Tablet Computer Prognostications Ping!
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
Posted on 01/03/2010 10:46:44 PM PST by Swordmaker
While the technology world waits anxiously for Apple's foray into the Internet tablet market, rival consumer electronics companies are jumping in, betting that the thin, keyboard-less electronic slate will be the next "it" device.
Apple is mum on its plans, though reports have leaked about a possible 10-inch slate device headed toward a late January unveiling. It's unclear what, if anything, Apple has in store, though most observers believe it will build off the iPod Touch, offering access to iTunes Store content.
Apple's tablet would take its place among a handful of competing gadgets that are seeking to reshape the way consumers interact with the Web.
The concept of tablets isn't new. They've been around in different forms for almost two decades, led by the deceased Apple Newton and more recent developments in tablet PCs, which have been modest sellers.
But in the wake of Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch, which perform like minitablets, manufacturers see a new opportunity to breathe life into the category. Aided by advances in touch technology, lightweight operating systems and robust mobile processors, manufacturers can create a very versatile big-screen device built for cruising the Web, watching videos or even live TV, and reading digital books and magazines. Think of it like aspects of a smart phone, netbook and e-reader all rolled into one.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
Touch screens and stylus screens can be useful for handling icons and other “mousy” tasks, however to me there’s nothing better than the good old keyboard for entering text.
True (until and unless voice recognition gets really good . . .)But suppose the tablet had provisions for freeing the fingers of your left hand to type on the back of the tablet? In combination with the iPhone predictive software that facilitates one-handed typing, that might make for facile typing. Naturally that would require learning on the part of the user, and you would want that to be an additional option, not the only way to make the thing work . . .
Carrying it around might be cumbersome. It won't fit on your belt, and if it needs to go in your briefcase you might as well take a laptop. Maybe a shoulder-holster for it?
I could learn to type one-handed on such a device. I already use my iPod Touch for most of what I used to use a laptop for. My laptop has been demoted from primary Internet device to secondary. Specialized apps on my iPod Touch handle most of my Internet based tasks, and whatever task doesn’t have an iPod/iPhone app equivalent can be accessed via Apple’s web browser, with the exception of java and flash based web apps, but vendors are slowly and surely releasing iPhone/iPod app versions.
There is one thing you can be sure of - if Apple does come out with a tablet you can bet it is part of a larger plan, a piece of a larger puzzle. Most competitors see only the pieces but never the puzzle until Jobs puts it together for them.
Why would you use a tablet for a task that is primarily entering text unless it was a rarity? I would consider "texting" for chat purposes only a part time job for a device used for a multitude of things.
Want me to say it again?
True about keyboards, but with Bluetooth, you can use an onscreen keyboard on the road and a bluetooth keyboard when you need to get more work done.
I wish they would allow bluetooth keyboard use with an iPhone.
I am skeptical that text is ready to be a rarity yet. Yeah, you can always do virtual keyboards on a tablet. This occupies valuable screen space and gets the screen dirty.
Or for that matter, permitting right hand typing while the left hand holds the unit.
I can’t remember being more anxious for an Apple product to be released than this one.
I am wondering if they won’t use one of the new OLED screens. Imagine what Jobs and company could do with a screen that could be folded. Maybe you would carry the tablet around in a tube and just unroll it to use it.
I take it as a given that the tablet will be easy to hold with the off hand, and will be ambidextrous.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.