CES 2009 Tablet PC Good News and Bad News
Looking at all the Tablet PC news coming out of CES 2009, I believe we have a case of good news, bad news. The good news is there are several tablet computers in the pipeline, including low-cost models that should reach more hands. The bad news is there's a big shift to touchscreens over active digitizers.
Touchscreens are more economical than active digitizers but less accurate. Active digitizers detect the location and proximity of a special pen, providing cursor control without touching the screen. They also provide hundreds of levels of pressure sensitivity. Oh yeah, they made this blog possible too.
Granted, you can have a good tablet experience without all that, but the big problem with touchscreens is they can't distinguish between a finger tapping an icon and a finger that hits an icon when you grab the tablet. So if you're walking around with one, particularly a tablet that requires being held with one hand while operated with the other, handling a touchscreen can be problematic. It's one of the main reasons I opted for an active digitizer in the first place.
Still, there are more tablet-style devices on the way and word is out that N-Trig, maker of digitizers that provide pen + touch input, has received major funding from Microsoft (http://www.gottabemobile.com/2009/01/12/microsoft-investing-in-n-trig-in-a-huge-way/), among other investors. Touch alone can be a detriment, but touch + pen is the best of both worlds, providing the ease of touch or the precision of a pen as needed.
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Labels: Tablet PC
CES 2009 Tablet PC Good News and Bad News
posted by Sumocat at 1/12/2009 10:15:00 PM
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