Tablets: How Would You Solve the Input Problem?

247 Comments

View All Comments

• kevith - Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - link

  The way I see it, we started of with desktop PC's. It took a while, before they had sufficient power to do a variety of tasks, that both tech nerds, professionals, Aunt Granny and Everyday Joe uses. Photo- and movie editing, music production, web magazine editing, or simply mailing, chatting, gaming and downloading a movie. At the same time.
  
  Then came laptops. And we all saw a future without being tied up to a noisy machine at our desk, but being free to carry all of our digital life in a laptop with almost the same power as a desktop.
  
  But we're not there yet. Not at all, not even close. At least if price matters, which it does to almost everyone of us. Laptops still have a long way to come, before they are near replacing the desktop for good. Even 15 pound super-desktop replacement laptops, aren't considered truly able to make the desktop machine disappear.
  
  And now we have smart-phones and their super-sized cousin, the tablet as well. As for tablets, Anand made a very good point of describing the iPad as a "new category of hardware, unable to replace any of the ones we already have" And they are even weaker, than the tiniest of laptops, The Netbooks.
  
  So it's simply still not good enough. Yet.
  
  Because WHEN someone, maybe here, comes up with a solution for input, and the hardware gets the power of tomorrows super laptops, I'm sure the tablet form factor is the one, we'll end up with for a pretty long time.
  
  But it's going to be a while...

• handaxe - Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - link

  1. There is no input problem with tablets any more than there is an input problem with a smartphone. While you *can* use a BT keyboard, or a folding or rollable BT keyboard with a smartphone, very few people do because it's inconvenient to have a bulky thing to carry around, even if it gives you a better input method. Basically, the convenience of carrying the smartphone around with no other encumbrances outweighs the (slight) inconvenience of typing on the small (usually touchscreen) keyboard.
  
  The same principle holds true of tablets. The point behind a tablet is to have a lightweight, small form factor device that is more convenient to carry around than a laptop. But if it only works for you by carrying around other devices, then the problem is that you shouldn't be using a tablet at all. If you need to do a lot of text input, you should just be using a laptop.
  
  So, Anand (and others similarly situated), I don't think you will be able to make a tablet work for you because you're trying to make it do something it wasn't designed for. It's like using a smartphone and BT keyboard to write a 30 page document - while this is quite possible, it's something that no one would do by choice.
  
  2. People who think that the issues described in point 1 mean that tablets are useless really don't understand how most people use their own (i.e., non-work) computers. Hundreds of millions of people own their own computers in the US. When they come home from work, the vast majority use their computers to: (1) surf the internet; (2) check facebook; (3) surf the internet; (4) read e-mails; (5) surf the internet; (6) shop online; (7) surf the internet; (8) look at pictures of cats; and (9) surf the internet.
  
  These are the people that tablets are aimed at. Now these individuals can do these activities in the living room, in the kitchen, while waiting in line, while getting coffee, while traveling, etc. You could use a netbook or a laptop to do these things, too - but a tablet is much smaller and much lighter than a comparably priced netbook or laptop.
  
  3. The tablet is not a replacement for a computer (except perhaps for that part of the population that *never* uses a computer for work. It is a replacement for a second computer, at least for the vast majority of people.

• velis - Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - link

  What he said.
  Tablet is not a notebook replacement device.
  It is a *book* replacement device, adding only interactivity - to the book, not to the notebook ;)
  That means reading books, reading internet + a few side activities having a CPU permits. A reply here and there, a small facebook post and a really short tweet is pretty much all a tablet will do and all a tablet is intended for.
  
  You should use it like that.
  Not for heavy duty work.
  
  Now if only somebody made a nice sub $250 touch tablet running an open OS and having a color e-ink display. This would just rock :D Shame nook only has a classic LCD :(

• sean.crees - Thursday, March 31, 2011 - link

  I think the reason some people say the tablet replaces the notebook is because for some it does.
  
  Some people don't really need that keyboard. They do very little, if any input. They just click on things with the mouse and look at stuff. For those people, the tablet does replace the notebook. But for people like you who needs to create content on a regular basis it doesn't.
  
  The large majority do not create content, only consume content. Hence "consumers".

• Griswold - Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - link

  I've been using my iphone for almost three years for most of my mobile needs, which includes writing e-mails and comments. I've gotten used to it, despite it being so clumsy with these tiny screens and even smaller virtual keyboards.
  
  Ever since I got my ipad, I hate using my smartphone for all typing related tasks. It works so great for me with the ipad. I can type really fast on the virtual keyboard, as fast as the touch screen can keep up, actually.
  
  I do not have to prop it up to type, I can type on a table (like any notebook) with it lying flat down or on my lap - doesnt make a difference to me. The only typing that really sucks on the ipad is when you cant lay it down anywhere but have to hold it. Something that sucks as much with any notebook...
  
  However, besides a hardware keyboard, I can only see fully integrated voice control & recognition as an improvement.

• DrBernardo - Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - link

  I find that the problem with tablets, beyond just data input is understanding a good usage model. I am a medical student and naturally go on rounds presenting my patients to a supervising Doctor / professor. We currently write on a sheet of paper or on an index card the patient information as a cheat-sheet to present the case. We write on this "cheat-sheet" the what the supervising doctor wants performed on top of our recommendations, as well as adjustments to our treatment.
  
  1) A friend of mine tried using an iPad. If you have poor cell phone reception, as we do in the hospital, and have not shut off the phone connection, the battery life is about an hour!
  2) iPad shut off - his first error. The iPad locked up several times, OS is not stable enough!
  3) The input needs to be with your finger or a pen, portable keyboard is not practical. Using forms a check off boxes or pull down menus could work for a lot of what we do. Need an easier way of generating these forms.
  4) Tried to read reference books during the rounds to reference current standard of care. Resolution of screen really is not there to use as a PDF reader. We had to go back and opened "real books".
  
  As I see it, the iPad, as well as all other tablets, are only good for playing games. They are sophisticated PS3 replacements. I want a tablet designed for actual office use, we're not there yet with any tablet I've seen to date!
  
  Question, for business use (or medical use) what does a tablet offer over an iphone, DROID phone or Blackberry? Smart phones are extremely helpful! I guess they really raise the bar significantly on what I expect in a tablet (I want something more).

• mushu - Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - link

  Many med-students and doctors have taken to the iPad like fishes to water. Many of them enjoy reading text on the iPad, esp. due to the ability to zoom. If the resolution is a problem, well, newer 10" tablets generally have higher resolutions. Software like iAnnotate is very useful for annotating PDF handouts and books. Because of this they can carry all their books with them to class, to the library, on trips, etc. Some people are esp. fond of studying anatomy on their iPads. Most people don't take it with them when making rounds, for several obvious reasons. 3G reception isn't bad everywhere. Wifi reception isn't bad everywhere. Several references can be used even without internet connectivity.
  
  Examine your example and you'll find that your opinion--that tablets are ONLY good for GAMES--isn't well-founded. I recognise that tablets can't replace everything, and that they aren't useful to everyone in all situations, but they can be damned useful to med-students who're sick to death of physical books and handouts for example.
  
  cheers

• jasonfeucht - Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - link

  I think a new input system would make alot of sense. You could either split and wrap a qwerty keyboard around the left and right side of the tablet so that the rows of keys are on the back and the spacebar is on the front. Split it right between the tgb and the yhn. It would still take some getting used to because you would have to push in slightly with your hands so that you could hold the tablet and have your fingers free to move. It would also help to have tactile feedback.
  
  The other input system I could easily see would be a relative touch entry system. Basically, touch with one thumb anywhere on the screen. Now slide your thumb either up, right, down or left. Depending on the direction you go you would get a ~quarter of all of the letters/letter groups that it is possible for words to start with.
  
  After selecting which letters/letter group you start with, you can then determine what comes next by continuing to move your thumb in the same direction, or switching to one of the 3 other directions available would allow you to select what letter or letter groups come next. Double tapping would correct last letter.
  
  Groups of letters are any letter group which significantly reduces overall sorting
  
  For example, pull your thumb down and you get (off the top of my head) Qu, H, Z, P, W, E, T,S. Pulling down to the left will narrow to Qu, H, Which are then appear still in the same direction you are pulling unless the side of the tablet gets in the way in which case they appear directly perpendicular from the tablet edge. Picking Qu gives the option of een, i, o, etc) Picking i, then gives you p, ck.
  
  One quick slide of your finger gives you quip or quick. Eventually users would learn the UI an could in theory type as fast or faster than on a qwerty keyboard. Most commonly used words would be straight easy swipes. The same type of idea could be done with a common qwerty keyboard but slightly less well to the point were you almost might as well just have a dynamic Swype keyboard appear when you touch the screen.
  
  If you really wanted to make it interesting you could use the relative dynamic keyboard so that two thumbs could be ised at a time (one on each side) so that 2 words could be created at once.
  
  Now I just need someone to pay me so that they can develop my idea ;)

• Jingato - Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - link

  http://www.intomobile.com/2007/10/25/apple-patent-...

• SilthDraeth - Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - link

  I know it would look somewhat tacky, though I am sure one of the companies could make the qwerty keyboad a touch pad, vs physical buttons, then you can just grasp the two sides, no matter the orientation and thumb type like you would on a smart phone qwerty keypad.