Its quite plausible, that we have at last found a device that is both mobile and usable for all things entertaining. Laptop devices have replaced the desktop computer, and now are we are we see such a shift to Tablet computing? While desktop computers still have their place, is it that tablets are also replacing the desktop in the same way.

Where do netbooks fit into this picture? Is it a device that has it place but is highly specialized, or is it something that tablets will entirely replace. I’m a user of Windows, Linux, Android and iPhone. And have used all devices extensively for periods of time. For standard office work I use Windows, for software development I use both Mac and Linux.

My main phone is an iPhone and all my music/videos is catalogued by Apple (via my Mac Mini).
For some time I used and Android phone, but eventually found the simplicity of the iPhone the right candidate for the job, making calls, answering text messages, and reading/replying to emails (at these three activities iOS was just that little bit better/faster).

So when it came to choosing a Tablet it made sense to invest initially in Java technology, as this had an easier learning curve for me. However considering the continued growth in iPad, its not giving way to Android for the foreseeable future (at least this is what the stats are saying), my next device purchase will be an iPad. This way Ill have a real device to test, rather then just an emulator. Also nothing beats the real thing, when it comes to appreciating the potential for iPads, and what exactly the usability pros and cons in comparison to an Android Tablet (specially ASUS Transformer prime)

At the outset of my career I expected that the tech world would home in on one device eventually, this is certainly not happening, and for sometime their has been device proliferation. At the start of my career I was dealing with about 4 different operating systems in my daily job, and for a while that narrowed a bit, windows/Linux (or Unix) Now I seem to back to such complexity of environments…and a multitude of software technologies at each different level.

So the point is its all about specialization, the appropriate device for specific users scenarios. For most non-techies its about entertainment and communication. So if a device can do Facebook, Email, Music, Videos and Photos its all you need. The downside of Tablets is the lack of a physical keyboard. So this is where tablet converges with Ultrabook (an Intel term). So with the slimmed down form factor, and increased battery life (I get 18hours on my T Prime)
I’m betting this is where the device form is heading. My 2.5 your old son, is now touching the TV screen to see what would happen, don’t punch a hole in the telly! Aside: He has also used hand gestures with lift/elevator buttons for some reason (I guess because they are circular and light up), he is copying his brother s actions with the XBox 360 Kinect!

I’d personally like to see the Android OS win out on this future ultrabook/tablet hybrid platform. Wonder what Windows 8 will do, which might also be an attractive option for developers (supports App development in HTML5, CSS, Javascript), and considering they will be using the Nokia expertise, this could be a strong contender. They have a big issue; they are way behind in terms of App catalogue…can they catch up?