Neil Holloway, MD of Microsoft UK, took the opportunity his slot at Beyond the Backlash, today's Internet policy wonkfest to show off his brand new Tablet PC.

In an attempt to wow the delegates, drawn from the ranks of the media, business,government policy advisors and - natch - thinktank types - Holloway showed them pen input, annotated emails and handwriting recognition from Word.

There are still some glitches to sort out in the software - the title on his Windows Journal presentation was 'Beyond to Ballast' rather than 'Beyond the Backlash', but nobody said this stuff was perfect. And his quick run through the Lorenzo patient management system would have embarrassed any corporate salesperson from developers iSoft. However Ed Richards, Number 10 Downing Street's main man for net policy, looked suitably impressed and later described it as 'a fascinating insight into the thinking that is going on.'

The conference is an attempt to get the policy makers to think more seriously about the way the Net is evolving. Holloway may not have said much that was radical with his nod to trustworthy computing as the key to future acceptance, and his call for UK business to seize the day and match the levels of innovation seen in the US and India.

However he managed to mesmerise your correspondent
with a key revelation, hidden away on the right hand side of his screen. There, tucked into the favorites bar, was a small, perfectly-formed VULTURE icon. Yes, Neil Holloway has added El Reg to the faves list on his sexy new toy! Nice to have you here... ®