Clearing up the Tablet Confusion

You’ve surely seen the excitement around tablet computing. Today, all of the major technology vendors have released or announced tablet computers, including Apple, Google, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, Research in Motion, and a host of others.

While this may come as a surprise, the concept of tablet computers has been around for a long time. In the early to mid 90s, tablets were available from vendors such as Toshiba, Fujitsu and Panasonic, mostly running versions of Windows. These machines required a stylus or pen to operate, were clunky compared to offerings today, and were not widely adopted. However, they served very specific needs in niche markets such as health care, military and manufacturing.

With the advent of touch computing and Apple's iPad, the market has changed dramatically, leaving most technology companies trying to catch up. This blog will attempt to explain some of the confusion behind each of the offerings from the major tech players, and what these devices mean to you.