2.+Tablet+Computing

 ** Background: History of the __Tablet Computer__ **

The first __tablet computers__ were developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s. These __tablet computers__ consisted of a large computer terminal attached to a receiver pad, which received electrical or magnetic input from a stylus. These computers were very expensive to make and were extremely heavy.

The first tablet-style computer was the [|DynaBook], which was developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s by Alan Kay. The DynaBook was a tablet-form computer developed prior to the __laptop__. The screen was at the top, which contained liquid crystal, which was a new technology at the time.



The first commercially available tablet computer was the [|GRiDPad] in 1989. The GrRIDPad was developed by Jeff Hawkins, who later founded Palm. The GRIDPad included a monochromatic capacitance touch screen and a wired stylus. It weighted a little less than 5 pounds (2.26 kilograms). It was bulky and heavier than today's __tablet computer__. The GRIDPad had a short battery __life__ of only three hours.



The early __tablets__ introduced in the 1980s offered hand-writing recognition, but __tablets__ didn’t really take off until the early 1990s. The first operating system, PenPoint OS, was designed specifically for pen computers. Microsoft and __Apple__ began to develop pen computing solutions of their own. This led to the development of IBM’s first ThinkPad, the 700T. Other companies tried to develop __tablets__, but their products failed due to the technological limitations at the time. This led to the market for Tablets to literally disappear in 1995.

__Microsoft__ endeavored to resurrect the tablet by creating their own Tablet PC design, a pen computer prototype that would run a modified version of Windows XP, entitled the Tablet PC Edition. This Tablet creation brought pen computing back to life, but only in a limited way. This modified version of a desktop operating system was well-suited to pen or touch interfaces.

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