Decius wrote:
] Clearly the keyboard, as it is the most evolved form. Go
] failed because people want to type. How long has it been since
] you tried to write something extensive, like an essay, with a
] pen? It is not a pleasant experience, let me assure you.
] Writing with a pen HURTS. My fingers are usually throbbing
] after an hour or so. I can go for days on a keyboard, and I
] write faster on it too. Pressing a button is always going to
] take less time then drawing a letter regardless of your
] proficiency level.

I feel like a convertible is a deisrable form factor, if only because i'm so used to typing (see compaq for the best tablet currently available). I think the pain issue of writing would go away if we did it more often. my hands hurt from writing a lot because i haven't written more than a page in a long time, but in high school and in college when i didn't use a computer all the time, i handwrote *tons* and my hands were no less tired than now (or, i should say, hand... theres an implicit efficiency gain in utilizing both hands). I used to take up to 40 or 50 pages of notes over a few hours of class time... and then do the majority of my homework with pencil and paper... no huge issue then, though i couldn't do it now.

i have two arguments in favor of handwriting systems, the first of which involves pace directly... i believe people think harder about what they're going to write when they do so by hand, precisely *because* there's a higher cost to it. this is a good thing, especially in areas where the content tends to be traditional (sentences, etc, not code or commands). the other argument is more practical, and stems from my number one complaint about tablets, which is that they're too damn thick. It's simply not the same to lay a 1.5 inch piece of plastic on the table and write on it as it is to lay a .1 inch sheaf of paper down and write -- it's uncomfortable. thus, the thinner the tablet is, the better, which is, of course, in direct opposition to all the other features of the device (computing power, battery life, and the existence of a keyboard). Redesigning our ergonomics is possible, but too long term.

The best solution is a to create a system that is effectively a modern laptop that *separates* at the hinge (and in which the computing is bundled with the display). It's conceptually no different than the keyboards that come with modern pda's. they don't even have to be bundled together... just an extra purchase option.

RE: UWB might be coming sooner than you think