Amazon Tablet

Amazon.com has been one of the world’s largest online retailers for more than a decade now and in that time, they have developed a reputation for offering anything under the sun for reliable prices. They have also stirred up some controversy for their approaches to certain aspects of the business. So, it will be very interesting to see what they do in the coming months as they prepare to launch their first foray in the tablet PC market.

The Kindle has been on the market for almost 3 years now and in that time, the device has grown from pricey novelty to a must-have for beach goers, frequent fliers and busy parents. It’s a great device that is lightweight, easy to carry, and incredibly efficient in terms of battery life and storage space. But, I’m interested to see how that will convert when Amazon takes on Apple’s megaton behemoth of consumer electronics.

On their Side

One thing that Amazon has going for it that other companies do not is the fact that they have about 90% of the necessary ecosystem in place already. Even Google has struggled thus far to put in place the necessary tools for an Android tablet to be a break away success. Whether you like how it works or not, Apple’s iTunes store and software is a a central reason the iPad is so successful – anyone can access anything from anywhere.

Amazon has the tools to make this happen on their own tablets. Their Kindle store is among the largest bookstores on the web, their new Appstore for Android is efficient and easy to use (more so than the existing Android App Marketplace) and their MP3 and OnDemand video services are continuing to grow larger, recently augmented by their cloud storage service.

Combined with everything Google can do with their Apps suite and the rapidly growing collection of tablet apps for Honeycomb devices, and you have a combination that very well could take on Apple’s juggernaut successfully without being relegated to a niche like the Playbook.

What it Will Take

I don’t know what Amazon needs to do to be successful in their endeavors, but they have the tools and the track record to make it happen. If they can segue their device lineup from the user friendly (and very popular) Kindle format to a tablet that effectively offers everything that makes Amazon an increasingly great Apple alternative, combined with Google’s mobile OS, we very well could see a new contender for consumer cash in the coming year.

One of my biggest beliefs when it comes to tablet technology is that the devices we use directly reflect the lives we lead. If you happen to be a jetsetter with a lot of work to do, you want a device that will match your traveling plans in battery life and mobility. If you use your tablet strictly around the office and spend more time working on spreadsheets and presentations than checking email and doing video chat, you want something with screen real estate and enough power for your needs.

So, it’s not surprising that I see the market shifting toward the types of people currently using tablets. However, while the majority of the tablet owners out there happen to be city dwellers who don’t work in a busy office environment, that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of people out there who need more out of their tablet than the iPad or Android devices currently hitting the market can offer.

That’s not to say that these highly popular tablets aren’t good enough for the people who need powerful devices. Rather, it’s that the tablets in question don’t offer the same features that these users come to need from their devices. The iPad for example is incredibly good for a lot of things, but sorely lacking in a few key areas, such as expandable storage, USB interaction, and customization of content. If you happen to be a corporate IT manager, justifying iPad use is tough right now.

However, if you happen to be a sole business owner who wants something mobile for email and presentations to new clients, an iPad is great. The same can be said for different features on all current tablets – they are catered to a particular crowd and therefore are most useful to people in different demographics, whether their manufacturers intend that or not.

Mobility and Features Going Forward

Right now, almost all tablets are trying to do pretty much everything. The result is that they each lack a few features to keep costs down. Some people want 3G access while others do not and frankly don’t need it because they work almost exclusively in the city. But, a friend of mine who travels a lot and lives in a rural area loves the fact that they can get a Galaxy Tab for less than $200 on data plan because the 3G access is fantastic for their needs.

In the future, 4G access will become fairly standard and maybe eventually it will be so affordable that the WiFi only tablets to cut costs will go the way of the Dodo. But, for now, we have choices and I feel that the way you live your life will impact those choices just as much as your intended use of the tablet. Ultimately, the lifestyles of consumers will start to impact the actual layout and features on the tablets themselves – that is after all what the free market does. Hopefully, that means we’ll see a surge of new ideas in the industry to go with them.

A few days back, Sony officially unveiled their entry into the tablet market – a pair of Playstation tablets named the S1 and S2. The S1 is more of a traditional 9.4” tablet while the S2 is an admittedly goofy looking clamshell that looks more like a straight gaming device than a dedicated tablet. Now, I’m not one to criticize the design of any tablet as some of the goofiest looking stuff on the market has been very successful in a number of niches (and Sony’s devices are not goofy by any means).

However, what really interests me is whether these new devices will truly court the gaming crowd – as Sony has made quite a bit of money doing in recent years – or if they will try to market this thing as a mainstream device with a gaming focus.

After all, by placing the Playstation brand name on their new tablets, Sony is saying to the world “These are supposed to be for gaming”. But does that mean they will actually be targeted towards gamers or will they be more traditional in their layout? After all, the iPad is a very strong gaming device, and yet it’s not really a “gaming device” in the same fashion as the 3DS or PSP – the two current leaders in the gaming only portable device market.

So, will the Playstation tablets attempt to be something akin to the iPad – a hybrid with a lot of games that can be sold for $500+ or will it be more of a marketing tool that attempts to cash in on their longstanding success in the gaming niche? It’s a big question and one I’m doubly interested in because I think the only the way to be truly successful in the tablet market right now (unless you have Apple’s resources) is to build a position in a specific niche where you can succeed.

While the iPad is a great gaming device, it’s not a gaming focused device. It is supposed to be for everything. And if Sony can market to that field and be successful doing it, they may tap into a field that doesn’t technically exist yet. But, if they simply use the Playstation brand name and fake their way through the process of being a “gaming tablet” they’ll likely find that the market can’t support yet another “multimedia consumption” device with nothing to set it apart from its competitors (and a slightly higher price tag if the rumors hold).

We have no idea what the future holds for Sony’s devices, but I can say this – they need to be something special and somehow different from what Apple already has on the market if they want to succeed. It will be some time before we know for sure if they can pull it off. Right now, however, it’s fun to speculate.

Recently, there has been a huge surge in interest for tablet PCs and most of the surge has come from the consumer sector. People who will use their tablets to play games, check email, and watch videos are buying them in droves, but as the market booms and more people buy these devices, what can we expect for the next major push in the field? After all, it won’t be consumer devices forever – like all technology, other fields will drive both innovation and increased sales.

The Call for Business Devices

Right now, the strongest call we’re hearing is for business devices – while the iPad is being tested extensively by a variety of different companies (Apple claims 80% of the Fortune 500 are currently giving it a shot), and the Playbook from RIM was recently released, we have still yet to see a huge boom in adoption for the tablet format in business.

However, as Microsoft will tell anyone, the business sector is where the biggest opportunity for growth exists. New technology, bigger accounts, and software sales are all huge in this sector and so I am almost positive we will see an uptick in the number of people that move their devices into enterprise.

The Evolving Ecosystem

Right now, there is no ecosystem perfectly suited for every field. We have plenty of user friendly UIs for consumer use, but for enterprise use or education, we are still lacking that all powerful operating system that could be used by nearly anyone for anything – as Windows can be on desktop and laptop PCs. We might see a surge of interest in these fields when Windows 8 is finally released next year, but we have a long ways to go before that finally happens, so for now, it will likely be a race between Android, iOS and everyone else.

As much as I want to see Windows 7 succeed, it is still lacking in a lot of features, even on the hardware side. As the industry grows, things will become easier to delineate. There will be software and hardware solutions suited for businesses and schools, as well as small children, professionals in the field and many other specialized audiences.

Until that happens, however, the ecosystem will be in flux and we need to remember that not all these devices will be used by consumers. Even as consumer devices, iPads are showing up in law offices, schoolrooms and construction sites around the globe. It will be interesting to see if iPads continue to show up as such or if things will shift as time passes to other,  more specialized devices.

I almost choked on my breakfast when I saw a report a few days ago that Lenovo was working on a 23” tablet to be released this year. My mind started reeling. I started trying to figure out how exactly a device like this could work, what it would need to be successful and whether anyone would buy it.

My mind was spared too many hours grasping for logical answers to these questions when the rumor turned out to be a fake – a miscommunication between a senior Lenovo official and the reporter to whom he was talking.

But, despite the rumors being false, I started thinking about what kinds of changes and advancements we’ve seen in the tablet field in just the last two years. For sure, the technology in this field was incredible for a long time, but since CES 2010, we’ve seen changes and advancements that go well beyond anything I could have hoped for or imagined just a few years ago.

And the innovation doesn’t stop there. We have people like MIT engineer Pranav Mistry working on his touch screen anywhere technology and Microsoft has flown under the radar with their Kinect technology – seemingly a gaming device, but in reality an opportunity to  integrate motion controls into almost every aspect of everyday life.

These things may not become reality this year, but we shouldn’t discount them either. Technology grows rapidly, especially in a new field like this. While a lot of companies are still scrambling to play catch up to the iPad, and will likely continue to do so for at least a few years, we will start to see new ideas and ways of using this technology very soon.

Just the fact that someone would misinterpret the Lenovo statement and the rest of us would suddenly wonder whether this could possibly be true speaks to the fact that almost anything is possible as technology jumps forward. Imagine touch screen ordering solutions in restaurants, touch screen coffee tables, and projected touch screens used at big events – the technology is coming and we will not only see it, but probably use it in our lifetime.

No, we won’t see a 23” tablet anytime soon and frankly I’m still not sure what I would have done with such a device, but if things keep moving forward at the pace they are now, we’re sure to see a number of incredible, never before considered advancements in the field in just a few years’ time. And I’m pretty excited about it.

The other day, someone I know who is nearly as big a fan of tablets as me got a new device in the mail. I happened to call him a few minutes after it arrived and when I heard he had a new tablet to test out, I asked first impressions. He told me “great for note taking, super intuitive, and way too heavy.”

It got me thinking about tablet PCs, the technology used in these devices, and the push to create ever smaller, ever lighter tools that we can take anywhere with us. Ten years ago, laptops weighed nearly 10 pounds and they required a small suitcase to carry around. Today, we have tablet PCs that weight as little as half a kilogram and they’re getting smaller every year.

How do they do it? They cut out key features like replaceable batteries and buttons. The devices are closed up and shrunk down to what is essentially a system on a chip. The result is a lighter, faster, device, but one where you have very little control over the hardware.

So, my question is this – which is more important? Mobility and a lightweight device you can take anywhere with you, or a device you have more control over and can extend as much as you want?

For the most part, the answer is rooted in the way you use your device. If you happen to use your tablet on trains or busses a lot and want to hold it up and read a book, then it needs to be lightweight. Not everyone needs it to be Kindle-light, but it should definitely not weigh 1+ kilogram and require its own carrying case.

But, if you use your tablet primarily for taking notes in meetings or watching movies in bed or on the couch, weight is a little less important. People in this category may even choose to pair their tablets with other devices. You can have a heavy slate that does everything and then a lighter device for taking on airplanes or reading books.

Smaller tablets are great because they are super portable. They fit in almost any bag, you can hold them with one hand, and they are easy to swap out with other devices, but they don’t do as much, so for now we’re stuck with a bit of trade off.

Eventually this won’t matter as much. People will use lighter devices that can do everything they want because the technology will advance to the point where you shrink it all down as much as you want. For now, though, there are tradeoffs. What do you think? What are you willing to give up in your tablet and what features are most important to you?

One of the biggest arguments over technology has always been accessibility to different markets. Should a low cost, low value tablet be created so that people who wouldn’t otherwise buy a tablet can afford one of these flashy new devices?

Of course, when these budget devices are built the result is not always fantastic. A $200 USD tablet is going to run like a $200 tablet – without the horsepower or pizzazz that its buyers have come to expect.

But, what about when companies start giving away these low cost tablets to lure in new customers? It’s becoming more common as they’re able to buy up budget Android devices for less than $200 and use them to entice new memberships or purchases from otherwise unsure customers.

They look like popular tablets like the Xoom or iPad and consumers eager to be a part of the tablet revolution don’t always know the difference…until they get home and turn the device on, finding it lacking in all the ways that count – no app store, low quality screen, no expansion, minimal space. These are problems that will bother even the lightest technology users and to me it represents a real problem in the industry.

Specifically we have a race now underway between tablet manufacturers eager to create the lowest cost entry level device on the market – tapping into the huge number of people enamored with this technology but without $500+ to buy a top end device.

It’s not a new problem. People have been buying low quality devices for decades in an attempt to hop on the bandwagon. The problem is that when this happens, especially without the buyer being aware of their decision, it waters down market perception. Someone buys a cruddy tablet and thinks, “hey, these things aren’t very useful”. Never mind the fact that they haven’t actually used a device that has the features and apps we all know and love.

It’s gotten so extreme that some manufacturers are even stooping so low as to ship illegally counterfeited copies of Windows 7 on their tablets. An Australian company (Microsoft takes Handii tablet maker to court) is currently being sued by Microsoft for just this issue and it’s insane. Some companies are pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable in the industry (and in this case going well beyond it) and it’s only going to continue to get worse as long as companies push to be the lowest price available.

Technology only flourishes when it grows and growth isn’t cheap. I don’t think we should ignore all budget devices, but when the price becomes too good to be true, it often is. Hopefully consumers will realize this and not be taken in by those who would take advantage of them – and hopefully the effect of those low quality devices won’t water down the industry as a whole.

I noticed an interesting story the other day mentioning that Barnes and Noble is starting to solicit app development for the Nook Color. They plan on supporting Android on the device as well, and Amazon is seemingly working up to their own Android solution for the Kindle with the launch of the Amazon Android App Store.

It makes me wonder what the market holds for the dedicated eReaders that have been so popular for the last three years. After all, the tablet boom started with the release of the Kindle and the Nook – lightweight, portable devices that made it possible to carry thousands of books anywhere.

I doubt Apple was solely responding to the eBook market, but they surely used it to market their iPad to a demographic that consisted of middle-aged and older consumers who were previously considering an eReader. Why buy an eReader when you could get a tablet PC that can do so much more for only a couple hundred extra dollars?

Consumers responded by purchasing more than twice as many iPads in 2010 as Kindles and the numbers are growing. So, as the market speaks and the devices grow more complex, the question comes up – do we really need eReaders at all?

Think about it – these devices are designed to do just one thing, and while they are less expensive than tablet PCs, does that matter in a world where users want to simplify as much as possible. Sure there are some users who don’t want yet another device to check email and watch video, but most people are happy to invest $500 instead of $140 to get a device that goes above and beyond single function use.

I think Amazon and Barnes and Noble know this – they are already changing their marketing strategies to make their high end readers more tablet-like than they currently are. Soon enough both companies will be selling low end tablets instead of eReaders.

Is that necessary? Does every device on the market need to compete directly with the iPad. For that matter, can every device out there actually pull it off? Right now, no one has come close to the sales and media reach of the iPad. The Samsung Galaxy Tab and Motorola Xoom both did okay, but neither took off quite like the iPad. Should Amazon or Barnes and Noble expect anything different?

The real issue here is finding a niche that works and developing products that are unique enough in that niche to maintain profits. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few years, especially as technology develops. If Amazon or Barnes and Noble can produce a device with a digital ink screen that also happens to play apps and surf the Internet, what kind of market will they find? I feel there’s a niche to be had there (just look at the interest in NotionInk’s Adam with the Pixel Qi screen), but only if companies stop trying to compete directly with Apple and find new ways to innovate in the field.

There are a lot of ways to use a tablet PC – the easiest is to use it as a supplement for your most common tasks like email or surfing the web. Other people use it to perform more demanding tasks like editing files or video conferencing. However, despite the way you use the device, there are a number of ways to integrate it into your already vibrant collection of technology.

With the freshly rebooted tablet field brimming with new ecosystems like the iOS, Android, and Windows, people are able to do almost anything they want with their devices. The days of the two horse race (Windows vs. Mac OS) are starting to fade and people are faced with more opportunity than ever before to customize how they use their technology. Even now, there are more options than just these big three in tablet PCs – HP’s WebOS will be available later this year on their new Slate and the Playbook OS from QNX will be available this month.

So, what do you do when you have multiple tablets, computers, and phones that all run different operating systems? Most of these devices are interchangeable to some degree. You can access all of the same information on each device, especially with third party tools like Evernote or Dropbox making cloud storage so easy.

But, just because you can use different platforms for multiple devices and get away with it doesn’t mean the process is easy. Sure, iOS works in tandem with any PC, but a lot of apps are only designed to sync up with Mac software and even iTunes works best on a Mac and not a PC. What does that mean when you want to combine all of your devices into a single, seamless stream of technology through which you can edit and work on files from multiple points at any time of the day?

What People Are Doing

Right now, if you like the iOS, you’re pretty much stuck with what Apple has to offer. The apps cannot play on other devices and you can’t install a different OS on your device. If you spend thousands of dollars on apps and entertainment for your iPad, you’ll probably want to buy another iPad when it comes time to upgrade.

On the other hand, Android is starting to develop a stronger base for its software. Amazon’s Android store is off to a good start and their Cloud Music Player is a great new tool that Apple still doesn’t offer. The Playbook with its millions of built-in users will support Android apps through onboard emulation and more device manufacturers are integrating Android into their own devices.

So, what should you do? It depends partially on your preferences. What type of computing do you enjoy? Do you want universal apps or simplicity? Will Windows be an important part of your technology or are you willing to leave it behind? What do you think – invest in one platform or be open minded to as many as possible?

More than 10 years ago, when tablet and slate computers first hit the market, they didn’t look much like the super thin, ultra-light tablets coming out today. Some were hybrids, some were pure slates and other still were something in between it all. But, while most of us have fond memories of Fujitsu, Motion and TabletKiosk devices, and some of us will even cite the HP TC11XX series of hybrid clamshells, you have to admit that a lot of interesting things are being done today with the format.

The Asus EeeSlate is pushing the convertible format back to the forefront for power users and enterprise possibilities while larger, more powerful slates and tablets are being announced every day. Sure, the iPad is popular, but it will only get us so far in a brand new market expected to grow so large in the years to come?

The recent growth in the tablet market is almost entirely focused on the 7” and 10” models from Motorola, RIM, Samsung, and Apple. They are sleek, fast and affordable, but they don’t really replace a desktop computer, let alone a netbook that provides a bevy of powerful features.

So, there is a major gap in the market that could be filled with new convertibles from companies like Dell with their Inspiron Duo (released last fall) or the upcoming Sliding PC 7 from Samsung set to release later this year.

The big leader right now in the convertible race though is Asus. While we’re still waiting to see if sales will match the hype and promise, their devices offer a full range of options that go well beyond iPad cloning. The Eee T101MT launched last year wasn’t a mega success, but the EeePad Transformer and the Eee Slider are both very attractive convertibles with built in keyboards. The Slate is powerful too with a Core i5 processor, 4 GB of DDR3 memory and a 12.1” screen with a capacitive touch screen. This is the definition of a power user device and while most of us don’t want to carry around anything that big, it does provide a lot of very viable options for those on the go who need more power.

Does the Market Need Convertibles?

The simple answer is yes. As long as the new range of tablet PCs run on mobile processors, provide only partial operating systems and don’t allow access to full scale software used in the enterprise, there will be people who want or even need convertible devices. It’s a big step forward for the industry to be sure, especially only a few months after the tablet finally went mainstream, but I think there is room for it out there.