A tablet PC has been defined as a notebook or a small pocket size flat screen computer usually fitted with a touch screen which permits the user to operate it using a stylus which is a pen or even the fingertip as opposed to using the keyboard or mouse which are perceived to be clumsy. The background to its design can be traced back to the 19thcentury where the first patent on using an electrical device to capture handwriting was awarded to Elisha Gray in 1888. In 2001, Bill Gates of Microsoft launched the very first prototype using the tablet PC version software and today there are several applications that are in use but only one has the Windows Vista or the Windows XP tablet connection, which are the only programs that it is able to run.
Digital Tablet
There are generally three types of tablet PCs. The first ones are the slates which lack a keyboard. However, one can be installed through a wireless connection or a through a USB connection. Their LCD screens typically measure 14 inches by 36 cm on the higher side. The concept of no keyboard is because the biggest goal in designing them was for mobility. A keyboard would imply more breakables. Another form but inclusive of a keyboard is the convertible notebook. It is heavier and larger than a slate and has a rotating screen that folds to provide a surface to write. The third make is the hybrid type which has features of both the slate and the convertible and with a keyboard that can be detached. However, the hybrid type has not been very popular and its production has had to be discontinued.
The tablet PC has several applications that are unique to it as opposed to the other computers. It possesses an ink desk top which enables the user to write directly on the surface together with ink arts and ink crosswords. It also possesses ink flash cards that enable the user to employ their own hand writing, an equation writer that converts handwritten equations into computer images among other applications. The tablet PC being a portable pocket size computer is perceived to be of great importance especially to the individual. With it, the world is only a touch away. At the touch of the screen one is able to access information all over the world. The portability means that the person can access this information from whichever point that he or she is in.