Millions of our readers have been saying, "I'll get a computer when I find one that works the way I work." If you're one of them, Wang Laboratories has just called your bluff!
Last week, we tested Freestyle at a Wang Labs office, and it knocked our socks off. It may be the first computer gizmo that generates less paper, not more. And nobody has to scrap an old IBM-type computer to use it!Starting next week, we'll put Wang's Freestyle through our own rigid in-office tests. If it holds up, it's the most important news since desktop computers came along. Its goal is to use computer technology to do all the work you do in a workday, not just classic computer jobs.
Do you like the Macintosh's picture-packed screen and mouse-mouse-click-click way of working? This system makes IBM PC type computers as well as some multi-user minicomputers every bit as point-and-shoot pictorial. Yet for folks like Judi (who's thrown by icons and has rotten fine-motor coordination), the system lets you stick with keystrokes, words and an old-fashioned pen.
For generations, Wang Labs was a major innovator in large and mid-sized multiuser computers. It made some of the best early dedicated word processing systems, too. Wang never excited much interest in its personal computers, whose engineering priced them beyond bargain-hunters.
With Freestyle, there is no competition yet. It's a completely new product, a total commmunications system. If you can type it, say it, draw it or scribble it, you can communicate it with Freestyle to anybody inside or outside your company.
Freestyle isn't cheap, but if you already own a computer, you can buy it in pieces. The handwriting facility-tablet, pencil, interface card, software and cable-list at about $2,000. Voicing components cost another $1,500. Faxing and scanning hardware and software are $1,600 and $2,550 respectively, although interfacing to other computers is only $100. If you don't have computer equipment and want the whole Freestyle system, you may have to spend $14,000.
Yet in some offices, properly used, Freestyle can pay for itself in a year.
When we sat down at the desktop computer Wang had outfitted for us to test, there was only one giveaway that it was different. A red-and-white pencil sat next to the computer, wired to a foot-square plastic tablet. A small speaker-phone also sat on the desk.
We picked up the electronic pencil, tapped the tablet and were welcomed to the 21st century. The computer dissolved away from a spreadsheet someone had been working on to a Macintosh-like screen. There were several file folders in the upper righthand corner and a garbage can at lower right.
Improving over the Mac, there was an "in" box at upper left and, across the bottom, a fax machine, copier, and "out" basket for electronic mail. Along the left side were desk tools such as stapler, unstapler, notepad and address book.
We held our electronic pencil not quite touching the tablet. An arrow appeared on-screen. To look in the "in" basket, we pulled the arrow onto the icon. Touching the basket, we pulled out the top letter. It expanded to readable size. It was from a sales rep wanting fast approval of upcoming expenses. We eyeballed it and noticed a $1,347 car rental.
Remember when you answered memos like this by jotting a question in the margin? Now that memos come through on computers, forget that.
Nonsense, says Wang. Freestyle works your way. We touched the tablet with the electronic pen so that its onscreen arrow image pointed to a blank spot on the memo. Then we hand-wrote a note. Were we too harsh? No problem. At the pen's other tip was an electronic eraser.
We decided to type a covering note. We moved the arrow to the typewriter icon, dragged it onto the memo, and tapped away. When done, we stapled the sheets and dragged them to the "out" basket. Almost instantly, they appeared in the "in" basket on another computer networked to ours and equipped with Freestyle.
Next in our "in" basket was a report. Our task: to make four copies and telecommunicate them to computers in other Wang offices. We dragged the report down to Freestyle's copier icon. A control panel popped up, looking like our office copier. We punched 4 and at once the copies showed up on-screen.
Next, we pointed to the address book, opened it, and flagged four people to get the copies. We stapled the pile together and dumped it in the "out" basket. Fast and easy.
Next item in the "in" basket was a report that needed a long, personal answer. This was a job for Freestyle's computerized tape recorder. We activated it, again using the electronic pen, and spoke.
Later we listened to what we'd said. In this case, as in the others, Freestyle gives back what you put in. Speech is spoken, keyboarding is typed, and handwriting appears onscreen or in printout as handwriting.
We appended a handwritten note to the file the recording was in and sent it to our "out" basket. Another Freestyle-equipped computer's "in" basket received the whole file. We'd shuffled 10 pages of information and never had a piece of paper on our desk.
Here comes the paperless office. Hooray!
Wang local sales offices will demonstrate for you. Phone your local Wang office or 800-247-9264 for more information.
The columnists can send a checklist of back issues and answer questions, but only if you enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope. Detailed chart comparing features of a dozen IBM word processing programs is included with a 5,000-word special report, "Word Processor Buyer's and User's Guide." For your copy send a $3.50 check and stamped self-addressed envelope for Report FP09 to TBC, 4343 W Beltline Hwy, Madison WI 53711. (C)1989 P/K Associates, Inc.