NewtonTalk.net March 2009 archive: Re: [NTLK] Speculation about

From: Ryan Vetter <physicalconstants_at_yahoo.ca>
Date: Tue Mar 10 2009 - 13:30:08 EDT

Based on Apple patents of yesterday and today, the tablet could be a pivot screen laptop: it would be both a laptop and a tablet.

As such, you can have either on demand, and there are many uses for a tablet in regards to things that do not require much text input.

For instance, reading reports or books, surfing the web, graphic work, watching movies laying down, surface computing (i.e. having a game of chess with a friend)...

----- Original Message ----
From: Lord Groundhog <lordgroundhog@gmail.com>
To: "newtontalk@newtontalk.net" <newtontalk@newtontalk.net>
Sent: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 8:51:16 AM
Subject: Re: [NTLK] Speculation about some sort of Apple Touch sub notebook or sth

~~~ On 2009/03/10 14:20, L.W. Brown at lwb@mac.com wrote ~~~

> Been rumored so long, it's like the Loch Ness Monster - it would be
> nice if true, but very unlikely...
>

Now wait; you really think the Loch Ness Monster would be nice if true?

:-o

Seriously, this "Touch" as described in that article lacks an adequate way
to enter data. Even if we ignore the other deficiencies the Ravenizer
thinks will be necessary in order to fit a version of OSX and blah-blah into
it, it has to have a heavy-duty method of input that will allow a user to
write letters, copy extended bodies of text into a file of notes, or write
essays/reports/books, etc. Otherwise it's little more than an e-book reader
that specializes in treating the files from your *real* computer as if they
were just e-books.

"So basically, the concept of this new device is a slate. That¹s pretty much
what it is." No. just -- no. A slate is something that you can operate
while holding it in one hand as you write on it. It's easy. Like a Newton.
And now I have to digress to make a point.

There's something that keeps getting overlooked by a fair number of people
who talk about (or just assume) how much better/faster typing is over
handwriting with good HWR. It's a big thing, so I'm going to mention it.
In fact I'm going to poke it with a stylus -- I mean, a stick.

Handwriting can be done one-handed, that is, one hand holding the device and
the other hand scribbling with the stylus. The typing "They" say is faster
than handwriting has to be done with two hands, on a keyboard large enough
to accommodate some kind of multi-finger technique that at least approaches
touch-typing. Over a period of time when doing serious data-entry, holding
this device in one hand and typing on a mini-keyboard with the other is not
going to be faster than handwriting with HWR. So, a "slate" with a
keyboard? No, that's just oxymoronic.

Now that's off my chest, back to this "slate". If this were really a
"slate" it would be reminiscent of the Newton at least in some of the more
superficial features of operation and in its ease and versatility of use.
By contrast, this "slate" (he conveniently gives no dimensions) apparently
"... features an onscreen keyboard similar to the iPhone OS. It should also
be similar in the way it appears only when needed". Hmmm.

The picture he offers shows us a seriously truncated display screen, with
the document being crowded by the appearing-and-disappearing keyboard.
Assuming that the keyboard is at least adequate, it's a two-handed thing so
it'll be better than hunt-and-peck -- IF you don't try to hold it in one
hand while typing. Put it on a desktop. Put it on your lap. Put it on top
of your briefcase. Put it on the drop-down tray on the plane. At least for
short spurts you'll probably type fairly quickly on it, eventually. But is
using a virtual keyboard with no tactile feedback for typing long documents
or other extended data entry really workable? I doubt it.

But use it like a slate? That's just silly. For me, the only slate this
thing resembles is the kind we used to lay a path in the back yard when I
was a kid.

Of course I've ignored the obvious fact that this ramble is from last
August, and he seemed to be expecting the thing to come out in "October" --
presumably last October. So really it's just another person blowing smoke,
AFAICS.

[/PersonalRant=OFF]

Shalom.
Christian

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

³Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from a Newton.²
-- what Arthur C. Clarke meant

http://youtube.com/watch?v=1ZzpdPJ7Zr4
(With thanks to Chod Lang)
http://tinyurl.com/29y2dl
http://www.diyplanner.com/node/3942

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