Gadget Baru si Tablet PC

Akhir-akhir ini, kita sering mendengar tentang Tablet PC. Jadi, apakah sebenarnya Tablet PC itu? Menurut Wikipedia, Tablet PC adalah laptop - atau komputer portable berbentuk buku. Memiliki layar sentuh atau teknologi tablet digital yang memungkinkan pengguna komputer mempergunakan stylus atau pulpen digital selain keyboard ataupun mouse komputer.

Sebenarnya jauh sebelum Steve Jobs (pemilik Apple) memperkenalkan iPad, sudah ada beberapa vendor yang jualan Tablet PC, tapi penjualannya tidak sesukses iPad. Karena itu, banyak yang beranggapan jika Tablet PC adalah buatan Apple. Steve Jobs boleh dikatakan orang yang mempopulerkan Tablet PC. Dengan kesuksesan Tablet PC tersebut (iPad), sehingga banyak vendor lain mengikuti jejaknya dengan memperkenalkan Tablet PC-nya masing-masing.

Ada pun sekarang ini Tablet PC telah banyak beredar dipasaran. Apple telah terlebih dahulu memperkenalan Tablet PC-nya dengan merilis iPad 1 dan disusul iPad 2. Sepertinya pihak RIM pun tak mau ketinggalan, Blackberry Playbook merupakan Tablet PC perdana buatan vendor ini. Sedangkan untuk Tablet PC ber-OS (operating system) Android lebih bervarian, Samsung memperkenalkan Galaxy Tab, LG mempunyai Optimus Pad, klik disini untuk melihat jenis Tablet Android lainya

Dalam keseharianya Tablet PC Tablet lebih cocok digunakan untuk membaca buku dan majalah digital, menonton, main game, browsing internet, presentasi, sosial media/jejaring sosial, serta memeriksa dan mengirim email.

Board Games Go Digital

Popsci.com - A home computer that transforms into a tabletop game center

Home Tabletop Computer The glass screen can withstand an eight-ounce steel ball dropped from a height of 39 inches. Sam Kaplan

When Microsoft debuted the Surface tabletop computer in 2007, the company envisioned groups of people sitting around a giant screen, sharing videos and playing games. But the Surface and the second-generation Samsung SUR40 are hugely impractical—too large for the typical living room, and too expensive for the average consumer. The engineers at Lenovo circumvented this problem by modifying a full-featured all-in-one PC to convert into a Surface-like game table, called the IdeaCentre Horizon.

The base of the Horizon connects to a spring-supported hinge, which allows users to tilt the PC flat. When horizontal, the computer switches to Lenovo’s Aura touch interface, which can capture 10 points of contact at once. Through Aura, users can browse photos and video or play games. The Horizon comes with four joysticks and four game pieces, each with a conductive pad that interacts with the touchscreen. The system even includes an accelerometer-equipped die that communicates with the board over the 2.4 GHz frequency. Lenovo and videogame studios, including EA and Ubisoft, are already using the Aura developer kit to code touch versions of new and classic games, such as Monopoly and air hockey. Players will be able to download more as they’re published, eventually allowing the Horizon to replace both a computer and a closetful of games.

A Wireless Die : A wireless die signals movements in IdeaCentre games.  Sam Kaplan