Abstract :
A tablet PC
is a laptop or slate-formed mobile computer that is outfitted with a
touchscreen or screen that can be controlled with a digital pen or stylus, or
via finger touch. A tablet PC does not require a keyboard or mouse.
End-users can directly key in data on a tablet PC. It also offers greater
mobility than a conventional laptop.
A tablet
computer, or simply tablet, is a medium-sized personal mobile
computer integrated into a flat touch screen and primarily using
stylus, digital pen or fingertip input along with a virtual onscreen keyboard
in lieu of a physical keyboard.
Firstly,
older tablet personal computers are mainly x86 based, and are fully
functional personal computers employing a slightly
modified personal computer OS (Like Windows or Ubuntu
Linux) supporting their touch-screen, instead of a traditional display mouse,
and keyboard. A typical tablet personal computer needs to be stylus driven,
because operating the typical desktop based OS requires a high precision to
select GUI widgets,
such as a the close window button.
A tablet
personal computer (tablet PC) is a portable personal computer
equipped with a touchscreen as a primary input device,
and running a (modified) classic desktop OS. designed to be operated and owned
by an individual. The term was made popular as a concept presented by Microsoft
in 2000 and 2001 but tablet PCs now refer to any tablet-sized personal computer
regardless of the (desktop) operating system.
There are
different types of table PCs available in the market today, based on industry
and consumer requirements. The different tablet PC form factors are:
Slate
Tablet PC
Slate
tablet PCs are similar in appearance to a writing slate, and do not have
keyboards attached with them. Users input data through handwriting recognition,
stylus and finger touch. External keyboards can be connected to them either
through USB or through wireless connectivity. Slate tablet PCs are mostly
deployed in industries that require a lot of mobility or involve working in
harsh conditions. Such industries include manufacturing, health care, field
work related industries, education and so on. Such tablet PCs are built to
withstand extreme physical conditions such as heat, humidity and also to be
capable of withstanding any impact or damage from accidental dropping or
intense movement.
Convertible
Tablet PC
Convertible
tablet PCs are similar to conventional laptops except for the fact that the
display screen is attached to the base of the computer at a single junction;
this allows for the screen to be rotated at 180°, and be placed on top of the
keyboard. This allows for a flat writing plane. Convertible tablet PCs are the
most widely used type of tablet PCs as they offer the dual advantage of using
both a conventional keyboard and a digital pen or stylus.
Booklet
Tablet PC
Booklet
tablet PCs are twin screen computers that open like a book, and are built with
touch and digital pen detection abilities. Booklet tablet PCs can be used for
web browsing, watching of internet television, e-reading and so on.
Hybrid
Tablet PC
Hybrid
tablet PCs incorporates the functionality of a slate and convertible tablet PC.
They do so by using a removable keyboard thus providing the functionality of a
slate tablet PC; when affixed they act as a convertible tablet PC.
Other
features
Accelerometer:
An accelerometer is a unit that detects the physical movements of the tablet.
This allows greater flexibility of use since tablets don't necessarily have a
fixed direction of use. The accelerometer can also be used to detect the orientation of the tablet relative to the centre
of the earth, but can also detect movement of the tablet, both of which can be
used as an alternative control interface for a tablet's software.
Ambient
light and proximity sensors are additional "senses", that can
provide controlling input for the tablet.
Storage
drive: Large tablets use storage drives similar to laptops, while smaller ones
tend to use drives similar to MP3 Players or have on-board flash memory. They
also often have ports for removable storage such as Secure Digital
cards. Due to the nature of the use of tablets, solid-state memory is often preferable due to
its better resistance to damage during movement.
Wireless:
Because tablets by design are mobile computers, wireless connections are less
restrictive to motion than wired connections. Wi-Fi connectivity has
become ubiquitous among tablets. Bluetooth
is commonly used for connecting peripherals and communicating with local
devices in place of a wired USB
connection.
Developing
programs for tablet computers
A
significant trait to define whether a tablet computer can be regarded as a personal computer is the ability for the
final user to install arbitrary or self-developed software. The new class of
devices heralded by the iPad has spurred the tendency of a walled garden
approach where the vendor reserves rights as to what can be installed. The software development kits
for these platforms are restricted and the vendor must approve the final
application for distribution to users. Proponents of open source software deem
that these restrictions on software installation and lack of administrator
rights make this category one that, in their view, cannot be properly named personal
computers. But newer mobile operating system
based tablet computers may abandon the walled garden concept, and be like
personal computers in this regard.