A Waterproof tablet PC from Fujitsu is seen lowered into a fish tank at the world's biggest high-tech fair, the CeBIT, on March 6, 2012 in Hanover, central Germany.
Let's look at where the trends point out for upcoming generations of tablet computers.
Transparent Displays :
Transparent glass displays are a staple of technology concept videos and while there has been immense innovation in display technology and devices, not much has translated to mobile devices yet. The next generation of tablets will most certainly move in this direction. Also, the tablets should allow extending the display to a television or another computer or project on a screen in an intuitive manner.
Diverse
Form-Factor :
Foldable panels that fit one's
pocket and display panels that can be extended to one's preference - the next
generation of tablets would not be hard-lined on form factor and dimensions. A
tablet, like a phone, is an intimate device and hence needs to be attached like
a sensory organ.
File Storage :
As Internet and mobile data continues to grow ubiquitous and online services grow in number and capabilities, your data and preferences live on the cloud. The local storage becomes irrelevant, only sufficing the intermediary needs. Also, this would allow seamless migration from one device to another irrespective of device segment or operating system.
Interface :
While pointing via a mouse is old
world, the touch would be the next casualty. Humans don't touch to interact in
most cases. We speak or move our hands to explain things. Several devices of
the current generation - game consoles, smartphones et al - employ bits and
pieces of gesture and voice recognition and the next generations of tablet
would have these baked in exhaustively with comprehensive knowledge of local
cultures and languages.
Location-Awareness
:
One of the biggest leaps that smartphones and tablets allowed was making the phone and apps location-aware using the GPS. This allows the information to be better served and locally relevant. Several services like Foursquare have built successful engagement on top of this, and it is anybody's guess that future evolutions would also bring context to the awareness.
Wireless Charging
:
I've wished for this one every
time I've snapped my laptop's charger and taken a fall through the cable. While
wireless Internet and near-field communication are moving progressively, the
future tablets would also cut this last cord.
Capabilities :
Snap your boarding pass, and your tablet would give you your flight details. Or place a phone or another tablet next to it, and data transfer would happen. Advances in near-field communication, image recognition, and augmented reality would give future computing devices immense power to enable seamless communication and enhance productivity in a natural manner.
Other Concept in
Tablet :
Better battery backup, tougher casing and resistant to a fall or a dip in the water, and an overall holistic ease of managing the hardware.
