The Perfect Thing 01 - A padd, slate, tablet thingy

With all the talk of tablets and slates I thought I would chime in on what I would be looking for in a tablet'esqe device.  So for the next few days I am going to be updating the blog with what I would be looking for in a device, focusing on what isn't there yet in the current batch of offerings.  I will try to get it all out before the rumored apple announcement.  So, may I present to you The Perfect Thing, Episode One, A padd, slate, thingy...

What job it needs to do

I am looking for a highly portable device that I can carry with me easily. One of the reasons I like my EeePc is that it can fit in my coat pocket. A small 6 X 9 form factor would be a good place to start.

One of the primary reasons I would be using the device is as a PDF or e-book reader. The books and PDF’s that I would be most likely to use this device for would be digital versions of printed magazine sized content, or layout agnostic (novel’esqe) content. Textbooks, magazines, manuals, forms, etc. would be viewed on this device. This means that the pages won’t be uniform sized and partial to full color. The current e-ink technology does not support smooth scrolling, jumping from page slice to page slice. I need to be able to slide around the page, zoom in and out, and jump from page to page. The only way I can see for achieving that is through color LCD or OLED screens with touch capability.

I need something to take notes on. So the device will either need to have a hardware or software keyboard available. While I tend to prefer hardware keyboards, unprotected keyboards need to have high tension keys, similar to those on cell phones as opposed to computer keyboards. For something I will be typing lightly supported, either flat on a table, on a angled stand, or cradled in an arm, high tension keys would require too much support to type effectively. Software keyboards, as on the iPhone, have the problem of feedback and size. However the largest keyboard the iPhone is only 3in wide, and with a larger screen, the size issue is reduced enough that I would be comfortable typing on it.

It would have to play audio and video. I want to move everything from my iPod (music, audiobooks and podcasts) shifting the management and storage of that media out of iTunes once and for all. Plus, be able to watch Hulu streaming and possibly Netflix on demand.

This device would also require the standard suite of connectivity, wifi, usb dock, Bluetooth, and the ability to add a cellular internet card. It would need a web browser, of course, as well as a way to load connectivity applications.

As far as apps go I’ll talk about apps and OS’s in later posts. What are some of the jobs you would use a tablet’esqe device?