History of Tablet Pc

Timeline

Before 1950

• 1888: U.S. Patent granted to Elisha Gray on electrical stylus device for capturing handwriting.^[1][50]
• 1915: U.S. Patent on handwriting recognition user interface with a stylus.^[2][51]
• 1942: U.S. Patent on touchscreen for handwriting input.^[52][53]
• 1945: Vannevar Bush proposes the Memex, a data archiving device including handwriting input, in an essay As We May Think.^[54]

1950s

• Tom Dimond demonstrates the Styalator electronic tablet with pen for computer input and software for recognition of handwritten text in real-time.^[3]

1960s

• Early 1960s
  • RAND Tablet invented.^[55][56] The RAND Tablet is better known than the Styalator, but was invented later.

• Late 1960s
  • Alan Kay of Xerox PARC proposed a notebook computer, optionally using pen input, called the Dynabook: however the device is never constructed or implemented with pen input.
• 1966
  • In the science fiction television series Star Trek, crew members carry large, wedge-shaped electronic clipboards, operated through the use of a stylus.
• 1968
  • Filmmaker Stanley Kubrick imagines a flatscreen tablet device wirelessly playing a streaming video broadcast in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Wireless tablet device in the movie 2001: A space odyssey

1980s

• 1982
  • Pencept of Waltham, Massachusetts markets a general-purpose computer terminal using a tablet and handwriting recognition instead of a keyboard and mouse.^[57]
  • Cadre System markets the Inforite point-of-sale terminal using handwriting recognition and a small electronic tablet and pen.^[58]
• 1985
  • Pencept^[59] and CIC^[60] both offer PC computers for the consumer market using a tablet with handwriting recognition instead of a keyboard and mouse. Operating system is MS-DOS.
• 1987
  • The Knowledge Navigator concept piece by Apple Computer.

• 1989
  • The first commercially available tablet-type portable computer was the GRiDPad^[61] from GRiD Systems, released in September. Its operating system was based on MS-DOS.
  • Wang Laboratories introduces Freestyle, an application that captured a screen from a DOS application, and let users add voice and handwriting annotations. It was a sophisticated predecessor to later note-taking applications for systems like tablet computers.^[62] The operating system was MS-DOS
  • In partnership with Fujitsu, the Poqet Computer Corporation announced the arrival of the Poqet PC.

1990s

• 1991
  • The Momenta Pentop was released.^[63]
  • GO Corporation announced a dedicated operating system, called PenPoint OS, with control of the operating system desktop via handwritten gesture shapes.^[64][65]
  • NCR released model 3125 pen computer running MS-DOS, Penpoint OS or Pen Windows.^[66]
  • The Apple Newton entered development; although it ultimately became a PDA, its original concept (which called for a larger screen and greater sketching abilities) resembled the hardware of a tablet computer.
• 1992
  • GO Corporation shipped the PenPoint OS for general availability and IBM announced IBM 2125 pen computer (the first IBM model named "ThinkPad") in April.^[67]
  • Microsoft releases Windows for Pen Computing as a response to the PenPoint OS by GO Corporation.
• 1993
  • Fujitsu releases the Poqet PC the first pen tablet to use an integrated wireless LAN^[68]
  • Apple Computer announces the Newton PDA, also known as the Apple MessagePad, which includes handwriting recognition with a stylus.
  • The IBM releases the ThinkPad, IBM's first commercialized portable tablet computer product available to the consumer market, as the IBM ThinkPad 750P and 360P^[69]
  • BellSouth released the IBM Simon Personal Communicator, an analog cellphone using a touchscreen and display. It did not include handwriting recognition, but did permit users to write messages and send them as faxes on the analog cellphone network, and included PDA and email features.
  • AT&T introduced the EO Personal Communicator combining PenPoint with wireless communications.
• 1994
  • Knight-Ridder concept video of a tablet device with focus on media consumption.^[6]
• 1996
  • The Digital Equipment Corporation releases the DEC Lectrice.
• 1999
  • The "QBE" pen computer created by Aqcess Technologies wins Comdex Best of Show.^[70]
• 2000
  • PaceBlade develops the first device that meets the Microsoft's Tablet PC standard^[71] and received the "Best Hardware" award at VAR Vision 2000
  • The "QBE Vivo" pen computer created by Aqcess Technologies ties for Comdex Best of Show.
• 2001
  • Bill Gates of Microsoft demonstrates the first public prototype of a Tablet PC (defined by Microsoft as a pen-enabled computer conforming to hardware specifications devised by Microsoft and running a licensed copy of the "Windows XP Tablet PC Edition" operating system)^[72] at Comdex.
• 2002
  • Microsoft releases the Microsoft Tablet PC.
• 2003
  • PaceBlade receives the "Innovation des Jahres 2002/2003" award for the PaceBook Tablet PC from PC Professional Magazine at the Cebit
  • Fingerworks^[73] develops the touch technology and touch gestures later used in the Apple iPhone.
• 2005
  • Nokia launches the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet.
• 2006
  • Samsung introduces the Samsung Q1 UMPC.
  • Windows Vista released for general availability. Vista included the functionality of the special Tablet PC edition of Windows XP.
  • On Disney Channel Original Movie, Read It and Weep, Jamie uses a Tablet PC for her journal.
• 2007
  • Axiotron introduces Modbook, the first (and only) tablet computer based on Mac hardware and Mac OS X at Macworld.^[74]
  • Archos launches Archos 605 WiFi, a PMP with WiFi. Virtually a tablet pc.
  • Apple launches iPod touch, an mp3 player with WiFi. It took Apple two years to turn this concept into a tablet pc.
• 2008
  • In April 2008, as part of a larger federal court case, the gesture features of the Windows/Tablet PC operating system and hardware were found to infringe on a patent by GO Corp. concerning user interfaces for pen computer operating systems.^[4] Microsoft's acquisition of the technology is the subject of a separate lawsuit.^[75][76]
  • HP releases the second multi-touch capable tablet: the HP TouchSmart tx2 series.^[77]
• 2009
  • Asus announces a tablet netbook, the EEE PC T91 and T91MT, the latter with a multi-touch screen.
  • Always Innovating announced a new tablet netbook with an ARM CPU.
  • Motion Computing launched the J3400.

2010s

• 2010
  • MobileDemand launches the xTablet T7000 Rugged Tablet PC which runs a full Windows OS and includes an integrated numeric keypad.
  • Fusion Garage releases the JooJoo, running Linux.
  • Apple unveils the iPad, running Apple iOS.
  • Samsung unveils the Galaxy Tab, running Google Android.
  • Neofonie releases the WeTab, a MeeGo-based slate tablet PC, featuring an 11.6 inch multi-touch screen at 1366×768 pixels resolution.^[78][79][80]
  • MobileDemand launches the xTablet T7000 Rugged Tablet PC which runs a full Windows OS and features include an integrated numeric keypad, bar code scanner, credit card reader, etc.
  • Quaduro Systems unveils the 10" QuadPad 3G Plus, a 900 gram Microsoft Windows based 3G tablet PC with 8 hours of battery life.
  • bModo launches the bModo12 which runs the Windows 7 OS and features include 11.6" TFT-LCD display, 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 2.1, USB2.0, SDHC slot, unlocked SIM card Slot, miniHDMI connector, OMTP Jack, a webcam, a mic, etc.
  • Dixons Retail plc unveils the Advent Vega, a 10" tablet PC running Android 2.2, having a 1 GHz NVIDIA Tegra chipset, 512 Mb of RAM and ROM, 1.3 MP camera, WiFi b/g connectivity, Bluetooth 2.1, a micro SD card slot, a USB port and a 16h battery life for audio playback and 6.5h for 1080p video.^[81]
  • Dell Announces the Inspiron Duo A flip screen Netbook and Tablet PC hybrid
  • HP releases the Slate 500, running a full-version of Windows 7
• 2011
  • Motorola releases Xoom a 10 inch tablet running Android 3.0 (Honeycomb)
  • RIM releases BlackBerry Playbook running BlackBerry Tablet OS, based on QNX Neutrino
  • MobileDemand announces the high-performance xTablet C1200 Rugged Convertible Tablet PC running a full Windows 7 OS featuring a 12" sunlight-readable display, keyboard and finger touch data entry, full color camera, and meets MIL-STD 810G standards for ruggedness.
  • Asus announces the EEE Pad MeMO (7 inch tablet), EEE Slate EP121 (Windows 7 tablet), EEE Pad Transformer (10 inch tablet with Android and docking keyboard that transforms it into a laptop form factor) and EEE Pad Slider (10 inch tablet with sliding screen over the QWERTY keyboard) [all tablets use IPS display]
  • Dell showcases the Streak 7 tablet and says it's working on the 10 inch Streak 10
  • ZTE announces the ZTE V11 that runs Android 3.0, and the Z-pad.^[82]
  • Apple announces the iPad 2
  • Toshiba announces the Toshiba Tablet, a 10 inch tablet powered by a Tegra 2 process and Android 3.0 Honeycomb ^[83]
  • Samsung announces Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and 8.9, the world's thinnest tablets, running Android 3.0 Honeycomb with Touchwiz UX User Interface.
  • HP releases the HP TouchPad with webOS [HP Touchpad] & withdraws it in August 2011 (a couple of months later).]