Are Tablet PCs ready for the masses?
December 16th, 2007
The other day I was using my Tablet PC at school to work on a project for my debate class. As usual, my little HP turned some heads. Someone wanted to try out the pen input, which from a demo standpoint I am usually a little worried about, because the hand recognition is supposed to be tailored to the individual user’s writing style. (So while it might not work for someone the first day of using it, over time it becomes much more accurate.) However, I was pleasantly surprised that when this guy was done making chicken scratch on the screen, the computer recognized every word correctly.
Sure, it did capitalize “am” incorrectly, but I am amazed that my computer didn’t explode when trying to decipher “smar + very rice”.
So are Tablet PCs ready for the masses? I think so. The problem is that until recently Best Buy only offered one model. Now it offers two. A quick search for “Tablet PC” at CircuitCity.com reveals that it doesn’t offer any. CompUSA fares the best with five, plus an ultra mobile PC.
For those aching to have a Tablet of their very own, the best option is still NewEgg.com, which gives Tablet PCs their own section and powerful search features to enable customers to easily find the Tablet that is best for them.
Sadly, until brick and mortar stores start to embrace Tablet PCs more enthusiastically, I don’t see Tablets gaining any real popularity.
