Will tablets be a tweener?

One of the questions related to client computing that I've been exploring of late is whether we're likely to see a mainstream mobile device or devices emerge between a smartphone and an ultra-portable notebook.

My Illuminata colleague Jonathan Eunice and I debated this subject on a video recently--mostly in the context of long battery life, instant on/off mini-notebooks of various sorts. The HP Jornada 820 of the late 1990s is one possible prototype for such a device, suitably updated for a wirelessly connected world. The stillborn Palm Foleo is another take.

I'm perhaps more skeptical than my colleague that we'll see the right intersection of technologies, costs, and use cases to support a mainstream mobile--but not pocketable--computer that's not a full notebook but has other attributes that make it compellingly better for people on the go.

(This is the point where someone jumps up and yells "NETBOOKS!" To which my response is that Netbooks are not really a category. Leaving aside for the nonce an apparent weakening of their most faddish popularity, Netbooks are really just cheap notebooks. Low price is their distinguishing feature, not battery life or anything else that makes them particularly suited to throwing in a backpack. Even their weight is little different from the best of the ultraportable notebooks.)

Of course, in a sense, we have lots of tweeners today. We have digital cameras, portable gaming consoles such as the Nintendo DS, and e-ink based e-book readers like Amazon's Kindle. But these are all optimized for very specific purposes; they're in no sense general purpose computers or even subsets of computers optimized for mobility.

However, a recent post by ZDNet's Jason Perlow "Forget Kindle DX. How about the ZuneBook?" got me thinking. Might some form of  tablet one day be a tweener of choice?

Let me be crystal clear about one point. I'm not talking about tablet PCs as we know them today. They have their adherents but most people find that it's hard to use them for many of the things that PCs are good for (like writing using a keyboard) while simultaneously carrying over notebook baggage such as weight, relatively short battery life, longish boot times, and so forth.

Rather I'm thinking of something that is physically thin, light, easy to read in sunlight, instant on/off, multitouch screen, wirelessly connected using both Wi-Fi and cellular networks, and about the size of an 8.5-inch by 11-inch pad of paper. I imagine a software environment that isn't necessarily general purpose but could be extended to at least some degree. Google Android or Windows Mobile might be possibilities. Think of it as an e-book reader on steroids.

Such a device isn't possible today even if you leave out the question of what it would cost if it could theoretically be built. The display is the real killer. A color, e-paper, multitouch display is a few years out. OLEDs will improve on existing LCDs on several dimensions--notably, in this context, battery life and thickness. However, OLED technology still doesn't get you to the same easy-on-the-eyes-even-in-sunlight point and all-day-plus battery life as e-paper.

But it seems an interesting direction for device makers to explore. Once the foundation technologies are available, it's something that could deliver qualitatively different experiences than either a pocketable smartphone or a notebook with a keyboard. And that's the sort of compelling differentiation that a tweener device will need to make it big.

[rapier1]

I expect you'll see something from Apple which people will say is what you want but it really won't be.

[Mr. Dee]

"Low price is their distinguishing feature, not battery life or anything else that makes them particularly suited to throwing in a backpack."

What about the fact that they are using the energy efficient Intel ATOM processor? I thought that factored into the batter life advantage of Netbooks and the ability to throw them in a backpack or purse conveniently with the ability to utilize advance networks such as 3G and Wi-Fi to have that anytime, anywhere access to information, plus they are cheap. ...and they run Windows and ASUS makes a Tablet version.

[ghaff]

Yes, but the processor is only part of the energy equation. Plus, because netbooks tend to be a little smaller than even ultraportables, their batteries tend to be smaller as well. Net net is that netbooks don't, as a group, have longer runtimes than other notebooks--and certainly not the all-day-without-thinking-about-it characteristic that would be a big win.

[magvine]

I've wanted something like that for a long time.

[kteare]

CrunchPad?

[ghaff]

Except that the proposed CrunchPad is an LCD. Which might be the practical interim approach but doesn't really get you to what I'm looking for (or to where you need to get to for a mainstream in-between device).

[jacobthechemist]

i think the key for this product will be a large iphone/ipod touch device (10" screen) with no physical keyboard attached. the ability to enter data with a multitouch keyboard will be nice, and the ability to use a bluetooth keyboard and mouse for data input. this way the machine will have the ease of slipping into you bag, taking with wherever you go, and when you need type a lot/want a traditional laptop in the the office or at home, you will be able to get that functionality with a keyboard/mouse.

[forever4now]

I agree. Essentially an eReader (Plastic Logic's form factor is about right) that can also be used like a notebook, with an on-screen keyboard or associated bluetooth keyboard and mouse.

The display technology is the real trick. It would be nice to be able to switch between E-Ink & LCD/OLED, depending on what you are doing with it.

[ghaff]

Right. And you could have a folding Bluetooth keyboard as are available for my Palm which is very portable.

[ghaff]

I agree that ultimately something that merges the best of epaper and LCD/OLED would be the goal--although I'm not sure that anything like that is even on the horizon.

[phydeaux53]

Here's a post I made back in 2007: http://www.cnet.com/8705-4_1-0.html?username=phydeaux53

I'd update it a bit of course given changes in technology: I'd cut the thickness to around 3/8" and up the memory to 2GB. Bluetooth will still give you keyboard/mouse control. 3G and WiFi gives you all the connectivity you need. Keep the accelerometers, rear facing camera (updated to something better than 2Mpix) and add a front facing camera for video conferencing over WiFi. If you're not video conferencing you could still make phone calls via a modified iPhone interface - you still have the touch screen. For me this would replace my cellphone, iPod and 95% of what I do on my laptop with one trim unit. It's only a matter of getting the technology and interfaces right.

[cosuna]

Netbooks ARE A NEW CATEGORY. Just media and OEM's failed to notice that the average consumer doesn't "drink the KoolAid" about the super duper ultra useful trash called UMPC, MID, UID, etc. etc.

People really wanted affordable Laptops (a proven category) with no frills CPUs (not the power hog's Core 2 Duo and Turion) and easy to use OS (not the exotic useless Vista or 7).

It's the first time the consumer has ruled and all the spinning done by OEMs has bit them in the... well you know...

BTW: Netbooks also created a new category, the ODM... which existed all along, when Dell, HP and Apple decided it was cheaper to invest in marketing, than to invest on technology and left the R&D to Wistron, Pegatron, Jabil and others.

Those are the ones that REALLY created the NETBOOK phenomenon.

[WulfTheSaxon]

Wow, I?d almost forgotten about the Jornada. I think it?s an interesting concept that should be revisited? (Even better, how about a convertible tablet-inspired Jornada-type device?)

[bildan2]

Quit harping on keyboards. A tablet has a USB port, buy one of the many tiny KB's, take it with you and plug it in if you need it. If you don't need it, leave it home. The device will be much better if it doesn't have a built-in keyboard.

I want a thin, lightweight pure tablet with desktop power, a 10" sunlight readable screen, wide connectivity, all day battery plus the functionality of an e-reader. Do that at a reasonable price point and they'll sell like hotcakes.