Tablets?
Tablets? Aren't those something that you get from a bottle and swallow when your head
starts hurting from trying to use a computer with no keyboard?
Tablets are just a reimplementation of pen-computing, which has a long, and unsuccessful history.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pen_computing
I had (and, still have, somewhere) an IBM Thinkpad 360P, vintage 1993 or so, which
implemented a touch screen interface, along with hinges so that it could be folded into a
tablet configuration (a very thick tablet, but a tablet nevertheless). And, I actually used
the touch screen display....twice, before going back to using the keyboard in a conventional
laptop configuration (Yes, twice. I had to give it a fair chance, didn't I?).
So, will they ever get it correct? Tablets might be ok for applications which only require you
to push two or three buttons, but for applications which require you to enter textual data, I
want a real keyboard. No, not an area on the display that brings up tiny little letters that
you can touch with the tip of your fat finger; I want REAL keys, keys that click when you
press them, keys that let your fingers do touch typing (not "touch" typing). So, will any
manufacturer ever get this through their head? Or, will they insist on making glorified
"game playing" systems?
Dave