My Stroke of Genius: The Perfect Tablet Concept
byOK, so just follow me here:
Today I had the chance to play with the Motion LE1600 tablet and attachable keyboard and I had a couple ideas that would create THE perfect tablet (for me at least). I would buy the following concept tablet in a instant if ANYONE made one.
The Problem: I love laptops. They’re a wonderful idea and concept. I also love tablets. I want to use my tablet as a slate. I want both in one package.
Motion and a few others have tried to make this happen by making the screen detachable and the keyboard optional. So why don’t I feel complete with this concept? It sucks as a laptop. I don’t want a great tablet and a bad laptop, I want both. All of the ideas are flimsy, wobbly, and while both the TC1100 and the LE1600 gave it a good shot, there’s no wrist rest, no weight on the bottom to even things out, and no feeling of, “Yeah. This is just like my laptop.” I still feel like I’m tying on a dinky detachable keyboard.
My solution after the jump…. The Solution: I thought of this on the way home today. Some people say driving 30 min to and from school would be horrible, but I love it; I have time to think.
First, the base needs to balance out the slate attached. No one wants a top heavy laptop. However, I don’t need the entire package to be light, I just need the slate to be light. I can’t type while standing anyway. So let’s weight the base up. Yeah, with a nice 9 hour battery in the front, creating a nice wrist rest for typing. I’m talking a huge honker that will last me a day or two. Now that’s mobility. I’m thinking we’ll weight the base to about 3-4 lbs. I’ll explain the battery idea more later.
Second, I KNOW keyboards are thin. There’s a lot of extra room in our new weighted base. Let’s take advantage of it. Let’s stick a CD drive in the base on one side behind the battery. The other side can be for wiring and whatever. I don’t want to make this TOO expensive, but we could also make that side the extra hard drive to back your data up to or for extra storage. Now I have a built in CD drive to my slate/convertible tablet. Sweet.
Third, the hinge would be like the TC1100’s, where it can swivel like a convertible and close on itself, or it can disconnect completely.
More on the battery: Now why would I want a 9-12 hour honkin’ battery on a small light slate? Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose? Not so. The slate would have a light weight two-three hour battery so you could use the slate comfortably for extended periods away from the base. The great part is the battery on the base would act as an external power source, letting it run off the extended battery while connected, and at the same time charge the slate battery. Sweet, hu?
If your battery’s running low in the slate, just connect the base, turn it to convertible-style tablet mode and you can keep on truckin’. Once the battery’s charged a little, you can ditch it again. You could attach the base, slip the tablet in your backpack between classes, and have a fully charged tablet all day long, with a back-up in case you have four classes in a row.
I modeled it using the M200 because I generally like the size. The total weight would be around 5-6 lbs, but that’s good for a laptop. The slate would be only 2.5 or so. As long as this tablet has a 12″ screen, at least 1.3 GHz, and is upgradeable to 2 GB RAM, I’ll be the first in line to buy.
Somebody do this for me, please, or I’ll have to jury-rig one myself!!!
Oh, and manufactures who pick up my idea and sell it as their own, don’t thank me, just send me a free tablet ;-).
Other posts that may interest you:
I love it.
We need this now!
-arebelspy
March 21st, 2006 at 3:44 amTracy’s Designing Tablet PCs
Tracy Hooten has figured out her ideal Tablet PC design and she’s spec’d it out. I modeled it using the M200 because I generally like the size. The total weight would be around 5-6 lbs, but that’s good for a
March 21st, 2006 at 6:43 amTake a look at the ThinkPad tablet. I’ve found it to have more of the features that you are looking for. I like the battery pack that give you a way to hold it while you are using it as a tablet.
March 21st, 2006 at 7:51 amOf course I like your portable “dock”. I tied 2 rulers together at the center, with a screen door hook. Then taped a loop to the bottom of the M1400 keyboard. Sitting on the “X” pattern and engaging the hook doesn’t work for a skirt or a kilt, but it can pin the keyboard to my legs so the tablet weight won’t topple everything over.
March 21st, 2006 at 10:30 amI can’t imagine when you will need 9 hours of continuous runtime without an option to change batteries. Get X41T which has 5 hours battery and get a spare. I own an X41T which is 4 lbs including battery and I already think it’s too heavy. I can’t imagine carrying around something that’s over 5lbs. The only thing the X41T would be missing is the optical drive. Extra hard driver slot is a waste of space even on a normal laptop so I can’t imagine it being appropriate for an ultraportable.
March 21st, 2006 at 10:46 amI like the ideas! I’d include a second CPU in the base as well for extra computing power (since there’s space for it).
Unfortunately, though, your idea of using a TC1100 style hinge won’t work without some modifications. I’ve got a TC1000 and while I love it, one drawback is that it is not possible to fold the screen over the keyboard with the screen side down. You can only fold it screen side up which is unfortunate and caused by the hinge itself which holds the screen midway back on the base when the screen is up. That may not be easy to understand from my written description but if you play with a TC1000 or TC1100, you’ll see what I mean.
March 21st, 2006 at 11:00 amNo no no, people, the X41T isn’t what I’m looking for. I think ya’ll are missing the key point that the slate is still detachable from the base.
Perry - I have played with the TC1100, I just wanted that idea where you could swivel it like a convertible tablet, but it still came off. I wouldn’t expect a 1 gen tablet to get it perfect so there’d definitely be modifications (like making it function EXACTLY like a convertible, but it’s the same idea.
Why do I want 9 hours+ computing power without swapping batteries? Ask any Gateway M280 owner. It’s pure bliss to not have to worry about it for 6-7 hours. I HATE swapping batteries. It’s so time consuming, even the hot swap ones. Plus, when you have to carry around the extra battery all day, it’s like your tablet is that much heavier anyway.
However, I don’t see any reason we can’t have a cheap plastic filler for those who don’t want to carry around a huge battery, but that would defeat the point in more than one way. The base wouldn’t be weighted anymore.
March 21st, 2006 at 11:28 amI definitely agree with you on the swivel + remove screen idea.
Why not go even further with the base/keyboard and make it more like a “mobile docking station” with some extra USB and FireWire ports on it as well?
March 21st, 2006 at 11:38 amI like this idea as well, and would certainly seriously consider a setup like this.
I would add a daylight viewable screen option though.
As much as the second processor idea sounds appealing, their is not a way to implement a hot-swap processor in a laptop form factor (that is what the second processor would have to be).
The easiest way I can think to implement something like this is to use a dock solution, much like others have mentioned. The hinge would have to be wider to accomodate the necessary data channels, but not excessively so. You would want some sort of durable locking mechanism as well. One serious problem would be creating the hinge/connector that would stand up to use/abuse. Right now, I still only have a laptop, and it (along with its predecessor) already has stress fractures formed at the hinges.
Using a dock would also allow current slate manufacturers to create a similar solution without having to reenginneer everything.
March 21st, 2006 at 9:52 pmLol, no, not an extra processor in the base, but an extra hard drive, which would work just like an external hard drive.
It actually doesn’t sound too hard to rig one with the right slate, a thin keyboard like the ThinkOutside, an external battery back, maybe a USB dock, a protable external 40GB storage drive, and a thin cd drive all duck-taped together with black duct tape. Then the hard part would just be rigging a way to hold up the slate…ok I really would just like some company to do this for me.
I’m glad y’all understand the idea that this is more like a keyboard plus super dock.
March 21st, 2006 at 10:31 pmTracy, first of all… 30 minutes? Ha! Try driving an hour to work each way in traffic. Best to get used to it now.
You are so dead right on this it’s not even funny. I have a LE1600 and I detest typing on it. It constantly wobbles and if I put it on my lap, it will fall over. But when I think about getting a convertible, I start worrying about weight.
The beauty of your design (if it’s even technically feasible, I have no idea) is that you not only get the lightweight slate, but when you are using the sturdy convertible, you get the extras like you mentioned, longer batter, optical drive, etc. You could probably even put a decent set of speakers in it. My 17″ Toshiba Satellite laptop had awesome speakers.
March 22nd, 2006 at 1:45 amJosh - heh, it’s an hour in traffic, but the beauty of college schedules is I get to pick when I drive; this year I leave at 11 AM and get home at 8 PM. No traffic! And to all my friends that live on campus, 30 min is a lot ^_^. It only sucks with the 8AM classes…I had a semester with one of those everyday. I had to leave at 6:50 to get there on time and I’m in no way a morning person.
I’m glad you agree about the tablet design! I was beginning to wonder if this was a “just me” moment ^_^. I think this keyboard style is the untapped goldmine of slate tablets. There’s so much you could do with it and still have your little slate when you need it.
I like the speaker idea! Then it could be called a media slate! I’m sure the slate designers would love this because of all the stuff they could cram on the keyboard instead of the slate, making it either thinner, lighter, cooler, or more feature rich. Come to think of it, I’m surprised a frustrated slate designer hasn’t implemented this already.
It almost seems like less stuff crammed onto the slate, like several USB ports (I just need one and a dock), nice speakers, decent battery life, and other I haven’t thought of that aren’t really needed in slate mode, the more room you would have for cooling methods, allowing for faster processor. Since the slowness of most slates is a bummer for me rught now, that would greatly increase the market. Granted, all this will cost in the 2-3 grand range, but I’d pay it…
BTW, since I was modeling it with the idea of the LE1600 as the slate, in my head it already had a VA, 180 degree screen. If it could be brighter, that’d be cool too.
March 22nd, 2006 at 4:12 amBlue-tooth enable the keyboard, and you could mount the slate on a stand that would place it at eye-level while you type
March 22nd, 2006 at 9:12 amBTW, can’t help but notice your post today at 4:12 AM… are you on a seriously dysfunctional schedule or what?!
March 22nd, 2006 at 9:14 amYes, I have dysfunctional sleeping habits, but in my defense, I fell asleep on the couch, woke up, checked my mail, saw a comment notification, replied, then fell back to sleep…on the couch. But at least I wasn’t up until 4:12 AM. I did get some sleep.
March 22nd, 2006 at 1:23 pmI just took a look at the Motion site, and think that you could get rather close to your ideal if there was a way to connect the extended battery (or two!) to the snap on keyboard. You would still be missing the optical drive, but it could be a step in the right direction.
For me, your perfect system is missing some sort of PCI-e graphics. Need to plan ahead for Vista Aero!
March 22nd, 2006 at 2:28 pmThat would be neat and a step in the right direction, except the motion extended battery is flat and the idea is to counter balance the slate leaning back by having all the battery in the front to serve as a wrist rest. A wrist rest is really something you take for granted when you use a laptop in your lap.
And the more graphics they can get goin in this slate, the better! I was more planning the physical layout.
I think vista will use unused flash memory as RAM, so a card reader or something would be cool fore the media-friendly/high-powered side of this concept, also.
I essentially want a high powered laptop I can use as a good slate when I want to. Is that too much to ask?!? lol I think not.
March 22nd, 2006 at 2:43 pmTell me you wouldn’t buy this just because it’s so trick
The Student Tablet PC: My Stroke of Genius: The Perfect Tablet Concept Despite not having a tablet, which I sorta want and after getting two new computers in four months I’m sort of kicking myself about not getting one, I subscribe to STP for the…
March 23rd, 2006 at 12:43 pmTracy, I like your thoughts on the tablet. This would be great for the people who love convertibles. I personally hated the thought of exactly what you described - a heavier slate suspended on a light keyboard. That’s why I chose Fujitsu’s slate. I don’t “dock” the slate on the keyboard so I’m free. I don’t have the weight that seems unnatural on the keyboard.
Why would you want to lug around a lot of weight to recharge a battery when you could just slap another battery in and be good to go? Unless you’re talking about living on campus or something, I’d rather just have a docking station and be done with it. The idea of more processing power - now that’s something I desire as well. The ST5030’s form is perfect for me. Seriously, anything that I have against this poor little machine (and I’ve done good to rant against these issues) is mainly the internal power. The problem is that when I want that power, I’d be in slate mode. If I had a dock that had another chip to make it more powerful etc. , I’d just use a desktop then. All this get-up would cost more than having two computers, especially when you see commercials on TV for a whole computer for less than $500, including monitor. Either this, or I’d just get the docking station with harddrive and CDrom/DVD recorder. If you’re not planning on lugging it around, then why bother? And if you are planning on lugging it around, I’d want less weight. They do make those “portable” batteries that plug into your systems to recharge your batteries, but have you seen the weight of those monsters?
Great ideas though! I think you caught the problem I did with Motion and Electrovaya’s keyboard design - which is why I went with Fujitsu. Besides processor power and video power, I’ve never wished for more.
BTW, you’re not supposed to rest your wrists while typing - that’s bad ergonomics. I’d hate to be sued by actually adding something with intent that could be brought to use against you in the future.
March 25th, 2006 at 10:02 amThe wrist rest would be for stablizing the computer while it’s on your lap. It’s so when I shift my legs and try to keep the computer from tilting, my fingers don’t hit any buttons.
Seriously. That’s why I want a wrist rest.
March 25th, 2006 at 6:37 pmTracy’s perfect hybrid Tablet PC
I finally had some time over the weekend to catch up on some interesting blog posts that I had tagged for later reading and am I glad I did. Tablet PC MVP Tracy Hooten of The Student Tablet PC has been brainstorming about what she feels would be the pe…
March 27th, 2006 at 8:24 amPERFECT!!!! I would buy this. This is DEFINITELY what I want. I wanted a convertible but then I thought about it and I decided I wanted a slate with a detachable screen, but I still feel a certain tug to the laptop-ness of the convertible. This is perfect it’s everything I wanted all in one. Including the CD drive!!!!
July 26th, 2007 at 2:14 pmOh sorry, I almost forgot, somebody said up there that you’re not supposed to rest your wrists while typing, which is true. I do not rest my wrists when typing but I do rest them when using the touchpad and mouse buttons. So it’s still a good idea.
July 26th, 2007 at 2:19 pmA cable would do the job of synching up just as well and wouldn’t commit Apple’s design team to making sure the form factor of their future products fits the slot.
June 11th, 2008 at 6:18 pmI really like tablet laptops. And I really like the ones with the curved egdes. Plus it would great for when I am designing thing in D.T. But how much would one like this cost?
November 18th, 2008 at 6:36 pm