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Is it Time to Take that Tablet?
Rohan Naravane, Sep 02, 2010 1723 hrs ISTWe wonder if the world is really ready for these semi-computers
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Tablets had always been a gray area until this year. Manufacturers came up with devices that ran desktop-centric Windows OS or a not-so-popular Linux based distro. But nobody struck gold until Apple pinch-zoomed their iPod Touch two-and-a-half times in size to make the iPad. The world welcomed the device with open arms; Apple sold 3 million units in just 80 days after launch. Seeing the buzz around Tablets, other manufacturers instantly started prepping their iterations with the intention of "making hay while the sun shines". But before these devices start filling up our malls, we decided to take a step back and think whether we really are ready for this computing revolution.
What are tablets? Are they a color screened alternatives to e-book readers like the Amazon Kindle? Are they oversized Portable Media Players (PMPs) for audio-visual entertainment? Or are they Internet devices meant for productive work other than just checking your Facebook feed? Many will say they are all of the above. But we would also ask if these tablets are here to replace our laptops and desktops or add yet another electronic device to our already cluttered desk? Most will reply by saying they are "supplementary computing devices" to our existing computers.
Let's start with the things that you can do on Tablets. The iPad was advertised as a great internet device, with a web friendly 1024 x 768 pixel resolution so that all the pages look just as they did on a computer. Less pinch-and-zooming and kinetic scrolling to read content owing to the bigger 10-inch screen size when compared to a 3.5-inch iPhone screen. While it may be more convenient to flick through webpages at the touch of a finger, a 12-inch netbook functionally speaking serves the same purpose.
But what happens when you have to type a long word document on the move? How long do you think you can thumb-type on the big QWERTY board on the tablet? Granted, the initial netbooks had tiny keyboards that put off many (including me), but have a look at the current 12-inch models and you'll see that the chiclet-design keys offer comparable typing comfort to a laptop keyboard.
You might say that you just got used to typing on touchscreen QWERTY keyboards on the iPhone, so why can't we adjust to typing on an iPad? I agree, initially I strongly believed that a Blackberry Bold 9000 keyboard was the best thing ever. But that was until I saw how effortless it was to feather-type on a capacitive touchscreen that could automatically correct my mistypes. At times it even knew the next word I wanted to type! (SwiftType for Android).
Touchscreen phones may be fine to type out SMSs, chat or even short e-mails. But a phone has a small enough width for both my thumbs to reach the middle of the QWERTY keypad without any stretching. Can I expect the same from a tablet? We appreciated how the Galaxy Tab implemented Swype, which we feel could ease text input on a tablet. We're even happy with the progress Google has made with its 'Voice actions' for Android 2.2. But are you going to shout out a "I want you to be really kinky tonight honey" text message to it when you're not by yourself? They're trying to find workarounds, but I believe nothing will be as good as typing on a real keyboard.
And text input is important. When I'm spending 500 dollars that I would have otherwise used to buy a Netbook, I don't expect crippled functionality at least when it comes to something as crucial as text input.
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