Ideal tablet for Creative and Productive users

World has started screaming Tablets more loudly than ever before. It seems like they are fade up from formula Laptop styles and obviously we need to be way more cool looking in 2010 with all those mindblowing floating transparent touch panel type of devices we seen in movies.

I have been tracking trends of tablet pcs from some time now and it is fascinating how far they have come. I specially like the design elements done on Archos tablets. Personally I consider the look of device as well. I was holding on to my thoughts from some time now but I think it is time and right place to share with, with hope that my limited studies will contribute in making your device much better.

I will try to be short and to the point while explaining the marketing benefits of options I am listing down.

I start preparing this document keeping Sony Ericsson in my mind but I had to change my mind after looking at Sony Ericsson’s on-going status and after learning about Archos 9. I am not confident they (Sony Ericsson) will work on such devices any time in near future while your firm has done already 80% work and reputation is good and I like the design

Your current design of Archos 9:
It is I think brilliantly done not only to look beautiful but to provide user a very comfortable experience.

Starting from the kick-stand. It looks good, but by now I am sure you must have learned it is the weakest point of the device. A light nudge or slide drops device hard on its back. Two-way stage is good form but it have to be more stable, strong and wing-like to provid protection from falling from light knocks.

Track-point: To demo or light use it is obviously a good addition. The placement is just perfect, however if taking this out to practical world it will not be as comfortable as it seems. If you manage to place a track-pad instead, you could double the benefits. You can cover more distance on the screen with single sweep, you can even utilize multi-touch gestures. It will be much much better, faster, comfortable and practical experience for users.

Virtual Keyboard: I like Viliv X70’s keyboard better to be honest. Why? It is split and it makes typing very easy with thumbs while still holding the device firmly. Having said that I was also wondering if there is even a smaller keyboard, for just single thumb typing, drag keyboard to very right and you can still do single hand/single thumb typing. Specially when you are holding tablet in left hand, laying it across your arm. Long keyboard will draw user’s hand all over while smaller keyboard would give them better approach for typing small materials such as user id, web address or simple notes.

Also keyboard should be split-able, if possible then sizable so each user can drag the size to his or her preference. Make it very very easy by adding icons for switch keyboard right on top of active keyboard so user just tab and its done.

Keyboard is always, and I mean always a must-have feature for business personals, I used to think business personals will not welcome the netbooks but actually they take netbooks with both hands. That was an unexpected surprise to me but it is clear, they want emails, they do surfing, they do not have to carry heavy load any more so it is an obvious choice. Tablets (and full touch based smartphones) are not yet welcomed as much due to lack of keyboards, however if someone will provide and prove that it is not a problem any more, tablets will drive their way to businesses. What all you have to do is provide a better typing approach to them.

I don’t know the hardware limitations, but, if and only if you guys can make it possible to add a 4 or 5 inches strip of slide-out hardware keyboard, it will just cover everything everyone wants.

Now, something very important (at least from my point of view) In corporate race, to earn hard-cash from demanding world of multimedia and Internet, we completely forget one group of consumers. One group that does miracles everyday, that particular group of consumers or users is the reason that Apple is Apple today. What I have learned over the years that the people of this left-alone group is actually the ideal users of tablet devices, the designers and the artists.

Designers (and artists) are the people, who would welcome and keep such devices more warmly than any multimedia lover out there. In hands of designers, tablet will be used to all you are offering with greater feedback. If you stay with me I would like to give you a very brief tour to cover marketing aspects and business benefits you can have by providing such a gift to designers.

While everyone seems to enjoy having a touch device, artists and designers are one who actually need to have it for a purpose. Mouse used to be fine but it wasn’t good at all so designers quickly move to WaCom. Why? Not because it has a touch surface but it has a pen (and pressure sensitivity).

Tablets like these can easily take place of Sketchbooks, only if they fulfill what designers mostly required. The problem is, when we think of graphics, we scared ourselves instantly by imagining a PhotoShop document of 300mb+, which means lots and lots of processing power with RAM. But if we break it down and think what type of designers we are talking about then this mystery can be solved easily. We are talking about 1. students, 2. website designers, 3. fine-artist who draw concepts hence I mention sketchbooks, because let’s face the fact that the future’s tablet will perform complete 3d animation real time but we are not yet in future, we are taking a step toward that future so we will play what we have in hands at present.

The good news is that today we have good enough power in these machines that can easily drive the required applications such as PhotoShop, Office applications, DreamWeaver/ExpressionWeb and other light software.

Regular skinny stylus will not do the job in this case, designers need to feel the grip of pointer, so pen-like shape is ideal, (more attractive actually for business personals as well). And more beneficial if I take this tour in depth. Again I don’t know how software handles touch but there could be 3 major possibilities for stylus.

1. Have a regular stylus in shape of pen.

2. If possible in this device, when pen come close to surface it discontinue to sense other touches and identify just one that is coming from pen’s tip. This will provide greater comfort in handwriting process and since we are talking about designers, sketching will be much better, comfortable because user can rest hand across the device without over-taping random things. If not auto, a simple icon/button can be arranged to manually disable other touches but one that is coming from pen.

3. In addition to above, pen can have some sort of pressure measure than it will be a complete heavenly package for designers. I believe this type of pen required some energy to perform task so you can put this pen into its holder/socket into tablet’s frame and it charges it.

You can have this special pen as an accessory so if a designer jump for it he or she be able to have one with little extra amount and company will still provide cost effective devices to regular users. Not to forget a simple pen-like stylus might attract business personals as well.

It is important to know work-flow or methods of designers when they interact with touch input devices such as WaCom. Designing software utilizes shortcuts keys for faster work progress. The problem of using Wacom is users have to keep switching hand between keyboard to tablet/pen in order to perform their task with full swing. They setup their equipments to team up together but occasionally this setup takes them away from comfort zone even with the provided touch spots right on to tablet it self.

In an ideal tablet pc, if users can customize on-screen keyboard they will not face this type of problem while using a designing software. They can combine frequently used group of keys to keep them visible on to the screen while they work without getting their screen covered by entire keyboard. Why already given keyboards are not enough for their use? Turning on and off keyboard just to perform single task, user will have to go though 4 to 5 different keystrokes. This approach will not make their work any faster, but it also added good amount of frustration and user/designer will soon end up asking others not to take this product.

If we manage to put small physical slide keyboard, what will happen? During work, users will simply slide the screen up, brings out the keyboard and they will never, ever care for the on-screen keyboards, and you will safe from lot of programming.

Your tablet can give them the true freedom they have been searching.

Pen shape stylus will attract more type of professionals to it such as people who “write” so they will have option to write on screen. On occasion it is really fast to just write some note instead of typing.

Back to designers for a while to see how they will attract more business (sales) to this device by using our ideal tablet.

I know number of website designers who take sketch pads with them to clients and during their discussion they sketch layout and alter it on the spot according to client’s requirement in this very meeting. This method allows designers to work on a clear target and it helps client to understand much clearly what they are gong to get. Same method goes now for brand designing as well. Designers sketch sample logo right in the meeting or on the way and in several shapes or by altering readymade shapes before them they usually come to an understanding.

This is fast, workable method and so far in my observation no one took laptop for this purpose (however they take laptops for other purpose) but this is something can’t be done this way through laptops so here imagine instead of using sketchpad (and laptop) designer will take just your tablet, with the ability to sketch through a pen (or pen-like stylus)!

Another hassle designers and clients have to face is picking up color-scheme (in a website normally) Many clients ask to see different color schemes and at the meeting they don’t like any of them, or sometimes they just ask to do entirely different color-scheme. It’s moment of ultimate frustration for designer, but with help of your tablet, designer can open (web) design option in-front of client and resume the process without earning frustration (This part has begun to done through laptops now).

Now when a designer is utilizing such machine day to day, taking it to meetings with business personals and showing what this can do, obviously they would want to learn more about it. Tablet of such power will attract more attention than laptops due to full touch features combine with functionality used in business right before them.

I see no reason that photographers will stay away from its charm. Although many of them already using laptops so why they will switch to tablets? Tablets are cool, they do not have to flip it open, size is ideal and above of all, the price (hopefully) would be ideal.

Windows 7 professional/premium would be an ideal platform to drive it all. Spec-wise processor should be 2ghz or better pairing with at least 2 gigs of ram would be enough to drive required applications.

Connectivity should be on top, along with regular slots, at least 2 usb slots, SD Card slots, connector from pc to tablet, Ethernet adaptor and monitor out should be given.

Resistive screens are must I belive, with screen sizes 7 and/or 9 inches are ideal. Personally I would go for 7 inches so complete device will stay handy and rest on to an arm with secure hand grip (in landscape mode).

To sport all these, size and weight of device might be increase but you will cover a loyal market that right now are left alone.

Currently, designers and artists have only one option for them, ModBook, which is way way heavy, costly and incomplete to what designers really would ask for. So far the rumors of iSlate are also not convincing enough for designers. In this atmosphere if someone comes out with something like what we have above than I can tell you at least designers will worship such device like they do WaCom.

Here it is also important to learn that this device will not replace designers’ desktop, it will free them, and it will work as their close work and entertainment companion.

I can go on and on with ideas you can put into it to make it an ultimate all-rounder for many uses but I will stop here with hope you get the idea of what I am saying up there. And if you think these pages you read are worth to work on then let me know so I will start saving up some extra to get your new power tablet.

Dark Island 2010

Every once in a while I try out movies from unknown group to be surprised either good or bad.

Dark Island 2010 (imdb) by Sam Gorski and Niko was an ok+ Action Sci-Fi flick. It has good moments that really made me look more into it. I also had some bad moments too. While acting was not the top notch and some characters felt down side while some keep jumping high occasionally, not very often so it is acceptable. However if they wont do it, it would be much better movie.

On positive side, movie is good and leave a good impression if you are not keen to have everything perfect. Personally I like direction and camera work, it could be better but it is far better than many movies I seen by unknown groups so yes I enjoy it through out.