World's 1st Tablet Made by Apple
In 1987 Apple Computers started
designing the hardware and operating system for a future range of touch and
stylus based computers, in 1993 the first product of this research was launched
as the Apple Newton. It utilized Apple's own new Newton OS, initially
running on hardware manufactured by Motorola and incorporating
an ARM CPU that Apple had specifically co-developed with Acorn
Computers. The operating system and platform design were later licensed
to Sharp and Digital Ocean, who went on to manufacture their own
variants.
In 1991 AT&T released their
first EO Personal Communicator; this was one of the first commercially
available tablets and ran the GO Corporation's PenPoint OS on
AT&T's own hardware, including their own AT&T Hobbit CPU.
In 1996 Palm, Inc. released
the first of the Palm OS based PalmPilot touch and stylus
based PDA, the touch based devices initially incorporating a Motorola
Dragonball (68000) CPU.
Intel announced a Strong ARM
processor-based touchscreen tablet computer in 1999, under the name WebPA. It
was later re-branded as the "Intel Web Tablet".
In April
2000 Microsoft launched the Pocket PC 2000, utilizing their
touch capable Windows CE 3.0 operating system. The devices were
manufactured by several manufacturers, based on a mix
of: x86, MIPS, ARM, and SuperH hardware.
In 2002, Microsoft attempted to define
the Microsoft Tablet PC as a mobile computer for field work in business,
though their devices failed, mainly due to pricing
and usability decisions that limited them to their original purpose.
In 2005 Nokia released the
first of its Internet Tablet range, the Nokia 770. These tablets
ran a Debian based Linux OS called Maemo.
Android was the first of today's
dominating platforms for tablet computers to reach the market. In 2008 the
first plans for Android-based tablets appeared. The first products were
released in 2009. Among them was the Archos 5 that was first released with a
proprietary operating system and later (in 2009) released with Android 1.4. The
Camangi WebStation was released in Q2 2009. The
first LTE Android tablet appeared late 2009 and was made by ICD
for Verizon. This unit was called the Ultra, but a version called Vega was
released around the same time. Ultra had a 7 inch display while Vega's was 15
inches. Many more products followed in 2010. Several manufacturers waited
for Android Honeycomb, specifically adapted for use with tablets, which
debuted in February 2011.
2010
and afterwards
Today's tablets
use capacitive touchscreens with multi-touch, unlike
earlier stylus-driven resistive touchscreen devices. After 2010,
multi-touch and other natural user interface features, as well
asflash memory solid state storage and "instant
on" warm-booting; external USB and Bluetooth keyboards defined
tablets. Some have 3G mobile telephony applications.
Most tablets released since mid-2010
use a version of an ARM processor for longer battery life.
The ARM Cortex family is powerful enough for tasks such
as internet browsing, light production work and mobile games.
As with smartphones, most mobile
tablet apps are supplied through online distribution, rather
than boxed software or direct sales from software vendors.
These sources, known as "app stores", provide centralized catalogues
of software and allow "one click" on-device software purchasing,
installation and updates. The app store is often shared with smartphones that
use the same operating system.
Apple is often credited for defining a
new class of consumer device. It shaped the commercial market for tablets in
the following years. iPads and competing devices have been tested by the US
military. The most successful tablet is the Apple iPad, using
the iOS operating system. Its debut in 2010 pushed tablets into the mainstream Samsung's Galaxy Tab and others followed, continuing
the trends towards the features listed above.
In 2013, Asus and Samsung
released dual boot tablets with Android and Windows
8 operating systems. Moving from one operating system to the other and
vice versa does not require restarting the device. Synchronizing data between
the two operating systems works as well.
Features
Ø
High-definition, anti-glare display
Ø
Wireless internet connectivity (usually
with Wi-Fi standard and optional mobile broadband)
Ø
GPS satellite location
Ø
Front- and/or back- facing camera(s) for photographs
and video
Ø
Lower weight and longer battery life than a comparably-sized
laptop
Ø
Bluetooth for connecting peripherals and communicating
with local devices
Ø
Docking station: Keyboard and USB port(s)
Software
Ø
Mobile web browser
Ø
Reader for digital books, periodicals and other content
Ø
Downloadable apps such as games, education and
utilities
Ø
Portable media player function including video playback
Ø
E-mail and social media
Ø
Mobile phone functions (messaging, speakerphone, address
book)
Ø
Video-teleconferencing
Data storage
Ø
On-board flash memory
Ø
Ports for removable storage
Ø
Cloud storage options for backup
and syncing data across devices.
Additional inputs
Ø Besides a touchscreen
and keyboard, some tablets can also use these input methods:
Ø
Accelerometer: Detects the physical movement and orientation of
the tablet. This allows the touchscreen display to shift to either portrait or
landscape mode. In addition, tilting the tablet may be used as an input (for
instance to steer in a driving game).
No comments:
Post a Comment