creative developers.”
Developers used the Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition platform and the accompanying Microsoft Tablet PC Software Development Kit (SDK) to develop their PowerToys. The SDK provides access to the Tablet PC platform-level APIs through Visual C#® , Visual Basic® .NET, Visual C++®
and Visual Basic, as well as controls for adding pen input and handwriting capabilities to any Windows-based application compatible with Windows XP. The SDK also runs on Windows 2000, Windows XP Professional and Windows Server (TM) 2003, so developers are not required to own a Tablet PC to create their PowerToys. With the Tablet PC gaining further acceptance every day, more and more developers are building rich applications for the Tablet PC platform. More information on the Microsoft Tablet PC SDK can be found at http://msdn.microsoft.com/mobility/prodtechinfo/platforms/tabletpc/ .
“The Tablet PC platform is a totally different paradigm. There are some really great things you can do with the digital ink capabilities, and that opens up a lot of possibilities,” said grand-prize winner Philip Lanier. “Microsoft has done a great job with the Tablet PC SDK, and that made it really easy for me to get started.”
The grand-prize winner received $15,000 in cash. The two runners-up took home $2,500 each. Fifteen semifinalists received a free copy of Microsoft Visual Studio®
and a one-year subscription to PC Magazine.
The “Does Your Code Think In Ink?” contest was kicked off at the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference (PDC) in October 2003. A judging panel of top editors from PC Magazine evaluated the top entries and selected the winners and semifinalists. The judges were impressed by the variety of proposals and unique features.
“We love to see cool new applications, and our winners and finalists show off some of the neat things you can do with a Tablet PC,” said Michael Miller, editor in chief of PC Magazine.
The Microsoft Tablet PC “Does Your Code Think In Ink?” award winners are these:
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Grand prize: MyOwnFont, Philip Lanier, Cheney, Wash. The MyOwnFont PowerToy allows users to create a TrueType font from their own handwriting. The font can be used in e-mail, word processing or any other Windows application that works with TrueType fonts. In addition, the user can apply the new font to the system font in Display Properties for the ultimate customized desktop with her or his handwriting displayed throughout the system.
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First runner-up: PowerPaint, David Brebner, Palmerston North, New Zealand. The PowerPaint PowerToy lets users apply paint strokes to create unique animated images. A particularly interesting feature is the ability to mix different colors into the stroke based on pressure sensitivity, so users can start out with green and transition to blue as they press harder on the screen.
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Second runner-up: Web Search Power Tool for the Tablet PC, Scott Hanselman, Lexington, S.C. The Web Search Power Tool for the Tablet PC gives users a small window into which they can write a subject in their own handwriting. After entering the subject, they can press Search and have the ink automatically recognized and sent to Google, MSN®
Search, Search123 or Yahoo!; a Web page automatically pops up with the search results.
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