Don’t diss my tablet!
Gizmodo posts a brief review of a Fujitsu tablet PC which includes the following quote:
I like the tablet PC concept, but in real life they’re kind of glorified PDAs that are excellent for very specific apps and useless as an every day PC.
Uh, Gizmodo? Your prejudice is showing. Have you ever actually used a tablet PC as your everyday PC? I’ve had one since last November, and it’s incredibly useful. Much of the time I’m using it, it sits here on my desk just like any other non-tablet laptop, and works perfectly well as such. It’s not underpowered, not lacking in features or accessories, and the tablet functionality doesn’t detract from its usefulness in any way.
When I’m going on the road, or just feel creative, then I love to use it in tablet mode. It’s excellent for making artwork, very useful for making notations on ongoing projects (since I can scribble notes on an image by hand, the same I’d do with a printout but without requiring paper), and handy as a space-saver when I don’t have the room to set it up like a laptop.
The Fujitsu tablet PC that Gizmodo reviews appears to be a piece of overpriced junk, I admit; it’s tiny (only a 9-inch display), has a smallish hard drive and no optical drive, and costs three grand. But it’s not representative of all tablet PCs at all; my Toshiba tablet PC is full-sized, with a 15-inch display, a 60 gb hard drive, and a CD/DVD reader/writer drive for a total price less than 2/3rds the price of the Fujitsu.
In conclusion, Gizmodo, don’t diss the tablet PC unless you’ve really taken the time to use one. It’s perfectly useful as an everyday PC, and the tablet functionality is an excellent creative bonus that simplifies many everyday tasks.
