My Dream Tablet Computer

I wasn’t going to buy an ipad. I had read about it and was of the opinion that it was a big iphone.



Then I started poking around in the Apple App Store and I discovered more than one “drawing” app and a few “handwriting” apps. I also discovered a third party stylus that had been designed for the iphone.


With this new information I purchased an ipad and eagerly downloaded the programs I hoped would make it perform like an old HP 1100 Tablet PC. I had been using my Tablet PC for years as an extension of my brain – taking it everywhere and using it as a pad of paper. The ability to organize meeting notes as well as being able to draw on documents was important to me. Unlike later versions, the first HP Tablet didn’t need it’s removable keyboard so it actually looked like a slate “slate”.


The ipad apps for writing and drawing don’t measure up to the Tablet PC using the MS Journal software. The ipad touch screen is a gift and a curse at the same time. When I rest my hand on the ipad to write with the stylus, the ipad becomes confused at times. I have yet to find a note taking app that isn’t slow and cumbersome.


I do love surfing the web with my ipad. The touch screen is a beautiful interface that allows me to maneuver all over the page, enlarging and shrinking text and images quickly. No more cumbersome scroll bars! All you need is a thumb and forefinger. Unfortunately, the inability of the ipad to handle Flash is annoying. Many sites just won’t perform on the ipad.


There are some nice apps. The ebook reader is a joy to use because of its great user interface. There are many free games. Youtubes look and run great. But it is not the Tablet of my dreams.


I was very excited when there were rumors of a dual screen tablet from HP. How great would it be to have a “book” format with one screen for reading and one screen that acts as a tablet? I imagined math practice on the tablet side with hints, explanations and instructional videos on the other. Then I heard about the HP Slate. Could this be a combination of the ipad touch capabilities combined with the full computing power of the old HP TC 1100?


I still haven’t found my dream tablet/pen computer/slate. How about you? I’d love to hear your comments!