This is just my opinion but I like to share it with you. I've been using the iPad for awhile now, since it went on sale. Waited early in line for it too. And when I am on it, I couldn't have been more productive. Yeah, even more productive with some tasks than on my MacBook.
I write, study, read, and, on a few occasions, draw. When the need arises, I surf the web, Bing out searches, and check on tweets. On a regular computer, there is quite a bit that can distract you. IM, video, emails, and whatever bells and whistles that one might install on there.
With a tablet, there is multitasking but the screen is only filled with the app and nothing else. Push notification might come through to let me know I've got to harvest my broccoli on We Rule but I van easily dismiss that. The same goes for incoming mails and instant messages. Get rid of the pop-up message and I get right back to what I was working on.
On the G1 and iPhone, I hack out a blog entry or two when I wait in line at post offices or supermarket checkouts. A few times, I also dictated notes and emails, allow me to maximize my time where as before, I would just waste away pockets of 10 or 15 minutes of time away staring at the back of the head of the person in front of me or lamented why I am always stuck in the slowest line ever.
Still, working on smartphones is nothing like working on the iPad or on the future on tablets with the hardware-software combo.
A couple if reasons why this is so. First, Apps are usually designed for single-purpose functions. Writing. Reading. Surfing. Searching. Gaming.
The other reason is real estate. Tablets have bigger screens. For me, It mean more production. Smaller screens such as those on the iPhone, while it doesn't mean apps are limited in what they can do, does hinder the workflow.
Even when I am gaming, it is nothing else but that. On a mobile device, you can be distracted by a call and depending on how popular you are, it can be quite frequent.
Of course, this is on the iPad and future tablets based on Android, RIM, or WebOS might be very much different. LG promises tablet that'll allow users to be more productive than the iPad. I think it is a rather bold statement and I love to see LG carry that though. Competition is great, especially for us mobile warriors.
However, I am not optimistic. Carriers and some Apple competitors have the idea that more is better. And I am not sure that is what we want on tablets. Take Sense from HTC. It is a nice skin but it can be distracting. It works well on smart devices but it may not fit well with an agenda-driven tablet market. And LG's idea of productivity may not yield the desired effects.
In general, tablets should be the tools that most students and mobile warriors roll as they become more power and versatile.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch
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