Johnny Ray

It seems 2011 will be the year of the tablet. It’s funny how just a year or so ago, most people were saying there wasn’t a real market for tablets – that they didn’t provide any real purpose. Well, you can still make that argument, but that doesn’t mean the demand isn’t there. So what exactly is it people are really demanding? Is a device that’s too big to be a phone yet, too small (and low on functionality) to be a laptop – or even a netbook – really that important to us? I must admit, I was a bit skeptical when the tablet was first beginning to catch traction. However, I did not allow that to stop me from testing the waters. A couple months after the release of the iPad I purchased one. I enjoyed the device. I’d have to say the number one selling point of the iPad will have to be the gaming – it’s an excellent gaming device. I’m not much of a gamer personally so although I recognized the iPad’s remarkable gaming capabilities, that did not stop me from selling it a couple months later. I do, however miss the e-reading capability.

The iPad isn’t the only slate in town. Since then, Samsung has released the Galaxy Tab – an Android based tablet device. It’s a smaller device than the iPad but has similar functionality (wifi, 3G, e-reading etc.). Apple is expected to release the iPad 2 (that’s not the official name) in 2011. I’m willing to bet it will have a front facing camera which will make it Face Time capable. This will help to expand the device’s communication capabilities. The Samsung Galaxy Tab already has this capability. In addition to the new iPad, 2011 promises* to bring several other tablet devices. Recently, Andy Rubin, while demonstrating the new Google Maps application showed us a prototype of a Motorola tablet device. Also, there’s the once famous, now infamous Notion Ink Adam which is supposed to be released next month. I say infamous simply because of the controversial pre-order launch of the device. I won’t get into the nitty gritty but it all boils down to crashing servers, lack of communication, no mastercard payment options, confusion and the fact that despite people paying over $500 for the device, the final product has yet to be demonstrated or even photographed. Notion Ink has indicated it has heard the concerns of its current and would-be customers and announced a detailed video showing the device and its UI will be released on December 18th. Honestly, I had high hopes for the Adam. My confidence was shaken during the whole pre-order debacle and the resulting war of words between NI and Android Police. However, I’ll be the first to eat my words and sing praises should NI actually deliver in two days (NI has indeed delivered it’s video and can be viewed here ).

Fusion Garage’s JooJoo tablet was recently discontinued. It was a little TOO much of a niche device. Although it looked great, it was nothing more than a web browser. I don’t necessarily think this is a bad thing, but the price was comparable to the iPad. Sure, the iPad doesn’t have native flash capabilities in the browser but other than that, feature wise, there was no contest – iPad won. I was pleased to read later that the JooJoo 2 (not the official name) will return with an Android based OS (Good move, Fusion Garage).

I’m quite interested in seeing what Motorola will do with their tablet. The line of ‘Droid’ phones they’ve been releasing with Verizon Wireless are arguably the best Android based phones on the market today (My original, rooted Droid is still running strong with Bugless Beast 0.4 overclocked at 1.2gz). Anyway, back to tablets: what are they for? Well, it sort of depends on who you ask. In my humble opinion, they’re just a different form factor general purpose computing device. For the gamers, they’re a great gaming device and everything else is just frosting. To others, it’s a great way to check your email, surf the web, and stay connected via social networking. And to some, it’s a kick ass e-reader with some extra flavor. The confusion about the purpose of tablets stems from it being a completely new type of device. We’ve had desktops, laptops, cell phones etc for quite a while. Yes, their capabilities have grown exponentially but they have a place in our lives. Take a look at smart phones…hell, of all the things I use my smart phone for, a phone is probably one of last things on the list, yet, it’s still called a smart phone. Why? Because before it was anything else, it was a phone – period. Tablets are different. They’re new to us. They weren’t anything before tablets. They don’t fit anywhere – yet. It may be a while before tablets find their niche purpose.

Ladies & gentlemen, Hell has officially frozen over. Apple has released a statement today indicating that it will be “relaxing all restrictions on the development tools used to create iOS apps…” Yep, you read that correctly. For those of us who follow this closely remember when these restrictions were first put into place. It was an obvious jab at Adobe. Adobe developed a tool which cross-compiled flash based applications to native iOS applications. In a direct response, Apple restricted the development of iOS applications using third party tools. Now, Apple seems to be completely reversing that decision. This is great news for the development community as it gives developers the freedom to develop iPhone applications using any set of tools with which they feel comfortable. Apple cited the voice of the development community as the reason for the change of heart. Say what you like about Mr. Jobs but, he’s certainly no fool. If Apple wants to remain competitive in the long term, things are going to have to change. This is yet another example of how healthy competition is good for the consumer.