[citation][nom]jnc852[/nom]I dont understand the point of tablets or the people willing to waste $$ on them.... We pretty much all have smartphones and computers now, so i dont understand where a tablet for $600 fits in. there are soooooo many other things i need besides a device that is "the perfect bridge between smartphones and notebooks". I'd even rather take that cash and spend it on a better laptop.[/citation]
I'll let you in on the thought process:
1. I'd like to read internet news, political and techie, in some way other than on my computer screen, preferably without the keyboard getting in the way. I hate newspapers and magazines because they produce so much trash. My phone's screen is far too small for that. So, this leaves a tablet. Also, it could be presented in a format similar to a magazine where my phone or computer could not.
2. I like the handheld games like Gem Miner and Angry Birds, but my phone screen isn't very good for that. My fingers are just too thick, and I often misclick things. A tablet would be good for this.
3. laptops, while nice for their uses, are too bulky for sitting on the couch and doing things like this. a tablet would be nice for this.
4. I'm hoping future apps for tablets will include things like remote controlling my HTPC so I can adjust volume, rewind, pause, and select things to watch from my tablet, along with tools for troubleshooting and administering PCs and servers (I'm in server support) without having to hook up a monitor and keyboard, and perhaps even hacking tools for resetting a server password. (I frequently have to deal with this on test servers, where a previous tested reset a password and doesn't remember what it was.) I would also like a tablet where I could hook up a USB to serial connector so I could administer FC and network switches and headless servers, but that would be a pretty narrow market. (The app could show the command line interface and have components of macros off to one side to avoid having to type everything out all the time.)
5. It would also be nice to hook up and watch Hulu shows while waiting at a mechanic or government office. Those places get so boring.
I could go on with lower priority uses, but these are my main ones. They really do have some good uses.