Computer 101: Kinds of Computer Tablet

Graphics Tablet

Graphics tablet or digitizing tablet, a computer input device for capturing hand-drawn images and graphics A graphics tablet (or digitizer, digitizing tablet, graphics pad, drawing tablet) is a computer input device that enables a user to hand-draw images and graphics, similar to the way a person draws images with a pencil and paper. These tablets may also be used to capture data or handwritten signatures. It can also be used to trace an image from a piece of paper which is taped or otherwise secured to the surface. Capturing data in this way, either by tracing or entering the corners of linear poly-lines or shapes is called digitizing.

Digitizing or digitization is the representation of an object, image, sound, document or a signal (usually an analog signal) by a discrete set of its points or samples. The result is called digital representation or, more specifically, a digital image, for the object, and digital form, for the signal. Strictly speaking, digitizing means simply capturing an analog signal in digital form. For a document the term means to trace the document image or capture the "corners" where the lines end or change direction.

Image via Wikipedia

A graphics tablet (also called pen pad or digitizer) consists of a flat surface upon which the user may "draw" or trace an image using an attached stylus, a pen-like drawing apparatus. The image generally does not appear on the tablet itself but, rather, is displayed on the computer monitor. Some tablets, however, come as a functioning secondary computer screen that you can interact with images directly by using the stylus.

In computing, a stylus (or stylus pen) is a small pen-shaped instrument that is used to input commands to a computer screen, mobile device or graphics tablet. With touch screen devices a user places a stylus on the surface of the screen to draw or make selections by tapping the stylus on the screen. Pen-like input devices which are larger than a stylus, and offer increased functionality such as programmable buttons, pressure sensitivity and electronic erasers, are often known as digital pen.

The stylus is the primary input device for personal digital assistants. It is also used on the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS game consoles. Some Smartphone, such as Windows phones, require a stylus for accurate input. However, devices featuring multi-touch finger-input are becoming more popular than stylus-driven devices in the Smartphone market capacitive styli, different from standard styli, can be used for these finger-touch devices (iPhone, etc.).

Image via Wikipedia

Graphics tablets use styli containing circuitry (powered by battery or operating passively by change of inductance), to allow multi-function buttons on the barrel of the pen or stylus to transmit user actions to the tablet. Some (probably most) tablets detect varying degrees of pressure sensitivity, e.g. for use in a drawing program to vary line thickness or color density. Some tablets are intended as a general replacement for a mouse as the primary pointing and navigation device for desktop computers.

Internet Tablet

Internet tablet, a mobile appliance focused on Internet and media features is the name of a range of mobile Internet appliances that focus on Internet and media features. Internet tablets fall in the range between a personal digital assistant (PDA) and an Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC), and slightly below Intel's Mobile Internet device (MID).

Tablet computer

Tablet computer, a mobile computer which is primarily operated by touching the screen. A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a complete mobile computer, larger than a mobile phone or personal digital assistant, integrated into a flat touch screen and primarily operated by touching the screen. It often uses an onscreen virtual keyboard, a passive stylus pen, or a digital pen[citation needed], rather than a physical keyboard.

Image via Wikipedia

Electrical devices with data input and output on a flat information display have existed as early as 1888. Throughout the 20th century many devices with these characteristics have been ideated and created whether as blueprints, prototypes or commercial products, with the Dyna-book concept in 1968 being an spiritual precursor of tablets and laptops. During the 2000s Microsoft attempted to define the tablet personal computer (tablet PC) product concept as a mobile computer for field work in business, though their devices failed to achieve widespread usage due mainly to price and usability problems that made them unsuitable outside of their limited intended purpose. In April 2010 Apple Inc. released the iPad, a tablet computer with an emphasis on media consumption. The shift in purpose, together with increased usability, battery life, simplicity, lower weight and cost, and overall quality with respect to previous tablets, was perceived as defining a new class of consumer device and shaped the commercial market for tablets in the following year. 

The term may also apply to a variety of form factors that differ in position of the screen with respect to a keyboard. The standard form is called slate, which does not have an integrated keyboard but may be connected to one with a wireless link or a USB port. Convertible notebook computers have an integrated keyboard that can be hidden by a swivel joint or slide joint, exposing only the screen for touch operation. Hybrids have a detachable keyboard so that the touch screen can be used as a stand-alone tablet. Booklets include two touch screens, and can be used as a notebook by displaying a virtual keyboard in one of them.

Tablet Personal Computer

Tablet personal computer, a tablet computer which runs a full desktop operating system. A tablet personal computer or tablet PC is a tablet-sized computer that also has the key features of a full-size personal computer. A tablet PC is essentially a small laptop computer, equipped with a rotatable touch screen as an additional input device, and running a standard (or lightly adapted) PC operating system like Windows or Linux. The term was made popular with the Microsoft Tablet PC concept presented by Microsoft in 2001. Today, the term tablet is also used to refer to computer-like devices operated primarily by a touch screen but not intended to run general PC operating systems or applications.

Microsoft Tablet PC

Microsoft Tablet PC, a pen-enabled personal computer specification announced by Microsoft in 2001.A Microsoft Tablet PC is a term coined by Microsoft for tablet computers conforming to a set of specifications announced in 2001 by Microsoft, for a pen-enabled personal computer, conforming to hardware specifications devised by Microsoft and running a licensed copy of Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system or a derivative thereof.  Hundreds of such tablet personal computers have come onto the market since then.