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As Media tablets become more affordable their usefulness has become more apparent. As the operating systems evolve and new faster processors are introduced the home user now can pick their tablet up from where ever they are in the home and turn it on, and without having to wait a couple of minutes for it to boot up, they are online almost instantly, emails, social networking, general surfing it is all at their fingertips and it is this tactile approach that people enjoy there is no procedure to go through the interface can be customised to any way the user wishes and with the stroke of a finger it can all change. Its intuitive design makes for sharing the experience much easier due to its compact size it is easily passed around be it showing holiday pictures to explaining homework or giving directions. The media aspect of the tablet is also very important as Internet speeds increase and streaming becomes more of a possibility or even through saved or downloaded content the capabilities of the tablet as an entertainment device come to light with this content been able to be watched in most cases in HD quality video. All this coupled with its mobility with the availability of 3G connections allows the home user a non-cumbersome complete mobile solution. But it still remains that it is in its simplicity that the tablet succeeds and why it will remain so successful and a must have for the tech savvy household and even for those who have little or no tech knowledge (Dodge, 1997).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Streaming Video: A sequence of moving images that are transmitted in compressed form over the Internet and displayed by a viewer as they arrive; is usually sent from pre-recorded video files, but can be distributed as part of a live broadcast feed.
Touch Interface: A key component among tablet computers is touch input. This allows the user to navigate easily and type with a virtual keyboard on the screen. The first tablet to do this was the GRiDPad by GRiD Systems Corporation; the tablet featured both a stylus, a pen-like tool to aid with precision in a touchscreen device as well as an on-screen keyboard.
Apple Newton: The Apple Newton was a stylus based computer created in 1993. It utilised Apple's own new Newton OS, initially running on hardware manufactured by Motorola and incorporating an ARM CPU that Apple had specifically co-developed with Acorn Computers. The operating system and platform design were later licensed to Sharp and Digital Ocean, who went on to manufacture their own variants.
Tablet: A tablet computer is a mobile computer with display, circuitry and battery in a single unit. Tablets are equipped with sensors, including cameras, microphone, accelerometer and touchscreen, with finger or stylus gestures replacing computer mouse and keyboard. Tablets may include physical buttons, e.g., to control basic features such as speaker volume and power and ports for network communications and to charge the battery. An on-screen, pop-up virtual keyboard is usually used for typing. Tablets are typically larger than smart phones or personal digital assistants at 7 inches (18 cm) or larger.
Content: Data that an encoder or server streams to a client or clients. Content can originate from live audio or live video presentation, stored audio or video files, still images, or slide shows. The content must be translated from its original state into a Windows Media format before a Windows Media server can stream it. Windows Media servers can stream live streams or stored Window Media files as content.
Media: A term with many different meanings, in the context of streaming media, it refers to video, animation, and audio. The term “media” may also refer to something used for storage or transmission, such as tapes, diskettes, CD-ROMs, DVDs, or networks such as the Internet.