Tablet PC

From Free net encyclopedia

Image:TabletPC.JPG Image:TabletPC 2004.jpg A tablet PC is a notebook- or slate-shaped mobile computer. Its touchscreen or digitizing tablet technology allows the user to operate the computer with a stylus or digital pen instead of a keyboard or mouse.

A user can input text using the built-in handwriting recognition, on-screen (virtual) keyboard, speech recognition, or a physical keyboard (if available). Shorthand-like entry methods, which enable pen-driven input at touch-typing speeds, are also available, including AlphaTap and Shark.

Many Tablet PCs use a Wacom digitizer, which delivers pen-position input to the computer at a fast rate. Tablets with these digitizers project a small magnetic field above the screen that interacts with electronics in the tablet's stylus. The user therefore is able to rest their hand on the screen without affecting the image or mouse pointer; only movement of the stylus affects the mouse pointer. (However, due to interference from other electronics within a tablet PC, many models suffer from "jitter", which makes some tasks difficult, e.g. slowly drawing straight lines, or writing small characters.) UC Logic and Finepoint make similar digitizers.

Contents

[edit]

Form

[edit]

Slate

Tablets that are only a screen with pen are called slates; they can use external wireless or USB keyboards. The most popular slates are manufactured by Motion Computing/Gateway Computers, Fujitsu, and HP/Compaq.

[edit]

Convertible

Tablet PCs that include a built-in keyboard are called convertibles or hybrids. Typically, the keyboard houses the motherboard and attaches to the display screen at a single joint that rotates 180° right to left and folds 180° forward and backward. The most popular convertible tablet PCs are manufactured by Acer and Toshiba.

[edit]

History

Alan Kay of Xerox PARC proposed a notebook using pen input called Dynabook in the late-1960s. However, the PARC management did support its development. The first commercially available tablet-type computer was the GRiDPad from GRiD Systems, released in September 1989. Its operating system based on MS-DOS. In 1991 another tablet computer, the Momenta Pentop from Go Corporation, became available. In 1992 Go released a dedicated operating system, called PenPoint OS and Microsoft released Windows for Pen Computing. The original models of the IBM ThinkPad series were also tablets, as the name implies. These early examples were commercial failures, suffering from its avaliable handwriting recognition not being sufficient for user requirements, and from the product's high cost and weight. The Momenta, for example, weighed seven pounds and had a purchase price of about $5,000.

Tablet PCs became available to the general public with the introduction of Microsoft's Windows XP Tablet PC Edition in the fall of 2002. Before then they were used in small markets in industry, medicine, and government. Now they are used by students and many professionals. It can be important to distinguish between Tablet PCs (running Microsoft's Windows XP Tablet PC Edition) and other tablet PCs (small 't'), which some manufacturers call simply Tablets. While all are pen input devices, some software is targeted particularly for the Tablet PC API, and will not run on other devices. Purchasers should make sure that their software and hardware are compatible, since the phrase "tablet PC" does not guarantee compatibility.

[edit]

System Software

Most tablet PCs run on the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition - the latest version is 2005 operating system. Service Pack 2 includes Tablet PC Edition 2005 and is a free upgrade. Version 2005 brought improved handwriting recognition, and improved the Input Panel, allowing it to be used in almost every application. During CES 2005, Microsoft showed off features planned for a future upgrade. These included allowing users to ink directly on the desktop, enabling handwritten notes with increased visibility.

Running Linux on tablet PCs is another option. For some Linux distributions and some tablets this can be a tedious task unless buying tablet with Linux pre-installed, as on the early Lycoris Desktop/LX Tablet Edition. Linux initially lacked some basic tablet PC applications, but with the advent of the EmperorLinux Raven X41 Tablet [1] with handwriting recognition, Linux Tablets have improved significantly.

Tablets such as the Hitachi VisionPlate are optionally shipped with Linux and can readily be used as wireless X terminals, freeing them from the requirements of actually running applications and, instead, allowing all of the resources of the VisionPlate to be used to display the graphic display portion of an application that is running somewhere on the local or wide area network. This has allowed the tablet to be used as a wireless graphics X terminal in vertical markets such as restaurant point of sale.

[edit]

Tablets vs. Traditional Laptops

The advantages and disadvantages of tablet PCs are highly subjective measures. What appeals to one user may be exactly what disappoints another. What follows are commonly cited reasons why people like or dislike tablet PCs, but they are by no means objective measures.

[edit]

Advantages

  • Slate tablet PCs (or convertibles in slate mode) do not interrupt line of sight (e.g.: in business meetings) since they lie flat on the table.
  • Slates can be held in one arm while standing and giving a presentation.
  • Slates can be used much more 'humanistically', e.g. reading websites while lounging around.
  • Some users aren't comfortable with keyboards, and like the ease of entering text through handwriting.
[edit]

Disadvantages

  • Convertible Tablet PCs cost roughly $300 more than their non-tablet counterparts, although this premium will fall with time, possibly to $75 within two years [2].
  • Tablet PCs are, per their size, less powerful than traditional laptops. * The size of Tablet PC screens currently peaks at about 14 inches.
  • There is currently a relative paucity of manufacturers offering Tablet PCs.
  • There is more strain on the hinge in convertible Tablet PCs, than on traditional laptops, which usually have two hinges. However, this has yet to be a concern.
  • Most Tablet PCs don't have CD-RWs or DVD-RWs to backup valuable data, downloads.
[edit]

Popular Models

[edit]

Slate

  • Fujitsu Stylistic ST5000
  • HP Compaq TC1100
[edit]

Convertible

  • Acer TravelMate C200/C300/C310
  • Toshiba Portegé M200/M400
  • Lenovo ThinkPad X41
  • Toshiba Satellite R10/R15
  • Toshiba Tecra M4
  • Fujitsu LifeBook P1500/T4000
  • HP Compaq TC4200
  • Gateway CX200/M285 (CX200 was the first wide screen tablet)
[edit]

See also

[edit]

External links

Template:Cleanup-spam

he:Tablet PC es:Ordenador pizarra fr:Tablet PC it:Tablet PC nl:Tablet PC ja:タブレットPC no:Notatblokk-PC nn:Notatblokk-PC pl:Tablet PC pt:Tablet PC ru:Планшетный персональный компьютер

Retrieved from "http://www.netipedia.com/index.php/Tablet_PC"